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- [00:00]
Narrator
They say opposites attract. That's why the Sleep number smart bed is the best bed for couples. You can each choose what's right for you whenever you like. You like a bed that feels firm but they want soft. Sleep number does that. You want to sleep cooler while they like to feel warm. Sleep number does that too. Why choose a sleep number smart bed so you can choose your ideal comfort on either side. And now it's the lowest price of the season on the top selling i8 smart bed your best savings plus special financing limited time shop a sleep number store near you. See store or sleepnumber.com for details. Whether you're in your running era, Pilates era or yoga era, dive into peloton workouts that work with you. From meditating at your kids game to mastering a strength program, they've got everything you need to keep knocking down your goals. No pressure to be who you're not. Just workouts and classes to strengthen who you are. So no matter your era, make it your best with peloton. Find your push. Find your power peloton visit1peloton.com.
- [01:23]
Dory Shafrir
Hello and welcome to Forever 35, a podcast about the things we do to take care of ourselves. I'm Dory Shafrier.
- [01:29]
Elise Hu
Elise and I'm Elise Hu and we are just two friends who like to talk a lot about serums.
- [01:35]
Dory Shafrir
This is usually where I say this is a mini episode where we hear from you, we share your comments and your thoughts and we answer your questions to the best of our ability. But today we have a special episode because this is a gift guide episode. So you will only be hearing from us and about our suggestions of things that you can buy for yourself, for your loved ones, for anyone in your orbit for whom you purchase a gift. So you may send us your feedback and your suggestions at forever35podcastmail.com or by calling or texting 781-591-0390 but we will not be hearing from you this week.
- [02:11]
Elise Hu
Still call us though because we will hear from you in all the other weeks. We're just very excited about this one annual event, one annual special episode that we do for the holidays. And Dora, we've organized this gift guide as you and Kate previously did in various categories. So since I'm new here, I'll just let you take me through and I'll throw in my recommendations as you go along.
- [02:37]
Dory Shafrir
Okay, I want to start with books and book, you know, book related things. We have been doing this forever 35 questionnaire every week with our guests and one of the things that we ask them is what is the book you recommend to everybody? We've also been like compiling them and putting them periodically in our newsletter, but all of those are on a bookshop.org shelf. So we will link to that in the show notes. There's some really great suggestions in there. I mean, I love when people recommend books that I've never heard of. Yes, it's, it's just, it's really, it's really fun. I have a couple of recommendations. One is the cookbook from Caroline Chambers, who writes the what to cook when you don't feel like cooking substack. This is a cookbook that I do not own yet, but I feel like would be super nice to have in my, in my kitchen.
- [03:39]
Elise Hu
So if anybody is listening, any loved ones of Dory, wink, wink.
- [03:49]
Dory Shafrir
I will also say that I did finally start the latest Armand Gamache novel from Louise Penny. I'd mentioned this on our pop culture episode, our Patreon pop culture episode that I had it, but I hadn't started yet. I'm now about a third of the way through and I'm really enjoying it. So a nice hardcover copy of that book could also be a nice gift for the, for the mystery lover in your life. I have a question for you. Sorry, that just reminded me of something. Do you still buy hardcovers? Like, if you're gonna read a book, do you buy hardcovers?
- [04:25]
Elise Hu
Well, they're now averaging like $31, so it's not cheap. And then cookbooks tend to be 40 or $45. But as a gift, I will often buy them books that I happen to really like. And I gift a lot, like tiny beautiful things by Cheryl Strayed. Occasionally I'll buy the physical copy and send that or gift it. And then like the Creative act by Rick Rubin. That's a nice, thick, pretty bound hardcover book. So those are both good gift books that I like to give on occasion, but I don't tend to buy them for myself just for pleasure. Yeah, I mean this Libby app.
