Every cubicle dweller knows the dangers of leaving your chair and walking to the water fountain. People will try to chitchat, your boss may see you and ask you to come into her office for a second, or you might miss an important phone call. The solution is simple: a mini-water dispenser, perfectly desktop sized. The one getting lots of attention these days is available at multiple online retailers. We found it at ThinkGeek. It dispenses your minimum daily requirement of eight cups of water a day. It isn’t a cooler, but you can freeze the water (or whatever you want to fill it with) and let it thaw during the day. It’s only about 20 inches tall and is $15. There are a couple of other tiny water dispensers on the market that might interest you: The Hello Kitty pink one is about the same size (although it features Hello Kitty saying “Please Drink 8 Glasses of Water” on it) and is $17 at Toys ‘r’ Us. A “cute” desktop dispenser features a funny pig face where the water is dispensed. It also holds eight glasses of water, but is a little more expensive at $25 from DealExtreme.

Just when you think there’s nothing new to say about blenders, enter Blendtec. Actually, enter the Blendtec videosWill it Blend?. Call it a publicity stunt, but it’s a good one. Blendtec, which sells commercial-grade blenders akin to those you see in coffee shops, has entered the home-blender arena with their Total Blender and a series of short videos showing a lab-coated, safety-glasses wearing man blending outrageous things. He blends an iPhone, a video camera, glow-sticks, an iPod, golf balls, marbles and on and on and on. Call us gullible, but this blender reduces everything from cubic zirconia, a stuffed toy, a stun gun, a Rubik’s cube, a DVD and a hearing aid to tiny bits and pieces. Warnings of “Don’t do this at home” pepper the Web site. Of course there are plenty of videos and information about blending edibles such as smoothies, bread dough, peanut butter, hot soup, salsa, ice cream, etc. The blender is good-looking, with a digital display and lots of functions. It’s heavy and solid. The Total Blender isn’t cheap at $400, but will draw ooohs and ahhs from your party guests, even if you’re just blending a margarita, not a cell phone.

The football games are coming, and it’s time to start thinking about beer. Not just the beer you’re going to drink, but what you’re going to serve it in. Toss the plastic cups. It’s time to upgrade. You could go with some basic but classy glasses, like the assortment at PubGlasses.com, where you can pick from a variety that can be personalized for $15 a glass (or get the special football game glass for $10 each). CocktailVibe has the Oslo beer glass ($32 for a set of 4); Pottery Barn has a solid-looking set of six British pint glasses for $28; and at Williams-Sonoma you can find a set of four glasses and have them monogrammed with your initials for $59. If you want to have a bit more fun, consider a pilsner glass with a color-changing LED base or a set with a witty saying (”Half Empty? Half Full?”) in Italian from Sur la Table for $39.50 (pictured, set of four). Uncommon Goods always has amusing and interesting items, like their artful set of glasses that make the beer look suspended in mid-air, or the set of four glasses with your “house rules” for football game parties. Or go all-out for your team with a crystal freezer mug complete with team logo (3 for $12.99). Want to really get fancy? A pair of Lalique Louvre beer glasses will cost you $142, or a handsome set of four Waterford crystal beer glasses will run $250. But aren’t your friends worth it? Now that we’ve got you thinking about beer glasses, why don’t you just go all the way and buy real German beer steins? At BeerSodaSports.com, there are all kinds of steins such as a Bavarian beer ceramic stein with a metal lid, for $38. Or go straight to BeerGlasshopper, where the selection is as wide as your new HDTV: from a real ox-horn with a pewter lid and base ($285), a 3/4-yard glass (with stand) that holds 68 oz. for $80, a 40-oz. Hofbrauhaus Octoberfest dimpled glass mug (pictured), a Swiss hand-carved colorful stein complete with fancy lid for $130 or - and yes, they really do drink from these glasses - an 80-oz. Hofbrauhaus glass drinking boot for $70. And, when your friends have had a boot or two, and shatter your precious purchase on the floor, just remember: That’s what friends are for.

