I've said it before, I love my job.  But, it's hard to get anything done around here, considering I am surrounded by a pack of men that act like kindergarteners most of the time.  Ok, that's not fair.  They are smart, sophisticated, mature men.  Who act like kindergarteners, flailing about in their mis-matched outfits, yapping about useless topics such as video games & cars.

What's a girl to do?  Block it out, that's what.  And these noise cancelling earbuds do the trick very nicely.  The kind people at Rivet were nice enough to send me a few pairs, and although I'm sure they are all equally wonderful, I'm partial to the pink ones.  (No surprise there.)  One of my favorite features is the different sizes of rubber ear plug things - because with my tiny ears, even the "normal" sized buds were a pain in the - ear.  Also, the cord is not rubber, it's cloth.  How unique.  How "cool."  Plus, these puppies go REALLY loud.  So even when the boys are making crude jokes about something only a man would find funny (I'm rolling my eyes), I stay happy in my own little world.

They retail at around $30.  So they're cute, inexpensive, and they work.  What else do I really need?  Well, it would be nice if they sprayed "boy repellant."   

Riddle me this - it's February (which is winter, if my sources are accurate), cold enough to wear a scarf & coat outside (even in Los Angeles) - so why in the heck is our AC blasting??  Was the entire office staff - sans me - born with an extra layer of skin?   And this is during the winter... forget the summer, when you want to wear your cute outfits.  Bring out the Ugg boots, people - it's freaking cold in here!

So I'm adding these to my "Things I Need" list:

USB Heated Gloves.  Perpetual Kid, you must have read my mind. 

If only they had

a) a wider variety of colors
b) a USB Heated body suit.

Is an excuse for women to be disappointed in their men. The standards by which Valentine's Day gifts & plans are created is entirely based on what we see on TV, in movies, and even by our friends(who got all these fabulous gifts, while we're stuck with a drugstore box of candy, if anything at all.) Having survived a few Valentine's Days myself, I can honestly say that this "Hallmark holiday" can easily be manipulated to set you up for disappointment, if you are not careful. "You don't need to get me much...," we say, with secret hopes that our S.O. will see through the BS and deliver the fantasy roses, chocolates, candlelight, and diamonds. Unless you're dating Fabio, chances are, you won't be seeing much of that. So let's take it easy on the men.. they are not as in tune with the female psyche as we are, they can't decipher the Woman Code that "You don't need to get me anything" means "Get me everything, or else" which often results in a painful week after - full of cold-shoulders & "I'm fine's." Be straight with him - it's the only way he knows how to communicate. Here are some simple, yet charming, gadget-flavored gifts that will make us smile, and ease the pressure on them (we make their lives difficult enough already): Polaroid I533P Exclusive Breast Cancer Awareness Digital Camera 5.1 Mega pixels, 2.5" LCD screen, 3X Optical Zoom, and all under $100 (I've seen it on sale at some big name nationwide retailers). Not too shabby. It comes in a really fabulous color pink, which automatically puts it first on my list. BONUS: Proceeds from the purchase of this camera raises breast cancer awareness and supports work by The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Nintendo DS Lite Coral Pink Video games have previously been mostly reserved for the boys, but clearly this one is hip enough for us lady folk. Not only is it a rosy color, but it's lighter, and the color screen is even brighter, than the original DS. This sleek design gives us even more of a reason to become addicted to Super Mario Bros all over again. As the tag line says, let the koopa shells fly! Intempo Digital Buddy GPS in Pink Now this is nice.. a pink GPS - manufactured especially for women. Which means - little to no assembly required, works straight out of the box, and is covered in butterflies. Simply stick it in your auto and you are on your way. Never get in that "why don't you just stop and ask for directions" argument again! An added bonus: The adorable pouch it comes with so it won't get damaged or scratched in your massive handbag. MioPINK Heart Rate Monitor Watch with Advanced Calories Feature Mio has created a special line of pink products to help increase breast cancer awareness. This particularly feminine sports watch not only displays time & date, has an alarm, backlight, and stopwatch function, but, the strapless ECG accurately tracks your heart rate as well as daily calorie intake - and get this - CALCULATES and SUBTRACTS calories burned during exercise. This is the perfect companion for a fitness buff. And to top it off, 10% of all proceeds go towards the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. MTX Audio iThunder Portable Boom Box for iPod Listen to your iPod at home, at the beach, or on the go... with this battery-powered boombox, just plug in your iPod, turn on the iThunder, and enjoy. It even charges while it's playing, and has a wireless full-function remote control. We will be feeling like Malibu Barbie with this pink boombox. Chanel sunglasses not included.

Geek Chic - Computer Jewelry It doesn't get much geekier than computer-related jewelry, but these are quirky enough to be cool.Personally, I like the help key necklace. The pieces are handmade in New York by artist Debbie Howe, and you can even get matching cuff links for your beau. So there you have it. Not only do the pink gadgets look pretty, but they help Save the Ta-Tas as well. Happy Valentine's Day, Casanova, and by all means.... Good Luck. For more female-friendly gadget ideas for your valentine, check out Gear Digest's 2007 Valentine's Day Buyers Guide.

Nokia's new line of phones (based on the L'Amour Collection) could quite possibly be the world's prettiest phones.  Up until now, the market for girly looking phones has been quite bleak.  It must be difficult for the designers to think of something besides "now color it hot pink."  But these phones are soft pink, ceramic looking, with swirlies, and gold, and have round edges, and are quite feminine looking all around.   