- [05:06]
Dory Shafrir
Yeah, this is like a whole other conversation. Like as an author, you want people to buy hardcore. You want people to buy your book. But it's also like, I, I wish books. I, I agree books are very expensive and I, I feel slash fear that people like myself are only buying hardcovers as, as gifts because they do feel like a special occasion thing. So as an author, I feel torn. But as a, as a consumer, I am like, yo, books are too expensive. Sorry. So that's where I'm At.
- [05:47]
Elise Hu
It's a paradox.
- [05:48]
Dory Shafrir
Yeah, it is a paradox. It is a paradox. All right, let's move on to another category. Home and kitchen. You had a few suggestions in this category, Elise?
- [06:01]
Elise Hu
Yes. I'm very excited about lightweight cast iron pans. So cast iron skillets.
- [06:08]
Dory Shafrir
Okay.
- [06:09]
Elise Hu
I know a lot of y'all probably have the iconic lodge skills skillet, and we got one when we got married, and I've had it forever. But there's a lot of maintenance required over the years with that and this cast iron pan. Or you can get a cast iron pan set from the field company, which we will link is just less maintenance, but still a nice cast iron pan. And it's much lighter, so you're not like having to use two hands to get it out of your cabinet.
- [06:42]
Dory Shafrir
Okay. This is a hot tip.
- [06:45]
Elise Hu
And then I know we're all trying to reduce plastic, so I put a produce bag in there in my picks from Ambrosia, and it's a good choice if you're just trying to reduce plastic when you go to Trader Joe's and want to bring your produce home and put it in the fridge. So that's from Ambrosia. I have linked that as well. And my final. I have, like, other small home items, which you'll see on the full list, like a $2.90 foam soap dish. And then we should mention a bunch of dish towels. There's a ton of dish towel recommendations from our dish towel roundup that we did a few months ago. And if y'all want to look at that, that is in a recent Forever 35 newsletter. So maybe Sammy can find a way to include some of those in the guide.
- [07:40]
Dory Shafrir
I also have an item in the kitchen section, and this is more of. This is a fantasy item for me.
- [07:50]
Elise Hu
You know, the company's wish list slash gift.
- [07:54]
Dory Shafrir
Listen, I think this would make a great gift for anyone, but I'm just saying. And to be honest, I don't. I don't actually have the counter space for this item. But, like, this is like in my. In my fantasy dream world where I have this, like, enormous Nancy Myers kitchen.
- [08:11]
Elise Hu
What is it?
- [08:13]
Dory Shafrir
Okay. It is from the company Ninja, which they make the bullet blender.
- [08:17]
Elise Hu
Yeah.
- [08:18]
Dory Shafrir
So they. They have. Now they make so many different things, but they also make an item called the slushie. That's slush with an I at the end. Professional frozen drink maker.
- [08:31]
Elise Hu
Ooh. And margaritas.
- [08:36]
Dory Shafrir
It has five preset functions. Slush, spiked slush. Frap, milkshake or frozen juice. Works with wine. Wine, coffee, soda, juice, Chocolate milk and more. Must include sugar to slush. I mean, can you imagine, like, what kind of parties you could have with this thing?
- [08:58]
Elise Hu
Yeah, like, the.
- [08:59]
Dory Shafrir
The stock photos they have of, like, what you can make with this are, like, truly, truly mouthwater.
- [09:07]
Elise Hu
Check this.
- [09:09]
Dory Shafrir
You know, like, just the thought of, like, relaxing with a pina colada. I love a pina colada. So this item is.
- [09:23]
Elise Hu
What is the price point on this item?
- [09:25]
Dory Shafrir
The price point of this is299.95. So$300. Which feels like, you know, it's expensive, especially for something that essentially does one thing, but it's also not, like, so insane that it's, like, totally out of reach. Like, this feels like a nice, pretty extravagant gift for someone in your life. You know what I mean?
- [09:50]
Elise Hu
Yeah.
- [09:50]
Dory Shafrir
But you'd have to make sure they have a counter space.
