I couldn't help but notice you have a "Countdown to Thanksgiving!" going on right now. Except I've also noticed that you have a "Countdown to Christmas!" going on as well.

WHICH IS IT?

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Let's face it: shopping for men is stupid.

We want to get them something they'll love, something other than grilling tongs or cologne, and so every year we ask hopefully, "What would you like for Christmas?" And every year we hear the same, mumbled, "I dunno."

Seriously. How is that even possible? I don't know what it is about the Y chromosome that makes men gift-dumb, but each year I feel like shopping for the guys in my life -- especially the in-law males, good grief -- makes me want to get everyone a Best Buy gift card and be done with it. (And by "Best Buy gift card" I mean "bottle of bourbon." FA LA LA LA LA.)

That said, I have been doing this a long time. And for every failed gift (I thought he'd LIKE Celtic Christmas carols), I've had some real successes, too. (Aside from the bourbon.) So I'm passing the fruits of my exhaustive hunts on to you. Thus...

Here are my Top Ten Official Suggestions for Gifts for Guys this holiday season! They are many and varied, in no particular order OR price range, but will hopefully prove useful for at least one hard-to-shop-for guy.

1. If you're going to go the "traditional" gift-giving route, do it with style.

Just because wallets and cufflinks are standard-issue male gift ideas doesn't mean they're bad ideas, especially if the items themselves don't suck. (Just sayin'.)

I happen to love Tumi bags and accessories, and their wallets are just as nice. I got one for my husband last year and he said it was one of his favorite gifts. I ordered it from Nordstrom.com and was very pleased with the quality of the Tumi packaging. It was evident the gift was high-quality.

This is the Tumi Wallet, $88 L-fold ID version, but there are cheaper and more expensive versions as well.

In the same vein, I love these cufflinks. Yes, I know, cufflinks, yawn. Plus who even wears French-cuffed shirts anymore? But still. Cufflinks are arguably something every man should own, and possibly something older generation males on your list might actually like, want, or need. These are monogrammable AND let you pop in mini photos. I think of it as a man-locket.

I should also note these are from Red Envelope, which always has beautiful gifts and gift packaging. $119 for silver, $99 for gold.

2. I have never gone wrong with gifting assortments of salsas and hot sauces.

Why do guys like condiments as gifts? I have absolutely no idea. But they always seem to love these!

Great as stocking stuffers individually, you can go crazy and buy "fancy" gift assortments as full-on gifts.

There are always interesting finds at Williams-Sonoma (and even more cool-but-expensive versions at Dean & Deluca), but I like trying things that are harder to come by.

Consider a site like "Hot Sauce World." For one, it's called Hot Sauce World. For another, I've ordered from them several years in a row, and have never been disappointed.

The gift pack shown here is $31.98 (and easy to wrap, unlike individual bottles). They also have interesting BBQ sauces and coffees, such as those flavored with Maker's Mark. (Yes, bourbon again.)

3. Man books.

Of course, it's entirely possible that your guys are like mine and prefer lengthy, detailed non-fiction books about something that happened a hundred years ago in a part of the world you didn't know existed featuring "historic" figures no one's ever heard of.

But if that's true, then your guy probably also likes anything having to do with poo. Because if there's one thing my husband thinks is ENDLESSLY ENTERTAINING, it's poo.

I cannot roll my eyes hard enough.

Anyway, have you seen this poo book?

I like to think of it as a way to keep the poo-happy men in your life amused AND healthy. And now Chronicle Books has come out with a sequel, "What's My Pee Telling Me?" and I am not even kidding. Visit their site for the entire collection of books, calendars and well, other gifts.

Moving on...

There's nothing that says that gift books need to be specifically FOR the men you're giving them to. For example, every dad who has children could benefit from a copy of The Daring Book for Girls or The Dangerous Book for Boys. (About $18 through Amazon.)

Or you could snag my favorite Guide To Guys of all time for your guy, even though you'd actually be buying it for you. Try Dave Barry's Complete Guide To Guys. It's a classic.

And I suppose we must include a golf book, yeah?

I'm kind of fundamentally opposed to getting guys ties and golf paraphernalia of any sort as gifts, but this book amuses me. At $29.95 it's good coffee table fodder.

I also really like the store/catalog it comes from, www.signals.com. Cool stuff there!

