If you feel like a wine novice, look no further than The Epicentre complete with wine tasting lessons & culinary tips. It's less fattening than the real thing & might help impress someone at your next soiree.

www.theepicentre.com/Entertaining/tastewin.html

This is classic. Mr. Picasso Head lets you play with all sorts of faces, expressions and features to create individual portraits. There's a ton of combinations. You can even sign with a very official looking artistic signature & catalog your masterpiece. You should see mine;)

Am a BIG fan of Ziploc bags -- Get the freezer strength & use them to store makeup (that's a lot of bags). Fell in love with the gallon size & the super XXL for storage of things of all sizes. Now -- thanks to tip from reader of this site, am head-over-heels for chic decorated storage bags from Mobi.

And, look, just in time for Halloween:

Everyone gets a few good shots & only one person seems to ever do anything with them. Am making this up, but you get the idea ... We can all trade photos online, but it gets messy -- you have some from your sister; you've got your own; someone sent some you couldn't open; another person who had a camera at the event, never sent them .... All of this is why Mixbook is a refreshing approach. You can collaborate online with all of your friends and family to collectively create a comprehensive album. Someone should still take the lead (some things never change), but it's a great way to get to the finish line faster & making sure you're capturing "all the good ones."

I was with the most well-behaved dogs you'll ever meet this w-end. One is a white lab & the other is a chestnut brown golden retriever, in a deep chestnut you've never seen before. They are both gorgeous. I didn't exactly bond with them & am kind of bummed about it. It's my fault. They know when you're focused on them & when you're not. These dogs miss nothing. It's interesting, they don't have a lot "stuff," but they seem perfectly content. It amazes me the amount of "stuff" you can get for a dog. This catalog just arrived. inthecompanyofdogs.com

Am thinking I'm best suited for the Sculptural Breed Topiaries, though I'd probably forget to feed & water them:(

The kids are back at school & it's back to work post-Labor Day. Personally, am trying to be extra focused. A few work- & home-organization accessories inspires me. This site is a great find, combining form & function. Love almost everything on it. Now we'll see if I actually use it. Think the 8-days-a-week is particulary appropriate. Perhaps you can relate:)

Welcome to See Jane Work

8 Days-A-Week Pad - Agendas & Calendars - See Jane Work

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION as listed on site:

What do you do when 7 days in a week just isn't enough? Add another day of course.

The 8-Days-A-Week Pad gives you room for scheduling the stuff you have to do Monday through Sunday, and an extra column for scheduling the stuff that you'll get to Someday.

You fill in the dates each week, so this desk top planner is ready to start whenever you are.

Great for students, teachers and others whose schedules change daily, weekly, or sometimes hourly.

Personal Karaoke? Sounds good. Lyrics Plug in is available for Winamp and Windows Media Player which automatically pulls the lyrics as you listen to your favorite tunes. Lyrics in real-time, kinda cool, and no more forgetting the words.

Worried about organizing and collecting money for the next birthday gift, soccer team outing or charity event? Chip-In.com can help make the task less awkward. This automated service collects money for group purchases so you don't have to. A clever start-up, it even takes care of reminders, processing and keeps a tally. And there are no fees -- yet -- , so you'll have 100% of the pooled funds to work with.

Did you forget your Dentist appointment? You no longer have to write your to-do lists on sticky notes, whiteboards, random scraps of paper, or the back of your hand. Reminders are delivered via email, instant messenger or even SMS.

CityGuide is running its second annual America's Hottest Bartender Contest & entries are pouring in with more than 2 million hits & counting. CityGuide searched high & low across America to find the best & "hottest" bartenders. They've narrowed it down to 50 guys & 50 girls. You can see each nominee, view a little bit of background, and vote for your favorites. The field is about to be narrowed. Libby -- our lovely intern -- has her vote in for Spencer from LA;)

Fewer things are better than getting outside and taking a walk, run, bike, etc. But if you want to mix up your route, you might need some suggestions. Where are the best places to enjoy hike? What restaurants or shopping centers are walkable? Walkscore is neat because you can put in your zip code and they pull up a map of terrific places to venture. If walking or biking is your mode of transportation (go greenies), they've got you covered too.

We had to dig deep for this next site, UnderWaterSculpture.com. It's the online home of an underwater art exhibit just completed off the coast of Grenada . Over the past year, sculptor Jason Taylor, with the support of the local tourism board, worked to place a series of steel and concrete sculptures on the ocean floor. The pieces celebrate the richness of Caribbean culture and provide a marine park for scuba divers and snorkelers. You've got to see this ...

www.underwatersculpture.com

If you're tired of the voicemail merry-go-round that happens each time you try to call customer service, there is a way to work around the seemingly endless chain of automated voice prompts. Website, GetHuman.com, lists shortcuts and telephone numbers for over 500 consumer companies for bypassing automated messages and getting directly to a human being. GetHuman can't promise you'll get the help you need, but at least they'll be someone on the other end to hear you out.

Don't know the difference between Chardonnay and Cabernet? Pay a visit to Wine Library TV and you could become quite the connoisseur. Wine enthusiast Gary Varynerchuk tackles the complex subject in his video blog-- in each episode he tastes and rates wines, taking time to explain the basics. Even if you're already into wine, there's a lot to learn from this guy.