Damn - it's Monday - again

Welcome to yet another week in the year of 2006. Sounds rather, dismal when you put it that way though. It has been one of those years though - judging by the resounding wish of many - 'I am so looking forward to starting a fresh year'. Personally, I like to take a positive approach - if it doesn't make any difference in the grand scheme of things, there is no point in me sitting and fretting about it. Especially when there are so many worth while things to complain and seek action.

I want to respond to 'the wandering guys' entry about the death of CDs. Good topic and one that gets me going. I don't know for certain, but I think the death of the CD is a ploy - according to online and in store CD retailers there is still a very large market share that wants, must have and needs to have a physical pre recorded CD. Though sales have dropped off, there is still an incredible demand.

I know why and I'll share a story with you (you likely have had the same experience) and let you see where I am coming from.

Let me start by saying I am pretty internet/e-commerce savvy. I spend huge amounts of time each day online. I navigate several 100 new and unique websites per week. I use a wide variety of applications and online tools. I would say I am one of the more experienced users.

Today, I started to do something I've wanted to do for sometime, set up a reviews and referral section for music that I can share with you. Though there are several players in this area from a 'supply of online music' perspective, very few do it with the volume that iTunes does. It also pains me to say it, but very few do it with the 'ease' either.

First of all, with iTunes, you can browse the catalog, select the tunes you think you might like, load them on to a playlist and save. All without committing to purchase. You do need to create an account though and download the required plugins that allow you to do all of this. Not really a huge issue.

There are next to no security issues when you are working with a major provider like Apple. That is not the case with some of the other sites. I did a search for 'music downloads, Canada' and it returned 90 million responses. Needless to say, there are not that many bonified sites, but still, that's a few to go through.

I found sites that run on subscriptions, with unlimited downloads, others are per track, others per month with limits. So, how do you know which is the best for your needs, if any at all?

I can't answer that one - it involves some soul searching on your part. Here though are some things to consider before you click the 'purchase' buttons.

a) how much music do you buy per year, per month? If you don't buy anymore than a few cds a year, would you actually consider downloading on a regular basis? Do you own a MP3 player? Do you move cds from the house to the car? Do you share music with your friends? If you don't own a portable device, don't listen to cds in your car, don't share music; then chances are good that you won't be using a download service to its fullest and are likely best to just buy tracks as you want. If you find your use rate increases, then certainly consider the subscription services.

b) how technology challenged are you? Are you comfortable with dealing online, using e-commerce? Do you Google everything? Do you use email a great deal? These are all simple questions, navigating online forms, search functions, download instructions can be laborious and frustrating. Often people tell me, 'I just can't be bothered going through all of the steps'. I am sure that companies make a huge percentage of their revenue from accounts that are opened, funded and never used. Purely out of frustration, lost interest and forgotten passwords.

c) do you know what you like in music or are you more of a 'like it when I hear it' kind of person? We all tend to listen to new music that is recommended to us. With all of the choices available, it is no wonder. There are two downsides when it comes to download sites - #1 many don't have samples of the music - so if you have never heard the tune, don't know the artist, how would you know if you would like it or not. iTunes does have a sampler, which is something that I must have - experience has taught me, that just because it is on the charts, I may not like it. 2) search functions on most of the sites are either poor or you need to be exact - say you don't know exactly how 'Strait' is spelled and you enter 'Straight' - the search function, will return '0'. They are not like Google searching which assumes you made a mistake when the returns are low.

d) are you more of a radio on junkie? There are other opportunities to finding and listening to the music you want to hear. Satellite radio in Canada has exploded. Our household has been a subscriber to 'Sirius' for almost a year now. You can take Sat radio in the car with you, have it in your home, listen online and even carry it with you in the form of a player that is just like your MP3. (the just released STILETTO 100 SL100)
allows the user to do a variety of things, including an auto record of the artists who you want.... downloading for us simple folks - unit will apparently be available in Canada later this month, though is available online through Sirius US)

d) how cheap are you? If you don't want to pay to download the latest hits, there are alternatives. Peer to peer sharing is still alive and well. There are problems with free though. First of all, nothing in life is free! Keeping that in mind.... with P2P sites come of variety of bots, spies and creepy little viruses. Even the top notch 'killers' don't get them all. ('Daughter' lost a monitor to a virus last week - not to worry, her system, her virus, her using an older than Grandma, 14" low res monitor until she gets hers fixed should'a listened to Mom!).

Quality is also an issue on P2P. As well, it doesn't solve the problem if you don't know exactly what you are looking for either. Though many use the Peer to Peer offerings, there are so many problems associated with the sites, that often unless you are very computer savvy, you are best to leave them to kids and those that know how to get rid of the problems when they arrive. (ahhh, so much in life is better left to those who know.......)

Rounding out this little entry and just so you can have a good belly laugh for the day; it took me all of 2 hours to figure out how to create a playlist in iTunes. Signing up was easy, figuring out the search, add to playlist, save playlist took the time. Before you ask, yes, I read the instructions - any easier - not on your life.

Now that I've navigated through the process though, I'm set up and ready to go. I will let you know in a few days if it was worth the aggravation or, if it would have just been easier to go to the local CD store, buy a copy for $14.95, plunked it in my player on the way home and enjoy.

You can all relate, I know you can. You are just about ready to abort an entire online experience, as you have not been able to figure out how to do something. Then out of the corner of your eye, and the top right corner of your screen, you notice an icon.... you slide your mouse over it and poof - 1 hour of looking for 'how' and one click later. By the way, halogen desk lamps are extremely hot. Don't be tempted to move one close to your screen to see that top right hand corner, and then leave it there - flat screens melt quickly.

Have a wonder Hot Cherry day - we'll catch you throughout the week. Oh, almost forgot - I don't really think the CD is dead just yet - not until working online becomes a whole lot easier for men (who don't like to read instructions) and women (who can but still can't seem to figure things out) in our technology rich society.

It's Friday, it's Friday, it's Friday - so what

For those who work a conventional work week, Friday is and always has been a day to look forward to. For the past 8 months though, I personally have worked anything but 'conventional'. Consequently, one day runs into the next. For those who can't wait for the weekend, this one is for you.

Now, everyone always talks about having free time on the weekend, so few do anything with it. We are going to help you change that if you live in Eastern Ontario.

Here 's a couple of cool things going on:
The Ottawa Humane Society Auxiliary (aka the fundraisers) are holding it a few events over the course of the next few weekends - great cause, super events: (click here for more details on their events)

• 5th November: Auction Doors open at 10 a.m. and the auction starts at 11a.m. Loch March Golf and Country Club, 1755 Old Carp Rd., Ottawa. Call 613-728-5493 for details.
• 19th November: Craft Sale 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Orchard View Living Centre, 1491 Manotick Station Rd., Ottawa
• 24th and 25th November: Christmas Craft Sale during mall hours at Carlingwood Mall, Carling Avenue, Ottawa

The Ottawa Wine and Food Show begins today - another reason to look forward to this Friday! this is the 21st year in the running (how many have you been to?). Kicks off today and runs until Sunday. Click here to be transported to the details.

There is a great thing about these entries, you can leave comments. In your comments, share what's going on with other readers. No, you don't need to be from Eastern Ontario either. From wherever you are is good.