4. That thing that will mostly just take up space in your kitchen but that you buy anyway because the 6 times a year you use it you will feel like Martha Stewart.

I don't need to tell you about how awesome grilled cheese and tomato soup can be - everyone knows it's the ultimate comfort food. But really, what soup-sandwich combo isn't great? Enter this handy-dandy soup and sandwich platter from Uncommon Goods. Pretty, useful, and doesn't take up the kind of space that those other kitchen items you never use will. Plus, it can double as a chip-and-dip type serving platter. $30 for a set of two.

5. Because any Guy-themed gift list is going to include beer-related products.

This is a ridiculous item and I'm sure it's mostly a joke, but I had 4 different guys email me about it when it made the news last year, so it's got to be worth mentioning.

It's called the beer belly (www.thebeerbelly.com), and its express purpose is for smuggling beer into sporting events. I feel like you can't even say the product name without prefacing it by yelling, "DUDE!"

(I wish there were better product photos, but I don't know what I should be expecting. Still, this image...am I allowed to say "Gay Porn" in a gift-giving guide?)

Anyway. You wear this God-awful thing under your shirt, and then you discreetly suck from the beer straw. Ta-da!

Yes, they sell a version for women called The Wine Rack. Ahem.

The Beer Belly costs $49.95 which is a little much for a gag gift. But who knows? Maybe some DUDE! out there reaaaaaaally wants this.

Classing it up just a tad...

Here's another Red Envelope special. The beer belt still has a DUDE! feeling, but somehow more civilized and less porn-y.

It's $34.95.

Last but not least of our beer-themed gifts we have the Ring Bottle Opener from Urban Outfitters. It's $8 and exactly what it sounds like. A sort of macho/metro man-ring that doubles as a bottle opener.

6. And wine, too.

The folks at Crushpad run a nifty operation, where you can have your own blend of wine made for you. If you live near Crushpad (in SF or NY), you can actually go visit the operation, but this "Fuse Box" is their do-it-at-home version.

Basically, you take the kit and futz around with various blends until you have the wine blended to your exact preferences. Then you send away for an actual case (or more) of the wine you created, complete with custom labels.

You can learn more about it here.

The kit itself is $79.99. If you go through the steps, find a wine blend you like and order your wine, the finished product will cost $336 per case. Not cheap, but not bad ($28/bottle) if you go in on a case with friends. And you can always invite those friends over to help you create your personalized blend in the first place.

7. And something to put the drinks in...

Who doesn't love that telltale blue box? Believe it or not, there are some reasonably priced, gorgeous items available at Tiffany & Co. Among my favorite (uh, and only) things to purchase at Tiffany are glasses.

Side note: glasses (highballs, wine, whatever) from Tiffany make excellent off-the-registry wedding gifts.

These tumblers are attractive, well made, great for anything (not just booze) and come with the cache of being from Tiffany. A set of two is $30.

8. For the man who's handy in the kitchen.

You will think I'm totally lying but I'm not: this was my husband's second favorite gift last year:

Yep. A $15 pan scraper from The Metropolitan Museum of Art store. (Leave it to me to see a MoMA catalog and pick out a pan scraper.) But seriously. My husband does the dishes most of the time, and loves this sturdy, all-around useful tool. It's really pretty amazing.

I also really like this set of chopping boards because one chopping board is never enough. Plus it looks all clean and organized.

Of course, this handy, easy-to-clean set is a bit on the expensive side, coming in at $85.

I still think it's worth it if it means separating HIS space in the kitchen from YOURS. (Or is that just my issue? Hmmm.)

Lastly, we know that boys like knives. They just do.

Personally, I think that's awesome (I love cooking with good knives), BUT. I hate the look of standard, clunky wooden knife blocks.

These alternatives to a standard knife blocks are attractive, simple, and a great idea. (You just stick the knives in among the bamboo reeds.) My sister-in-law requested one for Christmas two years ago and I have loved them since. So for no particular reason, I'm assuming this means men will love them, too.

They range in price from $49 (small) to $89 (large) from VivaTerra.

Lastly? Let it be known that these things rock. Men, women, it doesn't matter. Get a pair of onion goggles! They will save your onion-cutting life.

Sure, anyone wearing them looks ridiculous -- note that the catalog image does not include someone IN the goggles -- but hey, it's better than looking like dinner has made you weep uncontrollably. $22 at Sur La Table.

