tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220066252010-04-28T09:20:45.070-07:00ConsumerMatch.com Blog. Coupons, Specials and Promotion available at ConsumerMatch.com - Comparision Shopping Search Engine & Directory. Resources and FAQ. RSS Feeds and Deals Alerts.ConsumerMatch.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11372485854904233179noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22006625.post-14351189735067585102008-03-20T20:19:00.000-07:002008-03-20T20:22:54.358-07:00

It’s the first day of spring! How do I know this? Why, I saw it online of course. Then, I turned around and looked at the calendar on the wall behind my desk. Then I went outside and got some fresh air.I am so happy to be in California! I like opening my front door to a covered porch, not the inside of an apartment building hallway. As a kid, I used to watch “The Odd Couple”—about two very

c_squaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078429532777931859noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22006625.post-36648741401366822552008-01-21T20:32:00.000-08:002008-01-21T20:36:03.385-08:00

I just got a telephone call from my brother and I’m so happy! It’s not unusual, especially with all the brothers I have. But the day is, for me anyway, special. It’s my birthday. Every year, no matter what, this one brother makes sure to call me on my birthday. And every year, I call him on his birthday. To people with normal-size families this is not spectacular, but with more than 100

c_squaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078429532777931859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22006625.post-66130051958629194212007-12-31T23:20:00.000-08:002007-12-31T23:30:13.801-08:00

The last time I posted here, I had just wrapped up a craft fair in Boston. Today, I unpacked that missing box. It’s been two months since I’ve written. I had planned to write in October, but this is not October. Here in California, it’s the last hour of the last day of the year. Outside I hear some preliminary fireworks as folks in the Bay Area get into the spirit of things. My Boston

c_squaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078429532777931859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22006625.post-84459325526693890872007-09-30T17:07:00.000-07:002007-09-30T17:17:02.576-07:00

Ah, the final day of September. The air is crisp; the sky fell dark before dinner time, and I’m exhausted. Today marked the end on my bittersweet summer in Boston. And it also marked the end of my recent foray into the world of East Coast craft fairs. It could have been a fabulous, dreamy day… were it not for my extremely sleep-deprived state and the lost box. Last night, after my third

c_squaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078429532777931859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22006625.post-27697951441433660882007-09-06T18:30:00.000-07:002007-09-06T18:43:16.208-07:00

I love back to school! In my day (as my youngest sister puts it, my “era”), getting ready to go back to school meant buying some pencils and an abacus. Today’s kids are all amped up on software. This brings me to the mix of two worlds: a merging of what is old (handmade art) yet new (handmade art) AND celebrates modern technology. Check it out: a handmade pendant that so

c_squaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078429532777931859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22006625.post-84338263859701823012007-08-31T17:32:00.000-07:002007-08-31T17:37:41.798-07:00

Here it is, the last day of August. It’s the unofficial end of summer in Boston. U-Haul trucks are everywhere (three on my block today!), and the students are back. I love it. Boston is a college town. It’s got the oldest university in the country, and a few dozen newer ones, too. (Perhaps only an East Coast resident would call a 144 year-old university “newer.”) We’ve got MIT, too, which I

c_squaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078429532777931859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22006625.post-82404753541829173912007-08-28T10:03:00.000-07:002007-08-28T10:04:52.877-07:00

I’m getting nowhere fast on becoming a morning person. I’m up in the morning but not entirely personable.Now I understand why the morning commute has such a bad rep: there’s a whole world of people who are half-awake, distracted and (in my case) over-caffeinated. Luckily I don’t have a commute, beyond walking up the block to a local café. And while I’m there (I love the new place!), everything

c_squaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078429532777931859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22006625.post-68221657618162845072007-08-06T16:07:00.000-07:002007-08-06T16:11:13.887-07:00

A quick follow-up to my most recent two columns: yes, I still believe that nice people finish first; and yes, somehow I haven't yet given up on my desire to become a "morning person."However, getting up early and seeing the best in the people around me haven't yet meshed together. The fact is I'm cranky. This getting up early business is for the birds, I'll tell you. It would be fine if I could

c_squaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078429532777931859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22006625.post-41820233855678889062007-08-01T10:32:00.000-07:002007-08-01T10:35:44.694-07:00