A thought to leave you with - a question asked to me last night by two of my favorite young gentleman friends: 'Why is it when us guys say we want to go out and hang out with our friends, our girlfriends complain that they have no one to hang out with. So they don't want to be alone. So, we should stay and hang out with them. Why don't they have friends to hang with like we do?'

I shrugged and wanting to avoid a great long detailed answer, told them I'd get back to them with some ideas....... Help me out here!!!!

Have a Hot Cherry Weekend! Go spend some money, support a cause, give back.

Old women, Young men and TVs

Ahhh, caught you looking! While you are here, you might as well read on and share your comments.

If you visit this site often, you will know that we are not afraid to call a spade a spade. We are also not afraid to 'put stuff out there', random thoughts, questions and finds. We try to look at products, services and ideas with an open mind.

If by chance you - reading this - have any influence with marketers, advertisers, agencies, then please, take these thoughts back to your office with you.

As always, there is a reason for today's thoughts. I personally receive and review many magazines and ezine articles. I trend watch, I search, I collect data. The tirade I am about to embark upon began with a bit of fuel from an ad placed in the Saturday edition of our city's paper.

I can only assume that Sony has on their retainer, advertising specialists with a mandate to put more Sony products into the hands of women. This time they are not doing it with pink coloured electronics though, they've gone upscale. Sony is marketing their new BRAVIA LCD TV with the power of female endorsement.

That's right. Sony's newest version of 'pink marketing' (that is ad speak for ploys to get us girls to buy products because they make them pink) is simple, take a full page ad out, use one side to talk tech with the 'guy in our lab' and the other side of the page for the endorsements.

Here is an example: Barbra Atkin, Fashion Director at Holt says 'It's thin, sleek and stylish and adds beauty to my decor'. (just what is she talking about?) Amanda Blakley National Manager of Special Events for Rethink Breast Cancer says 'BRAVIA really brings the in-stadium or front-row experience to your couch while watching anything from sports to fashion shows'. (come on Amanda, how many fashion shows and sporting events do you really watch?) My favorite is from Jane Kerr, Senior Executive of Accenture who says 'BRAVIA HD has transformed the way I watch TV'. (What the heck?) I just don't get it, do you?

I would be willing to bet that Sony dolled out $100,000's of dollars both for these endorsements and for the full page ads. Did they hit the mark? Am I just skeptical? Does it matter to you when you make a big ticket purchase that a woman, selected by the company endorses it? Personally, I think companies need to hire average working women to tell them how to market to our segment. I would also bet that this ad was created by a firm in NYC, predominantly male team, calling themselves 'trendy' and 'in the know'.

Continuing on the subject of marketing to women, I'm going to take a run at a woman's magazine next. (we beat up on the poor boys over at AskMen all the time) This week I picked up a copy of "More". I don't know why, its title was in pink this month - kidding. I'd actually never looked at the mag prior, but caught a title that said 'celebrate your life after 40'. Needless to say, I got my knickers in a knot and paid $5 to take a closer look.

Here's the background. More magazine will be published in Canada starting in the spring of '07, by Transcontinental Media, who have this to say: 'More is the defining magazine of a powerful and empowered generation – a growing community of women over 40 who are more accomplished, more confident, more influential and more resourceful. With features on health, beauty, fashion, food and lifestyle, finance, foreign and national affairs, the arts, travel and more, More gives established women more of what they want to get more out of life.' Currently the magazine is still published by it's source, Meredith Corp. out of Des Moines Iowa.

My gripe about this magazine..... Well first - how many women really want to be reminded that they are over 40? No need to answer that one. How many women want to look like they are over 40? Dido. Now 'More' defiantly pushes the '40' something time of life. Someone want to tell the man to the right that 'he's getting older'? Go ahead and make his day.

As for content, it is pretty diverse. Everything from recipes (as if we have time) to what to do when you are Pink-Slipped after 40. Ads (lots of them) for weight loss solutions, meals in a box, products that lubricate your joints and help you sleep at night oh and we won't forget that unless we invest every penny we have right now, we are likely going to be held up in a hovel by the time we are 60.

I did like some things about this magazine there was the 'Luxe Life' a photo spread about luxury items - I think. Some of the spread showed women (yes, not 12 year old girls made up to look like women) with boobs. No kidding, and arms/legs that were not stick thin. There was another fashion spread on 'accessories', boots, shoes, and belts - pretty to look at though 90% of the pieces featured were way out of the range of most working women (come on, $2900 for a python evening bag).

Overall.... don't waste your $5! It reminds me of Oprah's magazine without the content. I also don't like the whole marketing to women over 40 thing. I just don't think these types of publications get it. It's okay to be getting older, just don't remind us that we are.

I'll leave you with this thought a friend of mine shared 'the media, the retailers and society in general makes us feel old - it is time we fought back and said 'shove it', I'll do what I want until I can't anymore, then maybe I'll consider slowing down!' I like her way of thinking. Have a Hot Cherry Day!

All tied up

My day actually started off with a left over from last night. Little did I know that it was going to happen this way.

It all began when for some reason (step in technical email server answer person to explain this to me) I managed to spam myself. That's correct - I sent out a couple of emails, cc'd myself on them so I'd have a record. At the point when I made the call to tech support for my email, I was downloading a new copy of the email(s) every 3 minutes, for a total of 30 emails. Someone had to make it stop.

I'd tried everything within my scope. I was headed to my webmail to see if I could gain access to the mail server. (let me clarify, the spam email was through my personal email, no one in-house could help me To log into my webmail, I would need my email password.... yeah right. After I tried multiple combinations, aka guesses, I gave up and called my ISP.

I think they were a bit baffled too, but made a couple of suggestions on how to fix it. #1 reset the password so that I could have access and #2 purge the email accounts. I could see no other solution - so we did both. What I was not told was a change in password would mean that I would not be able to log on to my network.

I worked away for another couple of hours, without problems and with the spam email stopped. I shut down and called it a night. Happy of course that I had done something to solve my IT problem.

Little did I know. This morning I went to check email and launch a browser...nothing. I waited until I knew someone would be answering the phones in support at my ISP and called. Lucky for me, I ended up with 'Gary'. Little did Gary know that he would end up with me at 7:30am.

The connections were checked and sure enough I had signal into my tower (Oh, I neglected to mention, my ISP is 'Storm Internet' - we are outside of any major area so we utilize high-speed wireless) and it should be working. Then I mentioned my problems of the night before.

Gary had the solution, 'did you change your password in you router?' Of course I didn't, the chap the night before didn't tell me I would need to do that. I was informed that I would have to do that first and then everything would work. My next question, you got it - How?

Now let me start by saying Storm Internet does not 'do' routers. They provide me with signal, what I do with it and how I split it up is my doing. Gary however, was willing to help. You see, I could not remember the password for the router either.

45 minutes later, Gary had me connected again. (I've now written my password down in three different locations, perhaps though, I should write down the locations of the passwords as I'm likely to forget if I ever need them again) I did have to call him back one more time to fix a small bug with one of my email accounts, but that took nano seconds in comparison

The point of all this. Gary and Storm Internet did not have to help me out with the router password. However, by doing so, they helped to get me back online. I am therefore eternally grateful and very, very happy. So much so that I'm sharing my story with you now.

Had Gary and Storm Internet towed the line and sent me on my way to figure out things on my own, I wouldn't be writing this now. When I did get back online though, you can bet that I would have a scathing report to share with you.

