Adjusting to the American Way of Life

Finally: Translate animal lanugage

2010-04-01T10:33:00.002-04:00

Curious what your dog or cat says about you? Google England is offering an app for your mobile phone that translates animal language into human. http://www.google.co.uk/intl/en/landing/translateforanimals/tour.html

The translate app is free and comes with warnings and tips. The following is a quote from the website:

Note: It is not Google’s responsibility if you are offended or disappointed by what your chosen animal may say. Also please note, we do not guarantee stimulating conversation.

Pro Tip: As a general rule the higher up in the food chain an animal is, the better a communicator it will be. So if you are after quick witted banter it’s best to select cats and dogs rather than rabbits, hamsters and guinea pigs.

Well - that's Google's contribution to April Fools Day!

Bilinguals: do they switch off one language?

2009-09-16T16:41:00.004-04:00

Recently it happened again: in the middle of a lecture about the history of psychology, I used a German expression. I didn't even notice it at first, only the puzzled look of my students told me that something was wrong.

As I'm even thinking now more and more in English, it surprises me that occasionally German words would unconsiously sneak in when I'm speaking English. A group of Dutch psychologists now found an explanation:

Bilinguals Are Unable To 'Turn Off' A Language Completely, Study Shows

ScienceDaily (2009-08-19) -- With a vast majority of the world speaking more than one language, it is no wonder that psychologists are interested in its effect on cognitive functioning. For instance, how does the human brain switch between languages? Are we able to seamlessly activate one language and disregard knowledge of other languages completely? ... > read full article

Bay of Fundy, Canada

2009-07-29T21:39:00.005-04:00

Back from summer vacation. In the past two weeks we visited New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. Our first stop was at the Hopewell Rocks of the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick.

"The Hopewell Rocks, also called the Flowerpot Rocks, are rock formations caused by tidal erosion in The Rocks Provincial Park in New Brunswick.

They are located on the shores of the upper reaches of the Bay of Fundy at Hopewell Cape near Moncton, New Brunswick. Due to the extreme tidal range of the Bay of Fundy, the base of the formations are covered in water twice a day. However, it is possible to view the formations from ground level at low tide." (Wikipedia.org)

We were lucky and arrived at the Flowerpots at low tide.

Wet Start to the Summer

2009-06-21T20:50:00.004-04:00

After spending most of this rainy Sunday inside, I finally ventured out for half an hour in raincoat and boots. I also took my camera for a few snapshots about the wet first day of the summer 2009:

Charles Riverfest

2009-06-15T17:51:00.004-04:00

This weekend, we went again to the annual Charles Riverfest in Cambridge.

I love this time of the year when many towns and groups in Massachusetts organize festivals and Town days. Last weekend, we have been to the Greek festival here in our town, Arlington. The Greek community celebrates every year for two days with music, dance groups and ethnic food. Everyone is invited as the money raised during this event is for the Greek church in our town.

This weekend, it was the Charles Riverfest. Music, dance, food and beautiful weather - what do you want more? We enjoyed a relaxing afternoon:

Junior Prom

2009-06-03T17:58:00.003-04:00

OMG - time is flying. It seems like yesterday that my oldest son had his first day in kindergarten, and now it's already time for Junior prom.

For us, this is all new terrain. There was a learning curve, which involved trying to find a Tuxedo 5 days before the event and remembering to buy a wrist corsage on the big day - without having it pre-ordered, of course. But we were lucky, and everything worked out perfectly.

Squirrels

2009-04-27T20:35:00.002-04:00

How did the squirrels know about the sunflower seeds in the bottle? They even ate the plastic. Did they get stomach pain?

New England: Beach day in April!

2009-04-26T20:53:00.005-04:00

Boston set a record today with a high temperature of 86 degrees. What better way to enjoy such a beautiful weather as with a visit at Crane Beach?

The only downside is that the magnolia blossoms don't last:

Long Patriots' Day Weekend in MA

2009-04-20T20:11:00.006-04:00

This was a great long weekend, filled with sunshine and gardening. Here in MA, we celebrate Patriots' day every year on the third Monday in April. It's a holiday commemorating the anniversary of the first battles of the American Revolutionary war. Early risers can visit the re-enactment of one of the major battles in our neighbor town Lexington.

In our first year in the States, we went at six in the morning to watch the re-enactment, starting with Paul Revere's ride and right afterwards the battle at Lexington's green. There have been so many other spectators there that we hardly could see anything, but we got a great pancake breakfast after the battle in one of the churches in Lexington.

This year, we spent the long weekend working in the garden: we needed an extension to the irigation system and an additional fence unit. I also spent a couple of hours cleaning up, seeding and replanting. A lot is in bloom, even the apricot tree:

For Easter

2009-04-12T12:59:00.001-04:00

Creativity or Stupidity?

2009-03-26T17:59:00.002-04:00

I read today in the newspaper that a teacher in a cash-strapped school district in Idaho made a deal with the local pizzeria: The business will provide paper for handouts, worksheets and tests for his classrooms and in return, on each provided sheet of paper will be an ad for the pizza shop.

So, while taking a history test the kids can already think about which slide of pizza they will buy for lunch: cheese or pepperoni?

According to the newspaper article, some officials applaude the teacher for his creative solution of the spending freeze in his town, others criticize that he crosses a line.

I agree with the critics and find the idea of sponsorships for school material most worrisome. And by the way - what's with the fight against obesity?

Vegetables from the White House

2009-03-20T22:11:00.007-04:00

Today, I read in the newspaper that Michelle Obama is planting an organic White House vegetable garden. She believes that children are more willing to try fruit and vegetables when they see them grow.

From my experience, I can only confirm that. We had in Austria a very big fruit and vegetable garden, and my kids were used to picking apples, pears and plums right from the tree. We never had discussions at the dinner table about eating vegetables. In Austria, people rarely have gardens without fruit trees and vegetables.

One of the first purchases for our house here in America was a peach tree. From my Dutch neighbors, I got red and black currant bushes, and my Portugese neighbors gave me a grape plant. In the following years, we bought more and more fruit trees and bushes and this year, we are hoping to harvest apples, plums, apricots, grapes, cherries, currants, strawberries, gooseberries and raspberries. In addition, I'm planting tomatoes, salad, beans, squash, eggplant...

My neighbors, who first couldn't believe that apricots or cherries would grow in Massachusetts, are now also starting their own kitchen gardens. They are now convinced that even an average sized backyard can yield a delicious crop (and save you quite a lot of money)

Beer and St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T16:25:00.003-04:00

St. Patrick's day in Boston means

a huge parade on the Sunday before the 17th (according to Wikipedia, the world's first St. Patrick's Day parade was held in Boston in 1761)
Corned beef and cabbage
many people wearing green (or at least a glittering shamrock sticker on a cheek)
bunches of green and white carnations
many more Celtics shirts, caps and wristbands to be seen on the streets than usual
pubs that open at 6 am (for breakfast with beer?)
Irish music everywhere (where do all the Irish music playing bands come from?)
long lines in front of pubs despite cover charges of up to $ 20 per person ( plus $ 5/glass of beer)
and people in the road, who are celebrating the Irish saint with heavy alcohol consumption.

What leads to my question: How became getting drunk a St. Patrick's day "tradition"?

First Spring Ocean Walk

2009-03-16T20:52:00.004-04:00

This past weekend, the weather here in Massachusetts was great. Nice and balmy 55 F. Ideal conditions for our first spring walk of the year at Crane Beach/ MA.

A picture says more....

2009-03-10T17:09:00.004-04:00

....than a thousand words.

