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The Superior Court of Pennsylvania recently reversed a trial court's decision to dismiss negligence claims filed by multiple Plaintiffs against UPMC and Maxim ("Defendants"), a medical staffing agency, for their failure to report an employee's criminal diversion of pain medications to the Federal Drug Enforcement Agency. Radiologic technologist David Kwiatkowski was an employee of Maxim, a medical staffing agency that placed him at UPMC. An investigation revealed that Kwiatkowski stole patients' IV pain medications, injected himself, substituted water in the used syringes, and placed the syringes on the shelves to avoid detection. UPMC immediately banned Kwiatkowski from all UPMC facilities; however, according to Plaintiffs, UPMC did not report Kwiatkowski’s diversion of drugs to the DEA as required by 21 C.F.R. § 1301.76(b), or to any other law enforcement, governmental, or licensing agencies. Between 2008 and 2010, Kwiatkowski worked at eight other hospitals, including Hays Medical Center in Hays, Kansas, where he encountered Plaintiffs, who were patients in the cardiac catheterization unit during his tenure there. Each received intravenously administered medication through a syringe that Kwiatkowski used to self-administer controlled substances, refilled with water, and replaced for use by unsuspecting staff upon patients. By that time, Kwiatkowski was infected with hepatitis C. Plaintiffs subsequently tested positive for the same strain of hepatitis C as that contracted by Kwiatkowski. Plaintiffs alleged that he transmitted that infection to them and others through contaminated needles. Plaintiff Elizabeth Murphy died due to the infection. Kwiatkowski was subsequently arrested in New Hampshire and charged with acquiring a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 843(a)(3), and tampering with a consumer product with reckless disregard for the risk to another and placing another in danger of and actually resulting in death or bodily injury in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1365(a)(3). Plaintiffs sued the Defendants alleging, among other things, that they knew or should have known that Kwiatkowski was a potential carrier of diseases associated with IV drug use, and without intervention, would continue to engage in theft of controlled substances in order to satisfy his addiction. Consequently, due to the Defendants failure to report Kwiatkowski's criminal conduct to the DEA, he was able to seek and obtain employment with other healthcare facilities, including Hays Medical Center and be in a position to continue to steal and use controlled substances, which directly affected the health and well-being of Plaintiffs. The Defendants filed motions to dismiss Plaintiffs' lawsuit arguing that they had no special relationship with Plaintiffs (as they were not UPMC patients), and therefore, no duty to Plaintiffs that would support a cause of action for negligence.  UPMC argued that it's duty only extended to its patients.  Maxim argued that it had no duty to report the information it received from UPMC regarding Kwiatkowski's diversion of drugs. The trial court agreed with UPMC based upon the case of Seebold v. Prison Health Services, Inc., 57 A.3d 123 (Pa. 2012), in holding that the law imposed no duty on the part of Defendants. The Superior Court agreed that the Defendants had no special relationship with Plaintiffs, however, the Court determined that where the defendant stands in some special relationship with the person whose conduct needs to be controlled, a duty may be imposed. Brezinski v. World Truck Transfer, Inc., 755 A.2d 36, 40 (Pa.Super. 2000).  The Court, citing Restatement (Second) of Torts, § 317, determined that because Kwiatkowski was alleged to an employee of Defendants when the duty to report arose, a special relationship may include a master's duty to control a servant.  The Court also referred to Restatement (Second) of Torts, § 319, which provides that: “One who takes charge of a third person whom he knows or should know to be likely to cause bodily harm to others if not controlled is under a duty to exercise reasonable care to control the third person to prevent him from doing such harm.” We will continue to follow this case.

