I write this column on Monday evening. Yesterday was Palm Sunday and I regret that I didn’t attend church for the umpteenth year in a row.

Getting older makes it easier to justify the action, but the regret remains rooted.

But the good news, which does eradicate some regret regarding my diet, comes from the University of California, San Diego.

Both the San Diego Union-Tribune and the New York Times reported about Dr. Beatrice Golomb’s research on the consumption of chocolate and body weight published this month.

“The surprise is,” Golomb, an associate professor of medicine at UC San Diego said, “Eating chocolate frequently is linked to lower weight,” according to the Union-Tribune.

After reading these articles, I put Golomb’s research results in the same category as Einstein’s relativity theory or Friedrich August Kekule von Stradonitz’s, a German organic chemist, revolutionary theory of aromatic carbon compounds.

After reading Golomb’s discovery, I had no choice. I immediately walked to the Harvest Market and purchased a bar of 70 percent dark chocolate. I can’t tell you how much better I feel now.

The troubling news is that I might have to stop covering the County Service Area 38 advisory committee meetings.

After last week’s news, I’m worried that IFPD will no longer send an ambulance all the way to Pine Cove. I don’t want to be in a situation where I don’t have IFPD watching my back.

But the contravening news this week was more research supporting the premise that one or two beers nightly are better than none.

Alcohol, in moderation, is inversely related to death and cardiovascular illness in men. This is the outcome of a long-term study just published last week.

I suppose this will make those CSA 38 meetings a little better even if IFPD isn’t available.

Today, I read another story reporting that too much happiness is detrimental to your health.

I suppose the bad news for the IFPD staff is the proposed termination of the ambulance contract. Since the department was losing money servicing this contract, once it’s terminated, even the Pine Cove subsidy will go and the department’s loss will be even greater unless staff is cut.

All of this medical and health news must be penetrating other Idyllwild minds besides mine. The Saturday headliner at this year’s Jazz in the Pines Festival is the Big Phat Band. Thank you Marsha and Bubba.

Jazz, the true American contribution to musical genres, is in touch with our soul.

And in case, you’re not familiar with Sunday’s headliner, Brian Bomberg, just listen to your CD of the sound track for “The Fabulous Baker Brothers.” He plays the bass. He’s better with Baker’s dipped chocolate.

P.S. — Since jazz soothes the soul, this column is similar to Kekule’s conception of a benezene atom as a ring formed by a snake seizing its tail.