TheSunNews.com: Coasting

The dawn of a new moon

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:37 EST

Grand Strand readers still have "Twilight" fever, and it has spiked again with the coming release of the "New Moon," the second movie in the four-part series.

"It's a book we will always have in stock. It's always popular, but we definitely see a peak now with the movie coming out," said Jennifer Curtis, assistant manager at Barnes & Noble in The Market Common.

The "Twilight" series by Stephenie Meyer took the young-adult demographic by storm over the past four years. In case you don't know, it's the saga of teenager Bella Swan and her immortal beloved, vampire Edward Cullen, and her best friend, the shape-shifting human-wolf, Jacob, who plays a much bigger role in Bella's life beginning in "New Moon."

It's a boy? Some struggle with gender

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:39 EST

My good friend just found out she is pregnant with a boy. It is her first child, and instead of celebrating the good news, she cried during her ultrasound.

That's because she really wanted a girl.

Good mothers are supposed to say they are happy with a boy or a girl, as long as the baby is healthy. But gender disappointment is a very real and heartbreaking issue that affects many pregnant women.

Surviving Black Friday

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:39 EST

With so many Americans operating in the red, we naturally want to make the most of the killer sales offered on Black Friday. Thus, we've amassed some tips to help you get through the day without tearing your hair out.

1. Buy the newspaper: There's a reason the Thanksgiving Day newspaper is the fattest newspaper of the year. Advertisers annually stuff this paper with coupons and circulars advertising their best sales. You can increase your savings with online coupons. Just make sure they can be used in combination with in-store sales or newspaper coupons.

2. Do your research: If you have your eye on a particular item, surf the price-comparison Web sites and record the prices for reference while shopping. Don't forget to add any fees to the price. Some stores allow you to place an order online for in-store pickup the next day. You'll still want to hit that store pretty early, however, and bring your printed-out receipt as sales clerks may not focus on filling online orders when pressed by throngs of shoppers.

What would Draper do?

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:39 EST

I don't think Betty Draper's a very good mother, but there's one thing she does every week on "Mad Men" that I truly admire.

At her terse command to "Go upstairs," Betty's children wordlessly untangle their legs, stand up, turn off the TV and do exactly that. Not even so much as a "Just two more hours of Mario Kart, pulleeeeeezzz." (Although, to be fair, the show is set in 1963 so it's not like the kids are being asked to give up that much.)

She says it all the time, even if the table is set for dinner and you know the kids are going to have to amuse themselves for at least another hour while she swirls a drink at the kitchen table with moody husband, Don, and smokes a cigarette or 12.

Net companies hand out free Wi-Fi on go

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:39 EST

Google, Yahoo, eBay and Microsoft, competitors on the Web, all have the same idea for marketing themselves this holiday season: temporarily providing free Wi-Fi access in airports, airplanes and public places.

Google Inc. announced Tuesday that it would provide free Wi-Fi access in 47 airports across the countrythrough Jan. 15. The airports handle about 35 percent of U.S. air travelers, the company said.

Travelers who connect to a wireless "hot spot" at one of the airports will see a browser page that gives them the chance to donate to three charities and have the donation matched by Google.

'Freaks' return to run the numbers

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:39 EST

In their 2005 book "Freakonomics," economist Steven D. Levitt and journalist Stephen J. Dubner used dozens of interesting anecdotes to prove a simple point: "People respond to incentives."

The authors apparently are no exception. After the book sold more than 4 million copies, the pair doubtless realized how lucrative a follow-up book would be.

So they followed the same model for "SuperFreakonomics." It works just as well the second time around.

Mom has role in sisters' closeness

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:39 EST

D ear Carolyn: As a mom of three girls, is it in my job description to try to ensure my daughters are close? My two oldest (10 and 8) are absolutely inseparable, which is great, but they have never had much interest in their 5-year-old sister. They have started asking whether I will take just the two of them on special outings.

I don't know whether it's jealousy or they consider themselves too mature for her or what, but I have nightmares of raising two daughters who are best friends and one who feels like an outcast her whole life. -- Olympia

If you know of some way to "ensure" a close relationship between any two people, please write back with the specs.

Get the best deals on car rentals

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:39 EST

Travelers have been able to score decent deals on hotel rooms and airfares over the last year. But car rental prices have increased dramatically despite the weak economy.

"It's the one area of the travel industry where you have not been able to get a break," said Nina Willdorf, editor-in-chief of Budget Travel magazine.

