This post brought to you by Triad Retail Media. All opinions are 100% mine.

Heirloom tennis shoes with a "patina" around the edges…

A tin can with lid artfully angled at 33 degrees. A half a smear of tomato sauce looming at the bottom…

A kitchen trash bag, lassoed around three corners of the wastebasket, but dangling off the third….

Are we at the performance art exhibit? Or are we at a 22 year old's bachelor pad?

Now, the proverbial horse can only be led to water, but perhaps if everything smelled better, it could lift your spirits to another realm – the realm of getting things done. While scents like Orchid Elf Dust and Dustruffle Daffodil may make your place smell like your Great Grandmother's Bridge Club chums, there is a new Glade® Expressions™ fragrance mist, tastefully scented of Pineapple and Mangosteen, a classic energy drink/infused water combination. Nothing says "I am a happening man on the go" like a dwelling with the subtle scent of perhaps Vitamin Water. Glade® understands guys. Just spray and go.

The scents are also available for the new Glade® Expressions™ oil diffuser. It does not require electricity, nor a candle – perfect for preventing forgetful accidents. Simply fill the oil diffuser with any Glade® Expressions™ (except Cotton & Italian Mandarin, which is only available in the mist form).

Take advantage of a $1.50 coupon from Walmart to soften the wallet (Just click on this link, and then select "Get a Coupon."). Luckily for Hector the Collector, there is a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. Within 30 days of purchase, send the UPC symbol along with THIS FORM to the company. They are that serious it will transform your nose.

There is such a fine line between Bohemian Artsy and Hoarder as far as apartments go. Have you tried to transform with the art of smell? If so, How did it work for you? Do the sneakers look cleaner?

This post brought to you by Walgreens. All opinions are 100% mine.

Maintaining your gorgeous self doesn't take much, because you are a naturally charismatic and attractive man of substance or a stunning, intelligent woman already. Drinking plenty of water and getting your Z's helps, and walking your bearded dragon named Slimey or William Thackery helps to tone your derriere and calves.

Sometimes, things go awry and your perfect visage needs the support of anti fungal creams or prescription vanishing lotion. If you dear country physician and your cobbler both marvel at your rare and unusual case of Athlete's Foot so much that you need a strong ointment that is considered a controlled substance, the shillings start to add up.

When I was doodling around Facebook privately to see what past proteges have made of themselves, I was reminded by Walgreens on Facebook of the Walgreens Prescription Savings Club. For those of you in the creative field who do not currently have health insurance, $20 per individual or $35 per family (dependents 21 or younger, spouse, you, Fluffy and Rover), Walgreens dishes out deep discounts on prescriptions. In addition, you'll receive a 10% kickback when you buy any store brand item (look for Walgreens and Nice! labels.)

Hit up Walgreens on Twitter, or merely make acquaintance with them – which would be far more gentlemanly or ladylike. They sometimes have announcements of new products or sales. Who knows, they may even tweet you back.

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My all time favorite show has come back for its sixteenth season, I watch it on my Dish net. The show is “Antique’s Roadshow”. I can’t believe how long that it has been around! I remember watching it when I was a little girl. I love watching it for an hour every Monday.

When I was younger, I always watched it with my parents. Now that I am older, I discuss it with my parents when we talk on the phone on Tuesday nights.

So last night, the beginning of the sixteenth season, there was something really exciting that happened. A little old man brought in a collection of antique Rhino tusks. Apparently Rhino tusks are revered in Asian culture, as they are expected to cure many different diseases.

The little man found out that his collection was worth one to one and a half million dollars. The little man said, “I don’t have asthma, but right now I need an inhaler! I just can’t believe it!” It was one of the better appraisals that I have ever seen.

Via zennipotical.com

There were several fellows that had the name of Valentine, or Valentinus, several of whom were martyrs. It gets a little confusing, understandably, in regards to who did what. Just maybe, when you are stewing over your lack of a sweetheart, you really ARE celebrating things in the spirit of St. Valentine, merely a different one.

First, there was Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna. This fellow was the first religious officiant to marry a Christian woman and a man who was pagan-born. The was martyred on February 14th, and is general the patron St. of marriage.