- [09:52]
Elise Hu
Right, Right. I need to check out their kitchen first.
- [09:55]
Dory Shafrir
Exactly. Are they frozen drink people? All right, let's do. Let's do one more category before we take a break. Okay. So let's. Let's head on over to kids and pets. We always put the. We always put them in the same category, which I always thought was funny.
- [10:20]
Elise Hu
My pets are definitely my kids.
- [10:23]
Dory Shafrir
Yeah.
- [10:24]
Elise Hu
I sometimes would rather spend time with my pets than my human kids. I hear them. Which is a recurring theme here. So my dog suggestion are these quiet and very tough dog toys from Super Rough, which I will link. They, like, don't squeak as loud, which those of you all who have been listening to every episode since I got my puppy, Oscar, know that sometimes Oscar is, like, really working one of his toys in the background. And our editor, Sammy, has to actually deal with it and edit it out because Oscar is so loud with some of his toys. And so the Super Rough is a workaround for that. It's kind of a bougie, super tough dog toy that also has some sort of squeak technology to keep the squeaking quiet and yet still enjoyable for the dog. I had to ask around to find some solution for this because of my podcasting disturbances.
- [11:23]
Dory Shafrir
That's so funny.
- [11:25]
Elise Hu
Yeah. Yeah. And then for cats, I have a kitty, Izakaya. So an Izakaya is obviously a Japanese brew pub type place. They have food on the skewers and lots of beers and everything. And my cat has one now, too. It's a scratching. It's a scratch pad. That's a house door. You have the link in front of you. You can click on it and then. And so it's hard for me to actually describe, but the flooring of the little izakaya house is a scratch pad so the cat can go inside and scratch. But then there's also kind of a bar with little drinks in front along the bar top that say, like, Sapporo instead of Sapporo and then little fake whiskey bottles. So that when your cat's in the little house in the izakaya playing his face, you can see his face kind of like working the bar and tending the bar. And then on the other side, there is a hole cut out where if he sticks his head out, his head is the head of a sushi chef. And so there's like little paws cutting sushi. It's so cute. We have it in our front bay window of the house. And so many kids love to come and, like, walk by and watch Abe prepare his sushi in his little kitty izakaya.
- [12:39]
Dory Shafrir
I also just want to note they have different varieties of this. You can get the Korean barbecue themed one.
- [12:45]
Elise Hu
Oh, what? I can change houses?
- [12:47]
Dory Shafrir
Yes. They have a pancake shop that is also.
- [12:53]
Elise Hu
It's like street food. Pancakes.
- [12:55]
Dory Shafrir
Yeah, Yeah. I don't know if it's Korean or Japanese or there's an. The Onsen Hotel. There's a gingerbread house. There's a coffee shop. That is hilarious. The coffee shop might be the funniest one because it just has a little round hole that the. That the cat can poke his head out of.
- [13:13]
Elise Hu
Right. They're so delightful.
- [13:15]
Dory Shafrir
Oh, my gosh, they're so delightful.
- [13:16]
Elise Hu
I love mine. Abe loves his, and he hangs out in his in the window. And it's brought a lot of joy to the neighborhood. So I recommend it. My mother, not in law, Susan, Rob's mom, got it for me, I think, last holidays, and I just. Well, really, she got it for Abe, and it's awesome.
- [13:34]
Dory Shafrir
Susan knows what's up. My son and all of his kindergarten friends are obsessed with remote control spiders. I don't know if this is, like, something that has been around forever or if this is just like a new thing, but they all. They're really into remote control spiders. So there's remote control spiders, and then there's also these ones that we saw at Disneyland where if you get two of them, they can, like, fight each other.
- [14:07]
Elise Hu
Wow. Oh. I could get this for Rob's sons.
- [14:10]
Dory Shafrir
But I think that you have to buy them at those. I think you have to buy at Disneyland because I couldn't find them online. It was like, the only thing I saw.
