10. A Blender - You basically telling her to cook for you. A big no-no. In fact forget about giving any and all kitchen appliances, except maybe a cappuccino maker.

9. Tickets to Anything That You Might also Want to See - Christmas is the time to buy tickets to the ballet, a musical or (God forbid) Clay Aiken.

8. Clothes - This can go either way, if you know her size and style go for it. If you're not absolutely sure of both then stay away.

7. Gift Certificates - You'll pretty much be showing her that you're the most unimaginative, boring guy in the world.

6. Membership to a Gym - Unless she specifically asked for it, don't give it or you'll surely be sending the wrong message.

5. A Massage - If you want to buy her a massage then buy some oils and a book and learn together. Don't pay for some guy to massage her when you can do it yourself.

4. Anything That You Might Like/Use Too - No DVD players, no TVs, nothing like that, instead Make her feel special, buy her something for her, not for you.

3. A Puppy - This can be tempting, she's sure to love it at first, but what about once it poops and then needs to go for a walk and then barks all night. Unless she's explicitly told you she wants a puppy don't get her one.

2. Anything You See on TV - Even if it is cool, odds are she'll see the same infomercial at some point and immediately think less of the gift.

1. Nothing - A sure way to never have to worry about giving her anything again.

Just recently I took a wild stab at trying out Dale's Pale Ale which is proudly produced by Oskar Blues Brewery out of Lyons, Colorado.

Being a big fan of pale ales and India Pale Ales in particular, I was more than a little skeptical of this hop offering. Afterall, it's packaged in an aluminum can. Nothing good can come of that, right? That's what I've always thought since I branched off of the macro-brew trail long ago and moved on to bigger, better things...all things micro that is.

Well, I was wrong. A good, solid microbrew does not have to ALWAYS come in a brown bottle. In fact, despite my predispositions, the whole "can" thing was what got me curious in the first place. No matter how bad I wanted to resist the marketing of this brewery and using the whole "microbrew in a can" gimmick, I gave in and purchased a mixed case (12 Dale's Pale Ale and 12 Old Chub Scottish Ales). Let me tell you what I found.

This pale ale didn't disappoint. Looking at the can design itself was not all that impressive. The silver, red, white and blue colors actually gave me a little bit of a reminder of the Pabst Blue Ribbon cans only with reverse proportionality of red to the Pabst blue. Kinda tacky design but it's what's inside that counts here.

This ale poured an orange-auburn into a pint mug. If you like a bid head on your beer, you aren't going to get it here...about 1/4 inch lasting about 3 minutes before dissipating to nothing. But the taste...ahh that's where it's at here. Close your eyes while sipping Dale's Pale Ale and you'd swear it was from a bottle. Being a hops nut, the bitterness/piney feel of this brew really hit the spot although the level of carbonation was just a bit less zingy than I like personally. It came across just a little flat. But don't let that deter you. In fact, I think the whole "can" thing made me keep thinking it was less of a beer than it was. I think I mentally programmed my tastebuds to automatically deduct a point or two just because of the can but upon second review, if I just closed my eyes and took a sip I was able to realize this was way better than many tried from the bottle.

I can just picture myself throwing a case of this in the SUV to take on a camping trip with some pals. When you put it all in perspective, if you like the taste you get in a fine microbrew over the boring lack of flavor in many of today's macro-brews, Dale's Pale Ale will give a fine reproduction of many of the finer micro pale ales in a fully portable and durable aluminum can. If Bud, Coors or Miller just isn't your thing and you need something more, Dale's Pale Ale makes a fine option when you're heading outdoors for a camping trip, hunting lodge or tailgating at your favorite team's next game.

I found my case at a local beverage distributor in Western Pennsylvania. Dale's Pale Ale is not something I've seen around much in this part of the country though, so if you're looking to try it out, the availability at your local establishment may vary. If you do get a chance though, I would recommend a try.

