If you do a lot of writing like me and you want something you can write with on the go, the AlphaSmart notebook is gthe way to go. It does not play games, do spreadsheets or program. It allows you to write plain text into it by the ton. It is cheap. It is very durable. Most of all, it runs for several hundred hours --the manual says 300, but I’ve gone for months with it – on two AA batteries. To get your text into a desktop where you can tart it up, you just plug the keyboard plug into the Alphasmart and press the “send” key and it’ll send the text to your word processor. The more recent models have infrared remote sending.
I got mine used via ebay for $75 – an excellent buy.
Neutrogena body lotion. This one.
My skin is really dry and sensitive. My hands, my face…especially my back and legs. This stuff is a godsend. It’s a lotion with sesame oil in it, but it’s not oily at all, long lasting, and it’s really light and not sticky. I use it on my face, hands and body with no problems at all.
It’s kind of pricey at $6 a bottle or so, but it’s the first lotion that I’ve ever had that I think is worth the purchase price.
My favorite deep conditioner is Aussie 3-Minute Miracle. You can get it at Walmart or other drug/discount stores for about $3.00-$4.00. I use it 2 to 3 times a week and it really softens my color-treated hair without making the color fade. The only objection I have is I don’t like the smell.
Thought of another one. Distinctly unglamorous, but hey…
Bag balm. It’s stuff Vermont dairy farmers have used for ages to soothe chapped cow udders. It comes in small, square tins and resembles Vaseline in consistency. I suspect it’s mostly Vaseline cut with copious quantities of lanolin. Whatever. I don’t know how it do the voodoo it do so well, but it works.
I have very dry skin, especially on my hands, and harsh midwestern winters just compound the fracture. (My feet, legs and arms aren’t anything to write home about either.) Between scraping snow, overheated buildings, gloves wicking away moisture, etc. my hands soon look like the Crypt Keeper’, only with cracked and bleeding cuticles. These hands drink lotions and spit them back out, laughing.
Bag Balm doesn’t exactly smell great–not bad, but not great–and it can feel a little funky going on at first. It definitely takes a little while to absorb. But spread on a thin film of this stuff before bed and/or after bathing and watch your skin heal up.
Yeah, yeah, things you’ll never read in Beauty Tips Of The Stars. Hey, I wouldn’t have been caught dead buying Miracle Whip, much less smearing it on my face, if it hadn’t been for the SDMB. Stuff that works, works.
It IS?? That is WONDERFUL news! Despite the fact that the tube says the conditioner is good for two uses, I generally get four or five treatments out of it, but I always want more. I will hie me to Sally’s tomorrow to get a bottle. Thank you!!
Zenster:
Where can a poor licorice addict get these? I detest the taste of sweetened mint (I use fennel toothpaste, I hate sweetened mint THAT much) and I have never seen this candy.
Also, if anyone knows of a good anise-flavored candy (not as “salty” as licorice) please recommend!
Whatever bag one may find in need of soothing–and I emphatically do NOT want to know, so don’t tell me–could possibly be eased by this product but I really don’t want to speculate further.
[sub] Certain restrictions apply, see your dealer for details. Tariffs vary by state. Not certified to cure excema, prolapsed wombs, tennis elbow, the heartbreak of psoriasis, impotence, crotch rot, scurvy, ringworm, flea infestation, elephantiasis, dropsy, slobbers, colic, penile flop, vapors or migraines. So there.[/sub]
Please refer to my previous licorice thread for useful information. You may also wish to visit licorice.org’s website. It is a compendium of all things licorice. Here are links to some stores that ship licorice worldwide:
Be warned that Haribo Super Piratos are saltier than Lot’s wife. The Haribo Pirates salt pastilles are smaller in size and much more mild. I would recommend them as a starting place. If you have a Cost Plus near you, please look for the Swedish brand, Läkerol. Their red tin (or box) of Special Throat Pastilles are a superb example of the Scandihoovian candy maker’s art. Cost Plus also carries the Dutch Klene Droop green label licorice roll and Dubble Zout coins.
