Random Recommends 10

Sharon's Chocolate Sorbet

Usually when i think about sorbet (more often then you might think, certainly more often than is considered normal) I think icy which isn't always a bad thing -- icy limes or pineapples are a fine treat on a hot day (or on a cold day spent in my apartment where the temperature is always set at "2pm on a sunny day in August") but icy doesn't work for every flavor. In particular I usually can't get my tongue wrapped around the concept of icy chocolate but my recent desire to lose 3lbs (yes, I'm a little insane) combined with my constant desire to eat chocolate ice cream lead me to Sharon. This sorbet is almost everything one could hope for in a frozen chocolate snack. It's sweet and earth and smooth and even.. creamy! I attribute this on the inclusion of coconut milk in the ingredients list which also brings a little fat to the table -- but even with this allowance a half cup serving is still only 100 calories of OCD dieting goodness.

Jason Anderson

This guy/band/guy with a band opened for Tilly and the Wall at the Knitting Factory on the 21st. Or, the be more accurate, they/he opened for the opening band for Tilly and the Wall. One of my biggest pet peeves about the indie music scene (after the pretension and the lack of concerts with seating) is the tendency for everyone to get a little overzealous about supporting new bands which forces me to spend upwards of 2 hours standing around impatiently listening to whining/screaming that is not the whining/screaming that I paid $15+ to be listening to and often results in a 8pm concert not letting out until well after midnight which is apparently not supposed to bother me because if I was truly a cool indie music listener I either wouldn't need sleep at all or would not have a job where the man makes me get up before 11am. But back to Jason. I made every effort to be super late for the Tilly and the Wall show so that I would not have to endure 2 openers but in my world "really late" actually means "almost an hour after the doors opened!" and since in the world of rock and roll "on time" means "at least 30 minutes after the posted start time" the first opener was only on their second song when I walked into the venue trying (likely in vain) not to look like the oldest person in the room. Thank God for my crazy obsession with promptness! Jason and the band were adorable. I know that as very serious rock and rollers "adorable" is probably not their goal but there is no other word. Their music is fun and happy and demands a lot of audience participation (I have never "lalala-ed" or "oh yeahed" as much as I did that night) and they have the most excited and cuddly kid playing tenor sax. Writing this I'm now wondering if i should be concerned about my desire to mother the entire band rather than jump their bones. Jason Anderson may be the harbinger of my old age. I still recommend getting down to his songs -- even if you have to do so from the rocking chair.

Hunter Wellingtons

A couple of months ago I noticed a troubling tear in the plastic coating of my Target rainboots. No longer water proof and ready for puddle jumping they had to be replaced. I was half tempted to order a new pair of novelty boots from Target since for $20 one can afford to go through a pair per year without much cause for complaint but then I remembered the stylish, knee high boots that an old coworker once wore on rainy spring days and my quest for a better boot began. I soon found out that I would have to really embrace my new Richie status if I was going to keep my feet dry in a pair of Hunters as the boots cost $98. Thus ensued a personal struggle of Hamlet-esque proportions. Was I really willing to spend ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS on rain boots? When I didn't yet own a house? When the media won't shut up about how bad the economy sucks and just how soon I'm likely to get laid off? Yes. I can happily report that the Richies have dryer, svelter, more content feet and calves. The rubber boots are so much sturdier than the plastic predecessors and the extra height somehow seems slimming and more mature. The fit on my foot is also much tighter than the Target alternative which makes the boots more practical for the amount of walking done in the typical NYC day (even if it's pouring rain). My only complaint about the wellingtons is that every time I pull them on I have to wonder why my lower legs are hugged so snuggly when the calves of other girls seem to be swimming in their boots. Do I have the largest calves in the world? Should Guinness be notified? Do you think I could make enough money off of this deformity and my upcoming TLC special to justify a second pair of Hunters in Navy?

