Things you never knew you needed, Part 2

I got another Current Catalog and I was going to share with you the Cell Phone Arm Band (forget your iPod, this is next big thing!) but I couldn't find it on their site. Did they sell out? Was it a flop? Did they have too many other curiosities battling to be promoted?

Then there was a Hercules Hook Set ("Hercules! Hercules!" I haven't even seen the movie, but that's what popped in to my head when I spotted the name). But that one's nowhere to be seen either. Maybe "As Seen on TV" stole it.

But don't despair! There are still kooky, but oddly useful items for me to review for you!

Twist & Spout Garden Pourer. Don't you love it when they make a play on words to create a catchy title? Personally I just use a regular water glass to water my plants, but if you happen to have extra liter-sized water bottles lying around, this would be quite handy.

Pot Protectors. The first time I looked at these I thought they were just for packing things up when you're moving. Turns out they're designed for those who don't want to scratch the non-stick surfaces of the pans by stacking them. Hmm, I guess the space considerations of sharing an apartment with a tiny kitchen make such worries seem superfluous. But hey! It says they can be used as trivets! Apartment living is all about multipurpose goods.

Dryer Lint Brush. So that's how you get to the lint that makes it through the lint trap.

Door Stoppers. According to the makers they "Prevent doors from unexpectedly swinging shut and possibly locking you out of the house!" Unless you live in a temperate climate, I can't see having a perpetually open door being a good thing... However, they go on to say they are "Ideal to use when small children are present - eliminates pinched fingers on little ones." The last time I pinched a little one's fingers they were in the hinge-side of the door. I get the feeling that would still be possible with these. (don't worry! That was years ago - no permanent damage, I promise!)

All photos from http://www.currentcatalog.com/.

Things you never knew you needed

A friend from high school recently had twins. I searched high and low for a baby calendar I liked and ended up at the Current Catalog website (turns out my own baby calendar was purchased from Current - I liked the layout and event stickers enough to ask my mom where she got it). As a result of that purchase I now receive the catalog in the mail every month or so. If you ever wonder if people are still inventing little gadgets and securing patents, here's proof we haven't exhausted all of the patent possibilities. (all pictures are from the Current Catalog website: http://www.currentcatalog.com/)

Mini Refrigerator Wind Chimes - "Mini melodic chimes cling to your fridge to alert you when the door is opened."

I wonder if these would wake up a sleep walker. "Amy would come upstairs and she would flop her feet like a duck. We knew she would be sleep-walking. And then she'd have these eyes -- and you knew she wasn't awake . And sometimes she would look at you and scream: 'I'm hungry!'" Can you imagine? That would totally freak me out! And cat food sandwiches? No thank you.

Melon Scoopers - aren't those cute? Are people really that averse to scooping out the seeds with a spoon?

Water Bottle Ice Cube Trays

Ultimate invention? Or ultimate laziness? I'll admit, I've been frustrated by trying to fit large square cubes in a small circular opening. Who really remembers to stick a water bottle in the freezer the night before? Or has those fancy fridges that can crush ice?

Toast Tongs - "Durable bamboo tongs safely remove hot foods from your toaster."

Anyone else hesitate before grabbing things from the toaster? Hey, if your fingers make contact with a particularly crispy spot it stings!

Beverage Can Caps - "Locking flip-top plastic beverage caps keep fizz in, keep insects out, prevent major spills, and color-code everyone's cans!" Do you think they really keep the fizz in? 'Cause the plastic soda bottles sure don't do the trick, no matter how tightly you screw on the lid.

"First Out" Pie Spatula - "Bake your pie with this spatula in the pie tin." To prevent the unsightly pie pile the first piece inevitably turns into from trying to wiggle a spatula under the bottom crust and scoop it all out at once.

And a Pie Gate once that first piece is out.

GreenBags - "Debbie Meyer's FoodFresh System controls humidity and prevents excess moistures, so there's less mold, bacteria, and decay. Plus, the bags reduce vitamin loss, all without any chemicals. ...keep fruits, vegetables, herbs, even cut flowers, fresh for up to a month." Those are quite the claims! Cut flowers fresh for a month? Of course, why would you have them sitting bagged up in your fridge?

I hope you've enjoyed this edition of "Things you never knew you needed" brought to you by http://www.currentcatalog.com/. A great site to keep in mind if you're in need of inspiration! Afterall, doesn't everyone need a set of these for the Fourth of July?

Sleep watch

At a staff meeting a few months ago, a coworker of mine mentioned she and her two kids had been to a sleep specialist and were found to slumber at a level just above "comatose." She's out cold for three to four hours a night and that's all she needs. Can you imagine how much time that would free up? I could be a night owl AND an early bird. I could watch the late late show and still be at work at the crack of dawn. I could get a full night's sleep in the period of time my cat sees fit to snooze, before he's up and whining for attention.

I must fall on the opposite end of the scale. I have been known to spend the greater part of the day lolling in bed either asleep or half asleep. During summer vacations, sleep would occasionally take the place of the time I would have spent at school. Waking up at 2 or 3 in the afternoon was not unheard of. In a gesture of full disclosure (and to prevent my roommate from being the first to bring it up), I'll admit some weekends I still stay in bed until the early afternoon. The crazy thing is, I'm still ready to crawl into bed around 10:00 that night, a mere 7 hours later.

It was this insatiable appetite for sleep that came to mind when I first heard about the Sleeptracker. It would be interesting to be able to get a read-out of exactly what's going on when I think I'm getting a solid 8 hours...that turns into 9 or 10 before I finally drag myself out from under the covers. Am I skimming the surface of unconsciousness? Bobbing up and down like a forlorn buoy? Sleepwalking? (more on that in a later post).

Plus, the idea of an alarm that senses when you're most awake seems so much more pleasant than my current masochistic practice of hitting the snooze button knowing it will go off at the precise moment I fall back to sleep, causing no end of frustration and angst. Although, it doesn't solve the problem of actually exercising the self discipline it takes to remove yourself from the cozy cocoon of covers. Which leads to a few other inventions I've heard of.

We use to have (and I think it's still around somewhere) a game called The Inventors. In this game, you would buy patents and try to make money off of the inventions you selected. The best part was reading the descriptions of things people actually invented and submitted a patent for. I suppose in this day and age gentlemen no longer have a use for an automatic hat tipper. There aren't that many people in need of a Horse Water Wing Jacket. And who really paid money for an Eye Protector for Chickens? But one of the inventions is an E-Z Wake Alarm that actually drops a cage on the bed of the hapless owner, to jar them awake. I don't know about you, but I think such a contraption would only make me LESS of a morning person.

Same with the alarm clock that scuttles around your floor requiring you to chase after it before you can silence it. Seriously! You can watch a video of it, and make sure you have the audio turned on so you can get the full effect of its unbearable chirping, beeping and whirring.

There's even a Flying Alarm Clock for those who prefer to wake up to the sound of an air raid alarm, scramble for the propeller top, and reassemble the two pieces to restore peace. Here's a somewhat outdated site with a list of other odd alarm clocks: http://www.bspcn.com/2007/10/20/14-of-the-worlds-strangest-alarm-clocks-for-those-early-morning-risers/.

I have to say, the Sleeptracker is looking more and more appealing! If I feel the need to subject myself to discomfort or just feel ridiculous I'd rather see if there are any Dimple Makers still on the market.