Picture of snowdrops taken today in Arlington, Massachusetts.

In like a lion

2009-03-02T20:12:00.006-05:00

In like a lion, out like a lamb. The first part of this saying about the weather in March was proven true today. The Nor'easter along the eastern seaboard dumped close to 10 inches of snow on us here , west of Boston :

Now I'm hoping the second part of the proverb "out like a lamb" will be true, too.

Snow days in March?

2009-02-28T12:37:00.003-05:00

Looks like that March will start for us in MA with a punch, better double punch. Two winter storms are heading our way and the forecast for our area calls for up to a foot of snow.

Even my boys, who may have a snow day on Monday and get a chance for earning good money with snow shoveling, are disappointed. They are, like me, tired of snow.

The past two days were nice and balmy, and we just started for the first time since Christmas to see the lawn again; and even better, the first flowers emerged.

I can't believe, this all will be over in a few hours.

Frozen Art

2009-02-26T18:20:00.003-05:00

Recently, we have been to an ice sculpture competition in downtown Boston. Art students transformed crude blocks of ice with "chisels and chainsaws" into all kinds of things:

Money can buy Happiness

2009-02-24T20:59:00.004-05:00

Money can buy you happiness - if you spend the money right. Instead of buying material things, purchase positive experiences; for example go dancing, buy tickets for a concert or make a boat trip at sunset. According to a recently published study, such experiences will boost your happiness. Read more.

Last chance

2009-02-22T17:34:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, we got another glimpse on the effect of the dismal economy on daily life in America: We decided to go to our local movie theatre and watch Last Chance Harvey with Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. (We liked the movie, by the way, and recommend it. Good actors, good story)

Our local, suburban movie theatre is old, smells musty, the chairs are not very comfortable, the quality of the screens is so-so and tickets are cheap: only 7 bucks compared to more than $ 10 in the big, modern theatres in the Greater Boston area.

In the past, we felt sometimes almost lonely in our local theatre because only few people went there - even on Saturday nights. Boy, how has this changed. Yesterday, to our big surprise there was a long line in front of the ticket box and we feared , we wouldn't be able to get in, since several movies were already sold out. Luckily, we made it, but just barely. Shortly after we got our tickets, also Last Chance Harvey was sold out as was Benjamin Button, Rachel getting married and Gran Torino.

Well, it seems that at least some businesses profit from the economic crisis and I don't need to worry anymore that our historic Capitol cinema will disappear because of lack of customers.

Snow tubing

2009-02-15T20:23:00.002-05:00

Today, we went snow tubing. It was a cold winter day with bright sunshine and it felt so good to be outdoors again.

A ski resort, only about 20 miles away from our house, has an area devoted solely to tubing. There are more than 10 slopes with snow barriers on the periphery. Thus, the tubes remain on the course. They also have pulley towlines that tow riders and their tube to the top of the course, so you don't have to hike up.

All in all, it was a great day of fun:

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T15:59:00.002-05:00

Economy and College

2009-02-13T18:21:00.003-05:00

I didn't write here for a long time because I have so much work with my teaching job. I'm teaching at a Community College and this semester I have suddenly a lot more students in my classes than before. This year, it even happened that one of my classes was full long before the end of the enrollment period.

The same happened to other teachers at my college, and though I don't have official numbers, I believe Community Colleges are now more attractive for many students because of the lower costs. In a tough economy like this one, students feel that four year colleges with their price tag of $ 30 000 and more per year, are unreachable - particularly here in the Northeast. Therefore, they start their education at two year institutions like mine, hoping to being able to transfer at a later time.

Feeling old

2009-02-01T21:18:00.003-05:00

You know that you are old when your teenage kids are excited about the same rock stars that you liked when you were their age.

This happened to me tonight at the Super Bowl halftime show. OMG - Bruce Springsteen. I was 17 when he published his first album. Now, my oldest son is 17, and "the boss" still rocks.

In the Icebox

2009-01-25T20:38:00.004-05:00

Outside, it feels again like living in an icebox. However, the frigid weather couldn't stop us from venturing out into the woods. The bright sunshine and blue sky were just too tempting. So we bundled up, grabbed our snowshoes and went to the Middlesex Fells Reservation for a hike in the snow.

Everglades II

2009-01-19T16:10:00.003-05:00

Unfortunately, the pictures for my first blog entry about the Everglades didn't upload properly. I fixed it yesterday and apologize for the mishap. To make up, today a few more photos:

Everglades National Park

2009-01-15T21:29:00.012-05:00

On day two of our short Florida trip we went to the Everglades National Park. I was really looking forward to the visit and had great expectations.

We drove all the way down to the southernmost point, Flamingo and made several short hikes. It was surprisingly quiet in the Everglades. You could walk for minutes without hearing even one bird.

Later we read in the information material from the park service about the precarious environmental situation in the Everglades. Less than half of the original marsh is left. The rest of the swampland was drained and is now being used as farmland. Fertilizer and other agrochemical waste put the nature and the animals in the National Park at risk. Park rangers told us that several species are extinct or close to extinction. A dead panther that was found in the park had such high mercury levels, the concentration would have been fatal even for a human. Initiatives to save the Everglades need more support.

Above: Anhinga, roseate Spoonbill, Osprey

Miami Beach and Art Deco

2009-01-14T21:10:00.004-05:00

Our first stop in Florida was Miami Beach and the Art Deco architectural district. According to Wikipedia "the largest collection of Art Deco architecture in the world"

1258 miles

2009-01-13T20:56:00.003-05:00

It was printed on the ticket: Only 1258 miles between Boston and Miami - but what a difference. After a bit more than three hours in the air, we were back from our short trip to Florida. Back also to snow and cold after a few marvelous days in the sun. The difference in temperature is really amazing: 80 F yesterday afternoon on the Keys, 26 F at arrival in Boston. All we have left are the memories that must get us now through almost three months more of New England winter.

SAT Prep

2009-01-08T17:57:00.004-05:00

Today, I read an article in our local newspaper about SAT prep courses. Apparently, people in relatively well-off suburbs don't even question the necessity of these courses and spend willingly thousands of $ for SAT prep and college coaches.

I'm wondering whether there are any research studies that prove these classes actually make a huge difference. To me, it seems to be just a big business. My son will take the SAT in spring and I really hope, he will do okay without us spending big money. In two weeks, he will take a free practice test at his high school. Then we will know more.

Looking forward

2009-01-07T18:07:00.003-05:00

I'm looking forward to four days of warmth and sunshine. On Friday morning, my husband and I will go to the Keys and to the Everglades. Only until Monday eving, but a nice break to our dismal New England winter weather. Today, for hours rain and sleet. Brrr....

Snowboarding in Boston

2009-01-04T21:17:00.004-05:00

Boston is definitely not a Number One destination for skiing and snowboarding. However, when you are living here and you love wintersport, then you have two options: Drive for a couple of hours to a decent snowregion or live with whatever the Boston area has to offer. Today, we chose the latter and went to the Blue Hills ski areal.

For my husband, who grew up skiing every year in the Alps, the Blue Hills are not a real ski area. Therefore, he didn't bother to get his ski gear out. Instead, he joined me snowshoeing through the woods and up the hill. Our boys and their friends though had a lot of fun in the ski area with their snowboards. It was a gorgeous, sunny winter day and it felt good to be outside.

2009 - A good start

2009-01-02T18:30:00.002-05:00

We spent New Year's Eve at the Boston Pops' dance party in Symphony Hall. The music was great, we danced into 2009 and it was the perfect evening.