Red Mango Yogurt topped with Pomegranate Seeds

Two low fat frozen desserts in the same post? Be not shocked -- my life is really just one never ending quest for an acceptable low calorie ice cream substitute periodically interrupted by the distractions of building software and gawking at really trashy television programs. Red Mango is one of the dozen or so Korean frozen yogurt chains that has cropped up after the Pinkberry craze took hold a year ago. I have eaten and enjoyed Pinkberry once in the past but do not know it well enough to declare Red Mango a taste improvement but I do know that a small Red Mango is ~$3 which seems crazy cheap to me whereas I remember being slightly outraged at the cost of a small Pinkberry (but this was a year before I spent $100 on rain boots so it's possible that my idea of "crazy expensive" has evolved). The yogurt is creamy and a little sour and the pomegranate seeds burst and crunch satisfyingly and the whole concoction was dinner on Thursday for only 90 calories. I am considering a blanket replacement of all dinner with Red Mango until I'm rid of that blasted 3lbs, I may even go for 5.

Random Recommends 9

Chuck Klosterman

I would like to sleep with Chuck Klosterman. This is not because he is so smart/witty/hilarious that he has become sexy to me despite his unfortunate nose and general air of goofishness. Chuck is smart/witty/hilarious but these things pretty much never make a girl want to sleep with a boy (I believe this is something that CK himself has observed). People who argue that smarts equals crazy hawt are usually just smart folks who are trying to convert others to this line of reasoning so that in future their own (perhaps not so hawt) ass can get some action. I should know because selling such hogwash is the third official goal of this very blog. No, I want to fuck CK because having sex with someone is like voting and doing the nasty with Chuck is like casting a vote for nerdy writers and I am very pro nerdy writers. Hopefully after our little romp word will spread that hot chicks (me.) LOVE nerdy writers and other nerdy writers with be encouraged by this. Perhaps such buzz will inspire latent talent in those not previously self identifying as nerdy writers. And then all of us are rewarded with more entertaining essays on popculture. It's public service sex. God bless democracy. (consider this my official nod to Super Tuesday).

Mrs. May's Pumpkin Crunch

I bought this snack pack because I needed something crunchy to munch on that could somehow be construed as not horribly bad for me. I went into the deli wanting a bag of salt and vinegar chips and/or possible an entire package of goat cheese smeared on some crusty bread so the pumpkin crunch was obviously a bit of a compromise. However this lesser evil allowed me seven pieces for a mere 164 calories which seemed decidedly healthy in comparison to every other remotely yummy thing on the planet. Dear GOD these are good. If I ever weigh 300lbs it will be directly related to portion control because SURE 164 calories is a totally reasonable snack but that statistic is based on the theory that one can limit their pumpkin crunch intake to less than 45 pieces per sitting and maybe somewhere there is a super race of highly advanced mutants who can conform to such fascist restrictions but I am a mere mortal.

Tweezerman Tweezers

Let's be honest, we all have a few hairs hanging out in places where one would like to pretend hair never grows (no need to reveal these places by name). If you're like me (read: a seriously cheap mofo) you tell yourself that the $8 tweezers that they sell at the drug store are totally capable of ridding your body of such unsightliness. You are wrong. Were it not for tweezerman I would be in the freakshow. I bought one in red because I'm a whore but they come in lots of chaste colors too.

Random Recommends 8

Ant Farm – Simon Rich

Sometimes I think my writing is funny but it turns out that everything I’ve ever written is crap. But everything this college kid writes? Comedy gold. You should be embarrassed for even looking at my blog when you could be reading his book. If you need me I’ll be over here questioning my self worth. (Please don't leave me...)

Peanut Butter Co. Smooth Operator

I went to the Peanut Butter and Co. restaurant a couple of months ago and happily binged on a PB, banana and honey sandwich followed by chocolate peanut butter malt followed by acquiring diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It was totally worth it.