- [14:19]
Elise Hu
It's not just the price of the item, it's the price of the item, item plus entry into Disneyland.
- [14:23]
Dory Shafrir
Yes, exactly. But you can just get a regular old remote control spider from like target for 1659. So I feel like it's, I don't know, it's so weird and fun and.
- [14:35]
Elise Hu
We will link to that.
- [14:36]
Dory Shafrir
We will. All right, we are going to take a break and we will be right back with some more gifts. Let's make a resolution to save more money in 2025. I gotta say, every year we make resolutions. Some we stick to, some we don't. I've tried to keep my desk clean and yeah, never quite make it through the year. Never quite make it through the month. But when you can make things automatic, that's how you make resolutions stick. Acorns makes it easy to start automatically saving and investing so your money has a chance to grow for you, your kids and your retirement. With just five minutes, you can set up a healthy money habit that takes others years to learn. You don't need to be an expert. Acorns will recommend a diversified portfolio that fits you and your money goals. You don't need to be rich. Acorns lets you invest with the spare money you've got right now. You can start with $5 or even just your spare change. You don't need to feel like financial wellness is impossible. Acorns gives you small, simple steps to get you and your money on track. Head to acorns.comforever35 or download the Acorns app to start saving and investing for your future today. Paid client endorsement compensation provides incentive to positively promote Acorns tier one compensation provided investing involves risk. Acorns Advisors LLC and SEC registered investment advisor. View important disclosures@acorns.com Forever35 this episode is.
- [16:02]
Elise Hu
Brought to you by Better Help. December is all about getting cozy. I already feel cozy whether it means warm beverages, soft blankets or time with your loved ones. And I think you should consider adding therapy to your list too, if you're not already seeing a therapist. Knowing I can talk to somebody about anything has always been a comfort to me when I'm in therapy. Learning coping skills, boundary setting, or even just a little bit more about myself brings me comfort. It's also helped me grow over the years to better know myself. It's strengthened my relationships. It is comfort that never goes away, even when the season changes. So if you're thinking of starting therapy, you can give better help a try. It's entirely online. It's designed to be convenient and flexible. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist and you can switch therapists anytime for no additional charge. Find comfort this December with better help. Visit betterhelp.com forever35 today to get 10% off your first month. That's better. H E L p.com forever35.
- [17:09]
Narrator
They say opposites attract. That's why the Sleep number Smart bed is the best bed for couples. You can each choose what's right for you whenever you like. You like a bed that feels firm but they want soft. Sleep number does that. You want to sleep cooler while they like to feel warm. Sleep number does that too. Why choose a sleep number smart bed so you can choose your ideal comfort on either side. And now it's the lowest price of the season on the top selling i8 smart bed. Your best savings plus special financing limited time. Shop a sleep number store near you. See store or sleepnumber.com for details. Whether you're in your running era, Pilates era or yoga era, dive into peloton workouts that work with you. From meditating at your kids game to mastering a strength program, they've got everything you need to keep knocking down your goals. No pressure to be who you're not. Just workouts and classes to strengthen who you are. So no matter your era, make it your best with peloton. Find your push, find your power. Peloton visit1peloton.com.
- [18:25]
Dory Shafrir
All right, we have returned.
- [18:27]
Elise Hu
I have one more kid thing and it's a big hit in my house for both the elementary aged girls. It's Emotional Support Fries Plushie. So it's a plush but it says Emotional Support fries on the container and it's individual french fries. This is all, this is not actually food. It's like a stuffy that looks like food. Each fry has like a little facial expression. And I know Luna likes to take take this to school and then every friend gets a fry and they have a good time. So Emotional Support Fries.
- [19:01]
Dory Shafrir
Emotional Support Fries.
- [19:04]
Elise Hu
And we have some games too. Games.
