Valentine's Day- Men's Intimates by Down Under Gear

An occasional side benefit of blogging is that from time to time one receives some free stuff from readers and/or marketing firms seeking product exposure. Thus, I have received some free books, and other items ranging from pomegranate juice to most recently some tanks and underwear from a new line called Down Under Gear (there's also a page on Facebook). All of the goods are made in the USA and I particularly liked the cotton stretch semi-square tank tops such as the one at left. I wore one out to a local dance club last weekend and received positive remarks - and the quality is great.

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Down Under Gear describes it's philosophy as follows :

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Our philosophy is that men should get dressed before they “get dressed”. Whether worn alone or in a set, each piece in our collection of organic cotton men’s intimate separates gives him a look that’s strong, sexy, and polished . . .

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Living in a quasi-backwater like Hampton Roads, opportunities for finding new and different products is often limited. If you've looking for something new for yourself or your favorite guy, check out the website and give the products a try. There's still time to place an order and have it arrive in time for Valentine's day.

Wardrobe-gate War Continues

I find it hysterical that allegedly "sensible Jane," soccer mom, Sarah Palin likes to shop as if she is Edina Monsoon from Absolutely Fabulous. She certainly is as dizzy as the Edi character. Apparently, she did not stop at $150,000 and continued to shop wildly all during the campaign - even though she denies that such was the case (as a typical Christianist, Palin thinks herself exempt from the Commandment against lying). The Washington Post has more on spendthrift Sarah and it merely further confirms that she's a loose canon. Here are some highlights:

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The McCain-Palin campaign is over, but Wardrobe-gate lives on. More embarrassing details have emerged about Sarah Palin's infamous shopping sprees -- including even more designer duds, plus sprayed-on tans and fancy underwear.

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On top of the $150,000 first outlined in Federal Election Commission filings, Palin spent "tens of thousands of dollars" on additional clothing, makeup and jewelry for herself and her family, including $40,000 in luxury goods for her husband, Todd, our colleague Michael Shear reports. The campaign was charged for silk boxer shorts, spray tanners and 13 suitcases to carry all the designer clothes, according to two GOP insiders.

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Newsweek reports that top McCain aides were stunned by the huge tab, especially after adviser Nicolle Wallace had told Palin to buy three outfits for the convention and three for the campaign trail, with a budget of $25,000; instead, the nominee racked up six-figure bills at high-end department stores. "Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast," a McCain aide sniffed to the magazine.

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Palin even raised eyebrows for what she didn't wear: In St. Paul during the convention, McCain senior staffers Steve Schmidt and Mark Salter arrived at her hotel room for a briefing and found her wearing nothing but a towel, with a second one wrapped around her wet hair, Newsweek reports.

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Why do the words "trailer park" and "white trash" spring to mind? The country dodged a real bullet when McCain/Palin went down to defeat.