Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone!

This year, there is a lot to be thankful for … finishing my doctorate, moving back to the USA, and all of my wonderful friends and family!

Just upgraded the comments on the site from the standard Wordpress ones to a plug-in powered by Disqus.  The service will let you use a single sign-in across the web … it integrates with Facebook and Twitter accounts, plus works with a range of other services.

Cheers!

What could be more traditional than a handmade baseball or football?

These balls, while being artisanal products, are made for play, according the maker.  I would love to have a couple of these balls in my bag for when I want to play catch or have a special game of toss.  Of the balls that are currently on for sale, I like the blue & white baseball but for some reason, this football makes me sick!  But, except for that one football of the wrong color^, the rest are amazing creations!

The baseballs are particularly interesting because they are based on one of the earliest types of balls used to play baseball, the “lemon peel ball” – many of which were originally a dark color … sometimes even red, like a cricket ball.  Read more »

GE Monitor Top

I have posted about the Antique Appliance company before and the stove they have which would make a great addition to my future kitchen … but they also do fridges!

Of all the vintage fridges that they have, the most iconic to me has to be the GE Monitor Top.  It was not the first domestic refrigeration unit on the market, but was the first unit that saw widespread use.  Sold from 1927 till 1936, they were available in a wide range of formats – single door, multiple door, and the “Globe Top” version.  Hundreds, maybe thousands, are still in service today … and with a refurbish, like in the photos to the left, they could work for another 50+ years.

With their unique styling and durable construction, they are very popular with a wide-range of collectors and designers.  Personally, I think that one would look great in a modern kitchen and, with the color scheme that Jill and I have for our kitchen, a bright blue one – like in the photo – would be ideal.  Then again, a plain white one would also work (in case you didn’t catch-on, our kitchen color scheme is blue and white)! Read more »

On the weekend before my birthday, we grilled out for the first time this year … made some lovely kebabs on a little disposable grill.

Also took some photos of our little flowers … they brighten up our patio nicely!

Read more »

Over the Easter weekend, we did a little gardening around our patio!  It was in preparation for a summer of sunshine and to brighten up the patio (which had become very dreary-looking over the winter).  It is full of flowers and herbs – not trying to grow any veg this year, but the blueberry plants are still going strong!

Read more »

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Everyone is Irish today! Go out and enjoy a pint of the black stuff!

Top Gear bills itself as the World’s Greatest Car Show and I would have to agree that it is. Top Gear is a BBC tradition – the original format ran from 1977 to 2001, with the current version running from 2002 till today. It is one of the few car shows that is not all about super-fast and cool-looking cars. In reality, while it is a car show, it is as much a show about three friends who love cars … and have a great time together. To see what I mean, read this piece from Slate. Read more »

Ecosteal is a new site to pick up the random deal.  Unlike many other ‘discount’ sites, it does not have pages full of items, instead they only offer one item at a time (generally at 40-80% off) until all are sold.  Then (and only then) does a new deal appear online.

In many ways, it is the exact opposite of eBay, Amazon, and the like.  So, while it is not the place that you will be turning to for all of your shopping, it is a place to keep an eye on (or join their alerts) to pick-up the occasional deal/gift.