Then the unpleasant discovery when we wanted to leave shortly after midnight: my husband had lost the car key. First we searched the dance floor and asked at the coat check whether someone had found a key. Then, we searched outside and backtracked our steps to the car. It was frigid with temps below 10 degrees, and about 8 inches of new snow on the ground. We didn't have high hopes but when we arrived at the car and almost gave up, my husband suddenly saw something in the snow about two yeards away. The car key! Hundreds of people must have passed the key since we lost it, but it was still there.

A good start for 2009.

New Years Eve

2008-12-30T17:23:00.003-05:00

We don't know what we will be doing tomorrow evening. It's the first year without kids, since both boys are invited to parties, and therefore we want to do something special. Perhaps we will go to the Boston Pops, if we still get tickets...

But regardless, where we will end up celebrating the start of a new year,
I wish everyone happiness, health and prosperity in 2009.

Winter walk at Horn Pond

2008-12-29T20:38:00.004-05:00

One of the best things which happened this year was a walk with a friend around Horn Pond in Woburn, MA. Until my friend showed me this beautiful recreation area, I had no idea that it even exists - although we are living only about two miles away and this now for almost ten years!
Since this day in summer, my husband and I have walked the paths which lead around Horn Pond many times. To the holidays, we had friends from Wilmington visiting us, and we spent an afternoon enjoying the tranquility of a winter day at Horn Pond:

For the Holidays

2008-12-24T10:21:00.003-05:00

I'm wishing everyone happy holidays. Those, who celebrate Christmas, like us (in Austria we celebrate and exchange presents on Christmas eve)

And to those, who are in the midst of Hanukkah/ Chanukah (how is it really spelled?), enjoy the festival of lights. And lastly, let the spirit of Kwanzaa stay with you through the year.

Sunshine Again

2008-12-22T20:59:00.005-05:00

I'm still amazed how quickly the weather is changing here. Yesterday grey sky and hours of snowfall, today bright sunshine, blue sky and a white winter wonderland:

Winter Night

2008-12-21T17:34:00.003-05:00

Too much of a good thing

2008-12-21T16:04:00.003-05:00

I enjoy having white christmas - but what's too much, is too much. It's snowing, and snowing, and snowing and no end in sight. We got one foot of snow on Friday, a few inches yesterday and at least another foot today.

For my sons however, this means good business. Neighbors are already calling. They want them to come to their houses for snow shoveling.

Diverted to Bangor

2008-12-19T19:49:00.002-05:00

It's snowing - about 5 inches in just a few hours. My husband didn't make it back from San Diego in time before Logan airport was closing. Their flight got diverted to Bangor, Maine.

At least, the passengers were allowed to leave the plane. It didn't look like this at the beginning. The crew told the passengers that they would try to go to Boston in a few hours. Until then all passengers had to remain in the airplane. Later this changed and passengers could leave.

My husband and his colleague decided to drive home from Bangor. It's a four hours ride in good conditions - only the conditions are not good right now. They have already rented a car and are now looking for a hotel for the night.

Again, I'm experiencing that weather impacts the daily life here much more than we are used to it from Europe. It's only five inches of snow, and the schools closed early, and we have a snow emergency ....

Getting ready

2008-12-18T16:14:00.004-05:00

...for the next big storm. While here in Massachusetts thousands of people are still without power one week after the big ice storm last Thursday/Friday, we are getting ready for a new winter storm. According to the forecast, about a foot of snow within a few hours with wind and blizzard like conditions can be expected. School will end tomorrow already at 11:15 am, so that the kids can get home safely.

My husband is currently in San Diego and was supposed to fly back tomorrow. He is now trying to get a flight tonight because Logan airport will probably be closed tomorrow if the weather gets as bad as forecasted. Unfortunately, many other people had the same idea and he doesn't know yet whether he can reschedule. If not, he may be stuck in Houston for many hours. I keep my fingers crossed that he can get a flight tonight.

The weather today was just beautiful - the calm before the storm. This morning I enjoyed watching a spectacular sunrise over the lake in our neighborhood:

State of emergency

2008-12-12T16:34:00.003-05:00

Even after 10 years living in Massachusetts, I'm still surprised about the weather extremes. One day (Tuesday), temps are in the low 30s, next day close to 60. Now, a ferocious winter storm with heavy rain, ice and sleet, lasting all yesterday until this morning, left 350 000 Massachusetts customers without electricity. Our governor declared therefore a statewide emergency. Downed tree limbs are blocking roads and caused severe damages to roofs and cars. View the Slideshow on WHDH.com

Christmas tree farm and first snow

2008-12-08T17:57:00.004-05:00

It was snowing yesterday - the first snow of the year. We had planned to go to a Christmas tree farm with a nice farm store and trails for hiking and the snow made the trip just perfect.

Our trip was to Brooksby Farm in Peabody, MA. Click here to find other Christmas tree farms nationwide:
http://www.christmas-tree.com/
http://pickyourownchristmastree.org/

Birthday cake

2008-12-06T15:51:00.002-05:00

My husband had birthday yesterday, and this time I didn't have to bake a cake. My younger son brought from school a great looking and very delicious cake, baked by fellow students at his vocational school.

The students at Minuteman Regional High School in Lexington, MA entertain as part of their job training a restaurant, bakery,auto body shop, beauty salon, bank, gift store and flower shop. Next week, they will start selling Christmas trees, wreaths, garlands, poinsettias, and table arrangements. (Minuteman.org)

20 years...and engagement rings

2008-12-03T17:13:00.004-05:00

and still together.

My husband and I, we had yesterday our 20th anniversary. Since I had to work late because of my evening class, we postponed the "real celebration" to Saturday when we will see the theatre play "Rock'n Roll" by Tom Stoppard.

Fittingly to the topic marriage, I read today an article in our newspaper about legal issues concerning engagement rings. The article was about the question "who gets the ring if the wedding is canceled?" I found this article very interesting because I'm used to a different custom:

Men in Austria or Germany normally don't buy expensive diamond rings for the engagement. The custom is that the future husband and wife put at their engagement the wedding bands on, but on the left ring finger. A married couple wears the wedding band on the right finger.

Well, since things are different here and some men apparently spend a fortune for 'The Ring', the legal question seems appropriate.

The article explained that the regulations are state law. In Massachusetts and in many other states, if the wedding is canceled the ring has to be returned to the giver.

Like always, there are exceptions to the rule. The ex-fiancee may for example be able to keep the ring if the day of the proposal coincided with her birthday or Christmas. Then she can argue it was a personal gift.

Another exception could be extremely bad behavior of the former groom: Cheating or domestic abuse might give her the better cards for keeping the ring should it come to legal proceedings in court.

Fingerprinting and Black Friday

2008-11-28T16:02:00.004-05:00

My younger son had today a fingerprinting appointment. When he first got his green card five years ago, he was too young for fingerprinting. At age 14, he is required to get a new card with his fingerprint. The fee this time was only $ 80, a bargain compared to the original green card costs.

My older son decided to participate at the Black Friday doorbuster game this year. He and his friend went at midnight to a big electronic store that was scheduled to open at 5 am. The store had announced to hand out tickets for the doorbusters at 3 am. When my son and his friends arrived at midnight there was already a long line.

He told us today, they had fun waiting there despite the cold because people were just talking to each other, joking around and were having a good time. At 4 am, employees of the store finally came out to distribute those tickets for the doorbuster sales. Only the first hundred in line got tickets. Each person could have up to 10.