Bottom line - what did it cost my ISP to help me out? It's not as if I call for support often, once every 6 months, maybe. What does it cost services, stores etc. when they won't help out or at least attempt to share some knowledge?

Here's the numbers. On average, if a person has a favorable experience, they are likely to tell one other person (now some folks like me like to share), but, if a person has a frustrating or bad experience, they are likely to tell ten (10) people. In this case, that is a very bad thing!

Advertising is expensive and can be hit and miss, with a undetermined ROI. Word of mouth, referral and buzz marketing however, costs very little and has a tremendous return on investment.

Now, I'd like someone to tell me why 'retail' doesn't get this.

So to Gary - tech guy at Storm Internet - Kudos to you. I sincerely appreciate your help.


Have a wonderful day. As always, feel free to share you thoughts, finds, reviews, kudos and gripes with all of us.

On Men, and their minds

As promised yesterday.... today we are going to take an interesting look at what gets a guy tied up in knots.
For this little expose, we've dug deep, researched large and compiled some interesting findings. If you agree, disagree or have any opinion, please feel free to share it with the rest of us.

Our point of reference is from Journalist Neil Chethik and his book: "VoiceMale—What Husbands Really Think About Their Marriages, Their Wives, Sex, Housework and Commitment".

Chethik used 300 American husbands and in-depth interviews with 70 men in all stages of marriage, here's what he found:

#1) 93 % would marry the same woman again, 82 percent are satisfied with their sex lives, however, men are sometimes "astounded by how long women can go without thinking about sex."

#2) he discovered a parallel between housework and sex; the happier their wives were in the division of housework, the happier the men were with their sex lives.

#3) there is a practical side beyond chemistry that makes a man want to get married. Men look at pros and cons and what kind of partnership he would have with a particular woman. Because of sports, they are schooled in how to be a teammate, how to communicate without necessarily using words, how to work for common goals. If a man can meet a woman who he thinks will be on his side, he's likely to be very attracted to her. Most men are interested in finding that person who is a partner, friend and lover through life.

#4) what attracts men beyond first physical attraction, is someone who is temperamentally positive, enthusiastic and adventurous. Men recognize that women often set the emotional tone of the home. If the woman is exciting and upbeat, that will mean that the home will be that way. The same stands if she's negative, critical and unhappy. The other thing is self-confidence. Men who are looking for women might know they're not [ranked] a 10, but that they have many "10" qualities and they emphasize those qualities. Men apparently know they are not 10s most of the time either, therefore they understand the need to look for what is beautiful about a person.

#5) how Men express emotion is very different from women. When asked, some Men said: "I'll fill up her gas tank when it's low. I get her car washed." There's an expression gap between the way men want to say it, and the way women want to hear it.

#6) why those men who had affairs had them: Most men admitted that it didn't have much to do with their wives or whether they were getting enough sex. It was mostly due to their own struggle with commitment and the tradeoffs that come with marriage. Most men are able to overcome the tendency to want to be with other women—they fantasize [and] sometimes flirt, but the vast majority don't take the next step—they decided that their relationship was more important than the temporary satisfaction they might get.

#7) the most surprising facts about these tidbits of information for the author? 60 percent of men said that their wives had changed them in a significant way and 90 percent said that it was a change for the better. Men recognize that marriage is life-changing, and they usually like their wives enough to be changed by her. Men don't want to be criticized or nagged or complained to, they want to be accepted, but once they feel accepted, they are willing to change.

Can I tell you if 'VoiceMale' is worth reading - sorry, no I can't. It may be an interesting study in the 'inner works and wonders' of our males - but as they would say 'who cares?'

We also dropped in on our friends over at 'AskMen.com' to find out what was really going on in the male brain. As it turns out we were just in time for the release of this year's 'Top 49 Men' as voted on my the readers of the online Mag. The 'Top Man of 2006' - none other than George Clooney. Numbers 2 - 5 were: Jay-Z, Richard Branson ( a personal fave), Lance Armstrong, (understandable) Tom Ford, fashion designer (really???). Rounding out the 'Top 49' and no disgrace at all was Jeremy Piven.

AskMen.com also lists off it's top three searches, these should come as not shock: workout routines, how to stop hair loss and six pack abs. AskMen.com also offers two of it's very own books for sale: 'Doc's Love System' and 'More Dating'. Single women RUN AND HIDE!!!!!!!

To all of our male readers - sorry guys - I've got nothing.

Tomorrow I promise, we'll find someone else to pick on or better still more products, features and services to occupy our thoughts with. Till then - Have a Hot Cherry Day!

Monday morning 'whatevers'

Ah yes, Monday morning. At least in this corner of Canada the sun is shinning today. It is actually the first day in many that I can recall seeing blue skies. Tomorrow though - rain.

Being Monday, it is likely a very good day to cover off a bunch of whatevers.
Ramblings and carrying on.

Here's some of my questions for the week:
#1) Are there any 'boyshort' panties that don't bunch up under tight pants? Seriously. I love the look and wear ability of these panties, but they bunch. There must be some that don't. Any thoughts? Did you know, that women pay upwards from $100 per pair for panties made by Aubade and Simone Perele? Do they really fit any better I wonder. By my calculation, you can get approximately 20 pairs of nice panties from LaSenza for the same amount.

#2) Microdermabrasion. 'The solution for lessening the appearance of superficial scars and fine lines, shrinking dilated pores, reducing skin thickness and treating mild acne'. Essentially, there are two ways to achieve results. Seek out a Dermatologist who has a machine that sprays aluminum oxide micro-crystals, salt or sodium bicarbonate on the skin, which blasts away layers of dead cells. Or, do it yourself home treatments. (which don't sound near as painful) Why bother.
Well, apparently women today (and many men who won't talk about it in mixed company) don't mind so much 'getting older', as much as they mind 'looking older'. It is a billion dollar industry and growing.

Costs for 'not looking your age' range from $100 - 600.00 per session. They include treatments from Botox Injections to at home Microdermabrasion and Chemical Peel (prices range from $20 - 150.00 per at home kit which do get the job done, just not as 'deeply' as professional treatments).

Trouble with all of this is which one and do you bother. There are so many products and services on the market today, how's anyone to know which one works for them? We need to do a group review of products - what do you think?

#3) Since when is 90% of the population caught up with their looks?
Now this isn't something that is restricted to women. However, men just don't talk about it as much. Women are constantly assessing their own 'beauty value', men only seem to do it at a few times through their lives and only for very brief time frames i.e. under a couple of months: Early teens 13-15 years old, mid 20's - the settling down time, late 30's early 40's - the life evaluation time frame, late 50's - is this all there is going to be in my life time.

Men also don't fret about things they can't change easily. True many worried endlessly about receding hair lines and pattern baldness, but now that can be handled much easier not near the effort goes into it. When was the last time you saw a man look in the mirror and mumble about needing to lose 5 Lbs? Get the point.

Women obsess about so much; hair, weight, wrinkles, being seen, not being seen, fashion, food, kids, parents, the weather. Are they having enough sex, is the sex they are having fulfilling, should they be experimenting more - oh wait, nope that's more of a guy thing too.

Point is, women are and have always been very 'hard' on themselves. Women's mags focus on this fact and I believe exasperate it. Think about it for a moment....... if a woman's magazine featured 'average, normal sized women, with average normal skin, average normal hair, average normal (affordable) clothing - what would the appeal be? If the majority of women out there looked like the ones featured in glossy, there would be little appeal to look like something they were not. Not to mention, men wouldn't know that there ever was a difference and then women wouldn't fret about men being judgmental and not being attractive to them..... Without women lusting after new, different, guaranteed to drop off years and pounds - why would there be advertisers and how would those magazines make their money?

