We Like New Stuff....

iRobot Roomba 650 Vacuum Cleaning Robot

I had a friend ask me once why we bought our car "new". Honestly, I had never thought about it before. We never buy "new" "new" cars. They are usually last years model or even the year before. For one reason or another they have not been bought so we do. They are new to us.

But I will have to admit we do like new stuff. But I am not talking new as in this year's model, I am talking new as in only just invented. My husband just loves gadgets and his friends even buy him strange food for his birthday because they know he likes new and trendy.

We had the first Apple computer, electric knife, blender, food processor...and the list goes on and on. I even have a portable inductions burner unit because my husband thought it would be cool and we had never seen one like it!

So, you should not be surprised that we now are the proud owners of an iRobot vacuum. I can iron AND vacuum at the same time.

This little gadget may be my favorite of 55 years of the latest and greatest. I just love it but not for the reason you would imagine. I love it because is has so much personality.

The little thing has a name because I thought she needed one...Elsa has been with us for several weeks now and she seems to have a mind of her own. I talk to her when she get distracted and wanders off into a room that I had not planned on cleaning. You will find me chasing her down the hall. "Stop, stop! Where do you think you are going?"

She loves my dining room and when I set her to clean the kitchen, she will sneak around the corner and I will hear her bumping into chairs and exploring under the china hutch.

I have not told my friend about her yet. It takes a special person to understand my foibles. But, you can bet that her name will be coming up in the conversation. She just makes me laugh.

That is a very good thing!

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Travel: Things I Wish I'd Brought When I Got There

Sapa Rooms early in the Morning (Photo credit: Always at Home)

It is just the small stuff I wish I had...not the camera or even a dress for evening wear. When I travel I always wish I had some small item I left at home on purpose or didn't even know I needed. For example,

When we were in Vietnam last winter I saw beautiful sleeping bag liners in shop after shop.  Honestly, I haven't camped for years and did not even know such a thing existed!  But there they were in Hanoi...stacks and stacks of them. What do you use them for I asked my daughter-in-law and she shrugged her shoulders. Did I need one of those?  Well, it turns out, yes I did. 

When we boarded the night train in Hanoi for the long trip in a sleeping car, I took one look at the bed and shuddered. I get it now...that is why I need a silk sleeping bag liner! 

An article on the Lonely Planet website reminded me that beds even in up scale hotels can be full of bed bugs and other critters/crud. A pretty little silk sleep bag liner would be so nice. Now I see that we can buy this item on Amazon and they are called Sleeping Bag Liners. Who knew!

Electronics are another thing...

I went off to stay on an island south of Cambodia. The island resort was a jewel set in a small village. I did not see why I should take my ipad or my iphone along...after all we had our computer and the resort said there was a hook up for computers. It did not occur to me that "wireless" means I can use my iphone AND my ipad. What was I thinking? It turns out that remote does not mean disconnected in any way.

Wash clothes...

The lack of a good cloth to wash my face and body will drive me crazy but it turns out the rest of the world just does without such a thing. In order to get one of those precious pieces of material I have paid extra in resorts and even bought small towels.  It is such a simple thing yet in my world a necessary item.

When do those people eat and sleep? Bring information with you...

As I look back on all of the places we have been I can see that the single most important piece of information we needed was the sleeping and eating habits of the country we were visiting. 

When we were in Spain I never did figure out when the people worked or what their breakfast time was. We ate Tortilla Espana every morning but we never were out when the Spaniards were.

Get that information before you leave home...the museums will be on the postcards in your hotel and someone will send you on your way. But if you want to truly enjoy a country, you need to sit down and eat with the people. Find out when they eat breakfast and evening meals.

Paper vs online...

The last time we traveled I bemoaned the fact that we didn't have a good paper map in English...I know you can go online and get directions but still I like the idea of seeing the big picture and being able to lay the map out in front of me makes such a difference. Whether you are in Saigon, Vietnam or Granada, Spain, the shape of the city and location of the rivers is important. How can you picture the history or commerce of a location without one? I am going to take one with me no matter whether I am on US Interstate 80 or driving between Malaga and Seville Spain.

Every travel website can give you a list of the latest and coolest travel gadgets. In fact here is a list I wrote. But has anyone ever told you to pack a wash cloth...I didn't think so.

I'm just saying!!!

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Do they REALLY WORK? NECLINE SLIMMER, TV EARS, ALEN PURIFIER

I have been going a little nuts...my modem for our Internet service has gotten so slow and it is taking foreverrrrrrrr for my pages to load!!  Frustration does not become me.  But even at that, I still love all things techy or gadgetty or new.  Probably new is my "Black!"  Anything that come down the pike that might be a breakthrough, whether it be technology, medicine, writing or even art, I am very curious what it is all about.  I suppose that would be the reason I started blogging.  Everyday is a learning experience.

Some my recent favorites have been:

Neck Slimmer from the Amazon Store  Yes I do own one of these and I have several friends that use them too.  Really, these do work.  You sit in front of the TV doing nothing...just pick this little gadget up and do a few scrunches with it and you are done.  I even think my posture gets better because my neck is stronger.  It is not expensive and worth a try!

TV Ears These were a gift for my husband...and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THEM!!!  I don't actually use them but my husband does.  They sit on our dresser upstairs so if he decides to watch TV early in the morning or late at night he can do that without bothering me!  They really do work!

Alen Air Purifier
When we returned from the desert this last spring the pollen count was so high that asthma became a problem for me.  My husband came home with a terrible bout with Valley Fever.  The first thing we did was order this air purifier...it turned out to be one of the best purchases ever.  It has made a tremendous difference in our health.

My parents owned the very first TV in town and my husband has followed in his footsteps.  He has purchased every kitchen gadget known to man that has come on the market since 1960.  I have pasta makers, electric knives, ice cream makers, a huge Kitchen Aid mixer, an electronic thermometer...well you get the drift.  We have had one of those little fireplaces put out by the shakers for several years...before they became so popular...before global warming caused people to think about giving up the wood burning fireplace.  We were owners of the very first Apple computer back in the day when Steve Jobs attended Apple User workshops in Portland.  I am still an Apple user and we own a Apple MacBook Pro 
 as well as a desktop.  The desktop model is mine and I am using a wireless keyboard and mouse right now.  We are the gadget King and Queen!!!  If you know about something we don't have let us know...we will buy it and give it a try!!!  I don't know why but we just will!  

I am always on the look out for the new latest thing...even in makeup and fashion.  I just love that sort of thing.  You know I will always keep you in the loop...what is the fun in trying something new and not telling everyone you know what you know????  I know...people do avoid me sometimes but I guess I don't care!

Have a wonderful day.  If you would click on the follow button I would really appreciate it.  Thank you for reading. 

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