Was anybody other than the Life Sherpa surprised by the announcement this month that President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize?

I'd like to think this was more than the Nobel folks handing out a "We Really Hated George W." Award, but I have my suspicions. Exactly how much peace can one person generate in, what has it been, 10 months in office?

Apparently, enough peace is flying around to hand Obama an award that some people have spent their lives earning.

Considering that the criteria for the award has, shall we say, changed, here are my predictions for upcoming "attaboys" out of Stockholm:

— Medicine — Mary Poppins. Because darn it, it's true: A spoonful of sugar DOES help the medicine go down.

— Chemistry — The team of scientists at Hostess who formulated the delicious creme filling for Twinkies, Suzie Qs and Cupcakes. (And it's about darn time, if you ask me.)

— Physics — In a close race, the research group that invented the holo-deck for "Star Trek" won out over the company that invented the revolutionary "clap on, clap off" home lighting system.

— Economics — TV lawyer Roni Deutch, who has devised a way to drastically reduce late-night viewers' debt to the IRS. (You go, girl!)

— Literature — I don't wanna brag or anything, but let me just say ... I'm humbled.

But prize or no prize, the work of a Life Sherpa never ends:


Dear Life Sherpa — I don't know the answer to this question, and I'm unwilling to ask my significant other: Why would a woman spend two hours tidying the house the night before it is cleaned by a maid service?

— Clean N. Confused

Dear Clean — I understand, and sympathize. For years, I was confused by the fact that men's magazines had pictures of gorgeous women while women's magazines had, uh, pictures of gorgeous women.

Then it dawned on me: Once a woman finds the man of her dreams, or some reasonable facsimile thereof, her efforts to impress him are drastically reduced. Then, it becomes all about impressing other women.

For example, women worry about how they look in a cocktail dress, how their hair is styled and whether the shoes they wear complement their wardrobe. Are they drawing this picture for us? No way. Surely, they understand by now that a man's dream woman is wearing absolutely nothing at all and holding a really big sandwich and a cold, frosty one.

Same goes with the house. They don't care if we think the house is a sty. But if some other woman comes in and sees the mess, your woman is afraid that word will spread among other women.

Bottom line: It's not about us and, because it's not, we have a tough time figuring it out.


Dear Life Sherpa — I like your columns, and you're doing a good job leading your party through the Himalayas of life. However, I must take umbrage with your statement that when men have a dream and do something wrong in it, they didn't really do anything wrong. Yes they did — they told their wives about it. Isn't it the best policy to not mention what goes on in your dreams?

— Rockwood Rock Climber


Dear Rocky — I couldn't agree with you more. You've heard the old saying, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas"? Consider your brain to be your own little Las Vegas.