Snuggie Sightings -- Run for your life!

Back in October, I posted a quick little stab at The Snuggie blanket, comparing it to something that cult members might wear. Little did I know that in a couple days, I'd rank first in Google searches for various snuggie search terms. Within a matter of a week or two, I was getting thousands of hits from people looking for snuggies.

That led me to edit the post a few times with updated info for people looking for the main site, but I never did say anything else about the snuggie itself. Lots of others shared there opinions, though, and turns out, Snuggies were making most of their money on shipping additional slanket-like blanket/robes and were hard to get in touch with, prompting people to find the head company's snail mail address even.

All that aside, though, I still find them hilarious, and I'm not alone on that. Now there's a whole site for Snuggies pictures called "Snuggie Sightings," haha!

Snuggie Sightings

Here's just a few pictures but go over there to see a ton of pictures and even some videos from different Snuggie perspectives. Who knew it'd be so fun?

~Edit~ Oh, and here's a link to an article in USA Today about "pop culture embracing" the snuggie. Oh geez....

~Edit~ Be sure to check out the link left in the comments. The parody video over there is hilarious (although does have a couple curse words, so watch out for PG ears around)

What are your quirks? (And talk about Twitter)

Yep, so I'm trying Twitter again and this time I stuck with it a bit longer. I still think it's a time sucker, gradually seeping into time that could be better spent elsewhere, but I'm good at multitasking and moderating my time well, so there's no way of me becoming an addict that tweets every single detail of his/her life. Instead, I've been using it to meet some really great people and have discovered sites, links, and stories that I wouldn't have otherwise seen at all.

It's hard to justify reading tons of blogs, following links all over the place, and chit chatting with people on MSN (add me as justmejessi AT msn DOT com if you want some more one-on-one time with me ;-))....and then turn around and say that Twitter is a complete waste of time when ultimately, I'm doing the same sorts of things there. Finding new blogs, new quirky links, and talking to new people. Hey, networking is business, ya know? :P

The downside is that it gives me even more than I want to blog about and I'm already well behind in my to-do list (read: folder after folder after folder of bookmarked links) of things to write about here. Oh well.

So moving on, yesterday I was reading what people were talking about, and ran across a man confessing that he always sneezes the first time he bites into chocolate. Wait, what? I know people who sneeze after eating mints or looking directly into lights, but mints?

So that caused a domino effect where I asked my followers what 'their' quirks were as I continued to talk to DRiNus about how it's 'any' kind of chocolate, but it's even worse with dark chocolate. It was quite fun to discover other people's quirks over the course of the day, and even found someone else who sneezes when eating chocolate! Two in one day...how could that happen!? lol

Here's a few of the other fun quirks. Feel free to let me know what yours are, too!

Stickfiggers: I am a self-taught ukulele player...is that quirky? haha

Suesilly: I've eaten chocolate covered pickles... and no, not pregnant, I just did. ;-)

Mahaleris: i fall asleep too easily. many odd college stories may be inserted here

bscahill: chapstick on my keyboard. I have to have a stick resting above the number pad at all times. Serious chapstick problem

The best part of that one is that she actually went and took a picture of it!

50 things you never knew you could do with tennis balls

20) Make a beautiful flower for your sweetheart. You can even fill it with candy, just in case your sweetheart isn’t quite sweet enough yet.

This next "theme" of sorts is going to be tricks of the trade....lots of nitty gritty tips and tricks to help you along.

And as for the tennis balls, the site lists lots of other uses. Well, 49 more to be exact. And many are more practical than the flower....like using them on bottoms of chairs to keep them from scuffing.

Or better yet, slitting them open, inserting some beans/jelly beans, securing shut, and giving to a toddler as a musical instrument. Nifty, yes. Practical, no. That's all you need is for the toddler to suddenly break open the ball and begin shoving beans up his/her nose or swallowing them. Please use caution. ;-)

What's the remedy for giant microbes?

