New Favorite Things

[ironbut]

Electrolux Oxygen Vacuum Cleaner!

I burned out the motor on my old vacuum and found one of these on Amazon refurbished and less than half the cost of a new one.

I've used a ton of vacuums at rich folks houses and loved the European ones which are quiet and suck real good!

The Oxygen has even more suction and is super quiet. It also has a hepa filter that filters the room air as you clean which is cool since all vacuums have an exhaust which stirs up the dust in the air.

I've only had this beauty for a couple of weeks but it's such a pleasure to use, I'm looking for a long haired pet that sheds a shit load!

Thanks Vicki for starting this thread. It's provided me with an outlet to rave about something that isn't audio related!

[tyrion]

Al, nice Minimus. I just ordered my second pair. I don't run in them, just use them for walking around:

[postjack]

I wore birkenstocks for years, but finally ditched them for a pair of Chacos, since all my live music buddies swear by them. They got the ultimate test (for my purposes) at Phish's Superball IX festival last month in Watkins Glen, NY. they tore my feet up a little, as all sandals do, but in no time I got used to them. I love them and want to wear them everywhere now. Super comfortable, super rugged, and the first sandal that doesn't make my big toe hurt. Definitely a new favorite thing.

I am intrigued by the sippy cups in this thread. will check out.

[Dusty Chalk]

Dell U2410 IPS LCD monitor. It does have a bit of sparkle on it though due to the antiglare coating. I don't have the guts to do the antireflection coat mod though and it doesn't bother me much at all.

More than any other 1200 line monitor? Curious, considering asking the boss for a couple of 1200 monitors for work.

[manaox2]

More than any other 1200 line monitor? Curious, considering asking the boss for a couple of 1200 monitors for work.

I haven't compared with other Dell monitors. It hasn't given me any problems though, I bought it to be able to see what was going on in dark pictures, games, video, etc. and to be able to see easily from a distance. It helps a lot since I have it on a studio desk placed slightly above me eye line. It replaced a 27.5" hanns-g LCD monitor.

[grawk]

indian mysore coffee, which is back in stock at oldbisbeeroasters.com

[boomana]

indian mysore coffee, which is back in stock at oldbisbeeroasters.com

Agreed and ordered. Thanks for the heads up.

[acidbasement]

The view out my back door makes me very happy. It's even better when there are cattle visible.

I suppose the view is not particularly new, but we put the house there quite recently.

Edited August 3, 2011 by acidbasement

[cetoole]

Moisture wicking clothing! Why didn't anyone tell me about this stuff before? I'd been working out in any old cotton tee shirt and cheap pants and bras I could find, figuring why spend the money. On impulse I bought a couple Coolmax and other brand tees, and threw out all my cotton tee shirts, minus a couple, immediately, and bought new workout pants. I even found nice blouses I can wear to work. Sooo much nicer in the Florida summer.

Of note, though not exactly moisture wicking, Under Armour makes a great "charged cotton" that's super soft and even has a couple nice fem-fitted ones without the logo for regular wear tees. Even if they get sweaty, they dry quickly. I like them so much, I now have five.

Do you actually notice a difference with the charged cotton? I always assumed that was a gimmick. Definitely agreed on the wicking clothing though, I wear one of these v-necks under my button shirts every day and have had almost no sweat marks on the outer shirt this summer even walking 4+ miles outside every day. Love the 95% Micro Modal / 5% Lycra mix, the fitted poly wicking undershirts I have tried felt like wearing garbage bags in comparison.

Vicki, this is a great thread. These are a few of my favorite things:

All things Under Armour for working out. And the Boxer Jocks are great.

Apple Magic TrackPad. I've come to love this thing.

Brooks Brothers Non-Iron Shirts

Oxo 2 oz. Measuring Cup

Alden #8 Cordovans (shoes)

Duck Bill Design money clip

Harmony One remote control

I need to get some shell in my life, though really want it in boot form. BB non iron is convenient, I just don't like the cut, pocket, or box pleat. I think the luxury ones fix the last two of these, and a tailor could fix the first...

Al, I worked out in my New Balance Minimus for the first time today, and can now put them on my new fav list. It was a fairly all-over-the-place routine, starting with burpees and crawling around on the floor to 100m runs (I walked) for a warm up, then numerous snatch-grip dead lifts with a five second hold in the hang position, then more reps with a ten second hold in the down/squat position, then a WOD that was AMRAP 7 wall shots (squats then throwing up a medicine ball on the wall), 7 knees to elbows from the hang bar, and 7 burpees (I got 4.2 done). With my tilted ankle, I often wobble. Did not! Did not! Did not! I especially noticed it on the dead lifts, and naturally sunk back on my heels rather than having to think about doing so. I love these shoes!

