Hey Sars,

Please tell Electrician not to bother to get converter for anything
other than her laptop.I studied in the UK for two years and I can’t
even begin to tell you how many fellow Americans tried to use a
converter for their hair dryer and ended up with a smoky, broken hair
dryer.It’s just not a good idea and it doesn’t work.

What she really should do is get cheapUK equivalents.A great place
to do this is Argos (www.argos.co.uk).They are like Target in that they
have a lot of appliances and you can spend as much or as little as you’d
like.

And then, when she’s done with her studies and if she decides to return
to the U.S., she can just put all of it in a box and give it to a friend,
or post signs at her school.

As for the laptop converter, I got mine in the UK.There are several
electronics shops right at the Tottenham Court Road tube stop.Just
walk in one and say you need a three-prong US-to-UK converter for your
laptop.A lot of converters are only two prongs, so it’s good to double-check that it is actually a three-prong one.It was also very cheap;
probably a few pounds.

M

Dear M,

Thanks for the tip — many other readers agreed on these points, and other suggestions appear below.If I got it more than once, it’s asterisked.

DVDoverseas.com
Check the voltage carefully — you may need a converter and an adapter, not just an adapter
Make sure you know the difference between converters, adapters, and transformers
* Buy the converters at duty-free
Battery-operated clock
* Check the voltage tag on the laptop cord; you may not need to do anything
Walkabout Travel Gear
* See if departing students are selling electric gear
* http://www.voltage-converter-transformers.com/plug-adapter.html
* Get an EU/UK travel set from Best Buy or Radio Shack
Simran VTM 150UK transformer
Stock up on fuses in advance
Buy this stuff in the country you’re leaving, not the one you’re traveling to
Check this FAQ: http://www.frankmckinney.org/random/ElectricsFAQ.txt
BHS
http://www.magellans.com/store/article/386

Snickerdoodles are an easy-peasy crowd pleaser, super-cheap and easily searchable on allrecipes.com. It’s your basic plain sugar cookie, rolled in a ball, dunked in sugar and cinnamon and baked.

Signed,
Futzy Norwegian Krumkake are my specialty, not that you’d want to attempt them

Dear I Kind Of Do, Now That I Know They’re Futzy,

Thanks for the suggestion! Snickerdoodles are snickerawesome.Other cookie ideas appear below; if I got it more than once, it’ll have an asterisk.

Alton Brown’s chocolate-chip cookie recipe (foodnetwork.com)
Barbara Walters’ Chocolate Coconut Cookies (recipeland.com)
Bourbon Balls (http://tkblaich.typepad.com/blog/2005/12/bourbon_balls_r.html)
Buckeye Cookies (allrecipes.com)
Butter Pecan Turtle Bars (cooks.com)
Candy Cane Cookies (fabulousfoods.com)
Caramel-Filled Chocolate Cookies (allrecipes.com)
* Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies (Martha Stewart)
Chocolate bark
* Chocolate Cherry Cookies (post-gazette.com)
* Chocolate Crinkle Cookies (cooks.com)
* Chocolate Peppermint Cookies (foodnetwork.com)
Chocolate toffee
Chow Mein Cookies (cooks.com)
Christmas Decorations (Nigella.com)
Christmas Glow Divinity (cooks.com)
Cranberry Cheese Bars (http://www.food-lists.com/lists/archives/clipping-cooking/2003/12/)
Cranberry Orange Drop Cookies (epicurious.com)
Cream-Filled Christmas Cookies (http://bardintraining.livejournal.com/25165.html)
Dishpan Cookies (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Munchy-Crunchy-Cookies/Detail.aspx)
Dutch Jan Hagel (allrecipes.com)
Earl Grey Tea Cookies (Martha Stewart)
Emeril’s Spiced Nuts (hee)
Espresso Bean Shortbread (http://tanya2s.blogspot.com/2006/11/espresso-bean-shortbread-recipe.html)
Fool’s Toffee (cdkitchen.com)
* The Forgotten Cookie/Forgotten Kisses (allrecipes.com)
Foster’s Market Chocolate Whopper Cookies
Fudgey Mint Cheesecake Bars (hersheys.com)
Gingerbread men
Ginger Spice Cookies (epicurious.com)
Glazed Butter Cookies (americastestkitchen.com)
Hello Dolly cookies
Jam Thumbprint Cookie (from The Barefoot Contessa)
Lora’s Ginger Cookies (http://www.usaweekend.com/00_issues/001203/001203cooksmart.html#loraginger)
Melomakarona (http://www.eatgreektonight.com/recipes/Desserts/Melomakarona.html)
* Mexican Wedding Cookies
Mocha Truffle Cookies: http://recipes.bhg.com/recipes/recipedetail.jsp?recipeId=5949
Molasses-Spice Cookies (http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000276molasses_spice_cookies.php)
Nanaimo bars
Norwegian Christmas Cookies (cooks.com)
Orange Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies
* Peanut Blossom Cookies (netcooks.com)
* Pfeffernusse (ehow.com)
Pumpkin-Pecan Cookies (http://www.recipelink.com/mf/9/6831)
Rice Krispie Date Nut Cookies
Ristretto Roasters (Nancy Rommelmann — try her white balls also [hee, “white balls”])