I really thought I'd already blogged about these as I've seen them many times over the last couple years. So what's the remedy? Buy lots of them and have them gang up on each other instead of you! :P Best way to cure the common cold yet...and way more fun, too, hehe.

Have a boil on your butt?

Neither do I. But last year at camp, some guy who all the girls swooned over, ended up with a boil on his butt that got bad enough he ended up going to the hospital. And one night, the stress of camp (or maybe it was the intoxication) got to him and he proceeded to show a large group of people his lovely boil.

Now before you become disturbed, there really is a point. He should've used tomato paste to fix it! The acids would've soothed the pain and brought the boil to a head. How do I know? Well, I don't. But someone over at International Home Remedies has apparently tried it with success.

Wee! See that! Point well made, hehe. But yeah, the site is full of remedies used all over the world and if you have a quirky cure that has worked for you before, go ahead and add it! You never know what might just work for someone else's boils...

And while you're at it, check out Forgotten Medical Cures.

The Best Things in Life

After yesterday's downer, let's finally get to the good stuff! Today is a two-for-one, too, because they're not necessarily quirky by default, but they certainly can be.

Here's a list of some best things in life. Examples?

1. Falling in love.
   
2. Laughing so hard your face hurts.
   
3. A hot shower.
   
4. No lines at the Super Wal-Mart.
   
5. A special glance.
   
6. Getting mail.
   
7. Taking a drive on a pretty road.
   
8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio.
   
9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.
   
10. Hot towels out of the dryer.

The list goes to 57 and if you want to add to it, just email James Huggins (it's listed on the page).

And for part two? Your top 10. Over on Gather, for a while, the "meme" of sorts was circulating....list the top 10 things in your life that make you happy right now or that you appreciate, etc.

For example, this was Diana's list:

10. I have a great job

9. I have a nice home

8. I have plenty to eat (too much maybe :)

7. I have a car that runs

6. I have a hobby (love to sew)

5. I'm close to my family

4. I can go to the beach whenever I want

3. I'm in great health

2. I have two wonderful kids

1. I have a loving husband!

So what's on your list? It doesn't have to be analyzed, planned, or well-thought out. No need to rank them in order or worry about forgetting something. Just what's making you happy right now? When everything is going wrong, what is it that you still have to look forward to? What do you have that not everyone may be able to appreciate?

Planet Hazard --Worst Places of Pollution

Planet Hazard
has a lovely little list of the top polluters, sorted on the national
level and by state, county, and even city. It also sorts those lovely
pollutants and industries. They're all mapped out on lovely Google maps
at that. A real downer, I know, but it's interesting to look through
the facts.

There are lots of numbers and emission records that
might not make a whole lot of sense to you, but the bottom
line....there's a lot of crap in the air and you're breathing it. :P
Have a great day!

Stop smoking right now

Switch gears away from food and let's go to health-mode, okay?

Stop smoking right now and here's the effects on your body:



Clicky the link to see it full-size and be able to read it.

Am I going to try to convince you to quit smoking? Nope. Care for a lecture on all the horrible things it does? Nope. I don't plan on giving one. It's not my choice whether or not you or anyone else out there smokes. I like the break-down of what happens within minutes, hours, weeks, and years, though. Even if you don't smoke, check it out.

Bacon Cups (and other interesting findings)

I originally found "Not Martha" because of a link to bacon cups. Now there's nothing particularly quirky about them. You can check out the directions yourself (with step-by-step photos, might I add) and although delicious-looking and fun, I didn't think they deserved a whole post to themselves here.

The rest of the site is pretty cool, though, too. Check out the "how to make stuff" section for how to make tiny pies in mini-muffin tins, hostess snack cake sushi, pies baked in tiny jars....and a whole bunch of non-food stuff, too! And the blog in general has a much more diverse selection of topics than I would've guessed from mere bacon cups!

Snazzy way to cut your pizza

Did I just say snazzy? Strange.

Um, but yeah, extreme pizza cutters. Nifty, huh? And snazzy, too, apparently....

