I wonder sometimes: can I truly find balance? And, more importantly, is it possible? I strive for balance for a variety of reasons: to reduce stress, enjoy my life, and stay healthy. In the proce....

I love my IPod. I used to see people with those telltale white earphones running and think, "They’ll never head it when they run in front of a bus." But now I’d gladly be torn to...

The lobby bar at Casa del Mar recently became my new favorite place in Santa Monica. It has a nook for my every mood. There is the dark, wood-paneled library for when I feel scholarly. The comforta...

To the people who live here, the heat of the summer is a non-issue. The 3-digit number may look impressive (even a little insane) on a national weather map, but it’s not so hard to live with. ..

Sitting at his computer, he had a fairly good view of me. Occasionally glancing at me, he watched me until I wandered out of his sight into the kitchen, returning a few minutes later with an ice crea...

The other day, as I watched a man laden with backpacks scurry down the steps to the beach, I felt a brief twinge of envy. He displayed all the signs of a global nomad: bandanna, khakis with mesh poc..

During my first internship after college, I was determined to meet the CEO of the biotech company at which I worked. Unable to get an appointment, I ducked past the assistant toward his office. The ...

The newspapers lately have been full of doom and gloom. Where I live, the housing market has collapsed and foreclosures have skyrocketed. Interest rates are up, and the price of fuel is soaring. Th...

My mother played just one April Fool’s joke in all her life. Dad had done something to make her mad--nobody remembers what--and Mom wanted some big-time payback. So one Friday evening when Dad....

I wish I didn’t do it. You wish you didn’t do it. But we all do it. And it isn’t the devil making us do it. We are all guilty of doing the once-over. It’s the instant judg...