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Celebrate Earth Day today by picking up a sheet of “Go Green” postage stamps that share ways to help “reduce our environmental footprint.” Riding the bus or lugging around a half-dozen cloth grocery bags may not be practical for many of us, but everyone can learn to turn off a light when it is not is use. A sheet of 16 “forever” stamps costs $7.04 at your nearest post office while supplies last. — John Berger
Shades of somen
Ideal for the Easter buffet: a somen dish made with noodles in pastel tones. The normally white Japanese noodles are given a lift in color and flavor with these pretty bundles. Pink is for ume, the Japanese pickled plum, while a mixed packet in shades of green, orange and yellow is made with tomatoes, pumpkin, carrots and spinach. Flavors are mild, so you can use them as you would white noodles with somen sauce and a sprinkle of furikake.
For an Easter centerpiece, arrange individual portions of the cooked, colored noodles on a plate and let guests dress their own portions with sauce and toppings. Find the noodles at Marukai Wholesale Mart. The ume flavor is $4.59 for 7 ounces; the mixed vegetable flavor, $3.99 for 8.5 ounces. An all-green matcha (green tea) flavor is $8.29 for 22.5 ounces. — Betty Shimabukuro
‘Bad’ is breaking on DVD
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The AMC series “Breaking Bad” is a great show for those who appreciate dark humor. For anyone not familiar with the setup, the protagonist is a mild-mannered high school chemistry teacher named Walter White, who, after discovering he has cancer, decides to start a homegrown meth lab to pay his medical bills. While the show is decidedly sharp-edged, it is also very funny, and the writing and acting by Emmy winner Bryan Cranston and others is first-rate. The fourth season starts in July, but the Season 3 DVD will be released in June — so there’s time to catch up! — Dave Swann
Temporary bling for bloated fingers
For many months when I was pregnant, and for a while afterward, my wedding ring wouldn’t fit my swollen hands. I missed seeing its glimmer during the day but didn’t want to pay to resize it, not knowing what ring size my finger would settle at down the road. Tween-centric Claire’s accessories store provided an assortment of rhinestone and cubic zirconia rings to fit my fluctuating fingers and moods. Priced at just $4.50 to $10.50, the temporary bling was just the thing to lift my spirits — Donica Kaneshiro
Walk a mile (or hit the town) in these
I walk a lot, so I place high value on shoes stylish enough to wear with a skirt or jeans, and sturdy and comfortable enough to ramble the crooked sidewalks of Honolulu. It took some searching to find a replacement for my last pair of multipurpose flats, so I was pretty happy when I came upon the Jambu Adventure Designs display at Macy’s Ala Moana. These shoes have partially recycled rubber soles, a Velcro closure, memory-foam foot bed and an outer surface that is stiff and shaped for traction, making them suitable for basic trail walking as well as jumping Chinatown puddles. They’re stylish, too, in an eco-friendly, sporty way. My pair cost $79.99. Find out more at www.jambu.com. — Elizabeth Kieszkowski