The boys, unfamiliar with the game, were among the lucky 100 but only took two tickets. Later they learned that people were bidding for those tickets. They for example hold a ticket for a $ 500 laptop and someone offered them $ 50 if they would give it to him. Had they known, the two could have made a ton of money by just selling the tickets. Nevertheless, they are happy with what they bought and think, it was worth it to wait in line all night long.

They want to do it next year again, but after hearing what happened today I'm worried. In NY state, a Walmart worker died as 2000 people stormed into the store after door opening at 5 am. According to the news, people were even upset when they were told they would have to leave the store and couldn't continue shopping because they had crushed the worker in the stampede. I'm speechless.

Thanksgiving without a family to visit

2008-11-26T20:14:00.003-05:00

There are certain holidays or traditions that serve as reminders that we are immigrants without extended family in this country. Thanksgiving is such a holiday.

My Tuesday college classes had already low attendance because my students were traveling to their families. Many of our neighbors are preparing big family gatherings.

For us, however, Thanksgiving is not such a big day: First, we didn't grow up with the tradition. In Austria, we don't celebrate this holiday. And secondly, we don't have family here. It's just the four of us, but no grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, nephews or nieces. The separation from the extended family is occasionally quite difficult for our sons. They deeply miss their grandparents and cousins at birthday parties and at christmans.

With regard to Thanksgiving, we try to make the best of it: We will meet for dinner with a German family and another German friend. We do this now for three years and it becomes our own little tradition. This year, dinner will be at the other family's house. There will be of course stuffed turkey, but with a mix of German, Austrian and American fixings: yams, red cabbage, and potato dumplings.

Cold Snap

2008-11-24T21:21:00.005-05:00

Last weekend, we had incredibly cold weather; way too cold for November in Boston. Nevertheless, we wanted to get out of the house and make a walk around a lake in our neighborhood. Our boys weren't enthusiastic at first , but changed their opinion when friends of them joined us. So we managed to have some fun despite the bitter wind and freezing temperatures.

Today, it felt almost balmy outside though the temps were just in the forties. I'm not ready yet for winter and dread the long months ahead.

House Break-in

2008-11-14T17:05:00.005-05:00

My next door neighbor had an unpleasant surprise yesterday upon returning from an overseas trip: Someone had burglarized her house. All of her gold jewelry was gone, only a few silver rings and necklaces were left.

She came right away to my house, in tears and afraid to stay alone in her house. Her husband was on his way back from a business trip and was expected later in the evening.

Together, we walked thru her house to see whether more was stolen than just the jewelry from the bedroom. Luckily,the burglars seemed to have been in a hurry to get out of the house again because they left behind a big and heavy shovel. So nothing else was stolen, but we wondered for what they would have needed the shovel.

We then called police. The officers investigated and took photographs, though they didn't give my neighbor much hope that she would see her jewelry again.

My neighbor is heartbroken, particularly because one of the stolen pieces is her engagement ring, which is a family heirloom. It was originally made as engagement ring for her husband's grandmother.

Worrisome is that one of the police officers told us about a sharp increase of break-ins in our Boston suburb. According to him, it's because of the bad economy and he predicted, we will see more crime like that in the future as the recession continues. His advice: Get a security alarm system. A simple one with window and door contacts will already do, which will sound an alarm if someone tries to move or break a window.

Fall Foliage Photo on CNN travel

2008-11-12T09:32:00.002-05:00

I learned today that one of my fall foliage photos from our Labor day trip to NH was included in a photo report on CNN.com/ travel. (Last picture in 4th row). I feel honored (and I admit: I'm a little proud on myself. After all, I'm just an enthusiastic amateur photographer)

Credit Card Management 101

2008-11-11T17:53:00.005-05:00

The other day, I heard in the news that the average American household owns 10 credit cards and owes more than $ 10 000 to credit card companies. Now, many lenders are pulling back by curtailing credit card offers and credit lines. At the same time, lenders are also increasing the APR of many credit cards. The APR of one of our cards for example was recently increased to 28 %! If we had debt on this card, it would be extremely tough to pay it off.

Lenders are pulling back because they fear that more people will default on their loans. In the first half of 2008, they had to write off about $ 21 billion in bad credit card loans.

Texas public accountants now offer 5 tips for consumer squeezed by credit crunch:

Tip No. 1: Check your credit limit (because it may have been lowered recently).
Tip No. 2: Call your credit card issuer and negotiate for lower rates.
Tip No. 3: Read the fine print on future offers.
Tip No. 4: Consider using year-end bonuses and holiday gift money to pay down credit card balances.
Tip No. 5: Stick to your holiday shopping list and pay for gifts with cash.

Read more details

If you want a crash course in Credit Card 101, read the Federal Reserve information on Credit Cards

Income tax, marijuana and greyhounds II

2008-11-06T16:28:00.006-05:00

MA's Governor Deval Patrick is happy with the outcome of Tuesday's election. Not only because of Obama. Patrick has another reason to celebrate: The majority of voters rejected an initiative to abolish state income tax. At stake has been 40 % of the state's income.

Personally, I'm glad that the voice of reason was stronger than the love for the own (filled) wallet. Hospitals, bridges, highways, schools - their construction and maintenance are expensive and how else are we going to pay for it if not with taxes?

The other two ballot questions in MA were approved: Voters were in favor of decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana and they voted for the ban of dog racing. The four greyhound tracks must close by 2010.

Election: Many happy faces in MA

2008-11-05T20:27:00.003-05:00

"I'm great. I feel so light. The election was just what I needed", said my neighbor this morning when we met. Like her, many people here in Massachusetts feel as if with Obama's election a burden was lifted off their shoulders.

We spent the election night at a neighbor's house. They had prepared for a big party with tons of food and decorated the room with a life-size cut-out Obama. About 40 people came, ate, drank, watched TV and cheered loudly anytime there were good news for the Obama campaign. The last seconds before the California polls closed at 11 pm east coast time were counted down as if we had New Years eve. And there it was: the CNN headline that Obama was elected president. At the party, all hell broke out: I never have experienced anything like that before. People cheered, hugged each other, laughed, cried, and our host filled dozens of glasses with champagne... I was surprised about the intensity of the emotions. Normally, people here in MA are a bit stiff and restrained (like we northern Europeans), but yesterday evening was totally different.

Today, in an Austrian newspaper, I read already about concerns some Europeans have. Many people in Europe watched Obama's speech yesterday evening and how he fired up the crowd in Chicago. The concern now is that people may expect too much of him. One comment was: "He is not Messiah, just a human being".

Halloween

2008-10-30T21:29:00.004-04:00

My neighbors are ready for Halloween. Many houses are decorated, occasionally with a certain overlap with politics:

Income tax, marijuana and greyhounds

2008-10-29T17:41:00.003-04:00

What do have income tax, marijuana and greyhounds in common? All three are topics of ballot questions in Massachusetts at the election next week.

I'm particularly curious whether MA voters will vote in favor of eliminating the 5.3%income tax. This would wipe out 40 % of the state budget and I can't imagine how MA then will pay for police officers, firefighters, teachers, social services, health care......On the long run, if approved, I expect property taxes and sales taxes to go up.

Ballot question 2 is about decriminalizing marijuana possession: If approved by voters and then also put into law, a person stopped by police with one ounce or less of marijuana will face only civil penalties instead of criminal penalties. It would be then more like a traffic ticket and nothing will show up on the criminal record.

And with the third question, MA voters get the opportunity to ban greyhound races. This was tried twice before but always defeated.

If the polls are right, there will be a NO to question 1 and a YES to question 2. Question 3 is too close to call.

