I love Halloween. In fact, it’s my favorite holiday. Some people are all about Christmas, but I think the novelty of the man with the bag wears off after you hit puberty whereas Halloween only gets better with age. When you’re young, you dress up to trick or treat and get candy; when you’re older, you dress up to drink adult beverages and win costume contests. Also, when you’re older you can afford to buy any candy you want so you don’t have to pick through all the cheapo stuff like circus peanuts to get to the real chocolatey treasures.
To maximize your Halloween’s success potential, it’s most important to have a totally boss costume. Second, you should decorate with such gusto that it looks as though Party City threw up all over your house. You can go scary or simply festive, but the 8-Bit LED Jack O’ Lantern (ThinkGeek, $9.99) works well with both motifs. A perfect pumpkin decoration, this one will last throughout the years because it’s made of durable EVA foam and is powered by AAA batteries. It’s lightweight and since there’s no cord, it can be hung just about anywhere. The LED lights flicker to mimic the look of an actual carved pumpkin, albeit carved much more precisely than you or I could probably manage. Basically, it’s the Christmas wreath of Halloween decor.
Remember, store bought costumes are the pits. Make it yourself!
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 11″ x 9.25″ x 1.125″
-Flickering LED lights
-Mimics carved pumpkin
-Requires 3 AAA batteries (not included)
-Made of durable EVA foam
With all this Harry Potter hoopla going on, I’ve got to admit that I’ve thought about how cool it would be to have wizardly abilities. I mean, with the flick of a wrist and a carefully worded phase, I could totally make magic happen. My favorite of all the Harry Potter spells has got to be “Wingardium Leviosa” because while it might not be the most practical of spells, it’s certainly the awesomest. Who wouldn’t want to able to levitate objects on a whim?
Now you can harness the power of levitation without the knowledge of wizardry with the Levitron Revolution (Vat19, $99.95). Before you get too carried away, you should know that you can only levitate objects weighing 12 ounces or less. That being said, how freaking cool! The device uses EZ Float Technology, which basically means that you place your object du jour on the small floating disc and it’ll float. What’s more is that it’ll even compensate for additional weight, as long the total weight doesn’t exceed the 12 ounce maximum. The floating disc itself is magnetized so that once it aligns itself with the four LED lights in the base station, the constant magnetism will allow the disc (and any object placed atop it) to float.
Ron, who cares if you’re not as good at spells as Hermione – now you can levitate objects all on your own!
5 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 4″ x 4″ x 0.75″ (base station); 2″ diameter (floating disc)
-Levitate and slowly rotate collectibles
-EX Float Technology
-Levitates objects weighing up to 12 ounces
-4 LED lights guide alignment
-Base station compensates for weight changes
-Ages 14+
I’m known for writing things down. It doesn’t matter what it is, I’m bound to forget it if I don’t transcribe it. While I usually write notes for myself, I’ve been known to leave a message or two for friends and family. Sometimes they’re important (consequences for eating my lunch), but mostly they’re lighthearted in nature.
Whatever your reason for note writing, you’ve got to admit that a note is essentially worthless if its target audience doesn’t see it. The Note Me Pillow (Generate Design, $49.00) is a great way to make sure the recipient gets your message as soon as they wake up. Available in five different colors, the pillow comes with a special marker you can use over and over to write your personal message or doodle. If you want to erase your former work, simply remove the pillow and rinse the casing under cold water. You don’t even need soap! Then you’re ready to write a note for another day.
The best thing about this kind of note? No one’s going to accidentally throw it out, unlike my notes that are usually written on a paper towel and then placed on the kitchen counter.
3 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 13.8″ x 13.8″
-Write note directly on pillow
-Includes pillow and marker
-To erase: remove pillow and rinse with cold water
-No soap needed
-Available in red, yellow, white, orange, and green
-Use and reuse
-Made of polyester
It’s Wednesday, the middle of the week, and for some reason this does nothing to perk me up. Sure, there’s a holiday weekend coming up so I should be pretty stoked, but all I can think of is how much still has to get done between now and then. It’s days like this when it seems like the week might never end.
The only way to get through a week that’s dragging along is to keep yourself going. This can mean throwing yourself into your work or distracting yourself with something completely ridiculous. Guess which one I’m going for? The Creative Outlets Stickers (Perpetual Kid, $3.49) should make it pretty clear that I’m all about silly diversions to make the day go by faster. A really good distraction doesn’t completely take away from the task at hand, instead giving a brief moment of reprieve from whatever is vexing you. These stickers are perfect for that. Come on, what could be more gigglesome than putting funny faces on your outlets? Not a whole lot, that’s for sure. And once you’ve had a good laugh, you can pull it together and get on with your work day.
Note: Multiple outlet adornments and viewings may be required to accelerate time passage.
3 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 7″ x 3.75″ (per sheet)
-Funny outlet stickers
-Printed on glossy vinyl
Once you get older, summer isn’t really as fantastic as it seemed when you were a kid. For one thing, it no longer means three solid months of vacation from school whereby you could spend your days dividing your time between sleeping and lazing around. All it means as an adult is a hotter commute and longer days to suffer through while you look longingly outside your office window.
One thing that truly epitomizes summer and doesn’t seem to have an age restriction placed on it is ice cream. There’s nothing quite like a bowl (or cone) of ice cream on a muggy day to lift your spirits a bit. If you’re like me, you’re not a bodybuilder so sometimes it can get a bit tedious to dig out scoop after scoop of ice cream. The Rubber Back Ice Cream Scoop (Taylor Gifts, $7.98) has all the brawn of a traditional ice cream scoop with a new twist: you can actually get the ice cream off the scoop for once. With a flexible soft back, all you have to do is scoop and press to get your ice cream from the carton to the bowl. Its ergonomic design allows it to work easily in either hand and means you won’t break your wrist trying to wrestle out that last scoop.
For the last time, they’re sprinkles not jimmies!
4 out of 5 stars.
Specs:
-Dimensions: 8″ x 1″ x 1″
-No stick, one press ice cream scoop
-Release ice cream with one press
-Flexible soft back
-Ergonomic design
-Works with either hand
-Made of plastic and silicone