Here it is the first day of the month. I used to dread this day, but no more! I see the start of a new month as a bit like the start of a new year (minus the hangover). I’ve got plans, I’ve things to do, people to see – well, a few people, anyway – and most of all, lots of writing ahead of me.But no worries. I’ve created a plan for this month and I’m counting on it being the best month of the

c_squaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078429532777931859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22006625.post-11036481507749002892007-07-30T19:29:00.000-07:002007-07-30T19:31:03.132-07:00

During the past few weeks I’ve had the chance to meet quite a few nice people. Really, really nice people seem to be showing up everywhere. And yes – I am still living in Boston, which makes this almost unbelievable. I remember a conversation that I had, a few years ago, with one of my many sisters: we talked about how one smile or showing of kindness can make your whole day. It’s true. Since

c_squaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078429532777931859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22006625.post-29274157930808891302007-07-25T16:32:00.000-07:002007-07-29T19:07:27.108-07:00

Some said it would never happen, but it has: I'm in love.It's a real love… you know, the kind that you think of the moment you awaken and throughout the day. Nothing else seems to matter -- just the object of your affection and all of the possibilities for the future. You wonder how things will progress as the seasons change and your love grows even deeper.Everything I see or even think of

c_squaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078429532777931859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22006625.post-37575884701583346982007-07-16T12:38:00.000-07:002007-07-16T12:42:21.409-07:00

I missed it.A few years ago, one of my favorite nieces and I began reading the first Harry Potter book. We live 3,000 miles apart so it made sense to each have our own copy. We would each read a chapter or two and then talk on the telephone about Harry's antics. My niece, being in elementary school at the time, had a little more time on her hands that I ever seem to have. She quickly

c_squaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078429532777931859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22006625.post-81006520941566714002007-07-02T09:23:00.000-07:002007-07-02T09:31:39.439-07:00

Three steps to a really bad moment in a drug store:1. Stay up almost all night working to make sure that you are especially tired and easily irritated;2. Be awakened by an early morning phone call that startles you out of sleep so that you answer the phone before noticing that caller ID warns you: it’s your ex calling; and3. Go to the store to buy a “Get Well” card for a relative and be sure

c_squaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078429532777931859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22006625.post-85370230366774929692007-06-26T09:26:00.000-07:002007-06-26T09:36:22.325-07:00

Let me start by saying that I do not hate children.Typically, I find kids to be cute and funny. Babies are sweet; toddlers and their endless curiosity remind most of us about something in ourselves… before we grew out of being fascinated by the smallest and most mundane things. With six younger siblings I spent my entire childhood surrounded by children. I like kids.It was the screaming baby that

c_squaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078429532777931859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22006625.post-87374215583685092172007-06-18T17:46:00.000-07:002007-06-18T17:52:00.686-07:00

Last week I wrote about the closing of our café.Now that's the sign that a café is real, and enduring: people can call it "our café." Can you say that about a Starbucks? Or even a Peet's? (And I like Peet's.)I'm here to report, six days later, it's still closed. The notice has been ripped away and all that is left is a corner spot in the middle of what could be the most expensive real estate

c_squaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078429532777931859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22006625.post-5903293192923981892007-06-12T17:40:00.000-07:002007-06-12T17:53:34.454-07:00

Oh, I never expected this.My favorite café has closed. Not for remodeling, not for a summer break, but for good.The other day, which happened to be a day when 25,000 extra people were wandering around Harvard Square (some guy named Bill Gates was speaking at commencement) I had to go to the post office. The post office and I have a tangled relationship. Anyway, on the way I like to stop at “

c_squaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078429532777931859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22006625.post-17475526517979436612007-06-04T12:16:00.000-07:002007-06-04T12:19:21.011-07:00

