TheFind Blog

The Beastie Boys' Parents on Fashion

Looking around at the fads for guys today it looks like really bad 70s hair meets skater clothes from the 80s. To top it off, the boys who opt for the skater look tend to wear girls skinny jeans to maximize tightness. I guess they don't have any good skinny jean options for guys. There's a business opportunity there folks!

At the opposite end of the spectrum, boys are still sportin' the super low rider baggy jeans -- belt under the bum and the pants crotch at the knees. How hot is that?!? Ugh! To make matters worse, they wear t-shirts that are reminiscent of 80s t-shirt dresses. I don't know where they find these shirts, but they're LONG and skinny. The shirts tend to fall all the way at the knees (hence the 80s dress reference). I'm sorry guys, but when was the last time you found a girl wearing the equivalent of a potato sack (or rather 20 lbs of clothes that bunch, gather and cover every inch of her) and thought she was hot. If you can identify with this statement, then I'm assuming that you only thought her face was hot because the rest of her was missing. Which is exactly how we feel when we see guys running around in mounds of clothes. Blech! It's not flattering or cute, it's just lame.

Really, I think the Beastie Boys said it best when singing about the perils of living with parents (at least that's my take on the song)...

"Get outta this house if thats the clothes you're gonna wear!!!!
I'll kick you outta my home if you dont CUT THAT HAIR!!"

I can just imagine how many households go through that same routine on a daily/weekly basis based on what their boys are sportin'. I don't want to come off as a fuddy duddy, but in my opinion, find something cute or flattering to wear guys. Who/what are you trying to attract?!? I'm confused, but then again, I'm not in the target market. (Thank goodness!) However, I am rest assured that the Beastie Boys parents would agree with me on all this.

Happy Searching/Shopping,
Payton

Time Keeps on Slippin'...

Do you remember the song "Fly Like an Eagle" by the Steve Miller Band? I woke up with a start this morning when I realized that today is Friday AND it's already the end of June! I swear that yesterday was Monday and last week, I scheduled all my bills to be paid online. Anyway, after this disturbing realization, the song "Fly Like an Eagle" came to mind. The lyrics start with "Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin' into the future." I never knew what that meant until this morning. (I guess I'm just slow that way sometimes.)

It seems like time passes by faster the older and busier you get. It's kinda crazy! I remember chatting about this very subject several years ago with my Dad and Grandpa. My Dad reinforced my fears that time felt like it passed faster than usual. My Grandpa assured me that it would continue to speed past me at faster rates every year. He was in his late 80s when we had this discussion and he told me that each month felt more like one day to him. Scary!

I used to think it was lack of caring, but I can definitely appreciate how people get stuck in certain fashion fads or stuck in a decade, if you will. If time passes by faster with each passing year, you might wake up and be in a new decade, right? Thank goodness for magazines and fashion blogs! Shopping frequently helps keep you up to date as well. But imagine the poor souls that stay at home all the time and don't go shopping. How would they ever keep up?

If you can't keep up with fashion, how would you ever keep up to date with hair and makeup? They seem like such subtle things, right? But really, think about it, in the 70s it was all about blue eyeshadow and long, straight hair or oversized afros. In the 80s, it was all about multi-colored eyeshadows (lots of colors at one time) and big permed hair with big poofy bangs! What was big in the 90s? Man, I lived it but I don't remember anything really distinctive besides grunge (not a look I went for, BTW). Makeup and hair moved toward a more natural look for most of us though. You get the idea, right? 

If you are stuck in a particular decade or if you're looking for a costume, you can probably find what you're looking for here:

70s blouses

70s bell bottom pants

80s sweaters

80s pants

90s jackets

90s flare pants

So, am I the only one who feels like time keeps on slippin'? It's kind of freaking me out to be perfectly honest. I just can't keep up with the days, the weeks, and the months. Before I know it, I won't be able to keep up with the years! Good grief!

