You buy one small trinket from Hammacher Schlemmer...

...and suddenly you're on every last yuppie mailing list in the universe. All those cutesy things that they can market to every yuppie in yuppie-land all in fifty convenient catalogues. Yes, some of the stuff is cute, like the doorstop in the shape of the legs that stuck out from under Dorothy's house when it lands in Munchkinland, but there's so much crap that they crank out and sell just because it makes you laugh or smile for a minute or belongs in grandma's family room.

Finished reading Beowulf last night. I don't see why English students complain about having to study it--I loved reading it. Some of the names are a bit tough, but the story is enjoyable and the style is pretty easy to read once you get into it. There are six film versions of it though. Don't know which one to watch.