I couldn’t imagine life without my iPhone. I use it to check my email, search the internet, monitor the weather, give me driving directions, do my banking, make restaurant reservations, and, of course, take lots of photos of Allegra and Ruby. In fact, I still sometimes marvel at all the things one small device can do, and how it’s made my life easier in so many ways. But as awesome as it is to have all this power in the palm of my hand, it’s also a bit disconcerting just how much I’ve come to rely on it, and at times, it feels like, perhaps, I’ve crossed the line into using it  a little too much.Continue Reading

Conscious choices make a difference. Despite arguments that animal testing is a necessary part of medical research, and that finding a cure for human diseases outweighs the suffering this research causes to innocent animals, scientists are increasingly seeing that the results of animal experiments are not directly applicable to humans.

I won’t give to charities that support animal testing, and always check before making any type of donation.Continue Reading

When I think about what contentment looks like, I think of a purring cat. If there’s anything that illustrates happiness better, I don’t know what that would be. And it doesn’t take much for cats to be content: a sunny spot on the floor, a full tummy, a lap to curl up on – those are the ingredients for contentment when you’re a cat.

Why is it so hard for humans to reach that same state of contentment?Continue Reading