The Gores Separate. Oh. My.

News outlets are reporting that former Vice President Al Gore and his wife Tipper are separating after 40 years of marriage. The official explanation is that they "grew apart."

While the part of me that adores all things Al is not exactly in mourning over this latest development, the rational part of me can't help but wonder: why now?

In my experience, long-time married couples tend to grow apart right around the 20 year mark, when their kids are teens and heading off to college, and they suddenly realize they don't have much to talk about anymore.

Forty years of marriage means going through so much together: births, deaths, health scares, family troubles, weddings, birthday milestones, successes, failures, children, grandchildren, etc.

I'm not exactly complaining that the object of my long-held adoration is suddenly making a new life for himself, but the timing seems really odd.

Yes, I want him to be happy, but if he takes up with some young thang like Kate Hudson or Megan Fox in the months to come, I'm selling my copy of An Inconvenient Truth on eBay.

Maximizing the Life of your Laptop Battery

My laptop battery recently crapped out, after less than a year of usage. In doing some quick research, I discovered that this was my own fault, because I was using the battery in a way that actually shortened its life. (My bad!)

I ended up ordering one online, and the website where I purchased it from has a great Frequently Asked Questions section that is definitely worth sharing: Laptop Battery Depot: Frequent Asked Questions

For example, I didn't realize that using the laptop while it's plugged in is bad for the battery. They advise removing the battery if you're using an electric power source for any extended period of time. I thought I was doing the right thing by keeping it plugged in--giving the battery a rest--but it was actually doing the battery harm. Oops.

I also noticed the new battery wasn't charging to 100%, and the FAQs advised taking the battery out and then putting it back in, then charging it again. It worked!

I used to put my computer into sleep mode when I wasn't using it (by just folding the screen down and closing it), but didn't bother to completely Shut Down that often. That was another mistake that shortened the battery life.

I'm going to follow the guidelines from the Laptop Battery website and see if I can get more mileage out this new one. Fingers crossed!