Chocolate Nintendo Kitchen Utensils

More gaming fun, hehe. Read more here about the chocolates that were produced in association with the release of Nintendo DS's interactive cookbook "game."

 

Geek Hotels Pass the Nerd Test

(Hotel Sax...check out the site for details)

*Drools*

Whether you're into Star Wars, gaming, pretending to be a pilot, Facebook, or a good ol' fashion Rubik's Cube, these hotels have it all! There were 11 total featured back in December on Wired.

Some of the most interesting include:

• Hotel Avante: To further its "creative clubhouse"
  atmosphere, each room includes an "executive toy box" with a yo-yo, an
  Etch A Sketch, a Rubik's Cube, playing cards and a Slinky."

• The Pod Hotel: "With free WiFi, iPod docks, relatively inexpensive rooms (called "pods")
  and the opportunity to make new friends in its shared bathrooms, The
  Pod Hotel in Manhattan's Midtown East neighborhood is making a play for the Facebook generation. Nicknamed the "Facebook Hotel," this place has its own social networking site to help guests find someone for dinner, drinks, shopping or whatever."

• The Ice Hotel (pictured above): "The Icehotel says it offers "an experience of a lifetime as well as an
  encounter with art and design that will surprise your senses." Since
  it's made of ice and snow, that claim sounds perfectly believable. You
  can book hot or cold accommodations at the Icehotel. Each ice room is
  designed by an artist, such as the one shown here by Andrea Thomson."

• Emirates Palace Hotel: "All suites boast 61-inch plasma TVs (regular rooms have puny
  50-inchers). All guest rooms have handheld computers that control
  switches and outlets ... Free WiFi reaches all poolside areas and even the private beach."

• Hotel Tomo (pictured below): "Deluxe gaming suites come with PlayStation 3, Wii, beanbag chairs and a 6-foot LCD projection screen."

Geek Week!

Okay, so I'm sure there's an actual Geek Week type event somewhere through the year, but that's not what I'm talking about. I know I've been gone for a bit now without warning, but I'm working on getting back and have tons of fun stuff to share.

Getting back to the "themes" that I mentioned I'd be doing at the beginning of the year, let's get some geeky stuff thrown out here first, hehe.

The Quirky World of Hair Removal (Smooth Away Review)

(Skip to the summary at the bottom if you don't want the full detailed story of my thoughts along the way of trying it out)

Like I said before, I've waxed, shaved, plucked to my little heart's content. And it's not as if I've had the same razor since I was 13 either. I love trying new things and if a product isn't for me, I feel no reason to keep using it either.

I've tried no less than 2 dozen different razors, including a variety of disposable and electric ones, ones for sensitive skin and dry skin, ones with one blade, two blades, five blades, etc. I've tried heated wax, cold wax, herbal wax (remember Nads?), wax strips. I was lucky and only needed to try (read "lose and then ultimately have to buy a new pair) about six different tweezers before I fell in love with a set. Now I'm sure my opinion is still biased because I've never tried laser hair removal, but I think you get the point that I've had fun/pain with my fair share of hair removal products, right? :P

That also means I was obviously skeptical of Smooth Away. I'd seen it on TV, in magazines, and online all over the place. A little pink pad that just rubs the hair off? Sounded like sandpaper to me, lol. I was expecting to have to write a negative review, to be honest, and was already trying to find positive things to say about it before I even had the little crystal pads stuck on (like how easy the paper was to get a grip on and peel off).

So there I am, in the middle of the living room floor (hey, would you rather me have my laptop in the bathroom? after all, this stuff doesn't require water, so I could do it anywhere, right?), with the box's contents spread out, and pink plastic thing slid onto my hand, and holding my breath. I was expecting sand paper, remember?

I started rubbing, but nothing seemed to be happening. "Great, it's not even going to partially work for me? Or am I going to have to scrub my skin raw to see the effects?" I thought, reaching for the instructions. Well it had obviously been a while since I had seen any of the mini-informercials about Smooth Away, because I had been going up and down on my leg, when it clearly states that you should go in circles. Oops. :(

After correcting my mistake, it actually started to work. So cool! And I wasn't having to scrub either, which would have obviously irritated my skin and made me a very unhappy reviewer. It took some getting used to, but within a few minutes, both legs were hair free (and hey, it's wintertime...it's not like I'm shaving my legs daily as it is either. ;)). All my skepticism went flying out the window and I was grinning about how easy it was going to be to write a review now!