9. For the Metro you know and love (or for the man you just want to spruce up). Especially those who shave their heads.

If you have a Metro guy in your life, you know how impossible they are to shop for. Things must be just so. At least, in my experience.

That's why I LOVE this scarf, also from the MoMA store. It's chic, urban, artistic and high quality. Frankly, I think men who can pull off wearing this (which is basically any guy WILLING to) is sexy.

What? Aren't men in scarves sexy? Am I getting sidetracked?

Remember how I mentioned men like knives? I think razors count, too.

If you've never heard of it, let me introduce you to The Art of Shaving line. It's all old-school shaving tools, like when men used to go to the barber to get a shave with their haircuts. Except they also offer updated grooming products and beautiful gift sets. Check them out.

The good? The items are incredibly high-quality and really attractive, frankly. They're the kinds of products you don't mind sharing bathroom space with.

They are excellent for men who shave their heads.

The bad? The products are all super expensive. Arguably worth the cost, because they're items men will use almost every day for years. Then again, for what a basic set costs, you could get an iPhone. The "Manual Shaving Set" pictured above runs $275.

Speaking of shaved heads...

If you are shopping for a man who has to shave his head regularly, you can always try one of the HeadBlade products.

HeadBlade is a razor developed specifically for guys who have to run a razor over their skulls, which requires a very different motion than shaving one's face. Apparently. I don't know, it seems really cool and there are lots of accoutrements you can get to go with it. And unlike the shaving systems above, the basic HeadBlade costs $13.

BY THE WAY. The best after-shave, bump-reducing tonic on the market is called Tend Skin. One bottle runs $20 but is TOTALLY WORTH IT. Why? Because not only is it the best product for reducing redness and bumps on men's faces and necks, but it's the best stuff for addressing redness and bumps post-lady-waxing. So you can give it to the man in your life ("It's the best stuff out there!") and then steal some. Win-win!

And if you're just looking for a nice gift set for a non-metro guy, something not too girly or expensive or weird, how about The Man Can by Orvis?

This $50 gift set includes all the things you'd want from a spa kit, but dressed up in manly colors, names, and scents.

Nice, huh?

Plus the non-metro recipient of this gift will perhaps rest assured when you tell him it's from a website that has a man in a canoe with a dog on its homepage.

10. Into every life, a little geek must fall.

If you haven't seen it, haven't heard of it, haven't visited Think Geek, you can thank me now. Honestly, if I were a little less creative and just a little more lazy, my entire gift guide would be "Go to ThinkGeek.com. You're welcome." If the men in your life skew even slightly geeky, this is the only place you'll need to shop for them, ever. (You might pick up something tricked-out-geek for yourself.)

I couldn't possibly showcase all my favorite products because there are too many. Flasks that say "Meh." T-shirts with Shakespeare in code. Products displaying "WTF." LOLCats fridge magnets. Toys for cubicle wars. Light sabers.

Oh, it's a goldmine.

But if I had to pick just one...I'd probably select the ever-popular, ever-fun, ever-awesome-to-open-Christmas-morning remote-controlled helicopter.

Think Geek claims that this little gem is the "easiest to fly, most precise controlling R/C copter yet!" Okay! As of the time of writing this, it's also 23% off -- just $22.99! Not bad for such a fun gadget.

Bonus: Cats love these things. I speak from personal experience.

But of course, we all know that techie, code-loving guys aren't the only kind of man-geeks out there. There's also the reader-y, writer-y geek, too.

I don't know why it is that men I know love -- LOVE -- writing on graph paper (????) but they do. So rather than question them and/or fight it, I just go with it.

And everyone loves Moleskine notebooks, yes? Big, small, graph paper, normal paper, you name it. These high-quality notebooks are beloved in our household, and I think it's safe to say that if you know a guy who likes writing, taking notes, keeping track of...oh...anything...these should be a hit. Hardcover, softcover, sketch, graph, lined, large, small, you name it.

All available at Chronicle Books. Small graph notebook pictured above, $12.

Now, this next gift suggestion is extra special, because it works for geeky guys who read, but ALSO for geeky (and NON-geeky) guys who are "handy" AND/OR guys who might not have anything to do with geeky but who HIKE and are all outdoorsy and stuff!

It's like the omni-guy gift!

It's called the Headlamp. And, well, here's the thing...

