Monday, December 07, 2009

Random News Nuggets

First, the bad news:

The more attractive you're perceived, the more wealth and respect you'll earn in the workplace. Forbes says a study at Cornell University shows women who advance at work are more attractive, thinner, taller and have a more youthful appearance than colleagues who are promoted less often. You can read more in Susan's post on Working Moms Against Guilt.

My wishes for a Christmas elliptical trainer can't come to fruition soon enough.

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Now the good news (at least for my single friends):

Singletons - there's no reason to sulk and feel like a societal castoff. As it turns out, those folks who are over 40 and never-married are better adjusted psychologically than their married counterparts. A study in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships looked at:

"...three measures of psychological resources, including personal mastery (the degree people think they have control over things in life, which is important to avoid depression), agency (the tendency to focus on oneself, which is good for mental health) and self-sufficiency (a sense of autonomy, which is also linked with better mental health).

The never-married participants do tend to have fewer social resources, she
(Jamila Bookwala) said. "In general they tend to report less [perceived] support from families than marrieds."

But the higher the never-married individuals scored on those psychological resources, the better their emotional well-being, she found. Better, even, than the married folks, if they scored high on those measures..."


I guess this means I'll be a pretty emotionally grounded person if I hit 40 sans husband.

Hat tip to @ChenneyC for posting this nugget on Twitter.

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Cincinnati Bengal and renaissance man extraordinaire Dhani Jones is showing another series of photos at Country Club on Madison Rd. in Oakley. Launching with an opening this Friday night from 7 to 10 PM, I am hoping these pics from Senegal are as genuine and reflective as the showing he unveiled in October.

To get you in the mood for Jones' photos from West Africa, check out this piece in the NYT about Senegal's music scene.

Who's ready to go to Dakar?

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Celebrity chefs - I can take 'em or leave 'em. Paula Deen is okay, but I would pretty much rather gouge out my eyes over the prospect of watching Rachael Ray or Sandra Lee.

But, Nigella. That woman is a wonder to behold.

I first fell in love with Nigella four years ago while watching her short lived Nigella Bites (originally made for the BBC but rebroadcast on E! during the earlier part of this decade). In one episode, she and a BFF dove in to a bowl of homemade guacamole - first eating it, then smearing it all over their faces, while Nigella's voice over extolled the virtues of avocado on skin.

Nigella has a new Christmas cookbook out, and it includes a few gift ideas - including homemade chutney and preserves, as well as a variety of make ahead dishes.

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When you head to this season's holiday parties, some of you may choose to sip on one of the most traditional cocktails around - the Martini. The San Francisco Chronicle has a great piece all about the traditional libation, breaking down the drink's history, proportion of ingredients, variations and preparation techniques.

I like mine up, dirty with gin, garnished with blue cheese olives.

Who's buying?

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You'll grow to curse the elliptical ...trust! But, it is nice knowing that there is one in my gym. It's just not my best friend, that's for sure. :)

The Quizzical Observer said...

I too fell in love with Nigella some years ago. I've always thought a woman who loves food can love all of life.

I also share your views on martinis. If you have five minutes to spare sometime, check out my post for 2 January. I'm not convinced by the blue cheese, though - does that really work?