Leisa Forbes worked at our firm for nearly 10 years before moving with her husband back to the Washington, D.C. area about five years ago. Since she left, we have kept in touch via e-mail, as well as teleconferencing.  You see, Leisa was also an important and well-loved member of a longstanding bible study I’ve been a part of since joining the firm.  So every Tuesday evening, when a small group meets here at the Wheeling office for bible study, Leisa calls into the office and we put her on speaker phone so she can participate in bible study.  Not as good as having her here in person, but it’s almost like she never left! Last weekend, another longtime friend and coworker, Becky Murphy, and I made our now traditional (two years and counting) trek to D.C. to spend the weekend with our best buddy Leisa.  What a great time we have catching her up with the friends and co-workers she misses, as well as planning our weekend together.  This year, Leisa daringly drove us into downtown D.C. where she works, just minutes from the White House.  After a quick tour of her metropolitan office, we set out on foot to see the sites.  We walked to the White House (it’s a lot smaller in person) and then we toured Smithsonian American Art Museum. The art museum is so big we hardly made a dent in it.   It was great!  So much to see, so little time.  Ten thousand steps later, we were ready to head home.  Our nation’s capital has so much to offer and most of it is free!  We’ve already made plans for our next visit – The Holocaust Museum, and the Corner Bakery!  Thanks Leisa for being such a wonderful hostess.

Many years ago, I read an article discussing whether 9/11 should be an American holiday and, if so, how it should be celebrated. The article discussed how tragic of a day it was for our country, but the author ultimately concluded that he did not think 9/11 should be a day that people have off of work. His reasoning was that people need to remember the tragedy our country suffered, but he worried that a holiday would result in festivals, sales and parties. Surely 9/11 should not remembered by throwing a party or memorialized by sidewalk sales. As I was reading the article, I thought about how few people, myself included, actually understand the significance behind many of our country’s holidays. Sure, Independence Day is obvious, but how many people could give a complete history of why we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco De Mayo, or Halloween? As I thought about Labor Day, I figured it was a holiday for our country’s laborers, but could not give much more information. The United States Department of Labor states that Labor Day was first recognized by the government in 1885. The day was set aside to celebrate the economic achievements of American workers and acts as a tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of our country. Well over a century after the first observance of Labor Day, it is still uncertain who first proposed the holiday. The Department of Labor’s website states that some records credit Peter J. McGuire, who was the general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor. Mr. McGuire is quoted as saying that the day was created to honor those “who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold.” However, many others credit Matthew Maguire, a machinist, as founding the holiday. These individuals argue that Matthew McGuire proposed the idea in 1882, while serving as the secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. These individuals allege that the first Labor Day celebration occurred on September 5, 1882 in New York City, shortly after Matthew McGuire’s proposal. The holiday was celebrated as the working class holiday and the idea spread with the growth of labor organizations. Regardless of which McGuire actually came up with the idea for Labor Day, I hope all of our readers learned something and enjoy a safe and relaxing Labor Day with their friends and family.

This past weekend, many people in the communities surrounding Proctor were required to evacuate their homes due to a chemical leak. Multiple news sources reported that 33,000 gallons of liquid chlorine leaked from a railcar inside a chemical facility owned by Atlanta-based Axiall Corporation. The leak created a chemical cloud that spread throughout the region, which caused complete traffic closures on State Highway 7 in Ohio, Highway 2 in West Virginia, and the Ohio River. The odor of the chlorine was said to be detectable more than six miles away from the Axiall plant. Throughout this week, I have had the opportunity to talk with local residents about the damages done to their properties. Many people’s grass, trees, gardens and other plants appear discolored and dead. Other people have said that the metal on their roofs, cars and homes appear discolored and damaged. One of the most common concerns is whether this chemical has the ability to harm the health of their children and loved ones. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that chlorine can be pressurized and cooled to change it into a liquid so that it can be shipped and stored. However, when the chlorine is released, it turns into a yellow-green gas that stays close to the ground and spreads rapidly. Chlorine can be in the form of a poisonous gas and has been used in weapons as a choking agent in wars such as the Civil War and WWI. However, the extent of poisoning depends on the amount a person was exposed to, how the person was exposed and the length of the exposure. When chlorine gas comes into contact with moist tissues such as the eyes, throat and lungs, an acid is produced that can damage these tissues. An article titled Pulmonary or Choking Agents published by the UPMC Center for Health Security, stated that even small amounts of chlorine gas can cause respiratory irritation, coughing and chest constriction. Additionally, exposure can cause blistering, blurred vision, nausea, low blood pressure, heart complications and burning of the eyes, nose and throat. Moreover, long-term results of exposure can include permanent damage to lung tissues and heart failure. The UPMC article also stated that diagnosing lung poisoning can be difficult, since there is no clinical test for detecting chlorine in the respiratory system. The article recommends that individuals who have come into physical contact with chlorine gas should do their best to decontaminate themselves and their surroundings. Individual’s skin should be rinsed with soap and water and their clothing should be sealed. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that individuals who have been exposed seek medical attention as soon as possible. At Bordas & Bordas, we have the privilege of being allowed to stand up for and represent individuals to ensure that their rights are protected. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the Axiall chlorine spill and your rights, one of our attorneys would be happy to talk with you.

