kiva microfunds.

also know as kiva.org, kiva is an organization that allows people to lend money via the internet to micro-finance institutions in developing countries which in turn lend the money to small businesses. it is a non-profit organization that is supported by donations from its users and through partnerships with businesses and other institutions. kiva captures the entrepreneurial spirit of muhammad yunus, the bangladeshi banker and economist that singlehandedly introduced the idea of micro-loans to the modern world.

charles shaw.

the wine. also known as two-buck-chuck; but due to inflation, now known as three-buck-chuck. it's the best "juice" (as my dad calls anything with an alcohol content) that money can buy. i usually feel like 'you get what you pay for,' but chuck defies that rule. it's absolutely fabulous wine for a mere $3.29/bottle. trust me, i know. i just drank a bottle and a half. it's available exclusively at trader joe's. get some. you know you want to.

keurig.

no coffee tastes better than the first cup out of a fresh pot. with that being said, being a serious coffee addict, i don't know how i ever lived without my keurig. with the keurig, or car-ig as i call mine, every cup is the first cup. piping hot and delicious. green mountain coffee roasters has a bunch of different keurig models, as well as a gazillion different types of coffee available in k-cups.

cherry republic.

is there anything more delicious than _______ (fill in the blank) AND cherries? i didn't think so. cherry republic has everything from candies to salsas and sodas to soaps... all made of the "deliciousest" fruit on earth- the humble cherry. might i recommend the sour cherry patches, they are divine.

check out their website at www.cherryrepublic.com!

del's lemonade.

frozen deliciousness unlike any other. other than barbecue chicken pizza from via~via IV, it's what i miss most about rhode island. not quite slurpee, not quite italian ice; del's is a frozen delight packed with bits of real lemon. that's right, peel, rind, seeds, even a sticker or two once in a while. with a spoon or a straw, it's delicious and refreshing. i used to catch the truck in newport. ahh, those were the days.

heinz ketchup.

as far as i'm concerned, if it doesn't say heinz, it's only 'catsup.' and not just any heinz ketchup, but this awesomely innovative upside-down bottle. all of the annoying things about ketchup: the crust around the lid, that nasty juice you get before the ketchup actually comes out and of course, the wait... all deleted like a bad term paper thanks to heinz. frankly, i don't know how we ever lived without it.

boxed wine.

i'm not talking franzia, though i'm not dissing it either, i'm talking about good wine that just happens to come in a box. well, actually it's called tetrapak, and it's not only 100% recyclable, but it also stores wine in the same optimal conditions as glass bottles and costs less. many brands are offering lines 'bottled' in tetrapak, one worthy of mention is 'french rabbit,' and may i reccommend the pinot noir. behold the power of innovation.

a cappella pop songs.

the purity of a cappella music is intriguing to me. there's no chance of being over-produced, and the feeling of the lyrics and music really come through with a cappella tunes. to hear pop versions of great songs like 'such great heights' by the postal service, performed here by green envy from tulane university, is refreshing.

green envy
the achordants

bud light lime.

bud light is seriously low on my list of 'favorite beers.' as a matter of fact, it's in my bottom three, along with schlitz and st. ides. ab made a ballsy move trying to out-do the not-so-successful miller chill. this feat should not be difficult being that miller chill tastes like the sweaty bathwater of yokozuna. their ballsy move paid off. bud light with lime is uber-refreshing and delicious. summer 2008 beverage of the season, checkmate.

spinner.

i came across www.spinner.com because of my newly found obsession with aol music sessions as i spoke about HERE. it offers awesome lists about all aspects of music, including:

killer b-sides
worst lyrics ever
best protest songs
iconic rock songs
mean love songs

and plenty of other gem-like lists to keep you entertained for hours.