#4) Even though they sell to unsuspecting women 'Dove' is doing something to battle the image obsession amongst women, particularly our daughters. Check out their latest video and campaign.

For tomorrow's entry, I'm going to go deep undercover and find out what really bothers and gets a man's knickers in a knot. Watch out 'Ask Men' I'm coming over to do some research. Later in the week we'll take a look at some interesting findings and comments about bi-sexuality.

In the meantime - share you stories, findings and ramblings with us. Have a wonderful Hot Cherry day!

I Work With A Creep

Halloween is upon us...( say this next part in your best Vincent Price voice) The only night of the year where the veil is lifted between our world and the world of the dead. When the dead can walk among us, watch us, and steal our staplers..BOooOOOooOOOO.

I work with a creep.....

I'm sure you do as well...except mine is a genuine creep....like a ghost, spirit, poltergeist, presence, whatever you want to call it...it's creepy.

I started working at this establishment 5 years ago. I think he's been there longer, I don't know,he won't tell me, he's not incredibly chatty. In the past he has thrown items across the room, shaken light fixtures, slammed doors, the ubiquitous footsteps on the stairs, flipped over chairs, turned on appliances and spewed CD's all over the place inside our 300 disc changer. He has appeared to some staff as a dark and shadowy figure, walked through one staff member, who will never forget the feeling, and calls names.... like says the names of staff members..(one time, I was finishing off someone's birthday cake in the staff room and I think I heard him call me Fatass ......the bastard..) Quite frankly...he scares the crap outta me.

but what alarms me the most...is the way the staff has adapted to this?

the establishment is 20 years old...the building is waaaaay older. Every individual in that place has at least one experience with said spirit and everyone just shrugs and giggles and makes that face like....Oh it's just him..he's being silly again...up to his old tricks again...blahblah.

They are all so cavalier it KILLS me!!!

I am one of those people that needs to know EVERYTHING. I can't stand anything unanswered. I nearly drove my mother insane ( insaner??? ) when I was a child by asking her daily for almost 6 months to explain where we go after we die..in DETAIL..So, as you can imagine, the undead floating around the place I work at just isn't sitting well with me. But it's the attitude by all fellow staffers, this kinda ' ignore it and accept it and move on thing ' that freaks me out. Take for example, last incident, big heavy wooden chair flipped completely over and laying on the floor a few feet away from where it was. I, of course..scream...and run to find other staffers because I would prefer to be with my peers when the malevolent spirits from the other side decide to take my soul. When I find them..I tell them all about what transpired...using expletives appropriately. What happens next, ALWAYS happens, my peers decide to reconstruct the scene...kinda like CSI , but without that annoying David Caruso guy who....talks.......like...thissss...( and was voted sexiest man??? BY WHOM???? anyway, that's another blog entirely ). They upright the chair...draw trajectory lines with broomsticks...try and reenact the crime using all available sources...could it have been the wind? perhaps it was already at an angle? perhaps you may have tipped it over accidentally when you passed by it? Or perhaps????.....Hmmmmmm maybe, just maybe, the scary freaking ghost that does stuff like this all the time did THIS too!!!They attempt to find some reason why this occurred before they shrug and say....hmmmm...well isn't that odd? I don't know how that happened?

This year I decided I need to know the truth... I've been researching the paranormal quite extensively...okay, well, I've been perusing some ghost sites whilst waiting for my Ipod to update..and I have stumbled upon some interesting stuff .

Aside from calling out any paranormal investigators....measuring ectoplasm, and magnetic resonance..proton packs and infrared thermal accuity devices.( which sound really expensive and would probably cut into my highlights and french manicure money )..there exists something called EVP...and apparently I can do this all by myself, without any fancy schmancy equipment...or a priest.

according to The Shadowlands.net..........

EVP is a way to communicate with spirits. Researchers believe that the voices of the dead can be recorded and played back on magnetic audio tape. It is the most modern way to communicate with the spirit world. Some skeptics believe that they are not voices of the dead but radio or CB transmissions.
It has been said that Thomas Edison was working on an EVP device. However the credit for discovering EVP goes to Fredrich Jurgenson when he was recording bird sonds in the Sweedish countryside and on play back he distinctly heard the voice of a man discussing nocturnal bird songs in Norwegian. He had heard nothing during the recording but many voices on playback, some giving him instructions on how to record more voices.

Interesting eh??? I read all bout it...and apparently all I need is a tape recorder and a I don't even have to be there..just hit record and split the scene....sounded good to me...untilllll....I heard this....

http://ghoststudy.com/agony.ram


That is, an actual EVP, from some chicks house??? WTF?!?!??! What the hell is that SCREAMING???

and I bet she still live there???I would be outta that place in a heartbeat...

And then I started to think about it? AndI realized that all the people at work that experience all of this stuff and act so blase about it have a very good reason to. It's easy to accept it ...if perhaps there could be a logical scientific explanation as opposed to an in your face 'this place is totally haunted ' reason. They don't want any proof that the ghost really exists , ignorance truly IS bliss. I completely understand that...

I still may plant a recorder there...just for fun...just one dark night, when I feel his presence around me, when the hair on the back of my neck stands up and I find my eyes casting upwards on the staircase, expecting to catch a misty outline of him...on one of those nights I WILL leave my recorder there and, if the next day, I play it back and I hear an ominous voice say......youuuu realllyyy don'ttt neeed thattt cakkkke, Fattassssss! I am so quitting.

'Mall-Rat Curls'? What the heck?

Do you recognize the women to the right? The picture is straight out of 1993 - well, it is Mariah Carey.
Now according to Christopher Turner, 'even the 'mall-rat curls' and ho-hum dress couldn't keep Mariah down'.

Now, I'm not a fan of either Mariah or Christ-o-pher Tur-ner, but I would like to know one thing.... who the heck is he and what gives with the 'mall-rat curls'. Is he just another in a long list of self appointed fashion guru's put on this earth and the pages of magazines and the internet - telling women how they should and shouldn't look, discouraging personal style and directing all women to be as he approves? These guys make me ill.

Which brings me to a funny conversation I had last week with a close friend of mine. She says 'don't you find it funny how the balding, paunchy, poorly dressed, un-kept, bad breathed men are always the pickiest, opinionated, jerks when it comes to women?' I couldn't agree with her more. She also shared what most of us already know - 'us girls are just way too hard on ourselves' - we should really be more like most men and not give a shit.

But, why is that the case. What gives the guy, with a paunch hanging over his pants (which are likely sliding down his butt) and the ketchup stain on his shirt (which is missing a button and looks like the dog slept on it last night) any right to comment on, condemn or voice his opinion

(which is usually something like....'hummm, she a bit on the porky side for me, I like my women a whole lot thinner and better dressed than that one') about the women he encounters.

Now, just for the record - I happen to really like shaved headed guys. I encourage any man who has thinning hair he is fretting about to just get rid of it. Either go super short or take it all off baby. There's this hot older guy, in our gym who....... yeah, you know the rest of the story.

