My Top Products of 2010

The fact that I have not made a blog post in several weeks is indicative of the fact that school has started again. I only had one minor breakdown last week after losing a $50 book about two hours after I'd bought it. It's also sad that I just wrote "boughten it" and then changed it. It's also sad that I have a seminar in Restoration  British literature and I didn't even know what was being restored. Hint: it's not the church.

It's the British Monarchy.

Good thing I'm an Americanist.

Anyway, I meant to post this a while ago but apparently got sidetracked by the British. It's sort of a New Year's throwback to 2010.

Andrew has always said I am a gadgety person, and I hesitate to disagree. Gadgets to me are like the new elliptical bicycles --they're intriguing and I find ways to convince myself I need them (I suppose the Elliptigo is also a gadget...). There's just something so exciting about acquiring a new technological device which accomplishes some (likely unnecessary) purpose in life. That being said, I have compiled a list of gadgets and products that have greatly impacted my modern experience in the past year. Not everything on this list is technologically driven but all have served some, arguably, life-changing function. Perhaps in ten years I will laugh at this list for its archaic nature, but until then...

My iPhone 4

When I was in the 4th grade, I remember reading a futuristic story about what the world would be like in 50 years. In the story, two kids were talking to each other by means of a projected video image of the other person. In my reading group, we were asked to answer the question, "Do you think this kind of technology will be possible in the future?" I can't remember what I wrote, but it was probably something to the effect of "no, that can't happen because I don't think it can." I was alway such an optimist.

I sometimes feel strange when I remember that story while using Facetime on my iPhone. Perhaps Facetime is not exactly a holographic video projection, but it is pretty darn close.  I honestly don't remember how I lived without a smart phone -- which is probably a terrible thing to admit. But really, it's so convenient to have internet access every second of the day. Not to mention that I can use WiFi on my iPhone and it never affects my data plan. Needless to say, one of the best things about owning an iPhone is the apps. There really is an app for everything, and here are my favorite apps of the past year.

The Sleep Cycle App

To quote one of the reviewers of this app..."It just works." The iPhone has some type of sensory movement device in it and the Sleep Cycle app takes marvelous advantage of it. Not only does this app track your sleep cycle (by sensing your movement), it also wakes you up when you are in the lightest part of your sleep cycle so you feel more "awake" when awoken. Ya know? I'm not kidding -- it's amazing. It also has the most dreamy ringtones with names like "Warm Breeze" and "Distant Memories." This app has been my bff in the mornings. Along with coffee. And Dr. James Dobson.

iPeriod

Speaking of cycles...
Now I must note, if you are like Andrew and do not believe words like "uterus" fit for social conversation, you should probably skip this description. I won't be overly descriptive about its nature, but this app lets you track all the symptoms, moods and days of your menstrual cycle. It also lets you know when you're ovulating in case you are trying to get pregnant...or in case you're trying to avoid getting pregnant. I'm often unsure which of those two categories I belong. Either way, it's helpful to track other symptoms that may be hormonally related like migraines or road rage.
It is now safe to uncover your ears (and eyes).

Bank Apps that let you Deposit Checks

This Chase app lets me check my balance, transfer money and deposit checks from my phone. Enough said.

 Escali Kitchen Scales

I have this scale in gray and it's been indispensable. Baking is so much more accurate when you can weigh ingredients (especially flour) versus just measuring them. I use this to measure ingredients, meat, even postage. This scale comes in a ton of different colors and even the pros use them (I always see them on the Food Network [like on Iron Chef]). I gifted a few these for Christmas with positive results...right, giftees?

Oven Thermometer

I really think everyone should have an oven thermometer. Even new ovens can sometimes vary immensely in their temperatures. I learned this the hard way when we lived in Augusta. For some reason, everything I baked kept burning. At one point when I was baking bread, I turned the oven to 500* and it literally melted a part of itself. An oven thermometer acquisition later, I learned that my tiny little oven was actually 50* hotter than whatever it actually read. That makes a huge difference when you're trying to bake cookies at 350* and instead you're frying them at 400*. Thankfully after I started using an oven thermometer, I was able to adjust my settings to 50* less than whatever the suggested baking temp was. Fire averted.

DiorShow Mascara

2010 was the year I found the best mascara ever. I haven't used over-the-counter mascaras in several years; meaning, I swear I've used every Clinique, MAC and Sephora mascara in existence, with positive results, and the DiorShow beats them all. However, a few months ago I decided my fears of lead in mascaras and my belief in the superiority of expensive mascaras were unfounded. I went to Target and bought the nicest mainstream mascara I could find. After a week, my old notions were reaffirmed. There really is a massive difference (in my unimportant opinion) between over-the-counter mascaras and their more expensive upgrades. I honestly feel confident in saying that the DiorShow mascara is the best mascara I've ever used. For $24 you'd think this mascara has real gold flecks, but I think it's worth it. Speaking of gold, I also just spent a relatively high price for a new Shiseido eyelash curler only to discover too late that I could have owned this gold-plated beauty. Too bad. After I was done with it I could have taken it to one of those places that melts your jewelry for cash.

 I'm sure I could add more to this list, but I must go read a thousand books and pretend to be smart.

Also, I think I ended, like, five of my sentences with prepositions...

Forgive me. But sometimes ending with prepositions is where it's at.