Thursday on Today 8/23

Today's Style featured Bobby's Beauty Bag with Bobbie Thomas. Four Ways To Stay Smooth: Removing Unwanted Hair. Laser removal is the most permanent and least painful (at least that's what they say) way to get rid of unwanted hair but it's also the most expensive at $200-$700 a treatment and you need about seven. I think I'll hang on to my razor for now. Then there's waxing--probably the most painful hair remover. But you can ask for a numbing cream. I think you'd need general anesthesia to numb that kind of pain. You can also learn to use wax at home if you can stand the pain with waxworks which is available at http://completelybare.com/. For die hard shavers like me, you can go to http://whishbody.com/ to get some type of men's shave kits. You can use a depilatory or cream that you just spread on and rinse off in the shower. My problem with those is you have to wait around for them to work before you rinse. I don't have the patience for that. And then there are those new products like Veet that use heat to destroy hair follicles over time. I've never tried those so I don't know if they work.

Today's Money: Splurge vs. Steal At Home. Jean Chatzky showed us what to spend on and what to save on starting in the kitchen with the microwave, which you can save on. No need to spend more than $60. You should splurge on a pepper mill--who knew? I don't even own one. Knives are also something you should splurge on, according to Jean, because they'll last longer. You can save on a food processor like one from Hamilton Beach for $50. Moving on to the living room; splurge on a couch. You shouldn't be able to lift it--that makes cleaning tough. Not to mention rearranging the furniture. You can save on a coffee table. Splurge on flowers. No supermarket shopping for those. Save on a stationary bike but splurge on a treadmill. Save on a headboard but splurge on a mattress and sheets too. That's Jean Chatzky's advice. Take it or leave it.

It's been a long time since I've seen The Critic's Corner. I wonder what Gene Shallot does with his time when he's not reviewing movies. Today he gave a good review of the British farce, "Death At A Funeral." This is my type of film and looks hilarious. Frank Oz, who's directed everything from all the Muppets movies to "Bowfinger" and "Housesitter" gives us a comedy to die for--Gene's words, not mine. And as he says, the first three letters in funeral are f-u-n.

There were some problems with the weather today and I'm not talking about the flooding in Findlay Ohio. Al's fill-in, doing the weather from there, got cut off for my local weather, then my local weather got cut off for a weather map of the entire country and no dialogue. This happens from time to time but it looks like both sides screwed this one up.

It's been ten years since Princess Diana's untimely death and newspaper editors in Britain are finally admitting some guilt over the paparazzi's role in her death. If they hadn't been chasing her, the car probably wouldn't have been speeding and there'd probably have been no accident. Too little, too late. But at least they're showing some humanity in admitting their fault.

Today's Home featured Lou Manfredini showing Quick Fixes Around The House. Five Common Problems, starting with the toilet--poor flushing due to clogged ports. Those are the holes under the rim. Just use a stiff brush and a calcium remover. From there it gets tougher. I'm just going to write down what was listed--I really can't describe any more than that. Raise flapper to stop a leaky toilet. A new flapper costs about $6. For a sticky door, use 3" wood screw to realign the door. Use a self adhesive metal wall kit for holes in the walls to patch them up. He made that look a lot easier than I'm sure it really is. He also showed a way to use a bowl over a carpet stain and then tack the unclean carpet. I have no idea what he means and my two year-old won out over the TV, so I couldn't hear much. The last tip was to use #0000 steal wool on wood tables. Maybe to get rid of scratches. Most of this stuff looked to me like it should be handled by a professional, but visit the Today website if you're brave enough to try any of these.

Today's Fitness was about Yoga For Mommy And Me. Take a class if you can find one but there are plenty of videos you can try at home. Gurmukh is a yogi whom they spoke with about the benefits of yoga. I have a couple of her videos, The Method prenatal yoga and The Method Postnatal Baby and Me for mamma and baby. They're great and I highly recommend this as a way to get back into shape and relax with your baby.

And That's a wrap. Till tomorrow.

