Ho hum … it’s just another normal day here at Byte-Sized … except that it’s totally not!

Happy birthday to me! I have officially joined the ranks of the 30-somethings, a fact made painfully clear when I filled out a customer satisfaction survey this morning and had to click the 30-34 age bracket box. Sigh.

But, onwards and upwards. I want to celebrate with you all by offering up some of my favorite things, accrued over a looong time in the industry and sitting behind this desk. Without further ado, I give you…

Byte-Sized’s Random Top 30 List
Sponsored by Amber’s 30th birthday

30.) Best Camcorder-style Gadget: The Flip Mino HD. It’s small, it’s portable, and you can totally video yourself doing a newscast while not looking ridiculous. Kudos to you, tiny little camera of wonder!

29.) Best Coffee Drink: Starbucks’ double-tall, sugar-free vanilla soy latte, no whip. And, yes, that’s how you order it. Get that in a recyclable mug and you’re good to go for hours, plus you’re being healthful and environmentally aware. Thanks.

28.) Best Book Series: Harry Potter. I’m probably the biggest fan you’re going to find. Heck, I named my two sons after them (no, they’re not Harry and Ron). There are no words to properly describe how affected I was by the books, so I’m going to stop trying and simply insist that all those who have not yet read the series go away.

27.) Best Bumper Sticker: ‘My Other Ride is a Silver Volvo.’ Short, sweet, and with a ton of hidden meaning. Runners up include ‘I drive like a Cullen’ and an oval stocker that says, ‘d20.’

26.) Favorite Geeky Accessory: Glasses. I sport them, as do all the best alter-egos. You could also go with a tweed jacket or a fedora worn with jeans and a video-game tee, but I’d steer clear of pocket protectors. Speaking of which …

25.) Best Comic Book t-shirt: Sheldon’s Flash t-shirt on the Big Bang Theory. Bazinga! It was a tough call, but I gotta go with the catchphrase. And, did you hear Mayim Bialik will be guesting as a love interest? Way!

24.) Best mp3 Player: Zune HD. Shocker, I know. The bright, bold color display and the touch screen are top-notch, as it the interface and control mechanisms. I just really like this silly thing, and the fact that I can now aux-in in my car really tips the scales it its favor.

23.) Best TV Show-Comedy: Arrested Development and Friends – tie. I couldn’t decide, then I remembered that it’s my list and I make the rules : - )

22.) Best Vampire Book Series: The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice. There were lots to choose from here, but I’m going old-school. These books were the originals – they hooked me when I was a kid, and Lestat and Louis are still the hottest vamps ever to grace the page and the big screen. Tom and Brad in the same scene? Come on now!

21.) Best Video Game Series: Zelda. Link is the man. I’d follow his little elf butt anywhere. Except back to where ever that ‘Windwaker’ nonsense took place. What the hell was that?

20.) Best TV Show-Drama: LOST. I. Can’t. Miss. An. Episode. I’m like an addict waiting for her next fix. Never has a TV show made its viewers feel so smart and so stupid all in the same 60 minutes. Brilliant.

19.) Best Summer Shoes: FitFlops. OK, so random. I know; that’s the point. I wear these work-out flip flips all the time, and I swear they work.

18.) Best Smartphone: Blackberry. I can’t go a day without mine, though I resisted the temptation for years. Thank goodness for my constant link to email, facebook and my address list.

17.) Best Techno Song: ‘Fireflies’ by Owl City. Here’s a link to the video. I could literally listen to ‘Ocean Eyes’ on repeat for hours – and every time, I hear something new hidden underneath the melodies. Enjoy.

16.) Most Indulgent TV Show: Vampire Diaries. It’s like mixing ‘Dawson’s Creek’ with ‘Twilight’ … only infinitely better. Thursday nights rock.

15.) Best At-Work Snack Food: Dark chocolate covered raisins and almonds. I don’t have a preference here as to brand or variety, I just know that I keep them on hand at all times so I don’t raid the office candy bowl. And, the ingredients are totally good for you.

14.) Best French-Fry Recipe: Yucca Fries, featured today at Captivate.com/Cooking. A close second would be the French-Canadian marvel that is poutine – fries with melted cheese and gravy on top. OMG, I could swim in a pool of them.

13.) Best Comic Book Movie Hero: Christian Bale. Holy hotness, Batman. In the first movie, when he hauled up that crooked cop and screamed in his face, did anyone else fall out of their chair? Just me? Gotcha.

12.) Best Name For a Car: Us girls in the office like to name our cars. Topping the list is the Infinity called Denzel Washington Jr.; the black Honda del Sol named Pepper; and Azula, my gray Honda CR-V. Yeah, we’re a fun bunch of chicks : - )

11.) Best Band: Green Day. They started off as a punk band from Oakland and turned into the anthem for America’s youth. There isn’t an album of theirs that isn’t amazing – not to mention that ‘American Idiot’ opened on Broadway last night!

10.) Best Workout Song: ‘Bad Romance’ by Lady Gaga. Our workout blogger insists anything by the queen of dysfunctional fashion rocks her sneaker-clad feet. Take her advice – she’s kind-of awesome. Here’s a link to the video. Enjoy.

9.) Best RPG: Dungeons and Dragons. Fresh from the stale basements of geeks around the world, the game has moved from a movement in the 80s to a quiet wave in the 90s, and in the past two years has truly become something amazing. My 11th level drow rogue and I salute you!

8.) Best TV Show-SciFi: True Blood. Here’s where Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse series gets its shout-out. I mean, if there wasn’t a single character on this show who wasn’t stunning beautiful, I’d think I’d drop dead, too. 'Firefly' was a close second ... oh, Nathan Fillion ...

7.) Most Indulgent Celebrity Website: PerezHilton.com. Hi, my name is Amber, and I'm an addict. I wish I could stop ... but I can't.

6.) Best Cubicle Decoration/Gadget: USB Glitter Lamp. It flashes different colors and shoots sparks on the walls like a pint-sized disco ball. So, it leaks a little – so what? It’s cute!

5.) Most Adorable Video Game Hero: Ezio from Assassin’s Creed II. Maybe it’s the accent. Maybe it’s the wall jumping. Maybe it’s the Italian brothels in the heart of Venice. Who knows? All I care about is that I could fall asleep to that game every night.

4.) Coolest Web Celebrity: iCarly. I don't know about you, but I love this chick. She's everything that's cool about being a cool girl on the internet. Yes, I am aware she's a fake character with a fake web show. Don't care. I totally fess up to watching every new episode.

3.) (coming soon)

2.) Best Source for News at Work: Captivate Network. We’re in the elevators, dude! How cool is that? And, with the new Captivate.com, you can browse the headlines at your desk!

1.) Favoritest Blogger With Pink Hair: Me! Well, what did you expect, really?

… aaaand scene : - )

Think I’m missing something? Hit me up at ByteSized@captivate.com and let me know.

Thank you for the birthday wishes, and we’ll see you all back here Friday!

Labels: random top 30 list

This entry was posted by Amber, on Wednesday, April 21, 2010. You can leave your response .