One of the things I truly love about the changing of the seasons is that each season brings with it a bevy of selections of seasonal microbrews. One of the things I don't like is searching and finding a great seasonal brew that doesn't do too much or too little. And all seasons are not created equal either. That's one of my personally perceived problems with Autumn approaching when it comes to finding a winning "pumpkin ale".

More and more breweries out there (both micro and macro alike) have been trying their hand at offering a decent fall seasonal beer of various types. Pumpkin beers in particular are an enigma of their own. While they've been around going back to the pilgrim days, more recent versions have not always been very good representations of what I assume was originally intended by our forefathers.

One particular ale that I've just tried today is something I'd like to share with you. It's offered by a brewery with a little bit of a quirky image and history. Have you ever heard of Dogfish Head Brewery? I know I found it a little odd sounding when I first heard of it. Check the link out for a complete and detailed history of the brewery and you'll get a good feel for the people and their vision behind the product. But for me, that's another post for another day. Let's get to the suds...shall we?

This ale poured a brilliant chestnut-orange with not a whole lot of head into my 16oz. pub pint glass. The clarity, when held up to the light, was quite striking. Lots of bubbles, almost a champagney (is that a word?) type of look to it.

First taste, very, very, very good. Alot of pumpkin beers I've tried have almost an artificially injected "pumpkin" flavor to them. This however is NOT one of those beers. There is an excellent sense of balance between what I'd describe as a pumpkin/nutmeg taste to this one. Not tacky or overbearing at all in my opinion. In fact, it tastes quite "natural" almost...organic. There is a good presence of zing to it as far as carbonation, but not enough to take away from the overall feeling that you're drinking a seasonal ale and with a blindfold on, a blatantly autumn seasonal. This particular ale leaves no question as to what it's brewers were going for and one that I feel is something most brewers of pumpkin style ales should be shooting for. If they're not, they're just faking it anyway.

One thing I will point out that I didn't like is the obvious presence of the 7% ABV in the flavor while taking first sip to the very last. The alcohol is evident and does leave a little bit of burn which is slightly distracting. I think that it's possible that if this ale had a chance to sit in proper storage for a few months, it probably would be even better, having had a chance to mellow a while. Well, hey, I just couldn't wait that long. Halloween's just next week you know, the holidays wait for noone.

Overall, this is truly an impressive representation of a Pumpkin Ale if that's a style you enjoy which I hadn't until I found this one. I kept looking for one to change my view, and this did it. I fully can picture myself storing a few in the basement fridge to pull out in the future. One occasion would be Thanksgiving night (after my customary post-dinner nap) and then again maybe in front of a fire on Christmas Eve. Yes, it's enjoyable enough to pare with special occasions and holidays beyond All Hallow's Eve.

If you have a chance to pick this up at a local store, I would recommend trying the 4 pack (or even a single bottle if you can) before investing the cash for a full cash. If pumpkin ales have never been your thing, it's not a lock that this will make you want a full 24 bottle case (plus it's not cheap either at $44.00/case locally in Western PA). I urge you to give it a try though if you get an opportunity.

Gift baskets are an ever-popular gift. Many specialty and gift stores have a selection of beautiful baskets practically overflowing with delectable goodies.

The problem with pre-made gift baskets, though, is that you can't choose what's in them. You might like five out of the seven products, but you end up stuck with the other two items, things the recipient potentially will neither like nor use. So what's the alternative?

Making your own gift basket is easy. You can purchase baskets at a reasonable price at most craft retailers, and there are a wealth of other containers that will do just as nicely. The bigger question is what to put in them.

If you're looking for some creative ideas for gift baskets, why not try one of these:

-- For a movie lover, why not fill up a basket with DVDs (or a gift card to a video rental store), gourmet popping corn, and an assortment of candy.

-- For a couple, fill up a gift basket with scented candles, a bottle of wine (or maybe champagne), a book (or video) on couples massage, and a gift card to a nice restaurant.