Rolo Cookies (redkitchen.net)
Russian Tea Cookies (cooksrecipes.com)
Snowballs (http://www.sluggy.com/about/snowball_cookies.php)
Spice Cookies (foodnetwork.com)
Spiced Pecans (http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/special/1999/best_american/pecans.html)
Spiral Cookies (cooksrecipes.com)
Spoon Cookies (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/233297)
Spritz Cookies (americastestkitchen.com)
Triple the Ginger Cookies (allrecipes.com)
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies (allrecipes.com)

* Start with a basic mix and liven it up/personalize it
* The Betty Crocker Cooky Book
Lou Siebert’s Biscotti book
A Baker’s Field Guide to Christmas Cookies
The Fantasy Fudge recipe on the back of the Kraft Marshmallow Fluff jar
The Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk recipe on the back of the Craisins package
Tiger Striped Cookies from Marcel DeSaulniers’s Desserts to Die For
The One-Bowl Brownies recipe from the back of a box of Baker’s Unsweetened Chocolate
Frost brownies with ganache
Slice Pillsbury sugar cookie dough into 1/4-inch slices, then sprinkle with red and green sprinkles
Use any basic sugar-cookie dough rolled into balls; press your thumb into the slightly flattened balls (hee); fill the indentation with jam, and bake
* Refrigerate your dough overnight
* The food blog Lex Culinaria (gorgeoustown.typepad.com)

Burt’s Bees Avocado Hair Treatment is the closest thing I’ve found to that “hair dye conditioner” feeling.I have long thick wavy hair.

F

Dear F,

Burt gets a lot of love ’round these parts; thanks for the tip.Other suggestions appear below, and if I got it more than once, asterisk, blah.

ABBA Moisture Sensation Conditioner
Aussie Mega Conditioner
Aussie Moist
* Aussie Three-Minute Miracle
* Aveda Damage Remedy
Aveda Deep Penetrating Hair Revitalizer
Aveda Sap Moss Conditioning Detangler
* Biolage Ultrahydrating Balm
Biosilk serum
Boots Henna & Horsechestnut
Bumble + Bumble Dehydration Therapy Mask
Bumble + Bumble Super Rich Conditioner
C.O. Bigelow’s Restorative Hair Mask
Colorgen Professional Hair Care Conditioner
Curlisto deep conditioning treatment
DevaCare One Condition
DevaCurl
Dove Advanced Color Care Radiance Enhancing Treatment
Frizz Ease
Garnier Fructis Fortifying Deep Conditioner
Garnier Fructis 3-Minute Miracle
Got2B line
Halo hair-care line
Herbal Essences Intensive Blends Conditioning Balm
Infusium 23 3-Minute Treatment
Jason’s Natural Apricot Conditioner
* L’Oreal Feria conditioner
L’Oreal’s Kerastase line
L’Oreal Nature’s Therapy Mega Moisture Creme
L’Oreal Professional Series Absolut Repair
L’Oreal Vive Smooth-Intense Mask
Lush
Mane ‘n’ Tail
* Matrix Sleek Look
Mixed Greens Conditioner
Naturelle Biotera Reconstructing Conditioner
* Neutrogena Triple Moisture Daily Deep Conditioner/Hair Mask
Nexus Humectress
* Pantene Pro V
Paul Mitchell Supercharger
Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Deep Conditioning Treatment
Phyto 7
Pureology Color Care
Queen Helene Cholesterol Hair Conditioning Cream
* Redken All Soft
* Redken Smooth Down Butter Treat
Regis Olive Oil Hair Mask
Revlon Heavy Cream
Rusk Sensories Smoother
S Factor
* Schwarzkopf + Henkel
Sebastian Potion 9
Silky Sexy Hair
Terax Crema
* TIGI Bedhead Dumb Blonde Reconstructor
Tresemme

Ask at a hair salon
* Sally Beauty Supply
* Protein packs
Apple cider vinegar

[11/21/06]

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