Well, this has been a really exciting start to writing for the Pioneer Press and I am having a wonderful time reading emails from people in the community. In fact, as soon as my first column hit the stands, I ran to my computer to see if anyone had written to me. To my surprise, I already had three emails.

Right now, I am going through total withdrawal. You might be thinking I’m on some sort of wacky diet or something, which I probably should be given the ridiculous amount of cookies I consumed during the holidays. But I’m in withdrawal about something completely different. You see, my mother has just quit her job at a very high-end department store and I have just lost the greatest discount imaginable.