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Save Money when You Fly

January 14th, 2010

Over the past several months, my husband and I visited the Oregon coast for ten days, Boston and Nantucket for six days, and Ohio for five days. We’ve learned two ways to save money when flying to your destination, and I’d like to share them with you. Our trip to Oregon entailed a very early morning departure from an airport that is over an hour away, and rather than wake up in the wee hours and drive, we decided we’d like to stay close to the airport the evening prior to our departure. We discovered two sites, ParkSleepFly.com and Stay123.com that allow you to book a hotel/motel for a reasonable... Read More

Preposterous Portions: One Reason for the Obesity Epidemic

December 14th, 2009

We\’ve heard the scary statistics about the expanding waistlines of the American public – a 2009 CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) study reports that a third of adults and 16% of children are obese. Proposed culprits include TV, the Internet, inactivity, viruses, lack of sleep, easy availability of fast food, heavy friends, genetics, side effects of medicine, hormonal issues, air conditioning (it\’s too comfortable inside to go outside), safety concerns that keep people within their homes, companies that manipulate fat, salt, and sugar in foods that make us crave high-calorie... Read More

New Vocabulary for the New Retirement

November 11th, 2009

Here are some words, gathered from various places, that you won\’t find on the SAT: SKIERs – parents who are spending their kids\’ inheritance FANBY – find a new backyard (serial relocators) HALF-BACKS – people who move from the northern parts of the country to the far southern parts (such as Florida), then move “half-back” because it was too hot for them RUPPIES – retired urban people JHOBBIES – turning a hobby into a job (e.g. taking yoga classes to teaching yoga; making jewelry for fun to making jewelry to sell) PLAYCHECK – working for money to spend on... Read More

Travel Companion: Need One or Be One

October 13th, 2009

Do you have a mom, dad, or other relative or friend who needs/wants to take a train/plane/auto/ship but doesn’t want to/can’t travel alone? Or, would you like to be a travel companion for someone else? I recently spoke to Jeff Davis of Davis International LLC in Indianapolis, Indiana, about the segment of his company involved with needing/being a travel companion. Mr. Davis told me about some scenarios presently in the works, such as the relocation of an elderly client from the northeast part of the United States to Florida, and a group of 30 mature adults traveling to Costa Rica who want someone... Read More

How I lost six pounds on a two-week Asian vacation: eat like the Chinese

September 14th, 2009

I recently returned from a two-week tour of China. What a fascinating place! Hiking on the Great Wall, viewing the Terracotta Warriors, cruising the Yangtze, touring fabulous Shanghai – these are just a few highlights of the trip. And the people – it was hard not to notice how slender the Chinese were. After eating for two weeks as the Chinese do (we were on a tour that ate at local restaurants with authentic Chinese food), I can see why they are so slim. The Chinese have long integrated many of the tips we have learned for losing/maintaining weight: Size of Plates: We ate family style at... Read More

Seven Invaluable Internet Tips for Writers and/or Travelers

August 14th, 2009

Many Boomers plan to travel or write as part of their “new retirement.” I’d like to share several very helpful sites for those of you planning on doing either or both: Let’s say you’d like some publicity/recognition for your expertise, book, or want to collect anecdotes, date, or opinions for a project. Take a look at HARO (Help A Reporter Out) at www.helpareporter.com. This site is free, easy, and allows you to either contribute your thoughts to those looking for info, or ask others for info. I’ve used it both ways. Warning – you get requests delivered to your inbox three times... Read More

Antibiotics for Free?

July 14th, 2009

Did you know that some grocery chains now offer some common antibiotics for free? Of course, you need a prescription from a doctor, but there are no strings attached! An as example, Publix, based in Lakeland, Florida, offers the following drugs free (a 14-day supply, regardless of insurance, and no limit on the number of prescriptions) at their approximately 700 pharmacies located in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee: Amoxicillin Cephalexin Sulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim (SMZ-TMP) Ciprofloxacin (excluding ciprofloxacin XR) Penicillin VK Ampicillin Erythromycin Stearate... Read More

Late-Blooming Bloomers

June 11th, 2009

Almost everyone loves lists – lists that enumerate the best of (fill in the blank), the top (fill in the blank), the worst of (fill in the blank)…you get the idea. Today\’s list helps us reaffirm that “It is never too late to be who you might have been” (George Eliot – and remember, George Eliot is a pen name for a woman – Mary Ann Evans). Here are 10 examples of late-blooming bloomers and how old they were when they “blossomed”: Charles Darwin wrote Origin of the Species (50) Ian Fleming created James Bond (45) Colonel Sanders began franchising KFC (65) Grandma Moses... Read More

Ship ‘n Shore ‘n Sun ‘n Sea

May 13th, 2009

Let\’s start with a few statistics: most (84%) people want to retire close to water; most (71%) people over 40 like to take cruises, and many (40%) of those surveyed cite climate as the most important consideration in choosing a retirement location. Is there a place where we can turn these statistics into one tidy and affordable package? How about living on a converted cruise ship? I had the opportunity to tour the “Alegria” (the working name of the ship meaning joy or happiness), which is undergoing its final transformation to a floating community before being docked in its permanent... Read More

The Mighty Mitochondria

April 14th, 2009

Do you remember way back in high school Biology when we learned that mitochondria were nicknamed the “powerhouses of the cell”? We may have memorized that for a quiz or test, but this organelle is vital to our health, and is thought to play a vital role in aging. Mitochondria turn food into energy through a series of complex chemical reactions. And, although we learned that DNA is found in the nucleus of the cell, mitochondria have their own DNA, which is passed from the mother to the child. There are somewhere between several to 2,000 mitochondria per cell (some types of body cells don’t... Read More