And THEN, there was another Valentine, who was a priest in Rome. When Claudius canceled all marriages believing that men would not join the army if they had families, Valentine defied him and married people anyways. He was subsequently imprisoned and was executed on February 14th of 270-ish. Before then, he befriended the jailer’s blind daughter, Julia. In a final message to her, he signed “From Your Valentine,” but not before restoring her sight.

Therefore, one of the most apt gifts for Valentine’s Day would be eyeglasses, right? Or how about shouting “Happy Vision Day!”

This post brought to you by Walgreens. All opinions are 100% mine.

When someone is tangled in red tape and can't get their ketaconazole to pacify their eczema or salicylic acid for their warts, they can't be the most devastatingly attractive Gent or Gent-ette they can be. They still might be, but they won't feel like it thinking they have to cover their faces. All the hassle makes my skin itch just thinking about it.

Whenever anyone makes that challenging family life more difficult, especially to those with family separated by deployment, it really frosts my chain (is that even an idiom?)

Woohoo – a double whammy of button pushing. My quill has been dipped. Where can I scribble off a well-deserved verbal missive? A howler might do. 100,000 military families have already already signed a proclamation. It really was a petition, but "proclamation" has a more colonial-era patriotic nostalgia to it.

Apparently, Express Script, which acts as the middle man to Tricare, the prescription service used by the US Military, has pulled out of allowing patients to fill their prescriptions at Walgreens. With Walgreens and Express Script no longer having an agreement, families will face purchasing their medications at out of network prices or scrambling to find another pharmacy. Express wanted to reclassify medications as brand name that Walgreens offers to everyone as generic. For the latest news on that, "Like" Walgreens on Facebook for postings, follow Walgreens on Twitter.

For the time being, the Walgreens Prescription Savings Club is offered at a mere $5 per individual and $10 per family if you sign up by January 31st. It can help ease the transition, as well as possibly offer medications at a reduced rate, particularly if generics fly your carpet. By the way, the family pet is eligible, too, so long as the medication has a human equivalent.

Blouse House is one of the rare plus size clothiers that manufacture their garments in the US, offering a range of plus size tops, dresses and pants in sizes up to 7x. The styles are fairly conservative. You won’t see any body bearing pinup fashions here, but you will fine staples appropriate for the office as well as patterned tops and swimwear.

Fashion Tips for Sizes 3x and Up:

• Go up a size if the bust, waist or hips are too large for the garment measurements, even if the garment fits perfectly elsewhere. Take the garment in an inch or two at the areas of smaller measurement to avoid volumes of extra fabric. If it is the right measurements but the button pulls very slightly in the bust and the darts don’t lay at the right spot, the brassiere could be the wrong size rather than the shirt

• Plus size tunics are more forgiving in the bust and stomach. To carry off the look without looking like you are wearing a tent, the sleeves must be tailored to fit. Hem up cuffs, move a button, or even take the garment in at the shoulder seam. A detailed collar such as a mandarin collar often flatters more than a wide round neckline.

• Horizontal stripes are universally shunned, although a thin pinstripe that does not appear until the viewer is close does not distort the body. A bold woman can pull off wide bold stripes if it absolutely fits a flamboyant personality, but not on top AND bottom…that goes for anyone of any size.

• Even if you are plus sized, don’t fool yourself that you don’t have a basic body shape. Not all plus size women are apple shaped. Follow other fit recommendations for hourglass, apple or pear figures and look for those cuts. A tunic that hangs from the bust may equalize an apple figure or a very straight figure, but does not flatter an hourglass-shaped woman. To create shape, creatively use layers or belts or choose garments with a tailored waist.

This post brought to you by Contest Factory. All opinions are 100% mine.

Ah, the joys of modular living. Issues of Dwell (whoops, I mean dwell) magazine are rife with hip examples of fitting an entire bachelor pad into a broom closet and living in a glass box in the middle of the woods. The art of living in shrunken spaces is old hat for office cubicle dwellers. The cubicle – long bereft of any individuality besides a carefully pinned yellowing Doonesbury or Sally Forth cartoon – is long overdue for a reimagining.

If you are a disenchanted cubicle dweller who has long been depressed by gray carpeted walls and can't help but translate that to clutter and depression, your cries have been heard.

