Move Over Oprah, I've Got a List, Too

Oprah has her own book club and her annual list of favorite things. I’m not as rich or famous as she is, and I surely don’t have enough clout to influence buyer habits or a Presidential election, but I’m going to give you my opinion on some stuff anyway. I have lots of opinions and live under the misguided notion that everyone wants to hear them. My family has quit listening to them (I am officially banned from talking about politics at home), so I’m forced to share them with strangers. Sorry. Here we go.

The best book I’ve read recently: The Glass Castle. I could not put down this book. Jeannette Walls, who writes for MSNBC, has penned the story of her turbulent childhood. She and her siblings managed to overcome irresponsible and neglectful parents and become successful folks. You’ll be amazed at the hardships they were subjected to and their spirit of survival. It made me reflect on those children in elementary school that seemed so dirty and odd but were probably just poor and hungry. I was too young to see it then. This book will make you a little sad but very inspired. I must admit it did make me want to kick some a** by about page 82.

My Favorite Things:

1. My Asics Running Shoes. Nike gets all the glory, but Asics are way better. These are absolutely the most comfortable athletic shoe I’ve ever worn, and I’m kind of hard to please when it comes to sneakers. The clerk in the store told me these would be much better than those sexy Nike gel things I was trying on. She was right. They didn’t need breaking in, didn’t cause blisters and feel good every time I wear them. I was possibly the last runner to hear about Asics, but if you were the next to last, I’m telling you to jog to the store right now and get ya’ sum. They were $85 on sale, BUT they are worth it, especially if you have old feet, like me. Mama was right. Good shoes are important.

2. Wal-Mart Fitted T-shirts. I bought two of these last year and wanted ten more, but my Wal-Mart sold out, and I was too stupid to remember I could go on line and order them. I now own eight in various colors. I wear them every other day, especially the white ones. I dress them up and dress them down. They are loose enough to be comfortable but fitted enough to keep from looking like a baggy old workout shirt. The fact that they cost $5 apiece makes my toes tingle.

3. Smart Water. I’m not one to spend money on bottled water. I like my tap water. However, when I exert myself in the summer heat, I need to put electrolytes back into my body, and I absolutely hate sports drinks. They taste like salty Kool-Aid to me. Smart Water is just like a sports drink but tastes like plain old water. It’s just what I need, and at $1.59 for a big tall bottle, I can afford it for those times when I run or work really hard in the heat.

4. Elemis Sunscreen. Okay, Oprah always has one favorite thing on her list that she raves about and forgets that it’s too expensive for us Average Joe’s to buy. It’s that one item that makes me shout at the TV, “Ope, what ARE you thinking? No one is TV Land is going to pay $600 for a sweater.” This falls into that category. I still can’t believe I bought this, but I’m glad I did. Hubby found this sunscreen by accident on a cruise. He spent the day by the deck pool while the rest of us went to a beach. He ran out of sunscreen and bought this because it was the only thing he could find. He had to pay $43 for the tube. You heard me right. $43. When I got back to the boat and found out how much he paid for it, I chalked it up to too many Coors Lights fogging his judgement. Then….I used some of it…..and fell in love. It was smooth. It was creamy. It didn’t stick to me. It kept me from burning, every time. It moisturized my skin, and it was SPF 19, right in between that sunburn inducting SPF 5 and the stay pale as paste SPF 30. We squeezed every last drop out of that tube after vacation and longed for more. I found it on the web, longed for it for weeks and finally broke down and bought some for $43 plus shipping. I should be ashamed that I spent the same amount on sunscreen that some families spend for groceries in a week. I’m not. That’s how much I love it.

There you have it, my faithful readers, my favorite stuff. Feel free to share with me your favorite stuff. I’m open to other people’s opinions. My husband would argue against that, so let’s not tell him I said so, okay? By the way, who do you like in the Presidential race?