Monitor picks
House of games
Video games aren't just for kids. Check out PopCap.com, home to a wide selection of "casual" games, where three-quarters of their customers are over 35. Tetris is the elder statesman of casual games - simple but deep puzzle and word games that anyone can enjoy. Popcap has dozens to choose from. Our favorite: Bookworm. Form words from scrabble tiles before the library burns down.
Martha Stewart built her reputation bringing affordable elegance to the masses, and Martha's Homemade Holidays 2005 reminds us why we cared. The DVD set includes Thanksgiving and New Year's recipes, party tips, and (mostly) manageable crafts (it wouldn't be Martha without some exasperation).
What a talent swaggering young Brit Jamie Cullum is. After touring the world leaping off pianos and creating megabuzz for his first pop/jazz CD, "twentysomething," he and his grooving cohorts are back. "Catching Tales" brims with infectious tracks like "London Skies" and a gorgeous take on the Dove's "Catch The Sun." Think Harry Connick Jr., Stevie Wonder, and Ray Charles - then forget 'em. This kid's a true original, and he's still only 20-something!
Etsy.com is like eBay, but for crafty types - and without the nerve-racking bidding. Everything on this site is handmade, much of it pleasantly affordable. Besides art, jewelry, and furniture, the 30 categories, with more than 20,000 listings, also include "plants & edibles" and "geekery." A special Shop by Color feature categorizes items by hue.
Seinfeld may disdain puffy shirts, but even he would have to concede that they look rather fetching on Colin Firth in his career-defining role as Darcy in the 1995 BBC/A&E adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice. Word is that next month's film version, ghost-written in part by Emma Thompson and starring Keira Knightley, is very good, but we doubt it will improve upon the mini-series, now available on DVD.