Then, a couple of weeks ago while browsing in Whole Foods I picked up a jar of Smooth Operator. My god it’s good. I wouldn’t have thought you could have improved upon peanut butter (well unless you’re going to sell it with handfuls of chocolate chips pre-stirred in, I will totally have sex with the CEO of the first company to do this.) but Peanut Butter and Co. surpassed my already high expectations for peanut butter. You should eat some right now and then email me your theories about if peanut butter consumption can lead to orgasm.

Hint Water

Once upon a time the makers of vitamin water made something called “fruit water” which was calorie free lightly fruit flavored water and it was awesome – through what I assume is the addition of cancer causing chemicals they were able to turn regular H2O into a product that could trick my sugar starved dieting self into thinking I was drinking a beverage with calories. Sadly this product all but disappeared from bodega selves sometime in 2005. Enter Hint Water. Sure it costs over $2 a bottle. Sure it’s a rip off of an old product. But it’s yummy and it has no calories! And the bottle is really pretty!

Friday Night Lights

In high school I had a number of cheer leader friends who spent large numbers of Thursday nights writing ridiculous Bishop Union High School Bronco football inspired statements on huge sheets of butcher paper. Because a girl can only spend so much time lying on the floor of her bedroom listening to the Cranberries and asking God why he has cursed her with such a tortured existence I occasionally would help out with the pep rally prep. One of the most embarrassing butcher paper slogans was “Bronco Butts Drive Us Nuts!!!” At the time I didn’t really appreciate the power of a nice ass and greeted this statement with the same eye rolling reaction as PE requirements, every word my mom uttered during the years of 1992-1996 and life in general. I have recently discovered that the fault lay not in the statement but in the butts. The inadequacy of Bronco butts is readily apparent when viewed in comparison to Friday Night Lights Panther butts. Especially the butt of one Tim Riggins (aka Taylor Kitsch). Especially when viewed in connection to his 6 pack and pout-y grape stained lips. Especially when viewed in my fantasy world where he doesn’t have on any pants.

The show is also entertaining and well written. Whatever.

Random Recommends 7

The Settlers of Catan

Recently I’ve managed to increase my nerd-itude 10 fold by scheduling a weekly lunch date to play this game but then lose at lease 15 nerd points for being about 5 years behind on trends in the gaming world. The game is simple to learn and yet always different and challenging so I feel good recommending it even though I have had my behind handed to me over and over again by everyone I’ve played against. The game also offers ample opportunity to regress to age 13 (which is normally a bad thing but is surprisingly awesome in this situation) due to the fact that people constantly have to say things like, “Oh a 6, that gives me wood!” and “does anyone have wood?” The inclusion of a woman with big boobs on the game box is evidence of much wishful thinking on the part of the game designers but I assure you that the game can be played with your breasts full covered – in fact, I believe it might be considered cheating to use your breasts as a way to distract your competitors. Leave it to me to turn a game review in a paragraph about boobs.

This American Life: "The Break Up"

This episode of the best radio program ever is uproariously funny while still being touching, in addition it does for Phil Collins what Rushmore did for Bill Murray. Listen now.

Neutrogena Sunscreen Stick

The only reason my entire face has not broken out into one huge melanoma due the massive amounts of sun it saw in Costa Rica is this little gem. It may feel a bit like smearing chapstick all over your face but that’s a small price to pay for you know, not getting cancer. The stick also makes it easy to apply sunscreen to your hair part which is a life saver if, like me, your go-to lazy vacation hair style is reminiscent of the Swiss Miss girl.

Flatiron Lounge

I was introduced to this place by a couple of gay boys who are, unsurprisingly, 8000 times cooler than I. I suspect the Bar will soon be contacting me requesting that I remove this review as appearing on a web page along with a review of Settlers of Catan is likely to bring their cool WAY down. Not only did my drinking buddies know exactly which of the tempting cocktails would most quickly turn me from reserved professional to giggly sweet young thing but they even introduced me to “cocktail stylist” Julie Reiner who was incredibly nice for not pointing out how my H&M dress was bringing down drink values all over the bar. I will never be as cool as my metro drinking companions but hanging at Flatiron Lounge allowed me to *pretend* that I too am dressing in designer duds, flirting with international businessmen and generally living the life of a gay man in NYC – this may not be my life long dream (no, that still involves an evening at El Bulli with Jack White) but it makes for a fun night or two. Be forewarned, the drink prices match the lifestyle (average cocktail price if you can’t convenience the It Boys to buy your drinks ~$13).

