My BEST Friend!!!

THE..BEST..FAN..EVER!!!
(Made by Brookstone - Runs on 4AA's)

If you’ve reached the point in your life when you are having your own "personal summers" even when it’s snowing outside…I have THE solution for you.  Fellow flashers you know what I'm talking about...“HOT FLASHES”. You can feel it coming on and there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop it short of taking off ALL your clothes and rolling around in the snow.  Seriously.  I began to suffer (and I do mean suffer) from hot flashes very shortly after being forced into menopause (due to chemo).  Meds following that only exasperated the frequency and intensity.  

It's hard to You can't imagine (speaking from experience) what hot flashes are all about until you have had one. If you "think" you have had one...trust me...you haven't!  Now some women have them only at specific times; day OR evening OR when they sleep.  I, who never wins anything EVER, hit the jackpot and seem to get them ALL.THE.TIME!

All of a sudden you start to feel warm and tingly from the inside out.  In a nanosecond you have sweat beads dripping down your face, steam is emanating from your neckline (turtle necks are no longer an option) and you feel as if you are going to spontaneously combust.  I’m pretty sure hell is not nearly as hot.  Sure it may only be 3-5 minutes from start to finish (just feels like forever) but then 5 minutes after "the flash" you are pretty sure hypothermia is setting in due to excessive heat loss. 

They can happen anywhere, at any time. Nobody is spared. If you are "lucky" enough to be out shopping together with your teenager, chances are you will be fine until such time that you are paying for said teenager’s items and the cashier (who appears to be no older than 12) does a double-take and then proceeds to avoid eye contact at all costs. Epic embarrassment all around.

Back to my solution…I had tried more than a few handheld fans before I came across this beauty.  It was a little larger than I would have liked but it had more pros than cons. It has a built-in stand, a range of speeds and is very quiet. It is small enough to carry in your purse and runs on 4AA batteries. I literally take it everywhere I go; restaurants, movies, parties, yes parties and on vacations. Living in Canada, I have only been able to buy this fan in the US.  It is made by Brookstone and unfortunately I could not find it on-line at the time of writing this post. In the past I have been able to replenish my inventory from their airport or shopping mall outlets.  They came in a variety of colours, I opted for the black one - versatile for either dressy or casual occasions. The last time I bought them they were $20 each or 2 for $30 US. Very reasonable in comparison to the cost of bail for indecent exposure.     

All I can say is I wish I was the Canadian distributor.