In a small feat that’s probably not impressive to anyone but me, I managed to cram all of my ancillary electronics — like the printer and shredder — into a single closet at my house. As you might imagine, getting all the cables wrangled and tied was one of the hardest parts, especially for the […]

During a recent trip, I found myself in the airport looking for a quick lunch before my plane left. Of the various options, a store advertising “healthy” food (or something along those lines) caught my eye. But as I walked around the aisles, I noticed that very few of the items could reasonably be considered […]

A few days ago, I bought two really neat pieces of art online. Each one was a canvas print mounted on a wood frame, and the price was hard to beat. When the art arrived, one of the items was in great shape, but the other one had a defective frame. No matter how I […]

One of my exciting tasks last weekend was to break down a bunch of boxes, separate out the recyclable packing materials from the trash, and get everything into bags and bundles that the city will pick up. Cardboard boxes can be pretty sharp, so wearing work gloves was a must. However, trying to use other […]

There are several grocery stores within walking distance of my house, but I typically only visit two of them: a big generic chain store, and a Trader Joe’s. Among the many differences between these two stores is the type of paper bags they use. At Trader Joe’s, the bags have sturdy handles and are generally […]

I recently purchased a folding tray table, which in theory is great for supporting anything ranging from a book to a cup of coffee to a laptop (though probably not all of those at once) when you’re working away from your desk. I actually owned the same model before, so buying another one seemed like […]

At something like 8 am last Saturday morning, my phone rang with a number I didn’t recognize. The same number called me the night before, so I figured I’d answer it and see what they wanted. As it turned out, the call was from an automated survey system, and they were trying to get me […]

When I think back to what it was like opening up a new consumer product ten or fifteen years ago, one thing that sticks out is the obnoxious packaging that used to be so commonplace. It seemed like everything in those days came in an airtight container of styrofoam, which turned brittle and covered half […]

I spotted a great deal on some really nice, modern kitchen chairs, which came out to something like $29 each for a set of four. When I opened up the box, I was pleased to see that the parts were in fairly good shape. However, once I started counting the screws and washers and such, […]

There’s a big grocery store about a block away from where I live. More accurately, the store’s parking garage is only a block from me; the front of the store is another two blocks around, assuming you stick to the main roads. After some trial and error, I found out how to walk through the […]