I can see very well — according to my eye doctor, well enough to get a private pilot’s license in all fifty states. However, after a certain age, I needed reading glasses from the dollar store. A handy pair of 1.5 magnification, and I was good to go for the next few years. Then 2.5 became even handier for reading, but for computer screens the 1.5 was still what I needed. I got tired of putting reading glasses on, then taking them off again. Everything within arm’s length of my eyes was out of focus. I needed sunglasses in the bright sun, but reading sunglasses to read outdoors. It was all just too much.
I had always heard that progressive bifocals were the greatest thing, once you got used to them. Finally, I decided to give them a try. If I had to have reading glasses with me all the time, why not just leave them on my face? So back to the eye doctor. She prescribed progressive lenses with 2.5 at the bottom, gradually decreasing up to clear glass for my super left eye and a little bit of distance correction for my right eye. Warning: they can be disappointing at first. The field of view for any one thing you look at just doesn’t seem wide enough at first, and it feels like you have to move your head all the time. But after a few days, the miraculous natural ability of your eyes to adapt takes over, and it’s as if the whole world becomes crystal clear, from top to bottom. It’s like going from black and white to color in the Land of Oz. Blurry to perfectly focused. While driving, you can see all the way down the road, and you can see the instrument panel. Perfectly.
I was tempted by the photochromic lenses, but they don’t work for driving. The car windows already block out the UV rays that trigger the darkening. I opted instead for the clip-on sunglasses that are made to fit the glasses exactly.
The rule for getting used to them is: wear them all the time. But that’s OK — you’ll want to.
We carry things into the house, and we carry them out again. For instance, if we don’t have room (Yard? Shed? Large deck?) to store a cord or so of wood, and we have a fireplace, we might have to buy a 3/4 cubic foot bundle at the market and carry it in. We do this after paying six dollars or so. And if we still read paper newspapers, we carry them out to the curb or recycling bin (or even worse, carry them out to the trash).
You can eliminate some of that carrying in and out (and the paying for part) by burning the newspapers in the fireplace.
Of course, putting sheets or even sections of newspaper in the fireplace is a bad idea: they burn too fast, generate very little heat and may fly right up the chimney and set your roof on fire. A far better idea is to “decycle” the paper back into a form more like the wood it came from. Water is the magic ingredient. The new “logs” are basically made out of paper mache. You can get a little machine that makes fire bricks, but to use it, you need to shred the paper first. Another way is to soak the sheets and just wrap them around a broom handle. You might want to try this; it won’t cost a dime and you can see how they work for you, but it’s a messy job best done outside (where it can be kind of cold in the winter).
My uncle got the one in the picture at Sears a long time ago. You may have seen one at a garage sale and wondered what it was. The ones you can buy now for about $60 are a little more decorative but work on the same principle. The advantage is that the water goes in the trough at the bottom, so it stays right where it’s needed.
Drawbacks include the need for lengthy drying – it will be a few weeks before they are dry enough to burn. Maybe you can stack them on the radiator and add humidity to the air. Even then, you will probably need to start the fire with real wood and add the paper logs after it really gets going, with a bed of hot coals. Also, try not to roll them too tight, because it can be a pain to pull the handle out of the middle when you’re done. But if you’re a do it yourselfer, or have no easy way to recycle newspapers, it might be a good idea for you.
Children are usually not too shy about telling you the big stuff they want: Xboxes, scooters, skateboards … or you just know that it’s time for a bigger bicycle (they do grow right before your eyes). Great little stuff for the stocking on the mantle might be a little more challenging, especially since you might start thinking about it a little late. We here at AL are ready and willing to give your our suggestions (in the nick of time):
1. Kikkerland Wind-Up Toys – We’ve posted about these before. Their appeal is universal – adults, too, love to watch them in action. The classic clockwork mechanism is a refreshing change from sealed electronic gadgets, and there are many different ones available.
2. Automoblox Minis – We’ve posted about these before, too. They are well-made with strict quality control, and they look good. The interchangeable wheels and connectors give them lasting play value.
