In praise of products

In grad school, we used to talk about the mainstreaming of ideas/movements/products alot. The people who first bought new products, for example, were termed "early adopters." They represented an elite segment of society. They were usually monied, they had influence, etc. I have a confession to make. I am not an early adopter. In fact, for some reason I am one of the LAST people I know to make the change to some new, improved technology. And even then, it's usually my husband's idea. (I didn't even have an MP3 player until last Christmas. And it's not even something I asked for. Again, my husband's idea. Ditto with the digital camera. I had operated one at work for years before my husband finally got one for us.)

I'm not sure why I don't jump on the bandwagon. I guess I figure that the product might not work, or that it'll be too hard to get the hang of. Or whatever. But I am changing my ways. Recently, the discovery of several genius new products have caused me to think differently.

1.) I was shopping with a friend, and she noticed that I'd gotten some makeup on the collar of the shirt I was wearing. She whisked a "Tide to Go" pen out of her purse and dabbed the stain. Voila! It was gone within 5 minutes. I HAD NO IDEA!! I am one of the messiest people I know. This thing is made for me. I now carry a Tide to Go with me in my purse at all times, and I have another one in a drawer in my office.

2.) I was giving a party a while back, and I was trying to spiff up the house a bit. On a whim, I bought one of the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers at the store. I was sure it was a gimmick, but I thought, "What have I got to lose?" Well, that thing worked like a charm, taking scuffs off walls, the bottoms of doors, EVERYTHING. I currently have two packages of them under the sink for emergencies.

3.) Lastly, my most recent discovery - the Shed Ender. Now, I had seen this product on television, but I DO NOT order things off TV. But when it showed up in my local Wal-Greens, I picked it up. I have two cats - a short hair and a long hair - and anything that keeps the furball factor down is my friend. This thing worked WONDERS on my long-haired kitty. It removed copious amounts of hair, and she didn't even seem to mind it the way she minds the traditional brush. If you have a long-haired cat, YOU NEED this thing. It will amaze you how much hair comes off your little puffy friend.

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