my gifts to you

i am nothing if not a giver. i like to share. or at least , sometimes do. but when i do, i let you know that i’m going to, so that while you are deciding if you are going to order your own desert, you clearly understand whether or not you will be allowed to have a bite of mine.

uh. hmm. i digress.

when i make discoveries of any kind, i feel it my obligation to pass them along. (remember the gorillapod? you all thought i was crazy then, but who’s laughing now?)

in the spirit of giving, today i bring you a few of my favorite new things.

bandaid blister block (for everyone, but more so for fashionable feminine types)

it’s blister PREVENTION people! after acquiring a horrendous set of new blisters during the midsingles conference, when i heard about this product ‘in the wind’, i had to check it out. it’s not flawless, but so far, it’s pretty darn close. my officemate (i got her one too) and i have been ‘testing’ this product now for a couple of weeks with our most heinous blister inducing shoes. It has reduced the blistering by 97.463%. it’s very scientific you see. okay, not really, but i will say this, i have felt the difference. it’s like a little deodorant looking thing, for your feet. it won’t help with the smell, but if you rub it on your most blister prone spots, it reduces shoe friction, thereby preventing blisters before you even put the shoes on. given that i now have four pairs of shoes i can wear again, it was highly worth the $8 price tag. get yours here or at a local drugstore.

mixwit.com (for the music lovers)

technically i don’t know if i am a child of the 80’s or 90’s. i’ve also never been sure if i’m generation x or y, but an important part of romance in my day was the mix tape. it was the be all end all way to express your feelings for that secret crush, boyfriend, or guy i (i mean YOU) happened to be stalking at the time. the sheer blissful agony of spending countless hours finding just the right songs, and hoping that the intended recipient would listen to every single word, and somehow know EXACTLY what message i was trying to convey, is not easily forgotten. but, alas, ‘progress’ is unstoppable and we have evolved past the mix tape. or have we? one of my favorite new sites let’s you revisit those feelings in today’s digital world. you can search the web for songs to include or upload your own. you can choose from many already designed tape labels, or create your own. and most importantly, you can share. you can put it on your blog. your facebook. your myspace. whatever.

want to send a subtle message to that blog stalker of yours? here’s your chance.

photoshop for the cheapskates (for the photo lovers)

adobe is now offering a free online downsized version of photoshop located here. though i haven’t done an extraordinary amount of playing, i’ve found it very helpful making basic touch ups (red eye anyone?) when i don’t have my mac on hand (in the office, for example). you can email, download, or embed your edited photo, so it’s completely shareable. there are fun filters (pop colors), black & white options, color and contrast—basically every basic thing your average photo needs. i couldn’t more thrilled that they’ve made this available to the general cheapskate public.

make your own puzzle (for the silly and clever among you)

perhaps you remember my recent query about a phrase that would suit something related to puzzles and pictures. i didn’t clarify then (because i was hesitant to admit just how corny i am), but i had a custom puzzle made from a picture i uploaded. it’s relatively inexpensive (or at least far less expensive than i expected) and makes for a fun quirky gift. upload that family photo, that favorite shot you’ve ever taken, whatever. you can also order a custom gift box to keep it in, but i hope to puzzle-glue mine together and frame it someday! get yours here.

dry shampoo (for lazy ladies)

i’ll admit it. i hate washing my hair. if i could go a week without washing my hair, i’d be in sweet heaven. it’s not so much the washing, but all of the styling time it takes to look decent enough to leave the house. but i’m lucky if i can go two days, and stretching it to three, no way, no how. before dry shampoos that is.

about 2+ years ago i came across a product by a company called ‘cake’. it was a powder that would ‘eat up’ all the grease sitting on the scalp (particularly on my crown). sprinkle it on, brush through and voila. it wasn’t perfect. the color didn’t perfectly ‘blend’ with my own, and sometimes it worked much better in dry climates than humid ones (i traveled a lot with it). but as i mentioned before, progress is unstoppable. in recent months i have been seeing ‘dry shampoos’ pop up all over the place. the goal is generally the same, but they now come in a variety of different forms. i switched to an aerosol spray by ojon and have loved it. in general, i’m a big fan of ojon products, but this solution is far superior to my last. if you’ve been wary about trying these dry shampoos, i say go for it. i really don’t think you’ll be disappointed!

travel insurance (for the paranoid/cursed traveler)

i caveat this by saying it’s not yet available in the us, but when ‘coming soon’ changes to ‘here now’, you better believe i will be on this bandwagon.

for many years i was blessed by the travel gods, as though i were a favorite child. nary a delay or cancellation crossed my path, and never ever did i have to concern myself with things like ‘lost luggage.’ the unimaginable horror!

but alas, some blessings are only temporary, and it seems my fortune has run out. in the last year and a half, almost every trip i have taken has involved lost luggage. i generally can’t afford to fly direct, so with one or more connections, there is no telling where my bag might end up. what is more frightening is that on more than one occasion, i have had to guess, and then insist to the airline agent that they are in ‘x’ city, and someone needs to find them. imagine how much less daunting that would be if i could track them myself. incontrovertible proof (or as close as it may ever get) that that luggage handler really isn’t looking hard enough. i knew it was only a matter of time, but i am so stinkin’ excited that the time is almost at hand!

so there you have it, my gifts to you.