- [19:06]
Dory Shafrir
Well, we have some, some game related suggestions. One of them is from our advertiser, Uncommon Goods. So as we talk about in the ad, Uncommon Goods has a lot of like personalizable but then also like specific fandom related things. Like they have a lot of things you can get that are like your college sports team or the baseball team you like. And so one of the things that they have that I actually think I might get for Henry and or Matt are these playing cards that have illustrations of every major league baseball stadium.
- [19:46]
Elise Hu
Wow.
- [19:47]
Dory Shafrir
And they're really pretty. They're kind of Old timey, looking cool. So they're 20 bucks. But with our code, if you go to uncommon additional, an additional 15 off. So if you go to uncommongoods.com forever35, you get 15 off. So that's fun. And then this was just so ridiculous that I had to put it in. Gucci makes a set of dice, five dice that come in a little Gucci holder. It looks like a mini, like, wallet or something. Or something that would hold a comb. You can personalize it with initials. This is truly for the person who has everything, because these five dice are $430.
- [20:46]
Elise Hu
How much is that per dice? That's like, what, $90 per dice?
- [20:53]
Dory Shafrir
Almost. Yeah. They have. Gucci has die.
- [20:58]
Elise Hu
What is the singular.
- [20:59]
Dory Shafrir
Yeah, they have a bunch of other, like, game things. They have a. They call it a decorative mahjong set that is $23,000.
- [21:12]
Elise Hu
What?
- [21:13]
Dory Shafrir
Yes. And it says decorative. So I'm like, can you not even actually play mahjong?
- [21:19]
Elise Hu
So this is only putting this on the list as a. As a joke, really. Right. If you really want to go for it.
- [21:26]
Dory Shafrir
They also have playing cards for 350. I mean, like, it just. It just kind of made me laugh that. That they had all the. All these things. The other thing that I just want to mention is if anyone in your life is starting to play mahjong, you could get them a nice American mahjong set if they're playing American mahjong. And there's really pretty ones for between, like, 150, $200. There's also these, like, new bougie preppy mahjong sets that they're charging, like, 400 to 500 for.
- [22:03]
Elise Hu
Wow.
- [22:04]
Dory Shafrir
You don't. You really don't need to buy one of those.
- [22:06]
Elise Hu
Okay. So, yeah, that seems like a reach.
- [22:11]
Dory Shafrir
Yeah, I. I think it's a reach. All right. Do you want to talk about some jewelry that you are into?
- [22:19]
Elise Hu
Yes. So I don't have a bunch of, like, fancy jewelry because I'm likely to lose it. So I like delicate gold jewelry that isn't at a really ridiculous price point. And I found these chime earrings from Jack and G that I really like, and they dress up any outfit, and they're very lightweight, and they're solid gold, and they're $55, so it's not, like, completely out of question. So I'm going to link those. And also something just kind of cute is James Avery, which was a big brand in my youth, because I think James Avery might be from Texas or Dallas, where I grew up. And they are known for these charm bracelets, which, as girls and tweens or teens, we collected the charms and wore them on our bracelets. But the charms you can wear on anything. And they have an avocado toast charm that's so cute. And, you know, you can get it and wear it on a necklace or you just get it as a gift. James Avery also makes a whataburger charm. And whataburger is one of my favorite fast food chains. And so one year, I got a whataburger charm from a friend as a gift. And she's like, tell, tell me I can't see straight into your soul, because it was the perfect gift. But the avocado toast charm is there at James Avery, and we will link that to you. And, Dora, you have a charm too, or kind of, right?
- [23:47]
Dory Shafrir
Yes, yes. So I. I love everything that Susan Alexandra makes. She just has, like, the most whimsical, charming bags and jewelry, and a lot of her stuff is, like, above my price point. But she makes these really cute bag charms. Oh, that.
- [24:06]
Elise Hu
My mom would love this, like, mostly.
