Need a Job? Go online.

I occasionally recommend good websites, and I've got one today. It's indeed.com. I know a LOT of people, including Dear Hubby, who've had to make job changes in the last year. With the economy the way it is, there's no telling what is ahead of us. On this website, you can type in keywords for the job you would like to find, then a zip code, and it brings up a long list of job postings in your area. When I tested it with "bookkeeping" and my zip code, it came up with 218 job listings from all different sources. This website scans careerbuilder.com and other online job searches, and you can normally apply instantly online. I'm not looking for a job, but if I were, this is where I'd be looking. If this doesn't apply to you right now, it probably would be helpful to someone you know, so pass it on!

[I have no connection to this company and no reason to recommend it -- other than loving to share what I believe is valuable information.]

Men: Throw Away Your Disposable Razors and Go Retro

Our middle son, Austin, is a lot like me. He loves collecting information and finding the best way to do anything. His latest adventure is in shaving techniques. You see, Austin got his complexion from his red-headed grandma, and his skin is easily irritated. He wears a goatee, but when he shaves around the edges, his skin turns red for a day or two. He also has to shave completely when it's National Guard weekend.

So, he tried something different: He bought an old-fashioned double-edge safety razor. Now he says he's getting a better shave with less irritation. Who'd a thunk it? The kind he has does not look like the butterfly-opening razors I remember. It's a German brand called Merkur, and he also recommends the Merkur blades. You can get the razor for around $25 at a barber supply or online.

From Austin himself:
"Let your beard soak up as much water as possible in the shower, even try using conditioner on it. Wash your face well, then soak it for a couple of minutes with a hot towel. Build up the lather of your shaving cream with a brush (shown). If you use spray lather, mix some hot water with it in your hand or a cup, using the brush. Lather face, then shave with the grain. Lather again, and go against the grain. Use a hot cloth to wipe down your face.

It'll take a little practice to find the right angle to hold the razor. If you hold it too flat it will drag and grab and too high won't hardly cut at all. Use short strokes and rinse your blade often. Also, try to use each side of the razor evenly so you can get the most use out of a blade."

Here are a couple of websites Austin used to research this:
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Main_Page
http://www.shavemyface.com/

If this is something you do practically every day, why not do it the best way? Happy Shaving!

Do You Have a Twin in Heaven?

I got a neat e-mail from my friend Linda this week. It included a picture of her and husband Gary's still-in-the-womb grandbabies: twins (see Baby A and Baby B in photo). Though only 9 weeks along, modern technology allows a pretty good view of what's going on. We are so happy for this family! Gary's mother had twins, her sister had twins, Linda and Gary had twins, and now one of their twins is having twins.

This reminded me about something I read about in the past that is fascinating. It's called Vanishing Twin Syndrome. According to statistics, one in 8 people start life as a twin, but only 1 in 70 are actually born as a twin. See this article at About.com for more details:
http://multiples.about.com/cs/medicalissues/a/vanishingtwin.htm Sometimes during the first trimester, some twins don't survive and are absorbed. This has most likely always been this way, but we didn't know about it until recent technology made it clear. The unfortunate thing about this is the emotional toll it takes on the parents, now that they know earlier.

But consider this: How many of us will get to heaven and find out that we have a twin, or have children who are twins, that we didn't know about? After all, those souls have gone to heaven and are waiting for us. Isn't that just almost too much to think about?? I already have 6 sisters and a brother. There might be more!! Or, I might have more children than I think I do....That'll be fun.

How to Help Someone Who's Home from the Hospital

I always have a problem with this. I love people and want to help. But I'm also a busy woman and not a great cook. Let's put it this way, cooking is a challenge for me. And you never know what people like or don't like, or what dietary restrictions they may be trying to live with.

So, I was thrilled to find this idea at www.star-telegram.com, in an article by Stephanie Allmon. In this article about "Get-Well Goodies", she suggested giving people a gift card to a favorite restaurant, or even a collection of gift cards to restaurants that deliver. I think this is a Great Idea! That way they can order exactly what they want, delivered when they want it. If I were the receiver, I would really appreciate it. And I would probably spend almost as much by buying the groceries and cooking, not to mention the time spent.

We still love the home-cooked meals all you wonderful cooks come up with! But for kitchen-challenged chics like me, it's a great relief to have an alternative idea.