You can’t buy love. But you sure can surround yourself with beauty that is good for the heart and soul. That notion would seem to be the organizing principle behind the eclectic offerings at Rian Rae Interiors & Gifts, which specializes in unique but comfy home décor pieces that make use of elements found in nature and are, quite simply, beautiful to behold. They’re also so sensually and texturally alluring that you might just long to reach out and touch them, like these geometrically shaped hand-crocheted pendant lamps ($224; pictured) or this French crinkle pendant made of white glass ($379). The Bamboo Cloud chandelier was designed by a Thai artist using traditional bamboo-weaving techniques in a nontraditional way ($690). The roof of this handcrafted lantern ($1,898) is covered with oyster shells. Cuddle up on the couch with this crocheted wool throw ($148), and put a cup of hot tea on this coffee table made from an antique Fench pigeon basket ($1,385). For seating, try a cotton-filled jute flower pouf ($118) or this cast-aluminum Moorish stool ($250). The indoor/outdoor Pascal chair ($424) is made from recycled aluminum and styled after a 1940s Paris flea market find. These silver-plated brass salt and pepper shakers are modeled after dried lotus pods ($58). Protect that tabletop with wood slice coasters of eucalyptus wood ($27) or lacy filigree coasters set in wooden holders (back-ordered but available by pre-order, $53). Check out these whitewashed wood wall hangings: a carved stag head ($324) and angel wings ($42). For gift ideas consider a rustic wall-mounted wire photo holder ($38), vintage-looking Parisian paper globes ($26), or this jewelry tree of harvested Manzanita wood ($98).

Did you make it to Lollapalooza last weekend in Chicago’s Grant Park? Were you in the crowd for Wilco, Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails or Kanye West? No? Sigh. Neither were we. But that’s fixable. Read the Blogapalooza, take crib notes from the 2008 set lists, buy the shirt and say you went. The Lolla Coat of Arms women’s T (pictured) would do the job nicely, with its black and gold eagle stretched above a Lollapalooza banner ($20). You can get that same coat of arms on a Lollapalooza onesie ($15). A little more cash will get you extreme eye candy with the limited-edition custom-made Lollapalooza skateboard by Element ($95). If you’d rather be the center of attention for having not attended the CMA Festival, you can accomplish that with the 2008 official event shirt, which splashes the logo across your chest and lists the musicians down your back ($20), or even the official 2008 CMA shooter glass (and yes, that is its actual name) for $10. Wishing you’d gone to Bonnaroo? The 2008 limited-edition silk-screened event poster will help with that, since it’s got cool funky art and lists all the musicians who performed ($30). You say you’re more of a Coachella kind of girl? Then it’s the “Sound Waves and Heat Waves Unite” Hula Hula T that is calling your name ($35.) And if you’re really holding out for the music itself, you can still get single-day passes to the 2008 Austin City Limits Music Festival Sept. 26-28 ($80 per day) or grounds tickets to the 2008 Monterey Jazz Fest Sept. 19-21 ($35 Friday, $45 Saturday or Sunday). The longest-running jazz festival in the world already has its own official black, electric blue and gold 2008 event shirt online as well ($25), so regardless of whether you go, check it out. It’s as cool as Coltrane. — by Diane Porter

Multicolored anodized aluminum is back and as sleek as ever for the home. First popularized by the Art Deco movement, the process of making the metal’s surface harder and less reactive with acidic substances resulted in beautiful objects for the home like these rare English Art Deco anodized pink ($375) and green ($175) aluminum vases from Decollect. For the noncollector, we found a set of six tumblers at Sur la Table ($30) just right for outdoor entertaining. And for keeping the ice cream cold, Betty’s Attic has a retro aluminum ice cream bowl set ($18). For cocktails, Target offers sets of colorful martini and margarita (pictured) glasses ($30 for a set of six), and for nondrinkers there are juice tumblers ($20 for a set of six). Each one features a different color on the outside (like turquoise, eggplant and olive), and a mirror finish on the inside. Pour the beverages from a huge 98-ounce retro pitcher ($20). And if you’re in the market for a bud vase, TVA has a charming example of anodized aluminum that comes in your choice of red, purple or silver. Hand washing is recommended for all items.