Monday, November 24, 2008
Except Your Local News, Of Course.
by Teresa
A new study evaluated the things happy people do versus the things unhappy people do.
They found one major difference: TV watching. Happy people watch LESS TV than unhappy people.
Check out The New York Times article about the study.
If you’re an avid TV watcher, however, take heart: there’s a “chicken and the egg” aspect to this story. It’s not a clear cause-and-effect. Study authors weren’t sure whether watching TV made people more unhappy, or whether unhappy people just ended up sitting at home watching TV. They did note that happier people spent more time on social activities, visiting people and participating in group activities.
Posted by Teresa Garofalo on 11/24 at 09:14 AM
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Monday, November 17, 2008
Hallelujah! Product Packaging That You Can Actually Open.
by Teresa
This is a true story: We actually have a gift someone gave us for one of the kids, years ago, that we’ve never used, that is still in its packaging. The contents are delicate, but the plastic around it is practically impenetrable. My husband and I have both tried to open it. We’ve both cut our hands on plastic shards. But we’ve only made a small hole—not big enough to get the object out. We don’t want to do something really rough with it, for fear of breaking the object inside.
We talked, at one point, about bringing the hedge clippers in from the garage to finish cracking the darn thing open, but ultimately, we just shelved it. And there it sits. Three years later.
That’s one reason why I was so happy to read this article in the New York Times.
The story also talks about the tiny wire twisty ties, and their insidious counterparts, the clear elastic bands, that secure every single teeny tiny part of every toy that comes in a box with a clear platic front. The tiny plastic pets my daughter likes, for example. They come in sealed plastic bubbles attached to cardboard backing. Clearly, the toy is not going anywhere until you get it open. Still, the cute little things are each strapped in with a half-dozen elastic bands that have to be twisted, untangled, pried off or stretched and cut before you can actually hand the toy to the child.
I think it’s a great idea to simplify the packaging on toys and other products. As an added bonus, if manufacturers get on board with this idea, they’ll also be kinder to the environment. Fewer packing materials = less garbage going to landfills!
Posted by Teresa Garofalo on 11/17 at 08:08 AM
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Monday, November 10, 2008
Christmas Confession
by Teresa
I have a confession to make. There are holiday music CDs in the CD player in my car right now.
This represents a 180-degree turn from my attitude on the subject, at Halloween time. The night of Halloween, after the trick-or-treating was over, when I went to pick up something at my neighborhood CVS, I was appalled to see that most of the Halloween candy and decorations were gone from the middle aisles, and workers were already stocking those shelves with stacks and stacks of candy canes, bags of Christmas candy, and Christmas ornaments. I was further astonished when I stopped at Wal-Mart the following day, and there was Christmas music playing over the speakers. On the day after Halloween? Really? Isn’t that just a bit too soon to be thinking about the holidays?
Many of our viewers felt it was, indeed, too soon, as we discovered when we posted a “Question of the Day” on turnto10.com asking people to weigh in on a local radio station’s decision to switch over to its “all holiday music, all the time” format. 2,388 people, 87% of those who responded, said it’s too early! Just 366 people, 13%, thought it was a good time to start listening to Christmas carols. ( The program director says B101 wants to “spread some cheer” during these tough economic times. Click here to see more about B101’s Christmas programming. )
I don’t know exactly what happened to change my mind, but a “holiday” sort of mood crept up on me last week.
I resisted the impulse for a while, but now I am confessing: I have Christmas music turned up nice and loud, and I’m singing along as I drive.
I watched “Frosty the Snowman” with my kids over the weekend.
And that’s not all: I also found myself gazing, longingly, at the illuminated reindeer and brightly colored lights on display at various stores. I’ve found myself wondering how much longer I need to wait before I start decorating.
So, there you have it! I’m officially in the “holiday spirit.“ Bring on the jingle bells, boughs of holly, and cups of hot chocolate. I’m ready.
Posted by Teresa Garofalo on 11/10 at 09:03 AM
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