Appreciation

I'm spending more time at work, and I have less time for my family. My employer really appreciates me. At first glance, the two statements appear contradictory. The workers who responded to the Globe's 2011 Top Places to Work survey indicated they had less flexibility to balance their work and personal lives than in the past. In fact, that facet of their lives at work suffered the most this year. At the same time, employees said that they felt more "genuinely appreciated" at work.

Kevin Garnett will miss the TD Garden crowd when the Celtics visit Philadelphia for Game 6 of their playoff series Wednesday night. "No comparison," Garnett said, talking about the Celtics' and Sixers' home crowds. "This crowd sparks you - it doesn't take much here, man," Garnett said when asked the response to an offensive foul call on him early in the third quarter of the Celtics' 101-85 win over the Sixers Monday night. "Speaking about this crowd, it's like plugging in, man - enthused from 48 minutes on, from the tip on," he added.

Q. I have worked at the same law firm for nearly 11 years. I have received a bonus from my boss twice a year in December and in June. These bonuses are part of my pay; they are not gifts. On bonus day, I simply smile and say thank you and place my check in my purse. About a year and a half ago, we hired a part-time assistant. She has become very helpful, and we like her and plan to keep her employed. This year after she received her Christmas bonus, she sent a thank you card addressed to my boss and his wife (who is in no way associated with our office)

As many people do on crisp, sunny mornings, Donna Picone laced up her Sauconys, grabbed a bottle of water, and set out for a walk with a close friend. But this was no ordinary get-the-blood-moving, enjoy-the-outdoors stroll: The women were in for a nearly 9½-mile trek from their Danvers neighborhood to the North Reading Fire Station. They weren't training for a sporting event; they weren't raising money for a cause; and they didn't have too much time on their hands. Their many footsteps served a different purpose: To raise awareness of the dangerous job firefighters do, and to show their appreciation...

Greg Dickerson, the reliable sideline reporter on Comcast SportsNet New England's Celtics telecasts, has never tried to hide his affinity for the team or his appreciation for his job. For him to miss a significant amount of time, as he has this season, viewers might presume it was because of a serious matter. It was. Two days before the Celtics' Christmas Day opener in New York, Dickerson suffered a major seizure. After meeting with neurologists and other doctors, he was diagnosed with epilepsy.

During a visit with my father, I happened to catch the end of the television game show, "Wheel of Fortune. " On a couple of occasions, I've seen Pat Sajak, the emcee, bring up an etiquette issue. Thank you, Pat. This time he let loose with an etiquette pet peeve that struck home. He asked, rhetorically, what the deal is with people who respond to a sincere "Thank you" by saying "No problem. " I couldn't agree with him more. "Thank you" is an expression of appreciation one person offers another.

Among the recent, eloquent outpourings of appreciation for Michelangelo Antonioni, a few writers stopped to wonder whether Antonioni would matter as much in today's climate. Probably not. If he did, we'd also all be talking about the films of the 37-year-old Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul, which are as richly atmospheric and as vaguely worried as the Italian's, a touch more pleasurable, too. The truth is, like Antonioni before him, Weerasethakul is making non-narrative movies for serious movie lovers, and the marketplace in this country is increasingly...

[Aram Boghosian for The Boston Globe] 17TH ANNUAL NORTHWEST BEER FEST Pike Brewing Company's head brewer Dean Mochizuki hosts a night of beer appreciation, toasting to taps from Oregon and Washington, including Boundary Bay, Elysian, Deschutes, and Rogue all cq . Can't make it? The beers will remain at Redbones until the kegs run dry. Nov. 7, 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. Cash bar. 21+ Redbones. 617-628-2200, www.redbones.com

Scientists now know: people want what they want. According to a study reported on the British Psychological Society blog, people had the best memories and preferred gifts that they asked for rather than surprise gifts -- although, as givers, their memories of giving surprise gifts were warmer and happier than their memories of giving gifts off the registry. From the report : The third study involved 90 participants creating Amazon wish-lists and half of them playing gift-givers and half gift-receivers.