3. Gift Cards – A bit lame by themselves, and better for older children, but a welcome extra to throw in. I was thinking Barnes and Noble while we still have real bookstores, but there’s always iTunes and GameStop if you just want them to have fun.
4. Crayola Crayons – Kids have crayons, and they have them at school, but you can’t beat a nice fresh box of genuine Made in U.S.A. Crayola Crayons in the colors that get used the most. A true classic that will remind you of your own childhood.
5. Darda Pull-Back Cars – Another favorite of ours. The standard 1:64 toy car size, but pull them back and they take off like little rockets. Not everyone knows about them, but they are a lot more fun than Hot Wheels (although we like Hot Wheels, too – they’re easy to find anywhere, anytime).
6. Socks – If you roll up a kid’s size pair of socks, they’re small and you can throw them in, too. Socks in a stocking have a nice meta effect, and you can get them in patterns that are sure to please (you know what your child likes).
7. Buzz Magnets – If you’ve never seen these in action, they’re a little hard to describe. They do all sorts of fun things, but they make a hypnotic buzzing sound when you snap them together. Plus they’re a little safer than those tiny magnets they don’t sell anymore.
8. Slinky Jr – These are small and cute and are a great introduction to the mid-20th century classic. They will fit great in a stocking, but if you have room, go for the full-size one that walks down stairs.
9. LEGO 8833 Mini-Fig – To paraphrase the late Duchess of Windsor, you can’t be too rich or too thin or have too many LEGO mini-figs. These seem to be everywhere right now, at checkout counters and in the LEGO aisle. Part of the fun is that there are different ones and you don’t know what’s inside until you open them, so feel free to get more than one.
10. Rubik’s Cube – Whether you can solve it or not, a Rubik’s Cube is colorful and fun to twirl around. It’s a little piece of the 1980s that is fascinating to everyone, and your child will get a great experience learning about math and 3D space.
We promised ten, but we’ll keep going:
11. Silly Putty – Remember Silly Putty? Another great old toy to just fidget with in your hands. Make it into a ball that bounces, squeeze it flat or smash it with a hammer. The old Sunday comic newspaper trick sadly doesn’t work on modern newspapers with soy-based ink, but that’s OK, it won’t work on a computer screen either …
It’s the week before Christmas, and you’ve spent as much time as you could trying to think of last minute Christmas presents for You-Know-Who (relative of Cindy Lou, of the well-known Who family – Christmas means a lot to them). Can it really be possible that inspiration still has yet to strike?
Fear not, for we bring tidings of some great ideas that might yet work for you. Take a look at our list:
1. Custom Gift Baskets – This can work any number of ways – how do you know this person? Is she your tennis partner? OK, then stop in the pro shop where you go twice a week anyway, and pick up some tennis balls, socks, a wristband, the current copy of Tennis magazine, maybe another water bottle and some energy bars – whatever looks good. Arrange them in a basket with a bow, and there you go. Sort of like Easter in December …
2. Spotify Premium Subscription – Loyal readers of AL already know we’re huge fans of Spotify. We’ve been listening to all the obscure Christmas albums and choral music. Get a year’s premium subscription for someone for $10 per month and let them see how much they like having access to millions of CD on any device, anywhere. You can make it more personal by making a playlist for them of stuff you think they might like.
3. A Real, Paper Magazine Subscription – These are going the way of the dodo, of course, but it might be a nice idea to give one while you still can. We like Wired, Rolling Stone, and The New Yorker — and enjoy holding them in our hands every month. There’s Consumer Reports for the practical folks. Plus, subscriptions are more and more including digital access – Wired, in particular, has a ton of great multimedia on the iPad version for subscribers. Buy the festive December issue in a store and wrap it with the subscription card to make it more tangible.
4. Gift Card for the Fancy Lingerie Store – (Proprietress of said lingerie store strongly disagrees: “She wants you to buy her something pretty!”) Never mind that – there are issues with trying on (not!), returning underwear and the horrible downside of buying something too small, or maybe worse, too big … all enough to make Maxwell’s head explode. It might end up being redeemed at a great after-Christmas sale, too.
