And that's when things got weird

I’ve always identified as being Catholic, mostly because I was raised as such. I was baptized and confirmed in the church, and attended Catholic high school; however, many years have passed since I’ve even attended a Mass that was not part of a wedding or funeral. I’m not sure it would be fair to say that I ever officially “left” the church because my association was primarily as a child and involuntary (I can still recall the vocal protests I’d stage every Sunday begging to forgo CCD class). And, there was little pressure to continue practicing following my parents’ schism from Catholicism around the time I turned 18. As such, I have never felt a strong connection to my given religion. I am probably what is considered a “cultural Catholic” -- the teachings influence my behavior and most holiday celebrations -- but I no longer practice my faith. Bearing this in mind, it came as a great surprise to me that I was excited to receive an e-mail last month from Congressman Seth Moulto...

Printed in The Daily Item on Wednesday, September 23, 2015 Sep·a·ra·tion anx·i·ety : Apprehension or fear associated with removal from home or from a significant other to whom the individual has a strong emotional attachment. Aside from an incident following a messy handoff on the first day of school from my grandmother to my kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Wahn, I can’t recall ever experiencing a major episode of separation anxiety – until last Tuesday. The day started out like most other days. The alarm on my iPhone went off at 5 a.m. Before I even crawled out of bed, I checked my email, scanned the day’s news headlines, glanced at my Facebook feed, liked two Instagram pics, played three moves of Words With Friends, responded to a text message, and paid my electric bill. After wasting about 30 minutes, I got out of bed with my phone still in hand and got dressed for my morning run. I plugged headphones into the phone, turned on some music and set the app to track the distance and ...

Published in The Daily Item on Thursday, September 10, 2015 It seems that at the start of every school year a dress code-related controversy erupts over a particular article, or articles, of clothing deemed inappropriate for the classroom. As has been the case in recent years, yoga pants and leggings are again at the forefront of disputes between administrators and students in various school districts across the country. Restrictions on the figure-hugging pants, which are often made from thin spandex or other stretchy material conducive to exercise, have been in put place in many school districts across the country because they are too revealing, too distracting, or not appropriate attire for a learning environment. Some districts have outright banned them, while others have made suggestions on how they can be worn while still conforming to dress-code requirements. Students, mainly young women, say the popular, athletic-inspired pants are comfortable to wear and claim banning girls...

Printed in The Daily Item, Wednesday, September 2, 2015 Last winter took its toll on me. I w as commuting 70 miles a day to  work, so on the snowiest of days I had to mentally pr epare for  what was often a five-plus-hour drive of spin outs and blizzard conditions.  Physically, I felt defeated. I had gone from intensely training for a half marathon in the late fall to sitting on my couch for days on end. The only marathons I was participating in were Law & Order reruns. I rationalized my inactivity by convincing myself that I was substituting gym visits with shoveling sessions. What I was shoveling was a lot of "comfort" food into my mouth. It finally hit me just how much when I realized that I had polished off two 2  pound  bags of M&Ms over the course of a few months (for those of you wondering, that's appr oximately 2,000 pieces of candy,  or  more than  71 servings). There was nothing at all comforting about this, nor was the...