I sent my card to her earlier this week, so I hope she gets it soon - unlike V, I was not so smart as to afix a return address label, so if the 41-cent stamp that's no good for a real letter anymore comes loose (I pried it off a pre-stamped envelope I had in my office, I'm not going to lie), I'm screwed.

It's cool to step out of the blogosphere every now and again, especially when making connections with new people. And postcards are fun - they're sort of the early version of Twitter, and make for good collectibles. I have a collection of post- and art-cards that once graced the kitchen cabinets at my old apartment, and now are taped up in various places around my desk. I pick them up on trips and from museums and stores, and some were sent to me by friends and family.

On the sending end, making sure I send a postcard to my niece has been an important part of every vacation or press trip for me for years. This tradition started with my older sister, her mom, who always sent a postcard home to me while on her travels. Now, I have two nieces, and as such two people to make sure receive a little greeting when I'm away.

Thanks for adding to the tradition, V! Looking forward to adding to the collection...

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My friends at Winstanley Associates sent me their latest wacky creation, the Pet Peeve. It's actually an empty box - something they've had success with before -- but the cool factor here is that the packaging directs you to a Web site where you really can air your grievances.

Peeves already posted range from 'people who say on line instead of in line' to 'agency owners who create inane promotions I'm compelled to respond to.' There's also space to 're-peeve,' or comment on other people's peeves.

Hint: click on The Pet Peeve on the right of the screen for 14-year-old fun.

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One of the products being made the day I visited was Shootflying Hill Dessert Sauce - named after a road that's very familiar to me, as it's a major throughway where I grew up. Turns out the creator, Cory Clarke, went to college near my hometown and always loved the name (me too). She gave me a sample jar to bring home and man, is it delish. Yummo!

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            Schwag. It’s the dressed-up version of swag, which in turn is the acronym for Stuff We All Get. Some say it’s only wares with big logos on them, I say nah, that’s chotchkes. In my book, it’s any little gift that ends up in your inbox.

Schwag is a common term among celebrities, and at trade shows, and for many journalists, who tend to receive a lot of schwag as a rule.

It’s a benefit of the job, but it’s part of the writing process, too. Depending on the type of article being created, free stuff is thrown our way to facilitate a complete piece of work, in most cases. Tickets to a show ensure a review written from great seats, for example.

A wide array of items can land on our desks. I’ve received countless books, tickets to shows and museums, techie-products for review, lines of food, toys, drink mixes, CDs, movies, and more t-shirts than a lifetime of gym visits and stuffing drafty doors could use up.

Most journalists will affirm that when a company requests a review of a product, sending the product to us is customary, and it’s actually not technically ‘schwag,’ as much as it is necessary information.

Sometimes, we request the product, for either review or mention in a standard article . Most firms are more than happy to provide a sample product or a press pass/free admission to an event in exchange for press, and this is an accepted, valid process. The exception (for most) is high-end or very, very large items.

On the other side of the coin, writers will often receive schwag in return for an article on or mention  of an item or the company that offers it. This is also usually fine. However, with free stuff coming at us so often, it’s important to treat schwag with respect, despite its goofy moniker.

            A few Dos and Don’ts of Schwag Management:

 • Impose a monetary limit on gifts received after publication, if your employers haven’t done so already. ABC News, for instance, asks its reporters, including Barbara Walters, to cap schwag at a few hundred dollars.   In addition, items that aren’t necessary to the article should be (politely) refused if they’re offered before publication, because they can be construed as a bribe. It’s a fine line... trust your instincts.

  Don’t expect schwag unless, again, it’s necessary to the story. Don’t request  a book you just want to read, or the entire line of hair products if you’re only going to write about the shampoo.

• Don’t turn schwag into schwas -- Stuff We all Sell. Getting a freebie from an article subject is both a professional courtesy and a sign of goodwill, and selling it gives you a monetary benefit that wasn’t part of the deal.      

There are some outlets out there who spread the wealth, and that is a great practice that extends that goodwill from the company to the publication and on to the reader. Advocate newspapers in New England, for instance, publishes a weekly ‘Schwag Alert,’ to which readers can respond by e-mail and, if chosen at random, take advantage of some free tickets or gift certificates.

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The Diamond Machining Whetstone . Whetstone? I said the same thing. Apparently, it's a blade sharpener of some sort.

Leadership - The Best Advice I Ever Got by Paul B. Thornton . The business books always start trickling in around this time, as I write for a business publication full-time. This one is a collection of inspirational thoughts from professionals, from Bob Anastas, President of SADD, to Thornton's own parents. Kind of a nice stocking stuffer, actually.

Stephen's Candy Cane Cocoa . JACKPOT! Yummy hot chocolate from Stephen's. The same PR firm sent me a big bag of organic pancake mix once too, which was the cornerstone of an entire Sunday that consisted of little more than a steady stream of friends and an all-day brunch, a.k.a. FatFest. At least the pancakes were healthy.

The PhotoSonix Light and Sound machine. I call it the seizure machine. It features fast-blinking lights and a droning white noise sound system. But, gotta say ... the 'sleep setting' did make me go to sleep. And as a life-long insomniac, that deserves a nod. 

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Free stuff. Journalism cool factor. Here's a list of some of the cooler -- and weirder -- items that have landed in my inbox recently:

1. An autographed copy of the International Travel Health Guide

2. A big muslin bag of Big Time Blueberry Pancakes from CuliNika

3. A Rusk Ceramic hairdryer (that gives me rock star hair... seriously)

4. A PerDomo cigar

5. Funky Lowepro press pass and pen holder

6. A stethoscope - seriously. From DuraMed (I write regularly for a health care publication). Which was way weird, but we all played with it in the office for an hour. lub-dub, lub-dub...(I'm still alive)

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