Three things I'm loving this week:
1. My ultra-warm, but not bulky Land's End winter squall jacket which is similar to this one. I got my jacket last year though the Land's End overstock site so I paid about half what the new one is and I like mine better cause it's solid red -- color blocks are for boys Garanimals, aren't they? They have a great parka at the overstock sitenow. Be aware of two things if you order from Land's End:
A.) Their sizing runs big -- very big.
B.) You can return anything bought at LandsEnd.com to the Sears store in the mall (sweet).
2. Holiday greeting cards in a hour. Thank God for digital cameras, the internet and one-hour photo developing. I finally got a decent photo of the girls on Sunday. I uploaded the pix to www.walmart.com on my lunch hour yesterday, chose a card, sent to to the store and picked up 50 photo cards on my way home from work. Now, if only they could address and stamp them all, too...
3. My husband's boss -- Jim Foltz at Arrow Electric (Greenville, Pa.). Dan's worked for three different electrical companies and Jim is, by far, the most honest, genuine and fair of all the company owners he's ever worked for. He's good to his guys and they work hard for him. That's not to say he doesn't piss them -- and the wives -- off occasionally. Had I been doing this "Three things" list in the summer, there was a time when Dan was working 70-some hours a week that Jim might have been on the other side of my list. But, coming off a recent Christmas party at which he made numerous humble and heartfelt speeches, heaped praise on our guys and gave them generous Christmas gifts, well, I'm feeling the love.
Three things I'm hating this week:
1. People who sit at rock concerts. This is a leftover gripe from last week's John Mellencamp concert at which dozens and dozens of people paid $49.50 to watch my butt cause there was no way was I going to sit down and passively watch him rock the house. Nope. It's a rock concert -- you stand, you dance, you sing along, you spill your beer while you sway to and fro. Sitting is NOT an option.
2. My embarrassingly weak abs. I may be the only person on earth who can run a whole marathon, but couldn't do a 10 real sit ups if you held a gun to my head. I tried out a new class at the downtown Y yesterday (yup, making the most of my membership dollars. The class, Exerball is a core body strengthening and toning class done using an exercise ball. I knew I was in trouble when it hurt to roll over in bed last night. Sneezing is excruciating right now. I am soooo going back next week. 2008 is the year I get the core I should have.
3. P.R. agencies who just won't quit. I must get 358 e-mails every day that say "Great last minute gift idea" in the subject line. And then they try to get me to write a story about products like these:
* No More Messy Spit Up! BurpCatcher ($12.00 for two from Inspired Ideas) –BurpCatcher is the only burp cloth with a special pocket that continually remains open to catch a baby's spit up every time ... Every parent knows that kids projectile spit up -- something hanging below the chin ain't going to catch half of it.
* Our Vintage Football Calendars have been a big hit at eco gift shows this season... something that appeals to environmentalists with college football fans on their holiday shopping list! Who doesn't have an environmentalist college football fan on their list?
* The Frisper Freshkeeper by Oliso has revolutionized food storage - it will help you plan all your holiday cooking and meals by preparing items and storing them ahead of time. Revolutionary? Ever heard of Tupperware? Gladware? Saran Wrap?
* Zerosmoke, a new 24K gold-plated, 100% natural product that is worn like an earring could help many people follow through on what is probably the most popular of year-end promises – the vow to quit smoking. Nothing says "Merry Christmas" like pointing out your loved one's faults.