Columnist Lisa Ferguson: Trends, July 24, 2000

Lisa Ferguson

Monday, July 24, 2000 | 10:10 a.m.

T.G.I. ... Monday?

It's Monday again. And if you're reading this and asking yourself, "Where did the weekend go?" you're not alone -- just a little late.

According to the recently released results of a poll conducted by Shell Oil Company, 64 percent of "working-age Americans" asks themselves that same question -- typically on Sunday nights. That's opposed to the 33 percent of people who actually reported feeling "relaxed, rested and ready for another week."

Of those working-age Americans surveyed, 42 percent said "their weekends are so busy they don't seem like a real break" from work.

The leisure-themed poll also revealed a potpourri of odd (and somewhat unrelated) findings:

Which celebrity "experts" would people most like to have provide them a service? Thirty-two percent of Americans selected home improvement guru Bob Vila as their handyman of choice. Warren Buffet is the most-wanted financial advisor (24 percent). Only 19 percent would welcome Martha Stewart as their interior designer. Ten percent want fitness freak Richard Simmons to serve as their personal trainer.

No snooze, you lose

Maybe part of the reason people aren't feeling rested for the work week is because they aren't getting enough sleep.

Still more survey results -- these reported by the makers of Alluna Sleep, a natural supplement -- found that people are sleeping an average of two hours less per night than our great-grandparents did years ago.

What's more, "62 percent of the U.S. population experiences sleeplessness a few nights a week." That equates to 124 million people who are losing sleep.

What to do? The company suggests trying to relax before bedtime, avoiding work and other "stressful activities" at least an hour before you hit the sack. Same goes for exercise -- quit at least two hours before bedtime.

Animal antics

Time to dispel a few long-standing myths about animal behavior, courtesy of Advantage flea control and Dr. Jeffrey Werber, pet expert from CBS' "The Early Show."

* True or False: "One pet year equals seven human years." False. Better to think of it this way -- a pet's first year of life equals about 15 human years; the second year is the equivalent of 10 years; each year after that is equal to between four and eight human years.

* True or False: "A purring cat is a happy cat." True -- sort of. Cats do purr when they're content, but also when they're in pain or stressed-out.

* True or False: "If a dog wags its tail at you, it's friendly." False. Dogs do express happiness by wagging their tails, but it can also signal excitement -- that they're anxious, annoyed, tense or ready to fight.