Favorite Things

So, I have to admit upfront that I am a little late to the whole iPod craze. To be perfectly honest, I just didn't get what the big deal was and was perfectly content to keep on using my Sony minidisc player while working out. But recently I started to notice all the other folks in the gym with their teeny tiny iPods, and my minidisc player (all 12 ounces of it) started to feel like a dinosaur strapped to my arm. So when Mom & Dad offered to hand down one of their shuffles (Mom has upgraded to the iPod nano - I am being out-teched by my mother!) I jumped at the offer. I get it now. I loaded 3 hours worth of music onto the thing and its not even half full. No skipping, light as a feather and CD quality sound. Now I am drooling over the new iPod, although I readily admit that I have no idea when I would actually watch Season 1 of "Lost" on the damn thing, but I like the idea of being able to should the mood strike me.

Anyway, my newfound appreciation for all things "apple" and watching Oprah give away the new iPods on her annual "Favorite Things" show got me to thinking about current fads and what would be on my list of "Favorite Things" and what wouldn't make the cut. So here's my short list:

FIRST, THE STUPID:
Sudoku - If you've missed the boat on this one, allow me to fill you in. Sudoku is this ridicuolous logic puzzle in which the player must fill in a grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9, but each number can only be used once in each row, column, and box. Rob brought me home a copy of one from the local newspaper and after fifteen minutes of hair-pulling and teeth-gnashing the puzzle found its crumpled ass in the trash. I saw a news piece on the Sudoku craze which said that there are people who fill all of their spare time working these puzzles. Now, I'll be the first to admit that logic puzzles are not my strong suit, especially those containing numbers, but give me a break. Can't we find something more useful to do with our spare time, people - like say, computer Solitare? Now that's a good old-fashioned fad I can get behind.

Brangelina - If I hear one more story about Brad Pitt, Angeline Jolie, and Jennifer Aniston I'm going lose my Thanksgiving appetite. I love a good gossip piece about celebrities as much as the next pop culture freak, but I've hit my limit on this one. Here's what I think: Brad Pitt is a aesthetically blessed man with limited personal hygene skills who probably farts at the dinner table. Angeline Jolie is a talented actress whose personal choices (marriage to Billy Bob Thornton, history of self-mutilation, brief stint as a lesbian) simply do not match the public persona she tries to display (UN goodwill ambassador, adopting mother, social activist), so we shouldn't be surprised that she would have some sort of inappropriate relationship with a married man while denying having done so while said man babysits her kids. So they're probably perfect for each other. Good luck, go away. As for Jennifer Aniston, I think she's a pretty hot babe who will have no trouble finding someone else to hang out with, and that since she has like 27 movies coming out this month she should probably take a vacation before we get tired of looking at her. Bottom line is they all have more money than sense.

NOW, THE GOOD:
The Braun Tassimo coffee maker - Spend $170 on a coffee maker that only brews one cup at a time? You betcha! Because it's not just a coffee maker. You can make tea, lattes, cappucinos, hot chocolate - all with the press of a button. No muss, no fuss. Me likey. By my calculations, if you bought 42.5 tall lattes from Starbucks in a year, then you could actually save money by brewing your own with the Tassimo. Of course, since I only purchase maybe 7 lattes a year then it seems a little silly for me to actually add one of these babies to my counter, but a girl can dream.

Rachael Ray and her 30 minute meals - OK, so with a new magazine, new cookbooks, and a new talk show all about to debut, our girl may be a little close to over-exposure land, but until she gets there I am her biggest fan. Cook a full Thanksgiving meal in 30 minutes? Yes, thank you. Only use 10 ingredients readily available at the local Kroger to cook a full dinner? Again, me likey. Who says you have spend all day sweating it out in the kitchen trying to figure out what the hell "brining the turkey" means? Not Rachael, and sure as hell not me. Plus, she's so damn happy all the time its hard to not like her.

So there's my list. And to finish things off, I thought I would discuss a fad that I love that never goes out of style. The blanket. Not those fancy cashmere "throws" Oprah likes to give away as one of her "Favorite Things", but the simple 32x34 version made out of anything that makes you happy and gets dragged through childhood as a loyal companion. Casey has two, a purple one and a green one, and he has one by his side at almost all times. Mine is blue and fuzzy and now scattered with holes, and I sleep with it every night as I have since I was born. Mom has lovingly made versions of these for the family and they are treasured. Rob carried one that apparently had to be frequently repaired by his mom until there was basically nothing left but a hankerchief. Ah, the unconditional love of a blanket. It may not brew a perfect cup of cappucino or adopt children from Cambodia, but it never lets you down. Now that's a favorite fad worth holding on to.