A couple weeks ago, I wanted to go to bed and crash at around 8 p.m. My husband wanted to stay up reading The New Yorker. (Different kind of geek altogether.) I felt bad and said he could keep the light on, but he said "No, I have a thing, let's see if I can find it."

Next thing you know, my husband is lying next to me in bed in his boxers, looking like he's about to go on a spelunking mission.

"What is THAT?" I ask him, having never seen this device in the years we've been together.

"Oh, it's a Headlamp thing. I can use it to read at night while you're sleeping. But originally I got it for when I used to go running before the sun came up."

I was awestruck. I took a picture. (It looks like I took it using nightvision goggles or something. Also, how thrilled is he to be featured mostly naked in my blog reading The New Yorker? OH SO VERY.)

I didn't understand why anyone would own one of these things, it looks so ridiculous. (And let's not get me started on how ridiculous "running before the sun comes up" is.)

But then an amazing thing happened! When I asked people on my blog to come up with suggestions for the ultimate guy gift, I received precisely ONE reply. And it was for the Headlamp. The commenter said that her husband uses it for EVERYTHING, particularly for fixing things around the house. Which is when I realized that the Headlamp is maybe the best geeky/non-geeky guy gift that ever was.

Now you know. Petzl Headlamp, available at REI for $39.95.

Ooh! Extra #11! Because sometimes, you just want to give a guy something romantic or meaningful (that isn't so schmaltzy he won't admit to owning it).

That's where this comes in.

It's a personalized "Night Sky" poster.

I know it sounds cheesy, but it's kind of cool and I liked it and thought it was worth mentioning.

See, you can pick your date and location, and they will provide a personalized photo of what the night sky looked like then and there.

You could pick a birthday, anniversary, any special occasion, really.

So that's my guy's gifting round-up! May it serve as at least a somewhat useful starting point for your own impossible-man-shopping this season.

Good luck, and happy holidays!

Labels: christmas shopping for men, gift guides, ish in his boxers, what to get guys

I don't write about pets because if I started to tell you the story of how I've loved the dogs in my life -- Cronie the Briard, Folly the Golden Retriever, Boggle the Briard, Kismet the Lhasa Apso, Tyson her mixed-up cross-breed son, Basker the Australian Shepherd, and Scarlett the cute mutt rescue -- I would begin weeping and just never ever stop.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I LOVE LOVE LOVE dogs. Dogs bring me endless joy and make me happy with every fiber of my being. Nothing tickles me quite the way dogs do. I love puppy breath.

This also means that I absolutely cannot handle the suggestion of animal cruelty, or of dogs being sad, or of anything bad happening to them. I have the emotional maturity of a three-year-old when it comes to dogs and that's all there is to it.

So this post will NOT be about dogs I've loved or how pets are special or anything sentimental because seriously, I'd be a pool of dog-loving goo. Instead, I simply want to take this opportunity to say that Yep! Indeed, Crony (actually, my parents spelled it "Cronie," I'm sure for some reason, maybe because it was a name?) was a Briard, and he was great and you should get one.

A Briard is a French Sheepdog. If you're unfamiliar -- and most people are -- basically picture giant English Sheepdogs (sort of like Barkley on Sesame Street) except brown and black, with ears that are "trained" to stick up.

Contrary to popular belief, dogs with long hair shed less than dogs with short hair, and are therefore far kinder to folks who might be allergic. And sheepdogs, while they have a propensity toward heel-nipping, are great family dogs.

Apparently, Cronie didn't have a very kind temperment, but he was perfectly angelic with his family. When I was born, my parents were still living in New York City; no matter where my mom took me, Cronie was my protector and guardian. (A bit like Nana in Peter Pan except circa 1970s Manhattan.) He was gentle and patient and loving toward me and my sisters, always.

Cronie was, as you may have noticed, a giant dog. You'd throw a stick for him to retrieve, and he'd come galloping back toward you with a giant branch. Cronie also loved tires. He'd find -- and bring you -- discarded tires whenever he happened to see them. My dad would put on firewood gloves and wrestle with him in the backyard for fun.

He was a great dog, and made me fall in love with Briards, and I hope I get to have one again someday.

Labels: briard puppies, briards, cronopio, family dogs

I get it now.

I had a pretty easy pregnancy. My body, for whatever reasons, adapted to it quite well. I eased into it and never got that sudden kind of "what on EARTH is happening to my body???" feeling that so many women do, especially when they're spending the first three months puking their brains out.