- [24:09]
Dory Shafrir
Seem to be in the. They mostly seem to be, like, 60 to $80, which, you know, is a lot. But, like, I feel like it's like one of those things where you get, like, the cheapest thing from the expensive brand. You know what I mean? Like, it's a fun way to. To get something from her that you might not have. You might not have been able to. To afford it otherwise. And they're really cute and really, really sweet. Like, she has everything from, like, there's like, one that's a head. Like a head of lettuce. It looks like.
- [24:44]
Elise Hu
It looks like a bok choy.
- [24:46]
Dory Shafrir
Yeah. Like, there's cherries. There's little poodles. There's there's just. It's really. They're really cute. So that was my little kind of jewelry and accessories recommendation.
- [25:00]
Elise Hu
Love.
- [25:01]
Dory Shafrir
Okay. I have a couple of crafty recommendations.
- [25:06]
Elise Hu
All right.
- [25:08]
Dory Shafrir
So I was, like, poking around to find some cool craft kits, and I came across this site called Robo. Robo Time or Robot Time.
- [25:18]
Elise Hu
Okay.
- [25:18]
Dory Shafrir
And they make these kits for, like, miniature rooms.
- [25:25]
Elise Hu
Huh.
- [25:25]
Dory Shafrir
And houses. And they're so cute.
- [25:30]
Elise Hu
I love mini stuff.
- [25:32]
Dory Shafrir
Yeah. Mini stuff is just so cute. And I feel like doing one of these would be really calming. And they're so. Yeah, they're just, like, so charming. They seem to range from, depending on the size, they seem to range from about $18 to, like, $50. So to check that out, not too bad.
- [25:53]
Elise Hu
I can Imagine Ava, who's my most fastidious daughter, really being into this.
- [25:58]
Dory Shafrir
Oh, good. Okay. All right. That was one of my suggestions. And then the other thing that I just wanted to shout out are the Mondo Llama craft kits from Target. Like, I feel like every year Targets Targets, like house brand.
- [26:16]
Elise Hu
They're really up in the game there.
- [26:18]
Dory Shafrir
Yes, they're really upping the game. Like, I feel like they started with just like sidewalk chalk and like, you know what I mean? Like, like random stuff. And now, like, they have really great craft kits and paints and all kinds of things. And like, their price point is amazing. They have a ton of Christmas themed stuff. If that's your. That's your thing. Like, they have an ornament kit that cost $5. Like, yeah, I would just, you know.
- [26:50]
Elise Hu
Throwing this out here. These kits. Sometimes I buy or bought these kits in lieu of making little party bags. You know, like when you're hosting a birthday party and you do the bag of crap. Yeah, that's really classic things and toys and candy and things. So instead of that, I'll do like one thing often. And if you get a craft kit for every kid, you can send them home from the party with that. So that's just one little hack from the Hue house.
- [27:20]
Dory Shafrir
Great. Hue Hack Black. All right, we are going to take another short break and we will be right back.
- [27:38]
Narrator
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- [28:19]
Dory Shafrir
Hey, marketers, are you ready to discover the latest trends in podcast advertising? The podcast Pulse report by Acast is out now, packed with fresh audience insights into why podcasts are a must have marketing strategy. Learn how podcast audiences are more engaged than ever, why hosts are trusted voices for brands, and how niche shows are delivering massive impact. Download the report today at podcast pulse2024.acast.com okay, we are back a few more categories. Elise, you had several travel suggestions, and as someone who travels a lot Like, I feel like people do ask us quite frequently for your travel tips. So I would, I would love for you to go through these wrecks that you have.
- [29:11]
Elise Hu
Yeah, I'm not going to gatekeep these items and I have more than what I'm going to mention. I'll just mention a few. I'm going to include a travel jewelry case on our list of links because it's a compact, compact lit. It's a compact case and I keep my earrings and my necklaces and my rings and all those things in this case when I travel so that I don't have random earrings jostling around in my dopp kit, which has happened before and everything gets tangled and destroyed. So now that I'm a grown up, I'm using a travel jewelry case, which we'll link to. But I really, really love my retractable USB C cables.
