The other day when Gin burst into song, "...these are a few of my favorite things" (apparently Oprah was doing a Sound of Music special on her show), it got me thinking what are some of my favorite things? Not my real favorites like family, triathlons, etc. but the more fickle things that I love, drum roll please....
# 1. Crock pot liners - Crock pot cooking is great, the only downside is trying to scrub food off the inside of the unwieldy thing, especially after its baked on for 8+ hours. Leave it up to Reynolds to save the day with crock pot liners. Just slip the liner over the crockpot then throw it away afterward, the only cleanup is washing the lid of the cockpot. These are #1 on the list for a reason, they would be a steal at twice the price.
#2: Automotive trash bags - Anyone who knows me also knows I am kind of a neat freak about my cars. So I went on a search to find the best car trash can. Unfortunately they have been discontinued by Thule but I scoured the internet to find the last 12 of these on the planet to give as gifts to all our family members. I love it because I no longer have to curse Gin for leaving wrappers, kleenex, papers, etc. in the car.
#3 Parchment Paper - You would think Reynolds was paying me because their parchment paper is another awesome invention. Throw it on cookie sheets and no PAM, no mess, and no need to wash the cookie sheet.
#4 The Presto Letter Opener - I know what your thinking, "really you are putting a letter opener as one of your favorite things?" If you own one you know what I'm talking about, if you don't and your related to us just wait until christmas and you might find one in your stocking.
#5 Bay Area Weather - I know the Bay Area/California has some serious issues, bankruptcy, high taxes, traffic jams, corrupt politicians and I won't even go into how I will never own a home in this area, but one of the many WONDERFUL things about it, is the weather. From November to August it never disappoints. And I know, we all love fall leaves, drinking hot chocolate in the winter, and blah, blah, blah... but I would take this weather over trudging through snow any day of the week. So while you may not want to live here permanently, you are welcome to come visit :)
 |
| A weather forecast in the winter (November shown) |
 |
| A weather forecast in the summer (August shown) |
#6 Free HDTV - We aren't big TV watchers so we certainly aren't willing to spend $70+/month on TV. Turns that if you live with-in 80 miles of a major city you can get free HDTV by simply putting up an antenna. We only get the major channels (ABC,NBC,FOX,CW,etc) but combine an antenna with a Tivo DVR and we have what seems like unlimited viewing options, from Thomas the Train to
ANTM.
 |
| HD Antenna |
 |
| Plus Tivo |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now for our least favorite things:
#1 Multilevel marketing - Seriously what is up with us Mormons and these scams? I think Utah is the capital of the world for this stuff. While in Provo and we were invited to try more exotic berry drinks, exclusive shopping opportunities, amazing supplements, and fuel additives than you could ever imagine. When it comes to drugs or multilevel marketing, I learned to just say no.
#2 Paying for Parking - I don't know what it is but I have a real problem paying for parking. I would rather walk 3 blocks than fork over 10 dollars for prime parking. I also don't get the notion of trolling around a parking lot for 10 minutes looking for the closest possible parking spot, do we really abhor walking that much?
#3 Traffic - Like I mentioned traffic in the bay area can suck during commute time. Jason hates traffic so much that we can't live more than 10 miles from his work so he can bike to work everyday. In fact I think sitting in traffic is the only thing that really upsets Jason, kind of random.
