I can never get enough of jelly beans. Kidney shaped, colorful and flavorful, jelly beans seemed to appear almost everywhere these days fighting for your sweet tooth alongside of chocolate. And it doesn’t just appear around Easter time. But unlike chocolate, jelly beans are easy just to set out on a small bowl placed anywhere in the house for company or just for self-indulgence. Today there seems to be an endless array of sugar flavors. Want a Tiramisu? You can have it. Want some mouth-watering strawberry cheesecake? You can have that as well. In fact picking out your favorite ones from a mixed assortment is half the fun. And if you happen to make a mistake in your choice, how bad could it be? So next time when you head to the movies grab yourself some popcorn and enjoy the show. Oh, I meant popcorn jelly beans. It’s the quieter choice.

It wasn’t too long ago that wearing designer jeans was all the rage. Today I think the sneaker industry  has taken a page out of that business plan and has become an explosive market. Day-glo colors that were once reserved for night joggers are now common in just about any brand of sneakers you find out in the marketplace. Nike leads the way in athletic footwear setting the bar in design and color. On Nike’s heels are Reebok, New Balance, Adidas and Saucony to name just a few. But what is it about the sneaker that wearing them with denim has become an American fashion statement?

Sneakers are made not only for sport but for casual wear. In summertime they are worn with shorts more than flip flops. Finding a sneaker that is not only comfortable and functional can take some time. If you ever have visited a Nike outlet store you know what I mean. Just the incredible selection could keep you there for hours. Most likely if you do you’ll go home with more than one pair. Reason might be as simple as you have an outfit that just might look good with the colors from the sneakers. The other reason might be the cost. Good style sneakers run upward in the $100 figure range. Outlet stores lessen the financial burden. You might not get today’s hot fashion statement but you will go home with some kind of statement.

Lines formed outside of Apple stores all across the country as techies needing their latest fix waited to be the first to own a piece of history. Apple claims to have sold more than 300,000 iPads on the first day. That’s no small feat. One teenager took a bat to one and made a video that is being seen on YouTube. That is one way to become famous. Performance art for the masses. Whether you agree with the teenager or not the last time I checked it had more than 300,00 views. The number 300,000 seems somewhat coincidental. But in time I would suspect Apple to sell more iPads then teenagers trashing the hell out of one.

Yet before you plop down some of your hard earned money these iPads may not be for everyone. For instance if you are a multi-tasker you won’t be able to run more than one app at a time. If you are you might have to wait for the next generation of iPads. And although you can call someone on it it doesn’t make a good case of being an iPhone unless you long for those days of boom boxes when wedged up on shoulders snugged to the ear.