I was browsing at drugstore.com, looking for a specific product I used to pay my dermatologist an exorbitant sum for, when I ran across “Hope in a Jar” from a company called Philosophy. I realized this organization had struck on a stunning marketing premise when I read the fine print on the jar: “Where there is hope there can be faith. Where there is faith miracles can occur.” In other words, the product in the jar, which could be anything – an aromatherapy candle, a moisturizer, therapeutic cat food – does not need to actually *do* anything, because its mechanics are all based on faith and miracles. If it doesn’t work, it’s not the product’s fault – you didn’t believe strongly enough. It got even better when I read the directions: “science can give us better skin. only humanity can give us better days.” Purveyors of snake oil are alive and well.

Books: Songcatcher by Lisa Tucker. I used to work with her husband, a scarily brilliant guy. Green Angel by Alice Hoffman. Both were received from Amazon today. A combination of a gift certificate from an online survey, all those nickels from the multiple choice tests Amazon runs, and free shipping added up to two books and a charger cable for my iPaq for, well, just a few pennies.

Movies: Dead Like Me, episode 11. Not exactly a movie, but it's what I'm watching. Video on demand, especially free video, is a wonderful thing.