SkyMall Shopping Spree, Part One

When Donald returned from his trip, he brought back one of those SkyMall catalogues they have on airplanes. I guess I'd never really looked at them very closely before. It never occurred to me that they might be entertaining. (Besides, I suspect they have germs from a hundred other passengers' hands on them. Probably nowhere near as infested as your average dollar bill, but still. . . *squirm*)

Donald thought I might find some of the items in the catalogue amusing, and he was right. Here's the first batch of highlights:

No-Blind-Spot Rear View Mirror:

Almost as cool as the ones they have on school buses.


Remote Control Plane:

With a "detachable digital camera that takes still photos from hundreds of feet above the ground, allowing you to document your surroundings in a way previously impossible".

Very useful. Well, for spies and the military, maybe. For the rest of us, it's an expensive (and probably very difficult to safely maneuver and land without crashing and destroying) toy for grown-ups. (Of course, if they were giving them away...)


Finger Drum Mousepad:"This mousepad has an integrated electronic drumpad that allows you to play eight real percussion sounds, including bass, snare, two rack toms, a floor tom, hi-hat, crash, and ride cymbals using only your fingers. The MP3 player input enables you to play drum solos over any song from your digital music library."

And you thought regular finger-drumming was annoying...!


Sleep-Regulating Sun Lamp:
"Emits the wavelength of morning sunlight and helps restore a more natural, restful sleep pattern." In other words, you pay $250 for something most of us can have for free. But this way you get your daily quota of sunlight in the comfort of your home, without having to venture into the icky outside world... or... sit by a sunny window... ... Hm. Yeah, this is pretty useless, unless you live in the darkest place on earth or are being kept in a dungeon. But it looks so neat and high-tech!


Voice-Activated R2-D2:Just what every StarWars fanatic has always wanted-- his (or her) own R2-D2! My favorite bit of the product description is as follows: "R2's lights, swiveling dome top, and distinctive happy and sad sounds faithfully mimic the real thing, right down to his occasional "bad mood." (A simple command of, "R2, behave yourself!" snaps him out of it.)" (g) See? He has moods-- just like the real R2-D2. He even "dances" to the (in)famous cantina music. (Well, now I gotta get one...)

Dog Sofa:


Hee hee. This is pretty cute. I do question whether a dog would actually use it, but that probably depends on the dog.


Soft Serve Ice Cream Maker:

Dieters, prepare to meet your worst enemy...

"Just add fresh ingredients, turn the dial, and you can have 1-1/2 quarts of frozen dessert in as few as 20 minutes." It doesn't require salt or ice, which is unusual (in my experience) for "homemade ice cream" makers, but I guess this isn't really the same type of ice cream.


Jumpin' Jammerz (aka Footed Pajamas-- for adults):

"For the 'big kid' in all of us, now the same footed pajamas you loved when you were a child are available in adult sizes!"
What in the world...? Maybe I'm missing out on something great, but I think these things look absolutely ridiculous.

"Whether you're lounging around the house, sipping hot chocolate in Aspen [*gag*], or hosting a pajama party, Jumpin' Jammerz are super-fabulous in any situation. Until now Footed Pajamas have been almost impossible to find in adult sizes. Well, your search is over!!!"

What-- difficult to find in adult sizes? I wonder why...

"A unique gift idea--perfect for pre-teens, teens, and adults!"

Well, "unique" is about right, but I'm officially stating for the record that I do not want a pair of Jumpin' Jammerz. Thanks for the thought, but instead, please make a donation in my name to a charitable foundation dedicated to helping people see how goofy these things make them look. ;o)


Myvu Crystal:

"Sit back, relax and enjoy your favorite movie--privately. connected to your iPod, Myvu Crystal provides hands-free viewing."

I feel like using this would give me a headache. (And it probably would, since I couldn't wear my glasses and this gadget at the same time, and without my glasses, I do tend to get a headache.)

This might actually be a nice toy for some people (expensive, though), but I still think they look a little silly. You know people who own these things are thinking, "Everyone must be so envious of me in my faux virtual reality eyewear! Yeah, I be stylin' in my cool iPod movie glasses!"-- and yet, all the while-- silly.


Bug Vacuum:

Oh, Bug Vacuum! Where have you been all my life?! (g)

"This cordless insect vacuum quickly captures bugs from up to 2' away. Flies, bees, spiders, and other insects are suctioned by a 22,400-rpm motor, sending the insect through a one-way valve in the extension tube to an electric grid in the handle that instantly kills the pest. The extension tube removes to place dead bugs in the garbage, shutting off the electric grid in the process to protect curious fingers from electrical shocks or burns. Without the use of toxic chemicals or vacuum bags that can serve as breeding grounds, this handheld device has an extendable nozzle to reach insects in high ceilings while the flexible rubber suction cup compresses to fit in tight corners, and the lightweight plastic design allows complete control while chasing flying insects."

Just imagine never having to touch a yucky bug again! Picture, if you will, a world in which you never again need run screaming from wasps, monster bees, jumping spiders, and the occasional centipede or roach! *starry-eyed bliss*

Unfortunately, judging by the reviews, it seems like it may not deliver on all of its promises. Oh well. I knew it was too good to be true. ;o) (Plus, there was no way I'd pay $50 for a bug vacuum. Sorry, bug vacuum inventor.) I'll just have to continue to rely on my human bug-remover, Donald. (Ok, ok, and sometimes I manage to "take care" of bugs, myself. But mostly I just try to avoid them.)

