I hate clutter. I just cannot function with a mess around. I mean, who wants to come home and trip over a pile of stuff right in front of the door? I found the biggest door blockage culprit to be shoes. Shoes just tend to congregate right next to the door, probably because most of us take them off about two seconds after getting in the house. And then you could put them away, but you’re probably lazy and think that you might as well just leave them there in case you have to run out the door in a hurry. So they just sit there, and they invite more and more of their friends to hang out with them there. Pretty soon, a shoe metropolis has sprung up in the entrance of your tiny apartment. Sure, you could get your chainsaw and do some remodeling of your own, but that’s a lot of work. Besides, I’ve got a better idea.
The Shoe Rack (Generate Design, $99.00 & $149.00) can clean up your clutter without occupying too much of your precious apartment space. Available in both small and large sizes, these shoe racks are unlike anything you’ve ever seen (and they better be, for that price). The small rack can hold three pairs of shoes while the large rack holds 6 pairs, and since it’s only $50 more, I would totally go for the large. I mean, maybe you won’t need space for six pairs of shoes all the time, but it’s better than wishing you had it when company comes over. The shoe racks are mounted to the wall at a slight angle so you can slide your shoes in the crevice and they’ll just hang there, seemingly floating on air. Pretty cool, right? Plus, because it’s wall mounted, it’s not going to take up a ton of space. This is especially important for those of us living in cramped apartments where any inch of space is like liquid gold. And the rack is made of stainless steel, so you don’t have to worry about it getting banged up with repeated use.
My only real pet peeve here is that it seems like you’re only gonna be able to successfully store sensible shoes in this shoe rack. I mean, what about all the flip flop wearers out there? Or, on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, the stiletto heels addicts? Is there no love out there for frivolous footwear?
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 27.5″ x 6″ small; 47.25″ x 6″ large
-Available in small or large
-Small holds 3 pairs of shoes; large holds 6 pairs of shoes
-Wall mounted so shoes “float” off the floor
-Made of stainless steel
-Free shipping to U.S. and Canada
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, I’m not the outdoorsy type. I mean, camping outside with the trees and the bugs and the wild animals does not sound enjoyable to me. I’m not the “roughing it” type – I like my bed and the ability to shower at a moment’s notice. But I guess I wouldn’t mind being outdoors if I had some of the inside amenities I’ve grown to know and love. You know, like electronics and bathrooms. Well, ok, I guess I can deal with a sketchy PortaPotty, but I’m not sacrificing on the electronics part. I mean, how else am I supposed to have good time?
With the Coleman Rechargeable Portable Blender and Lid (Amazon, $51.97), you can bring the party with you wherever you go. That’s right, you’ll be the most popular person at the camping site with your portable blender because you’ll have the best mixed drinks in all the land. On one full charge, you can get 20-30 pitchers of frozen drinks, with each pitcher measuring 48 ounces. There’s no fancy extra buttons on this blender, just a simple on/off control makes it uber easy to use. Plus, with stainless steel blender blades and a locking base for transport, you’re pretty much good to go for any occasion. What mega power source makes it possible for you to enjoy drinks at the campsite, by the pool, or tailgating at a concert? Two 6V 2.5AH rechargeable batteries with 12V and 120V chargers stored in the base, that’s what. I’m telling you, all you need is this blender and the next time you’re blackmailed into going camping, you won’t even care that you just agreed to sleeping on the ground with rocks in your back underneath a makeshift tent structure.
With this blender, you can make a pitcher of frozen drinks in about 30 seconds. 30 seconds! That’s it. You know how long 30 seconds is? It’s just enough time to start up a conversation with the hot girl at the campsite next to yours and ask her if she wants a drink. Before she can even answer, her drink is ready. And they say pimpin’ ain’t easy.
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 12″ x 8″ x 6″
-Weight: 6 lbs
-Durable and easy to use
-Push button on/off control
-Stainless steel blender blades
-Lid has three settings: open, close, and strain
-48oz pitcher has measurement markings and pour spout
-Locking base for transport
-Makes one pitcher of frozen drinks in about 30 seconds
-Blends 20 to 30 pitchers on one full battery charge
-Powered by two 6V, 4.5AH rechargeable batteries
-LED battery indicator
-Includes 12V and 120V chargers stored in base
-1 year warranty
So since the economy is kinda in the crapper, and will probably be that way for some time, we’re gonna have to figure out what to do on our Friday nights that’s fun, yet inexpensive. I know, that sounds like an oxymoron, but bear with me here because I’m about to impart some wisdom on you: you don’t have to spend your weekends bar hopping to have a good time. Crazy, isn’t it? The things you learn. Anyways, you might be wondering what alternatives there are out there (and rightly so). Well, listen up because I’m about to tell you.
