I don’t know how many of you watch Oprah. But even if you don’t, you should be aware that her “Favorite Things” episode is the hottest ticket in town. She once joked that Brad Pitt couldn’t get his mother seats to the gazillion-dollar giveaway show. But this year, Oprah cheaped out—something about how the economy was in such bad shape that she thought it was in poor taste to flaunt fancy gifts in front of her viewers that they couldn’t afford. Whatever. Like we can usually afford $90 face cream.
Anyway, for this year’s episode, Oprah offered viewers fun, homemade holiday gifts like boxes to decorate and stationary to fill. Okay, that can be cute (ahem, if you’re 10). But with only eight shopping days left, who’s got the time? Let’s face it, you need a store-bought list.
And so I thought that this year, in lieu of Oprah, I’d step up to the plate.
Here is my list of Diana’s Favorite Things:
• All Terrain Tripod. These things rock. My husband and I took one of these to Italy, and we were finally able to get photos of us (together!) without making the international miming gesture of ‘can you take our picture?’ to strangers who don’t speak English.
• USB External Keyboard. I don’t know about you guys, but the keyboard on my laptop sucks. Sometimes when I’m typing, my thumb accidentally hits the mouse pad and moves the cursor against my will. And the “insert” button is actively trying to kill me (who uses that thing?). This keyboard attaches to your laptop via a USB port, and it allows you to raise your laptop to eye level and keep your hands in ergonomically correct position.
• Kolo Catalina Photo Album. My husband and I travel a lot, and we don’t throw much away. Consequently, we have boxes of maps from Paris, coasters from Prague, ticket stubs from Italy, ect. And I don’t have time to scrapbook my life away. These new albums let you slide your photos in, and it gives you five scrapbook pages to quickly glue your memorabilia down. I use the scrapbook pages as dividers to show we’ve gone from Tuscany to Venice, and so on. Very awesome.
• Panini Press from William Sonoma. My in-laws got this for us, and it has now officially replaced my Forman Grill. I’ll never go back. In addition to making delicious sandwiches (Classico Pesto Sauce makes any hot sandwich taste better), it also grills veggies, steak, chicken, you name it. And it leaves happy little grill lines when it’s done.
• Sharpie Pen. It’s the perfect solution to every author’s dilemma. You don’t want to sign books with a Sharpie marker that makes the signature illegible. And you don’t want to sign with an ordinary pen that writes too light and won’t hold up over time. These pens are permanent and write just thick enough.
• Books! See my earlier post for specifics.
• Macy’s. Yup, I’m giving it up to the entire store. First, because it’s Christmas and the Macy’s on 34th Street in Manhattan perfected the holiday. Second, because EVERYTHING is on sale at Macy’s. Always. It doesn’t matter what the ticket says, take it to the register. It’s on sale. Also, I have an endless stream of coupons coming in the mail like little presents everyday. And what’s even nicer is that the new Macy’s in Philadelphia is in the old Wanamaker’s building—the very same department store where the movie Mannequin was filmed.
And don’t forget to enter the “Adios to All the Drama Text Msg Contest.” All you have to do is leave a comment on my last blog for a chance to win an ARC this Friday, or send a text message for a chance to win a complete box set.
POP CULTURE RANT: Eagles
So I went to the Monday night game against Cleveland. People care so little about the Browns here (sorry, Cleveland) that my hubby and I were able to buy the tickets from a broker at face value. That’s practically free in Eagles World (where the entire season sells out in an hour sometime in the early summer). The game was great (they won!). But I have to question the sanity of Andy Reed after he had DeSean Jackson (a wide receiver) attempt to throw a touchdown pass from the seven-yard line. Seriously? That play was pathetic, and the entire team is lucky the Browns didn’t shove it in their faces. But a win is a win! Go Birds! Two more games!
OMG, I cooked chicken on our panini press JUST LAST NIGHT and my husband was complaining that it’s not meant to be used for that, and that I was just too lazy to pull out the Foreman (which, BTW, is like his favorite small appliance). I pointed out that Foreman doesn’t close all the way, so very thin cuts of meat don’t actually cook well on it. The panini press, however, closes all the way and cooked the chicken like a dream! 🙂