Erin H

Love the cool, crisp flavor of a gin and tonic during cocktail hour? Lucky for us, there's no good reason that fragrant lime flavor has to be relegated to a cocktail shaker. Why not bring it on over to the dessert side of things? 

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When I was a kid, I thought parachutes came from a magic closet that my teacher only had access to on the most super-duper special of days. Well, was I wrong. Turns out any ol' person can get a parachute and play with it, whenever they want! Well, what are we waiting for? Time to get us... I mean, our kids, a parachute, and bring something new and exciting to outside play time.

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Adele, “Rumour Has It”
Tina Turner, “I Don’t Wanna Fight”
Bette Midler, “The Rose”

Plot synopsis

It's like Alien vs. Predator, but deeper!

Noted adventurer Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) goes out on a routine exploratory spelunking mission, only to find the unexpected: Han Solo (Harrison Ford) frozen in carbonite! Fearing it to be a homicide, Jones calls the police, who immediately send two of their best officers to the scene: Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) and Sgt. Joe Gavilan (Harrison Ford).

All the clues point to none other than Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford), who is already on the run from the law. The only problem? He's no where to found... on land! No,  sneaky Dr. Kimble has escaped with Captain Alexei Vostrikov (Harrison Ford) in his nuclear submarine!

In the end, though, the officers are able to locate the criminals and bring them to justice, thanks, in part, to some help from research scientist Norman Spencer (Harrison Ford), attorney Henry Turner (Harrison Ford), and CIA analyst Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford). For their heroic efforts, they are all thanked personally by President James Marshall (Harrison Ford).

But does hard-headed Rick Deckard care about the commander-in-chief? No way! He'd rather sneak out of the luncheon being held in his honor and go home to his small, untidy apartment, where he can finally sit down on his couch (Harrison Ford), kick his feet up on the coffee table (Harrison Ford), and crack open a cold beer (Harrison Ford) to relax after a hard day's work (Harrison Ford [uncredited])!

Today we welcome Jeri Dansky to our Unclutterer content team. She’ll have a weekly post full of uncluttering and organizing advice that is guided by her many successful years as a professional organizer.

What would happen if you became seriously ill and a family member or friend had to make sure you and your household were properly taken care of?

Of course, it’s wise to have a living will and a durable power of attorney for health care or the equivalents. (The specific documents you need will depend on where you live.) You’ll also want a financial power of attorney or whatever legal document provides a similar ability to manage your money on your behalf. Consider consulting with an estate attorney to make sure you’re prepared in this regard.

Even with these legal documents in place, you still have some preparation to do. Think of all the things someone would need to know in order to run your life on your behalf. Here are just a few:

1. What medicines are you taking? Do you have any allergies? What immunizations have you had? What are the major events in your medical history: surgeries, etc.?
2. If you have pets, what do they get fed, and when? Are they taking any medications? If so, where are those medications and how do they get taken?
3. What’s the password to pick up your voice mail messages? How would someone check your email?
4. Where is your calendar — and if it’s online, how does it get accessed? Are there any standing appointments that should be cancelled?
5. Where is your address book — and again, how does it get accessed if it’s online? Who should be notified if there’s a serious problem?
6. Do you have a post office box where mail should be checked? Where’s the key for the box?
7. What regular bills get paid automatically, and which ones need to get paid manually? Will someone need access to your online bill paying systems? Will someone need the PIN for your ATM card?
8. Is there a home alarm system? If so, how does it work?
9. Are there any quirks about your home that someone should know about? For example, in my home, the switch for the garbage disposal is hard to find.

It may seem, at first, that pulling this information together only matters if you’re single — but actually, everyone could benefit by gathering this information and sharing it with trusted people. Sometimes, one spouse or life partner doesn’t know everything the other one does. And, there are scenarios where both spouses or partners would need help at the same time.

It’s natural to avoid thinking about the chance of anything bad happening to us — but it’s a real kindness to your friends and family to take the time to pull this information together, just in case it’s needed. I remember being in the emergency room with my mom, filling out the hospital admission forms and trying desperately to remember if it was her left hip or her right that got replaced some years ago. When Mom had surgery and was away from home for weeks, I was glad I knew all the little things to do, such as canceling her weekly appointment at the beauty salon. While it wouldn’t have been a tragedy if I didn’t cancel that appointment, it was a nice courtesy. It also comforted my mom to know I’d be taking care of such things for her.

Need help getting organized? Buy the DRM-free audiobook version of Erin Rooney Doland's Unclutter Your Life in One Week today for only $8.99.