Keep Losing Books? Make Your Own Library Cards

I love books. I don't think I'll ever be able to switch over to one of those new-fangled hand-held reading machines (like Kindle), because I just love the feel of a book in my hands. I have as large a library as my shelves will hold, and a stack of books waiting to be read. (And I have to try to stop myself from buying more.)

Therefore you can understand that it hurts my feelings when I loan books out and people don't return them. I want to be generous. But I want my books back.

My solution: I sort of make my own library cards by using a 3 X 5 card to write down the title of the book, the date, and who I loaned it to. I can't tell you how many books I've lost by not remembering who I loaned them to and then not being able to ask for them back (though I shouldn't have to). I clearly mark my name on each book I loan. Then I have a certain place in my office for the 3 X 5 library cards.

If you want to be really professional, you can actually buy library cards and the pockets to put them in. I do this with books I loan out for the ministry I work for. But for my own personal books, the plain cards will suffice. This could be extended to anything you loan out. And people, if you borrow something, give it back!





This book was formerly "lost", but I was able to replace it through the clearance rack at Half-Price Books. Some of my favorite ones are still missing.

Then and Now - Regina and Manfred

I love this picture of my daughter-in-law's parents, Regina and Manfred, on their wedding day. Beautiful, huh?

And here they are at the recent wedding with wonderful family. L-R, Daniela, Regina, Barrett, Beccy, Florian, and Manfred
(granddaughter Sina is missing from picture -- I'll have to feature her later. )


I must say I have never met more kind, thoughtful, hospitable people.

Shopping Alert!

I'm not happy to see that Linens 'N Things is going out of business. It is the only store of its kind in our area. At this point, some things are 30% off, but that discount should keep increasing each week. Keep in mind, all sales are final -- no returns. If you can't get to the store, you can shop online at www.linensnthings.com. (Only for things you actually NEED, of course.)

From what I read online, it sounds like they're not accepting coupons anymore, so I definitely will wait until the prices go lower. With the economy the way it is right now, I'm thinking there will be lots of good sales for this Christmas season.

P.S. If you have any Linens 'N Things gift cards sitting around, you'd better use them NOW!

Friday Night Movie

Today's movie recommendation is "The Water Horse, Legend of the Deep". Funny...the first time I typed the title, it came out as "The Water Hose, Legend of the Deep". Now THAT would be a good movie!

Anyway, the special effects are a little goofy, but this a sweet movie about the legend of the Loch Ness Monster. If you're in the mood for some light entertainment, this is the one the whole family can watch. It's almost 2 hours long, so get the popcorn ready. I enjoyed it!

My Favorite Towel

Last summer, when I visited my friends Gayle and Bill in Colorado, it was so relaxing. I had my own room and bathroom, and could sleep as late as I wanted to every morning. *Sigh* Anyway, I loved their towels. They were extra big and soft and absorbent. I questioned Gayle: "Do you use a special fabric softener?" "No." "Then what is it?" She told me they were inexpensive Walmart towels, and I couldn't believe it.

I recently bought one just to see if I really like it as much as I thought, and sure enough, it's a great towel for a great price. The brand is Mainstays, made especially for Walmart, and they are 100% cotton (ringspun loops). The one I got is bath-size, much larger than the towels I normally use, and very soft. It cost less than $7. No kidding. I'm kind of wishing my old towels weren't in such good shape. But my guest bath towels are not at all absorbent, so I think I'll slowly replace them and pamper my guests as I was pampered. In the meantime, this one's mine!

More Spinal Health

Sleeping and a little reflection time causes me to want to add a few things to yesterday's post about spinal health.

1. Walking is great for lower back pain. Staying in bed is NOT.
2. Strengthening your abs is essential to combat back pain.
3. Proper posture helps a lot -- something I really have to work on, especially while sitting.
4. A book series that has really helped Dear Hubby: 3 books by Robin McKenzie -

Treat Your Own Neck
Treat Your Own Back
7 Steps to a Pain-Free Life (a combination of the other 2 books)

Because everyone is different, I'm not recommending these. You have to discover what is right for your situation, and be guided by common sense and your doctor. But these contain stretches and exercises that have helped DH a lot. We keep extra copies of these books and loan them out to friends.

Spinal Health

Do you have chronic back problems? I ask you to carefully consider this question -- is it possible that one of your legs is longer than the other? If so, this is putting a lot of stress on your muscles to compensate for the difference. Take a good look at your legs and see whether the ankles and knees align with each other.

