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Hybrid worker misses touches of old office life

Published Sat, 01 Mar 2025 09:00:37 GMT

I remember them well.One was short and slightly pear-shaped, varying shades of green with the logo of my favorite neighborhood coffee shop. Another was cream-colored and massive, 24 fluid ounces at least. The last, my favorite, was petite and hilarious, adorned with the quip “Whoops, I spent the grocery money on shoes again.”They were the coffee mugs on my desk at work. My trusty delivery system for often-caffeinated hot beverages to fuel me through the work day. The green coffee mug was ideal for everyday use. The massive vessel was clutch on days when I needed an extra jolt. And that petite, quippy cup was just right for a small cup of afternoon tea.Now, they have no home.Like many other American office workers, I no longer have a desk of my own at work. The office arrangement — in which each employee grabs an empty desk on their in-office days, and fully vacates it when they leave — is often referred to as hoteling or hot-desking.Now I, and many part-time-commuting hybrid workers...

Divorced in Nov., yet still filing jointly

Published Sat, 01 Mar 2025 09:00:37 GMT

Q. My husband and I got divorced in November.  Last week he sent me an email reminding me that I agreed to send him my W-2 when I get it.  My neighbor is an accountant. I asked her whether I need to send him my W-2 and she said no and explained that we cannot file jointly now that we are divorced. My husband thinks she is wrong.  What do you think?A. I think your accountant friend is not a divorce lawyer and therefore does not have the full picture.  When people say they are divorced, unless you work in this field or have recently been through a divorce, most people do not understand the difference between a Judgment of Divorce Nisi and a Judgment of Divorce Absolute.  The nisi period is a statutory 90-day mandatory waiting period between the granting of a divorce and the divorce becoming final and absolute.While you probably feel divorced from an emotional perspective and even a physical separation perspective, technically you are still legally married during the nisi period (you c...

Diabetic cat not good treatment candidate

Published Sat, 01 Mar 2025 09:00:37 GMT

Dear Dr. John,Our cat has been overweight for years and came down with diabetes two years ago, at 11. We have treated it with a prescription diet and insulin shots twice a day. The food hasn’t really made much difference in his weight, and we have had to increase the insulin dosing slowly over time. Is this typical? Apparently, there is a new treatment for cat diabetes that does not require daily shots and our question is if that might make sense for our cat? F.C.Dear F.C.,As you have learned, cat obesity or being overweight is a common predecessor to diabetes mellitus in the species. For my entire career, I have urged owners of overweight cats to put their pets on diets to avert diabetes from developing. It is said that almost 2/3 of all cats are overweight! Diabetes, once developed, is not treated but managed and doing so is usually very effective, allowing the cat to live for many happy and healthy years.Various forms of insulin have been used over the years and different practit...

Healthy sips for a healthier new year

Published Sat, 01 Mar 2025 09:00:37 GMT

Well that was a doozy of a holiday run, was it not? We sang, we ate, we gifted, we partied like it was the end of, well, 2023. And now it’s time to pivot to some post-holiday cleansing.Even if you’re not into the idea of doing a dry January and don’t particularly feel like jumping on the rollercoaster of drastic diet change. there are plenty of beverages out there that you can easily sip to boost your health — in many different ways.For example? Let’s start with chaga teas. You may not have heard of these yet, but they’ve been around for eons; people in Eastern Europe have been drinking them for centuries. It’s made from chaga mushrooms, which usually grow on the trunks of birch trees. Studies have found that they may help prevent cancer and slow tumor growth,  can help balance our immune systems, slow inflammation, and possibly even help protect our livers. A great and yummy one to try is from Boom Chaga (boomchagadrinks.com).If better sleep health is on your new year a...

TV Q&A: When will network shows air new seasons?

Published Sat, 01 Mar 2025 09:00:37 GMT

You have questions. I have some answers.Q: What happened to the TV program “So Help Me Todd”?A: First, the series will begin a new season on Feb. 15, the same night that “Young Sheldon” and “Ghosts” resume on CBS. That’s part of a CBS series premiere week kicking off after the Super Bowl on Feb. 11, including “NCIS” on Feb. 12 and the three “FBI” series on Feb. 13.The late start for this and other shows is, as I have mentioned, the result of the Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strikes, which delayed production and release of movies and TV shows. Programs are beginning to return, although the returns will stretch out over several months.For example, NBC has already started a new season of “Night Court,” its “Chicago” series all resume on Jan. 17 and the “Law & Order” bundle starts anew on Jan. 18. ABC begins a new run of “The Bachelor” on Jan. 22 but will not have a new season of “Abbott Elementary” until Feb. 7, “American Idol” on Feb. 18, and “Grey’s Anatomy” on Marc...

