Rub-a-dub-dub, time for a new tub

It’s true that most folks prefer to get clean via a shower than a bathtub nowadays. Consider the results of an Angie’s List survey of 2,000 people published in 2016: 90 percent of respondents were more likely to take a shower over a bath.

Yet experts agree that the tub is hardly in danger of disappearing altogether from the great American bathroom. In fact, two in five homeowners plan to upgrade a tub during a master bath remodel, and the tub ranks in the top five (as chosen by 35 percent of those polled) among features that homeowners splurge on most during a renovation, according to the 2017 Houzz Bathroom Trends Study.

For more facts and tips on how to pick the right tub for your bathroom redo, read my newest home improvement article published in The Daily Herald, available here.

Ferret merit

They’re soft, long, twee-faced, friendly, frisky, inquisitive, and downright irresistible. They live a heck of a lot longer than hamsters, guinea pigs or mice (up to 10 years or more). And they bond and interact with humans more closely than many other pets.

We’re talking, of course, about Mustela putorius furo—better known as the ferret. But despite making great pets, these critters often get overlooked by pet stores who choose not to offer them or their products.

Learn more about ferrets and the latest products made for them by reading my newest monthly small animal pet column published in Pet Age magazine, available here.

Buzz off

Barbecues, picnics, pool parties and other shindigs held in your yard can attract a lot of invited guests. They can also draw in plenty of unwanted visitors in the form of pesky insects like bees, wasps, mosquitos, ants, ticks and flies. Talk about a buzz kill. But with the right planning, you can keep the bugs at bay and ensure a crowd-pleasing al fresco event.

In my most recent article for Content That Works, published in newspapers across North America, I suggest eight ways to keep the bugs at bay this summer. Get the lowdown by clicking here.

Relive "Groundhog Day" – without getting stuck in Punxsutawney

For the second episode of my new Cineversary podcast, I honor the silver anniversary of a solid gold film: Groundhog Day, originally released in 1993. Listen as I interview the movie's screenwriter, Danny Rubin, and learn what makes Groundhog Day tick. We discuss why the picture still resonates all these years later, how it inspired a cottage industry of time loop movies, what it was like collaborating with Bill Murray and director Harold Ramis, how this tale was turned into a successful Broadway musical, and more.

You can stream, download or subscribe to the Cineversary podcast by clicking below or using Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Anchor, Breaker, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Google Play Music, Overcast, Pocket Casts, PodBean, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher, or TuneIn.

Out-of-this-world dentistry

Maintaining a healthy mouth here on terra firma is challenging enough for patients and their dentists. But for those who work or play far above or below the earth’s surface, the “tooth” of the matter is that exposure to extreme environments may have consequences on oral health. For proof, just ask pilots, astronauts, scuba divers, miners, researchers and other professionals.

I did, for my latest article published in the Academy of General Dentistry's AGD Impact newsmagazine. And I learned that there are dental side effects to these vocations and pastimes.

Read the full article here.

Classic movies deserve birthday parties, too

Many folks forget their wedding anniversary date or spouse's birthday and end up in the doghouse. But it's easy to remember a major milestone date of one of your favorite films: just listen to Cineversary, a new podcast that celebrates an important birthday of a movie classic.

Every month, the show spotlights a different film currently observing a joyous jubilee--everything from a 20th to a 100th anniversary. Host Erik Martin (who serves as moderator of CineVerse, Oak Lawn's weekly film discussion group) interviews film scholars, critics, historians and fans to discuss why each spotlighted movie is worth celebrating all these years later, its cultural impact and legacy, what we can learn from the picture today, how it has stood the test of time, and more.

For its inaugural episode, Cineversary honors 2001: A Space Odyssey, marking its 50th anniversary in 2018. Martin interviewed Barry Vacker, professor of media studies at Temple University and author of the book Specter of the Monolith, which was inspired by 2001: A Space Odyssey. In August, Martin will feature a different guest to talk about the 25th anniversary of Groundhog Day.

To hear the July episode in a browser, click here. Cineversary can also be streamed or downloaded using Apple Podcasts, Breaker, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts, PodBean, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher, and TuneIn.

For more details on the Cineversary podcast, visit www.facebook.com/cineversarypodcast.