5. Wine Accessories – More creative than a bottle of wine are all the fun tools that can make wine consumption more entertaining. Fancy wine-stoppers, vacuum seals, aerators, modern corkscrews (the Rabbit! the electric opener!), seal-cutters and wine carriers — an endless supply of wine accessories can likely be found at gadget stores, wine shops, department stores and places like Williams-Sonoma.
6. Beauty Accessories – Stores like Sephora have an entire section devoted to helping the last-minute shopper. From cosmetic bags to make-up brushes, decorative hair ornaments to travel containers, cosmetic stores and the cosmetic/toiletry departments of larger stores typically have attractive, useful, and affordable gifts any recipient will appreciate.
7. Stationery Supplies – EVERYONE needs thank-you notes (or they should . . .), and the note cards need not say, “Thank you!” to serve this purpose. Pretty note cards or paper, with artistic designs or monogrammed with an initial are items that everyone can use and hardly anyone ever buys for herself. Moreover, one might be even more encouraged to pen that note with an unusual writing implement or one of those modern stampers with the interchangeable plates. And this gift is one whose use you might personally experience.
8. Museum Memberships – I just posted all the advantages of museum memberships, and they might be just the thing for a family that might not think to buy one for themselves. Depending on where you live, you can get them for zoos and other entertaining places. Not only that, but a good bit of it is TAX-DEDUCTIBLE! To you!
9. Candles – You can get lots of different kinds of colored and scented candles literally anywhere — even a 24 hour big-box drugstore. Nobody has enough candles, and even if they do, they light them on fire and burn them up and end up needing more.
10. Gadgets for Gadgets – The possibilities are so endless they’ve almost become alternate lyrics for one of those Christmas songs, but they do give you myriad choices for last-minute gifts. Phone cases, chargers, sensors in mittens, headphones in hats and apps to feed kittens — you name it, your friends with smartphones (and fingers, heads, and cats) probably could make use of it and may not already have it. These gadgets are ubiquitous, too — again, at gadget stores, department stores, office supply stores, big-box stores — and they are useful and affordable.
So that’s some ideas from us to get you started. There are zillions of gift cards and subscriptions available — we thought it would be cheating to give them each their own number.
I’ve always liked to put things in cases. I’ve liked it even more since I dropped my uncased phone a couple of feet onto a concrete floor on vacation last year, and shattered the screen. I won’t make that mistake again. Cases make things stay in better condition, last longer and give you something warmer to hold than cold metal, plastic and glass. Also, these days it’s not a bad idea to cover your iPad (or Kindle, or phone) up so it looks like something other than an expensive electronic device to the criminals the police call “Apple pickers,” especially in big cities. (Like a book! Who would want to steal that?).
Anyway, I expect there will be a lot of happy new iPad, Kindle, tablet and smartphone owners this holiday season. So what’s the first thing you want to do after unboxing your new device? Why, start accessorizing, of course! But before you do, before you check out the official iCases in the Apple Store or the Kindle cases on Amazon, take a look at the Dodocase.
The Dodocase is designed like a real hardcover book, with a bamboo frame that fits around the iPad. It’s very light, but the bamboo holds the iPad or other device firmly and the cover folds over to protect the front. You can order any color you want, cloth or leather or faux leather, or customize it completely – with or without a camera port, or have a unique message put on the front. Since it’s made like a book, it looks like a book, and it’s made by hand right here in the U.S.A.
I’m not trying to be Consumer Reports – any case will keep a device clean, in good condition, out of sight and will be there to cushion a catastrophic drop – but find one you like, because you will spend a lot of time with it. I’m a big fan of the Dodocase, but Portenzo makes nice ones, too.