Q.There were some problems at my job last week — not my fault, but my responsibility — that required weekend work. My boss said she would work Saturday, and I said I would work Sunday. This morning she called and said she felt bad since I have to travel quite far to work, and since there wasn't much left to do, she would do it for me. So nice of her! Are homemade cookies and a warm e-mail appropriate thanks? I know you aren't supposed to give presents to your boss, but I was hoping homemade stuff could be an exception.

In 2010, it was reported that bristlecone pines, trees as old as civilizations, appeared to be threatened, in part, by climate change. The trees, some dated at almost 5,000 years, grow at high elevation on the rim of the Great Basin in California, Nevada, and Utah, and the combined effects of "blister rust" fungus and the pine bark beetle, helped along by warmer temperatures, rendered the bristlecone's future uncertain. Those trees came to mind Tuesday night at MIT as I watched Gary Snyder, the great American poet, essayist, environmentalist, Zen Buddhist, and old traveling buddy of Allen Ginsberg and...

Q.There were some problems at my job last week — not my fault, but my responsibility — that required weekend work. My boss said she would work Saturday, and I said I would work Sunday. This morning she called and said she felt bad since I have to travel quite far to work, and since there wasn't much left to do, she would do it for me. So nice of her! Are homemade cookies and a warm e-mail appropriate thanks? I know you aren't supposed to give presents to your boss, but I was hoping homemade stuff could be an exception.

A celebration for local veterans that will include tributes from local and state politicians, a luncheon buffet, and singers is planned for noon to 4 p.m. next Saturday at the Cushing Center. Veterans Appreciation Day, cosponsored by the Norwell American Legion and the Norwell Men's Club, will honor residents of Norwell, Hanover, and Scituate for their military service. There is no charge for admission, but donations will be accepted at the door, according to organizers. - Meg Murphy

Paul Pierce has moved into second place on the Celtics' all-time scoring list. But Pierce (21,797 points) is only third among his current teammates in career scoring, behind Kevin Garnett (23,659) and Ray Allen (22,583). The difference in their careers, of course, is that Pierce has been with only one team since entering the NBA. "It's very tough," Allen said of maintaining loyalty to a team. "Because you have to be committed, as well as the organization. If you look at a 10-year span, most organizations go in cycles of success.

During a visit with my father, I happened to catch the end of the television game show, "Wheel of Fortune. " On a couple of occasions, I've seen Pat Sajak, the emcee, bring up an etiquette issue. Thank you, Pat. This time he let loose with an etiquette pet peeve that struck home. He asked, rhetorically, what the deal is with people who respond to a sincere "Thank you" by saying "No problem. " I couldn't agree with him more. "Thank you" is an expression of appreciation one person offers another.

Greg Dickerson, the reliable sideline reporter on Comcast SportsNet New England's Celtics telecasts, has never tried to hide his affinity for the team or his appreciation for his job. For him to miss a significant amount of time, as he has this season, viewers might presume it was because of a serious matter. It was. Two days before the Celtics' Christmas Day opener in New York, Dickerson suffered a major seizure. After meeting with neurologists and other doctors, he was diagnosed with epilepsy.

Greg Dickerson, the reliable sideline reporter on Comcast SportsNet New England's Celtics telecasts, has never tried to hide his affinity for the team or his appreciation for his job. For him to miss a significant amount of time, as he has this season, viewers might presume it was because of a serious matter. It was. Two days before the Celtics' Christmas Day opener in New York, Dickerson suffered a major seizure. After meeting with neurologists and other doctors, he was diagnosed with epilepsy.

CAMBRIDGE -- There are times when I fear that Dorothy Parker has already said everything worth saying. I exaggerate, of course, but that's what comes of reading too much Dorothy Parker. In any case, the inimitable Mrs. P. sprang forcefully to mind as I watched the two-person adaptation of "The Importance of Being Earnest" at the American Repertory Theatre. To be precise, I kept thinking of her 1918 review of an Oscar Wilde production, at which she found herself more fascinated by the audience than by the play.