Limited Edition Star Wars Cases for iPhone 5
• $31.76
• Firebox 
These veer well into geek territory, but these Limited Edition Star Wars Cases for iPhone 5 are so well done, I can't help admire the details of each character represented. I was compelled to share in the (new) hope some young Padawan out there can enjoy protecting and adorning his or her device as a furry Chewie, golden C3-PO, cheerful R2D2, or fear-inducing Darth Vader.

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Source: Sport Balls Replaced With Cats

Submitted by: Garrett858

Tagged: sports , photoshop , Cats Share on Facebook

For the first time in Taste of Chicago’s history, food trucks will be a part of the festival. [ more › ]

In news that will make you throw up in your mouth a little bit, here’s Shouchuu, wasp-infused vodka. It’s made in Japan by a man called Kumamoto. He captures a bunch of live wasps in a mason jar filled with vodka. Then, the concoction ferments for a while. How long? I don’t know, until Kumamoto says all the gooey guts and bug brains has seeped in. So, basically the wasps drown in a vat of booze? Well, that’s one way to go! In fact, I wouldn’t mind if that’s the way I croak. Jk jk, yes I would mind. A LOT. Not just because my life would be over and my family would be devastated, completely lost without me, but mainly because I didn’t get a chance to go to try those new Cool Ranch Doritos Loco Tacos yet!

The National Hockey League and a sports-oriented anti-homophobia advocacy group announced Thursday they are joining forces to provide players with tolerance training and other programs.

With stories from all over the globe, with special attention to Midwestern artists, the Wisconsin Film Festival is one you won’t want to miss. [ more › ]

Artist Landon Meier of Hyperflesh brings us these Lifelike Baby Masks. For just $350 you can have your own! Just choose from one of three different varieties: digusted baby, happy baby, and cry baby. As you can see with your now terrified eyeballs, each is creepy as hell. It’s like these things went to the All U Can Creep buffet and went back for seconds. And used the same plate. Rude! Also, extremely unhygenic. What? I take my buffeting very seriously! Notice my fat gut and my ability to shovel food into my mouth at an alarming pace. I’m gonna get my $12.99 worth!

We've got posts galore about productivity and information resource apps. But sometimes you're in dire need of a small break and a laugh. When that need arises, may I offer a recommendation: Face Stealer. Emily and I spent this weekend chuckling profusely as we both virtually tried on an assortment of faces ranging from a dog, to an anime character, to the President, to our favorite Lannister...

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Here’s a pair of Batman Boxer Briefs that come with a detachable cape. You can have some of these superhero drawls of your own for just $18. That’s a steal! Until you consider the fact that you’re spending twenty bucks on a pair of unders that no one’s ever gonna see. These are exactly the type of thing my mom would buy for my brother because she wants him to be a virgin for life. I know this may come as a shock to you but the Batman boxer briefs that come with a cape? Also doubles as a Chastity Belt.

The much-discussed Cosmopolitan article in which Against Me! frontwoman Laura Jane Grace discusses her first year living as a woman is now online. The revealing piece touches on aspects of Grace's home and family life, as well as the therapy, the physical changes and finding an ally in Joan Jett:

One of the first people I received a letter of support from after coming out was Joan Jett, who I knew a little from doing the Warped Tour together in 2006. Joan is a hero of mine and a rock-and-roll pioneer. When she started out, the rock scene was predominantly male. She defied gender stereotypes all on her own. My daughter, Evelyn, is also a huge Joan Jett fan. She asks for Joan's records to be played and adores her Joan Jett Barbie doll. Against Me! went through New York City on tour with The Cult in June, and I asked Joan if she'd sing a song with us. She and her band had covered The Replacements' "Androgynous" onstage, and The Replacements are one of my all-time favorite bands. Joan was into the idea! Singing together onstage, I felt so confident and grateful for her support. Back on the tour bus after the show, I watched, astonished, as Joan Jett leaned down and tucked an excited Evelyn, who was supposed to be asleep, into bed.

Check out the article here. It's worth noting that some readers of the piece took umbrage with the use of male pronouns in its intro; Grace herself tweeted, "For anyone who was concerned, I am totally comfortable with the way @cosmopolitan referenced my male past, all part of my story. Thanks!"

What do you do when you get the urge to play in a playground style ball pit? You could haul ass to IKEA, but they are pretty strict about the maximum height in Småland. Do not ask how I know that. One couple decided to do what any ball pit lover should do – they built one right in their living room. Luckily for us, they documented it in this neat video. The project required about 8,000 colorful plastic balls and a large gate/play yard. In the end, it does look pretty darn sweet to kick back and relax in this way.

Submitted by: Unknown

Tagged: otter , ice cream sandwich Share on Facebook

I totally adore this concept.