Farmers Market

2008-10-22T18:22:00.005-04:00

Today, I was at the Farmers Market in our town. It was a little sad, because the cold temperatures today reminded me that the weekly Farmers Market will soon be over. The farmers only come from June to end of October.

I love going to the Farmers Market. It's a bit like my former life in good ol' Europe.

In addition, the products are locally grown and much fresher than in supermarkets. One can also get a greater variety of fruit and veggies.

For example apples: It's almost impossible to find Spencer, Brock, Shamrock, Northern Spy, Melrose or Russet apples in a supermarket these days. It's just MacIntosh, Macoun, or Mutsu. Not even Baldwin apples are easy to find.

The only downside of the Farmers market in our town: The prices are considerably higher than in local supermarkets. That is different to what I'm used to. In Austria, buying directly from farmers also means saving money.

Well, nevertheless, I stocked up on apples, red cabbage, onions and leeks to fill the storage bins in our basement. Next week, I will buy more apples, pears and cabbage and then we will be all set for the long winter.

To find farmers markets in your state, go to Farmersmarket.com

Sad day for Red Sox nation

2008-10-20T18:14:00.005-04:00

Today was a sad day for Red Sox fans. Their beloved team had lost yesterday night the final game against Tampa Bay and the American League Champion title goes this year to the Rays.

I'm still not used to the extent to which people here root for their team, whether it's Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins or Celtics. Yes, we do have team sport in Europe, too and yes, people root for their local soccer team. Still, it's different.

Here in Massachusetts, most people seem to own something Red Sox and/ or Patriots related and they even wear their jerseys or t-shirts to their workplace and to college. During play-off-season almost all of my students, whether young or middle-aged, male or female, displayed proudly their Red Sox loyalty. (Now, after the defeat, I'm curious how many students will wear Red Sox stuff tomorrow in class.)

But to get the real feel for true Red Sox fans, one need to be among them when the team plays; either at Fenway, the Sox's ballpark or in one of the sport bars around Fenway. My husband and I went Saturday night for the first time to such a bar. The team played game 6 of the play-off series against the Rays in Florida and the Rays were leading 3:2.

First, we were surprised about the long lines at the entrance of most sport bars. For us, it was way too cold to wait for an hour outside in line, hoping that enough people would leave so that we could get in. Close to giving up, we finally found a bar a bit further away from Fenway. No lines, inside however already crowded. The game had already started and loud cheers greeted us. Beckett had just struck someone out.

Watching a game among 200 hundred excited, loudly cheering and beer drinking fans is totally different than watching it at home. For me - here comes the true psychologist- observing the crowd was more interesting than the game. Some seemed to be oblivious to their surroundings, and others used the occasion to meet other people (favorably someone of the opposite gender).It was a fun experience for us and we had a good evening.

Fall Foliage Trip/ New Hampshire

2008-10-17T18:18:00.004-04:00

Last weekend, we went leaf peeping in New Hampshire. It was a gorgeous day and hundreds of people had the same idea. We still enjoyed the trip to Kancamagus highway and Flume gorge. Originally we had planned to stay for one night in a motel, however everything was sold out. Columbus day weekend seems not to be a good time for sponaneuos ideas....

If you want to go on a fall foliage trip, check the weather.com website for the best places.

Pumpkin Thief

2008-10-16T17:53:00.001-04:00

Where to find Pick-Your-Own Fruit

2008-10-02T18:01:00.007-04:00

A few days ago, we visited again an orchard. Now it's high season for apples and pumpkins, but I wanted something else.

I was looking for fall raspberries and I didn't mind that it a takes awhile to pick three pounds. The weather was beautiful, I was with a friend and we enjoyed being outside:

To find a pick-your-own farm, I look for ads in my daily newspaper, or I ask the farmers at the weekly farmers market in my town for an address. Another option is of course the Internet.

Links for Massachusetts:
http://www.pickyourown.org/mass.htm
http://www.mass.gov/agr/massgrown/pick-your-own.htm
http://www.farmfresh.org/food/pickyourown.php?zip=01373

Nationwide:
http://www.lgyp.com/Pick-Your-Own-Farms-in-.htm
http://www.pickyourown.org/
http://www.state.nj.us/jerseyfresh/searches/pyo.htm

For Christmas trees:
http://pickyourownchristmastree.org/

When it rains, it pours!

2008-09-29T20:35:00.005-04:00

True for our weekend: Not only that we had three days of heavy rain courtesy of Kyle, we also had other unfortunate situations to deal with:

1. RCN was down in our area; no TV, telephone or internet for more than 24 hours. And this on a rainy weekend where I had planned to write for my website (www.blog.coach4u.net).

2. In the general election in Austria this weekend, two far-right parties won about 30 % of the votes. Even though we are living here and not directly affected, we are concerned about the political development in Austria. People are angry in Austria: angry about high food prices, angry about the European Union, angry about local politics, angry about the general economic situation (where they point fingers to America and believe, it's all the fault of fraudulent American banks) and angry about the high number of immigrants (many muslims ) despite the also relatively high unemployment rate. And out of anger, they "punish" the ruling parties by voting for the far-right.

3. My husband locked the car keys inside the car. It happenend on Sunday afternoon at an Audobon sanctuary outside of Fitchburg, MA. We had planned to hike there, instead we spent almost tow hours waiting for the Triple A guy to find us in this remote location and open the door.

4. Today, Monday, my husband picked up a colleague, who had an accident over the weekend with his car and needed a ride. On their way to the office, also my husband got into an accident. A lady couldn't stop her car in time at a traffic light and hit my husband's car in the back. The braking system ruptured and our mechanic told us that the car is too old for a repair. We had just spend 500 bucks two days ago for new tires, oil change and other service work. As if this were not enough, it turned out that the lady lied about her insurance and now she is not picking up her phone.

As I said: When it rains, it pours!

In Food Heaven

2008-09-26T17:39:00.005-04:00

Moving to a different country includes having to forgo some of your favorite food items. The bigger then is the joy if one finds unexpectedly something old familar.

I happened to have luck yesterday in an Asian grocery store. Not only could I stock up on my favorite staples,

I also found Maggi, a seasoning that is a "Must" for soups and stew in Germany and Austria. Even better, in addition, I discovered a special Dutch Gingerbread/cake (Honigkuchen) in the store, which I always had in my childhood in Germany. Oh boy, you can't imagine what memories are now flooding back - only good ones of course since they are about eating cake....

Fortune Cookie Wisdom

2008-09-25T21:35:00.002-04:00

The benefit of laughter at the workplace

2008-09-22T17:21:00.002-04:00

Employers, who encourage the use of humor at the workplace will probably have workers with higher job satisfaction and in consequence higher productivity. This is the result of an Australian psychological research study. Read more here

Shaving Cream Fight

2008-09-22T16:32:00.007-04:00

This weekend, we celebrated town day in Arlington. While Saturday provided an opportunity for the businesses in our town to showcase their services,

Friday night was the highlight for our kids.

I don't know, who started the tradition, but for years now, several hundred youngsters meet on the night before town day on the athletic field in front of the Boys and Girls Club for a shaving cream fight. It's always a lot of fun:

PYO-Season

2008-09-18T17:54:00.004-04:00

It's again PYO-season in New England and recently I have been to an orchard with a few prunes trees for picking.

I was so happy because this is a rare treat in Massachusetts. In Austria we had about 15 prune trees in our garden and didn't know what to do with the hundreds of pounds of prunes every year aside from making our own "schnapps". Here, I'm paying $4/pound of prunes, if I find them in a store at all. I don't know why this is, because they are really easy to grow and the trees are not very sensitive to heat or cold.

