weyes

when buying over-the-counter drugs, one should look at the active ingredients lists on the packages. one might be surprised at how many brands are actually just different names slapped on the same thing. for instance, the active ingredient in the sleep aid unisom (diphenhydramine hydrochloride) is really just twice the dose of benadryl, which is marketed as an antihistamine. if one takes benadryl to get sleepy (i know some people who've done this), s/he might as well save some dough and just switch to unisom, as it's twice as strong. tune in tomorrow.

people should be assumed to be truthful unless they prove themselves to be otherwise. one shouldn't let his/her past experiences and cynicism be the judge of innocent people. tune in tomorrow.

monster massive is in october. is there more to say in this thread ?

when one has an important business call to make, the best time to do it is in the morning on a wednesday; if it's an (800) number, one never knows where the company really is. we on the west coast are at a disadvantage in this respect, as many companies are based on the east coast, and a surprising number are in the midwest. mondays and tuesdays are the worst days to call and lunch time is the worst time to call, as these are the most popular days and time. late on friday is also a bad choice, as many people tend to leave early for the weekend - or maybe just ignore their phones for the last hour or so . tune in tomorrow.

a low price is not reason alone to buy something. if one finds him/herself lowering his/her standards to buy something because it's cheap, s/he should instead think about putting that money towards something of better quality that may cost a little more. tune in tomorrow.

diversification often leads to a more exciting existence; taking up new projects and hobbies can renew one's zest for life. yes, working at playing yields worthwhile results! tune in tomorrow.

instinct is a powerful force and it usually serves one well to listen to it. tune in tomorrow.

with so much to be done and so many options of things to do, there is absolutely no excuse to be "bored." if one finds him/herself feeling "bored," all that s/he needs to do is think of the things that can always be done again, like cleaning the house, and the things that s/he has always wanted to do, like take the time to read that book that's been sitting around or learn a new hobby (painting, knitting...). boredom is generally just a symptom of a lazy mind. tune in tomorrow.

if one often finds him/herself swamped with too many things to do and not enough time to do it all, it can help to not be bound by specific times and just to get things done when s/he finds him/herself feeling energetic. it doesn't make sense to go to bed early because it's a "sensible" time to go to bed if one has enough energy to get some useful things accomplished. tune in tomorrow.

admitting one's own faults doesn't exempt a person from working on them. self-improvement, like self-awareness and exploration, should be a constant project. tune in tomorrow.

one ought not assume that a letter, e-mail, call, or message of any kind has been received by its intended recipient until s/he has gotten confirmation from the recipient him/herself. so many things can get in the way of someone getting a communication that double-checking this is worth the effort. tune in tomorrow.

equality, while probably not truly achievable, is a goal worth constantly and inexorably pursuing. and, let's not forget: equality means fairness for all people, not just certain ones some people care about some of the time. "all" includes the misunderstood, the minority, those with no way to fight for themselves, those who do nothing but fight, those who may not be liked, those who are hated, those who hate, friends, enemies, strangers. let's continue to dream, and work even harder while we're awake. tune in tomorrow.

anything can be performed, carried out, executed, completed, done, finished, etc. incorrectly - even the simplest of tasks. if the action is worth doing at all, double-checking is worth the effort. tune in tomorrow.

i saw dj lady sha at wmc '08 and she won the dj spin-off. she was the first woman to accomplish that feat. anycrap, she's crazy good .

too cold/rainy/snowy out to go to the supermarket? just feeling too lazy? have to wait till your next paycheck? in any of those cases, one should just release his/her inner iron chef; one can always make something from what's in the house, it might just take going to the most basic ingredients. if one only has flour, oil, salt, baking soda, sugar, and a few other baking ingredients like that, there should be a recipe online somewhere for biscuits, pancakes, muffins, cookies, or something in that genre. sometimes taking a more old school and simple approach can yield the things that helped feed people who didn't go to the supermarket for fresh ingredients every day for generations . tune in tomorrow.

