Blog Posts by The_Stir

sneezingThe last thing you need during the holidays is a raging cold or worse -- the flu. But with the CDC warning the flu season often begins in earnest in late November, it looks like Mother Nature isn't listening to our requests for a happy, healthy holiday.

So let's head her off at the pass, shall we? You can keep yourself cold and flu free with some natural prevention tips that double as a holiday survival guide:

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1. Wash Your Hands. The old-fashioned "soap and water" trick is touted by everyone from the CDC to your Granny, and there's a reason. Scientists have found the influenza virus can survive on environmental surfaces and infect a person for two to eight hours after being "deposited on the surface." Washing your hands will kill the germs before they make their way into your mouth or nose. It will also help your hands recover from Uncle Buster's overzealous handshakes.

2. Exercise. Moderate

Piggy bankOn one not-so-special Saturday night, my roommate got a call from her bank saying there were some strange-looking charges coming out of her checking account. Two charges had been made, one for over $100, from a grocery store in the Bronx (we live in downtown Manhattan). Luckily, her bank, Bank of America, caught the fraudulent charges early and even reimbursed her for the $100 one right away.

That's too bad, I thought. Thank goodness it didn't happen to me.

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In case you didn't know, karma is one fickle b---- . After sleeping soundly until 11 a.m. on Sunday afternoon, I woke up to a missed call from an 866 number and a voicemail.

Someone got my checking account information too and racked up more than $150 in charges the day before. At a gas station. In Atlanta, Georgia.

Granted, they didn't drain my account, but $150 is a pretty big deal to me. A quick glance at my wallet showed that my debit card was still

Statement GlassesMy name is Lindsay Ferrier and these are my eyeglasses.

I hadn't even thought of writing about my glasses as a style post until I was checking out the Curvy Girl Guide today and read Ali Martell's post about her "confidence glasses."

I have a pair of confidence glasses, too! I thought to myself.

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Actually, I have two pairs. Like Ali's, they are vintage and they have my real prescription in them, and like Ali, I LOVE my glasses.

Vintage frames really can be awesome, and they'll definitely get you a lot of attention.

But if you're looking for a pair of your own, there's one very important aspect you must consider ...

Let me start by saying that my dad's an eye doctor, so I knew a thing or two about what to look for in my vintage frames before I bought them.

More from The Stir: If You Could Only Wear One Brand for the Rest of Your Life, What Would It Be?

When you find a pair you like, make

parents sick daysBut I'll settle for sick days.

Following a never-ending stomach bug, and multiple trips to the allergist to get to the bottom of a mystery cough, I'm a little bit done with working while sick, so I can take the sick kids to the doctor. Are you with me?

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Even though the average American worker gets eight paid sick days after one year of employment, I still say that's not enough for your average family of four. In fact, parents should get eight times however many family members live under the roof. That's right, I believe parents of two children should get 24 sick days. Married parents should get 32.

Here's why.

1. No matter how much you think you impress the boss by coming in with Kleenex stuffed up your nose, everyone hates the sick co-worker.
2. Because if you have a husband, you must take time off to deal with the man cold.
3. Anywhere from three to twelve times during the year, the family cold will

BathEverybody is in such a hurry these days. Work, home, chores, kids. And masturbation.

Yeah, you heard that right. Masturbation.

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Remember the old days, if you're over the age of 30, when you masturbated without the aid of electronic devices. No battery-operated, multi-speed toys back then.

Today you can get all kinds of sex toys to help you masturbate: varied shapes, sizes, and materials. And I'm not knocking their use. I use them. A lot.

But all these fancy schmancy toys are making us lazy masturbators. Some of them can give you an orgasm in under a few minutes. Whew.

And sometimes that's what you want and need. A quick release can decrease your stress level and give you that post-orgasm glow. But sometimes masturbation should be a relaxing gift that you give to yourself, using only yourself. Celebrated in the ambiance of a warm bath or under the covers preceding an afternoon nap.

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It's so easy to keep up with your friends via Facebook and Twitter ... you get reminders of birthdays, you know when they've had a tough day, and you can keep up with all the latest without ever picking up the phone. With everyone's lives being so busy, it's a great way to keep up with a wider circle of friends on a daily basis than you otherwise would ever be able to do.

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But there are some conversations it's just better to have in person or at least over the phone; tone of voice, facial expression, and intent can all be lost when the communication happens over a computer screen versus face to face.

Here are 10 conversations that should involve an actual voice and even a face, if possible ...

1) The breakup: Seriously, do people even do this, break up with people via text or Facebook? And is there some sort of blacklist we can put them on so they can never date again until they learn to not be

entertaining for unexpected guestsSomething kicks in right around Thanksgiving and the urge to attend, and have, impromptu get-togethers becomes unavoidable. You'll feel much better about opening your home to friends, family, or the Christmas carolers you forget about every year if you have just a few staples at the ready. A sign of a true grown-up is a well-stocked cupboard, and will also allow you to relax and enjoy whatever holiday company comes your way.

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(Psst -- If you think a half a bottle of red and a hard-edged chunk of cheddar will get you through unexpected guests, it's time to move past your early 20s and into adulthood. But pass the wine and cheese if that's all you've got.)

1. Candles

The fastest way to make your home welcome and fresh is to light up a great, mellow candle. Don't go for an overpowering scent or your guests with allergies or asthma will have to leave the second they walk in the door. But a lovely, light, fresh scent is

Stylists swear by them, celebrities tout them in the tabloids, and the reviews on Amazon would suggest that $200 hair dryers actually are greatly superior to their $20 drugstore counterparts.

But is it all hype?

I have a hair dryer that cost $150 when it was brand new. It's light weight, to be sure, but beyond that, I do not see a benefit. Maybe my expectations were too high.

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No matter what hair dryer I use, I have very thick, very coarse, long hair. When I get blow-outs, it takes 50 minutes to dry my hair. When I'm on my own, I have about 25. Therefore, I'm always disappointed with the results. That said, I thought there would be more shine, that it would dry more quickly, and that it would end world hunger (just kidding on the last one), and to be honest, it isn't much superior to the $20 ConAir one I was using before.

But we should make our own decisions. So, here are a few favorite hair dryers at