Happy Searching/Shopping,
Payton

A Condensed Evolution of Music Media

I was at a friend's house the other day and I noticed that there were no music CDs anywhere that I could see anyway. I thought this was strange because you can usually find people's music collections pretty easily. I asked her where she kept her CDs and she told me that she didn't have any anymore. Imagine my shock! She explained that she didn't feel a need to keep them because she has everything on her iPod. While I can understand the convenience and appeal of keeping your music digitally; I can't help but wonder what she would do if her hard drive ever crashed. Could you imagine the devastation?!? I wouldn't even want to go through that.

Anyway, I was thinking about the fact that she no longer owned any CDs and I guess it's normal to replace the old with the new, right? I mean, CDs took the place of casette tapes. Thank goodness for that! Cassette tapes were cool when they worked properly and you could record your own mixes and all, but what about when the tape player ate them. Eeee gads! That was heart breaking! Of course, you can make your own mixes on CD and then they get scratched up. That's fun. I guess nothing's fool proof or perfect, right?

Before CDs, we had vinyl records. I didn't own many, but I did have a few when I was young. I used to hate the sound of the needle scratching the record. It was like nails on a chalk board (not exactly music to your ears). Prior to that, people relied on 8-Tracks for their listening pleasure. I have never used an 8-Track, but from what I understand you could listen to the album straight through or you could skip around randomly, but you couldn't control where you'd land in the album. I guess it was a bit like using the "random" selector on your CD player.

Before the 8-Track, there were reel-to-reel tapes. I remember my Dad had one of these when I was growing up. It just sat on a shelf and collected dust. I thought it was for movies, but I found out later that it was for music.

The point of all this is that technology is always changing and the new stuff pushes out the old in order to give you a better experience. I know people who have extensive vinyl collections that have not been updated to today's technology. I don't know that they ever will be, but it will be interesting to see what happens to those collections as technology marches on. I wonder what will come next? Any ideas???

Happy Listening/Searching/Shopping,

Payton

Best Friends Week -- Travel Ideas

There are few things in life that trump taking a trip with your best friend or a group of friends for that matter. Hanging out in your home town is one thing, but traveling to a place where nobody knows your name can be a whole 'nother story! You know the saying (and now ad campaign) "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." Well, let's just say you could apply that to all your trips with friends..."What happens in ________, stays in ________. If your friends are like mine then you know that the over-embellished stories will follow! So, they may not exactly *stay* in said town, but that shouldn't stop you from letting loose and having tons of fun!

I think the best trips are created to match your mood, don't you? If you're feeling like laying low and being pampered, then you should go for a spa weekend. If you feel athletic and adventurous then you should go backpacking, right? Let's go with this theme for some fabulous travel ideas based on mood...

Your Mood: Over-stressed and in need of pampering
Your Adventure: Napa Valley for a spa weekend

Take a trip to beautiful Napa Valley for a weekend of wining, dining and fabulous spa treatments!  Take the Wine Train to create an experience to suit your mood. This ride can range from a nice lunch and a tour of wineries up to a Murder Mystery Dinner on the train with you and your best friend in costume to play along. Follow up your wine train adventures with a rejuvenating mineral or mud bath, soothing massage and a fabulous facial.

Your Mood: I feel like conquering the world
Your Adventure: Camping in Yosemite and hiking Half Dome

Hiking Half Dome is a safe way to conquer a mountain without having any technical climbing skills, but at the same time getting to the top makes you feel great! You'll need about 12 hours (give or take) to hike up, hang out at the top, and hike down again so eat a hearty breakfast and pack a good lunch before you go! For those that are experienced, you can actually rock climb up the other side of Half Dome instead of hike and rely on the cables. Best of luck!

Your Mood: Rough & tumble
Your Adventure: Horseback riding at a Dude Ranch

Dude Ranches can be found all over the United States. Once you get out on the ranch and start working the cattle, it won't even matter what state you're in because you will be so far removed from what most of us know as reality. With that said, you're just a well off to choose a ranch that's close to home and give it a whirl. I guarantee that it will be unlike any other vacation you've ever had (unless you work on a cattle ranch already). It would be wise to take a few horseback riding lessons before you go so you can focus on working the cattle and not on how to ride a horse.