When you get that call from Jim from “cardmember services” with a pre-recorded message about an incredible offer to save you money,” you are experiencing a robocall. As anyone with a phone knows, these are the days of the robot apocalypse—unwanted, pre-recorded and persistent calls with promises of refunds for things you never purchased, dream vacations you have “won,” and easy money in a variety of forms.  These calls have increased in recent years because technology has made it cheap and easy to make these calls from anywhere in the world, and by hiding the callers’ identities by displaying fake caller ID information. Although you probably cannot stop all of the calls, there are steps you can take that may reduce the number of unwanted sales calls that you receive by signing up (it is free) for the National Do Not Call Registry.  The Registry prohibits sales calls, and according to the Federal Trade Commission, most sales calls will stop once your number has been on the Registry for 31 days.  You may still receive political calls, charitable calls, survey calls and other calls that are not sales calls.  Here are some additional steps that you can take to stop those unwanted calls: Step 1:  Keep your number to yourself. Frequently, at a point of sale, we are asked for a phone number to complete a transaction, even though not making delivery arrangements.  Just say “no.”  You don’t usually have to give out your phone number to make a purchase.  If you provide the number, it is possible that it will not only be used by the business but also likely sold to a third party. Step 2:  Just say no. It is not illegal for businesses to make marketing calls to you if you already have a relationship with them.  Sometimes, buried in the agreement you have signed, is an authorization for the company to use your number in sales calls and sometimes to even allow the company to sell your number.  Do not agree to this language, and if you find out that you already have agreed, follow up with a specific request to be placed on the Do Not Call Registry.  Note the date of that request and follow up with the Federal Trade Commission should the company continue its calls. Step 3: Hang up on the caller. If you get a robocall, just hang up.  Don’t hold and wait for a human, and don’t press a number in response for any reason, including “to be placed on the do not call list.”  Doing so will probably lead to more unwanted calls because it will demonstrate an actual response to the robocall.  This is exactly what the robocallers want to happen. Step 4:  File a complaint. If you have placed your number on the Do Not Call Registry and it has been on the Registry for over a month, file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. This may seem like a waste of time, but it only takes a few minutes, and sometimes, if enough complaints are filed, action will be taken faster.  The FTC has actually sued hundreds of companies and individuals who were responsible for placing unwanted calls, and it has obtained over a billion dollars in judgments against violators.  Those who violate the National Do Not Call Registry or place an illegal robocall can be fined up to $16,000 per call. Step 5:  Subscribe to a free service that blocks all robocalls. One of the free service providers is Nomorobo.  To sign up, you are required to identify your service carrier, provide an email address, and from that point forward, an algorithm will block robocalls.  Nomorobo works by letting your phone ring once, it then identifies the caller and if it is a robocaller, it hangs up.  There also are other free services that will block these calls. So to be clear:  You are not helpless against the robo apocalypse, although you probably will not be able to stop all calls.  Make sure your numbers are on the Do Not Call Registry, and that should minimize the attack.