Back to these so called fashion experts. Who the heck are they to say that 'skinny jeans look good on every body type? And, 'you need to have a least a few pairs in your closet'. For what? To take up extra hanger room, jammed in beside other 'got to have, clothes that never look good on this body'. I'm here to tell you, this year's fashion statement 'skinny jeans' do NOT look good on every body type! Oh, and 'Average' is NOT 5'8" 108lbs, size 2/4! Check the stats baby - that's a 12 year old girl and even then, likely not the average.

So, what are we going to do about it? Just rant away, complain to ourselves. No way girlfriend.
Here's what I propose:
#1- the next time you are standing beside 'hiding the fact that I'm loosing my hair' with the paunch and he makes a comment about another women not being up to his standard - ask him just what the standard acceptable is for a man who needs to loose 50lbs and either shave that comb over or get implants.
#2 - develop your own style. Who gives a shit if it's on the runway this year - do you like it, does it look good on you, does it say 'I'm one hot mama'?
#3 - kiss the postman. Why? I don't know, it gets your mind off being pissed at 'potbelly-guy'.
#4 - as my friend Sylvia would say 'don't be afraid to be beautiful!'
#5 - join a group of Hot Cherry Review shoppers and come on out for an evening of trying on those new fashion statement clothes - try before you buy! (email us with your contact info and we'll let you know when it's happening)

In closing, a wee remark to buddy Chris-to-pher (likely a fashion faux pas himself) - I kinda like Mariah’s 'mall rat curls' - better to have curls than no hair at all!

Yes, its almost the best day of the year!

It's that time of year..... again.... Halloween!

I love Halloween, always have, always will. I'm not sure if it's the tradition, the preparation or just the fun in getting dressed up and being someone or something different.

The best parties, with the best stories always seem to be Halloween event, so many people like this day as much as I do.

This year, celebration night for the adults amongst us is Saturday, October 28th. In the small rural town that I live close to, the evening starts off with a 'Maskeraid Parade' winding its way through the streets. In other area towns, there are 'Haunted Walks', 'Ghost Stories' and all kinds of pumpkin events.

In a Ipsos-Reid survey just released, 50% of adult Canadians said they would put on a costume and go out this year. (the highest percentages from Ontario and Atlantic Canada - was there ever any doubt?)

So, if you are like some people I know, you are planning on going out, but haven't given any real consideration to a costume. So that you can't come up with the worn out old excuses 'I didn't know what to wear', we've scoured the resources and come up with some ideas for you.

Here we go:

My favorite, 'Chick Magnet' attach Barbie Dolls all over self

'French Kiss', wrap yourself in padding and aluminum foil, put a red beret on your head

'Cereal Killer', attach miniature cereal boxes with plastic knives in them all over your body

'Can-Can Dancer', wear a long, older style skirt, underneath attach cans, lift up your skirt when you are dancing so everyone can see your 'can-cans'

Another one of my favorites; 'Bubble Bath', dress in a pale colour c/with shower cap, attach blue, pink and white small balloons all over yourself, carry a back brush, rubber ducky, soap around your neck

'Pimp and his hoes', dress in a flashy outfit and carry as many garden hoes as possible

'Bag Lady', make an entire set of clothes from used bags

'Money Launderer', use a mesh laundry bag with holes cut in it for arms and legs, stuff it with play money and attach it to yourself with clothes pegs

'Web Server', dress like a waitress or waiter, carry a serving tray with spider webs draped over it

Need more ideas, check out this cool site; The Costume Idea Zone - wicked wonderful ideas.

We thought you might like to see this!

TORONTO (CP) - Fourteen years after they were pulled from North American markets, silicone gel breast implants are making a return to Canada.

Health Canada announced Friday it has issued licences to two companies that make the implants, lifting restrictions on the use of the devices effective immediately. Mentor Corp. and Allergan Inc. make the approved products.

The manufacturers had to agree to continue a long-term study of the safety of the implants and to develop new product labelling after holding focus group sessions with Canadian doctors and women who have the devices implanted.

Dr. Supriya Sharma said Health Canada was persuaded, based on a thorough study of extensive evidence, that the products were safe for use. She said officials plowed through 65,000 pages of documents.

"I think it's safe to say that these medical devices are the most intensively studied medical devices in medical history," said Sharma, associate director general of Health Canada's therapeutics products directorate.

"(But) medical and scientific literature is constantly evolving. So should any information come to light we would obviously analyze that information and take appropriate action."

She said Health Canada was not deterred by last week's revelation from a U.S. watchdog group, Public Citizen, that a whistleblower has alleged Mentor withheld safety information from the Food and Drug Administration. Sharma said there is evidence to question the credibility of the allegations.

Plastic surgeons applauded the decision.

"This is an excellent product and by far superior to the saline product, which was an approved product," said Dr. Julie Khanna, a cosmetic surgeon from Oakville, Ont., who does about 175 breast implant operations a year.

"As a surgeon, for my patients, I'm thrilled," she said.

"Silicon as a material has probably been looked at with much more scrutiny and greater care than almost any implantable device in human beings," said Dr. Mitchell Brown, a professor of plastic surgery at the University of Toronto and a member of an expert panel that advised Health Canada on the decision.

The controversial products were pulled from the Canadian market by their manufacturers in 1992, in the face of a growing chorus of health concerns. Women complained that the implants, especially those that ruptured or leaked, triggered auto-immune diseases like lupus as well as heart conditions.

Manufacturer Dow Corning paid up to US$2.35 billion to settle class-action lawsuits involving more than 300,000 women, including some from Canada, who said their health was harmed by the devices.

"It's really been scrutinized," Brown said. "There have been an enormous number of studies and they have not demonstrated a link or a relationship."

But a former NDP member of Parliament who was among those who campaigned against the devices in the early 1990s was dismayed by Health Canada's decision. Joy Langan lost a breast to cancer and had a silicone breast implant. She has since had the device removed.

"I'm still not convinced they're safe," said Langan, a West Coast representative for the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union.

The Bloc Quebecois's associate health critic was also unhappy with the decision.

"I think it's very shocking and unfortunate. It has jeopardized women's health for many years and it will for many years to come," Nicole Demers said.

It is not clear to what extent Friday's announcement will change practice in Canada.

Though silicone gel implants haven't been licensed for general use, they have been available through a special access program since 1999. Sharma said about 25,000 have been implanted since then and acknowledged that few requests logged by surgeons would have been turned down.

Khanna said the approvals will really only lighten her paperwork load - and perhaps ease the minds of patients. She said she hasn't implanted a saline breast device in the last 18 months.

Under the conditions set by Health Canada, the manufacturers must continue to provide data for at least 10 years from an ongoing clinical trial.

They must also agree to launch another large and long-term study, involving tens of thousands of women in Canada and elsewhere, looking to see if there are rare side-effects that would only become apparent once large numbers of women have received the devices.

As well, Health Canada wants the companies to study the condition of "retrieved" implants when, at some point in the future, women have them extracted or replaced.

The department did not concur with calls that it set up a national registry of women who receive breast implants.

The licensing decision followed a review by a panel of scientific experts as well as public hearings into the issue.

** the Hot Cherry Review's thoughts.
We are still chewing on this one. What do you think? Given that this is Breast Cancer Awareness month and all.......
Share you thoughts with us and our readers.

The case for getting things gone and red boots

It will come as no surprise to regular readers and those who know me personally, when I say 'I love ebay'!