Ziploc sandwich bags are such a great invention for keeping food fresh. We’ve been packing sandwiches, salads, cookies and everything else in them for nearly half a century, and it’s getting tough to remember a modern world without them. I like them so much that I feel guilty throwing them away after one use. They are made from petroleum to begin with, and use even more energy as they are manufactured and shipped. Ultimately, they end up in landfills by the ton. It seems so wasteful, yet even to me, they are too cheap and flimsy to seriously consider washing out. Besides, it would take time, and life is just too short to spend any of it washing disposable Ziploc bags. “They” should make quality, reusable Ziploc bags. Shouldn’t they?
Turns out that “they” do. “They” is the Spanish company Lekue who have teamed up with the Swiss designer Luki Huber to produce the perfect sustainable food container based on the Ziploc bag concept. It’s made of thick silicone, and it stands up on the counter by itself as you fill it up with … pretty much anything. Once filled with anything, you can do anything with it: boil, freeze, microwave and then wash it in the dishwasher and start all over again. You can use it for any stage of food consumption. You can store food in it, cook in it and most importantly to me, carry it back and forth to work. Imagine being able to reuse the same Ziploc bag every day, perfectly clean and sanitary. Pack anything in it from sandwiches to soup to salad.
Eventually, it will pay for itself, but not right away. It costs about $20, comes in 4 colors and is officially one of the products that are so well-designed you can buy them at the Museum of Modern Art store. You can also buy it at Amazon. It makes a great gift for a lover of kitchen stuff or someone you know that takes their lunch to work.
Stay away from eating too much fat, it will make you fat. No, stay away from eating too many carbs, they will make you fat. Drinking some alcohol is good for you. No, drinking any alcohol is bad for you. One thing is certain: the recommendations for healthy living are going to change. However, chewing gum = bad for your teeth has held pretty steady since I was in grade school. If it has sugar in it, it will cause cavities. Sugarless gum was at least OK: 4 out of 5 dentists recommend it, and it’s the only kind my mom lets me chew.
Hershey’s Ice Breakers Ice Cubes
Now it’s the 21st century, and you can buy gum containing xylitol, although it’s a little hard to find if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Xylitol is a natural sugar, originally made from the bark of birch trees, that has actually been shown in clinical studies in Finland from 30 or so years ago to significantly reduce cavities. It does all good things, like reduce the bad bacteria (mutans streptococci – yuk!) in your mouth, stop the growth of small cavities and actually remineralize your teeth. There are also studies that show it reduces ear infections. You’re supposed to chew it 4 times a day for the optimum effect. It tastes good, too – naturally sweet, with no bitter aftertaste (I’m looking at you, stevia).
A few minor cons need to be mentioned. First, it’s supposed to be pretty toxic to dogs, so be careful not to drop any on the floor. Second, you need to search for it. In my local big box drugstore, the only xylitol gum I could find was the Hershey’s Ice Breakers Ice Cube gum, although of course it’s easy to order online. Stuff your children’s stockings with something that’s actually good for them – I guarantee they won’t notice.
Your old iPod dock was the greatest thing ever – stand up the iPod and get music that sounds quite fine and you can listen to anywhere. But then you got your new iPhone, and your iPad and then your new iPhone 5 with Lightning (never mind the Android phone) and you stopped using it. Well, get a 30-pin Bluetooth connector for $40 or so (maybe less) and the dock will work with anything and everything. Wirelessly. From 30 feet away.
My own experience was instructive. I found out about them, ordered one and plugged it right into the Bose Sounddock. Very disappointing – it was DOA, or so I thought. I plugged it into the 30-pin charging wire as a check, and it came right to life. How was that possible? I learned nothing from my Google searches, so I sadly emailed the vendor, Amazing Stuff, and asked to return it.
OK, they said, but do you have a 1st generation Sounddock, by any chance?
Why, yes, yes we do! (Daisy has always been an early adopter.)
OK then, go ahead and send it back to us, ’cause it won’t work with those old ones that supply Firewire power … unless maybe you want to use a Scosche adapter.
