The Connections Bridgewater Somerville Edition November 2021 - January 2022

theconnectionsnj.com HOME & DESIGN PAGE 25 Over six years ago, I wrote about a connection involving matchbooks. As I mentioned, I started col- lecting them over fifty years ago. As cigarette smoking in restaurants diminished, so did their customized match- books. To compensate, I started collecting restaurant business cards. I estimate that I have over a thousand cards. Add to that the thou- sands of business cards that have been handed to me over several decades in the workforce (most of those have been thrown out). Most of the cards I’ve come across are standard- ized at three and a half inch- es long by two inches high. To confirm this, I decided to examine the notebook where I have my New Jer- sey cards in plastic sheets. I counted two-hundred-three cards with only two having rounded corners, or slightly less than one percent. A few years ago, I was hired, as a consultant, by a firm in Raleigh, North Caro- lina to help with a couple of projects, for two of their cus- tomers, one in Philadelphia and one in New York City. As the projects evolved, my client wanted me to meet with their customers. My cli- ent had business cards print- ed up for me to hand to their clients. On a Friday afternoon, a big box of new business cards arrived in the mailbox. Shortly before my wife and I left the house to go to the movies at Headquarters Pla- za in Morristown, I opened the box and grabbed a few cards, placing them in my pocket. We met Robin (yes, the publisher of this magazine) and her husband, Ben, at the theater. We had a few minutes to kill as we waited for the film to start. Robin and Ben have always been interested and supportive of my business ventures. When they asked me what was going on, I detailed my new client. I retrieved one of the business cards I just received to show them the unique design with rounded corners. When the film ended we debated where to go for dinner. Usually, we’d have a reservation but it was a last-minute decision for the four of us to get together. We crossed Speedwell Av- enue looking for a place to eat. I vaguely recall that we had Asian cuisine. I definite- ly remember that the restau- rant’s card had rounded cor- ners. Since only one percent of the cards I come across have rounded corners, what are the chances that I would receive two of them, from Raleigh and Morristown in a few hours? Several people have told me that I am on the lookout for such odd- ities. If you spot any, I’d welcome the opportunity to add a story to this column. ROUND THE CORNER By Dan Rosenberg As cigarette smoking in restaurants diminished, so did their customized matchbooks. To compensate, I started collecting restaurant business cards. I estimate that I have over a thousand cards. Since only one percent of the cards I come across have rounded corners, what are the chances that I would receive two of them, from Raleigh and Morristown in a few hours? Call Now for your Service or Replacement Appointment