Your Mood: Marathon retail therapy
Your Adventure: A multi-day trip to the Mall of America

Many people say that retail therapy cures everything. At the very least, it makes you feel better temporarily, right? If you're a believer then you'd more than likely enjoy a multi-day trip to fabulous Minnesota for a super marathon in the Mall of America! This is a 4-story mall folks with 520 stores, 50 restaurants, an indoor amusement park with more than 30 rides, an aquarium, a flight simulator and so much more. It's the only mall that I know of that offers a visitor's kit and travel packages. Major bonus: no sales tax on shoes and clothing!

Your Mood: Adventuresome
Your Adventure: African safari

Venture to beautiful South Africa for a wonderful safari where you'll encounter all kinds of wildlife and amazing discoveries. Depending on the safari you choose, you may venture out for most of the day and return to a thatched hut at night OR you may camp out every night. It depends on what you want out of the safari, but do whichever you prefer. Do you want to help hunt for your dinner or do you want to sit down and be served?

Your Mood: Up for a good challenge
Your Adventure: Train and compete in a triathlon

Training for a triathlon is a great way to spend time with your best friend. The longer the distances that you plan to race, the more training that's required. In addition to being a great bonding experience, a fabulous challenge for your mind and body, it's also the perfect excuse to travel to new places. Triathlons happen all over the world. Find one in a place you'd like to visit and book your trip! Be sure to arrive several days prior to the race so you can acclimate to any climate changes and try to stay at least an additional week after the race so you can enjoy the area.

Your Mood: Need for speed
Your Adventure: Cedar Point Amusement Park

If you're a roller coaster afficianado then you must make your way to Cedar Point in Ohio! They boast a whopping 17 roller coasters which is more than any other amusement park in the world. What more could you ask for from an amusement park? I know, more roller coasters, cheaper prices and a multi-day pass. I couldn't agree more!

Your Mood: Relaxing day/party night
Your Adventure: Cabo San Lucas

Take your adventure to the beaches of Cabo San Lucas. This is a great place to relax by day with your best friend on the beach. Enjoy your time gossiping, drinking and playing in the water. If laying on the beach isn't your speed, you can take a variety of stimulating boat rides. Top off your relaxing day by bar hopping and dancing the night away.

I could probably write another week's worth of posts about traveling with your best friend, but I think this gives you some really good ideas of places to go and things to do. If you have any other ideas to contribute, leave a comment and I'll add it to the list. Enjoy!

Happy Traveling/Searching/Shopping,
Payton

Best Friends Week -- More Things to Do

Okay, so yesterday I introduced the concept of this week being "Best Friends Week," right? I gave a few ideas of things to do with your best friend. Well, now it's time to get down and dirty and create a list of things to do with your best friend! You're welcome to comment to add to the list (and I will), so please feel free to contribute!