-- For someone fun and a little funky, create a gift basket of fun accessories: earrings and scarves, the latest cosmetics, and maybe a gift card to a trendy clothing shop.

-- For a kid, or someone who's young at heart, consider a gift basket filled with funny socks. Socks are no longer just black and white. You can find socks with butterflies, frogs, and funny little sayings.

-- A basket filled with seed packets, terra cotta flowerpots, and a book on flower gardening would make a great gift for your favorite gardener. For added pizzazz, why not put it all in a pretty watering can?

-- There are a million products out there for bird lovers. From binoculars to suet cakes and nesting material, it's easy to fill a basket with things for our feathered friends and those who love them.

-- Fill a basket with your recipient's favorite treats. Whether it's scented soaps, health food, or lollipops, if it's something they love, put it in a basket.

Most of all, don't hesitate to be creative, maybe even a little crazy. Let the recipient's personality guide you, and have fun. There's no better way than a personalized gift basket to show someone how much thought you put into their gift.

The first vacuum cleaner that doesn't lose suction. Others clog and lose suction. Dyson suction stays constant. Instant stair and high reach cleaning. Wand releases and expands 17 feet at the touch of a button.

The new Animal turbo tool, for effective pet hair removal in confined spaces such as upholstery, stairs and in the car. It also has a carpet care kit to absorb dirt, freshen carpets and remove spots and spills.

Our Review:

We received our DC14 Animal vacuum over a year ago and were excited to run it through our house to see how much pet hair we could actually get rid of! (we have a Pomeranian dog, they shed heavily):

Dyson had to file a lawsuit against Hoover years ago for patent infringement, and now I can see why. This vacuum sucks!! And that's a good thing! The center of gravity on the DC14 model vacuum from Dyson is lower and a little easier to control than the earlier DC07 models. Dyson has also installed a MUCH larger HEPA filter on this vacuum then on the previous DC07 models as well...you'll like how the air smells after vacuuming.

The clear canister is very nice and allows you to see exactly how much dirt, sand and other unidentifiable objects you are sucking out of your carpets everyday! I was very interested in the animal turbo tool that was included with this vacuum. It did what it said it would do, remove pet hair. You have to “learn” how to use the turbo tool however, as it isn’t a motorized tool, but is powered by the air suction power of the vacuum itself. If you press the turbo tool too hard against your couch or other surface, the small beater bar inside the tool will stop suddenly. You have to simply “skim” the tool across surfaces you wish to clean. One major complaint I have that Dyson could easily remedy, was the fact that the turbo tool only fastens to the end of the hose by pushing it on. The tool came off half a dozen times while I was vacuuming, and I had to actually hold onto the tool and the hose with one hand to prevent the tool from becoming dislodged while I was vacuuming. This would be a very easy fix for Dyson, all they need to do is engineer the turbo tool so that is “clicks” into place, and is released by pressing a button.

The Dyson DC14 Animal Vacuum can go from carpets to hard floors easily by pushing a lever with your foot on top of the base of the unit. This disengages the beater bar of the vacuum so that you just have strong suction for picking up dirt on your hard surfaces. This feature was convenient enough that we found we never used the included hard floor tool.

Our generation will forever remember the barrage of ads that made you make the ultimate choice … Coke or Pepsi? That was a choice that you were forced to make between two industry giants with a blindfold on so you couldn’t have an unfair advantage in your choice. The battle between Microsoft Zune and iPod Video for the best MP3 player on the market isn’t one that you can decide with a blindfold on, but it is one that will cause a lifetime of allegiance. There is no wishy-washy, back and forth mood swings with the choice you are about to make here, just read the following facts and decide if you are going to side with the iPod or the Zune.

