An annual ritual for students is taking place on the UW Campus today.

During exam time, the University Health Services bring dogs out to the Library Mall for students to pet. It's helps them relax and forget about the strains of studying so hard, if just for a short time.

I couldn't agree more about the therapeutic benefits of animals. Then again sometimes the pets are the source and solution to your problems.

My doggie J.D. was just in to the vet for his seasonal allergy problems. Lets just say the vet's price tag was not pretty. What's worse is, my dog has apparently been eating rocks or something, because the vet also found that he cracked one of his teeth. That means doggie dental surgery, which is a little more than what I'm paying each month on the mortgage.

Needless to say, I was frustrated and upset after the news.

Yeah...it's dark to talk about how you're gonna go, but lets admit it.  Everybody thinks about it at some point.

 The National Safety Council has ranked the top causes of death in the U.S and how likely it it that it'll happen to you.  The odds are based on data for health statistics and the U.S. Census Bureau. Here are the 25 leading causes of death in America:

OMG!, as if you needed a study to know this: Among teenagers, cell phone texting is now clearly, officially, poll-proven, like the most preferred method of electronic communication among friends, with talking on the phone a close second. This 4-1-1 comes from a report, “Teens and Mobile Phones,” released yesterday by Pew Research Center’s on-going Pew Internet & American Life Project. The study surveyed 800 teens betweens the ages of 12 – 17.

The study dissected virtually every aspect of teen usage. For example: Teens, on average, make or receive five telephone calls each day, but a third of all teens send more than 100 texts a day; 14 percent more than 200.

Every year around this time, my eyes get a little scratchy, my throat longs for a lozenge, and I feel a little stuffy. Ah, yes...my old friend Mr. Spring Allergy is coming back to pay another visit. (In fact, last year Madison was #4 on the Asthma and Allergy Foundation's list of worst cities for spring allergies!)

I don't get allergies real bad..as a matter a fact I didn't really get them until a few  years ago. Sometimes I have to go for over-the-counter medications, but thought I would share some other tips that have been helpful to me in the past.

1. After you've been outside enjoying the lovely spring air, take a shower, wash your hair, and change your clothes. Get those nasty allergens away from you!

2. Use saline solution. You can get a small bottle of the stuff for a couple bucks. Just inhale the saline a couple of times a day to keep your nassal passages clear. Neti pots work too, but I'm too lazy and easily grossed out to go for that!

I really dislike misleading advertising. Don't you? 

One thing I've learned in my life is to shut my yapper when it comes to women's fashions, beauty or critiquing either. That's why this is upsetting to me. 

You know that not everything on TV is real. But you’d assume that ads selling a product would show off fairly accurate, achievable results, right? 

Reports show that over 25 percent (28% to be exact) of commercials selling beauty items like mascara or shampoo artificially enhanced their models with false lashes or hair extensions in order to sell their wares.

Etiquette...schmettiquette.  I'm not a huge fan all old time traditions unless they have some sort of useful function on modern society.  This article caught my eye today. 

Who says I can't sing along to my favorite songs and no, I'm not putting my dog on the floorboard.

You know what?  As long as you're not picking your nose, driving while jabbering away on the cell or doing something else to distract you, you can do whatever you want.

*****

Debrett’s, the leading authority on etiquette, has produced a guide to modern motoring – advising men not to be backseat drivers and women on how to get out of a car without flashing their underwear. The 47-page book promises to finally teach drivers the “right and proper way to behave behind the wheel”. Here are some highlights: