Eid Gift Guide 2010: Clothing, Accessories, Etc. For Her

Posted on August 25, 2010
Filed Under Daily, Gift Guide | Leave a Comment

Oh My GAH! This list could seriously have gone on forever. There’s nothing on here I don’t want, and plenty of items that I would happily gift to the women in my life who inspire me. The Etc. part of this list is for stuff that didn’t fit into one of the other categories, but was too wonderful not to include.

Men, YOU OWE ME.

1. Cadena Vest, $118

2. Birds of A Feather Girly Tee, $18

3. Sanuk Yoga Mat Flip-Flops, $26

4. Feather Tights in black, $38 (in indigo here)

5. Fluttering Lashes Poncho, $58

6. Convertible Ruffle Skirt, $88

7. Tory Burch Eddie Patent Ballet Flats in Royal Tan, $178

8. TOMS Love Is The New Black Women’s Vegan shoes, $54

1. Lady’s Choice Cardigan in Gold, $88

2. Leggings in Rust, $86

3. Washed Silk Black Pants, $125

4. Oversized Striped Cowl-Neck Top, $232

5. Mellow Meadow Loungers, $48

6. Rock the Chucks Eco Friendly Women’s T-Shirt, $22

1. Cotton-Blend Mini skirt, $56

2. Oversized Cotton Shirt, $65

3. A Tee Grows in Brooklyn, $29.99

4. Long Full Skirt in Black Deco Flower, $190

5. Marine Biolo-Tee, $27.99

6. Liquid Leggings, $38

7. Hoot Point Tee, $29.99

8. Crosshatch Cotton Nora Pant, $19.99

9. Long Full Skirt in Confetti, $111

Accessories:

1. Daniel Ring Carved, $216

2. Oil Paint Cosmetics Bag, $42

3. Trees Reusable Grocery Sac, $10.50

4. Twist Earrings, $69

5. Via Lattea Necklace, $32

6. Sigurd Persson Ring, $515

7. Rose Garden Bracelet (for a smaller wrist!), $25

8. Bird Delivering ‘Je Taime’ Note Necklace, $21

9. Pearl Small Flower Ring, $45

10. Bright Bulb Posts in grey, $28

11. Birdie Denim Clutch, $58

1. Bride’s Heart Revisited Coin Purse, $70

2. Braided Chain-and-Pearl Bracelet, $49.99

3. Beaded Bloom Cluth, $99.99

4. Ridged Butterfly Ring, $3.80

5. Leather Wrap Bracelet, $24

6. Tiny Flower Cluster Ring, $256

7. In a Dream Butterfly Hair Combs, $30

8. Bauble Birds Jewelry Stand, $24.95

9. Carrie All Bag and Backpack, $39.99

10. Dainty Plate Stud, $25

11. Pyramid Stud, $19.50

1. Satin Finish Pashmina (in assorted colors), $28

2. Cheslea Ring, $80

3. Asa Ring, $22.95 to $269.95

4. Tangled Branch and Stone Ring, $18

5. Love Bunnies Ring holder, $12

6. Lily Bracelet, $26

7. Loop Necklace, $190

8. All Black Coin Purse, $38

9. Claudia Bag in Brown Peanut, $73

10. Owl Patchwork Case for iPhone/iPod, $19.50

11. Yellow Elephants Checkbook Cover, $10

12. Cloud Print Ankle Socks, $6

1. Amazon Kindle E-Reader, $139 to $189

2. Luddite Collection Laptop Case, $68

3. Set of 10 Hedgehog Mini Cards with Envelopes, $5

4. “Babes In Toyland” (1961), $10.99

5. Set of 6 Jazakallah (Thank You) Cards, $10

6. 8 Dipped Cookies, $29.99

7. Modern Arabic Alphabet Poster, $5

8. Storm in a Royal Delft Tea Cup, £550.00

9. Smashbox ‘Masquerade Baked Fusion’ Soft Lights Palette in “Illusion,” $32

1. Eco Friendly Ladybird Lunch Bag, $11.99

2. bobble Water Bottles, from $8.95

3. Hot Air Balloon Rides, from $195

4. Fresh Long-Stemmed Sunflowers from your local Farmer’s Market, check your city for market days and times

5. Ecojot Nature Journal, $13.95.

6. Love Is In The Air Standing Flowers, $20

7. Dior Addict Lip Glow, $28

8. Edible Arrangements ‘Ramadan Kareem’ Bouquet, from $78

9. Moleskine Classic Notebook in Red, $12.21

10. Miss Marc and Friends Automatic Umbrella, $68

Eid Gift Guide 2010: For Him

Posted on August 24, 2010
Filed Under Daily, Gift Guide, Life With The Boss | Leave a Comment

The Eid Gift Guide(s) for 2010 are here, and I’ll be posting them in this space all week. All of this year’s items were inspired by gifts The Boss and I have received, stuff we bought for ourselves or each other, items on our Must Have list, or things that just looked really darn cool. There are (and will be to come) a few major splurges, and a few items you could get with the weekly allowance your parents give you. I tried to be as diverse in my pickings as possible, both in style and price, and I will admit that there are quite a few things on the For Him list that I actually want for myself.

1. The Office Dwight Schrute Work Shirt Men’s T-Shirt, $19.49

2. The Thermos Hydration Bottle, $42

3. Nook E-Reader, $149 to $199

4. FIFA Soccer 10 for Playstation 3, $56.99

5. All That We will Ever Need Fine Art Print, $45

6. Orange and Blue Cupcake Toppers, $14

7. Distressed Yellow Truck, $16

8. “Sherlock Holmes” on Blu-Ray, $26.99

9. “Curb Your Enthusiasm”: The Complete Seasons 1-6, $136.99

10. “The Rose That Grew From Concrete,” a collection of poems written by Tupac Shakur before his rise to fame, $14.93

1. Smart Phones: htc EVO 4G with Sprint service plan, iPhone 4 with AT&T service plan, Motorola Droid 2 with Verizon service plan, myTouch 3G Slide with T-Mobile service plan

2. Porsche Design P’3320 Classic Line Cardholder, $170

3. New Era Cap Storage System, $14.99 and New Era 24-Pack Cap Carrier, $49.99

4. Microfiber Poppy Necktie, $30

5. Ben Sherman laptop messenger bag, $48

6. Paul Smith Union Jack Car Cufflink, $125

1. “Life of Muhammad – Makkan Period” (16-CD album), $59.95

2. “Life of Muhammad – Medinah Period Part 1,” $69.95 to be listened to with “Life of Muhammad – Medinah Period Part 2,” $69.95

3. JoS. A. Bank eGift Card

4. “The Message,” $14.49

5. “The Prophet,” $32.40

6. Braun Men’s Series 7-760CC Shaver, $249.99

7. Bull Catchall, $39.95

8. “The Barbecue! Bible,” $15.61

9. Superhero Stamp Cufflinks, $89.95

10. “Shit My Dad Says,” $8.79

11. Car Trunk Organizer & Cooler, $49.95

1. Sylvestre Work Blazer, $289.12

2. M&M’s Customized Chocolate Candy with NBA Team Logos, $59.99

3. “75 Years Of DC Comics: The Art Of Modern Mythmaking” Coffee Table Book, $126

4. Stock Car Ride Along, starting at $109

5. “Always Sunny In Philadelphia” ‘Dayman’ T-shirt, $20

6. Design Your Own Low-Top Chuck Taylors, starting at $62

7. “Life” on Blu-Ray, narrated by Oprah Winfrey, $49.49

8. Stripe Pullover Sweater, $39.99

1. Panasonic Portable Blu-Ray Disc Player, $318.99

2. Leather Messenger Bag, $149

3. Garmin Forefunner 310XT GPS with Heart Rate Monitor, $399.95

4. Fandango Give Green E-Gift Cards

5. Halal Haribo Vegetarian Gummy Bears, £0.92

6. Burberry Brit Check Trim Interlock Polo, $110

7. CamelBak M.U.L.E. 100 oz Pack, $90

8. Balance Your Carbon Emissions (select amount or create your own portfolio)

9. Buy A Tree from the Heart of the Amazon, starting at $49.95

10. Madden NFL 11 for XBOX 360, $59.99

11. LEGO Sculptures Architecture Series, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, $33.06

12. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH20 Digital Camera, $157.88

Microfiber Poppy Necktie, $30

http://www.etsy.com/listing/54555830/brown-and-metallic-gold-poppy-necktie-as?ref=v1_o

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Riding with FIL: The untold story

Posted on August 23, 2010
Filed Under Daily, Family, In-laws | 8 Comments

A few days before I left Connecticut to return to L.A., FIL and I decided to go on a bike ride together. We both wanted to get in some cardio, but because my knee had been acting up again, we opted for something a little lower impact.

HA.

HA. HA.

That’s funny now that I look back on it.

NOTHING WITH FIL IS EVER LOW IMPACT.

And I should know that by now.

But that’s exactly why I never miss an opportunity to work out with him. Despite the fact that he’s a little more than twice my age, and had heart surgery a few years ago, this guy is a solid workout buddy. Like me, he’s competitive and he doesn’t like to lose.

Since the weather on the east coast was brutally hot and humid while I was visiting, I only packed workout clothes for indoor workouts, which, per the clothing guidelines I follow for my faith, weren’t appropriate for outdoor use. I did happen to have a pair of running pants, and thankfully The Boss’s mama had done like three tons of The Boss’s laundry so I grabbed one of his long-sleeve T-shirts, and waited for FIL downstairs in the dining room.

Now, before I continue, let me explain something about FIL. He’s a hustler. Plain and simple. Every time I visit my in-laws, FIL and I embark on some sort of physical activity together, and without fail, every time, I am defeated. Once, as we headed out the door for a three and a half mile run together, FIL was all Oh, I’m an old man, go ahead and run ahead if I slow down, you’re so young, and blah, blah, blah.

Yes, I get it. You’re older than me. But what FIL failed to mention was that he also runs five miles almost every day, clocking in at solid 10-minute splits. Sometimes slightly faster. Before FIL and I parted to get changed, I asked him if he was a biker. You know, like does he gear up and hit the country roads regularly.

“Why are you smiling like that?” I asked.

“Just go get ready.”

“No, seriously. I know you. I know how you are.”

“I’m not like anything,” he said, a smirk now plastered to his face. “We’ll leave in 30 minutes.”

So, I’m waiting for FIL in the dining room, when in walks a man in a PROFESSIONAL SPANDEX LANCE ARMSTRONG CYCLING SUIT, smirk in tow.

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?!?!” I shouted.

“What?”

“What? What do you mean WHAT? You’re in a unitard!”

But he just smiled. A smile that said, You have no idea who I am, Young Buck. Also, my legs look killer in these tights.

So Lance got the mountain bike, and I got a road bike, and off we went. Because this was FIL, I assumed we’d ride, five, I don’t know, maybe six miles. Yet again, my nativity got the best of me. This was FIL after all, and anything less than Ride-until-your-triceps-bleed-and-your-toenails-fall-off would have been uncivilized.

When we finally stopped to hydrate, he goes, “Okay, nine miles down, six more to go. How are you feeling?”

I’m sorry, what? Oh, I must have misheard you. I thought you said NINE and SIX but that can’t be right because I think that adds up to FIFTEEN.

“I’m feeling good,” I said. “Wait, we just rode how far? How far are we going?” I was doubting my addition.

“It’s a 15-mile loop,” he said, as he took a swig of his G2.

But FIL knows me, too. And he knows that I’m a bit of a stickler. I’m obsessively competitive with myself, and I never start something I’m not going to finish. He knew I would mentally pound my chest, and drool all the way up those hills that were so steep they were stupid, if I had to. So he tested the waters.

“Unless you want to turn back,” he taunted.

“No, I’m okay,” I said, wiping the sweat that had fallen into my eyes. “We can do your loop.”

We rode for about another 20 minutes through some beautiful farm land, and down stretches of road covered in breathtaking canopies of green. We rode past tobacco farms, and a racehorse breeding farm, and cow pastures, and on the home stretch, the final three miles, as is FIL’s signature move, he started to sprint. But just before we made it home, in an unorthodox move, FIL slowed down, and then stopped. He was a few hundred yards ahead of me, and when I reached him, he crossed the street, and we rode the rest of the way home together.

But don’t be fooled by his soft side. I’m sure the next time I visit, he’ll take me to an Iron Man, but only after telling me we’re going to a marshmallow-eating contest.