- [29:55]
Dory Shafrir
Ooh.
- [29:56]
Elise Hu
Yeah, they retract so they extend and retract. And you can keep them nice and small and keep those from getting all tangled. Just having tangled things is really annoying, especially cables when you're unpacking or repacking. So love the retractable cables. The one thing I really want to mention from my travel category are these little cases that you can use. I think they're actually pencil cases. They're stand up pencil cases, but you can put your makeup brushes in them. And so it's so cute. They're like you can get a little fox one or a panda one and they, they zip close and then you open up the top and then they stand up so that when you get to your location, you want all your makeup brushes standing up. And I really have like three, let's just be honest here. So I don't do very much makeup. But if you want to keep your brushes separate and then not get, you know, also you don't want to go fishing around your makeup bag for them. Yeah, a separate makeup brush bag that stands up and is very cute, has a cute animal on it, is lovely. So that is from Amazon. Yeah, I am including that. And then I just want to shout out. I've already shouted out one Muji product earlier, but I'm going to also shout out the Muji Hardshell suitcases because even though I have the away suitcases that everybody seems to have, the Muji Hardshell suitcases are better, better. And I gift those to my loved ones. Like they're, the wheels are very smooth, they lock really well. They're, they're smaller sizes. So if you want a more Compact roller bag. And then I also think, like, the shells are tougher and harder and just kind of better made. So I really like them. I don't want to stop standing away. You know, away has been supportive of some of my efforts and things in the past and, and you know, I've gotten to interview them and whatnot. But, but I prefer personally, like if I'm gifting things, I'm gifting the muji suitcase.
- [31:56]
Dory Shafrir
Okay. Wow.
- [31:58]
Elise Hu
So just some travel things. There's some, you know, the specifics will be listed. I'm also going to put a multi tool in there just so you have like a set of mini screwdrivers because you never know like, when your suitcase might fall apart or something or your glasses might need tightening. There's a great multi tool for that that I'm gonna link.
- [32:17]
Dory Shafrir
Okay. Continuing on the theme of fantasy gifts for Dory.
- [32:23]
Elise Hu
We'Re gonna really threaded throughout this episode.
- [32:26]
Dory Shafrir
Yep. We're gonna move on to sports because if, if I or someone, you know, who loved me had money to burn, I would want them to get me a ball machine.
- [32:39]
Elise Hu
Ooh, yes. How much do those cost?
- [32:44]
Dory Shafrir
So there's, there's one that Reddit says is the best one, and it's called the Proton High Performance ball machine. And it starts at about seventeen hundred.
- [32:56]
Elise Hu
Dollars and it just spits out tennis balls at you. So you can hit back.
- [33:01]
Dory Shafrir
Yes. But you can, like this one, like, you can program and you can have it hit you like different kinds of ball. Like, it's just, it's just supposedly like a really great ball machine. My, my, like cursory research into this is that they range from about seven to $800 to like two grand. So for the most part, it's, it's a pretty significant investment. And a lot of courts have ones you can rent, but not at the, not at like the public courts that I play at most frequently. They don't have any ball machines and they're just like good to do drills and cool, you know, stuff like that. So that's like my, my, my tennis, my expensive tennis ball dream item. Yeah. My dream item is to get a ball machine.
- [34:06]
Elise Hu
So do you have more. Yeah. Do you have anything in the two digits or the three digit price range?
- [34:14]
Dory Shafrir
So I do have something in the three digit price range. It is a bag.
- [34:20]
Elise Hu
Cool.
- [34:20]
Dory Shafrir
It's actually a backpack tennis bag.
- [34:22]
Elise Hu
Okay. Yeah.
