The other day while heading home from the dog park with Jack, I stepped off a high curb and heard a peculiar noise.

In the 1990s, DVD was the fastest growing technological phenomenon in history. People were buying DVD players faster than their parents bought televisions in the 1950s. Suddenly, high quality digital video made the old VCR look very old fashioned.

Coming from a big Catholic family, my early memories of Thanksgiving are fuzzy.

How much will you pay to send your fifth grader back to school?

I took a copy of Oswego Community Unit School District 308’s 2007-2008 school supply list to a local department store on Aug. 16 and recorded prices for each of 22 items recommended for the district’s fifth graders. I stuck to the district’s brand-name recommendations for crayons and markers (Crayola and Sharpie), erasers (Pink Pearl), glue (Elmer’s), scissors (Fiskars) and pens (Bic), and tried to find the best value for all other items.