Ferris Bueller had the right idea: there's nothing like a day off. A regular day of rest or Sabbath (the term "Sabbath" is derived from the Hebrew word for "to rest") is an almost universal observance. I say "almost" because for some people it's hard to stop long enough to take a day off, let alone to be able to relax and enjoy it. People like me. The concept of taking time off has long been

c_squaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078429532777931859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22006625.post-81022627193910857662007-05-28T10:33:00.000-07:002007-05-28T10:40:48.547-07:00

Memorial Day was originally called “Decoration Day” and was a day set aside to honor those who gave their lives in the Civil War. From the good people at History.com:The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every

c_squaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078429532777931859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22006625.post-62803771758248825472007-05-21T14:23:00.000-07:002007-05-21T14:27:26.514-07:00

I love coffee.I like it hot, I like it cold; I like it black.Somehow I made it to age 26 before my first foray into the world of caffeine. Not a chocolate eater or soda drinker, I felt like I could fly after my first cup! I was in Paris, I’d been up all night, and a great friend introduced me to espresso. It was love at first sip.And so I joined a centuries-old tradition. From Wikipedia, here’s a

c_squaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078429532777931859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22006625.post-86635295314195005342007-05-14T08:30:00.000-07:002007-05-14T08:37:04.608-07:00

I admit it: I love to read my horoscope. I especially like it when it’s good. When it’s not good, I usually skip ahead to the next day and check out what I can expect in the near future. This activity is something like the process of “selective memory” but in reverse: I selectively look forward to high-energy days – especially the ones that promise a dash of excitement.Honestly, I don’t know

c_squaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078429532777931859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22006625.post-22461417533758646792007-05-10T08:53:00.000-07:002007-05-10T08:58:02.493-07:00

My apologies… this week's column is a few days late. Could it be that I've been riveted by the never-ending stories about Paris Hilton?Not exactly. What does fascinate me, though, is the fascination itself. From what I can tell, this is a person who does not actually do anything. And yet she shows up on my television screen weekly (more if I had cable, no doubt). Her picture -- eerily similar

c_squaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078429532777931859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22006625.post-51190498218144979852007-04-30T10:06:00.000-07:002007-04-30T10:09:28.716-07:00

It’s just around the corner: the day to let Mom know that – despite everything you’ve put her through – you really do adore her.My mom is sure to score big on Mother’s Day… and she deserves it! I wonder what my many siblings have in store for her. I’ve ordered my gift for her and it should be arriving any day. Then there’s the wrapping, repackaging and paying again for shipping. Nice of our

c_squaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078429532777931859noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22006625.post-27608088846396002302007-04-23T16:34:00.000-07:002007-04-23T16:35:50.318-07:00

I think that we can declare Earth Day 2007 a success: the earth is still revolving, and we're still here.I admit that I am old enough to remember the inaugural Earth Day in 1970. My elementary school celebrated with something called "Field Day." It sounds like we were enjoying a day outdoors kicking around a soccer ball, but in fact "Field Day" was a clever euphemism for "send the kiddies out

c_squaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078429532777931859noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22006625.post-44765813645818015072007-04-16T11:00:00.000-07:002007-04-16T11:07:45.770-07:00

I thought it seemed nice and quiet this morning…no sounds of construction or traffic, not even the usual noise of my neighbors heading off to work. Then I realized: it's a holiday here in Massachusetts (and Maine, as well). Today is the third Monday of April, when we New Englanders celebrate Patriot's Day.Patriot's Day commemorates the battles at Lexington and Concord -- just a stone's throw from

c_squaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078429532777931859noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22006625.post-30633117864329179112007-04-09T10:18:00.000-07:002007-04-09T10:30:46.747-07:00

Mondays are pretty easy for me. I wake up on the early side (that would be before the construction team next door starts up its equipment), prepare some Kona coffee and then turn on the computer. Since I work at home, my commute can be completed with bare feet. And there’s always more coffee – no need to spend $4.00 for a latte from you-know-where. All in all, I shouldn’t complain. But

c_squaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05078429532777931859noreply@blogger.com2