There are a lot of reasons why this may be. After many years of treatment by different kinds of doctors, we discovered a long time ago that Dear Hubby had one leg slightly shorter than the other. In his case, it is because he fell out of a tree as a youngster and broke both ankles. One ankle was jammed up into his foot so much that he stayed in traction for a while, but it left that leg permanently shorter. When we discovered this, and we could see it with our own eyes when we paid attention, he went to his doctor, who poo-pooed the idea. DH insisted on a measurement, so the doctor sent him for a bone scan. Sure enough, one leg is about 1/2" shorter. You wouldn't think that would make that much difference, but it surely does. He was able to get a simple shoe pad made to his specifications, and after the muscles did some readjusting, he's had a much healthier back ever since. If he ever forgets to put the shoe pad in, he says it feels like he's stepping into a hole with that foot.

Now, you may have this problem for other reasons -- muscles drawn up or your spine being out of alignment. In that case, you don't want to simply mask the problem with a lift -- you want to get to a good chiropractor and let them help you get back into alignment. I am thankful that I now have a really good one who uses a system that doesn't hurt me. It's called the Activator Method Chiropractic Technique (AMCT), and it's helped me a lot. See www.activator.com for more information about this system.

Pay attention to your spine! Every nerve runs through the spine and then out to all your body parts, including all your organs. A pinched nerve can cause all kinds of issues with your health, even things you would not think are related.

On a spiritual note, I've also seen for myself people healed of this kind of thing through prayer -- on the spot! Nothing is too hard for God.

Passport Safety

I'm probably getting near the end of my travel tips for now. If you do travel a lot, this is a great product. It's the Travelon ID and Boarding Pass Holder. It has a place for your passport, driver's license and boarding pass. It also has a hidden zipper in the back to stash some cash. I recommend keeping your driver's license turned backward so people can't read it while you're wearing this around the airport. I can't tell you how many people I know who have lost their driver's license while traveling -- due to having to keep it out to show at different checkpoints. We used these passport holders to and from out trip to Germany, wearing them around our necks at the airport and then keeping everything together in our purses/bags later. Quite handy! They come in different colors - I got all the guys black ones and pink for me and Christie.

The place I ordered them from is www.tamperseal.com, because they do not charge for shipping -- $10 each includes everything. This would be a great gift for someone who travels. I hope I'll be using mine a lot more.









Mike and Christie in front of a "Residence" we toured (we'd call it a castle) -- very ornate inside and there were beautiful gardens all around it.

The Second Wedding

Our trip to Germany was for more than just visiting our loved ones. Our youngest son, Barrett, married the love of his life, Rebecca, in the U.S. while on leave in 2007. After a long deployment to Afghanistan, they had a second wedding for Beccy's family in Germany. Our family was so blessed to get to be there. Here are a few of the pictures. Between us, we took almost 1000 pictures! I wish I could show them all to you. They have so many beautiful customs.

"Baby Barrett" showed up at the reception

Help Prevent Economy Class Syndrome with Travelsox

Because I have a problem with thick blood, I was especially concerned about a 10 hour flight to and from Germany. There is something called "economy class syndrome" -- if you don't move around enough, you could develop deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a potentially deadly blood clot in the leg. [My, did those first class and business class seats look delightful! But for $5000 or more extra, um...no...]

I ordered Travelsox online. They have gradual compression on your legs and keep the blood flowing. I wore them around the house for a day to make sure they were comfortable, and I was very happy with them. Of course, I still moved around as much as I could and drank a lot of water. I also take a natural blood thinner, a supplement called Nattokinaise.

I'm happy to say I made it back safe and healthy (except for a head cold). Here's another picture of the German countryside to soothe your soul.

Vineyard on a hill

Read This if You're Ready to Pursue Extravagant Health! Breakthrough by Suzanne Somers

As you probably know, I am extremely interested in natural health. A friend once told me that a book by Suzanne Somers was really good, but I just couldn't believe that she could tell me anything I didn't already know. Recently, Suzanne came out with a new book, Breakthrough, and was promoting it in interviews. I decided to go to the bookstore and look at it and see if it had anything of interest to me. After just a few minutes, I happily bought the book.

