Entertaining

Baggalini Urban Backpack: Developed by two retired Delta Airlines flight attendants, this versatile bag converts from a shoulder bag to backpack by unzipping and rehooking the shoulder strap. Interior has numerous compartments for items you normally carry in your wallet plus slots for your cell phone and pen and zippered spaces for coins and cosmetics. Two exterior pockets zip shut. Magnetic catch at top of bag conceals the zipper ends of main compartment. And there's still room for a small book and a bottle of water. more »

One of our favorite sites tipped us off to a site named Box Office Mojo, whose parent company is IMDb. Resource Shelf termed its features: "Impressive, interesting, and useful." more »

Christmas at our house is nothing if not traditional. The decorations and timing of our Yuletide celebrations almost never vary, referred to as "the same old Christmas;" same, that is, except for those years when fate takes a hand. more »

New ways to package wine continue to proliferate. In an effort to improve quality, lower costs and/or preserve the environment — and, perhaps, to boost sales — wine continues to turn up in different containers, from barrels and kegs at restaurants, to vending machines and huge tanks at supermarkets, to tiny 25-ml (1.7-oz.) bottles in mailboxes. more »