January--Donate Blood Month

Yep, January is National Blood Donation Month, and while you could/should be donating blood at any other time of the year, here's the perfect excuse to finally do it for those of you who hesitate or forget. I don't know about other countries, but for the US, here are the guidelines to see if you're eligible:

To give blood for transfusion to another person, you must be healthy, be at least 17 years old or 16 years old if allowed by state law, weigh at least 110 pounds, and not have donated blood in the last 8 weeks (56 days). "Healthy" means that you feel well and can perform normal activities. If you have a chronic condition such as diabetes or high blood pressure, "healthy" also means that you are being treated and the condition is under control.
Other aspects of each potential donor's health history are discussed as part of the donation process before any blood is collected. Each donor receives a brief examination during which temperature, pulse, blood pressure and blood count (hemoglobin or hematocrit) are measured.

It really doesn't take that much time, especially considering the benefits reaped from it. Don't care about saving other people's lives? That's okay....they're usually giving away free food and juice afterward to keep people's blood sugar and such at a decent level. Not hungry? Hit on the nurses and volunteer's there.....you all will get a good laugh before they take your blood. ;-)

Seriously, there's no good reason 'not' to if you're eligible.

(And as a disclaimer, this is my way of getting a hand in there. Red Cross will no longer take my blood because my tests came back inconclusive a few years ago. I was retested and everything was fine, but my name is put on a black list 'just to be safe'. So make up for my loss by donating some of yours!)

Name that Candybar

It's a Snickers!

Oh how I love this one. It has two sets of candy bars (click the "see more candybars" at the bottom)....so much chocolate!

Anywho, try to correctly name each candy bar, just by the pictures of candy pieces shown. Some of them are easy....most of them I recognize without even having to think about it....but a few I've never had.

How many can you correctly identify? (Click each image for the correct answer)

The Condiments

Not 20 condiments. Not some of the condiments. *The* condiments.

The Condiment Packet Gallery has hundreds of condiment packages and it'll randomly show 100 of them at a time or you can go in and search by sauce type, category, or by letter. Who knew there were so many!?

Toastvertising -- Advertising Spam one slice at a time

The Book of Spam decided to make an advertisement using nothing but toast for some odd reason and surprisingly enough, it's pretty good...given that it's on toast, lol.

You'll have to go over there to see the videos, because well, that's all the page is. One YouTube video is the advertisement and the other is how they made the advertisement (which I actually found cooler than the ad itself).

You are what you eat -- Fridgewatcher

Fridgewatcher

Basically, Fridgewatcher is a place where "people open their fridges to others. Cause every fridge tells a story."

And that's exactly what it does! There are posts from people who submit their photos and stories about their refrigerators! Go submit yours, too, if you so dare, hehe.

Picture is from Chiara's fridge.

How many bites does it take to finish the pie?

Yep, first up is food! I know, I know....the holiday season just ended. Many of you are probably cursing yourselves for eating way too much and half of you are likely on diets as your New Years' resolutions.

So instead of seeing this as me being mean for bring up so much yumminess....consider it virtual food instead. You can have as much virtual food as you want!

Now let's have some pie. How many bites does it take you to finish? Did you get better as you tried again and again?

Eat the pie!

Care for some cats?

How about some food instead? Or maybe some life tips and tricks?

Well it's a new year and I've gradually been working through all the fun stuff I have to share for you. Back in September and October, I did a lot of viewing, reading, deleting...and sorting.

If you remember NaBloPoMo back in November, it was all about art. Well guess what? I have a dozen or so other folders full of fun, hehe. No, I'm not going to do themes for the next 12 months or anything. If I tried doing that, all my current content would be used up, but then I'd have all this years' to get through!

I do have a few things I would like to clump together, though, but not all in one post for each, so I think I'm going to do a few weeks of sequences. I don't want it to get monotonous (can quirky get that way? yikes! I hope not!)

So consider this your warning. I'm getting some major quirkiness out of my bookmarks and into this blog...whether you like it or not! Hope you're ready. :P