13 favorite inventions

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Idea (and an invention) stolen from Boiled Dinner. (Why do I do this to myself? I can't think of 13 anything - or can I?)

13. Stretch jeans. Mmmmm... Comfy!
12. Penicillin/antibiotics. I dare say that that one discovery (of penicillin as an antibiotic) was the key to our increased longevity in the 20th century. And it saved my life once.
11. Eye-glasses and eye-glass fashions. (Those of you who like to poke the most sensitive part of your body may say "contact lenses".)
10. The new plastics (or composite resins) they use to fill your cavities and that let you eat immediately afterwards.
9. Today's sanitary pads: Thin, can be worn in any kind of panty and protective "wings" that keep said panties unstained. What a change from the bulky pads (with or without a belt) with a life of their own that I started out with 33 years ago. My next adventure is the age where this is all a moot point. ;-)
8. Clumping kitty litter. Flushable, perfumed, clumping kitty litter. Neat technology. No, I didn't flush it; darned stuff would sit in my toilet and absorb even more moisture. Took many flushes and I didn't repeat that experiment again. But in theory, yeah, flushable.
7. Self-assembly furniture. IKEA, unbrakos, wordless diagrams.
6. Chewing gum. Sugar-free. My favorites are cinnamon and spearmint.
5. CDs. For someone who loves to play only her favorite tracks, preferably on repeat, CDs (and programmable CD-players) are a godsend.
4. Mousse. For the hair, that is.
3. Digital cameras. With huge memory cards. For someone who loves to take pictures, digital cameras are a fantastic invention.
2. Scotch tape. Or duct/duck tape. They unite the world and they let people who can hardly hammer a screw build and fix things.
1. The computer. Were it not for the computer, my life would have taken a very different direction. And I wouldn't be blogging.

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