- [34:23]
Dory Shafrir
A tennis bag that you can also use as a backpack. It's from a company called adv. I have not, full disclosure, like, I've not actually seen this bag in person, but on the Internet, it looks amazing. I have a. I have. I have a really nice tennis backpack that Matt got me for Christmas a couple years ago. But it's, it's like it's not big enough and it doesn't have enough pocket. Oh, I like, I like a bag with a lot of pockets.
- [34:55]
Elise Hu
Yeah.
- [34:56]
Dory Shafrir
You know, I need a lot of pockets.
- [34:59]
Elise Hu
So satisfying.
- [35:00]
Dory Shafrir
So that is something I would want. And then the other thing that I think is like, fun to get for the tennis player in your life is a case of, like, nice tennis balls. So the, like, I would say like the, the favorite nice tennis ball of like most recreational players are the Wilson US Open tennis balls. And they run about $110 for a case. And that's 24. That's 24 cans.
- [35:36]
Elise Hu
24 cans. So a can of three. So you're buying like 70. 70. Oh my gosh. My math. 72 tennis balls for 110. That's not bad.
- [35:47]
Dory Shafrir
Yeah. When you buy it, when you buy by the case, it's not too bad. Now you can get a case of balls at Costco for like 45 bucks. And those balls are okay? Like, they're fine. They're. They're fine. You know, I think you might not, like, they're fine, but these are like. I think these US Open balls are like, they're noticeably better balls, in my opinion. So if you do have a tennis player in your life, I think this is like a fun, A fun gift to just give them like a huge box of tennis balls. Elise, did you have any sports, Sports related stuff you wanted to mention?
- [36:21]
Elise Hu
Just two quick things that you reminded me of when you mentioned you wanted the ball machine. We have a ball rebounder in our yard that we just got a few months ago, which is really awesome. It's by Franklin and it's used. I think the original intent is for baseball players to throw a baseball into, but Ava uses it for volleyball because I think volleyball players also do. You can change the angle of the rebounder net and so she'll practice spiking into it.
- [36:54]
Dory Shafrir
Oh, interesting. Okay.
- [36:56]
Elise Hu
But you can also kind of bump. You can toss into it and then bump. And so she's really enjoyed that. It didn't take too long to put together, so I'll throw the rebounder on the list. And also in the hydration vessel department, I really love the Lark water bottles. So if you want to get a fancy water bottle for someone in your life, there is a Lark brand water bottle that has a cap, a separate cap attachment that has the light, the self cleaning light. You know, it has that. Is it UV light that then cleans the inside of the bottle and it adds to the already hefty price of it. But I love my Lark water bottle. I got it as a gift a few years ago and I continue to use it. And so I suppose if you're getting enough uses out of or you have somebody really special that you want to gift it for, I do recommend it.
- [37:47]
Dory Shafrir
Oh, okay.
- [37:49]
Elise Hu
I think it was originally invented on Shark Tank. I want to say it might have been a Shark Tank product.
- [37:55]
Dory Shafrir
Okay.
- [37:56]
Elise Hu
L, A, R, Q, Lark.
- [37:58]
Dory Shafrir
Great. Well, Elise, great.
- [38:02]
Elise Hu
Rex, same to you. Great. Wish list. Door.
- [38:07]
Dory Shafrir
Thank you. Thank you so much.
- [38:10]
Elise Hu
I hope Matt is listening.
- [38:11]
Dory Shafrir
Yeah, I know. I feel like these. These episodes are often like my fantasy ones. Like, there were. There was. There was one year where I just put a bunch of, like, expensive designer bags on there and I was like, these are my fantasy bags. Because, like, why not? Why not? But I hope you all enjoy those and let us know what you are wanting for the holidays. But you're getting people for the holidays. I'd love to put together, like, a listener gift guide as well.
- [38:42]
Elise Hu
How fun. Yeah, we can crowdsource one.
- [38:44]
Dory Shafrir
Yeah. All right, thanks, everybody.
- [38:46]
Elise Hu
Talk next time.
- [38:47]
Dory Shafrir
Bye.