Random Recommends 6

Nintendo DS New York Times Crosswords

If you've been holding our on buying a DS because you are old and don't like video games it's time to put down your ovaltine, grab your cane, shew the kids from the lawn, climb into the Olds, try not to run over a farmers market, double park in the handicap spot at Circuit City, curse the damn kids and their foul music and pick one up. While you're in the devils playground you should absolutely pick up a copy of New York Times Crosswords (and though I am not officially recommending it you might as well complete the cliche and buy Brain Age).

I've been obsessively doing crosswords on the subway for the last week or so and despite only doing the Mondays the game continues to give me scores in the D range -- I like this game enough that I am able to resist banging my DS angrily against the orange plastic seats. Having this snazzy new way to do crosswords has totally gone to my head. I caught myself on Tuesday angling my screen so that the man sitting to my left doing crosswords the old fashion way could see my high tech crossword machine and get very jealous (and maybe talk to me and maybe ask me out and then buy me a wii and live happily ever after -- Thank you DS crossword game!!!).

The obvious downside to purchasing this game is that you will look like a totally loser to other gamers on the subway. I need some sort of button that I can wear while playing that makes it clear that I also play cool games made for people under the age of 55.

Origins Checks and Balances Face Wash

I hate washing my face, it's boring, and soap gets in your eyes and I'm really really lazy. I admit to often going with the "disposable make-up removing wipe option" and occasionally with the "my pores are MUCH too clear, I think I'll sleep with make-up on just to keep them nice and cozy" option. On nights when the guilt over wasteful disposable products and/or embarrassment over being so disgusting really get to me I turn to Checks and Balances. The face wash is satisfyingly foamy and doesn't really smell like anything which I consider a plus. $17.50 is more than I would normally be willing to pay for soap but I've found that a tini tiny bit goes a long way -- 5 oz should easily last me a year, though other more cleanliness obsessed readers/washers may not be so frugal. It still leaves my eyes all teary but until someone invents a "no more tears" face wash (seriously, get on that people -- since when does being over 5 means that soap doesn't sting your eyes?) I'll stick with Origins.



Trader Joe's Hot & Sweet Mustard

Trader Joe's is too good for pictures and online sales but next time you're in one of their many fine stores admiring the hot checkers in Hawaiian shirts or wondering if there is a discernible difference between the garlic and regular hummus (not usually) (or while waiting in line for hours at their annoyingly crowded one NYC location... though not for long) you should pick up a jar of the best condiment ever. This mustard is of course awesome on a sandwich but it is also great smothered on baked salmon (as I learned from Amy) or (do not judge me) with apple slices. It's good enough that when Trader Joe's stop carrying it for a couple of months due to some sort of complicated stocking problem my entire family was so traumatized that we now buy at least 6 jars at once just in case (just in case the apocalypse comes and the people who make this make this mustard are raptured first as a thank you from God for bringing such joy to the world and then those of us Left Behind not only have to contend with locusts and rains of frogs and the anti Christ but we have to do it with sub par sandwiches). When I first moved to New York and there was no Trader Joe's in the city limits (clearly I did not do enough research premove) I used to haul jars from California to New York risking mustard stained panties, I love it that much.

Random Recommends 5

Tropicana Pure Valencia Orange Juice


Last week I invited a friend over for "breakfast for dinner" so that I could practice my sunny side up egg making skills. The eggs turned out lovely but the stand out of the meal what this orange juice. I normally don't find bottled orange juice good enough to bother with the calories but fresh squeezed is another thing all together and I'll happily pay upwards of $4 for a glass. Tropicana's new offering is almost as good as fresh squeezed (but requires neither muscle nor special machinery nor a busting bank account). It's so good, I even had a glass without any vodka.




