A Few of My Favorite Things

Two days ago, I wrote a post about buyer's remorse. Today, I'd like to address the flip side of the coin. There are plenty of things that I'm quite happy that I purchased...things that either save me time, increase my productivity, or add an element of fun to my otherwise boring, mundane existence :-) Here's just a partial list.

Condo - my sanctuary. There are times when I hate home ownership (like when my faucet started dripping and I couldn't figure out how to fix it myself). But at the end of the day, it's a blessing to have a place to call my own.

iPod mini - I mostly listen to NPR podcasts and soothing, inspirational music. And yes, mom. I'm careful not to keep it on too long because I don't particularly want to lose my hearing.

Mountain bike - in terms of stress relief, nothing beats a long, quiet bike ride along the lakefront.
Kirkland Anodized Aluminum cookware set - much cheaper than All-Clad or Calphalon, although I wish that the frying pans had a second handle on the other end, since they're pretty heavy to pick up with one hand.

All-in-one printer, fax and copier machine - no more running to Kinko's to copy or fax one page documents.

Digital camera - these days, it's soooo easy to share photos with family and friends. Just point and shoot, upload and then email the link to everyone.

Cell phone with web browser - they locked down our computers at work so we can't access our personal email accounts. People still send me messages on my yahoo account and expect me to respond immediately. Sigh.

Palm PDA - no more random scraps of paper. My calendar and contact list, all in one. Quicken software - at times, it drives me crazy. But it's easier than doing everything via Excel. Electric, cordless kettle - it heats up water faster than a microwave and shuts off by itself. How cool is that? A must for tea drinkers like me.

Senseo coffee pod machine - for a quick, single shot of coffee in the morning, it can't be beat.

Cordless phone with dual handsets and speaker phone - if you're like me, it's easy to lose track of where you put the cordless phone. With two handsets, you're sure to have one somewhere close by ;-) And with a speakerphone, I can listen in on conference calls and type at the same time.

Method cleaning wipes - no harsh chemicals and biodegradeable.

The Kite Runner - beautifully written, yet incredibly sad. The one novel that I enjoyed reading the most in 2005.

I admit that I'm somewhat of a gadget geek and a gear head....comes from having an older brother who was really into that kind of stuff. Anyway, these are just a few of my favorite things :-)

How about you? What are your favorite things?