You’ve probably heard about this elsewhere, but I thought I’d weigh in on the matter.
Al Gore, probably one of the most outspoken proponents of “going green” to reduce the effects of global warming, may have some explaining to do. According to the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, the former vice president is gobbling up whopping amounts of electricity while urging the rest of us to do our part — and if possible, more than our part — to cut electricity consumption at home:
Gore’s mansion, located in the posh Belle …

All the water I’ve been drinking since this diet began compelled me to visit the restroom of a local bookstore last night. (It was not an adult bookstore! Get your minds out of the gutter!)
Anyway, I spotted some questionable advertising written on the stall wall. What was so amusing to me is that someone else — apparently a disgruntled would-be “customer,” actually made the effort to come back to the same stall and report that the “offer” was bogus, advising future readers, “Don’t waste time calling.”
I …

Yesterday I had my third appointment at MUSC since starting one of their diet plans. In the banner right above this post, you can see how well I’m doing. (Ten of those pounds were lost on my own in the month before I started their plan, but still, that’s pretty impressive.)
This time, I met with a behavioral specialist. This is code for a psychology graduate student. The plan consists of a prescribed diet as well as regular meetings with rotating staff members representing different discipines: …

February is Black History Month. I mention this fact as a reminder for those of us who have fallen victim to the excitement of our celebrity-obsessed society and have spent the past few weeks watching the Anna Nichole Smith, James Brown or Brittney Spears controversies play out. I’m not going to discuss whether there should be a Black History Month; I’ll save that for later in the week. Instead, I’d like to talk about a recent news item.
Civil Rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton just learned that his …

There’s a new feature about a third of the way down my sidebar called “Feevy.” It allows a blogger to enter the web addresses of blogs he reads, then it will place a quick preview of the most recently-updated from that list. If the sneak peek peaks your interest, you can follow that link to the blog.
Give it a try and let me know what you think.

In my last post, I mentioned that I had abandoned Stephen King’s latest novel, Lisey’s Story, for a debut novel, The Heart-Shaped Box, by Joe Hill.
I received this comment from Robin in Texas:
“Patrick, did you know that Joe Hill is Stephen Kings son? I saw him on [Good Morning America] last week. How funny that you set aside a book by the father and chose, perhaps unknowingly, to read one written by his son.”
I did miss the interview: I’m a Today man, myself. But I do think it’s …

They’re the familiar landmarks that make you a double-take. Or maybe they’re the buildings you’d love to work in, or the homes you’d love to live in. The American Institute of Architects recently published a list of 150 favorite pieces of architecture which you can view here if you need some inspiration. You, fortunately, only have to come up with a list of seven. (And no, your seven do not necessarily have to be on their list.)
But first, though Kathy of Kathmandua, PA was first to …

You might not recognize this guy’s face, but you definitely know who he is. His name is Elwood Edwards, but he goes by the nickname El.
No, I didn’t expect that to joggle your memory; I just wanted to properly introduce you before explaining why you really do know him.
This broadcaster-turned-voiceover artist was approached way back in 1989 by a company looking to release a new version of its software for Mac users. Their idea was to work a human voice into the software that could be heard by …

There’s a wonderful magazine out there that you may never have even heard of. But it’s one that I’d highly recommend. It’s called mental_floss, and it’s quite entertaining because it’s full of odd facts and anecdotes about trivia. Its slogan reads, “Where knowledge junkies get their fix.” Sometimes it’s nice to escape the reality of the world for a little while.
The latest issue, March/April 2007, spotlights the 20 Greatest Mistakes in History. (You might be surprised that the War on Terror did not make the …

Last night, a colleague invited me to dinner. He knew about my diet, and has been both impressed and supportive about my diet progress. He assured me that if I felt that I couldn’t go because of the diet, he would understand, but would like to have a bite to eat if I was up for it.
So I said yes, figuring that I could surely find something on the menu that wouldn’t be too damaging to my diet plan.
He had some kind of delicious lobster ravioli dish, while …

How do you rate? It’s a simple question, really. But then again maybe it isn’t. We’ll soon find out!
Last week, it was Nichole of “My Two Cents” was first to play last week for the second week in a row and who, like me, ranked as “Bob Barker” in the game show host quiz. Congratulations again, Nichole.
Here are this week’s “Saturday Six” questions. Either answer the questions in a comment here, or put the answers in an entry on your journal…but either way, leave a …

I had a follow-up visit at MUSC, this time with an exercise expert, yesterday. He seemed quite impressed with my accomplishments so far. So am I, actually. As of this morning, I’ve managed to shake off 21 pounds. I’m liking this. In fact, the little snack bars and diet shakes are getting more and more tolerable as the pounds come off.
Then the exercise guy started talking about exercise. I knew it would happen.
He wants me, over the next two or three weeks, to get …