Most sports fans knew who Colin Kaepernick was long before last week. We knew him as a talented athlete who was lucky enough to be playing quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL.  We knew him as the guy who, in years past, had shown flashes of greatness with a rifle arm and the ability to run for big chunks of yardage, and who more recently had been relegated to the role of backup.  Today, along with millions of Americans who couldn’t care less about sports, we know him as the guy who refuses to stand for the playing of our national anthem. Kaepernick says that his refusal to stand is intended as a protest against what he feels are wrongdoings against African-Americans and other minorities in our country.  The reaction to his protest has been as swift and intense as it was predictable.  49ers fans are burning his jersey.  Facebook is flooded with posts about his privileged upbringing and his millions of dollars in income.  Donald Trump says he should find another place to live.  I’m sure if we just look hard enough, we could find some of the sadly-typical death threats that always seem to go along with a perceived affront to our national honor. I understand the anger at Kaepernick.  This country has provided him with more than most of us could ever dream of having:  a privileged childhood, a great education, and millions upon millions of dollars earned while playing a game for a living.  How dare he disrespect the country that has provided him with so much?  I’m sure the anger is increased exponentially in those who have fought for our great nation, and even more so for the families of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.  I get it. I think we sometimes forget, however, the ideals that serve as the bedrock principle of our country.  Those things that generations of soldiers have fought and died to defend and preserve.  It isn’t the flag that we revere; it is what the flag represents.  When we stand for the Star Spangled Banner it’s not because of the song;  it’s because we want to show respect for our country, and what that country stands for.  So ask yourself this:  if you had to choose one word, one single word to describe the most important principle of our nation, what would it be?  You already know the answer.  It’s FREEDOM.  Freedom to speak your mind, right or wrong.  Freedom to express your beliefs, no matter how misguided and even offensive they may be.  Freedom to take a stand against perceived injustice, wherever it appears. Let’s be clear about one thing here:  I think Colin Kaepernick is full of it.  I think there are much, much better ways for him to express his concern about treatment of minorities than by publicly disrespecting the greatest nation on earth.  I wish the Steelers had the 49ers on their schedule this year, just so I could see the moment when James Harrison decided to show Kaepernick the meaning of respect (How great would it be if this had happened when Jack Lambert was still playing??).  I don’t like what he is doing, not one bit.  That said, I have to remember the famous quote from Voltaire:  “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”  As Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said recently, “this is what freedom looks like, folks.”  Sometimes, it ain’t real pretty.

In 2007, EpiPens cost about fifty bucks apiece. Then drug company giant Mylan bought the rights. Now they go for more than six hundred dollars a pair. They do not cost more because they work better. They cost more because Mylan spent millions on lobbying and marketing to create demand, eliminate competition, and obtain a monopoly position with a lifesaving drug. When they were ready, Mylan held the EpiPen like a gun to the heads of American children, and asked, “well, what’s she worth to you?” Because Americans love their children, the money came rolling in. A product that used to make two hundred million dollars a year now makes billions. It accounts for forty percent of Mylan’s profit. The money comes from people who can ill afford to pay so much for about one dollar’s worth of actual medicine, but the lethality of their children’s allergies leaves them no choice. In 1955 Dr. Jonas Salk refused to patent the polio vaccine. He could have been a billionaire. But the idea of squeezing that money out of millions of sick children repelled him. Fifty years later, Mylan’s corporate bosses read articles like Kelly Beatty’s, describing the terror she feels for her children’s lives, and CEO Heather Bresch responds by saying “I am a for-profit business.” America has changed since Salk’s day. It seems like every day there’s a new book or an article on the crisis in the white working class. J.D. Vance’s impressive Hillbilly Elegy is the latest and greatest example. Full of ideas like job training, drug treatment, charter schools, a better safety net, more churchgoing, you name it. But books like that are not for the white working class. They are written by and for the white wealthy class. They are packed with what the white wealthy class wants to hear about the problems of the white working class. They sell briskly. Here’s an idea you won’t find in those books: how about the white wealthy class stops wringing every dollar it can out of the white working class while giving as little as possible in return? How about drug companies quit holding working class children for ransom over life-saving drugs? How about banks quit chiseling money out of low-income families with fees that have nothing to do with service? It'd be a start. The white wealthy class devoured and adored Hillbilly Elegy for a familiar reason — it blames everyone and everything but them for what’s happened to America’s middle class. Wealthy people are comforted by the idea that working people just quit trying hard like they used to, quit going to church like they’re supposed to, quit staying married like they should have, and