Rainboots from Target


Target.com has rainboots in 57 different prints (according to my calculations) for $13.99-$19.99 and if you order any two items from women's clothing or shoes you get free shipping! Last Thursday when I woke up to the ticking of rain at my window I could hardly conceal my glee (actually I made no attempts at concealing it but only Mr. Chinchilla was around to see my joyful wiggling and he just gave me that "arn't you gonna gimmie a craisin?" look as usual). A couple of coworkers and I ordered boots together a few weeks ago and so the joy continued all day as we passed each other in the hallways and giggled at each other's cute (and dry!) feet. We've been having a very rainy week and I'm happy to report that even 3 stormy days of rainy gloom is still out wieghed by the excitement of wearing my cute new boots.


Laura Bee Designs

I'm not much of a purse girl but about a month ago I decided that in order to be a proper New York City girl I needed to have at least one cute purse option for those days when my laptop bag (a previous feature on Random Recommends) is too unwieldy. I tend to get stuck on the idea of finding the *bestest* *most perfect* object of my desire which often leads to much searching and little purchasing but luckily in this case I stumbled onto the Laura Bee site fairly early in my quest. This purse may have turned me into a purse girl (if you ever catch me spending $200+ on some bag please look at me in shame and force me to give equal amounts to charity). I have a wedding to attend in two weeks and I'm already planning my outfit around this bag.

While at the site I picked up one of their cute (and fairly cheap!) wristlets as a late birthday gift for Miss Amy and while she may be politely lying she claims to that it is also quite lovely (Amy: if you don't like it give it back! I only buy gifts that I secretly want for myself!).


Emmi Grapefruit Yogurt

(Picture stolen from (at least) one cool thing)

When a coworker recommended this yogurt my immediate thought was, "eww, grapefruit and dairy?" I don't know why the idea produced such cringing since I've long been a fan of lemon yogurt. The Swiss must have made some soul exchange sort of deal with the god a dairy because oh my god this yogurt is amazing. The best part of the experience is that the foil cover tends to get a build up of the fat in the yogurt which, even though it sounds a bit gross, should never be thrown away since it's the yummiest thing in the world. God knows how Emmi manages this with only 1.5% milk fat. Somehow the overall impression of this yogurt is refreshing (not something one usually associates with dairy products). Last week I made a separate trip to a second deli because deli number one did not have this yogurt in stock -- when it comes to glowing reviews not much out does a product that has me willingly participating in such inefficiency.

Random Recommends 4

Rose Salve

I waltzed into Sephora a couple of weeks ago with the intention of buying the Benetint lip balm, I am still in love with the pocket pal and hoped that the lip balm version would give me the same pleasantly pink pout but with more moisture to combat the chapped state that the brutal winter weather has left my lips in. Benetint balm in hand I walked towards the register and saw this salve sitting in a bin on the counter – bigger container, 1/3 the cost… byebye benetint. Perhaps I’m just a sucker for flowery lip gloss and anything with a drop of rose extract would charm my fickle heart but I am in love with this product.

I hate the word salve as it reminds me of icky things like 3^rd degree burns and open wounds so I’ll be referring to this product as lip gloss from here on out. The little tin of gloss has been my closest companion since time of purchase. It not only leaves my lips pretty and soft after each application but I’m convinced that my pucker is now softer as a whole – the gloss seems to have soothed the winter blues. The manufacturer claims that the gloss is also good for minor irritations like burns, stings and diaper rash but I’ve yet to have an irritated body part to apply it to – perhaps one of my mommy or daddy readers could experiment with the diaper rash claim and report back. I have, in an emergency stuck on a plane with not liquids situation, attempted to use the gloss as a lotion on dry hands and it did temporarily sooth my aching hands – though it’s hardly a replacement for actual hand cream.