From now through January 31, 2012, enter the Pimp My Cube Contest and take a video of your daytime domicile for a shit at a complete makeover. The grand prize winner receives:

• A smashing new decor theme.
• A comfortable office chair. No duct tape.
• A new desk.
• A high-end computer system.
• Other luxuries such as an espresso machine and a sound system.

If you are not declared the luckiest sod, you could win a $200 gift card if you win the consolation prize. Not too shabby indeed.

To enter, all you need is a webcam or a phone video camera to tell your tragic or witty tale. The odds are really good. As of a few days ago, there was only ONE entry. Hop to it!

Olukai Sandals makes a line of thong sandals and shoes inspired by Hawaii, though they are headquartered in California. The outsoles are made from 30% recycled materials and the packaging is made completely from recycled paper and cardboard. What’s puzzling? They only come in whole sizes. What if you wear a half size?

The company suggests that you determine size by the position and fit of the arch piece. Each sandal has an anatomical arch feature. If the arch area on both sizes fit you, choose the shoe that gives you a snug fit, or extra room, depending on what your fit preference is. After all, there is some flexibility of fit in an open sandal that is not afforded in saddle shoes or roping boots. The little toe is not as easily pinched…unless you are not giving other people appropriate personal space. Then, my friend, your toes are on their own. Ouch.

I have been looking for a fleece jacket for my son. He had a blue one that I got on clearance at the end of last winter season and he loved it. However, when I put it on him today, he cried and kept saying that he wanted me to pull his sleeves down. Only then did I realize that it is too small for him.

This afternoon I have been using our Clear Allen internet to find a replacement for his jacket and have found some really good deals on kids clothing, but I have not been able to find the exact jacket I am looking for. My mom works part-time at a department store, so I may ask her to see if she can find him a similar jacket where she works. It is not that it matters that much what his jacket looks like, but I like the weight of the jacket because it is warm enough for cool weather but light enough for a warmer day.

I do not care about name brands. Our son is two years old, so it is not like the other kids at the preschool are going to be talking about what brands of clothing they wear. I guess I am going to just have to take the best deal I can find on whatever similar jacket I can find.

This post brought to you by Parker Pens. All opinions are 100% mine.

In far more perilous times, which are viewed as "gentler" times to us, a long feather wiggled over letters, Declarations and deeds. The birth of the fountain pen revolutionized correspondence, and the cartridge fountain pen made sending off missives to the king much more practical. After all, the ink splotched pocket was seen as a faux pas and not as the equivalent to a pocket protector for those with a geek fetish.

Now, Parker, who has been collectively keeping it classy since 1988, have tweaked the technology once again with the Parker Ingenuity collection. The cartridge-based pens produce the elegant letters which made you toss your plastic click pen years ago, but with no skips or smudges. In fact, pushing it around the paper has the feel of a roller ball, and the low-maintenance demeanor as a ball point.

What may sell folks who wouldn't normally consider a fountain pen is fashion. All of the Ingenuity styles feature a streamlined, modern look that is not in the least bit stodgy. Although you may think that your 10/$1 models work just fine, imagine that you are inking the deal on a home sale. Would you really want to hand something to them that smudges and runs out of ink on the dotted line? More embarrassingly, I was handed a free pen that advertised another business unrelated to the person that was having me sign. Unwittingly , it was even a competing business. Maybe, I'll have to gift them with a pen to thank them for the rousing endorsement of the other folks.

For updates on the latest, "Like" Parker on Facebook.

Comment and tell me why YOU would like to win or own one.

I have run into a few folks that said that Calgary is really where its at. You won’t find the Picasso in the dumpster quite like you would in Boston, but the proliferation of indie designers, vintage clothing and decor shops and neatly edited consignment and thrift stores makes up for it.

Urban Thrift boasts an eclectic collection of vintage finds and modern second hand clothing on 34th Avenue.

What’s in Store on Edmonton Trail is the cow-colored building that stocks clothing spanning from the 1950s through the 1980s.

Divine on 17th is the place to go for vintage T’s, sunglasses and track suits, as well as modernware.

Cat’s Eye is on 10th. Apparently, this shop as moved a few times, but if you can catch it – there is a mix of 1920s through the 1980s. They also do costume rentals.

What other haunts would you heartily recommend? Write in and let me know.