Another option is to go online and pay a low fee (typically less than $10/form) to fill out interactive forms that will guide you through printing out completed legal documents on your own equipment at home. Here are a few web sites that can help:

www.legalzoom.com

www.uslegalforms.com

www.lawdepot.com

www.willsforamerica.com

www.legalformsbank.biz

If you're not satisfied with what you find among those, do a Boolean string search at www.google.com by typing in Power of Attorney + your state. It's just that simple.

One final step; be sure to give copies of these documents, after they've been witnessed and notarized, to your loved ones. You should also inform them of location of other important documents such as insurance papers, will or trust, deed, car title, stocks and bonds, bank and tax records, etc. Please, please, please, don't follow my bad example, leaving your loved ones or friends in lurch as I did!

•And, best news yet. Upon further study, it has been found that “flavonoids” in dark chocolate are scientifically proven to act as antioxidants, preventing “bad” cholesterol (LDL) in blood from oxidizing and clogging arteries.

So, if you are looking for a healthy way to “cheat” this holiday season, dark chocolate may not be all together a bad option. Facts aside, however, and before you run out to fill your shopping cart full, keep these guidelines in mind:

•Heed advice of Aristotle: “Everything in moderation.” Refrain from taking “chocolate factory tour.” Keep your chocolate fix to a minimum. Enjoy it, but please don’t over do.

•When you are shopping for chocolate, try to find “dark” varieties with at least 70% cocoa.

•Also, make sure “sugar” or “butter fat” are not first items listed.

If you’d like to skip treat and not fun, send a virtual chocolate postcard from this fun chocolate website (no calories included) : http://www.virtualchocolate.com/index.cfm

To summarize my findings, it appears that dark chocolate is in fact our friend (and we will just leave its aphrodisiac qualities to your own private discussion groups, thanks).

As for cravings….Well, do we really “need” chocolate?

Survey says: Dunno. But, with holidays upon us, a Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate once in a while—now available in “sugar free” variety, mind you--sounds sweet enough to me.

(Research Ref: Eat To Beat Cancer, Hatherill. 1998 St. Martins Press, New York)