Domestic Geek

Quitting smoking is the best thing you can do for your health. My friend Marisa agrees. She used to be a smoker and has succeeded in giving them up. I know many people that smoke get really irate when you bring up this fact. Seriously, though, they call them cancer sticks for a reason.

This one is near and dear to me because I lost my mother indirectly to smoking. She developed pneumonia while being sick (smoking lowers your immune system), slipped into a diabetic coma and ultimately passed away. While she was in the hospital, they were pumping all of the crap out of her lungs and it was solid black for days. Totally grossed me out.

You can't get proper oxygen to your system when you're choking it out with smoke. Then there are the chemicals you put into your system. Besides being bad for you, the danged things are expensive. Just to let you know that I've been there, I used to smoke back when I was in college (late '80s) and gave them up then because they were costly. Look at how much the price has increased since then!

I have a couple of other friends online that are trying to give up the habit — good luck to Marcus W. and Cass in this endeavor.

I'm surfing on my laptop while I'm posing on my Mac. I keep trying to mouse over to the laptop screen like I can on my 2nd Mac monitor. LOL

One of the best (and easiest) forms of exercise we can get is walking. We've become such a sedentary, lazy society...we don't even have to walk around the grocery store anymore if we get our groceries delivered. There are also safety concerns about being out and about, especially for a single female.

Walking doesn't require any special equipment other than a decent pair of shoes. You can do it any time. Many malls have mall walk programs if you don't want to be out in the elements or don't feel safe walking in your own neighborhood. You can even make it a social activity — grab your friends and take off. Also, take along a dog and both of you can get some exercise.

My friend Colleen suggests getting a pedometer so you can get a good idea of how much you're walking everyday. She's the queen of walking knowledge as she does her own cancer fund raising over at 3DayMom.com by participating in a Breast Cancer 3-Day to support the Susan G. Komen Foundation every year.

Why is it that the minute you turn a webcam on, your nose itches? I don't want you guys to think I'm picking my nose, but it is itching like crazy! Man, I forgot how quickly a half hour passes in between posts.

As with anything related to our health, the experts put out mixed messages as to whether alcoholic beverages are healthy or not. Beer is good. Beer is bad. Wine is good. Wine is bad. Wine is OK as long as you drink only red and limit it to one glass. Maddening, isn't it?

I'm going to give my humble opinion of this matter. Unless you're an alcoholic, moderation is the key. If you can't stand the taste, don't drink it just because somebody says it is healthy to do so. I personally can't stand red wine (or grape juice for that matter). I enjoy having a beer once in a while, but I don't drink 3 a day.