got on drugs. It’s a comforting illusion for the well-to-do. In West Virginia we know for a fact that drug companies ship pills engineered to be addictive by the miracles of modern science to our poorest communities in numbers exceeding what medical need could justify by orders of magnitude. People crippled by the back-breaking work of mineral extraction, communities ground nearly into dust by the coal companies, are now farmed by the drug companies for the last of what money or benefits they can lay their hands on. Then they die. When drug companies ship millions upon millions of opioid pills to West Virginia they know that high school girls there will end up prostituting themselves to get some of them. They ship them anyway. They are “a for-profit business,” you see. Nothing is needed to salve their consciences except spreadsheets showing rising profits. Before someone says that Mylan needs $600 EpiPens to pay it back for developing the drugs, check the facts. Mylan manufactures generics. It didn’t invent the EpiPen. What Mylan “created” was the lobbying and marketing that put itself in a position to gouge for EpiPens. Forbes called it “ savvy branding.” For over thirty years, the white wealthy class has worked the referees and fixed the games, so that every bit of America’s staggering growth in productivity has gone to them. Money in this country defies gravity, never trickling down but instead flooding up in even greater amounts. Awash in it, the white wealthy class tells its victims to go to church and quit taking drugs without ever acknowledging that it is bleeding working people of the money they earn, systematically impoverishing them while it lectures them about thrift. Astonishingly, the white wealthy class returns not even gratitude in exchange for a 100% share of the nation’s income growth. Instead the CEOs pulling down eight and nine-figure salaries feel put upon when they are forced to address the disasters they cause. Remember Tony Hayward, CEO of BP during Deepwater Horizon? He said, “ I want my life back” as his company simultaneously crushed the economy, and the environment, of an entire region. He walked away with a $17,000,000 pension. Gary Southern, CEO of “Freedom Industries,” sipped bottled water and complained about “a n extremely long day,” after leaving 300,000 people without usable water during the Charleston Water Crisis. And now along comes Bresch, CEO of a company holding children hostage to her $18,000,000 annual salary, to say “no one is more frustrated about this than me.” The white wealthy class is so blind she probably believes that. But a lot of people are more frustrated than the CEOs that are skinning this country six ways from Sunday. So many people work hard, but can’t afford the basics. Everything that comes their way is stripped away by lobbying, marketing, monopolies, and raw corporate power. Nothing, not even the lives of their children, is off the table as the privileged class preserves and expands its wealth and power. The media acts like Mylan has a PR problem -- that's rock bottom for the white wealthy class. But the company's actions should be criminal. Nothing will change for the white working class until they are treated that way.

What is it with people rear-ending me? Recently I was rear-ended for the third time in the last several years. The first time was about 15 years ago. I had a Ford Tempo and was yielding to go up the on-ramp to I-70 East when a car came up behind and slammed into me, ripping off my bumper and shoving me into the path of a semi. By the grace of God, I was able to turn into the guardrail and not get hit by the semi. My poor Tempo was totaled, though, because the driver didn’t know the difference between yielding and merging. For an explanation of the two, check out Eleanor Wallace’s blog here. I then got a Ford ZX2. I loved that car! I don’t know how many people know this, but the Ford ZX2 is a second generation Ford Escort. For those of you who are interested in trivia, in 2001, the Escort name was dropped and the 2-door model was then referred to as the Ford ZX2 - same reliable car, just with a sportier flair. I had it for two weeks when I was rear-ended again. I was taking my son to his football game and we stopped at McDonalds to get a breakfast sandwich. I was at a stand-still in the drive-thru waiting for my turn when I was rear-ended again. Not once, but twice! After the initial hit, I turned around to see who hit me and he hit me again because he thought he was pressing on the brake when in fact he was pushing on the gas. That got me 10 weeks of physical therapy because my head was sideways being jerked around like a bobblehead doll when I was hit the second time. I got whiplash. Luckily, I was able to have the car repaired and had many more years of driving it. That brings me to my recent episode. I was not driving my car. I was helping out and driving a car back to the office after it was serviced. I was at a standstill at a traffic light minding my own business waiting for the light to change when I was hit from behind so hard my teeth rattled. I am really grateful the airbags didn’t deploy and that no one was hurt. The person who hit me was freaking out while trying to convince me it wasn’t that bad. I was nice about it, but explained that the car was not mine and that I had to call the police and get a report filed to have the car repaired, particularly since the bumper had a big hole in it and the back lights were broken out! Anyway, who gets rear-ended three times (four if you count the double-tap at McDonalds) in their life-time? Luckily, being rear-ended, although traumatic, was not life-altering for me. Not everyone is that lucky. If you find yourself not knowing where to turn after you have, through no fault of your own, been in an accident, a call to Bordas & Bordas can get you and your vehicle on the right track to being made whole.