My story of the day starts with a horse race that I can't attend. I thought I could but circumstances beyond my control are not allowing me to. I currently own 4 tickets to this major race event. A few hours ago, I owned 6. Sold 2 of them on ebay. With any luck, I'll sell the other 4. The other thing I like about eBay, is PayPal.

So, I've sold a few things and bought many on eBay, using PayPal to complete my transactions. I can say (knock on wood) that I have been very happy with the outcome. eBay has an interesting system of 'self policing' wherein the users of the auctions are encouraged to leave feedback about those they are dealing with. This is public record. Any one can check your 'score' and decide for themselves if they want to 'deal' with you or not.

eBay doesn't stop there. Say for example that my ticket sales go south, that the winning bidder decides that they don't want the tickets and won't pay. I can file a grievance with eBay and leave the negative feedback so that other bidders won't be caught. The winner of the auction can do the same, if for example, I do not ship after they have paid.

On the subject of payment. By using PayPal, you are able to protect your investment. If my winning bidder pays and I don't ship, PayPal will launch their own investigation and if the matter can not be resolved, they will refund the bidder the money he sent to me. It makes dealing online a whole lot easier and safer.

So, I sold my first pair of tickets - yippy - and bought myself a pair of really wicked 'Chinese red' high boots. Don't know what's gotten into me this year, but I have this thing for red. Not the muted red... the really hot red! (btw, if you have someone in your household, ie. your significant other who wonders where something, such as a wicked pair of hot red boots came from.... here's a great response 'I got them at a wicked price, through a second hand vendor - aren't they cool!' - not one word is a lie and you've got a clean conscience and a cool pair of boots)

I'm not alone with this fascination for hot Chinese red btw. According to this month's LouLou Magazine, red is the hippest colour of the fall. (I'm also becoming addicted to this mag, despite the fact that it is a 'Rogers' production, thanks in part to my 'Girly Friend' - Lanny - who is very tolerant when I borrow her copy and don't give it back for almost a month)

I opted for the tall version of hotness, though, I was torn. Also shown and seemingly 'hot' for this season are the ankle boots. I
think you might have to have a certain type of leg for these types of boots (aka long, thin, not athletic), so I went with what I know... tall is good (left). There is of course an even shorter version of the ankle book, which would look amazing with jeans. Justifying multiple pairs of boots in the same colour though, is a bit more of a challenge. Wait..... there's the 'case for black'! (back to the significant other and their questions - why do you need multiple pairs of the same colour boot? 'Why dearest, they are not the same style of boot. I can't wear the booties with a skirt and don't the tall ones just spell 'sex'?')

Want to find these cool finds? Let me know or check back in later today and when I find the links for you.

I've decided that my next post should be about Halloween - the best holiday (it should be National and a day off work). I'll cover last minute costumes, where to get the gear you need and some places to hang out for a wicked good time.

As always, your suggestions, comments and cool finds are welcome here! Have a rockin' Cherry Day.

Shopping Hell In the Nation's Capital!

Yes Baby, that's snow in the picture. No, not yet this year - but soon.

In fact, yesterday when I was out in this area of the city of Ottawa, it was indeed snowing. October 22nd and snow falling - doesn't that just get you in the spirit?

I spent yesterday in shopping malls. I don't like to shop in malls - too much of the sameness. Lacking in originality. Pushy, unhappy people, also shopping.

My biggest peeve about malls though - disgustingly unappreciative store clerks, who look down their noses at you when you are attempting to give them your hard earned dollar. You know the type..... not bright enough to figure out that if you don't drop your dollars in the store they are forced to work in, they won't have a job. Yes those ones. The ones that groan if you ask them to help you find a size. The ones who are pissed because you have just interrupted their conversation with the other clerk about last night's drunk at a bar down the street. The ones that when you help them give you back the correct change, screw up their little over made up faces, frown and curse your ignorance, not always under their breath. Oh, don't you just love mall shopping!

So, what on earth was I doing, out shopping on a wet and miserable Sunday in the Nation's Capital any ways? Well, I needed some things. Girly things. Must have accessories and yes, boots. (boots that I need because the Chinese Laundry boots I bought earlier in the season function well for sitting but make walking anywhere in them impossible) Weeks are getting busy, as they are for almost all women today, so having a bit of spare time on a weekend, I took advantage and headed into the masses.

Here's my recount of the day. A warning though, I don't have a whole lot in the way of kudos to pass around today.

I went trudging through the malls with a young friend of mine. She's pretty easy going and really doesn't say much about the service. Though I did catch her a couple of times rolling her eyes (which is her way of showing disgust - the same girl who won't say she doesn't like something, instead she says 'it's not something I would wear' - very tactful!) We started out at St Laurent Shopping Mall - not much has changed with this mall in the last couple of years. Typically parking is good, stores are mid level and plentiful, 2 anchors, The Bay and Sears.

My shopping partner ended up taking home a pair of cute winter boots from Aldo (which btw owns Transit - often you will find the exact same shoes in both stores, Transit can cost considerably less so they are worth checking out). It wasn't easy though. She found the boots she liked, waited about 10 minutes while the clerk went to find them in storage and when she did come back, they could only find one foot. Eventually with the help of another clerk, they located the missing boot. The purchase was made and we were on our way.

My personal highlight of the St Laurent stop was finding a killer pair of tights at 'Fancy Sox'. Not only were they what I was looking for, the help at the store was amazing. We were asked by all three clerks if they could help us. Once I found what I was looking for, one of them jumped in, found my size and completed my transaction. With a smile and sincere 'thank you'.
I mention the offer to help here as it wasn’t' something that happened in most of the other stores we were in. In fact, most of the clerks were either too occupied to be bothered, or simply looked at us with distain and went on about their re folding of clothes.

By this time we are getting hungry, after a very minimum conversation, due in part by the falling snow, we headed to Tim's for a bowl of chili and cup of coffee. Now, we should have been leery when the drive thru was backed up about 20 cars. Nevertheless, no, we go inside, well, just inside the door. Almost 10 minutes later we decide that we can be downtown in the same amount of time it is going to take us to get to the cash, so out we go.

Now I don't know many people who don't love a Tim's coffee, but come on. I refuse to give my money up and have to stand in line for over 10 minutes to do so.... as my co heart in crime said... and all for 'fast food'? (sign should say, NO FAST SERVICE HERE)

Next stop - Rideau Centre, in the heart of the city. Lovely place to shop. Almost great parking, big mall, amazing place to people watch - horrible shop clerks! Overall, even worse then the mall before. The winner of the 'why do I bother walking in your doors award' once again goes to LeChateau. Is this any surprise. What once used to be a very trendy, reasonably priced, amazing service store has degraded to a shop full of young adult women who couldn't be bothered in helping anyone out (we watched as they snubbed all the customers in the store, not just us). Needless to say, we did an about face and went and found some place else to look at 'trendy'.

I also want to talk about the science of selling footwear. When did it become so popular for clerks to suggest that you go up 2 sizes and then down size .5 of size with an 'insert', just because your size is not in stock? I asked the same clerk if their other stores might have the boot, her reply, 'yeah, likely - do you want the insert?' This btw was at Transit, a store that usually is very good in the service department. Not the Rideau Centre yesterday though. Overall it was a disgusting day for shoe/boot shopping. Every pair I wanted to try on were out of stock. We are talking no 7.5's and no 8's in over 20 different styles.