Ah, but.

Here I am after. And now I'm feeling the effects. Now I'm going through some slow, torturous hormonal adjustment period that I'm not entirely sure will ever end.

I was THRILLED when, 10 weeks after giving birth, I was feeling (reasonably) rested and energized and could not WAIT to get into the gym. ME! Excited about the gym! And I started eating better and even lost my taste for bad foods (the kinds that were absolutely required in my third trimester).

Apparently that was a phase, too. One I'm trying to reclaim, yes, but still.

I can't even begin to describe the hormonal imbalances I'm feeling now. Way worse than wondering why I'm crying at the sad mop in the commercial. No. I FEEL my moods shift. One day I am happy to eat a balanced meal, the next day I am so ravenously hungry that I become a bottomless pit and want to eat for days and days. My hair has started that awesome stage of postpartum fall-out (sexy!). One week my skin will look as blemished as it's looked since I was a teenager, the next week it's as clean and smooth and fresh-looking as it's ever looked ever in my life. I am gung-ho about the gym one day, and the next it's all I can do to get dressed. I'm not depressed (there is no sadness, no dread)...it's just...my moods, energy levels, appetite, concentration are alllllll over the map.

Four months after giving birth. WAHOO.

I know I need to just rein it in. I need to take control, keep my diet balanced now more than ever (yay, protein!) and force myself to go to the gym.

The problem is that those swim classes I relished at first now seem like giant hurdles. I like the classes (obviously, I need my regular dose of Doris), but what was at first the best way for me to get out of the house -- having a scheduled class that required planning to get to, and allowed me a full 1.15 hrs away from the baby -- now just takes too much energy. Even if I drive instead of choosing to walk and push the stroller, the whole expedition is going to take at least two full hours. Which isn't the end of the world, but two hours is a lot when everything else takes ten times as long to do.

So, I'm working on figuring something else out, and trying not to eat my weight in sugar in the meantime.

At least I got Ish to bring the last of the Halloween candy into work with him.

Labels: i weigh three million pounds, TOMORROW WE DIET

Today was absolutely gorgeous here in wine country. It was chilly and sunny and very fall-like. No, Napa doesn't have foliage the way New England does, but the vineyards do indeed change colors. Which is pretty spectacular, if not particularly Pilgrim-like.

Ish and I took a leisurely drive with Eve to Sebastopol to pick up some wine that Ish had ordered several months ago from a small, fantastic winery called Radio-Coteau. They weren't having a harvest party or anything, we just basically drove up to a warehouse and tasted some wines in a room that felt like a garage. It was totally unglamorous but that's how things are around here mostly. You don't generally wear your finery to visit a vineyard, you wear a fleece jacket and shoes you don't mind muddying.

On our way home, we decided to stop at a couple wineries near our home that we'd never been to before, just because we could. In fact, since moving here 8 months ago, we'd never spent a Saturday wine tasting and I'd say it was well overdue.

Cuvaison has a new tasting room and it's all open-air and windowed and Earth-friendly and provides quite a lovely glimpse of Napa.


Eve was mostly oblivious, sure, but she seemed to have a fine afternoon regardless. She's gotten very good at blowing spit-bubbles and sticking her tongue out and drooling like a fiend, and just today she's been testing out new sounds she can make which I can't really replicated in type but that sound hilarious. And totally inappropriate at a winery, but what can you do?

I have a feeling the weekends are going to be crazy from now through the end of the holidays, so I'm glad the three of us got to spend a quiet day driving around and enjoying our view.

OOH! AND!? I finally figured out that my phone's camera quality isn't COMPLETE crap, it's that when I use blogger to upload them, BLOGGER messes with the image quality. So I'm back to using Photobucket to host my images, and now they don't suck quite as much!









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Labels: Eve, everyday, napa, spit-up, wine

Labels: nablopomo, sorry about the pictures, what in god's name am i writing about?

My new MacBook arrived today and I was pee-my-pants excited to open it and get it going. My ex El_Gallo is (among other things) a SysAdmin and a Mac/Linux guy, and he told me that migrating from my old machine to my new one would be a snap. For this reason, I decided I would have no problem setting up my new Mac with a teething 4-month old.

Labels: do not attempt this at home, MacBook, OSX

Last week we had an influx of grandparents.