Jim and Linda Bordas received the Light of the Valley Award this past Wednesday at the White Palace. Enthusiastic attendees came from all over the region and packed the room, testifying to the wonderful influence Jim and Linda have had on so many people in the Ohio Valley. But the real lesson came from the way Jim and Linda turned the occasion into another example of how their family came to be viewed so positively in the first place. Jim’s beautiful acceptance speech, which I hope will be available on this blog in some format for those who could not attend to hear, or at least read, stressed the other “lights” of the life he and Linda have shared. His invocation of Coach Nardone, Hines Rotriga, the late Sam Andy and many others who have given to the Ohio Valley illustrated the cascading good that is done when people dedicate their lives to the service of others. While many lament that some of West Virginia’s children do not make their lives here, Jim and Linda took special note of many young people “who came back” to become the leaders of today and tomorrow in Wheeling and beyond. The moral of the story was that the light of the valley doesn’t burn only from within a particular person. It comes when our positive influences shine light on us, and we work to reflect it back into the world a little stronger than before. Each of the lights Jim and Linda singled out serves as a kind of lens, that makes the Valley sunnier, as good people work together to promote justice, alleviate pain and comfort those who are afflicted. For 44 years Jim and Linda have collected that light, and sent it back out into our community clearer and brighter. It would be impossible to list in a speech or an essay, or even an encyclopedia, all the different people who have been touched by the Bordas family in this Valley and beyond. I’ve been fortunate to have gotten my first job out of school from Jim and Linda, and it’s been the only one I’ve ever needed. The kindness they have shown me and my family over the years would be overwhelming, were it not for the fact that I’ve seen them do it time and time again for their friends, their sons’ friends, employees, clients, and people who were, at one point, perfect strangers, but were lucky enough to find Jim and Linda in a time of need. No one could imitate the magnificent accomplishments and the lives that led up to Wednesday’s recognition for Jim and Linda. Their unique body of work cannot be duplicated. But we can follow their example, collecting the light that is all around us in the Ohio Valley, and shining it back on others who may need it. Thank you, Jim and Linda Bordas, for being Lights of the Valley. --Chris Regan

Barley and Guinness want to remind you that National Dog Day is Friday, Aug. 26. The animal shelters from two area counties will be holding adoptions in two locations. Ohio County Animal Shelter will be at Wheeling Park’s Ice Rink from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m., while the Marshall County Animal Shelter will be at the Oglebay Park Wagon Shelter above the playground from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Please stop at these locations to see the pets the shelters have available for adoption. You can go to either shelter’s Facebook page to get more information. If you are unable to adopt a pet, but would still like to help, they have wish list of items that can be used in the shelters. If you are looking for the love of your life, and for someone who will love you more than they love themselves, you may just find them at one of these two locations on Friday. Hope to see you there. Remember, adopt, don’t shop.   Dog Fighting is not a sport, it is abuse and needs to be reported to the your local dog warden and/or your local police department. Please don’t chain your animals to trees or dog boxes. This is no life any animal should have. If you see an animal you think may need help, report it. The life you save just may be theirs. Trust me, the local dog warden is more than happy and willing to check out a questionable situation.  They truly care about the welfare of animals. All pet lives matter. Bark on, Bordas Dog Nation, bark on.

