Now, if there's one thing you noticed in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1, wait . . . if there's one thing you noticed besides headboard breaking, Tebowing, and Edward cutting his child out of his wife's womb with his own teeth, it was that vampire Bella had one helluva blow out, right? She goes from beaten, malnourished famine victim to stunning beauty in three short days.

Well, now it's your turn, and you don't even have to get bitten (unless you're into that). Pro Beauty Tools has a line of Twilight styling tools, including the SPARKLE CERAMIC IONIC HAIRDRYER. I can only assume it's infused with vampire venom to give your hair the lustrous glow of a 1000 hot oil treatments. If I had straight hair, I would buy one of these so hard. I would take it to the pool with me, so everyone could see how sparkly I truly am.

I'm still holding out for Vampire Venom SPARKLE Body Mist, though. For all my glitter opportunities.

The Lexicon: an occasional feature in which we identify movie/TV lines worth repeating.

Source: Jenny Humphrey (Taylor Momsen), Gossip Girl, "Summer Kind of Wonderful" (S2, E1)

Usage: Awkward conversation ender. It's your new "end scene."

The kindness of everyday people means a lot to me, maybe more than the big stuff. This isn't the "hometown hero" stuff you see on the news: no one dragged a family of five out of a burning building or performed CPR for 40 minutes until the ambulance arrived. All of that stuff is amazing and thank goodness for the people who do it, but I'm talking about the really little stuff: the people who let someone with only one item cut in line at the grocery store or who keep holding the door open even when they realize it's a steady stream of people coming in instead of just one or two. Those people are little stars who can help brighten an otherwise sad day. White T-Shirt was one such person. Here are two more:

Home Hardware Guy: Standing in line with four nuts at Home Hardware on Saturday, my mom decided to go wait in the car, so I had to (loudly?) remind her that she was supposed to stay put in case I needed additional change. The cashier looked at my purchase, realized it would be under one dollar, and told me that it wasn't worth ringing up anyway, i.e. those nuts were now free. I protested, as did my mom, but he insisted. Thanks, Home Hardware Guy.

Starbucks Lady: I just went down to the Starbucks in my office complex to buy a tin of Zen tea. They didn't have any on the shelf or in the back when the kid took a look. He told me to come back on Friday when the next shipment had come in. While I was walking away, he called out to direct me to a nearby location in case they had some. I decided to check it out. They didn't have any on the shelf or in stock either, so I simply ordered a tea. The barista took a few extra tea bags and put them in a bag for me to take with me "to tide [me] over." Very sweet. Thanks, Starbucks Lady.

I'd try come up with something more erudite than that, something with trenchant insight into Mad Men as cultural phenomenon, the commodification of culture, or the final sell-out straw, but who are we kidding? I own a Dylan McKay Barbie and proudly take him out in public. I so want Mad Men Barbies. Or I would if they weren't $300 US collector's items. Also, that's a really poor Don. I mean, my Dylan McKay Barbie really looks like Dylan McKay. They put some serious effort into that nine-head. These things are generic-looking.  I still kind of want the Roger one though I will hold out hope that someone one day makes a Roger string-pulley doll since Roger has all the best lines.

Wait, is there an Sterling Cooper Barbie-office for sale as well? That would be sweet.

Despite the fact that I am somehow ignored December while it was going on, I am fully aware that it is January. As such, I thought it appropriate to fully winterize myself this year, by which I mean try to correct past winter mistakes.

Two years ago, I slipped on some ice and fractured my leg. I don't want a repeat performance and mincing around everywhere trying to avoid ice is no way to live. I picked up a pair of Winter Trax* for $20 and wore them for the first time this morning. There were two moments when my right foot sort of slipped out from under me, but I think that has more to do with the fact that I was deliberately not watching where I was stepping to give the Trax a real test. It's a little weird at first to walk on springy metal coils, but it's definitely a better grip. 

After several hours out in the snow the first weekend of the year (not my usual), I realized Sunday afternoon that I had a (very mild) case of frostbite on my right ear. My hat covers my ears, but it's flopsy and loose. Wind still managed to get in there. I decided I should get a hat that clamped down tight over my ears, and my friend offered hers up as she is abroad for the rest of the season. The day before I started wearing it, however, I spotted a sweet mohawk hat like the one pictured, and now I want one. How cool is that hat? Except the one I saw was more like this one, in that it had ear flaps. It was nice of my friend to lend me her hat, but a pom is no mohawk, I think you'll agree. 

In another sign of the ever changing times, DVD and music retailer HMV is entering the digital realm.  Check it out:

Canada’s largest bricks and mortar music retailer, hmv Canada is thrilled to be bringing their extensive knowledge and passion for music into a new and exciting digital realm!  With a continued focus on expanding their business and reinventing their brand, hmv is launching their new Canadian digital store, hmvdigital.ca. 

hmvdigital.ca will launch in ‘beta’ mode on November 4, 2009 when hmv invites its consumers to test the site, and provide hmv with feedback. The site will use an advanced technology platform to allow music lovers to find and enjoy the music they love, in digital form. 

There are any number of exciting, exclusive podcasts over on the Globe and Mail's books blog, In Other Words, from this year's International Festival of Authors. Most are cracking good authors reading from their own works, but the stand out so far as to be the recorded welcome from Sean Connery to IFOA's Writing Scotland program. Not only is it a nice reminder that Connery's still out there, but doesn't it make you wriggle with glee to know that this is what he's doing with his retirement? He should do more voice work. I bet he could give Morgan Freeman, Jeff Bridges, and Keifer Sutherland a run for their money. 

On the other hand, is it bad that I almost immediately thought of Laurence Oliver for Diet Coke?

At least that's what I'm forced to infer from the new Vitamin Water/New Moon tie-in commercial. No sooner am I promised antioxidants via watered down juice than a young man suddenly morphs into a wolf/husky/thing! See for yourself after the jump.

All you mixtape lovers out there might find this book of interest:

Cassette From My Ex: Stories and Soundtracks of Lost Loves will be in stores next week on Tuesday October 27th! You can pre-order on Amazon now or head to your favorite indie bookstore next week to be the first to grab a copy.

The brand-new anthology compiles sixty hilarious, nostalgic and heartbreaking stories about crushes and mixtapes from amazing writers and musicians: author Rick Moody, The Magnetic Fields’ Claudia Gonson, This American Life's Starlee Kine, The New Yorker's Ben Greenman, Joe Levy, Improv Everywhere's Charlie Todd, Mortified's David Nadelberg–  even a new story from the godfather of the genre, Rob Sheffied.