It's that time of year again. Where, oh where, did 2007 go?

Holidays can be stressful. If you have a family you are running around trying to make everyone happy. If you are single and alone you are trying not to throw yourself off a cliff with all the family cheer and lovey dovey happenings on New Year's Eve.

If the holidays are bringing you down, take a moment to step back and remind yourself:

Holidays are just regular days, the same days you have every day, except we've made them into something special. But there's no written rule that says that the holiday season should be any specific way or lead to any specific anything at all.

It does not have to be perfect.

Yet another star's body is being torn to shreds by the tabloids; this time it's Jennifer Love Hewitt. The woman is in her late 20s and yet people are surprised that she's grown a womanly ass.

I don't follow tabloids - I truly think they are signifying the downfall of western civilization. They are shallow, petty, and completely hateful publications that try to pass themselves off as journalism. They don't feed people's minds; they distract people from more important things and contribute to a society where we take pleasure in seeing people torn down instead of built up.

Nothing is more annoying than someone who has found Landmark Forum. I've had friends in it. They then change from being your friend to being your own personal annoying telemarketer, someone who won't take no for an answer, who doesn't get a hint, and who is worse than 10 multi-level marketing people screaming on your doorstep.

I had a friend who got into a similar organization, Lifespring, in the 90s. It ended our friendship. She turned into a dippy, brainwashed parrot who could only speak Lifespring platitudes to me and spend our time together constantly hounding me to come to a free introductory session so I could then commit to hundreds of dollars in personal brainwashing. No thank you.

I would not be surprised if this is just the tip of the iceberg, and we'll be seeing more exposes of the self-proclaimed gurus of "The Secret" over the next few years. Here, an Australian television reporter provides a shocking investigation into claims by David Schirmer's students that he has bilked them out of tens of thousands of Australian dollars that he was supposed to invest on their behalf. (Watch Part Three to see a shifty-looking Bob Proctor appearing guilty by association.)

The Secret's David Schirmer Exposed - Part One

The Secret's David Schirmer Exposed - Part Two

Megan Meier was a 13-year-old girl who killed herself after being tricked by a fake MySpace boyfriend named "Josh." Josh, it turns out, was actually the parents of neighborhood child, playing a sadistic joke on the girl. Now Megan's parents are trying to push through measures to protect children online.

It's far too easy to blame MySpace for a child's suicide, since it's a new medium and an easy target for anger and frustration. But the fact is, kids have had to go through humiliation, rejection, and pain for a long time before MySpace ever existed. Megan could have just as easily been treated cruelly at school.

So why focus on MySpace? Could it be that the parents don't want to look at themselves and how they were managing Megan's depression? (Could they be in denial about their own role in creating her depression in the first place?)

I was swimming at the gym yesterday and could not believe my eyes. A woman walked into the pool area with a body that was so drawn and thin that she literally looked like she had walked out of a concentration camp.

She had on a full red bathing suit so I got a very good look at her body. She wasn't young either. She had absolutely no fat on her body whatsoever. She was maybe 5'4" but could have weighed 60 pounds. Her legs were like sticks and looked like they could barely support her thin body.

When she turned around, you could literally see her skeleton through her skin. You could see every nook and cranny of her spine. Her shoulder blades stuck out like thin jagged rocks.

I was so shocked and appalled I did not know what to do. I thought about saying something to her but what would be the point? She's either aware and trying to heal or in denial.

OK, I usually don't do commercial advertising here, but I must share. A lot of people who know me don't realize that in order to be healthy and chipper, I have days where sometimes I need 10-12 hours of sleep in order to control my chronic fatigue syndrome.

So when you need to sleep a lot compared to regular humans, what's the first thing to go out the window? Cleaning, especially the floors. What's important to do when you have CFS? Vacuuming regularly, to remove dust and allergens. Because if you don't, you might feel more tired...which ends up making it hard to vacuum...and thus a vicious circle is born.

Enter the miraculous labor saving device!

My friend got me a Roomba in thanks for helping her with something. A Roomba, in case you hadn't heard, is a robotic vacuum cleaner that sweeps your floors all by itself.

Get your funny on with our free demo improv class. No previous improv or acting experience required. Have fun and learn how to respond in the moment through improv games and exercises.

Saturday, November 17 or Saturday, December 8
1-4 pm

Instructor: Stephanie Brail

Cost: Free
Donations Happily Accepted

To register, call 310-546-2604
or email dreamakercenter@earthlink.net

DreaMakers Center for the Aspiring Performing Artist
3852 Albright
Los Angeles, CA 90066
310-546-2604
http://www.dreamakersperformingarts.org

Get your funny on with our free demo improv class. No previous improv or acting experience required. Have fun and learn how to respond in the moment through improv games and exercises.

Saturday, November 17 or Saturday, December 8
1-4 pm

Instructor: Stephanie Brail

Cost: Free
Donations Happily Accepted

To register, call 310-546-2604
or email dreamakercenter@earthlink.net

DreaMakers Center for the Aspiring Performing Artist
3852 Albright
Los Angeles, CA 90066
310-546-2604
http://www.dreamakersperformingarts.org