In The House Party, Ohanesian continues his exploration of architecture and place, faithfully creating a spatially accurate, quintessentially American suburban home, which he displaces from its native suburban landscape by reconstructing it within the walls of the Boiler, a repurposed urban-industrial space currently functioning as a contemporary art gallery. The House is then opened up to the public for a house party on the opening night of the exhibition. In this at once creative and destructive act, the artist enlists the audience to provide the final element of the work itself, giving each viewer the unique opportunity to physically leave his or her own scar on the House, by partying within it throughout the evening.

SimCity's reboot has seen its fair share of tumult since launching for PC earlier this year -- massive queues to log in, downed servers, and a messy (attempted) public relations cleanup. Things have more or less leveled off for the game since its rocky start, and its developer, EA Maxis, is now ready to launch the game on OS X. Or rather, as we read this, "You can finally delete that version of SimCity you've got on your Windows partition and play it natively in OS X." Huzzah! The OS X version of SimCity launches on June 11th, and you can snag it for free if you've already purchased a PC version (and vice versa). Even better, both PC and Mac players can play together, cross-platform.

Similarly thrilling, the game's "cheetah" speed (its fastest speed) is back, and EA Maxis is promising a 2.0 version of its game. Beyond fixing a variety of bugs, it's unknown what's in the update, but we're fairly confident it won't enable an offline version of the game (as so, so many players have requested) given EA's repeated refusal to enable as much. When pushed on a release date for the update, EA reps told Engadget it'll arrive "well ahead of the June 11 Mac launch." Sounds to us like that Mac version will ship with Update 2.0 enabled, but EA wouldn't confirm as much.

Filed under: Gaming, Software

Comments

Via: Joystiq

Source: Facebook, EA

LightDims
• $5.99 
• LightDims

It's funny how I wrote about these extremely useful stickers ages ago, but I've only gotten around recently to using them myself...and my goodness, they're really handy. Each pack contains 100 pre-cut stickers in variety of sizes designed to block 50%-80% of light coming from home electronics and appliance devices polluting your room at night (with everything on, it's like Las Vegas up in here).

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Vadering was the new Dragon Ball Z-ing which was the new Planking. Now there’s Quidditching, which I guess is the new Vadering. Japanese school boys started this round of meme-ing with these photos of Quidditch matches IRL. What’s next? My money is on ET-ing. That’s when a kid sits in the basket of a bicycle and a different kid rides the bike to the moon. Annnnd hopefully never comes back. Kids these days, amirite? Back in my day, things were simple. There weren’t any video gadgets or iPats. We chased each other around with sharpened sticks and threw rocks at the ground. Sure it wasn’t very fun, but at least it wasn’t complicated.

 

 

From 12 p.m.-2 a.m. tomorrow, Headquarters Beercade is offering all of its beers for $3 to celebrate the anniversary of the end of Prohibition. [ more › ]

Hans Christian Andersen would have been 208 years old today, if he was some kind of ageless wizard. His birthday, April 2, was chosen in 1967 for the annual observance of International Children’s Book Day.

And speaking of children’s books, here’s an alphabet mural I painted on my daughter’s wall when she was a newborn. Somehow, she’s turning seven this year and will probably want this painted over one of these days, sigh. I posted these photos on the blog many years ago as I finished each letter, but here they are in one place. Click for larger images.

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Just like any internationally famous celeb, we know A LOT of personal details about Barbie. We know what her depressing home life with Ken is like, we know that she’s a hoarder, and we even know what she looks like under her skin. But what we’ve never seen is what she looks like without makeup. Until now. Mexico based artist and designer Eddi Aguirre shows us what she’d look like au naturel. I’d like to say she’s still beautiful and doesn’t need makeup, woman power, and all that… buuuut… the thing is… she looks kinda busted. She’s got heavy bags under her eyes, weird smile lines, freckles, acne, frizzy hair, and—okay the braces are actually pretty cute.

Chicago lost one of its greatest writers today. [ more › ]

The Chicago Architecture Blog visually catalogued all the rocks studded on the Tribune Tower's facade. [ more › ]

Fired Rutgers University basketball coach Mike Rice said today he had "no excuse" for the abusive way he treated players -- behavior that was captured on video. The school dismissed Rice earlier today. FULL STORY

King of partying Andrew W.K. has announced that he will be providing vocals for Marky Ramone's Blitzkrieg. In an interview with fuse the two gave more details on Blitzkrieg, stating that the band's sets would be comprised of Ramones covers. With the news of Andrew W.K.'s participation in the project also came the announcement of several tour dates across the world. The tour kicks of May 3rd.