1. Shop online (at TheFind.com, of course!)
2. Shop at the mall
3. Try a new restaurant/cuisine
4. Go to the movies (try a premier or opening night of a really hot movie)
5. Check out a "B" movie
6. Get a makeover
7. Go to the salon together for new hairstyles
8. Clean out your closets and swap clothes (donate the rest to charity)
9. Buy new furniture and assemble it together
10. Have a garage sale
11. Host a tea party
12. Go out and support your favorite local band
13. Attend a concert
14. Try a new sport
15. Join a yoga class
16. Join a gym (and actually go workout regularly)
17. Go ice skating or roller skating
18. Learn how to play ice/roller hockey
19. Go rock climbing
20. Train together for a running, walking or cycling race
21. Train for a triathlon
22. Join Weight Watchers or a diet center of choice
23. Attend a monster truck show
24. Go check out Nascar
25. Get in the driver's seat and race go-carts
26. Hang out at the beach
27. Host a bon-fire party at the beach
28. Adopt a puppy and enroll in puppy training
29. Take your dogs to the dog park (after they're trained)
30. Buy a right hand ring
31. Go wine tasting
32. Go beer tasting
33. Hang out in a biker bar
34. Take tennis lessons
35. Take cooking classes -- sushi anyone?
36. Take a jewelry making class
37. Take a pottery class
38. Volunteer at a soup kitchen
39. Tackle house work (or spring cleaning) as a team
40. Write a story or book together
41. Go golf or learn to golf
42. Make fondue
43. Go out and sing karaoke at a bar
44. Play laser tag or paint ball
45. Have a TV or movie marathon at home
46. On a rainy day, go out and stomp through puddles
47. Learn how to knit or crochet
48. Join an online community and get involved
49. Join a dating service (if you're single)
50. Go on a blind double date (again, if you're single)
51. Have a spa day
52. Go for a manicure & pedicure
53. Be an animal/mammal trainer for a day at a participating zoo
54. Go on a ride-a-long with a cop
55. Tour a fire station
56. Have a sleep over and stay up all night
57. Host a game night (play all night, if you can)
58. Go to San Francisco and play chess or checkers against someone on the street
59. Play pool with pool sharks
60. Go to Coyote Ugly and dance on the bar (among other things)
61. Go out for a nice dinner and a play/musical
62. Go out for a nice dinner and the opera or ballet
63. Go to the flea market and haggle 'til you get what you want
64. Sell things at the flea market
65. Host a "Cook for the Cure" dinner (Susan G Komen foundation)
66. Take a trip to the wine country
67. Go camping in the Sierras (or destination of choice)
68. Go horseback riding
69. Make crafts and sell them at a craft fair
70. Host a cookie exchange
71. Paint ceramics and give them to one another
72. Sneak "drinks" into a movie theater (21 and over only, pls)
73. Create match.com profiles for one another
74. Brush each other's hair
75. Shop for engagement rings
76. Ghost or Guest blog on one another's blogs
77. Redecorate a room in one another's house
78. Host a poker party
79. Create a time capsule
80. Scrapbook together and/or host a scrapbooking party
81. Go to farmers market
82. Create a secret sorority or fraternity
83. Give each other nicknames
84. Make a comic book of your adventures
85. Host a pleasure party
86. Host a fake bachelor/bachelorette party
87. Learn how to fly a plane/helicoptor
88. Go skydiving
89. Take a beer or wine making class
90. Visit a convalescent home (take your dog)
91. Have a belching contest
92. Make Christmas ornaments
93. Take a Santa picture together
94. Make chocolate truffles
95. Scrap each others cast off clothes and make a quilt
96. Shop for books for one another in a used book store
97. Find a festival (music, art, wine) to attend
98. Go hot tubbing and/or skinny dipping
99. Take pole dancing classes
100. Take a spontaneous trip without luggage
Reader Contributions start here...
101. Hang out drinking a great bottle of wine
102. Go surfing
103. Watch sports on TV all day long

So, what do you think? I'm sure there are plenty of things on the list that you have done, but are there any you haven't done? Do you have more ideas to contribute? Comment now and let us know!

Happy Adventuring/Searching/Shopping,

Payton

Socks for Prom?!?

I thought I was done blogging about prom stuff, but apparently I have one more thing share. Who knew that blogging about prom could be so much fun?!?

I was thinking back to my prom and how much fun it was and I have a vivid memory of piles of shoes everywhere. I'm pretty sure they were all women's shoes, if my memory serves me correctly. If you're lucky enough to score a pair of shoes that are comfy enough to walk in, dance in and look cute then you're in luck! Of course, you probably won't know that until the night of prom. As a side note, I do suggest that you wear your shoes around the house for a few weeks prior AND go outside and scuff the soles to help prevent slipping.

Anyway, back to the shoes (or lack there of)...I remember wishing that I had brought a pair of socks to run around in at prom. I was wearing nylons and the floor was dirty and it was kind of gross. So, if you plan ahead and pack a pair of socks to take with you, you should be all set. Words of wisdom from a former prom-goer. LOL

If you're going to wear socks at prom, they may as well be fun one s. Here are few funky ideas!

Remember to wear your shoes for pictures!

Check out our "Fit You Right" Prom Dress StyleGuide for more tips!

Happy Searching/Shopping,
Payton

Cute Handbags for Prom!

