the BlackBerry...

After dragging my feet for years, I've finally given in...I'm upgrading my phone. This is no "run-of-the-mill" upgrade either. I'm going from a 5 year old (second-hand) cell phone (that's 77 years old in celly years).

Before I go any further, I should give a tribute to my old celly--Although ancient, it always made me smile to see the flashy green and red lights blink whenever I had an incoming call. I'll miss the atari-like ring tones, and the (negative) attention I receive when people notice my "vintage" technology. :)

I won't miss: repeated dropped calls, a battery charge that doesn't last, speaker phone in DC traffic (because it doesn't have bluetooth technology), and mysteriously missing appointment reminders that I KNOW I entered!

Enter, the BlackBerry. The box from FedEx contains so many different cords, plugs, and various gadgets, I begin to wonder: "Is this going to help me simplify?" I can't help but remember the quizzical looks my mom has given me as I've explained how convenient emailing is.


20 minutes later...I finally open the battery compartment. Have you ever seen "Zoo Lander"? Remember that scene where they're trying to use the computer and they act like monkeys--jumping around and pounding the keyboard with their fists? This should give you a pretty clear picture of my situation. Okay, I didn't punch my new BlackBerry, but I did feel very archaic trying to "make it work".

It's all charged up and the glow of the pixel-perfect screen, and the thoughts of endless possibilities already have me hooked.

It's just a matter of time before I'm referring to it as "my precious".

PED EGG

It's an infomercial in a category of its own. You want to turn from the TV screen, but you can't stop staring at, well, the cup of foot "shavings" getting dumped into the waste basket.

Not a pretty thought, but such a simple idea that could prove to be helpful.

• As stated by my brother after falling victim to another pedegg infomercial:
  
  "Why couldn't they use an orange peel to demonstrate this same process??"
  
  
  Product Promise: "Safe to touch, Ergnomic Design, Traps Shavings--no mess."
  
  My stand, on the foot issue: I am not ok with foot care anywhere, but the bathroom--that's clipping, smoothing, filing or as mentioned above (cringe) "shaving". I've had many different bathrooms, most of which are not really the "spa" environment conducive to ergonomic-no mess foot care. Could the ped egg help me with this?
  
  
  Cost: about $12 (they have them in stores now)
  
  Concerns: the judgemental looks I will most likely receive for this purchase, having to dump the ped egg--no longer being disgusted with the model on TV, but with myself.
  
  
  Trial:
• the ped egg definately helps to smooth my feet....it also has an emery/file to use--nice, but no ideas of how to keep that foot dust out of the air.



• I'm not so sure about the ergonomics of it..yes, the "egg" fits nicely into the palm of your hand, but you still hav to bend down to reach your foot.



• not wanting to lean over any longer, I have a genious moment, and decide to put my left foot up on my knee ---one problem--this meant I was holding the file on the ped egg downward...... it dumped out.

Question 1: Will "wen" deliver??

We'll delve into deeper topics (ie. how to achieve World Peace) when I'm a more seasoned blogger, for now, we'll talk about my newest infomercial purchase...wen.

You've probably seen this advertised on TV...with the girl from the show Little House on the Prairie swinging her beautiful, long, shiney (and now red) hair around as she raves about the product.

Product Promise:

• "...herbs and natural ingredients designed to not only cleanse your hair and scalp, but to moisturize, nourish, strengthen, and add sheen."

Doesn't use harsh chemicals:

• sodium lauryl sulfate--"helps create a lather...may worsen skin problems in individuals with chronic skin sensitivity." --www.wikipedia.com
• mineral oil
• ammonium lauryl sulfate--foaming agent
• propylene glycol

Current Hair Diagnosis:
"Tangled mess" (dry hair, hair gets snarly and a tangled mess directly after brushing, get a greecy scalp on 2nd day after normal shampooing, itchy scalp sometimes--it's like I can feel build-up on my scalp)

Cost: $30+SH, Includes: 30-day supply of wen cleansing conditioner, re moist intensive hair repair, texture balm, and wide tooth comb

Concerns:
I have long, thick hair so it says it may take 36 pumps of wen for 1 hair cleansing (how long will this bottle last???)

Trial 1:

• The smell of Wen is A----mazing! I need about 24 pumps of the cleanser/conditioner, but this looks like it would equal what I'd normally use with reg. shampoo & conditioner…I don't miss the lather and bubbles of regular shampoo. Wen really does feel rich throughout my hair. I am surprised to say that I can comb through my wet hair as instructed.
• My hair feels great. It feels and looks smooth, I can run a brush through it without wanting to throw a kicking/screaming fit on the floor. :)

Here are the before and after shots after only one use of wen

Day 1 9/26/09:
Pre-photo (taken 1 day after regular shampoo/conditioning, hair is air-dried): I obviously need help(and some make-up)--dry, limp hair, oily scalp, and good luck trying to run a brush through this hair without the risk of me getting more than a little perturbed.
Post-photo (taken after 1 use of wen): I don't look like Laura Ingalls yet, but I already notice an improvent. :D
http://www.wenhaircare.com/

wen update...
For all of my wen enthusiasts--I'll post an updated picture on week 3 of wen use. :)So far so good. :)