Trends for March 12, 2001

Lisa Ferguson

Monday, March 12, 2001 | 9:15 a.m.

Irish eyes?

Who doesn't pretend to be Irish on St. Patrick's Day? This year, though, you may be able to drop the charade.

A new book, "A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering Your Irish Ancestors" (Betterway Books, $19.99), may help you trace your roots back to the celebrated country.

Authors Dwight Radford and Kyle Betit offer tips for gleaning the most from your research, the majority of which focus on the scouring of church records.

That's where you'll find information via birth/baptism, marriage and burial/ death records about where in Ireland your ancestors were born, as well as records for such "sponsors" as godparents, and witnesses to the identities of friends and family members who come from the same place within the country.

Or, maybe a brother or sister of the relative followed a different religion than the rest of the family. Check that denomination's records, too.

Survive this

Attention all couch potatoes: If you find yourself glued to the tube Thursday nights following the antics on CBS' "Survivor II: The Australian Outback," and thinking, "Hey, I could do that," Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is offering vacation packages that may be right up your harsh desert tundra, er, alley. Available throughout this year, the "Survivor in Paradise" package is a getaway at Wyndham's El Conquistador Resort & Country Club in Puerto Rico. It features professionally guided hikes through El Yunque rainforest, as well as morning "power" treks along nature trails on Palomino Island, and evening kayaking trips in Phosphorescent Bay.

Of course, at the end of the adventure unlike the TV show contestants who play for serious cash you'll be the one shelling out the big bucks. Rates for the vacation range from $245-$336 per night. For more information, visit wyndham.com.

Perking up the place

If you drink coffee a lot of coffee you're probably used to moving at a quick, caffeine-induced pace. So you may want to consider entering a contest sponsored by Coffee-mate creamer, since you'll have to hurry to beat its Thursday deadline.

The makers of the nondairy creamer which recently underwent a redesign of its packaging for a "sleek" new look have teamed with the folks at retail chain Linens 'N Things to award a grand-prize winner a $10,000 gift certificate for the housewares store, along with a personal design consultation (presumably so the winner will know how to spend it on their home), a coffeemaker and a trip for two to New York City.

All you have to do is submit an essay (200 words or less) describing a favorite coffee-drinking spot in your home, how that space influences "your overall coffee-drinking experience" and what you want to do to redecorate it.

Send the essay (remember, it's due Thursday) along with a photo of the room, your name, address and phone number and a Coffee-mate product UPC symbol to: Publicis Dialog, attn: "Redecorate with Coffee-mate" Contest, P.O. Box 809014, Dallas, TX 75380. For more information about the contest, visit coffee-mate.com.