Hungry girls unite!
If most of what you find in your in-box is considered spam, then think of a Hungry Girl e-newsletter as a chocolate rice cake topped with fresh strawberries and fat-free whipped cream: light, but satisfying. Monday through Friday, subscribers to the free service receive a diet wakeup call with tips, ingredient swaps and nutritional breakdowns of restaurant fare. (For shame, IHOP!) A perky "Bewitched"-style cartoon gives the lowdown on which 100-calorie packs will get you through the day and how Fiber One cereal can change your life.
If most of what you find in your in-box is considered spam, then think of a Hungry Girl e-newsletter as a chocolate rice cake topped with fresh strawberries and fat-free whipped cream: light, but satisfying. Monday through Friday, subscribers to the free service receive a diet wakeup call with tips, ingredient swaps and nutritional breakdowns of restaurant fare. (For shame, IHOP!) A perky "Bewitched"-style cartoon gives the lowdown on which 100-calorie packs will get you through the day and how Fiber One cereal can change your life.
Traffic series performers move to a world beat
Steppenwolf Theatre's Traffic series presents one-night-only performances -- but they pack a punch you won't soon forget. The May lineup continues the theme of what it means to be an American with a fittingly diverse group of Chicago artists.
Mother's Day gives stepmoms a chance
Paige Wiser: It's called Mother's Day, not Stepmother's Day, but should there be a distinction? As blended families get more complicated, so do holidays like this. Some churches get around the question by honoring all women on Mother's Day. Card companies have invented "other mother" and "like a mother" categories.
Paige Wiser: It's called Mother's Day, not Stepmother's Day, but should there be a distinction? As blended families get more complicated, so do holidays like this. Some churches get around the question by honoring all women on Mother's Day. Card companies have invented "other mother" and "like a mother" categories.
Chicago's rich and famous share their pet names
They may be public figures, but when it comes down to it, there's very little we really know about them. That's why pet names have such power. Used between loved ones, they're the basis of the secret language of intimacy. And when they're revealed to outsiders, it's an insightful glimpse into the men -- and women -- behind the myths. Even if Albert Einstein did discover the theory of relativity, it's more fascinating to learn that he called his first wife "little witch."
They may be public figures, but when it comes down to it, there's very little we really know about them. That's why pet names have such power. Used between loved ones, they're the basis of the secret language of intimacy. And when they're revealed to outsiders, it's an insightful glimpse into the men -- and women -- behind the myths. Even if Albert Einstein did discover the theory of relativity, it's more fascinating to learn that he called his first wife "little witch."
PSST!
OK, so you heard that Julia Roberts never wears deodorant and that Kanye West called off his engagement, but can you believe that Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford got it on during the filming of "Star Wars"? You just know that Han Solo wanted to try on that cinnamon-bun helmet.
Paige Wiser asks: What if women ran Chicago?
Nobody is giving women power -- but we're taking it anyway. A woman has already been named chancellor of Germany, and Spain's government is female-dominated. Next stop: world domination. But what would Chicago be like with women in charge? Here's a glimpse of what could be.
Nobody is giving women power -- but we're taking it anyway. A woman has already been named chancellor of Germany, and Spain's government is female-dominated. Next stop: world domination. But what would Chicago be like with women in charge? Here's a glimpse of what could be.
Silence is golden, but not gold crown Caring enough to shush the very loudest
The newspaper will not pay for a massaging chair, and I cannot get my doctor to write me a prescription for medicinal heroin.
Stars align with candidates
Paige Wiser: Last week, Bruce Springsteen endorsed Barack Obama for president. In a letter on his Web site, Springsteen wrote, "He has the depth, the reflectiveness and the resilience to be our next president. He speaks to the America I've envisioned in my music for the past 35 years." Powerful words from a respected artist -- but will they make an impact on the election? Skeptics will remember that Springsteen endorsed John Kerry, too, and even lent him "No Surrender" as his theme song. (Kerry wasn't a hit.)
Paige Wiser: Last week, Bruce Springsteen endorsed Barack Obama for president. In a letter on his Web site, Springsteen wrote, "He has the depth, the reflectiveness and the resilience to be our next president. He speaks to the America I've envisioned in my music for the past 35 years." Powerful words from a respected artist -- but will they make an impact on the election? Skeptics will remember that Springsteen endorsed John Kerry, too, and even lent him "No Surrender" as his theme song. (Kerry wasn't a hit.)
Women find a way to look good in athletic endeavors
Paige Wiser: Nicole DeBoom knew all about winning ugly. But in 2004, training for an Ironman competition, she caught her reflection in a store window and decided it was time to win pretty. That night she sketched her first "fitness skirt" and had a prototype put together. DeBoom, who grew up in west suburban Downers Grove, won the Wisconsin Ironman competition in that skirt -- sweaty, but stylish and sassy in her hot-tamale-red skirt. "I finally feel like myself," she said at the time.
Paige Wiser: Nicole DeBoom knew all about winning ugly. But in 2004, training for an Ironman competition, she caught her reflection in a store window and decided it was time to win pretty. That night she sketched her first "fitness skirt" and had a prototype put together. DeBoom, who grew up in west suburban Downers Grove, won the Wisconsin Ironman competition in that skirt -- sweaty, but stylish and sassy in her hot-tamale-red skirt. "I finally feel like myself," she said at the time.
Inciting skinniness? France is on thin ice
People tend to view France as culturally superior, cowardly or just plain silly. I think of them as all three at once, which is why I love the country so much.
Being Sarah Marshall
Paige Wiser: The billboards were jarring, before anyone figured out they were promoting a movie. They said, in big black capital letters: "I'M SO OVER YOU SARAH MARSHALL." They were jarring, especially, to women named Sarah Marshall.
Paige Wiser: The billboards were jarring, before anyone figured out they were promoting a movie. They said, in big black capital letters: "I'M SO OVER YOU SARAH MARSHALL." They were jarring, especially, to women named Sarah Marshall.
Prostate screenings becoming a celebrity cause
Paige Wiser: Prostate cancer suffers from a public relations problem: Nobody likes to think about the prostate. You're probably not sure where it is, for one thing -- just that it is in the delicate neighborhood of the testicles.
Paige Wiser: Prostate cancer suffers from a public relations problem: Nobody likes to think about the prostate. You're probably not sure where it is, for one thing -- just that it is in the delicate neighborhood of the testicles.
The shallow end of a think tank
Paige Wiser: Last week, the Conference on World Affairs was held at the University of Colorado in Boulder. I would have mentioned it in time for you to attend, but I'm not much for thinking ahead. I'm not much for thinking at all, come to think of it, which is why the conference caught my attention.
Paige Wiser: Last week, the Conference on World Affairs was held at the University of Colorado in Boulder. I would have mentioned it in time for you to attend, but I'm not much for thinking ahead. I'm not much for thinking at all, come to think of it, which is why the conference caught my attention.
Model finds happiness in denim done right
Once women are comfortable in their own skin, they'll be comfortable in their jeans. That's the philosophy behind Paige Premium Denim, and it's a lesson that designer Paige Adams-Geller learned the hard way. The former Miss California also worked as a model. She quickly found that the slender perfection she was pursuing didn't exist.
Once women are comfortable in their own skin, they'll be comfortable in their jeans. That's the philosophy behind Paige Premium Denim, and it's a lesson that designer Paige Adams-Geller learned the hard way. The former Miss California also worked as a model. She quickly found that the slender perfection she was pursuing didn't exist.