- - - - - - -

So, which item are you saving your pennies for?

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs-- the movie!

Donald found this and showed it to me, knowing how much I like the classic picture book, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. Apparently, there's going to be a movie based on the book:



I'm not sure yet what to think. Clearly, they've added to the original storyline-- they'd have to, really, to make a movie out of it-- but several of the scenes in the preview are based directly on illustrations in the book, which is a good sign. I'll definitely have to give it a watch, sooner or later. Though I doubt it will completely capture the pure whimsy of the original, it's still probably worth seeing once for anyone who enjoys the book.

Not to Be Stopped by Lack of Topic!

I feel like it's time to post here, again, but I'm not really sure what to post about, today.

I've been listening to talk radio and watching some political news (after something of a break from both), but what can I say about that? Maybe "I told you so" (though that doesn't make a lot of sense, here, because most of the people I think read this blog are probably more or less of a similar mind, politically speaking). "Oh, crap" might sum things up, with a dash of "I really want to strangle someone right now"-- or, ok, more than just a dash, and more than just one someone. . . So the least written on that subject, the better.

I could write about our weather-- how it's been so warm lately (mid-to-upper 70s)-- but many of you experience the same weather I do, and those who live in colder climates might not appreciate the rubbing in of the early Alabama springtime. (Don't worry, though; while you're basking in perfect weather this summer, we'll be breathless and miserable with high 90s and unbelievable humidity.) Besides, we're all supposed to find weather horribly dull. That's what They keep implying, anyway, but honestly, often I'd much rather hear about weather than the other news of the world and the complicated messes of life. And weather is interesting, doggonit! Or maybe it's just me, and Donald's right that I should've been a meteorologist. ;o) Anyway, I've always heard it takes a lot of advanced math to be a "real" meteorologist-- so I'll just have to settle for boring people with my weather-related chit-chat.

Maybe I could tell you what Trixie's been up to, lately-- only there's not much to tell, and you're probably sick of hearing about her, anyway. One note about her, though: Evidently our efforts to socialize her as a puppy have paid off. That, or her personality is just different from Molly's and Daisy's. You see, Trixie is fine around our house guest. A little rambunctious, maybe, and a little nervous (at first), but she's pretty much ready to be best friends forever. Daisy was never this comfortable around our guests (beyond maybe a few that she met when she was a puppy, and fairly regularly after that), and Molly-- well, Molly just really doesn't trust "strangers" at all. I'm confident that eventually, she'd come around and make friends, but it would take a long time (longer than our guests are usually here for) and plenty of patience. (Poor Molly. I'm sorry we didn't socialize you properly, little girl. I just didn't know better, back then!)

Well, at least I can write that I've finally finished sewing that second rag quilt. I mentioned before how I was almost finished with it, only to discover at the last minute that I'd have to rip and re-sew some seams. It was annoying to have to backtrack like that, but I think it was worth it. Now the pattern (on the back) is as originally intended, and I'm well into the snipping phase. It's always exciting when you get to this point! I'm looking forward to getting it fully snipped, washed, and "ragged" so I can see what the final effect is.

When I was sketching out my idea for the quilt, I knew it reminded me of something, but I wasn't sure what. I finally realized that I was thinking of a set in the 2006 version of Jane Eyre. In the scene where Jane goes to meet Mr. Rochester for the first time (formally), there are these mullioned windows in the background, and the little diamond-shaped panes look like a random selection of blues and greys. (Can you tell I've seen this series more than a few times? (g)) The quilt (on paper) reminded me of those windows. I think the actual quilt looks less like the windows than my sketch did, but still... I've "had a thing" for unusual windows for many years, so I kind of like thinking of this as my "Jane Eyre Window Quilt".

At this point, the skillful blogger wraps the post up and ties it off with a nice little bow, but I can't seem to locate any ribbon nearby... Will this scrap of thread I just found in my hair do? (Snipping rag quilts is messy! All those loose bits of thread!)

"Past Few Days" List

(Now with bullet points!)

Over the past few days:

• Rain.
• More rain. (Supposed to dry out for a while, by tomorrow.)
  
• Planted three blueberry bushes. (Premier, Sharpblue, and Climax)
  
• Discussed where to plant satsuma trees. (Brown's Select and Owari)
• Donald has killed ten (or more?) carpenter bees by our kitchen door. There are still more of them!
• No more "cass-uh-roe", but this time it was "tater tart casserole" (instead of "tater tot casserole").
  
• Someone else in the household may have referred to "megapickles" (megapixels), but it was clearly just a slip of the tongue. There's no way she thought that was the actual word. ;o) (But seriously. I may not be a techno-know-it-all, but I do know it's not "megapickles".)
• Rearranging some computer stuff. Still a few issues to work out, but the computer situation is mostly much better than it was this time last week.
  
• Trixie's been enjoying a new food cube toy.
• Speed-cleaning videos on Vimeo. Two of 'em. One for each of us. (Go watch them now. You know you want to. (g))

And coming up this week, we're expecting a house guest sometime early this week (maybe today).

Tilt-Shift Video

I thought this was pretty neat!


The North Wind Blew South from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.

Those are actual people and (life-size) places; they only look tiny because of a trick of the eye created with a special lens (and stop-motion photography). (Or something like that. I'm not sure I completely understand how it works, but I can still appreciate the videos. (g))

For more of this type of thing, search Vimeo (and other video-hosting sites, too, I'm sure) for "tilt-shift".