No carbohydrates, no dairy and no sugar really sounds like no fun if you ask me, but the Whole30 craze is catching on locally and nationally. The Whole30 is not just a diet, but also a lifestyle change. Created in 2009 by an adventitious nutritionist, Whole30 challenges people to completely cleanse their eating habits over a 30 day span. This plan eliminates all carbohydrates, fats and sugars from one’s diet leaving me asking what’s left. Recently, I encountered the effects of Whole30 firsthand as my mother tried the fad. My family quickly decided that when the woman who usually cooks dinner can’t eat pasta, pizza or tacos neither can we. We were all in it together…well sort of. In theory, Whole30 is a great idea. Thirty days eating mostly proteins, fruits and vegetables surely resets one’s digestive tract and probably allows one to lose some weight. In reality, eating a bowl of noodles made out of zucchini just does not have the same impact. The day my mom cooked vegetables disguised as pasta did not go over well to say the least. I classify myself as the least picky sibling in my house, and even I was not a fan of this faux pasta. My sisters were horrified almost to the point of tears upon their first bite when they realized the comforting carbs we were used to were missing. Even the sauce was different to coincide with the Whole30 guidelines. Zucchini noodles were a bad first impression of what “healthy eating” was really like. My mom was nice enough to not put us through that again, and she would make regular pasta for just my sisters and me to eat. A few days after the terrible “pasta,” we as a family finally got into a groove of what was a yes-food and what was a no. Of course not all of us went completely Whole30. We still had sandwiches, milk and butter, but for our family dinner each night we would try to follow the guidelines as much as possible. We discovered that we liked types of fish we didn't know existed, coconut oil tastes no different than regular cooking oil and an apple is a more energizing snack than any cookie. I grew to love having fruits in my house to snack on. In most instances, healthy alternatives are faster and taste better. Restaurants are a little tricky for someone attempting Whole30, but it was possible to find grilled chicken or a salad just about everywhere. On top of the Whole30, we also fell victim to the kombucha trend. Kombucha is a tea made from fermented bacteria, and yes, somehow its drinkable. I’m still unsure as to how my mom, a few of her friends and even my picky-eater sisters fell in love with the fungus tea, but they did. I, on the other hand, never tried it and do not plan to. After seeing the Scoby, the yeast and bacteria used to brew kombucha, and smelling it, I vowed to never drink the tea. Supposedly kombucha helps with digestion, joint mobility and energy, but that’s still not enough for me to drink anything with a chunk of fungus in it. After our 30 days, we didn't throw what we learned from the Whole30 right out the window. Still we eat grilled chicken instead of fried and more vegetables with our meals. Thankfully our noodles are real noodles now, but healthier condiments and cooking oils are here to stay. Overall, it was a great chance to open my palette to new foods. Even though I don't think I could follow the cleanse 100 percent as I do love to indulge in ice cream or a sugary snack, I could definitely pick healthier alternatives at least once a day. I’m not sure if any diet really works, but just incorporating healthier options into meals could make a difference. I will continue using coconut oil or snacking on kale chips instead of potato chips, but trust me, I won’t forget dessert.

By this time of year, I am done with humidity, and done with those lazy, crazy, hazy days of summer. Too much ice cream, too hot to exercise, too much lax in the schedule!  It was a great summer filled with lots of fun and food and friends, but its time to get back on track.  Time to get out the jeans and find out just how much damage you did to your waistline (I already know the answer to that question). There’s something about starting a new school year that puts clarity in your life, even if you don’t have kids.  It’s a time to clean out drawers and closets, clean up the house and yard, and get out the crockpot for making soups and stews.  I know a lot of folks don’t want to think about winter, and I’m not particularly fond of shoveling snow, but there is something cleansing about fall.  Preparing to survive, if you will, another cold and brutal winter.  Getting your ducks in a row and stocking the shelves.  Getting back into the routine -- it brings order to life.