Compared with a year ago, rental prices increased nearly 50 percent on daily rates for midsize cars booked a week in advance, according to the Abrams Travel Data Rate Index, which tracks major car rental brands. The Abrams Index found an average daily rate of $93.06 on the fourth Monday in October this year, compared to $64.56 on the same day a year earlier.

Hosiery makes a comeback

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:39 EST

Cydney Clemons' four-month-old blog, Raleigh Street Fashion, celebrates style and requires her to be a people watcher. So when asked whether she's seen evidence of one of the season's strongest trends, she has a story.

"Definitely," says Clemons. "I saw a girl the other day with a really interesting pair. They were these textured fishnets with this intricate pattern. She had them on with a pinstripe skirt. I was so mad I didn't have my camera."

It's been building for a few seasons. Since the mid-'90s, women boldly braved the cold with bare legs, free from those saggy, easy-to-run pantyhose and inspired, some say, by the "Sex and the City" ladies.

It's not always airline's fault

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:39 EST

Why can't Delta Airlines compensate customers better when something goes wrong? Here was our situation: Family of 5. Child, 5 years old, and twin infants. Getting to our destination was uneventful; however, our trip home was a nightmare! After waiting to board the plane for about an hour, we were told the plane we were to fly out on arrived with a flat tire, and would not be fixed until the next day. Delta offered to put us up in a hotel. The shuttle bus took an hour to arrive. We got to the hotel, and it was a dumpy motel. The room was filthy. We asked for two cribs, they only had one, and that one was broken and very dangerous to place an infant in, and we were still charged for the crib. The next morning our flight was to leave at 6 a.m., and shuttle service began at 5 a.m. We got to the airport, and we waited in a long TSA line and by the time we got to the counter to check in, we were told we were too late to board the flight, and the next flight was 11 hours later! Finally, after a month of continuous complaining, we got $100 off our next trip with Delta.

First of all, Delta is not obligated to put you up in a hotel (there's no law that says they must do so). You might think it's the least they can do, but Delta could argue that a flat tire was an unforeseen "act of God" (the plane might have run over a piece of metal on the taxiway or who knows what) rather than "poor maintenance" which would be a different matter. It seems that your beef is more with the hotel than with Delta. Did you ask for a cleaner room? And I guess you don't travel very often, because you should never get to the airport less than an hour before flight time (leaving for the airport an hour before flight time isn't the same thing). Next time, take a cab if the free hotel shuttle won't get you there in plenty of time. I do wish that nothing bad ever happened when people fly, but in this case another airline might have done less than Delta did and you brought some of this woe upon yourself by bad planning.

How do the airlines set their prices? After seeing airfare for a particular schedule jump 100 percent from the time I started my search to when I actually tried to book it 3 minutes later, I was given the old "supply and demand ... someone somewhere must have booked a seat in that span, and that caused the jump." How is that legal or possible?

Oil: Just one of those things cars require

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:39 EST

D ear Tom and Ray:

Is it ever safe to start a car with no oil in it? I have a 2004 Honda Civic, and when I change the oil filter, it always drips all over the place, down the side of the engine and onto the struts or CV axles, I'm not sure which. My brother-in-law says to start the car after I drain the oil, and it will pump the oil out of the filter so I can remove it without a mess. I told him he is insane! Was I right? I told him I would rather clean up the mess than buy a new engine. - James

Ray | I'm assuming your brother-in-law is a man with a very clean garage floor and lots of experience rebuilding engines, James. He's also nuts, by the way.

13 questions for Big Easy author Barb Johnson

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:39 EST

"Except for the stink and the heat and the mosquitoes, it was beautiful at night. Like being out in the country," says Barb Johnson of living on her balcony post-Hurricane Katrina and working on her collection of short stories, "More of This World or Maybe Another" (HarperCollins, October), often by the light of a headlamp.

None of the stories is about the hurricane, though. They are, instead, about the often chaotic lives of a few scrappy characters who frequent The Bubble, a Laundromat in a New Orleans neighborhood known as Mid-City.

The award-winning author is a talented and practical woman in an often-times impractical world.

Looking good takes work, at any age

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:39 EST

Here is expert advice on how women can address the signs of aging and retain their swagger:

30s & 40s | CRUNCH TIME

What happens : Because of the hustle and bustle of life, women in their 30s and 40s can easily be, and begin to look, overwhelmed, says Henry S. Lodge, co author of "Younger Next Year For Women," (Workman, $12.95).