* The first thing for you to consider when you are deciding between the Microsoft Zune and iPod Video is that this version of the iPod is the fifth generation for Apple’s famed video player. What does this mean to you? Obviously, Microsoft could have learned from Apple’s mistakes, but most of the time you have to learn from your own in this area. Based on trial and error success, iPod would be the more polished product at this point.
* If you are unsure of what size hard drive you need in your MP3 player then you may need to go with the Zune because the choice is easy, it only comes in the 30GB model. With iPod you will have choices galore from the single GB models all the way up to the massive 80GB monsters. This category is purely based on your desire, how much space do you need?
* Both digital music players chime in with around 14 hours of battery life on a full charge, with approximately four hours needed to charge to full life. You could go with a quick two hour charge, however, and get around 80% of the life of the battery in short time.
* One of the most difficult things to master with your new digital music player is the navigation device. iPod is famous for its wheel that allows you to cycle through your library by moving your hand in a circular motion. With the Zune you will have a circle that clicks in every direction for certain tasks, but the fast forward and play buttons are separate.
* Perhaps the most drastic step up for the Zune in response to the iPod Video’s struggles is the video screen. Apple’s screen has undergone much criticism for its small size and difficulty for viewing. The people at Microsoft watched this development and introduced a screen about .5” larger than iPod with the ability to switch between portrait and landscape mode for better viewing.
* Finally, the last battle for this war will be fought on the grounds of the music download website. iTunes stepped up to the forefront of the industry for Apple, while Microsoft hopes to make a big splash with Zune Marketplace. The differences are minor in the beginning, mainly being that Apple has a much larger selection at the moment.

If you are using rechargeable batteries then you will need a good quality battery charger to replace the power that is used. Using rechargeable batteries is a great way to keep your costs down. They can be recharged for hundreds of times and will pay for the extra costs of buying it many times over. Buying batteries these days is very expensive and amount of things that we need them for seems to be increasing. If you just buy disposable batteries then it is not only expensive but is also very inconvenient.

If you have to buy a separate charger then you need to make sure that you are buying the right one. You need to make sure that the batteries that you are using are the same voltage as the charger. But other than the basics there are a great many different yes of chargers on the market. A standard charger will just keep on charging the battery until you turn it off. This means that it is very important to remember to turn it off when the battery is charged up or it might damage the battery.

If you pay a bit more for your battery charger you can get a charger that will turn itself off when the battery is fully charged up. This means that there is no possibility of it damaging the battery. if you are able to afford this type of charger then it is well worth paying for it. it is also possible to get a battery change that is worked by a timer so that it will switch off after is has been on for a particular amount of time.

If you are using a piece of computer equipment such as a cordless mouse then it might be possible to recharge it from the USB port of the computer. If you need to recharge batteries quickly then you might be able to buy a fast charger. These can be a lot faster than that standard charger. There are a lot of different battery chargers to choose from but you need to make sure that the one that you get is right for the batteries that you are using.

As most people would say, "quality is better than quantity". In my opinion, a thousand toys are useless if they are no good at all. It doesn't really matter whether you've got a room full of toys. What really matters is if these toys can help you and your child or if they are of high quality.

What I mean by quality is that the toys are educational and fun-filled. Let's say you were to give many toys to your little girl or boy, but the toys would not help them in a useful way; your child most probably won't be able to enjoy them and use them for their learning.

Examples of quality educational toys are toys that connect to science and discovery. These toys are very functional and enjoyable for children with the ambition to be a scientist, geologist, chemist and other science related professions.

A very wide variety of toys are in store for these children to explore the world around them and widen their knowledge. Toys like binoculars, animal kits, archeology and astronomy tools and play kits, robotic kits, advanced books about science and a lot more.

Animals have this extraordinary charm on most children. They might have the same effect on your child. Toys like habitats and animal play sets will make your kid happy for hours. Three examples of entertaining toys are the reptile habitats, the creature keeper used to trap insects and bugs and the foam great white sharks.

Being astronomers in the future is also famous among children. For them, anything that has to do with stars, galaxies, moons, planets and the universe are great quality toys. Space mission play sets, handy star navigators, quality telescopes and binoculars, glow in the dark stars and solar systems and rockets are some quality educational toys you can provide your child to have fun and discover with.

