It was a quiet, uneventful week on the Great Neck peninsula we call home. A few local residents were momentarily excited when the Nassau County Department of Traffic Safety announced that they were studying a proposal to make coming to a full stop at stop signs optional in Great Neck. The excitement quickly passed, however, when one of our village mayors correctly pointed out that few drivers in our community do more than slow down when approaching a stop sign now - rendering the proposed change a moot point in the minds of most observers.

More than a few Great Neck parents were upset by the recent news that Matthew R., a junior at North High has filed suit in 3rd district court against his parents, Dr. and Mrs. R. It seems that Matthew has been forced to drive his father's '95 Oldsmobile to school, causing him shame and humiliation as he parks alongside his classmates' late model BMW's, Jeep Cherokees, and Mercedes Benzs. Court insiders are hoping for a quick settlement, in spite of the fact that Matthew's lawyer has petitioned the court to award Matthew a new Lexus to compensate his client for pain and suffering. Naturally, we'll be watching this case with intense interest.

We were gratified to learn that the PTA at South High has invited J. Wilson Oberson, renowned financial planner and part-time tax preparer at H & R Block, to speak at their April 15 meeting. Mr. Oberson's topic, "Is Having Children Cost Effective?" should bring out a huge crowd of interested parents. Many Great Neckers may have seen Mr. Oberson's recent appearance on the Larry King Show, when he discussed many of his controversial theories on the risk/reward ratio of first-born children and how to maximize your return on investment with two or more kids. It's a PTA meeting we're certainly not going to miss.

Some local residents were alarmed at the recent shortage in local stores of Evian bottled water. Most Great Neck residents prefer to avoid domestically produced water except when bathing, so local supermarkets have thoughtfully arranged new supplies to be Fed-Ex'ed from Europe during this temporary crisis. In the meantime, there is a brisk business in black market rain checks in a town thirsting for pure water with high cultural content.

For those in our midst who appreciate a good bargain, we direct your attention to a sign posted outside one of our local houses of worship. The sign reads: "Hope: Free Samples Inside." We think a lot of local folks will want to take advantage of this offer, while supplies last.

All things considered, it was just another quiet week on the Great Neck peninsula we call home.