Okay, so you should have some ideas on where to find beautiful prom dresses, but how about handbags to go with them? Hmmm...yet another challenge in the preparation for prom! While it's true, there are a lot of handbags to choose from (like most things in life), there are only a few that would be appropriate for prom. I'll help you get started in your search for the perfect handbag!

Louis Vuitton Handbags in general are a sure bet with most girls/women. Are they right for prom? That's entirely up to you, of course!

As you'll see if you check out the link above, there are many types and styles of Louis Vuitton handbags (the same goes for just about anything fashion related on TheFind). To narrow your search, you can choose a specific type or style that you want. For Louis Vuitton, the styles and types look like the picture to the right. On the site, you'll also find these choices to the right of the search results.

Okay, so now that you know how to work the filters, I'll go back to showing you some cute Louis Vuitton handbags that you might want to carry at prom. :o)
                                    
          

How about Dolce Gabbana Handbags instead?
   

Or, perhaps you'd prefer a Prada Handbag?

If you want a brand name bag that's more reasonably priced, Coach Handbags are great!

The Beaded Evening Bags are my favorite!

That concludes the handbag search for now. I hope this gives you some great ideas for handbags for prom. If you're looking for something specific, you can always ask for help by commenting on the blog.

Check out our "Fit You Right" Prom Dress StyleGuide for more tips!

Happy Searching/Shopping,
Payton 

Prom Night -- What to Wear

By now, most of the buzz from the Oscars has died down. We all know who was there and who wasn't. Who wore hot dresses and who should've stayed home (or at least consulted her best friend prior to the event). We also know that the color selection was pretty dismal at the Oscars. I have faith that there will be an abundant array of dress colors at proms everywhere this year. It's a fabulous year to go to prom! The designers have really outdone themselves with styles and colors. So, which are your favorites? There are so many to choose from; it can be overwhelming!

While I won't be going to any proms this year, I can certainly show you some prom dresses that are sure to be winners!

Jovani Prom Dresses are HOT! Jovani was voted Prom Designer of the Year!

 

Tiffany Prom Dresses are to die for (not literally, but you know what I mean).

This is just a splash in the bucket in terms of the styles and colors that are available this year. It's really incredible! Search around and find what's right for you. Your prom pictures are ones that will stay with you forever, so make sure you have a fabulous dress that will make photo memories ones that you'll cherish everytime you look at them.

Check out our "Fit You Right" Prom Dress StyleGuide for more tips!

Happy Prom Dress Searching/Shopping,

Payton

The Day After the Oscars

So here we are, the day the Oscars and life goes back to "normal" (whatever that may be). It was an exciting night for many. I'm sure I don't need to recap the winners, as there are plenty of sites doing that already. What I will do is post some pictures of a few of the stars that showed up to the real Oscars along with TheFind's pet stars featured in our very first video spoof of the Oscarss -- The Golden Bones.

Thank you to everyone who checked out our video! So far, we've had about 5,000 hits on YouTube. We posted the video to just about every social video site around. If you have a favorite video site and you can't find our video, please comment and let us know. We'll be happy to post it.

Pawnelope Cruz	Penelope Cruz

Nicole Kittyman	Nicole Kidman

Meryl Streephound	Meryl Streep

Honorable mentions that made it to TheFind's Golden Bones Awards, but whose human counterparts did not make it to the Oscars:

Lindsay Leashhan	Brad Pitbull	Pamela Waggerson

Stay tuned, there will be more video fun coming your way from TheFind. Send your ideas by commenting here or send us an email at talk@thefind.com. We love hearing from you! And, we love implementing all your fabulous ideas!!! Thank you for your support.

Find pet costumes, red carpets, sparkling jewelry and more at TheFind!

Happy Video Watching/Shopping,
Payton

Pets on the Red Carpet

You read the title correctly, it actually says PETS (as in animals) on the red carpet. Which red carpet, you ask? Well, you'll have to check out the video to find out. Like I said yesterday, you won't find anything like this anywhere else. You can only find it at TheFind (and all the social video sites we posted it to, but you get what I mean). This video is brought to you by TheFind. There, is that better? ;o)

We promise you that this is THE gala event of the year! And you're seeing it here first.