Well, let me tell you, this is one of the best books on health I have every read! It agrees with everything I already know, but added a lot more to my knowledge. There is a whole new science of cutting-edge anti-aging medicine, and most doctors don't even know about it. Besides filling us in on what she has learned in a very interesting way, Suzanne interviews 16 of the top docs in the country in this field, and the transcripts are right in the book. I've highlighted a huge part of this book, and now plan to go back and implement a lot of this into my life. I can't do everything Suzanne Somers does, because of the cost, but I can do a lot.

I ready this entire thick book on my trip to Germany. I found myself staying up late almost every night after DH went to bed, and had to make myself stop reading and go to bed.

Maybe it won't be as interesting to everyone as it is to me, but if you are tired of the regular medical system, which only treats symptoms, and you are ready for some heavy-duty prevention, this is your book. I'm excited that, Lord willing, I may have another 30 or 40 productive years left.

Bonus hints from the book: The most common cause of macular degeneration is lack of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. The most common cause of headaches in people is backed-up gallbladders. You'll have to read the book to get all the details. Fascinating!!

Travel Snack

One of the best things you can take along with you on a trip is prunes (or, if you want to pretty it up -- dried plums). To put it delicately, sometimes you're just not normal when you're away from home. Dear Hubby likes to take these on motorcycle trips.

Sunsweet has these in great little 60-calorie packs that are easy to pack or even stick in your pocket. And there's so much fiber, they fill you up! You won't be hungry for a little while after eating a pack of these.

They're available in grocery stores.

We toured Wasserkassel (Water Castle) in Germany. We toured the left side. The family who has always owned it still lives in the right side.

Packing for Vacation (a great collapsible bag)

As I said, we just got back from Germany, so you'll be reading a few traveling tips this week, and I'll stick in a picture of Germany each day -- what a beautiful place!!

At this point, when you travel internationally, you get to take 2 checked bags and 1 carry-on bag (plus a personal item) without charge. There were five of us traveling together, so not everyone used all their baggage allowances.

I found this nifty collapsible duffel bag at Wal-mart and stuffed it into an outer pocket of one of my checked bags, to have more space on the way back.

For some reason, it seems like dirty clothes take up more room than clean clothes. I unzipped and enlarged this bag, and then rolled each piece of dirty laundry and put it in this bag. That way, I had lots more room in my other bags, and all the dirty laundry was kept separate. I had room to spare, and this only cost around $10 (I can't remember the exact amount). I wish I'd taken a photo of it while expanded, but now I'm too lazy to expand it and collapse it again.

Of course, you won't want to do this if you're paying a premium for your bag, but it would make a good carry-on on the way back from a trip if you've still got an allowance. And rolling each piece of dirty laundry will take up less room wherever you put it.

Have a great week!

The beautiful village where Beccy's parents live (only 16 families)

Amazing Battery Life

We just returned a few days ago from an amazing trip to Germany where our youngest son lives (more about that later). While I was there, I took almost 300 photos with my digital camera.

Fortunately, I had loaded it with Energizer E2 batteries before I left. If you ever wondered whether these things really are better, let me tell you, they are! I've used them before, but recently I'd been trying to use rechargeable batteries. There's no comparison.

Even with all the flashing and zooming I was doing in taking 300 pics, these batteries are still going strong. I'm amazed. I suspect they could make all batteries even better than this, but then, they wouldn't sell as many batteries, would they??

These are worth the extra money, folks, for your electronic gadgets.

Got Gum?

Today's recommendation is Spry Sugarfree Gum. Most sugarfree gums are sweetened with aspartame, which has been proven to have unhealthy side effects. Spry is sweetened with Xylitol, which is actually good for your teeth, hence the subtitle "Dental Defense System".

This stuff comes in different flavors and tastes good, too. You can find it at health food stores, and hopefully it will be available more widely soon.

Then and Now - John Michael

My nephew John Michael is quite a guy. He's an engineer now, and moving up in his career. I got to spend some time with him recently, and really enjoyed our visit.

John Michael then

Now with his mother Rhonda and girlfriend CeCe

Pass the Lizard Spit

Well, this beats all. I heard on the news the other day that researchers have been using a drug made out of lizard spit to control blood sugar in diabetics. And one of the side-effects is weight loss! The average weight loss in people using this is 18 pounds. Sign me up! I yelled out the back door, "Honey, if you see a lizard out there, catch it for me." What's a little lizard spit between friends and loved ones?