Camel coats can be closet's unsung hero

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:33 EST

A camel-colored coat may sound bland, but it could be just the thing to spice up a cool-weather wardrobe.

While a camel coat makes a classic chic statement, the style is malleable enough to be either a trendy boyfriend jacket or traditional trench. Its place in fashion history, on the backs of Katharine Hepburn and Grace Kelly, and Ali McGraw and Kate Moss, give it a solid pedigree, and the color - a range of shades between tobacco and fawn - has a richness to it that, quite frankly, makes you look rich.

"Camel looks indulgent like winter white but has the pragmatism of gray and black. It's the best of both worlds. ... A camel coat evokes throwaway glamour," says Michael Kors, who for many seasons has used camel as a core of his fall collections.

College apps at their peak this month

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:39 EST

I am going to go out on a limb here and predict that this November will generate more college applications than any month in history.

In 2009 the number of high school graduates peaked at 3.3 million. The number in 2010 is expected to drop ever so slightly. More students are choosing to go to college than ever before and the average number of applications per student is way up over just a decade ago.

So, there are more students and more applications -- and that means tougher competition. The number of applications has increased 24 percent between 2002 and 2006, and the average acceptance rate has decreased 3.9 percent.

ESSAY WRITING DON'Ts

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:39 EST

Applying for college? Here's some advice on essay writing don'ts from the book "Get Into College" (Hundreds of Heads Books, www.hundredsofheads.com, $17.95), straight from the experts:

Don't write what you think a committee wants to hear. The more you try to craft something for them, the more it will fall flat. You never know who will be reading your application or what they are seeking. They just want to know what makes you tick. .

Don't write in a style that is not yours. The essay should reflect your personality. It is disappointing to see an essay written in a severe and formal style from someone who is clearly known for a sense of humor.

Riding on a dream

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:51 EST

You might think this is just a "local girl makes good" story. That would be a mistake.

Sure, Darley Newman's PBS documentary travel show "Equitrekking" won two Emmy awards this year. But it's the path she took from Porcher Street in Myrtle Beach to the Emmy stage that provides a classic script for how hard work, the courage to follow a dream and good timing can add up to an enviable success story.

That script began when she moved to Myrtle Beach with her mother, brother and sister to be close to her grandmother. She lived just two blocks from the beach while attending elementary and middle school here.

Explore Savannah's historic squares, parks and homes

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:10 EST

Savannah was founded in 1733 and was one of America's first planned cities, with a series of squares and parks that can still be enjoyed today.

But the reason for those public spaces might surprise modern visitors: British General James Oglethorpe designed them as part of a military grid so his troops could set up camp and have shaded meeting spots. The soldiers were there to keep the Spanish from advancing north to the English colony in Charleston, and Oglethorpe's statue faces south, as if still keeping a watchful eye on things.

Originally, the city had 24 squares. It's a remarkable feat of preservation that 22 are still in existence, and one more is being restored. Surrounded by stately homes and beautiful gardens, they form the heart of a 21/2-square-mile historic district with more than 2,000 historic or architecturally significant buildings.

Keep cold at bay with winter's stylish warmers

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:10 EST

The one bright spot in winter's dreadful chilly months is getting to wrap up in some of the season's hottest coats.

And now that we're being teased by autumn (give or take 20 degrees each day), we thought it was time to take a look at some of the styles and colors in outerwear that will have you begging for a frosty day.

1. RUFFLES

Match hairstyle to hat style

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:10 EST

I recently bought a charcoal-gray fedora. How do I wear my hair -- straight, wavy or up under the hat? My hair is long and straight with side-swept bangs. Also, when I wear a beret, do I slouch the beret in the same direction as my bangs, or to the opposite side?

Because the angles of a fedora are so sharp and masculine, wearing your hair in loose, feminine waves makes a pretty contrast. Leaving your hair straight creates more of a chic, boyish look. Putting your hair up may look too severe -- but try it and see what you think. Also, if you put your hair up, make sure the hat doesn't sit too high on your head. A fedora looks most stylish worn low on the brow and tilted slightly to one side.

With your beret, slouch it in the opposite direction to your bangs to create a balanced look. And if you decide to add a trendy newsboy cap to your hat collection, try wearing it with your hair pulled back into a low bun at the nape of your neck.