July 28, 2008 07:13 PM
Stuff I'm Lovin'
I was sitting by my friend's pool the other night, enjoying a cocktail with some of my favorite people, and our host flipped on some music. He had hooked up speakers to his computer network, and placed them by the pool. Someone asked him what station he was playing and he responded "No station. It's Pandora. Ever heard of it?" Oh my gosh, have I ever heard of it? I told him, "It has changed my life." Okay, perhaps that was a wee bit of an exaggeration. But as a home-based writer, I gotta tell you, I long for great music, and I get tired of my iTunes playlist.
So I started thinking about some of the things that I have really been loving lately, and I thought I'd share them with you:
- Coolest Web App: Twitter is a Web-page application that lets you post the answer to one simple question: What are you doing? Yet it's made such a splash that now, even companies are using it to protect their reputations.
- Jewelry: My New Orleans-native friend, Angela, told me about a beautiful religious medal she purchased on a trip back home. I logged on to the Saints for Sinners site, and purchased one for myself, my son, my daughter, and dh. I also got one for my 82-year-old father for Father's Day, and he was so moved when I gave him his St. Lazarus medal, he actually cried. (He has loved this saint since he was a child in Cuba.) I have since purchased another for myself, and I wear them (my Miraculous Medal and Sacred Heart of Jesus) almost daily. They are beautiful and have a special meaning for me, a former Catholic schoolgirl.
- Stuff to eat and drink: Bacardi Silver Mango Mojitos are yummy and not too strong for this normally wine-only drinking girl. Lean Cuisine's BBQ Recipe Chicken Pizza for quick and easy lunches when I'm on deadline, and Fritos Flavor Twists™ Honey BBQ Flavored Corn Chips, because they are just about the best chips I have ever tasted, and have replaced regular barbeque potato chips as my standby.
- Religious votive candles: They're inexpensive, and add a great touch to the table when I'm serving Mexican food, or the Cuban cuisine I learned to cook from my mother. You can get them at many grocery stores, or online at CubanFoodMarket.com.
- Rewards Programs: Why shop and just get what you pay for, when you can get rewards for the same purchases? It's easy to go overboard and sign up for too many, so I try to just sign up for programs that give me the most return. My favorites are currently Lucky Rewards (from my favorite magazine), Delta Skymiles, and GoldPointsPlus for my travel needs.