Aspiring geographers will definitely love and find out a whole lot from the globe. The globe may seem boring, but they actually provide knowledge and also fun. Plus, globes today have wider varieties of designs for you to choose from. Some globes have embossed land formations that the children can touch.

Others are electronic and have built in geographical facts, world clock times and trivia that would help your children learn and discover the world.

Besides globes, electronic interactive books provide excellent and fun learning for your little ones. These books have maps that talk and say different names of capitals and states. And, of course, the very popular puzzles are helpful to your little geographer wannabes. They come in different fun shapes, designs and sizes.

One of the top quality learning aids for aspiring physicists and chemists is the snap circuit kits. These kits help your child in conducting experiments and making projects like radios, light bulb set ups and much more.

Water wizardry kits that can be used by children to create rainbows, gels and snow in a test tube with only some water also enhances your child's abilities.

Children will definitely learn a lot from quality educational toys like those toys that teach science and encourage discovery. These quality toys are absolutely worth the price.

The first thing I have to say about the Tri-Fold folding tonneau cover by Lund Genesis is this truck bed has an incredible amount of recommendations to other interested buyers. People seem to love their tri-fold tonneau cover. It’s kind of hard to write about the good and the bad points when mostly what I read are good points. Let me give you a description and some of its features and then I will get into its good and bad points.

The Tri-Fold tonneau cover is shipped pre-assembled and just needs to be installed on your pickup truck. This truck bed cover is constructed of a double-sided tear resistant fabric which should give you many years of use. The hardware for this truck lid is made of aluminum and is powder coated. It has straps which hold the tarp secure when in the open position. The Tri-Fold tonneau cover comes with a lifetime warranty. Lund boasts that you are able to install this cover in under three minutes. In my opinion it would take a little longer if you cared about your purchase at all. But I would agree it does install very fast.

The Lund Tri-Fold tonneau cover is very popular and is highly recommended by previous buyers. Previous buyers say they have noticed an increase in their gas mileage and admire how quickly the cover is installed. They also appreciate how the truck bed cover looks on their pickup trucks. Many are very happy with the folding feature and how quick and easy it is to get to access to their truck bed compared to snap covers they previously owned. Previous buyers also mentioned how dry their cargo stayed even after heavy rains. Of course this next goes for pretty well all truck lids but if your looking for the benefits of owning a tonneau cover… it is excellent in protecting your cargo from the wind. It also keeps your cargo out of the eyes of people who take things that don’t belong to them. Many people say they love doing business with the people I personally am involved with and they would buy from them again for sure. It’s always nice when I hear that.

Now as in any product people do find some negative things about it. Some people are concerned with the plastic parts of the clamps they would rather if they were metal. A few have said they wished the tri-fold tonneau cover had the same contour as their truck bed. It seems on some trucks the corners round off and the tri-fold corners are not so round causing the corner of the lid to stick out a little farther than the truck bed. Another suggestion some people had was Lund provide more foam tape especially if you have a bed liner that goes over the rails of your truck bed, it seems some vehicles have a little gap that needs to be filled. Another suggestion was Lund provide a metal loop on the tonneau so one could attach a cable and a lock so someone would not be able to steal the cover itself. One more thing worth mention if you have a bed liner that goes over the rails of your truck be prepared to have to make some minor cuts in the bed liner to permit the use of the clamps.

I could go on talking about how pleased people are with the Tri-Fold tonneau cover but instead I will sum it up by saying this…. Do I think the Tri-Fold tonneau cover by Lund is worth the money? In my opinion, by everything I have read about this truck bed cover I have come to the conclusion this truck lid is worth more than what you are going to pay for it. The good points outweigh the bad points heavily.