I picked more than 10 lbs and first thing after coming home was for me to bake a delicious prune cake based on a traditional Austrian recipe:

Late summer garden

2008-09-11T17:07:00.003-04:00

Many people here in New England complain quite often about the weather: It's either too cold,too hot, too humid, too windy....For my part, I just love the weather here. I don't mind the cold and snow in winter and the hot summers, but what tops everything is the long Indian summer. Last year, I picked the last tomatoes in my garden at the end of October! Right now, my garden spoils me with an anbundance of flowers, fruits and vegetables:

Sun follows Hanna's rain

2008-09-07T17:53:00.004-04:00

As expected, tropical storm Hanna dumped over night a lot of rain on us - almost 4 inch in our town just outside of Boston - but that was it. After a few cloudy hours in the morning, the sun came through and in the afternoon we already enjoyed a swim in the nearby lake.

TS Hanna

2008-09-06T16:22:00.003-04:00

I just found out on weather.com that even we here in the Northeast got a tropical storm warning issued. That's a first for me - it never happened before in the almost 10 years we are now living in Massachusetts. The weather today was very warm and sticky so far and cloudy with rain in the morning. Before lunch, we went swimming in our neighborhood lake - could have been the last time for this year - and now we are waiting for Hanna.

But whatever will hapen here in the Northeast, it will be most likely nothing compared to Haiti where Hanna killed almost 170 people...

Welcomed surprise

2008-09-01T17:54:00.004-04:00

After return from our last trip, I discovered that part of my herb garden was just taken over by other plants. At the beginning of July, these plants were still small, sprouting out of the compost as surviving 'leftovers' of hearty winter meals. Now we are looking forward to eating new delicious vegetables.

Back from Austria

2008-08-28T17:26:00.003-04:00

We have been on our annual family visit in Austria during the last couple of weeks. Now we are back and I'm trying to catch up with work, garden and laundry.

It's good to be "home" in Austria, spend time with family and friends, eat things we are not getting here (like Quark/Topfen) and enjoy the athmosphere of good old Europe. However, after 2 weeks it also feels good to be back "home" in Massachusetts.

Texas, along the US-mexican border

2008-08-14T15:44:00.000-04:00

The long drive from South Padre Island to Big Bend National Park has been almost boring, at least for the first stretch.

Only billboards in Spanish and signs for border crossings let the traveller be aware that Mexico is just around the corner.

Foreigners, who are driving in thise area should always be prepared for a stopp by border patrol. We had our green cards and passports checked at least three times in two days - one time even about 20 miles inland.

Rio Grande Delta wildlife

2008-08-07T15:26:00.001-04:00

There are quite a few wildlife refuges in the Rio Grande Delta and it definitely pays off to visit at least one of them.

Though we didn't see an ozelot, we had a good time.

Only the abundant jack rabbits stressed us a bit because they wouldn't run away from the approaching car and we didn't want to hit one. So my son got out of the car to 'clear' the road for us:

Texas journal 2: South Padre Island

2008-08-01T20:51:00.003-04:00

The first day of our vacation in Texas was rainy and for the second day, the forecast was even worse: wash out. So we decided to leave the Port Aransas area and to drive down to South Padre Island. It was not easy to get there because of the heavy downpours

On South Padre, we had surprisingly no problems to find for a reasonable price a room at a beachside hotel with view over the ocean. In such a beautiful place, even the rain becomes bearable.

After the rain cleared, we enjoyed horseback riding at the beach and parasailing.

Too much traffic on National Seashore

2008-07-30T20:13:00.004-04:00

We spent the first day of our Texas vacation on Padre Island National Seashore. After reading the description of the National park on the Internet, we expected the barrier island to be a bit like Assateague National Seashore in Virginia/Maryland. Abundance of wildlife, nature, endless beach, crashing waves, and not many signs of human presence.

"Padre Island National Seashore is the longest section of undeveloped barrier island in the world, protecting rare coastal prairie; a complex, dynamic dune system; and the Laguna Madre, one of the few hypersaline lagoon environments left in the world…. Situated along the Central Flyway, Padre Island is a globally important area for over 350 migratory, overwintering, and resident bird species… Padre Island National Seashore is the most important nesting beach in the U.S. for the Kemp's ridley, the most endangered sea turtle in the world.” (http://www.nps.gov/pais/index.htm)

Well, we did see many birds, but we also had to put up with traffic and the trash left behind from hundreds of beach campers over the 4th of July weekend. From soiled diapers, empty beer cans to leftover catch.

I'm wondering why the entire Padre Island National Seashore is open to car traffic? Why not only a limited area, so that the rest can be unspoiled nature?

Texas roadtrip

2008-07-24T17:05:00.005-04:00

We are back from our two week long Texas roadtrip. We really had a good time and I'm surprised that Texas is not more popular as travel destination. In Big Bend National Park we met just a handful of visitors. In Big Bend Ranch State Park, our car appeared to be the only one and though we had no hotel reservations, it was easy to find rooms and get big discounts - even in prime locations directly at the beach on South Padre Island (I hope everyone there is fine after Dolly, particularly the nice folks at La Quinta where we stayed for two nights in a suite with a balcony toward the ocean.

Here are a few pictures , more detailed travel stories later:

Padre Island National Park

Big Bend National Park

Sonora Cavern

Rising Happiness

2008-07-04T12:25:00.002-04:00

Good news: the level of happiness is rising around the world. People are happier these days than 25 years ago. This is the result of a study published by the University of Michigan. The United States ranks 16th on the list of 97 countries.
More: http://www.coach4u.net/blog/rising-happiness-around-world.html

North or South Padre Island?

2008-07-03T11:21:00.003-04:00

Our Texas vacation will start on Saturday, and thanks to readers, we got a few great tips: For example to go to Schlitterbahn with the world's longest water slide. My boys can't wait until we get there.

We are planning to spend a few days on Padre island, and we found a nice hotel on the north part. My question now is: Is it worth to visit South Padre island and stay there another few days?

Has anyone visited King's ranch in Kingsville? Which of the "dude" ranches might offer more fun for teenagers?

Thanks!

Bird nest on porch

2008-06-28T14:15:00.005-04:00

A pair of robins decided to build their nest this year under the roof of our front porch. It's a lot of fun watching the parents taking care of their fledglings.

Thunderstorms without end

2008-06-27T11:02:00.004-04:00

We had terrible weather this week. Almost every day severe thunderstorms and downpours. Lightening struck a tree in the front yard of our next door neighbor. The falling tree then took down power- and telephone lines. The fire department and electricity company worked until 2 in the morning to clean up the damage and repair the most important lines.

Luckily, there was only minor damage to the rain gutters at our neighbor's house.

Boston: Street performer

2008-06-23T17:02:00.003-04:00

This weekend we made a trip to downtown Boston. The Quincy market/Fauneuil Hall area was just brimming with locals, tourists and street performers and everyone seemed to enjoy the bustling athmosphere:

Graduation

2008-06-20T12:39:00.003-04:00

Again a big step: Middle School is finished, and in fall my youngest son will start High School.

It was a moving graduation ceremony. About 250 students finished 8th grade this year. After the award ceremony,the attending parents and sibling went home, while the graduates continued celebrating with pizza and dance.

Only four more years, and then my youngest will leave the house. Being in the parent role now for 17 years, this thought is almost scary and sad at the same time...