Specifically, though, it has to be the spit of a gila monster lizard, and it's poisonous straight from the lizard, so I guess I won't be swapping spit with a lizard anytime soon. I wonder if my spit would make him gain weight? Who ever thought to even test this? Oh yea, ... there are potential risks of damaging your pancreas with this medication. Oh phooey!

Here's a link to a news report if you'd like to read more about it:

http://www.kfoxtv.com/health/17474201/detail.html

Honestly, I wouldn't risk my pancreas even for 18 pounds. And I'll bet it costs a fortune. All the local lizards are safe.

Friday Night Movie

My recommendation for a movie this week?
The Miracle of Morgan's Creek 1944

Description from Netflix:
In this daring, slapstick farce that's become a classic, Betty Hutton plays a small-town girl who attends an all-night party and suddenly finds herself "in the family way." Trouble is, she can't remember who the father might be. Directed by Preston Sturges, this hilarious comedy features Eddie Bracken as a loveably nerdy suitor who's willing to marry Hutton. Williams Demarest, Brian Donlevy and Akim Tamiroff co-star.

It's not as racy as it sounds. It's a really cute, entertaining movie. I can see why it's a classic, though I'd never heard of it before seeing it. It's amazing that what was entertaining in 1944 can still be entertaining now!

Safety First

A few years ago, I read a newspaper article about someone who pulled up to a train crossing and stopped because a train was coming. However, the person who drove up behind that car didn't stop, and pushed the car into the oncoming train. It was a terrible tragedy. I've never forgotten that. We have a lot of trains coming through our relatively small town.

When Dear Hubby and I talked about it, he made this suggestion: Anytime you are the first or second person stopped for a train, put your transmission in "Park" and put on your emergency brake. That way, if someone hits you from behind, they're not going to push you very far. I do that to this day.

I know I'm overly-cautious. I don't think it's from fear, I believe I'm just acting intelligently and making decisions to cut risks. If you can do something simple to cut your risk of dying, like wearing a seat-belt, why not err on the side of cautiousness?

A simple careless act can be tragic, as in the recent case of the train conductor who was text messaging instead of paying attention to his job. That man made one small decision that cost the lives of 25 people, including his own, and many more were injured. We see people all the time who are text-messaging while they're driving!

I caught myself the other day doing something equally stupid -- I was stopped at a red light and decided to quickly check the e-mail on my phone while I was sitting there. When the light turned green, I absentmindedly started driving while still glancing at an e-mail. And I was eating at the same time!! That's stupid on top of stupid. I quickly realized what I was doing and made a decision not to do that anymore. We've all got to be more conscious of what we are doing, especially while we're driving.

Join me in this, please. Okay, I'm stepping down off of my soapbox now.

I Think My Icemaker is Constipated

I'm not kidding. I have a love/hate relationship with my icemaker. I love it and wouldn't want to do without it, but it sure is finicky sometimes. Sometimes a piece of ice gets jammed in it's teeth, and that's easy to remedy. But sometimes it just stops making ice for no reason at all. I can usually trick it into working again -- I turn it off, wait a while, turn it back on again. I do that as many times as I need to until it starts making ice again. And I can never, ever ask it to make crushed ice, because it's little system is so delicate that it gets all clogged up. When that happens, I go after it with a long, hard plastic spoon and remove all the debris and set it right again. Do you think I need to be feeding it some fiber?

If all else fails, my handy little hubby takes it all apart and does a number on it.

I don't know why I needed to share that. I just did.

When I get discouraged, I just remember the days of filling and dumping ice trays and everyone sticking their dirty hands into the ice container. I love my icemaker.

Give me a G, Give me a W

I used to be a garage sale fanatic. Now I pretty much stay way (with occasional setbacks), because it took too much time and I kept dragging home things I didn't need just because I found a good deal. One of these days I'll write about my garage-sale tips.

However, I can still capture the thrill of the hunt by going to my local GW. What's that, you ask?

It's the Goodwill store. It's awfully fun to go in there and cherry-pick for the best stuff -- mainly clothes. I have found brand-new-with-the-tags-still-on name brand pieces for just a few bucks. I've found two or three nice 100% silk tops. I find things from Chicos, Ann Taylor Loft, and other places I shy away from because of the prices. Dear Hubby buys jeans there (sometimes with the tags still on), so he can not feel bad about ruining them riding motorcycles or working in the yard.