Unfortunately, I cheered to myself too soon. I decided to give my armpits a try, and ouch, ouch, ouch. I don't know what happened....maybe I didn't have my arm twisted in a funky enough position to make the skin tight enough or what....but my underarm was red, itchy, and yelling at me within a few strokes. Yikes. And to top it off, none of the hair was removed (and I 'do' shave there daily, so it can't be blamed on overgrowth...eww :P).

I didn't have any facial hair to try the little pink pad on, but the benefit me being so late with this review is that I got to try out a few more situations using them. The next day, I noticed that I'd missed a little section of hair on my knee, and little finger-held pad was perfect for grabbing it quickly. It'd probably be good on that same note for a quick eyebrow touch-up as well.

Now if you've read this far, bravo! I'm impressed. Most won't, though, so here are the highlights...a quick review...for those whose eyes glazed over, looking at all this text:

Summary:

• Although I probably won't use it to replace my normal shaving routine, I think it's great to have around for touch-ups or missed spots instead of breaking out the water, soap/shaving cream, and razor, for just a little spot of hair.
  

• It's also great for those days where you don't have time to take a shower before work or you find yourself headed to the beach, but your legs have the equivalent of a five o'clock shadow, etc. The convenience of it not needing any water or a microwave to heat wax, etc, is great. And for my legs, at least, it didn't make them red or show any sign that I'd just removed hair from there, so great for emergency hair removal. Okay, for the guys reading, you're likely giggling at that, but the women out there know what I mean. :P

• It irritated my underarms, but it could've just been something I did wrong on my end. Or it could've been that my skin can sometimes be really finicky and sensitive. My advice? Try it out in small sections of your skin if you're unsure. And if you're going to use it on your face, then treat it like you're using wax, and give yourself a few hours' window, just in case it irritates your skin.
  

• I haven't been using the hair minimizing lotion long enough to see any noticeable difference, but even so, it makes my legs feel nice and smooth anyway.
  

• Because it's actually tiny crystals that are rubbing away the hair, it also gently exfoliates, so yay for multi-tasking!

• For only $14.99 + shipping, you can get a full set of large and small pads and replacement pads. And you can get another set for free if you just pay the shipping and handling on the second set. It's actually not a bad deal, especially if you know someone else that might want to try them out. I plan to let my mom try out my set, because she said she'd been talking about it with some coworkers, so I'm sure you know some other women who'd like to try it out, too. Certainly much cheaper than a lot of hair removal products.

Where, oh where, has Quirky Jessi gone?

Wow, where have I been? I just can't seem to get caught up and now that I've been sick for a bit, I'm even further behind again. I've only posted once all month, and that's not like me at all. Gah! First things first, I agreed to do a review for Smooth Away hair removal product, and I'm about two weeks late doing it now. Yikes!

Long ago, I told FuelMyBlog that I'd be willing to review products occasionally, in exchange for getting the product for free. There's no payment and I'm not obligated to give a positive or negative review. Getting paid and/or having to lie one way or another is completely against what I do here, so I wouldn't even bother.

Many, many months later, long after I'd already forgotten that I signed up for it, I got an email, asking if I wanted to review a "revolutionary waxing product." Hmmm....sure, why not? I've shaved, I've waxed, I've plucked, I've ignored.....why not try something else? If nothing else, I figured it'd be of some comic value, similar to way back when I tried out a homemade banana facial mask and blogged about it. It's been almost 2 years since I did anything like that and would like to bring back some of the personal touch to Quirky Jessi again.

Okay, okay, I'm rambling. I doubt the Smooth Away people really care why the heck I'm doing a review, right? I think I'll give them their own post, coming right up in a while. ;-)

52 Reasons Book (I love that you're hotter than Hugh Grant)

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, many people are stumbling around for gift ideas. I wouldn't normally post anything specific about the holiday, but hey, this one can be used at other times of the year, too....and this one had some quirky reasons for liking her guy.

Now I wouldn't suggest this to be the 'only' thing you do for your partner, unless you're 16 and have been dating "off and on" for the last 2 weeks, of course, but hey, it's a nice little romantic touch...or just something fun to do.

Check out the link for several more pictures and descriptions of why she likes him for being hotter than Hugh Grant, his respect for her nasal cavity, etc.