Friday on Today 8/10

Today's Money featured Jean Chatzky discussing The Cost Of Kids. According to her, 64% of people have unrealistic expectations of the costs of raising children. And from today's page from the book of the obvious: the more you make, the more you spend. That means the less you make, the less you spend. As if anyone didn't know that already. But part of the reason parents spend so much money is because they think they need bigger houses, bigger brand new cars--why would you need a brand new car? Kids can share bedrooms; there's no need for each kid to have his or her own bedroom and bathroom. And Jean suggests getting pre-owned cars and driving them into the ground. The same advice I received years ago and still adhere to. Except back then we called them used cars. And you can fit three kids in the back seat so you don't need to buy giant SUVs just because you have kids. She also suggested developing a budget and prioritize. Which things are important and what can you do without? She had other suggestions but in the middle of this segment, my Boston Terrier dragged the water bowl into the middle of the kitchen floor and from there, my English Bulldog decided to attack it. The Boston doesn't like bulldog slobber in his water so demands new water. The bulldog sees the water bowl in a different place and goes after it, spilling water all over the kitchen. It's a good thing they're cute. See pics at http://cafepress.com/karmicbulldog.

Today's Style editor, Bobbie Thomas had some tips for looking good in Do-It-Yourself Beauty. For starters, there's a class in LA that teaches make-up application. One woman who was taking the class said not to be afraid to try anything. Your face is like a canvas and you can always wipe it off. For those of us who don't live anywhere near LA, you can go to make-up counters and get free samples and advice. Also there are several websites you can learn from such as http://maccosmetics.com/ and http://covergirl.com/. And there are plenty of books and DVDs. Check my Amazon search box to find some. Some people e-mailed their beauty questions such as what to do after a bad brow job, as in you're left with hardly any. Bobbie suggested Red Earth Brown Perfecting Kit, which uses powder to fill in sparse brows. Don't use a pencil, or you'll like a clown. Or Phyllis Diller. The point is to try to look natural. And someone else asked about how to make your feet feel smooth, or look good, or something to that effect. Bliss products for feet were recommended. You can also visit http://nailsmag.com/ for more tips on pedicures.

Cleaning Up Your Online Reputation was the subject of the next segment. Some people are turning to Dotcom Defenders to help them protect their online reputations. Reputationdefender.com tries to persuade bloggers and website owners to take down offensive or damaging material. Some website owners say it's a futile effort and it tries to take away artistic or journalistic freedom. And the Today Show hosts said it's tough with all those "mean" bloggers out there. Bloggers are mean now? Maybe if we got paid huge amounts of money to eat cupcakes, drink coffee and talk to people for a couple hours in the morning we'd be happy and smiley all the time too. Not that I'm agreeing that all bloggers are mean. Just don't cross a blogger and they'll be no need to hire a dotcom defender.

Submit your favorite sandwich to Best Sandwich In America at http://todayshow.com/ for the latest contest. I guess you submit a picture of your sandwich. They went from vacation photos to sandwiches. What's next, your favorite T-Shirts? Silverware? Plates?

Forever Young showed us some Home Back Breakers. Things in your home that are causing back pain such as your unforgiving floors. Someone from Prevention Magazine, sorry I never got her name, suggested things like using a step stool to rest your left foot on while standing for long periods. Maybe for when you're washing the dishes or folding the laundry. Some other common problems included: mattresses and pillows. She said that your head, back and neck need to form a straight line while lying in bed for good alignment. That's for people who sleep on their backs. For people who sleep on their sides--the most natural and comfortable sleep position--keep a pillow between your legs. I have one of those special pillows that fits between your knees and I love it because it doesn't keep falling out of bed like my old one did. And if you sleep on your stomach, you should place a pillow under your hips. Another problem: cradling the phone. This causes a lot of strain on the neck so use a speaker instead. Or you can get some headphones if you really need to have hands free while you're on the phone. Problem: slouching on the couch. Put a pillow behind your back to keep from slouching. Pillows are the answer to everything, aren't they? Also, use a laptop tray. I use my dogs since they insist on sitting on my lap. And finally, use freestanding toilet paper holders if the built-in ones are too hard to reach. Too much twisting isn't good for your back.

Kool And The Gang performed "Ladies' Night" while all their fans grooved in the rain. I've had that song in my head all day--it's very catchy. Did you know they've been together for 40 years? I didn't.

They wrapped up the show while showing more pictures from the America The Beautiful ongoing segment and playing that classical song, "Hoedown." I always loved that song.

Have a great weekend all.