Amarelli Italian licorice is one of the most authentic products made today. Its strong resemblance to ancient apothecary type licorice is intentional. If you like licorice taste without the common Northern European addition of salmiak flavoring, these products are where to start. An excerpt from the licorice.org website:
Amarelli Licorice
Amarelli brand Italian licorice:
Bianconeri - A natural mint-flavored licorice with a chewy center and a white mint coating.
Morette Arancia - Small, mulberry-shaped and slightly chewy licorice flavored with orange.
Rombetti - A small, diamond-shaped bits with the aroma of anise. Pure licorice.
Spezzatina - A small, slightly rounded, crunchy bits. Pure licorice.
I have had all of these and they are sterling examples of candy making. Their list of ingredients usually has licorice in first place and typically totals maybe three or five items at most. One is pure licorice, period. Plus they come in these really cool enameled tins.
Jimmy Dean silver label Sage recipe:[ul]This is an outstanding product whose taste and ingredients are top notch. Their other flavors are rather tepid but the sage recipe is a knockout. I use it in my triple sausage, red wine and sourdough stuffing every Thanksgiving.[/ul]Swift’s Premium Brown and Serve Beef link sausage:[ul]I rarely endorse a frozen product but this one has a substantially better flavor than the Farmer John or Jones brands. I also use this in my stuffing recipe with great results.[/ul] Beverages:
Vernor’s:[ul]This American classic is one of the best ginger ales made. A healthy dose of vanilla gives it special character and flavor that few sodas can match.[/ul]Bundaberg’s Lemon Lime Bitters:[ul]This Australian soda is what 7[sup]UP[/sup] dreams of being on a good night. Proper use of citrus oils give this drink an edge over the competition. Hard to find, it is always worth the search.[/ul]Limca:[ul]An obscure Coca Cola product targeted for the subcontinent, this lime flavored soda is one of the few to have some real character. Most others pale by comparison[/ul]
This is a great thread, and I’ve been wondering what I can contribute. Finally, it hit me:
Zippo lighters. You don’t have to be a smoker to appreciate these–they’re also handy for campers and hunters, and anybody else who needs a good, reliable flame from time to time. Their simple windproof design hasn’t changed for years. I’ve been using the same Zippo for over ten years, and it hasn’t failed me or broken yet–but if it ever does, the Zippo people will fix it free, because all Zippos are guaranteed for life.
Ever lit a cigar or cigarette with a Zippo? Ever taste the acrid residue of lighter fluid? I would never use a Zippo except to light a campfire. Even then, because of the unpressurized flame, it would not work nearly so well as a butane lighter. I’ll agree that they’re a rugged and classic design, but modern technology has consigned the Zippo to the scrapheap.
You demonstrated quite a competent knowledge of tobacco and wrapper leaf nomenclature over in the cigar thread. I’m actually sort of surprised you would advocate using a Zippo to light a fine smoke. I’m quite sure your tobacconist would be aghast.
I will say that I’m glad you’re enjoying this thread so much.
Actually, Zenster, my Zippo doesn’t light my cigars. For that, I use a Colibri Quantum Xtreme–a butane lighter.
My Zippo is used when I’m building a fire, lighting a propane torch, or doing something else where a flame is needed. I’m with you; I wouldn’t recommend a Zippo for a fine cigar, and I don’t I use my Zippo for that purpose.
Interestingly, I wouldn’t put my Colibri in this thread. It’s a fine lighter, but a little too finicky to deserve mention here.
Levi Strauss:[ul]I cannot believe that neither myself nor anyone else had posted this yet. Not much to say except that the quality and durability of this product makes it my only choice for casual trousers.[/ul] Woolens:
Pendleton:[ul]If I wear a plaid shirt it can only be made by Pendleton. Their subtle colors and classic tartans are in a league of their own. [/ul]
jjimm: Both Unique Pretzels and Yuengling beer are limited distribution products in terms of stores that sell them, but at least Unique will ship elsewhere. The regular pretzels are the “Splits”. I’ve never bought them online, as my family is in Reading (Pennsylvania) and usually sends me a bag or two in my Xmas box, but you might try the online store to see if they’ll ship them over the pond.