Get yourself some of the Wine ‘n Dine (Wrapables, $21.99) because you’re about to have a dinner party. That’s right, I said dinner party. Now before you get all uppity and start telling me that dinner parties are for old people, let me explain. It doesn’t have to be some fussy uptight affair, but rather a chill get together amongst friends. And what you need to make this party festive is a set of matching plates and glasses, as shown above. I mean, how cool is that? There are six plates and glasses in a set, and each plate and glass pair is a different translucent color. That way, your guests can put their plates and glasses down and not have to wonder whose is whose, as long as they remember what color they started with. Another interesting facet about this set is that the glass fits into a notch on the plate, so you can carry the pair around in one hand. Pretty nifty, eh? Also, for you lazy bums out there (myself included), the whole set is reusable and dishwasher safe.
See, that doesn’t sound so fuddy duddy, now does it? Just get a little potluck going on, break out this fancy china (aka plasticware), and start a game of Guesstures. I mean, how can you go wrong there? Guesstures is the shit.
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Includes 6 glasses and 6 plates
-Matching color accents on glasses and plates
-6 different translucent colors
-Made of high clarity polycarbonate
-Break resistant
-Reusable
-Dishwasher safe
Ah, toys of my youth. How I miss thee. Remember when they used to make simple toys, that had no learning agenda or flashy electronic parts? Those were the good old days. Now it’s all about computer games and trying to make children geniuses before they reach preschool. Whatever happened to those fun toys, anyways? Sure, maybe they were a little dangerous (Lawn Darts) or politically incorrect (Guess Who), but they rocked. And who doesn’t like to live a little dangerously from time to time?
With the Lite Brite Cubed (ThinkGeek, $22.99), you can relive all your childhood design dreams – the 4th power. This cube has four sides, which means you have four opportunities to create a magnanimous design out of your much beloved pegs. I mean, you get over 400 pegs to stretch out on four screens so you can pretty much do whatever you want. Do you want to make four totally random pictorials? Go for it. How about recreating the Pac-Man scene in the shown here? Go ahead, tell that story of Ms. Pac-Man’s triumph over ghost evil. And hey, maybe you’re not that creative, but you still want to get in on the action – that’s cool too, because this cube also comes with eight design picture sheets (just follow the picture) and two free form sheets (to sketch your design first).
Now, I know back in the day there were all these rumors about the dangers of Lite Brite, but I think that’s all just a bunch of hooey. I mean, it’s a light bulb that you turn out with a switch – it’s not exactly the Atom bomb. The one safety issue I would stress is not to let children under the age of three play with this thing. They’re just gonna eat the pegs, you know that, right? And then not only will you not be able to finish your recreation of the Mona Lisa, but you’ll have to waste time taking them to the hospital. Talk about a major inconvenience.
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 4.3″ x 10.9″ x 16.4″
-Weight: 2.4 lbs
-Includes 4 sided Lite Brite Cubed, 10 refill sheets (8 design picture sheets and 2 free form sheets), light bulb, and over 400 pegs
-For ages 4 and up
-Cube has 4 Lite Brite faces
-Two integrated storage trays for pegs
-Contains small parts; not for children under 3
You what sucks? When you’re out at a party and you decide to take a group photo, but no one wants to take it because then they don’t get to be in it. Then you spend an eternity taking turn being the photographer so everyone has a picture with one random person missing. Not only does that blow for the person who has to be the odd man out, but it’s incredibly time consuming. I mean, didn’t I mention that there was a party going on? Helloooooo! Priorities here, people. So you could try using that handy self timer mode on your camera, but then you have to find the perfect height for the camera using anything that’s within arm’s reach – magazines, matchbooks, CDs, etc. Then you gotta worry about the picture coming out lopsided or the camera falling over at the last minute, which would pretty much ruin the whole photo op. And seriously, who’s bringing a tripod with them to a party? No one, unless they’re completely lame. So what gives?
Next time, save yourself the hassle and bring the Bottle Cap Tripod (Perpetual Kid, $9.99) to the next party you attend. This camera tripod is itsy bitsy compared to a normal tripod, which means that you can bring it basically anywhere without a problem. The black cap fits over any standard water bottle cap, so you get a sturdy camera stand without any fuss, and the universal mount fits all compact cameras. The mount itself can pivot up to a 15 degree angle to allow you to modify the camera’s perspective. So all you have to do is put the tripod on a bottle cap, attach the camera to it, and get ready to take a picture.
Just a quick note: make sure that the water bottle you use is at least half full or else it’s not going to be able to support the camera weight. Also, please don’t go and try to attach a huge professional camera with a telescopic lens onto the top of a miniscule water bottle. You have to know that it’s just going to topple over and break the camera into a million zillion little pieces. And I don’t want you to come crying to me when that happens because you already know what I’m going to say.
“I told you so.”
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: fits any standard water bottle cap
-Universal mount fits all compact cameras
-Pivots to a 15 degree angle
-Easily removed and stored
-Only use with light weight point and shoot cameras
-Make sure water bottle is halfway full or more to support camera weight