Without further ado...here are ThePets of TheFind:

PLEASE let us know what you think of our video by leaving comments, passing it on to your friends & family, rating it on YouTube, and more! Please feel free to add this video to your own blog or MySpace as well. Click here to go directly to YouTube.

Happy Viewing/Rating/Sharing,
Payton

It May Not Be the Oscars, but...

It's coming soon...the gala event of the year! You haven't seen anything like this before and it's brought to you by TheFind. It's true, the Oscars will be here Sunday and that's a huge yearly event! Some will say it's THE event of the year, but we're here to tell you that there's something else. Stay tuned because tomorrow's the BIG day! I can't give you any details yet, but I promise to give you the whole scoop tomorrow. Trust me, Perez Hilton doesn't even have word on this one. But, he will. ;o)

Until tomorrow,
Payton

The World Belongs to "i(insert word here)"

It seems that everytime I turn around there's a new "i(something)" on the market or coming soon. The most exciting, of course is the much anticipated iPhone! My knee jerk reaction is that the iPhone will take over the (cellular) world. The pessimist in me says that there will be some or perhaps a lot of resistence.

Sight unseen, my biggest resistence is that they'll only be offering a 4GB and 8GB for $499 and $599 respectively. My iPod Video has 30GB and I'm pretty happy about that! Movies take up a lot of space! I couldn't imagine running the phone, contacts, surfing the internet, listening to music, watching movies, etc all with only 4 or 8GB. That just doesn't sound adequate. For that reason alone, I'll wait until they expand. Because, you know they will.

If I weren't already a Cingular Wireless subscriber, then I would definitely complain about the fact that Cingular has an exclusive on the phone. I realize that many cell phone manufacturers do exclusive deals, but this is Apple folks. Huh, as I type that I realize how stupid that statement is. Oh well, I'd still have issue with it if I weren't with Cingular. But, since I'm already in the "right cellular family," I'll stop complaining about the issue that doesn't affect me.

I definitely think it's pretty to look at with the sexy screen and all. I'd be willing to bet that some people won't like the touch screen, but I think I could get used to it even though I've been using a real QWERTY keyboard for about 5 years now.

I don't know, I think it's cool, but like I said I'll wait for more memory before I make the jump and dump my Treo (which I love)!  Speaking of, I wonder what the calendar feature will be like. I haven't seen any specifics on it. I've found that no other platform can really touch Palm's calendar. If it's not up to snuff, then I'll definitely keep my Treo.

What do you think? Will this be the next phone for you???

Happy Gadgeting,
Payton

Family Holiday Traditions

Time is running out for online shopping folks! Christmas is Monday, so unless you're buying gifts for people that you won't see until after "the big day," you're probably out of luck. Assuming that the gifts have been purchased, let's chat about family holiday traditions.

Whether you realize it or not, just about every family has at least one tradition for Christmas. For my family, like many...cooking and eating is a big part of holiday traditions. My Dad would always kick off the Christmas season by baking lots of cookies and candies and yummy delights. Through the years, it became imperative (to us) that he make Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls. Christmas just isn't Christmas without these yummy treats!

In addition, my Dad would host dinner on Christmas Eve, something big and fancy with multiple courses. We'd all dress up in fancy holiday clothes and act really proper for the evening.  We'd all swear that we wouldn't discuss politics, religion or any controversial topics, but we always did anyway. We'd also talk about the new year to come and what we wanted to focus on.

When I was young, my Dad would dash out and do all his Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve. He would carefully separate out my step-Mom's presents and leave those in the car to wrap later. He would then sneak the other gifts in the backdoor and hide them in his room where my step-Mom would do most of the wrapping while my Dad got back to cooking. It was a crazy scheme, but it worked! As we got older, my Dad started shopping earlier because the crazy Christmas Eve dash really stressed out my step-Mom.

