Michellepedia

Selections from today's email

Every day I get hundreds of email messages. Most I delete. But they still leave an impression. Here's a sampling:

Subject: Myspace alert

Hi, If your teens are using www.myspace.com; www.yearbook.com ; www.facebook.com or other similar sites please be aware that school administrators are now searching these sites to find kids who are students at their school or students who are applying to their schools.

Subject: Coffee Grinders

Michelle, I saw your recent article on coffee grinders and in addition to those recommended by Mark Prince of Coffeegeek.com, I thought you might be interested to know that Cuisinart has three different coffee grinders available including the Cuisinart Supreme Grind(tm) Automatic Burr Mill (model no. DBM-8), as well as two other models; the Cuisinart Grind Central(tm) Coffee Grinder (model no. DCG-12BC) and the smaller capacity, Cuisinart Coffee Grinder (model no. DCG-20N).

Subject: 10 Tips for Getting Preschoolers to Eat More Stuff
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Jan. 31, 2006 -- Ah, preschoolers -
those peculiar creatures with eyes full of wonder and heads
full of wacky, often comical, questions. According to
development experts, these miniature people are in a prime
learning stage, soaking up the world around them. So, how do
mommies of preschoolers (to the tune of 14.3 million in the
United States alone) help their little energetic Ernie or
creative Claire navigate these crucial years and establish a
strong foundation?

Subject: Increase in labiaplasties
Hi there,
I had sent you some information about the increase in labiaplasties and giving plastic surgery procedures as gifts. I wanted to touch base with you and see if you are interested in pursuing any aspect of the story idea.

Subject: curso gratis para mslat
Todo propietario de un sitio web sabe que conseguir visitantes para el mismo es una tarea dura, y
difícil, pero importantísima.

Subject: Thanks!
Many thanks to all who answered my question about showing bitches in heat.
10 to 1 said it was ok for conformation, but not for Agility, Obedience or
Rally.

World's Thinnest Wallet

For years, my  husband suffered neck pain.  A few months ago, I bought him an All-Ett ($17.95). He feels much better.

Martin, KY: Then and Now

This is what my family's hometown of Martin, KY looked like nearly a hundred years ago. Today the town looks different, as the Army Corps of Engineers prepares to demolish it and move residents out of the flood zone near Beaver Creek, a story I wrote about. In the old days, the C&O Cafe served breakfast to passengers waiting to change trains. The woman in the photo is Lora Stephens, who also operated Preston's drugstore, named after her first husband (shot and murdered at a local dance). Near the cafe, a  gunslinger named Bad John Hall was involved in a notorious  shootout in the 1920s. Read about the gunfight here, in the words of one of Hall's descendants.

Best Espadrille

The espadrille is the most versatile shoe for summer, and Yellow Box's Kina is the most versatile espadrille. It sidesteps the problem of last year's models -- when most closed-toe styles looked best with jeans but open-toe slides flattered skirts -- with a low-cut style that elongates the leg. The budget conscious among us will need only one new pair this year. In various colors, at prices that range from $34.95 to $58.

This is your brain on caffeine

We never knew coffee could be like this. Although the Rancilio Silvia is widely sold out, we found one online. Miss Silvia takes espresso to a whole new level. Too jittery to type. More later, after I switch to decaf.

The day I tried a new chocolate chip cookie recipe

I was told to bring dessert. I pulled out a new recipe for crispy, flat chocolate chip cookies (I clipped it from the New York Times magazine last week). The recipe required a leap of faith; it called for no eggs but specified milk.  I was willing to go along with anything -- including the step that required me to add a tablespoon of kosher salt to the batter. Major mistake.  I made a test cookie to see if the baking process would miraculously eliminate the hideous saltiness. No. My husband suggested making a second, unsalted batch, then mix the two. I cautiously added salty batter  to the uncontaminated batter one tablespoon at a time. At Marissa's, everyone complimented the cookies just as much as they would have if I'd used the recipe on the back of the tollhouse bag.

RIP, Brushy

After my newspaper column about hairbrushes, I heard from readers who understood my sentimental attachment to Brush. Lori wrote, "I am the exact same way except I have two - one for wet hair and one for dry. My husband and two daughters know that the quickest way to earn my wrath is for my brushes not to be where they are supposed to be." I'm not alone in nicknaming Brush, either;  Devon had Brushy. They  were inseparable.   "Sometimes I would lift him out of my purse and let him 'look around' -- a practice which really sent my friends over the edge," Devon wrote. "So imagine their glee when our new beagle puppy chewed poor old (very old) Brushy into a hundred plastic pieces.  I collected his bristles and mangled handle in a bag." Brushy,  scattered in a Paris garden, has gone to a better place, Devon. I believe that, and you must too. And finally, if anyone knows how to find a big round vented brush called a Monte Carlo, I'll pass along the tip to Caryl.

Being green is the new black

My friend Jessica is the hippest person I know. So if she stayed at an organic farm on her most recent trip to England, I predict we'll all be doing the same within a year. She found Hindon Farm on a list compiled by the UK's National Trust. I'm happy to add bird watching, spotty pigs and Hindon's local meat chill  box (whatever that is) to my own life. But I do hope Jessica doesn't start wearing gaucho pants. 

The umbrella that conquered Paris

Here's something I wrote about  months ago in the newspaper. This lightweight, collapsible umbrella ($24.95 at Hammacher Schlemmer's online site) deserves followup accolades. I took it to Paris last month and used it every day to deflect rain, snow and my offsprings' pleas to flee Versailles in favor of returning to the warmth of the hotel to watch Sex in the City videos (who smuggled those into the country?).

World's Best Black Skirt

Why does this skirt from Isda and Co. fit so well? It could be the vertical panels of fabric, it could be the mid-weight jersey wool that hangs so beautifully, but who really cares? I took this skirt to Paris last month and wore it 15 times in nine days. I dressed it down with boots and a sweater. I dressed it up with pumps. I wore it with ballet flats. It's a perfectly classic, no-style style that I'll wear for years.   Marked down from $221 to $165.75 online at Isda, it would be a bargain. Unfortunately, there's only one left; it's a size 12. Be warned. The skirt runs  big (and Isda cuts its clothes so generously to begin with that  size 8 has a 31-inch waist). Sizes 8 and 10 also are  available for $196 at Melange4women.com.