Children may be attracted to each other

Published Sat, 01 Mar 2025 09:00:37 GMT

Q. My boyfriend and I moved in together last April. We dated for a year prior to deciding to combine our families. I have two daughters, 7 and 16. He has a 12- and 17-year-old son; the oldest is planning to go to college in Hawaii after graduation. Recently I noticed the vibe is a little different between our oldest children and I am concerned they may be attracted to each other. What do we do? What’s good ex-etiquette?A. Ironically, I find parents often categorize kids in two groups. One, my kids. Two, all other kids. And all other kids stretch the truth, sneak out at night, drink alcohol, experiment with drugs and have physical attractions. So they don’t consider that their children, about the same age, may be attracted to each other, and move in together without the proper checks and balances in place.What are some of the pitfalls they may run into? Leaving the kids home alone without adult supervision and the obvious problems that may lead to, the impact their relationship and a...

Hottest winter theater tickets in Boston

Published Sat, 01 Mar 2025 09:00:37 GMT

Cold weather, hot emotions. Dark nights, bright lights. Explore artistic poles this winter in the Boston theater scene. There will be shows with silly pop music, riffs on classic literature, ballet, puppets, teen dramas, and haunting intimacy.“Trouble in Mind,” Jan. 12 – Feb. 4, Lyric StageBlack actress Wiletta Mayer is set to take Broadway by storm in 1955. But stereotypes and racism follow her through her debut in a supposedly progressive play by a white writer. Funny, warm, and cutting, “Trouble in Mind” is a backstage look at the theater of the past that resonates in the present. Lyricstage.com“Moulin Rouge! The Musical,” Jan. 16 – Feb. 4, Citizens Bank Opera HouseHere we are now! Entertain us! The fever dream, sugar rush, glitz and glam of Baz Luhrmann’s film has been put on stage. And everybody loves it. The winner of 10 Tonys comes to life with help from the catalogs of Madonna, Beyonce, Gaga, Britney, Adele, Elton, and many, many, many more. Boston.broadway.com“A Case for th...

Clive Owen gives Sam Spade a second act

Published Sat, 01 Mar 2025 09:00:37 GMT

Sam Spade may be back but he’s a continent away from his now-closed San Francisco detective agency. And he’s no longer in black-and-white, much less stuck in the 1930s and ‘40s.The aptly named “Monsieur Spade,” streaming Jan. 14, presents a retired Spade, played with wit and gravity by Britain’s Clive Owen (Clinton in “American Crime Story”), who now resides in picturesque France.It’s a revolutionary step for Dashiell Hammet’s iconic sleuth, created in his now classic 1930 novel and firmly set in memory with Hollywood’s third adaptation, rated as perhaps the greatest film noir ever: John Huston’s “The Maltese Falcon” (’41) starring Humphrey Bogart.“This is kind of a dream job for me because I’m a huge fan,” Owen, 59, said during a Zoom interview. “When they said, Would you be interested? I was like, Oh my God you’ve come to the right person. I just want to be in this world.“It’s very difficult when you’re taking these classic characters to f...

Dear Abby: Hubby retires early, wife bears burden

Published Sat, 01 Mar 2025 09:00:37 GMT

Dear Abby: With no discussion, my husband decided to retire two years ago. He said he would just take Social Security and we’d be fine. He failed to take into account that he was underage for Medicare, and all of his dental and medical bills would become my responsibility since I’m still working. Luckily, I convinced him to leave SS alone, and to roll his 401(k) into an IRA.There have been bumps. He spent several months sitting all day long unless I asked him to do something specific. I finally put my foot down, and he’s now responsible for evening meals, cleanup and laundry. Unfortunately, he does little beyond that. Most of our conversations begin with, “I watched a video today …”Abby, I have been working since I was 13, and I’m tired of working, too. I find myself angry and jealous of my husband’s laziness. I have started eating and drinking more than I used to, and we have no sex life. I have no energy to garden, go out after work ...

Alaqua Cox brings full ‘Echo’ story to Disney+, Hulu

Published Sat, 01 Mar 2025 09:00:37 GMT

Marvel’s “Echo,” which premieres Tuesday on Disney+ and Hulu, ranks as the first adult Marvel show with a TV-MA rating. It was born from the character of Maya Lopez/Echo, played by Alaqua Cox.Previously Maya was seen in Marvel’s Disney+ series “Hawkeye.” Enigmatic and mysterious, that changes with “Echo” where her past, her family, her roots are revealed.Maya, Cox said in a virtual global press conference, “is a deaf indigenous person who has a biological family and an adopted family. She’s trying to reconnect with her family after finding out that her adopted family, her uncle specifically, betrayed her.“She went back to reconnect with her biological family and try to rediscover a more complicated and deep life. As she rediscovers family I’m hoping that she can learn — and we can all learn — how she rediscovered family.”The similarities between actor and character are strong.“We’re similar,” Cox acknowledged. “We both have childhood trauma that we̵...