Once again, we ventured into 'Fancy Sox' and found the same wonderful helpful type of staff - sadly, the styles were the same and we couldn't find a thing that we really wanted to buy - though kudos to the staff at both locations!

Our last stop of the day was at Winners, Bayshore shopping centre. Now, the service at Winners is never anything outrageous. All staff are helpful if asked, but they won't chase you down to offer help. But really, it is what you expect from a wholesale clothing store - give me good products and reasonable prices and don't make me feel like a piece of crap because I walked into your store - and we are all good.

Find of the day - stockings, tights, leggings at 'Fancy Sox'. Winners also has a good selection of trendy leg coverings, at bargain basement prices.

Now the most frustrating thing about getting consistent poor service in retail is that no one cares. Companies hire managers who either won't, don't know how, or don't care to train their staff properly. Those who work at the stores and give out the attitude know that they won't be fired because there is such a shortage of people who want to work retail. It doesn't mean that we need to take it. Share your kudos and dislikes with the other readers of Hot Cherry Review. Sooner or later we are hoping that some district manager gets the hint and does something about their stores.

What a guy needs

Okay guys….. this one is for you.

We’ve devoted a huge amount of time to the wants, needs and must haves of all the ‘hip chicks’ and yes, we’ve neglected the ‘other gender’ almost completely. Just the way it happens sometimes.

Well, not any longer, today we are going to give our favorite ‘eye candy cool guys’ some cherry time. I came to the realization some time ago, that it can be pretty tough being a guy and dressing cool. Face it, men just don’t have the fashion attention spotlight on them. It doesn’t mean that they don’t like to dress to impress by wearing cool clothes and this year’s must have shoes, it does mean they simply do not have the kind of access women have.

It doesn’t stop at being an access issue either. Men don’t do ‘trendy’ the way women can and do and that’s where we come in. Not only for the cool guys, but for all of the ‘hip chicks’ that shop for the men in their lives.

When I want to weigh in on issues pertinent to men, I go to the one source that is all knowledgeable – AskMen.com. The site reads like most other ‘men’s’ sites – a bit provocative and a bit long on sexuality. Mixed in are articles on health and fitness, travel, relationship, gaming, cars and yes, some fashion.

I was able to find one article talking about the latest trends in men’s clothing. Some of their insight I could agree with, but this one trend they reported on, still has me wondering who? I don’t think I know a male that would dress like this, let alone citing it as a fashion trend. You make your mind up.

I do agree with the consensus that men’s fashion is a bit of a yawner. You have your black, grey, blue or brown business casual/business/dress pants. You have your brown, grey, blue, black casual cords, you have your black and blue jeans. There is good news though. This year, companies such as ‘the Gap’ have come out with textured pants for guys. Paired with a nice t-shirt, under long sleeved shirt, they work really well. Top it all off with a nice thigh length leather jacket and a great pair of shoes (no not sneakers) and the look is together and ‘different’.

A friend of mine likes the new look and I can’t blame him. The textured cords and jeans work well on most men while allowing for a bit of individuality. He's pictured to the left - these pants really work well - light grey with the darker grey accent. (yes he knows I'm using his picture!)

Another friend of mine is a shoe horse. In particular he seems to really like sneakers. He pairs them with the jeans, shirt over shirt look, loosely fitting on his 6’3” frame. I’d love to see him change it up now and again for a trendy pair of casual loafers and a bit dressier in the shirt department.

Which brings me to another issue with men’s clothing. The shirts. It never ceases to amaze me how many of the almost same shirt a man can have. (their defense of course is, ‘they are all slightly different in cut, texture and colour of white’ – where’d they get that from?) A business associate of mine loves to wear French cuffs. With his suit or as a stand alone shirt. A nice little extra that allows a shirt to stand out and say, ‘I am different’. Try to find one though, my husband took an entire day of shopping to find one that wasn’t white or pale blue.

In closing I just want to touch on one other little issue guys. Your underwear. You know how you notice how bad panty lines look – well, you have them too. If you are wearing pants that tuck a bit in the bum, pay attention to this detail. Boxers are nice under dress pants but for goodness sakes, make sure they don’t all bunch up. Good fitting underwear are important not only for your comfort but for the overall look as well. (if they fit well too, you won’t be adjusting near as much either!)

Do you have a men’s clothing story for us? We are all ears and pictures are very good too.

So, I leave you with this, also from that ‘magazine of authority for men’ advice from an article on ‘how to be a man again’- doing these things apparently will make all the difference. ‘Rent a muscle car, catcall chicks on the street, go to a monster truck rally, eat a heart-attack meal, wear your 2001 Baltimore Ravens Super bowl t-shirt, break a bone, get in a bar fight, grow a beard, cut down a tree, take apart your care engine, sit down in front of the TV for a 48-hour SPEEDtv marathon wearing track pants’.

What a girl wants!

What does every girl want? A hot partner that is sensitive to her needs, understanding, compassionate, who loves to shop, gossip and who is so intent on making sure her every need is attended to? No way Baby! According to our findings, hip chicks want plump lips, frizz free hair and an amazingly tiny waist. Who would have thought.

We stepped out, did some searching and look what we’ve found – the answers. These come with absolutely no guarantees for performance and reputation, rather like that hot partner we just described. We did think they were well worth mentioning though. Feel free to add comments of your own.

On the plump lips front, we found tons of products that claim to turn thin, unattractive lips into seductive full bodied morsels, to be envied by all. We give you Benefit Cosmetics from San Francisco and their products which they say ‘will solve your beauty dilemma’. From their website: ‘Watch your lips go from 'now' to 'WOW' the first time you apply. Your lips will appear younger, plumper and sexier with these neutral 'wear-me-all-the-time' shades. The proof is in the pucker. The tripeptide complex moisturizes lips, decreases lip furrows, enhances lip volume, improves smoothness of lips.’

Now on to the issue of frizz free hair. We turned to a few tried and true to help us out in this area. First, there is Pantene - the Proctor and Gamble company we’ve all come to know. They offer a product line for all hair types. Their newer ‘Pro-V Restoratives’ line offers a frizz fighting serum which works very well on most types of hair.

Marc Anthony Hair Care products has shown it is on it’s game with a few anti-frizz solutions as well. With any product however, results vary with different types of hair. We’ve tested two of the MA product line up: Moisture Gloss Daily Drops which is applied to dry hair and claims to give you deep moisturizing while you are on the go and Humidity Shield Anti Frizz Balm which claims to give curls frizz free shine all day long.

Our verdict – We’d go with the Pro-V Restoratives line over the slightly more expensive Marc Anthony line up. We found the Moisture Gloss Drops required huge amounts to be effective and we found the Humidity Shield just made the hair look dull and feel heavy, though it certainly did the job on the keeping the frizz away.

All of these products were tested on thick and curly heads of hair. We caution use of these products for anyone who has fine hair as they are simply too heavy.

In the case of hair care products we insist that no two heads are the same. It does pay to ask what that ‘great head of hair’ is wearing though if you feel it is of similar texture and consistency as yours.

We’d love to hear what you think and what products you recommend and those that you don’t wish on anyone. Oh and in case you are hanging on, waiting for the secret to a tiny waist – sorry, we haven’ t found that one just yet, but when we do, we will be here to share it with you.