The gloss also comes in mint and strawberry for those of you creeped out by the sensation of eating flowers. I do wish there was a version with a pink tint -- I may experiment with adding a bit of pigment to a tub of gloss to create my own more girly version.

Muffuletta Olive Salad

While in New Orleans this past weekend I was not able to order an actual muffuletta sandwich but I did pick up a jar of olive salad from the grocery store (I can’t find the brand carried at the New Orleans Whole Foods for sale online but this version sounds about the same). This “salad” is really pieces of olives (green and kalamata), carrots, cauliflower and herbs mixed with a LOT of olive oil – yummy it is, low cal it is not. I scooped (it isn’t really spreadable) a few tablespoons of this mixture onto a crunchy baguette and then layered on a few slices of slightly stinky semi soft cheese and was soon in lunch heaven. The salty olives and crunchy veggies made for a great compliment to the creamy cheese and French bread (which is essential). I tried to recreate the sandwich for my flight home using standard sliced wheat bread and while it was still a yummy midair snack the olive oil had seeped through the bread creating a slick mess -- I quickly lost any hope of flirting with the hot boy sitting next to me.

The Time Traveler's Wife

I read this book a few months ago and have been forcing it on friends ever since. I was a bit hesitant to buy the book as it looks like a bit of chick lit fluff but based on Amy’s recommendation (and on the fact that I was seriously hard up for a new book) I popped into Barnes and Noble. This is most definitely the best novel I’ve read in a long time -- if it were not for my “books are for the subway!” rule (enacted in an effort to give me something to look forward to on my hour long commute) I would have zipped through it in a couple of days. A friend recently commented that the book was a good read but not great literature but I enjoyed the story so much that I can't objectively judge it's literary merit. I wish more books would combine modern stories with slight amounts of fantasy and sci fi (another good example of such blended genres are Atwood’s A Handmaid’s Tale and Oryx and Crake) as I really enjoy having a little scientific mystery mixed in with my love story.

The book does take a bit of getting into due to the very fluid time line; while reading the first 50 or so pages I was constantly flipping back and forth thinking “Wait, how old is he now? Did this happen before the last thing I read? In his life? In her life?” But I soon got used to the story structure and quashed my urge to create a huge diagram of the time line (An urge which probably had more to do with my slightly OCD obsession with organizing things than with the book itself). This is a great book -- you should read it before the movie comes out and ruins everything.

Random Recommends 3

The Commitment: Love, Sex, Marriage, and My Family by Dan Savage

An excerpt from this book appears in the This American Life episode I recommended a couple of weeks ago -- I was worried that the rest of the book could not measure up in comparison to the emotional brilliance of the radio program but luckily I was wrong. I wish I could force the entire country to read this book -- I do not think it would be possible to be against gay marriage after getting such a touching inside glimpse into Dan and Terry's relationship. In addition to being poignant and touching the book is also incredibly funny -- You should be reading it instead of my boring blog.


KrisTees -24-01 23rd Ave Astoria New York

KrisTees opened up a couple of months ago just a few blocks from my home and while the miserly old woman who lives in my pocketbook normally avoids any store without a sale rack my quickly failing search for a Christmas dress tempted me into visiting last weekend. At Kristees I was able to use the following excuses to justify purchasing the adorable (if slightly pricey) red dress you see pictured at left:

1. Two Christmas parties to attend and no red dresses in my closet
2. I'll be supporting a local merchant!
3. I just got a raise... I deserve a slightly pricey dress.
4. Once Christmas is over I could totally wear this to work over jeans.
5. I look hot. (in general even if not in this picture...)

Method Aroma Capsule

Let's hear it for the first random want to migrate into a recommendation! Gillian picked up a pear scented capsule for me at Target a couple of weeks ago and the offensive moldy smell is all but gone! The pear smell is a huge improvement, however it is a little too bed and breakfast-y for my taste. The capsule claims to be good for 6 weeks and I think come January I'll replace pears with something a little less fruity -- the lavender and lemon grass sound tempting.