Tips needed for Texas vacation

2008-06-17T15:00:00.004-04:00

Hello, all Texas lovers out there: We are traveling this summer to Texas - simply because we haven't been there, yet. I heard, Texas has lovely beaches. I also heard San Antonio and Austin are a "must stop". I do have travel books, but I would like to hear from people, who have been there what they liked most. We are a family of four with two teenage sons. They love sports and adventures. My husband and I like sightseeing, nature, history and good food. Tips concerning activities, lodging and food,nature and so forth are greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Soccer champions

2008-06-16T12:47:00.003-04:00

No, that's not about the EM (though we are all very excited about today's big game Austria vs. Germany).

Sascha was playing yesterday with his team for the championship in the U16 of the Bay State league.

Both teams have been undefeated in their previous games, and they truly were equally strong. They tied 0:0. After overtime and penalty kicks,

our Arlington team emerged as winners and qualified for the play off. Tomorrow evening is their first game in the Massachusetts Tournament of Champions.

Marital satisfaction higher without children?

2008-06-13T12:44:00.001-04:00

Children bring much joy to your life. Are you sure? Think again! According to Daniel Gilbert, Harvard university psychology professor, having children has a negative effect on marital satisfaction. It’s an illusion that children increase people’s happiness.More on http://blog.coach4u.net

Back to normal

2008-06-12T13:14:00.003-04:00

Big relief - we are back to normal. The past couple of days have been brutal. With outside temperatures close to 100 degrees, there were not many places to escape the heat. One of them, the beautiful Crane beach, north of Boston. Something we never experienced before: Parking lot full on a Sunday in early June, and even the water looked tempting despite 53 degrees ocean temperature.

Unfortunately, on Monday and Tuesday the kids had to go to school. No AC there. The superintendent of our schools told parents they could keep their kids home. It would count as excused absence. The college, where I'm teaching, also has no AC and it felt even at night like being in a baking oven. A few students left early because of the heat - to be honest, I envied them....

Weather extremes: heat wave after days of rain

2008-06-07T09:00:00.004-04:00

After days of rain,

we in New England will probably experience the first heat wave of summer in the coming days. The weather is way more extreme here than we were used from Austria, and I can only brace myself for having to sit through my son's soccer game tomorrow in more than 90 degrees.

First SAT exam

2008-06-06T16:48:00.003-04:00

Our son Sascha will take his first SAT exam tomorrow. He took biology in his sophomore year, and will take chemistry and physics in junior and senior year. Since he is now finishing biology at school and is studying for the final exam, he figured, he would take the SAT subject test in biology right away so that he won't have to study the material again. It definitely has not been one of his favorite subjects.

His friends told him all kind of horror stories about the exam, and now he is a little nervous about getting a low score and messing up his college prospects. He studied from a prep book for the test and says that some of the topics they never did in class.

From what I read on various websites, this seems to be one of the main hurdles for many students. The content of high school biology courses varies, and therefore many students encounter material on the test that they didn't learn before.

For us this is a new situation. In Europe, each country has a relatively uniform curriculum and all students of the particular country have the same level of education at the end of their school career. In Austria and Germany, students must pass to graduate one big final exam called Matura (Austria) or Abitur (Germany). If you pass, you can go to any university. The test is supervised by the federal department of education of the country and basically the same for all students. Therefore, it's not necessary to do additional testing to compare the ability of students.

In the next two years, my son will encounter many more tests before he graduates. Aside from the SATs, he must also take four AP tests in his senior year if he wants to study in Austria (which we would of course prefer because a semester there would cost only 500 Euro = $770). Without AP exams in math, sciences and one foreign language, Austria will not recognize his high school education as equivalent to an Austrian one. At the moment, Sascha tries to keep the doors open to both possibilities: College here in the States or university in Vienna. We will see....

Websites about SAT:

History of SAT: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/sats/where/history.html

Official Collegeboard website with information about mean scores: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/scores/understanding/average.html

American Dream - preferably inland

2008-05-29T16:36:00.003-04:00

What is one of the tangible results of living the American dream? For many people to own a house.

Well, we haven't been different after we moved from Austria to Massachusetts. First, we rented a house in a nice suburbanian neighborhood approx. 8 miles away from downtown Boston. Quickly, we realized that for the same amount we paid for rent we easily could afford a mortgage and own a house. A few months later we bought a house nearby a lake where we can swim in summer.

Although we love our house, we secretly nurtured a bigger dream: A house directly at the coast. Listening to the sound of waves when falling asleep, admiring the rising sun over the ocean in the morning - could there be anything more perfect than that?

A few days ago we experienced a rude awakening: Not only are the insurance rates for coastal property much higher than for inland property, now the state of Massachusetts officially recommended that all homeowners along the coastline raise their houses for up to three feet to protect them against the rising sea level due to global warming: http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/greenblog/2008/05/mass_urges_coastal_homeowners.html

List of online Shopping Helpers

2008-05-24T12:00:00.004-04:00

In economic difficult times like now, every buck saved is important. Checking out prices online before heading to the store is therefore a must for me.

After we moved to the US, I learned quickly that here prices can be very different. For example, recently I bought a new digital camera that was offered at $ 230 in one store and at almost $ 400 in another. In both cases, the price was only for the camera body, no extras involved.

Like many people, I don't like so much buying online (though I do it); it's for safety reasons and because I like to see what I buy. However, price comparing websites help me to find the right stores - and sometimes, after having seen the product in a store, I still end up buying it online.

Some of my favorite websites:

www.pricegrabber.com

www.bizrate.com

www.pricescan.com

www.pricingcentral.com

www.bestwebbuys.com

And for those of you, who are hitting the road during the summer, check out the best gas prices at www.gasbuddy.com

Haggling 101

2008-05-19T20:24:00.005-04:00

Did you ever go to a big box store, set your eyes on a product and then tried to bargain for a better price? If not, try it next time. Chances are hight that you will save some money.

Recently, I watched a special report on the evening news. Reporters tried to negotiate the price for TVs, refrigerators or even t-shirts. In more than half of the cases, they have been successful and saved hundreds of dollars. Sometimes, the salesperson couldn't help with the price but offered something else, like free delivery or free installation.

I would have never thought of trying to bargain in a store. To save money, I look out for sales or use coupons, but I never haggled - until now.

Consumer experts advise to be always polite and discreet, and not pushy. Further, it's important to offer a price that is fair and reasonable. If your offer is too low, the salesperson will just reject it without even considering it or making a counter offer. Also, make sure that you are bargaining with a salesperson who has the authority to offer a discount. If you are not sure about that, ask for the manager.

And last but not least, don't bargain if you are not ready to buy the product.

Cat friendship

2008-05-13T21:02:00.007-04:00

Though I'm living now for more than 20 years in constant company with cats, they still have the ability to amaze me. My two tomcats are normally not very friendly with other cats, and there have been several visits to the vet in the past for infected scratches and bites. Thus, I was a little concerned when a neighbor asked me whether we could take her cat in for a couple of days. Another tomcat.

To my surprise it worked out without any problems. Jamie, the white longhaired half blind guest cat was submissive and mellow (even if it looks different in the picture) and Maxi, my cat battle tested red one apparently liked him. If there is love on first sight for cats then it happened between these two.

Jamie, who is now a constant guest in our house, is shadowing Maxi, and they even sleep next to each other. My other grey cat is like the fifth wheel: ignored from Jamie and Maxi, but Lucky seems to be fine with that.

High gas prices: Good for the environment

2008-05-06T13:26:00.001-04:00

It’s sad that it needs an economic crisis to get people rethinking their driving habits. However, it seems this is the upside of the financial worries many people have right now: it’s good for the environment.

