Upcoming review: Book: Ah-Choo!
I was recently sent Jennifer Ackerman’s Ah-Choo! The Uncommon Life of Your Common Cold, and the timing couldn’t be better, seeing as how I have bronchitis which came from a cold that never went away. I’m only a few pages into the book, and I’m already hooked. One cool thing that stands out in my mind is the simple fact that pharmaceuticals and independent research companies offer paid cold studies — basically, eligible participants are paid anywhere from $500 to $1000 or more to hole up in a motel or hotel room for several days, be deliberately infected with the cold virus, and then subject to a variety of tests and assessments during the stay. It sounds unpleasant and inconvenient to be sure, but you know what? I’m game. Seriously, I’m going to look up local cold studies and see if I’d be eligible. 
Anyway, it probably won’t take me long to get through Ah-Choo!, because Jennifer Ackerman is one of those authors that not only picks an interesting subject, but writes about it in an incredibly interesting and humorous manner!
Rock Your Firefox
Firefox is stepping up their game with Rock Your Firefox, their new brand that is designed to be hip, cool, and maybe just slightly retro. I discovered Rock Your Firefox when I was at BlogHer ’10 last week, and I thought the whole setup was pretty cool. They had laptops demoing Firefox 4 beta, and it was so cool that when I came home I said goodbye to Google Chrome and installed Firefox 4 beta instead.
Of course, Rock Your Firefox is a little more than just new branding; it’s also Mozilla’s new blog and place to showcase the newest and hottest add-ons and Firefox goodies.
Rating: 
I’m an Android girl
I get the iPhone craze, I really do. But people, it’s no longer 2007. iPhones have been around for several years, and there are some great alternatives — first and foremost being Android phones. Android is a lot like the Apple iPhone software in that it is extremely customizable, and offers loads of great apps for download. Obviously, you’ll want to check out cell phone reviews before purchasing any type of phone, but I would highly recommend that you sign yourself up for an Android phone. I’ve personally had a T-Mobile G1, a T-Mobile myTouch 3G, and a T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide, and all were excellent phones. But again, trust your judgment, and rely on mobile phone reviews before making a purchase.
With that said, I’ll continue to stick with Android. With so many cell phone providers and wireless carriers on the market, even if I were to leave T-Mobile, I wouldn’t have to leave behind my precious Android. ♥
Do you want swag? Just go to BlogHer.
Seriously, there’s enough swag at BlogHer ’10 to fill up a suitcase. I should know — I had to borrow a suitcase in order to get everything home. What all was offered? Oh man, it’s more like what wasn’t offered. Everything from keychains to flash drives to promotional umbrellas to towels to toys to lotions to food (yes, food: I brought home Chicken Helper, a pack of tuna, a container of mayonnaise, and several candy bars!). Here’s my haul (and that of my boss’s):
With that said, I’m still hungover from BlogHer. Who would have thought that a “simple” four day conference could be so exhausting? But it’s all good. I had a great time, and yes, I am looking forward to going next year!
Yo Gabba Gabba! Live!
The Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! There’s A Party In My City! Tour kicks off on August 27th, 2010 in New York, and ends on December 12th, 2010 in Texas. In between New York and Texas the Yo Gabba Gabba! crew (+ legendary hip-hop artist Biz Markie and other special guests) will be hitting up 58 other cities all over the U.S., plus a few stops in Canada. At each show you can expect to enjoy live music, singing, dancing, and lots of interactive stuff going on for families and children of all ages.
Interested in seeing one of the shows? Head over to YoGabbaGabbaLive.com! Hurry — tickets are selling out fast!
I have been provided with four complimentary tickets to the October 5th, 2010 stop of Yo Gabba Gabba! in Hershey, PA, thanks to the Hershey theater; Kia, the tour’s sponsor; and the many talented organizers that are making the crazy 60-city tour happen. I am very excited about being able to take my five year old daughter and my four year old son, and I definitely plan on hitting up the Yo Gabba Gabba! Web Store beforehand to get some t-shirts and pins for the kids. You can get swag there as well!
Psst… head on over to jenn.nu to enter the Yo Gabba Gabba! giveaway. One lucky winner will receive the first volume of Music is Awesome, as well as the Yo Gabba Gabba! Clubhouse DVD.
Upcoming review: Moody Bee
While I pay a lot of attention to my makeup and usually choose bright, glittery and bold colors and styles for my eyes, I usually don’t do much with my lips. Weird, I know, but my top lip product is usually lip balm or a plain gloss, as opposed to a fancier gloss, stain, or lipstick. I love lip balms in particular, so much that I keep one in each car, one in my purse, one in my laptop bag, and at least four or five in my bedroom.
Anyway, I was recently contacted and offered the opportunity to try out beeswax lip balm from Moody Bee. Moody Bee is a family-owned company based in Canada. The beekeeping operation that provides the beeswax for Moody Bee lip balm also provides honey, which I think is pretty damn cool — talk about a dual-purpose operation! Anyway, Moody Bee lip balm has a light vanilla & peppermint scent and flavor to it, and from what I’ve experienced so far, glides on smoothly and stays put, without the waxy residue that a lot of other lip balms often leave behind.
But I want to use Moody Bee beeswax lip balm for a few more days — and share it with family — before writing a full review! 
Upcoming review: Zibits
I was recently sent a few Zibits to try out. Zibits are pint-sized remote controlled robots that zoom along, spin 360°, light up, and make little robot noises and sound effects. Each Zibit is powered by a small remote control (which fortunately comes with batteries!). There are twelve styles in all.
We were sent Clunk and Dex. I’m going to hand them over to my kids today, and come back with a full review in a few days!