Soma FM Christmas in Frisco

I am a sucker for the holidays -- I love baking cookies and decorating and buying presents and these activities are made all the more enjoyable when backed up with soundtrack of Christmas tunes. The problem is that you can only hear "Silent Night" so many times before it starts to grate. Enter Soma FM (who's indie pop rocks station I've long been a fan of) -- this year they have a streaming Christmas station. Christmas in Frisco plays a great mix of new rock-y Christmas tunes (right now on the song history: "All I want for Christmas (is to get Krunk)" and "jingle bell surf") along with the old tunes that bring back Christmas at my grandma and grandpa's (where they used to make the grandkids sing for their presents). If this station is not big enough to fill all of your holiday music needs you should also check out Maybe This Christmas

Random Recomends #2

This American Life, A Little Bit of Knowledge

I could just write a general recommendation for This American Life but I’ve instead managed to pinpoint my favorite episode – If you don’t like this you probably won’t like the rest of them. Also, if you don’t like this you are a heartless beast who most likely already works for the devil. The episode starts out with a few stories about people being disillusioned of their misconceptions -- in that spirit I offer a misconception of my own.

Shockingly the “Mule Capital of the World” does not have tons of Jews but I did go to elementary school with a few Jehovah’s Witnesses and I knew they had to go to church on Saturday and didn’t celebrate the same holidays as my family and well… Jehovah and Jewish both start with the letter “J” so I concluded that “Jehovah’s Witness” was just another word for Jewish. I made this inference sometime in late elementary school and didn’t give the issue much more thought until 9^th or 10^th grade when I suddenly realized how wrong I was. Luckily I rethought my religious assessment before making any horribly embarrassing statements but the people in this episode of TAL are not so lucky.

The closing story is by Dan Savage of Savage Love fame and is the most hilarious and touching story every told about gay marriage. I’ve listened to it at least 4 times and I still get all teared up.

TAL just started pod casting – subscribe here and each week’s episode will automatically appear on your ipod every Monday morning.

Queen Bee Poppy Trucker Bag

A few months ago I spent way too much time searching for the perfect laptop bag. I had been living with a large Dickies bag that, after a couple of years of use was falling apart and I wanted to replace it with something original. I found this bag via Buy Olympia (a great site with tons of unique handcrafted products) and I love it. It got a nick in the vinyl after only a week of ownership so I was worried that it wouldn’t hold up well but after about 6 months of use that’s still the bag’s only blemish. I did see another girl on the subway with the red version so I’m not the only girl in New York City with a Queen Bee original but I’ll survive.

Meteos

Joe borrowed this DS game to me and I’ve been playing it way too much. I always know when I’m playing a game too much because just as I start to fall asleep I begin to see the game in my mind and I can’t make the imagery stop and it keeps me awake. A number of years ago when I was playing a lot of Black and White I remember driving through the mountains from my house in San Francisco to Reno Nevada and thinking, “wow, there are a lot of trees here, if my villagers had this kind of forest they could build me an amazing alter.” Luckily it’s not that bad with Meteos.

I can’t believe puzzle games can still be new it seems like we should have come to the end of interesting options. Meteos is vaguely Tetris like in that blocks drop from the sky and you have clear them, you do this by moving blocks up and down to create color groups. This game uses the stylus which I had found hard to use in the past but it doesn’t bother me so much in this game. You’re only making small movements with the stylus so I think it’s slightly less taxing on my wrist than other games. I do find that moving blocks near the edge of the screen can be challenging but overall the stylus play works well. The game has lots customization options allowing you to vary game play a fair bit which makes for a lot of replayability.

Victoria's Secret Pink/Extreme Low Rise Underwear

I kind of hate Victoria’s Secret. They don’t make bras in my size and much of their merchandise seems ridiculously overpriced. That said I love these, and not only because they make me all hard core and extreme (seriously companies stop labeling everything on your shelves "extreme" the word has lost its cool).