One time, we were in Denver, and we had the chance to go into the mountains with friends. Dear Hubby didn't bring the right clothes, so we took a trip to the local GW and picked him out a nice, warm outfit that he still uses today. They're clean, pretty organized, and you can try things on.

And, as an added bonus, we get a Val-Pak advertising bundle in the mail that usually has coupons for GW -- $5 off a $20 purchase.

Keep this in mind if you'd like to take someone shopping who really needs clothes. AND, 83% of the profit goes to help people through Goodwill Industries.

I have friends at church with whom, when we admire each other's clothes, we wink and smile and say, "GW". When you've got the time, and a few extra bucks, and maybe a coupon, go treasure hunting. You can locate the closest store at http://locator.goodwill.org/

Then and Now - Jackie Wayne

Time flies! It's Sunday again, and time to look back -- today at my nephew Jackie Wayne. He's such a good guy, in college and working. It's always a pleasure to spend time with him.

Young and cute











Older and still cute -- here with girlfriend Julia

Half Off

Now here's a hint from our youngest son, Barrett. Barrett has turned from a chubby little guy in elementary school to a fitness fanatic. Here's his hint:

Did you know that most restaurant portions of food are about 3 times how much one should eat? It takes your body 20 minutes or more to realize that it's not hungry any more... So, you can do a LOT of damage in 20 minutes... My tip is, when I go to a restaurant, I immediately cut my entire meal in half and separate it, then I eat half of it slowly, and package the other half up in a doggy bag for another meal. So not only am I saving money by getting two meals, but I'm staying healthy by not over indulging.

I agree! Unless it's a great big salad. Can't go wrong there. I've read before several comparisons -- the normal size of a muffin 30 years ago, and the size of one now, etc. We've super-sized everything!

Fireproof

For this week's Friday Night Movie, I'm recommending that you get out of the house and go to the theater. Last weekend, we saw the new movie Fireproof, and it was good! As a matter of fact, our local theater was sold out all day Saturday. We bought our tickets ahead and stood in a long line to get in Saturday night. We all actually applauded at the end of the movie! How often does that happen?

I'll warn you, this movie is blatantly Christian. It's made by the same church that made "Facing the Giants" (also a good rental recommendation). The production quality is not as high as the big multi-million dollar blockbusters, but it's good, and the story line is great. You can wait until it comes out on video, but it's really good to support movies like these so they'll make more.

I'd say, if you're married, or ever want to be, go - go - go see this movie. Dear Hubby and I loved it. If you'd like to see more details, go to www.fireproofthemovie.com. You can also buy the related book, The Love Dare, in bookstores.

Winter Lips

As we get closer to winter, this tip will certainly come in handy. When your lips gets dry and chapped, they need a little exfoliating. There are products made just for that, but here's one that's cheap and easy.

Simply do this: Scrub your lips with your toothbrush. It will take off the dry skin. Then moisturize with a good, natural lip balm. This tip is good for guys as well.

Problem solved. Your honey will appreciate it.

Gifts for Geeks

Christmas is right around the corner, and you just might have a geek or two in your family. I do. I'm not being derogatory -- someday the geeks will rule the world (maybe they already are). Here are some of the definitions of a geek, according to Wikipedia:

• A person who is interested in technology, especially computing and new media. Geeks are adept with computers, and use the term hacker in a positive way, though not all are hackers themselves.
• A person who relates academic subjects to the real world outside of academic studies; for example, using multivariate calculus to determine how they should correctly optimize the dimensions of a pan to bake a cake.
• A person who has chosen concentration rather than conformity; one who passionately pursues skill (especially technical skill) and imagination, not mainstream social acceptance.

So, what do you get a geek for Christmas? Here are two of their favorite shopping places:
www.thinkgeek.com (for gifts)
www.stupid.com (for really stupid stocking stuffers)

I've had a lot of fun at stupid.com in the past. It's not only for geeks. I bought Dear Hubby some bandaids that look like bacon and meat-scented air fresheners for his truck. He thinks bacon will cure any ill. You'll have to sort through the totally tasteless stuff to get a few funny stocking stuffers. And when you order, they send your confirmation e-mail saying something like, "Dear Stupid Customer, Your Stupid order has been shipped today by our Stupid shipping department"...

Reminds me of the time when Barrett was a young teenager and we were about to tour the Glen Canyon Dam in Page, Arizona. We couldn't get him to stop saying things like "Do we have to take the dam tour?" "How long is this dam tour going to last?" Now he's one of my geeks.