Domestic Geek

OK, I'm actually talking about pillows. Marcus just loves that line from Planes, Trains & Automobiles so much that we quote it all the time.

Anywho, the pillow I bought 3 years ago finally got to the point that it was no longer comfortable. I got good use out of it. In addition to being slept on every night at home, it's been to Tennessee, Missouri, North & South Dakota, Colorado Springs...just about any place we've traveled in the last 3 years, I've taken that pillow with me and loved it. I wasn't really wanting to try to find another water pillow at this time. Since I use Marcus' pillow when I nap, I knew one like his would be sufficient. He uses a Sealy Posturpedic Extra Firm that he got at Sears. I've been putting off going there because I really hate shopping and I hate shopping at Sears even more. Unfortunately, I also needed vacuum bags, so I gave in and went in as I drove past it on my way home today. Good thing I procrastinated — the pillow was 50% off. SCORE!

I'm sitting here enjoying a strawberry banana smoothie that Marcus made in our new blender. He's been looking for ways to get more fruit into his diet and he found a smoothie recipe he liked on cooks.com. After he procured the ingredients, he asked me if we had a blender. We did, but sadly, it's the one I bought back in college (sometime between 1984-1986). The poor thing didn't have much power when it was new and smoothie making was definitely a strain for it. The final straw was the sparking it made. Every time Marcus used it, I crossed my fingers that it wouldn't start the kitchen on fire.

Sunday, we went to Bed, Bath & Beyond armed with my 20% Off coupon that I got in the mail. He had already done his research before we went and he wanted a Cuisinart Blender/Food Processor combo (he hates my old food processor and wants to toss it). We picked the BFP-10CH PowerBlend Duet™ model because it had an additional $20 mail-in rebate. $60 after coupon and rebate isn't too shabby a deal!

Tonight was the first chance we had to try it out. Worked like a dream! Can't wait until summer when I can make watermelon smoothies. Yum!

I finally caved today and bought myself my first eBook. I vowed a few months back that if a digital edition of something I wanted was available, I wasn't going to bother getting the hard copy of it. I'm tired of the dust they collect and the space they take up. I felt like doing to some light, cheesy reading, so I purchased the next book I had yet to read in the knitting mystery series by Maggie Sefton, Fleece Navidad (I'd put one of those Amazon Associates links up like I used to, but I can't thanks to the feud between the state of Colorado and Amazon). The books in this series are corny and predictable, but they're basically set in Ft. Collins and I like reading them.

I downloaded the Kindle app for my iPhone and the application for my Macbook and I'm all set. Reading on the iPhone is a little rough, but will do in a pinch. I totally enjoyed reading with my Macbook in bed. I do that while surfing blogs all the time anyway. Someday, when I've got the funds to get one, I'll enjoy reading on an iPad.

I hope that more reading material becomes available digitally (magazines, etc.). I know some people just love the feel of turning pages, but I'll gladly give that up to rid myself of the clutter.

Yesterday I got myself a copy of Office Space at Best Buy. There were two different packagings, and since one had a digital copy enclosed so that I could put it in my iTunes, I went with that one. "Bonus," thinks I, since we rip our DVDs to put on the AppleTV anyway. Well, not so much. The stinking code enclosed with the disc doesn't work. Man, I am so pissed right now. See, I tried to do things the legit and legal way. Stupid movie companies piss me off. Well, the only date on the form said it might not work after 2010. Grrrr.

I came across a web site today that I think I may have seen or heard referenced elsewhere, but totally forgot about it: DenverGasPrices.com. It's looking like the cheapest gas in Aurora is now at $1.97 a gallon (and "they" said we'd never see $2/gal gas again). It sure was nice to fill my tank the other day (something I hadn't done in quite a while) and have it cost less than $40. When gas was at it's highest, I believe I filled my tank once and it cost over $50. So not cool. <sarcasm>I sure hope the oil companies enjoy their record profits from their over-inflated fuel prices.</sarcasm> What a crock this whole thing has been. Now if only the price of cheese would drop ($6/lb today at Target), I would be much happier. Of course, maybe not eating so much cheese is a contributing factor to my weight loss. Hmmm...

On a happier note, I took Dad out for his belated birthday dinner tonight. We went to Texas Roadhouse and once again, it was absolutely yummay!

Have I mentioned that I'm digging this 3-day work week? I know at some point I'm going to have to do a Sunday shift, but it's nice to know that every other week I will have 4 days off. True that those 13 hour shifts (or almost 15 like yesterday) are kicking my butt and it takes me a whole day to recuperate, but I still have 3 days to do what I need and want to do. That said, I'm exhausted and think I'll turn in early. Much to do tomorrow and the weathermen are talking about snow tomorrow, too. I purchased some firewood a couple of weeks ago and I think it may be time for the first fire of the season.

While surfing around, I came across the web site of a store in St. Charles, IL called My Eclectic Mess. This is exactly the kind of place I've dreamed of owning. It doesn't specialize in any particular craft, say scrapbooking or knitting, it encompasses a multitude of different crafts. Her web site is adorable, too. Really fits with the theme of her business. If I ever end up back in that area, I'd definitely like to check it out.

EDIT: The retail shop is closed as of April 2009, but she still does business online.

This probably belongs on my craft blog, but it's such big news that I'll mention it here.

When I was shopping at a yarn store that was rather far from me, the owner asked where I lived. After telling her Aurora, I lamented that I'm not really close to any yarn stores. The closest one is about 9 miles away and I don't care for that particular store much. The store that is actually in Aurora is 10 miles away and is kind of off my regular beaten path. Anyway, she told me that she had heard a store was going to be opening in either Lowry or Stapleton.

Well, I just read on Ravelry (an online knit/crochet community to which I belong) that the store is open! It's called Modern Ewe and is located at 200 Quebec in Lowry (6 miles from home according to Google maps). As I practically drive past there on my way to work, it is definitely convenient for me. Sadly, the store is not open tomorrow, but I'll be checking it out later in the week. I really hope it's a cool store and some knitting groups form there. As much as I love the group that I currently attend, sometimes I don't go because it's just too freaking far to drive.

The Big Bang Theory is my most favorite show ever! I love the geeky t-shirts they have the cast wearing on that show. I've been meaning to (for a while now) figure out where all those great shirts come from. Well, somebody did all the work for me. Check out SheldonShirts.com. Not only have they tracked down where you can get some of those cool shirts that Sheldon (and Leonard) wear, but some of the other cool things that have been in the show. They also have links to get other great geeky stuff, too. Thanks guys at SheldonShirts!

In a related vein, you can follow the show's characters on Twitter. It's kind of amusing. Here's links to their profiles: Sheldon, Leonard, Penny, Raj, Howard and Leslie Winkle. Funny stuff!