Sticks!

Readers of this blog  (see post from Sept. 15, 2009) may remember the walking sticks, now common in the U.S. but then, something I hadn't yet seen. Today I bring you another type of stick: the selfie stick. Although I am not a fan of selfies, I have to concede that this ingenious little device solves the problems of a) the photographer's extended arm in the foreground of the picture and b) a close-up of nostrils and pores. As I'm sure you've deduced by now, the selfie stick is a telescoping wand with a claw at one end in which you can secure your cell phone. You hold it up, aim it at yourself and snap your selfie via a timer app or a bluetooth remote. The stick folds down to around 9 inches so you can easily tuck it into your backpack or travel purse.

We first saw one of these things in use by a young couple at the Vatican, and we laughed at what we assumed must be a misguided sky mall purchase. It turns out that the laugh is on us because they are popular items. We saw them everywhere, and were accosted by selfie-stick wielding street vendors at every coffee or beer break. A quick google search tells us they have made an appearance in New York City so it is only a matter of time before we seem them across the country and on QVC.

And no, we did not purchase one!