Rain Online

Recently we were invited to a fund raiser for the local hospital. The event was a formal dinner, silent auction and dance and was held at a local country club. My husband wore his best suit and I wore an evening dress that was royal blue. As we were mingling among the guest I noticed that the majority of the women were in black dresses. There were many styles among the black dresses, but the main thing you noticed was the color because there were so many of them. At first I felt out of place in my blue dress. I was thinking to myself that I had two black dresses that I could have worn and wished I had picked one of them. Then my husband asked me to dance. As we were dancing we told me how pretty I looked and that he was glad that I was wearing the blue dress. He said he gets tired of seeing women in black dresses all the time.

After he said this I started reflecting on the number of times that women hear that they have to have a little black dress to complete their wardrobe. When you go shopping it is black dresses that are the most plentiful on the racks. The styles vary, but as I had experienced at the fund raiser, when you see so many people in the same color the styles do not stand out. The two black dresses that I own are very different from each other in fabric and cut, yet I am sure that when I wear them most people just notice that I have on a black dress.

When I was young I was invited to the high school prom. My mother and I went shopping for a dress for me. There were many styles and colors, but the one I liked was in black. My mother would not allow me to get the dress. She said that women spend so many years wearing black dresses that I should wear a brighter color while I was young. I think my mom was ahead of her time in her way of thinking. I am sure that black dresses will continue to be the accepted norm for formal occasions, but women should not limit themselves to the one color.

Since the comment my husband made at the fund raising dinner, I am more elective in the colors that I choose for my special occasion clothing. I still want to dress tastefully for an occasion, but I am no longer limiting myself to black dresses. It made me feel good that my husband thought I stood out from the other women in the room.

I waited a long time before buying my mp3 player. I first wanted one right when the first-generation iPods became popular, since carrying all of my music around in my pocket was instantly attractive. I held back for awhile, first because they were expensive and later because it seemed like everyone had an iPod; I didn’t want to just be a sheep and get an mp3 player because everybody else was doing it. Finally, after a couple of Christmases and birthdays without any sign of an mp3 player I broke down and got myself an iPod, a 3rd generation 10 gigabyte mp3 player and started feeding my music into it.

I rode the bus back and forth to campus every day, and though sometimes I brought my CD player along for the ride it was cumbersome to bring along my CDs. I tried an mp3 CD player which could store more songs on a CD, up to 200, but its interface was cumbersome to use and I couldn’t find the music I wanted when I wanted it. Eventually I just rode the bus without music, but once I picked up my iPod that all changed. All of my music was at my fingertips, easily accessed and in a handheld package. The mp3 player was a boon to my bus rides; I used it every day.

Today’s iPods are quite a bit classier than my old 3rd generation mp3 player; they’ve got more storage and now have video and photo capabilities. I’ve stuck with my older model though, as it has no moving parts on the outside I don’t have to worry about getting sand or grime in the controls while kayaking or rock climbing. I did have to replace the battery after two years of use; it was a simple procedure I did at home. Instead of sending it in to Apple for a $60 replacement I was able to order the battery for $20 and do it myself.

There are lots of good mp3 players on the market, from Nomad to Dell it seems like most major electronics manufacturers are trying to catch up to Apple’s lead with the iPod. Many of the other mp3 players are probably quality devices, and some of them are definitely cheaper than the iPod, but so far I’ve been nothing but happy with my iPod. In fact, I don’t think I know anyone who’s gotten an iPod who’s been unhappy with it. It’s something to take with a grain of salt, but something to consider nonetheless.

If you’ve ever had too much to drink than you know the feeling of a hangover. That high you felt from the alcohol the night before is now replaced with a listless feeling and a desire to not get out of bed.

If you did indulge too heavily in cocktails and you are looking for a cure for a hangover there are a few things you can do.

One of the most important things to remember when you are dealing with a hangover is that the symptoms are largely caused because of dehydration. Therefore it’s important to drink a great deal the next day. Water is by far the best choice. At least eight glasses of water is a good cure for a hangover. If you remember, it’s also a very good idea to drink a few glasses of water the night you’ve been drinking, before you go to bed. This gives you a good head start on beating the worst of the hangover’s symptoms.

Another good remedy is Vitamin C. How Vitamin C aids as a cure for a hangover is that it works against the effects of a chemical that is present in alcohol. The chemical is called acetylaldehyde. This chemical causes some of the side effects often felt with a hangover. Things like fatigue, headache and nausea. If you take Vitamin C before you go to bed the night you’ve been drinking, you’ll notice that your hangover symptoms are much less severe.