I adore this time of the year! The weeks before Christmas have a special feel of their own and I just can’t wait to go hunting for presents for the whole family. When time is precious and the crowds fill the stores, what better way than to shop from the comfort of your own home by browsing the web. There is a wealth of Christmas presents on the Internet, with many sites offering good deals. We must remember that there are still birthdays to be celebrated at this time of year and other special occasions and I have made a selection offering ideas for all sorts of gifts. But also for other occasions I have found a lot of ideas for nice gifts. I have made a small selection to give you an idea:

Your name is a gift
My young kids love puzzles. A great personalized gift for a kid is a puzzle with their name. I have already given these to my kids and their friends so I know they are a big hit. People love to see their names on presents. In my father’s family it is a tradition to give a silver soup spoon to the newborn babies with their names engraved on it. We used to hang them in the kitchen and visitors would always comment on how special such a gift is.

Put your gifts in a basket
Gift baskets are very popular. There are simply tons of websites where you can choose gift baskets for any occasion, from birthdays and baby showers to wedding anniversaries and job promotions. It is an ideal way to present various little gifts and most people like to unpack several small presents. While gift baskets make wonderful presents, they can be very expensive and tend not to be very personal. That’s why I enjoy putting together my own custom gift baskets for friends and family. And, of course, I shop online to find the gifts to fill my basket.

Unique gifts are a treasure
My wife always keeps a box full of unique gifts she finds on the web in a special box. She orders these gifts from all over the world and when it is somebody’s birthday or wedding anniversary she will remember the special treasure box and will get one of her special gifts out. Sometimes it is a piece of nice jewelry, all the way from India, or a present for a child which isn’t available where we live. The Internet gives you access to all sorts of unusual and, often, hand-made presents.

Wacky gifts for golfers

It is easy to please golfing friends. They always need golf balls and you can buy cheap but good quality lake balls everywhere. I once received a golden tee, with my name engraved in it, from a friend and have always cherished it. Golf club money clips are also popular with golfers. A friend of ours, a keen golfer of course, once gave his wife a pair of sterling silver golf bag earrings. Some might call that tacky, but she loved them!

I found out about this ESP book from an advertisement in the Singapore Straits Times back in 1995, with a caption that said "the ESP Power will bring you happiness,success & good fortune". I'm a Buddhist but due to my curiosity of this mysterious power, I made an appointment with Mr Tsujimoto, a ESP Super Willpower instructor in Singapore, and paid a visit at his office.

In his office, Mr Tsujimoto spent some time explaining to me what the "ESP Super Willpower" is. Since I'm open minded to any belief or power which could bring about happiness not only to myself but also to the whole mankind, I bought the ESP book with the hope to fully understand what this power is.

So what is this "ESP Super Willpower", or "Cho-Nen-Riki" as referred to by the Japanese?

In the ESP Book, the "ESP Super Willpower" is described as an energy that is derived from the heart of the universe. There are many forms of cosmic energies which exist in the universe, some are positive while some are negative. But the ESP power mentioned by Dr Katao Ishii in the ESP book is the cosmic energy or cosmic ray that would bring happiness to mankind. Acquiring this happiness would subsequently lead to improvement in health and success in whatever we wish to accomplish.

From reading the ESP book, you'll realized that this cosmic energy was discovered by a Dr Katao Ishii on a fateful day - February 1975 in Japan. When he received this power, he was actually in a state of shock. But intuitively he felt that this was a message from God; and the message was telling him to use this newly discovered power to help his fellow mankind. Since then, Dr Katao Ishii has been demonstrating & sharing this cosmic energy with many people through his lectures in Japan, USA and Korea. He has also set up a ESP Research Institute in Tokyo, Japan.

In the ESP book, you'll also understand that to receiving this "ESP Super Willpower" or cosmic energy is rather simple. As along as you possess an item (eg. the ESP book) infused with this cosmic energy, simply align your true heart (Magokoro) with the heart of the universe and you'll receive happiness from this energy. It's also mentioned that by just pressing the gold symbol on the cover of the ESP book to any parts of your body experiencing aches and pains, such aches & pains would be relieved after a while.