My Scattered Updates (March 08)

Apparently blogging can be good for your health! Social health that is. And since this is all based on survey results, it doesn't mean the bloggers are actually socially healthier, it just means they think they are (of course, if they're happier and think they have more friends and are more connected...isn't that just as good for one's mental state of being?). That kind of philosophy is beyond the scope of this blog.

Also, important safety tip I learned this week on a business trip: Harrisburg is not a great place for seafood. If you go out for a nice Italian meal there, the chicken parm's probably a safer bet than anything coming from a body of water. I thought my coworkers were joking about the fish coming from the Susquehanna River (which runs through the city), but now I'm not so sure. I still think they were joking, if only because a local source would have resulted in fresher fish.

Furthermore, Harrisburg would be a nice place to visit if only they had a smoking ban, like every other civilized city in the country. Unfortunately, Harrisburg isn't the kind of place that would pass such a city ordinance. Fortunately, though, the Pennsylvania State Legislature might. The House and the Senate have both passed smoking bans, but they are vastly different with lots of exceptions to the rule. Still, I expect there to be a state-wide smoking ban in place by sometime during 2010. My only fear is that the new one will be both more lenient than the Philadelphia one and include language that would render the Philly one null (though the Republican in me believes the local government should be able to add to the law, if not take away from it--the problem is if the PA smoking ban clearly PERMITS smoking, instead of just not banning it, in certain types of places). Hopefully my local representatives will fight for our beloved right to breathe in a bar.

Finally, the Lindsay Lohan thing worked. Despite having nothing to say on my blog for several days, my hits were about 30% higher than I would have expected. Maybe I should end every post with "Lindsay Lohan Naked" or some other timely reference to popular culture.