some people misinterpret the phrase, "pick your battles" to mean that s/he should give up on something entirely. this mistake is unfortunate at best and sometimes can be dangerous for the future of the person to whom the statement is directed. "pick your battles" is all about prioritizing. what it means is that one should focus on other things - and make sure to work on other things - because the outlook for pursuing one's particular issue isn't currently favorable due to any number of reasons, including: the geographical location where the person is the person's current adversary or adversaries the political climate, acceptable practices, and/or general mood at the time that the issue is being brought up there are too many other things that might overshadow or get in the way of the issue at present if something is so important to a person that s/he considers it a "fight" of any sort, it shouldn't be abandoned. s/he should simply wait until these factors change, or find a way to change them him/herself. tune in tomorrow.

expanding one's cultural horizons is generally rewarding, but it can be challenging to come up with ways to do that. here's a suggestion: when friends and relatives extend invitations to events that don't sound immediately exciting or enticing, these can be just the right opportunities. who knows what exhibit, concert, lecture, or other happening might be the beginning of a new passion in life? tune in tomorrow.

an easier resolution to keep than losing weight or quitting smoking that's also incredibly beneficial to one's health: getting enough sleep. it's a well-known notion that 8 hours of sleep is best for most adults, but one can't really understand or appreciate this until s/he actually experiences it on a regular basis. this is easier said then done for insomniacs or people with scheduling issues that make it near impossible to do, of course, but weekends are a good time to start to really give it a shot. instead of getting up early on saturday and sunday to run errands, one can try sleeping in for those two days in a row and see how good it feels. most stores where one completes his/her weekend errands are open late these days; they're practically waiting for the people who slept in . tune in tomorrow.

just because someone acts holier-than-thou doesn't mean that the people around him/her have to feel inferior. when someone tries to put others down, these others have all the opportunity and right to stand up for themselves and not take that disrespect. instead of one being upset that someone is acting superior to him/her, it's better to approach the situation from the perspective that it's not worth the effort to think poorly of oneself. tune in tomorrow.

as soon as one receives his/her w-2, it would behoove him/her to put it in a file marked "taxes 2009" and put that file in his/her desk or file cabinet. if this is not what one usually does with one's w-2, this is especially a good idea, as those who are accustomed to misplacing their w-2s often ask other people where they think these documents may have run off to. a responsible person being asked this question may reply, "is it in a file in your desk?" and then receive the look of death from the irresponsible party, who is used to crumpling it up and putting in his/her jeans or getting it lost under the couch cushions. so, even if one forgets that s/he has created a file for his/her w-2, when s/he asks a friend where the w-2 might have been placed, the friend just might lead him/her to it anyway . tune in tomorrow.

in order to avoid problems with one's checks going through, it can't hurt to write "2010" on the next few ahead of time. it is extremely common to still write the previous year when writing the date, and financial transactions are just some of the many instances in which it is imperative that one double-check what has been written (whether by someone else or oneself) in the "date" field. while some banks may be lenient and send through checks in january on which people mistakenly write "'09," it is within their right to not cash checks that are old (usually the limit is 6 months), and it is up to them to determine - or choose - whether or not a check is valid. tune in tomorrow.

looking for a way to lose weight in the new year? ah, the learning channel is here to help, with such programs as half ton teen, half ton mom, and other shows with obese people, each one outweighing the previous. if a person sits down to watch one of these shows with a snack s/he might be surprised at how quickly it'll go back in the fridge. wow. tune in tomorrow.

how to sum up a year? who knows? not what will happen here, in this column. but an important column, before the calendar year ends. while it's important to keep all the promises one makes, it is essential to not make promises to oneself lightly. disappointing oneself is more damaging than one might know until it happens, so it's well worth it to work hard not to do it. it's been said before, but let's all resolve - and put it in practice - to be good to one another and ourselves in the coming year and years . tune in tomorrow.

finally back from new york! here's one that i would've thought everyone knew: it is disrespectful, wrong, and totally unacceptable to move, misplace, and/or THROW AWAY the property of someone with whom one lives without asking. the golden rule, as just about always, applies here . tune in tomorrow.

the more that can be done ahead of time, the better. the internet is incredibly helpful and a wonderful resource when it comes to finding out what can be done in advance. to anyone traveling this holiday season: checking in for a flight online, before going to the airport, saves money on bag-check fees. it also saves time in the airport; yay for that! this writer is going away for the holidays and may have spotty attendance for a bit. perhaps not, though, depending on how frikkin' cold it is outside back east! tune in, but not tomorrow!