Ish's parents have some business doings in Sonoma and Tahoe, so they have been coming to visit us Eve about once a month. Which is really great and I totally eat it up. I mean, it should go without saying that I miss my parents as much as (if not more than) ever, now that I have a child. I fall apart when I think about how Eve will never get to meet my mom or dad -- it just...ugh, it just weighs on my heart all the time. So yeah, I love having grandparents around not just for Eve's sake, but for mine. No one can take the place of my parents, of course, but simply being around grandmas is reassuring in a very basic, subconscious, soul-affirming way.

Not only were Ish's parents around last week, though, but my BFF's MOM came! All the way from New York! With her husband, Steven! (Who took the lovely candid photo above!)

This was exceedingly meaningful.

I promise to tell you the story of how I met said BFF, Emily, on the rooftop of a Manhattan building when I was 9 months old. And how I've known Emily and her mom, my "second mother" or "M2" ever since. For now, I will just say that having my M2 here was the closest thing I'll ever experience to having my own mom visit. It was special.

M2 essentially walked in the door, scooped up my daughter and neither one of them ever looked back. (As it should be.) Eve loved her, showed her delight and comfort in being with her G2 as much as a near-4-month-old can. Eve's just starting to get the notion of outstretching her arms to be picked up (she does outstretch her arms, but without any control, in a broad and flailing way) and this originated with M2/G2. I could hardly believe my eyes when, just two days after meeting her for the first time, Eve squirmed with delight in G2's presence, smiled her gummy, coy smile and then stiffened her arms.

"I...I think she wants you to pick her up...?"

And based on Eve's reaction when returned to G2's arms, I'd say yes, that's exactly what she wanted.


My M2 has always been like a Pied Piper to me -- happy, fun, comforting, smiling. She's that rare kind of person who makes those around her feel special; anyone would be lucky to be the recipient of her warmth.

I love that my daughter already knows she's one of the lucky ones.

Labels: all about eve, M2, nablopomo

This is utterly bizarre, the concept of posting every day just to post every day. It's 10:30 at night and there's no humanly way I can be coherent now, but I also can't fail at NaBloPoMo on day two.

(Well, I mean, I COULD. But I would feel a terrible sense of disgrace. Sort of like that semi-diet thing I started when I started going to the gym 3 days a week. Because while I've kept up with the gym (except for last week, shush) there was also a little matter of Halloween and all its amazing candy that I would never otherwise have in the house.)

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Hey, are you guys playing Farmville? Can someone explain to me why I am playing Farmville? I found myself trying to explain about my newly acquired farming proclivities to my mother-in-law and it didn't go so well. She tried really hard to sound interested and encouraging, but I'm certain that in the back of her mind she was concerned about her granddaughter's primary care giver spending great chunks of time planting cartoon pumpkins for fake money.

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There's a woman in my swim class who speaks Catalan. She is funny and silly, and I'd put her in her upper 60s. Definitely not elderly by any stretch. She is my favorite woman in the class, not just because she talks to me, but because during my second class when the instructor asked if anyone needed anything, she replied in her thick accent, "a martini."

Today we had a substitute instructor who works us a lot harder than our regular girl. I enjoy the change, but the other members of the class DO NOT LIKE CHANGE. And they don't like working so hard. Halfway through this substitute's workouts, half the class revolts and starts ignoring the workout, which means they then become obstacles I have to swim around as politely as possible.

Anyway.

Today we were doing 30-second intervals of intense cardio bursts, and while I was frantically water jogging, I heard the woman chanting "go, go, go, go" from behind me. I turned to see what she was on about, and realized she was cheering for me, while she casually half-jogged in place. I smiled at her through my heavy breathing. When we slowed down for the next 30 seconds, she swam over to me and said, "Ees good. You are da baby of dee class. You sweem very hard." Then she gave a nod of her head to her friend, "We, eh, we are old. WE COULD DIE."

You have to understand that this was hilarious because there is no way this woman would die from water jogging, she just didn't really feel like doing it.

Maybe you had to be there.

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In case you missed it, I DID update the post about Johan the Wonder Swede (to include a photo).

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I am putting together a gift-giving guide (for guys) for BlogHer, due this Friday. I have many good ideas for it, but wanted your suggestions/advice/feedback, too. Is there an AWESOME gift for guys out there I should know about? (I'm kind of a catalog hound and so I know a lot of what's out there, but...)

Thanks!

Labels: nablopomo, old people soup