If my step-Grandma was around for dinner, she would start us off with a prayer and would then recite The Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish. This may seem perfectly normal for many households, but we're not Spanish speakers, so it was a bit quirky (and we love Grandma for it). After dessert, it was time for the spoon hanging contest. This is something that Grandma started long ago at Thanksgiving actually. It's weird, but funny...we'd all lick our spoons and hang them from our noses to see who's would hang the longest. There were no prizes for this incredible talent, just some strange entertainment value after a very large meal.

After dinner we would each open one gift as a preview for the next morning's chaos. And trust me, it was always chaos! The number of presents that were piled under and around the tree was amazing. The mess that ensued from everyone opening gifts was unbelievable! We couldn't even find most of our gifts through all the mess. Afterwards, Dad would always make an amazing brunch of Eggs Benedict and a bunch of side dishes. And then we'd spend the rest of the day playing with our new toys and games.

So, that's pretty much my family's tradition...what's yours?!? Is it similar or different from mine? I'd love to hear about it.

Happy Holidays,
Payton

Solo Act

Back, by popular demand...more iPod products! (And the crowd goes wild!!!) The crowd will really go wild if you gift the following items for your favorite iPod fan. Depending on the talent (or lack there of) of the person you gift this to will determine if the crowd's wild factor is positive or negative. We've all seen "American Idol," right?!?

No, it's not a billy club...it's iKaraoke! With this cool gadget, you can turn any song on your iPod into a karoake tune. It will strip out the lead vocals so you can insert your own. There are options to leave a lead track to help you through the song and you can add reverb to your microphone too!

Take your karaoke act on the road with these JBL Encounter Speakers. You can entertain people everywhere you go. Think of the money you could make if you put out a tip hat when singing on the streets. Just a thought. People have certainly done stranger things.

Another cool and useful accessory for the iPod is the Harmon Kardon Drive & Play. This cool contraption will allow you to control your iPod while driving, allowing you to keep your eyes on the road by mounting an iPod-like menu on the dash. There are three ways to hook it up to your car. I'm betting you could still use the iKaraoke with this while you're driving. Just think of how fun road trips will be!

So, there you have it! You can take your "act" on the road and entertain millions with your iKaraoke and portable speakers. In addition to taking your car singing to a whole new level. The possibilities are endless. Forget the day job, hit the road Jack(ie)!

Happy Searching/Shopping,
Payton

Oh My! iPod

There are more iPod accessories and gadgets than I can keep track of. Honestly, I LOVE my iPod, but this cool toy has spawned a larger sub-market than anything I've ever seen! I remember when they first came out...I thought, "Eh, who needs it. I have CDs." I resisted for a really long time and then the iPod Video was born and I caved. Now I think, "How did I ever live without this amazing invention?" I appreciate CDs, but only so I can rip them to my iPod. Remember those large vinyl disks that scratched and skipped like crazy? Ha! Pardon me, I've digressed. Did I mention that I LOVE my iPod?!? Okay, good. Let's move on to the iPod toys, shall we?

Run out and buy a iCrib Sound System for anyone you know who owns an iPod and has recently had a new baby. They will will love you (more) for this great find! Plus, it's  under $50.

Do you know someone who sings in the shower or who'd like to listen to their favorite tunes while snorkling? The H2O Audio for iPod Video is made for them. Be sure to purchase the Waterproof Headphones as well.

Wake up next to a halo encasing your iPod because really, your iPod can do no wrong. The JBL OnTime will set you back a couple hundred bucks, but you can hit the snooze button and forget about it.

You're probably thinking that this image looks out of place, right? But, it's where it belongs. This is a Burton Audex Beanie will keep your head and ears warm while serving up the earbuds (and tunes) from your iPod.

I could go on and on, but I'll stop here with this great sampling. My appreciation goes out to CNET for compiling these great gift ideas and so much more in their Holiday Gift Guide 2006. These particular items came from Stocking Stuffer section. This is one of the best gift guides I've seen. Kudos to CNET!

What's your favorite gift guide? Are there any accessories that you'd like to get for your iPod this Christmas? Enquiring minds want to know.

Happy Searching/Shopping,
Payton