We don't have a swimming pool. It is only warm enough in the frozen tundra where I live to enjoy a pool for three months at best, and even then only if you have a heater. Or I suppose if you find it invigorating to swim in frigid water, which I definitely do not. If I lived somewhere with a more temperate climate I would own a pool in a heartbeat. It seems like it would just be such a fun thing to have right there in your own yard. Not having to schlep a ton of towels, floaties, sunscreen, and other assorted crap to a separate location would make it worthwhile.

I had a GREAT time at BlogHer '08 in San Fransisco. But, like all good things, it has come to an end. Now, not only do I have the Post BlogHer Blues, but I'm also feeling very sick. I'm totally exhausted, with a headache, sore throat, stuffy nose, and my ears feel like they are going to explode. It's nice to know I'm not alone. Apparently, the Post BlogHer Blues is very common...It's the sad feeling you get when the BlogHer conference comes to an end. One minute you are surrounded by all your BlogHer friends, and the next minute they are all gone. It's an emotional roller coaster.

"Go with the flow, Laurie. Go with the flow. It works every time." So said my new friend Frances Ellen as we walked along Fisherman's Wharf, in the middle of a day where I was distinctly not following this directive for a variety of reasons, and she was nudging her daughter and my friend, BlogHer Health and Wellness contributing editor Catherine Morgan, to buy a tote bag in which to...er, tote the conference swag back to Florida.

If you’re curious about online dating, the easiest way to ease yourself into such a situation is to ask people who have already tried it for themselves. What did they think? Did it work for them? Would they recommend it? At the age of 28, I’ve never participated in what I would consider to be full-fledged online dating -- that is, I’ve never been a member of a site that I had to pay for.

Are High Gas Prices Affecting Your Health and Wellness? With gas prices going up and up, many people are facing difficult choices when it comes to their health. From not being able to afford their medications, to buying less expensive (usually unhealthy) foods at the supermarket...They are being forced to make financial decisions that may be bad for their health. Last year I did a post about how a major medical crisis (such as cancer) could force a person to choose between lifesaving medications, and paying their mortgage.

Most people who know me realize that, notwithstanding my recent crisis of political faith, I will not be voting for John McCain in November. But as an adoptive mother I have a soft spot in my heart for the McCain family since they are an adoptive family, too.