In lieu of taking an away-from-home vacation for Labor Day, we unconsciously decided to spend our money, instead, on some things for the house and computer. Personally I like doing this, as you end up with some great lasting toys. Of course, one has to get away from home from time to time, but 7 weeks after giving birth is not one of those times.

The least exciting thing was a new "wok", which is not really a wok at all, but rather a big, curved cook pan. The one I was replacing was a Calphalon-type of nonstick pan. Not the cheap kind with a coating that can burn or scratch off - we get only the good, solid stuff. It has a lifetime warranty, but like everyone else we chuck the documents and use the pans for a couple years, until they start getting beaten up by repeated overheating, scratching, and general wear and tear.

The type of pan I wanted was immensely popular about 3 years ago, but this time when I went to buy one, I had to ask for one specifically. The attendant found one for me, in the store room of Bloomingdale's. Now, Bloomingdale's has a pretty big cookware section, so I wondered why this wasn't out there. Then I realized - it isn't the "in" material.

See, every year or so, the stores and brands enter a hellish, collusive arrangement to create a new pan fashion. I'm all for product innovation, but the fact is, pans have been around for a long time. There is not a heat/metal technical revolution every year. Trust me. Yet, when I looked for pans, the room was full of stainless steel and copper. These aren't even new technologies - they were all replaced by the mighty Calphalon several years ago. And for good reason - have you cooked on stainless steel? It's OK, but it sucks compared to a commercial grade non-stick. Are you feeling me here? Are you sensing my annoyance?

It's a pan fad, plain and simple. When the attendant brought out my pan, she actually brought 2 - one cheaper one with a lid, and one very heavy, expensive one without a lid. I asked, why was the more expensive pan better? "It's made of titanium." OK, but why is that better? "It's titanium" she responded, befuddled by my thickness. Now, I might be ignorant here, or maybe I just missed the "Titanium is better for EVERYTHING" memo - call me a skeptic. If the pan is titanium, why is it so heavy? I thought they used Titanium in tennis rackets and golf clubs because it is light. I've never heard that it conveys heat any better than other metals, and the box certainly didn't claim so.

Anyway, my wife always wanted a lid for our "everything" wok pan thingy, so I got the "cheap" one with the lid. I fully expect that next time I go pan shopping, we'll be in the midst of a new revolution, perhaps a cast iron fad. But I know what I like, so even if I have to send an attendant scrounging around the stock room, I'm getting my solid aluminum core non-stick commercial hellfire-hardened child-safe frickin' pan.

Tomorrow, we vacuum. Later this week, installing a DVD writer and the joys of media authorship. Maybe.