I tend to wear most of my pants on my hips which leads to more exposed underwear than I’m comfortable with. These panties sit comfortably below my pant line which is nice but it does mean that the public at large is missing out on how adorable they are. I love how brightly colored and happy the patterns are, though I could do without the constant branding. Mom, if you’re picking up stocking stuffers go for the polka dots, stars and guitars. The panties come in a number styles -- I like the boy briefs and the hipsters the best.

This recommendation should back up point ten on yesterday's post.

Random Recommends

I love product recommendation blogs like Mighty Goods, Cool Hunting and Popgadget and have often fantasized that someone would offer me a job where companies send me free products so I can express my nonexpert, completely biased opinions. In addition to getting free stuff this job seems like it would also result in getting lots of fun nonjunk mail so it’s clearly the most perfect vocation ever. So, in hopes that powerful people will start shipping me complimentary products I present the first installment of Random Recommends.

Benetint Pocket Pal

Boys may complain that the gloss in this product is overly sticky and thus makes you unkissable but they will be lying because the stain plus gloss combo will make your lips so sexy that all stickiness will be forgotten in the heat of making out (and anyway isn’t stickiness of some sort always part of the best make-out sessions?). Extra bonus points for smelling like roses and having a vaguely dirty name – just saying the words “pocket pal” are enough to brighten any gloomy day (I have the sense of humor of an 8 year old).

Cargo Blush/Bronzer

A couple of sweeps of this on my cheeks and I suddenly feel 8000 times prettier. I used to be a devotee of the brozer but was in a state of constant conflict over if I needed the fair or the medium. This resulted in much consternation so I switched over to the blush in “The Big Easy” and though I sometimes wonder if my cheeks look a little too rosy for a 28 year old I’m pretty happy and happily pretty.

Dorot Frozen Herbs

As a huge foodie I am a big believer in fresh herbs over dried but I always end up throwing out half of every bunch of herbs I buy. I always say I’ll make and freeze pesto but I don’t. Alton Brown has a decent method for keeping herbs longer than usual (wrap in damp paper towel, wrap in aluminum foil, store in fridge) but frankly I’m way too lazy to do this on a regular basis. Enter Dorot Frozen Herbs – popping a few cubes of basil or parsley into simmering sauces has saved my snobby chef ass on more than one occasion – you can pick these up at Trader Joes for super cheep and they keep for months.

Lodge Cast Iron Pans

Nonstick is a waste of your money (well except when it come to breakfast – nonstick still makes some amazing omelets and pancakes). I use my cast iron skillet so much that I store it on top of my oven (ok, maybe this is also a manifestation of my laziness but it really does get used about 3 times a week). I know a lot of people are afraid of cast iron because of the curing aspect. I have recurred this pan twice and never had any problems – just fry some bacon and stick the greasy pan in the oven for a couple of hours – easy-peasy.

Draven Slip on Shoes

All summer long I lived in jcrew flip flops – I hate spending time tying my shoes (perhaps this post should be retitled “Brianna is a Lazy Whiner”) and the onset of fall brought many boring minutes of shoe tying. I was truly depressed to think of all the time lost that could have been spent walking quickly towards the subway (I’m sure shoe tying led to at least 5 missed trains). I started out trying to remedy this problem with Vans slip ons which in addition to saving me time would help me to gain retro cool points – but I didn’t love any of the Vans patterns. I found these shoes by Draven at a Journey’s outlet in Alabama and I am mad about them. They slip on for quick getaways AND are adorned with skulls and hearts thus making it easy for me to pretend that I’m all punk rock. Perfect footwear.

Convertible Shopping Bag

I bought this last year on a shopping trip with my friend Evelyn who gets a huge discount due to being part of The Container Store cult but even at full price ($7.99) it’s an amazing bargain. I try to keep my little blue pouch (not shown) in my laptop bag for shopping emergencies – in addition to saving me from contributing to the mountain of plastic bags that is forever threatening to tumble down from atop my refrigerator this bag is infinitely more comfortable to carry than your average plastic number.