Cool stuff from Kodak Gallery

What do you get for people who have everything? Something with a picture on it!

I'm hooked on Kodak Gallery -- the prices are affordable, the quality of their products consistently high and I've even had a fantastic customer service experience.

That last point is remarkable because for me a fantastic customer service experience sounds like this, "We'd be happy to process that refund for you. It'll just take (a few minutes to a few days acceptable here) to post to your credit card account. Thank you for your business; we hope you'll be back again."

These are playing cards with a photo of my Mom breaking spontaneously into her Julie Andrews routine in Wengen, Switzerland. They're very thick, heavy cards and the photo is crystal clear -- I was pleasantly surprised when I visited her this summer and saw them for the first time. As you can imagine, I am not a frequently pleasantly surprised consumer, so when I say they're good, they're good. Of course, she loved the photo!

They were around $20, but they also double as a great souvenir! Kodak Gallery always has free shipping or 20 - 30% off specials going on, too.

a drink at the Principe Leopoldo overlooking Lake Lugano

I write this Web site because I've been working part-time 32 weeks a year on a teacher's salary and living like a Queen. Ok, not really like a Queen, but I go places and see things and meet people as if I am very, very rich. So often I think to myself, "Life is good." or "Wow! It is so beautiful here!" or "This is so good!" I just have to share. London, Mykonos, Paris, Lugano, Zurich, Boulder, the beaches of Florida, all over Italy... anyone could do this, definitely including you.

Here's a perfect example. Tonight I called my friend, Alesia, to see if she wanted to grab dinner. She said first she wanted to have a drink at the Principe Leopoldo (I think she did this because she knows I want to sing in the piano bar there. I noticed she only had water.). By the way, the top photo above is the promotional photo from the hotel; this is the shot I snapped while seated in my chair!

Now, the Principe Leopoldo is just down the street from our houses, but it is such a fine hotel that only very rich people know about it. It is beautiful. There are no words for this, really, but "luxury" and "understated elegance" come to mind.

We sat at the table just in front of that fountain (above); it's designed so it looks like it's spilling into Lake Lugano far below.

Now, you wouldn't want to pay for dinner there, perhaps, but anyone can afford the glass of prosecco and bottle of water we had. It even comes with free bar snacks! The view and ambience alone were worth what we paid -- 25 Swiss francs, about $20 US, including the far too large tip I left because it was the only coin I had. Plus, I was feeling flush.

We headed down the hill to the BP gas station, one of Lugano's best kept secrets, for dinner.

Next week's tips and tricks: 5 ways to get free travel

Great Radio Shows

Story Corps is a great idea. It's a set of mobile recording studios that travel around the country recording the stories of people from all walks of life. There's also a StoryBooth in Grand Central Station in New York City. Stories of love, inspiration, hardship, grief, gratitude -- it's all there. Sometimes they're funny, sometimes tragic, always moving and motivational. It's the best oral history project I've ever seen.

Based on a 1950s radio show, NPR's This I Believe features essays from all sorts of people. They write about their most precious values and philosophies. Anybody can send in an essay; they're just a few miutes long.

I receive the weekly podcasts for This I Believe and StoryCorps automatically and for free. You can hear this week's recordings and lots of past readings by clicking on the links (the names of the programs) above.

Listening to them always makes me think, "What story would I tell in a StoryCorps booth? What do I believe?" How about you? What stories would you tell? What do you believe?

Our Very Own Not-So-Antique Roadshow

Have you ever seen the show on BBC or PBS where people bring in to appraisers stuff they find in their homes and sometimes they find they've got dusty old stuff up in the attic that's worth a bloody fortune?

Well, something sort-of similar happened last night as Stefan and I discussed his move. He was going to give his dining room chairs away. I said, "At least sell them on eBay. Are they anything special?" "Yes," he said, and looked under one chair for any information he could find. He shot me an email and I started Googling, "Frederica Designed by Nanna Ditzel."

Turns out Stefan's set of six dining room chairs are Trinidad armchairs designed by Denmark's first great female designer. They won the 1995 ID prize. She died in 2005 and though the chairs are still being produced, to have a set of six armchairs in great condition is worth something. A lot, actually. Thousands of dollars. They are not going to a charity shop on Friday.

I am sorry to say my main thought about them before was, "They're sleek and pretty but don't look very comfortable." Actually, they are deceptive that way.

You may not be able to afford these fine things... but look around your place, what could stuff you no longer want pay for? One garage sale Saturday about two years ago I made $1400 off random household items.

I'm just sayin'. You never know...

Addendum: Maybe just because I was a Ms. Smartypants and posted this online, I paid a little karmic dues... I made an executive decision on Moving Day, while S was at work, to leave behind a chair that looked old and kind-of beat up. Then I saw it in Nate Berkus's new Manhattan apartment featured in O at home magazine! Turns out Stefan inheritad an original mid-century modern Bertoia chair... WHOOPS! The good news for you is that you can buy new chairs just like Nate's quite affordably. I found a couple on eBay for less than $100.