ON THE BRIGHT SIDE by Kay Hafner (Links Page)

2002
07/11/02	Summertime and the living is . . . HOT Hazy. Hot. Humid. Summertime can be rough, but don't go wishing for winter just yet.
06/27/02	CREDIT Where Credit is Due If you're like me, credit card offers come every other day in the mail. Here's what I found when I started to look at them. . .
06/13/02	Riding in STYLE The limousine glides along the Northway near Saratoga. It could be a rock star on his way to SPAC. Or Marylou Whitney on her way to the track. Or even a bridal party on their way to a reception at the Gideon Putnam.Click here to read the rest of the story. . .
05/30/02	GPS Marks the Spot Geocaching is a cross between map-and-compass orienteering and X-marks-the-spot treasure hunting. It's also a great excuse for electronic gadget lovers to buy a GPS receiver.
05/16/02	Common COLD, Common Cure Tissues, tissues everywhere, but where the heck is a clean one?!
05/02/02	How many LIGHT BULBS does it take . . . ? Wouldn't Edison be beaming with pride to see how we've taken a shine to his brilliant invention?
04/18/02	WALKING in Circles 'Round and 'round the Civic Center I go . . .
04/04/02	Randomly Accessed MEMORIES It's really too bad that you can't delete things from your brain and make room for more.
03/21/02	Surviving a MOVING EXPERIENCE Take 600 boxes, load them in a van, move them to a new location. How hard can that be?
03/07/02	In defense of PROCRASTINATION An explanation of the fine art and--bad habit--of putting things off.
02/21/02	Fixing a broken HEART Modern medical miracles, and a certain amount of good fortune, helped my mother survive cardiac arrest.
02/08/02	Following STANDARD operating procedure Memories of conquering my four-on-the- floor fears.
01/10/02	SURGERY brings new view New year. New eyes.

2001
12/27/01	Peace on earth at the SPA What could be more peaceful than a sauna, soak and one-hour massage?
12/13/01	Red kettles and RINGING BELLS A view from beside the kettle.
11/29/01	Cheap thrills at the DOLLAR STORE Sometimes I leave with something I need. Sometimes I leave with something for the next garage sale. I almost always leave with a smile.
11/15/01	That's a good QUESTION Of nagging questions and curious answers.
11/01/01	5¢ deposit, MANY RETURNS Returning cans and bottles is a chore, and a learning experience
10/18/01	It's a SMALL WORLD (after all) You never know who you're going to run into.
10/04/01	KEYS that jingle jangle jingle Like weight gain and wrinkles, keys tend to just accumulate when you're not paying attention.
09/20/01	Fun with COMPUTERS With computers, as in life, no one has all the answers.
09/06/01	The kids head BACK TO WORK You couldn't pay me enough to go back to school.
08/23/01	Living on PEANUT BUTTER alone By the spoonful or the slice, with jelly or alone, peanut butter is good food.
08/09/01	Europeans making change with NEW MONEY Remember your first reaction to our new paper money design? Imagine being in Europe right now.
07/26/01	CAMERA'S captured moments, here and gone When photos don't turn out, all you have are memories
07/12/01	STUFF expands to fill house Is your home just a place for your stuff?
06/28/01	Take the chance to JUMP IN It's summertime, and the water is just right.
06/14/01	A Lesson in ECONOMICS What do you do when life hands you an extra set of concert tickets?
05/31/01	In MEMORIAM Memorial Day weekend brings a trip to the past.
05/17/01	Fickle FLICKER Fingers Excessive use of the emote control isn't just a Y chromosome affliction.
05/03/01	Throwing out WHAT DOESN'T FIT Time to throw out the old and make room for the new.
04/19/01	How to handle HARD DECISIONS Sometimes flipping a coin just isn't enough.
04/05/01	Time for a CHANGE (or two) Sometimes ya just gotta say, "Go ahead. Take a risk."
03/22/01	Playing the NAME GAME Have you ever thought about changing your name? What would it be?
03/08/01	Singing WINTER'S PRAISES Walking in a Winter Wonderland in March.
02/22/01	Of MICE and Mousetraps There's a mouse in the house. And this is its eviction notice.
02/08/01	BROKEN, but not forgotten If it's broken, I'll probably try to fix it.
01/25/01	Weathering the STORM one day at a time There are varying degrees of cold and winter in the North Country brings them all.
01/11/01	I do it my way, you do it yours: QUIRKS are human nature We all have our quirks. Our habits. Our ways of doing things. They are so much a part of our lives that we don’t always realize that there are any alternatives.

2000 highlights
12/28/00	Mark the CALENDAR for 2001 A year of special occasions to mark on your calendar.
12/14/00	CHRISTMAS Treasures and Traditions A holiday story I wrote about keeping connected to the past.
11/02/00 11/17/00	IRELAND, a land of wonder and mystery Part I Part II A glimpse at our eight-day trip to the Emerald Isle, written and emailed from Galway the day before we left (Ah, the wonders of modern technology!)
10/19/00	Car ownership: A HIGH-MAINTENANCE RELATIONSHIP The American love affair with the car continues, through trials and tribulations, from first car to last.
08/10/00	Never give up, never surrender, NEVER GO TO BED BEFORE BEDTIME I hope I'm not the only grown-up who still hates the word "bedtime."
06/08/00	CONFESSIONS OF A COFFEE CONVERT with a cola crush They say coffee is an acquired taste. It took a long time, but my taste buds finally figured it out.
03/30/00	How to succeed as a STUDENT IN THE SCHOOL OF LIFE There are no easy As in Life. How well you do depends on luck and skill--and how much hard work you decide to put into it.
02/03/00	TAMING THE PHOTO PILE: A tale of excess and procrastination Years go by and pictures pile up. Time to buy some photo albums and get everything in order.
01/06/00	WE'VE SAFELY ARRIVED IN THE FUTURE; No refunds or exchanges Y2K threatened to send us back a century but here we are, all in one piece and ready for the big 2-0-0-0!

1999 highlights
11/11/99	Tuning into THE SECRET OF BEING PURRFECTLY HAPPY You may not be a cat lover (I wasn't always), but respect for felines and a sharp eye on their behavior can lead to some interesting insights into happiness and satisfaction in life.
10/28/99	A lesson on determining THE RIGHT WAY TO GET LOST Get in the car and drive. No plans. No destination. Just you, your car, a map and the road.
10/14/99	TELEMARKETING 101: Dealing with objection No. 6 Telemarketing is annoying. Telemarketing is frustrating. Telemarketing is a job that someone else is getting paid to do. You don't have to like being on the receiver end, but you don't have to yell, either.