While you are considering what little morsels you are going to share with the rest of us, here are a couple of interesting facts and numbers: Women in their 40’s refuse to skimp on their faces, this age group reports the highest increase in skin-care spending. 20 somethings site Angelina Jolie as the person they most want to be, while 30 somethings prefer Jennifer Aniston and 40 somethings want to be Cindy Crawford and Oprah is celebrated by 50 somethings. Hot Cherry’s of all ages though, cite mascara as their #1 can’t live without beauty item.

Would you like more information about these products we’ve reviewed today? Here you go:

Visit the Pantene Pro-V site by clicking here.

Benefit Cosmetics would love you visit them here.

Marc Anthony product descriptions can be found here.

Okay, we are starting the week off with ‘some of those things that make us shake our heads. Sit back and enjoy, click through the links to learn more.

For the guys, how about a business suit that allows you to look professional in the same time that it takes you to boot your computer? Introducing the ½ suit by ‘Business Bib’. Though they have an online store, we can’t seem to actually find out how much they charge or how many are available, if any.

The ‘Business Bib’ makes the man look like he is ready for any boardroom, just by slipping this ‘slip cover’ on over the top of his briefs and t-shirt. In minutes, he is ready for the conference web call. Don’t believe us, we don’t blame you, check it out for yourself.

This for the ladies. Have you ever had one of those days, running behind, you throw on a wee sleeveless tank, glance at your underarms and discover fuzz? Does anyone notice any ways? We, I didn’t think so, but according to a info zing sent to me this morning, ‘everyone notices’ (needless to say, I’m going to start watching people to see if they are checking out my pits).

There are solutions however, namely a shaving ‘spritz’ that allows you to splash a bit on and shave away. Now, I didn’t believe it and wondered first, why not just shave in the shower, so I followed the link. It brought me to a website for Shave.com – the ‘King of Shaves’. The site itself is actually pretty informative and for both men and women. Who would have thought. They even offer samples as well, but apparently not to Canadians…. Thanks.

Well that’s it for today – we’ll see what we can find for your interest tomorrow. Until then, remember we are always looking for other Hot Cherry Reviews. Want to share your finds with others, send us an email and we will hook you up.

Ohhh, now that's cool!

Being of a 'non-average' body shape or form and acquiring clothing and footwear for the 'non-average' body is and will likely always remain a challenge. So for all those 'non-average' amongst us, here's something for you.

That's you btw, hey tall chick, short chick, hippy chick, busty chick, pear, triangle and apple shaped- yeah just about all of us out there......

We found an online version of a bricks and mortar store in Mississauga's 'Village on the Lake' Port Credit. We give you: Long Legs, fashion for tall women
As recited by the co owners of the shop; 'Eighteen years ago if you would have told us we would be owners of a clothing store dedicated to providing quality apparel and shoes for tall women we both would have said 'impossible'. But years of friendship and countless hours of frustrating shopping experiences have led us down a different path. What was once a dream, to find a store where we could find stylish clothing with longer sleeve lengths and inseams is now a reality.'

They have an extensive line up of casual, business and dress attire, including footwear and yes - jeans.

Now for something completly different we give you Rawganique Organic Apperal Ltd. These folks hail from Northwest Road, Denman Island, British Columbia. What keeps it real about these folks is that they actually live what they preach - organics and being off the grid.

From their website: ‘Welcome to Rawganique.com Organic Cotton, Linen, & Hemp Clothing & Home Products, where the good life is the simple life. Please consider our website of sustainable products a quiet, old-fashioned retreat from the hecticness and rampant chemicalizations that are characteristic of the modern, conventional world -- we at Rawganique.com wholeheartedly embrace the Slow Is Beautiful Movement (slow living, slow food, slow cities, slow islands). May love, peace, purity of mind and spirit, happiness, goodwill, mindfulness, health, light, and sustainability prevail.’

Check them out! For those of you who are interested, there are alternatives!

I’ve spent the last two days in research mode on behalf of hip Canadian chicks everywhere. My quest is to find a one stop online shopping source for all of those things we covet, need and want – I’m talking fashion Baby! I’ve found plenty in the US but sadly, none ship to Canada – very disappointing. When they do, such as Victoria Secret the cost of shipping is outrageous. No where have I been able to find the likes of ‘personalshopper.com’ .

I’d be very interested in getting some feedback on this from anyone out there – your thoughts, ideas, links to great shopping sites. If I were to speculate, I’d say that the lack of available online sources has to do with two things: 1) retailers who would rather go it alone and who are too stingy to pay for cross promotion or 2) retailers who believe that Canadian women wouldn’t be interested.

Do you ever get the feeling the Canadian businesses often are just missing the mark?

Have a Hot Cherry weekend!

Hot-ness for today

Continuing the trend of the week..... what have we learned today.

There are a couple of really cool and interesting events happening both this coming weekend and next week. Geared for cool hip chicks.

It is l'Oreal Fashion Week time of year again. The event kicks off next Monday, October 16th and runs until the 21st. For information, tickets, schedules check out their site at

http://www.lorealfashionweek.ca/

As all hip chicks know, October is breast cancer awarness month. If you live in the Ottawa, Ontario region, this weekend, you have a chance to make a difference and a contribution. Oh, did I mention and have some fun?

The Lifestyle Event for Women^TM
Sunday, October 15th
Brookstreet

Blossom is a showcase of woman-owned and woman-managed businesses in the areas of fashion, accessories, catering, wellness, image, fitness, and more. Learn about entertaining, health, wealth, home décor, and image transformation. Shop for beautiful clothes, accessories to complement fall fashions, jewelry from some of Canada's hottest designers, or that original gift you've been looking for -- all while supporting breast cancer research. Click here for schedule information, tickets and details about the venue. Grab your girlfriends and spend a Sunday afternoon doing something fun.

A girl's right to indulge

Anyone who knows me knows my fondness for vintage clothing. The look and feel of days gone by is both fun to wear and an expression of character. There are problems with both collecting and wearing vintage though: ‘the look’ is often very hard to complete, fashion of the past is viewed in many eyes as outdated, accessories are difficult to find in wearable condition and the make-up and hair accessories are not made any more.

Today I found a solution to the last problem. Besame Cosmetics

‘Inspired by the sophisticated designs of the 1930s, '40s and the Art Deco movement, and guided by memories of her glamorous grandmother, Gabriela began crafting a modern line that translated into her own aesthetic vision. Gabriela's goal was to establish a cosmetics line that understood the needs of a modern woman-on-the-go while still providing the look, high quality and feel of the classic beauty.’

Besame Cosmetics offers its wonderfully feminine line of cosmetics online and through selected retailers. Now, shopping online for cosmetics for most is a daunting task. It is very difficult to decide on shades, product weights without knowing how the product looks on. Problem solved. The online site offers ‘trial products’, three application samples for $1.50 each plus shipping.

Other fun and interesting features of this online offering include a ‘Beauty Creator’ which helps you determine which shades will look best on you. A ‘Looks’ section, that allows you to click on a distinctive look and get the ‘recipe’ for it, using Besame Cosmetics and instructions on how to get the classic look.

The products come with raving reviews from all sorts of celebrities and fashion officiators. What astounded me though was how reasonably priced their products were. Certainly top shelf beauty counter but not out of reach. Every now and again, a girl deserves at least a little bit of pampering – there is no shame is feeling and looking beautiful – indulge yourself.

Now, I’m going back to the sample page myself to see what I can give a try to finish that ‘50’s outfit hanging in my closet. Enjoy!