A Scosche adapter? What the heck was that? It’s the Scosche passPORT – costs about $10 or $15, about 1″ square and it solves that particular problem perfectly. It’s a 30-pin Firewire to USB adapter, and if that’s what you need, just get one.
After having it not work at all, it was nothing short of amazing how well it worked after that. Just one button and red and blue LEDs on top. Once it’s paired with a device (enter “0000”), it’s paired forever and you never have to touch it again. Said device can be anything with Bluetooth: laptop, iPhone, iPad or Android phone – all worked perfectly. If you want to stop using one and start using another, just disconnect it and connect the next one. It’s easier than plugging in headphones. Could be the perfect stocking stuffer for ANYONE who has a speaker with a 30-pin connector on top.
There are several brands available on Amazon, and I think they are all fairly similar.
I can honestly say my life has been enriched by listening to the late Frank Muller’s voice on audiobooks he has narrated. If you have never heard him, you really should try giving him a listen. Some of my favorites that he recorded are Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses, Somerset Maugham’s The Razor’s Edge and maybe best of all for this time of year, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
They’re not just for the car. I like to take audiobooks on beach vacations so that I can “read” without even having to sit up, and I always pick books based on Muller’s narration, not by the author. I’ve been doing this since the olden days of audiocassettes. I even bought some (instead of renting) when my local public library was selling them.
You may still be able to get the CD versions from the library; they’re a little hard to find but they are all still available for download on Audible. Tragically, there will never be any more – Frank Muller passed away in 2008 from complications from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident.
He was Stephen King’s favorite narrator. A good way to get started would be to listen to any or all of the four short novels from King’s brilliant Different Seasons – all but one of them were later made into successful movies: Apt Pupil, The Breathing Method, The Body (Stand By Me) and Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption (The Shawshank Redemption).
What made him so good? That’s the hard question. It was his actor’s skill at creating the characters, his sense of drama and the pure sound of his voice telling the story. Stephen King, who can describe anything, had this to say: “(When Frank reads) the blind will see, the lame will walk, and the deaf will hear.” Somehow, I know exactly what he meant, but you have to hear it for yourself. Check out some of the samples on the Audible Web site, or better yet, immerse yourself in one of his audiobooks for a few hours. Even now, I occasionally try to imagine the sound of his voice as I read dramatic dialogue in books.
It’s safe to say that you will never be able to afford a garden like Pierre du Pont established at Longwood, or an art collection like the one amassed by Dr. Albert Barnes. That’s mostly because these days, nobody really can. Even Mr. duPont and Dr. Barnes had to ultimately let Longwood Gardens and the Barnes Foundation go to non-profit public foundations. To this day, though, they’re both fabulous places to visit, especially around the holidays. The Christmas decorations at Longwood, for example, make it so popular during the holidays that visitors have to sign up for timed tickets – you have to first reserve a time to arrive, before you can pay $25 per person for admission.
That is, the non-members do. Members are special. Very special. When you’re a member, they make you feel like you’re one of Mr. du Pont’s close personal friends. The first thing is, you don’t need no stinking timed ticket; you go when YOU feel like it, even on Peak Days. Then, as soon as you get there, starting with the employees directing traffic into the parking lot, a casual wave of your Guest Pass gets you a smile and fast, direct access to everything. When you get inside the Visitors Center, you don’t have to wait in line with the masses to buy a ticket, you just show your Guest Pass again and get ushered right inside. And you can give out some of the candy yourself; you get two free guest tickets to give away, but sadly not during the Christmas Peak Days (although the place is a garden, after all; it’s maybe even more fabulous during the spring, summer and fall).
It’s pretty much the same deal at most museums, zoos and Old Time Rich Peoples’ Houses. The foundations love people they can count on to pay them a fixed amount of money every year so they can figure how to do their budgets without a lot of stress. Best of all, remember that museum memberships are tax-deductible, and if you get one now, you’ll still have the paperwork handy in a few months when you need it to do your taxes.
So maybe you can give museum memberships as holiday gifts – or use the that 10% discount Christmas shopping in the museum shop (MOMA, anyone?).
