1/31/2012: Mica Shade Table Lamp

This table lamp looks good I think, kind of that old school mission style I liked once upon a time, but it's not really useful. If it's on for very long the faux mica shade starts to singe above where the light bulb is due to the heat. So decorative and non-functional. Luckily it's not in a place where I really need a lamp in order to actually see things.

1/30/2012: Wooden Box (for remotes)

Young Mike just scattered the various remotes all over the coffee table without a care for such things as organization. Adult Mike realized that was how a barbarian would keep his remotes and found this wooden box on clearance at Target that is just big enough for the DVD, TV and TiVo remotes.

1/29/2012: R2D2 Pepper Mill

This was a birthday (or Christmas?) gift from a friend not too long ago. I'm not much of a fresh ground pepper person, so my R2D2 pepper mill sits on top of my fridge. Now a little Jim Gaffigan on the subject of fresh ground pepper:

When you go out to dinner they always try and improve the salad. They’re like, “Would you like some fresh pepper on your salad?” Can anyone tell the difference between fresh and stale pepper? I can’t even taste the pepper. They might as well be like, “Would you like us to wave this wooden wand over your salad?”

“Uh, all right.”

“OK, enjoy your magic salad.”

“Ooh, I didn’t know I was getting a magic salad.”

1/28/2012: Salad Spinner

I got this salad spinner just yesterday, so I guess it's my newest stuff. I buy that bagged salad and I never wash it cause it's a pain to dry. And every time I do that the thought crosses my mind that someone somewhere could've peed on my lettuce. Why would anyone want to pee on my lettuce? Beats me. I have no idea what motivates somebody crazy enough to pee on lettuce.

Also I discovered this afternoon that nothing seems to piss off the dog like rapidly rotating leafy greens.

1/27/2012: Giant Kong

The giant Kong is basically a torture device for my dog Darwin. It's hard plastic, screws apart and you fill it with dog food. Kind of like those plastic Easter eggs you fill with candy but on a larger scale. Once filled with dog food I set it on the ground and Darwin attacks it, because let's face facts he's been inside all day while I've been at work and he's starving. He knocks it over bats it around leaps on it to get it to tip juuuuust so and... two little pieces of dog food come out the hole in the side. Then, since it's basically a giant weeble, the giant Kong rights itself and Darwin has to attack it again. And again. And again.

Until it gets stuck under the couch.

1/26/2012: Ridiculously Oversized Lunch Box

This is the ridiculously oversized lunch box I use when I take my lunch to work, which I try to do most days. My coworkers will often mock the size of my lunch box with comments like "Hungry enough Mike?" or "How much are you planning to eat today!" It's not full, but I needed something bigger to fit the longer boxes of the frozen meals I sometimes take. Actually it's a small cooler, designed to set a 6-pack in the bottom with room on top. And though I'm often tempted, I haven't ever actually taken a 6-pack to work. Yet.

1/25/2012: Bears Hat

I can remember a time, long long ago, when I refused to wear a hat because I didn't want to mess up my hair. This was around the time I took the 45 of Sunglasses At Night along to get my haircut so that I could have it look like Cory Hart's. So like I said, long long ago. But now my hair is thinned and what I have left is gray, so messing it up by wearing my Bears hat isn't quite a concern. I'm more worried about cold ears.