Another cure for a hangover that many people have tried successfully is ginger root. Ginger root can be found at almost supermarket. If you buy fresh ginger you’ll want to take it home and run it through a juicer. Then add it to a full glass of orange juice and drink it.

Tomato juice or a vegetable juice cocktail can also help alleviate those morning after symptoms. Adding a touch of Worcestershire sauce or a bit of horseradish to it will kick up its effectiveness. It might not seem appetizing once you wake up feeling hung over but for many people it gives almost immediate results.

Aspirin has been relieving pain symptoms for years. If taken with a sports drink it might also relieve the symptoms of having a few too many alcoholic drinks. For the best results take two aspirin with a bottle of sports drink before you head to bed.

If you’re looking for a relaxing cure for a hangover sitting in the sauna might be the answer. The steam from the sauna helps to release impurities from your body. The heat will sweat the hangover right out of your system.

A huge trend among shoppers is to go to purchase their favorite merchandise at an outlet store. There are entire malls throughout the country that are a collection of the outlet store. We have an outlet store mall within an hour drive of our home. When it first opened I went to it often to take advantage of the savings on a wide variety of merchandise. The merchandise ranges from clothing to shoes to house wares and more. The outlet store was available for whatever you are in the market for.

After I shopped a particular outlet store I realized that some of the clothing merchandise was from last year’s selection. When I mentioned this to the clerk she pointed out the area of the outlet store that had the latest trends. As I was going through the new fashions I noticed that the prices were the same or on some items higher than at the department store I had been in the week before. The clerk verified to me that the outlet store had deep discounts on dated items, but that the prices on current trends are comparable to the department stores. I found by watching for sales in the department stores I could get much better deals on current fashions than I could a the outlet store.

For house wares this is not an issue, in fact the outlet store often has discontinued items and patterns that cannot be found any where else. I found replacement settings for my china pattern at the outlet store that I could no longer get at the department store. The main outlet store to use caution with is one that deals with packaged food. Many of these food stores do provide huge mark downs, but the expiration dates are close to expiring. For some of the items this is not an issue, especially if you are buying the item to use yourself, but I would not suggest buying gifts from the food outlet store, unless you are certain that the person is going to be using the product in the near future. Although the mark downs are great, the products may seem inferior due to being at the end stages of their shelf life.

I still go to the outlet mall and shop in my favorite outlet store, but I use more caution than I did initially. I find that I can get great deals, but I need to do some comparison shopping so that I know what is current merchandise and what is last years items.

As a child, the things that make us happy are so simple. Whether it’s a parent’s attention or a mere stuffed animal, it sets our lives at peace and ensures us that everything is okay. I remember when I was a child and how important toys were to me. I have to admit, I loved stuffed animals. You could tote them around anywhere, and no matter how filthy they got, you were still sleeping with them tonight. These days, stuffed animals have reached a new level of cool. You can actually build a bear, or rabbit or monkey for that matter, yourself. This is too ideal.

One day while strolling through the local mall with my family, I noticed a place called Build A Bear. At first I pondered the concept, then snatched up my little one to head in and check it out. My first thought was probably like many, why didn’t they have this when I was a kid? This is a great idea. Talk about being personal. You don’t only pick out the animal of your choice, but you get to build it. This offers a certain personality to your stuffed toy. It’s like no one else has ever held or touched it but you. You basically select and empty animal fur, then you get to help stuff it with cotton, and a cool little heart to make it seem more real. Build a bear is certainly a clever concept.

The process of building your own stuffed animal doesn’t end with stitching it up. There are a variety of outfits to choose from for your special new friend. You can decide if it’s going to be a girl or a boy. From dresses to overalls to shoes, you can choose. Another cool feature is the voice box you can put inside it. This way your build a bear friend can speak to you. Since this place started, a number of new animals have become available so my impression is that they are doing well. I’ve even seen other stores attempt to copy the build a bear idea, but that goes with the territory.

While Build A Bear is certainly a cool store, which I would have appreciated as a child, I’m afraid I shot myself in the foot when hauling my daughter inside. She now has a whole list of animals she wants to make. The bad thing is, I’m sure they will only continue to come up with new and appealing ideas, which means the list isn’t even complete yet.