Almost daily, one can read in newspapers that people try to exchange their gas-guzzlers against smaller cars. The sale of new SUVs and trucks has clearly dropped and private sellers of used big cars are offering them below their listing in vehicle valuation books. In Boston, public transportation is up by 10 %, and I just read on CNN that Chrysler offers new buyers to cover for gas costs beyond $ 2.99 for three years – desperate times require desperate measures. People I know try to carpool, or start biking to their workplaces – just to save some money.

Maybe one day soon, most people will drive cars in the US like the one we left behind when we moved from Austria to America: A car that made more than 25 miles/gallon. That was 10 years ago and many cars in Europe can do much better nowadays. According to Automotive Digest: “In Europe, cars on average get 40 mpg, compared w/ 20.4 mpg for US cars”. (http://www.automotivedigest.com/view_art.asp?articlesID=21658).

For many people here in the Boston area, recreational boats become an unaffordable luxury too. Today on craigslist, there were more than 100 new sales postings. One person even offered a boat for free!

Spring Hike Mt. Greylock

2008-05-02T15:56:00.007-04:00

Last weekend we decided to hike up Mt. Greylock, with 3100 feet the largest "mountain" of Massachusetts. Used to the Austrian Alps, Mt. Greylock appeared to us more like a "hill" - an easy spring hike we assumed with a certain naïveté.

Well, it turned out we had underestimated the trip. Being not in the best shape after the long winter, it took us forever to get to the top (at least, it seemed like ’forever’). It was a surprisingly hot day, and natural refreshments were highly welcome.

As closer we came to the summit, as more snow was on the ground.

After almost 3 hours we finally got rewarded with this incredible view

and after 5 ½ hours and a total of 9 miles (according to our GPS system for hiker, which by the way came in handy on snow-covered paths without markers) we were back at the car- exhausted, but happy. It has been a great first hike of the year!

Stick to your goals with web contract

2008-04-28T17:45:00.005-04:00

Are you good at achieving your goals, or are you like me? I make plans to get up earlier in the morning, to read more, or to eat more often fruit, and then after a few days, I'm back to the old me. Some goals, I just can't achieve by myself. Mostly because I'm not really passionate about them. It's more a "you should" thing than what I really want. I understand that an apple is good for my health, but chocolate, or a cookie tastes better. I should eat apples, but I want cookies. A couple of days ago, I read about a new website that seems promising for people like me. Apparently, I could increase my goal success by making a public pledge. Read more http://www.blog.coach4u.net/

Tax Day for Newbies

2008-04-15T11:59:00.008-04:00

Today is Tax Day, which means, today are your statements about income taxes due. The Federal Government and all the US states requires this information to make sure that everyone paid taxes.

For Americans, this is not new. Since 1955 Tax Day is on April 15 of each year. However, for many immigrants Tax Day is unusual.

In Germany and Austria for example, where I lived, worked and paid taxes before, many people never file a tax return. Reason being: It's the employers duty to deduct the tax before handing out your pay check. They must make sure that everyone pays the correct amount. Those, who throughout the year have the same employer and no big changes in their personal situation don't need to file a tax return. Taxes are paid, they are all set.

Only those, who work two jobs, join pension funds, or became parents may need or wish to file a return. If you owe tax because you worked two jobs, you must file ( in Austria, within the next 5 years). However, if you may get a refund because you became eligible for special deductions, filing a tax return is voluntary. (Of course, the governments hope that in refund cases , some people may be too lazy or uninformed to do the paperwork). In Austria, we also don't know "joint filing" of tax returns for spouses. Everyone is responsible for his/her own tax based on individual income.

Now, if you are new to the American tax system, you may have already done your tax return with the help of an tax accountant. We hired one this year - for the first time, because I started last year my coaching business Coach4U.net . In the years before, we did our return with the help of tax software and the informative IRS website. As we found out this year- we have done it correctly and saved a lot of money. The tax accountant did the return exactly the same way as our previous returns have been, which means: next year, we will go back to software, which costs much less.

If you are still struggling with your return, and need some help, check out the IRS website. Filers, with income below $54 000 even get free help and support for e-filing. The website provides information about how to file or how to apply for an extension, and info about the rebate check that will come sometimes in May: http://www.irs.gov/ .

A few post offices have extended hours today. Info about the mailing of tax returns and office hours are posted on http://www.usps.com/tax/welcome.htm .

Immigration News

2008-04-07T17:04:00.003-04:00

There have been recently good and bad news for US-immigrants:

Let's start with the good news: Foreign students, who are getting degrees in science, engineering, math, and technology will have it easier in future to stay in the USA. If their future employers comply with an 'immigration verification program' of the Homeland Security Department, the student worker will have 29 months until they must have received an H-1B-Visa. Until now, the time frame has been 12 months, which was often not long enough for the paperwork being processed.

Bad news: Rhode Islands's governor Donal Carcieri ordered recently State Police, prisons and other state agencies to help enforce immigration laws and to turn identified illegal immigrants over to federal authorities. According to the Boston Globe some illegal immigrants, who live in Massachusetts, are now afraid to visit friends and relatives in Rhode Island, fearing a traffic stop could result in deportation.

A few numbers: According to the US Census Bureau (www.census.gov) , there are 22 millions immigrants in the United States (total population: just under 300 millions). A recently published study about foreign workers in Massachusetts showed that immigrants now make up more than a quarter of the workforce in the health care field in MA. According to the study, in 2005 approx. 40 % of pharmacists and almost 30 % of physicians and surgeons were foreign born.

Laughter and Health

2008-03-31T18:12:00.002-04:00

Everyone says that laughter is the best medicine. Is it really? More on http:/blog.coach4u.net

Finally, a beautiful spring day in New England

2008-03-30T19:54:00.010-04:00

Today was a beautiful early spring day, and I enjoyed being outside doing the first garden clean up work. While my husband repaired the deck, and my son played baseball with his buddy, I was raking leaves. Our neighborhood cats Romeo and Blue paid us a brief visit.

When I discovered that two beautiful rose bushes didn't survive the winter, I was a little sad. Well, on the positive side, now I can buy myself new ones.

Spring is always so late here. My friends in Austria are sending me already pictures of their blooming spring gardens, and here I just have 2 small yellow crocus. Being an outdoor person, the Massachusetts spring weather is hard on me. During nights, we still have temperatures in the 20s. It will probably be for three more weeks like that, sometimes nice, sometimes rainy and cold at night; then we will have approximately three weeks of really beautiful spring weather and in mid May the hot summer could start. At least, the birds are already coming back and enjoying us in the morning with their beautiful songs.

By the way: Recently I read an interesting article that donating to charity will increase the level of happines for the giving person. Read about it on my other blog: http://blog.coach4u.net

Bird feeding by hand

2008-03-25T17:10:00.013-04:00

On Easter sunday, we decided that it is finally time for a hike again. The sun was shining brightly, though the temperatures were more on the cold side. We went to the Ipswich River

Sanctuary of the Audobon society in Massachusetts.

After about an hour hike, we suddenly came upon a couple of people, standing completely still with outstretchend hands. As it turned out, they had bird seeds on the palm of their hands, and were waiting for birds. We didn't have seeds with us, but a nice lady shared a few seeds with my boys, and soon they felt the little birdfeet trying to hold on to their hands while picking the seeds. I thought it was very nice of the lady to give my boys the seeds, and I also thought, this is a typical American behavior. In my home country Austria, most people wouldn't have shared, probably wouldn't even have noticed.

More pictures on my German blogs: http://maxi-cat.blog.de