With three models to choose from, there's pretty much an option for everyone.  They are priced between $255 and $575, and in this case, you get what you pay for.  The most expensive is the Nokia 7380, a 'fashion phone,' featuring keyless dial, a 2 megapixel camera, leather panels, and voice commands.   The Nokia 7370 features a 'swivel' open keypad, 1.3 megapixel camera, video ringtones, 2-inch QVGA color screen, and even comes in brown for the boys.  The most pocketbook-friendly is the Nokia 7360, just as beautiful as the rest, with a VGA camera, mp3 ringtones, and stereo FM radio.

They are all equal in beauty, so whichever you pick, you'll be the envy of women everywhere.  Best to keep your distance though, thousands of them swarming to you while squealing "Ooooh it's so pretty!!!" could get ugly.

I'm telling you, this is a must for me.  My desk at work is a little female oasis amongst the male desert.  It might as well smell girly, too.  Debreu's 'Scent Drive' is a flash memory drive that produces fragrance while in use.  You can refill it with your favorite fragrance oil, and it's got a stylish metal alloy case.  Capacity varies from 128MB to 1GB, and is USB 2.0 friendly.  It even works with Vista.  This is pure genius.

If you haven't yet succumbed to the beautiful addiction that is Nintendo Wii, now is the time.  Joytech has just released the "Nintendo Wii Sports Pack," a series of remote attachments to better your Wii Sports experience. 

The Sports Pack includes a Racing Grip, a Golf Grip and a Racket Grip for use with Wii™ Remote.  They easily and securely attach for a more realistic experience in playing your game of choice.

Another fabulous accessory from Joytech:  The Silicon Glove Pack, colorful grips to beautify as well as protect your Wii Remote & Nunchuk.

They need to hurry up and release a shopping/make-up game on Wii.

Nowadays you can't leave the house without your personal gadget collection, including cellphone, iPod, GPS, PDA, game player, digicam, etc, etc, need I go on?  Dealing with all the power supplies can get obnoxious, especially if you are on-the-go or gone for long periods of time. 

                          Next time, take the Solio Solar Charger with you.  After absorbing 8-10 hours of direct sunlight (cut that time in half by plugging it into a power source), it has enough energy to charge all your necessary devices.  It stores the sun's power in the internal fully integrated Lithiom-Ion battery, so all you have to do is attach a cable, push a button, and get instant energy.   It holds enough juice to fully charge your cell phone at least once or an iPod twice.  And don't worry about it losing the "sun power" - it stores leftover energy for up to a year. 

It's got a pretty sweet design, just spread out the blades to get maximum exposure to the sun (it even comes with suction cups so you can stick it to the window of your home or car).  Also included are the Solio battery charger, Nokia tip, Motorola tip, Samsung tip, mini-USB tip, interchangeable tip system cable, USB cable, 12-volt universal adapter, global travel charger with adapters and users manual. 

Cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and of course, it's pink.

This Monaco Notebook Case by Mobile Edge is one of the most elegant, sophisticated, and untacky notebook bags I've ever seen.

You can hardly even tell it's made for computers.  Designed to fit 15.4" laptops, with a dedicated padded computer compartment (complete with strap so your notebook stays nice and snug) and separate sections for files, papers, and accessories, this pink lined bag is an absolute must.  It even comes with a removable matching makeup bag, and detachable cell phone pouch.  Revolutionary "Wireless Security Shield"  prevents damage from hackers and viruses.   

 

Each bag comes in either pink or white stitching and retail for about $100.

So, I realize that the coolest/best TVs nowadays are all LCD, HDTV, 1080i/1080p, etc etc etc.  To be honest, I'd rather have one of these beauts:

These romantically retro-styled TV sets by Telstar for Predicta Television are about the best idea I've seen in a while.  They might not be everyone's personal cup of tea-V, but they look a lot cuter than the generic boxy black sets you can get at most retailers.  Think about it - a television set, and a decorative piece of furniture - all in one.  It may look old, but it's very new, and is compatible with all VCRs, cable hook-ups, satellites, and even has a remote control.

   

Predicta works with each client to create individual styles & finishes, too, so you're likely to get a one of a kind piece of art.  I don't watch massive amounts of television, and quite frankly am not too picky about the picture, so this works just fine for me.  Visit Predicta's website for more information and images.

How many times have you forgotten to blow out the candles, only to awake to a burning set of drapes?  Personally, I never have.  But the thought of my cat knocking over a candle or burning her whiskers off trying to "smell" it isn't too pleasant(and the burning smell of cat hair isn't that great either).  A much safer, yet still romantic, option, are these "blow-on/off" LED candles by ThinkGeek.

Not only are they preeeeeeetty, but they're NOT ON FIRE.  Maybe the only downfall is that they aren't scented, which is one of my favorite things about burning candles.  The price is a small one to pay, considering the danger that comes with a flame in your home.  These candles vary in size and price, from $12 to $15.

Next time you're in the "romantic mood" with your S.O., or even better, trying to forget him while enjoying a bottle of champagne or wine with your girlfriends, this Electronic Ice Bucket will come in handy.  It's battery operated, so electric shock from the ice inside the bucket is a non-issue.  Simply select the type of beverage (white, red, or blush wine, sparkling, etc), place sensor in the wine, and wah-lah... it lets you know when it's cold enough for maximum enjoyment.  No muss, no fuss.  Product by Frontgate, runs about $40.