Raffy, just try them on. I liked them so much in the store, I didn't want to put my very comfy sandals back on. If you're not sold on the "barefoot" shoes (Colin and George have the Merrell's I think), you might want to check out the Newton's. I know two women who do the Ironman competitions, and both swear by them. They also came highly recommended by the guy helping me at Runner's Edge.

http://www.newtonrunning.com/

They're a bit pricier than the others, but they might be worth it.

I tried the mimimus on last night, still felt like there was a decent amount of heel-toe drop compared to my Merrells which are dead neutral, and I didn't find them as comfortable. For actual running though the Saucony Kinvaras are still my favorite, pretty minimal but still with a bit of padding.

The view out my back door makes me very happy. It's even better when there are cattle visible.

I suppose the view is not particularly new, but we put the house there quite recently.

That would make me too hungry, seeing all of that steak walking around outside my window.

[raffy]

Thanks for all the minimal running shoe opinions gang! Just ordered a MB MT20, Merrell Trail Glove and Saucony Kinvara 2 from Zappos.com. I'm only keeping one though.....

[cetoole]

Oh, and forgot to actually list my Sous Vide Supreme demi water oven. That thing always makes me happy. Mobile internet on my phone never fails either. Music, obviously.

[deepak]

Oh, and forgot to actually list my Sous Vide Supreme demi water oven. That thing always makes me happy. Mobile internet on my phone never fails either. Music, obviously.

Too many S-V haters on HC...that have never tried it

[raffy]

Got my box of minimal shoes today....so far I like the Kinvara 2s the best then it's very close between the Minimus and the Trail Gloves.

I'm not sure what to think of the really low stack height of the Minimus and Trail Glove while the Kinvaras are a bit higher off the ground (while still having a low tow/heel drop-off) which I seem to prefer. The yellow/green color scheme rocks too

[Dusty Chalk]

Okay, I have to add my crockpot that I got for ... my birthday? Christmas? I forget...finally got to the point where I use it regularly. It's awesome.

[grawk]

I have to say, using a crockpot for 4 hrs while you're at home kinda misses the point...

[Voltron]

I have to say, using a crockpot for 4 hrs while you're at home kinda misses the point...

Not to pile on, but that was what I was thinking too. Aren't they made for turning on in the morning, leaving the house, and then returning home to slow cooked foodstuffs?

[Torpedo]

While you can do that, you may also use them to slow-cook food that may taste better being made that way than on conventional pots. Beans, chickpeas, and some meats like tongue taste wonderful when very slow cooked. Sol makes one of the best "fabes" (white beans stew) I've ever eaten, they take about 14 hours to cook, so she leaves them overnight.

Edited August 5, 2011 by Torpedo

[Voltron]

All true, but Dan (I think) and I (I'm sure) were noting that Dusty doesn't seem to leave the crock pot going when he leaves home, which is one of the key features.

[revolink24]

Pelikan Pura and Lamy Safari Vista fountain pens. They make me want to write rather than dread it.

IBM Model M Keyboard, still my favorite typing experience ever.

Two things I can't do without in my electronics work, Hakko 936 and Fluke 115. These are obvious to anyone that has used them.

[Dusty Chalk]

I don't trust my housemate enough to leave it alone.

[Pars]

2nd or 3rd or whatever the moisture-wicking fabrics. I wear a couple of Adidas Climalite tees when I ride.

HP calculators... like this one:

Edited August 5, 2011 by Pars

[Voltron]

I don't trust my housemate enough to leave it alone.

Ah. The old spunk in the crock pot trick, eh? Bummer.

[Dusty Chalk]

I don't think she's going to go quite that far, but she's done other things right in front of me that I'd rather just not take the chance.

[recstar24]

Starbucks treat receipts. $2 fraps noice.

My casio priva full 88 digital keyboard with weighted keys.

Good diapers.

Bike carriage for Molly.

[boomana]

Oral-B Pulsonic Sonic Toothbrush

I know that there are snazzier ones out there, but I like that it's small, lightweight, quiet, and the charge lasts at least a couple weeks, so it's good for travel. It also comes with a precision brush head that's good for getting in between my teeth.

I put a steripod on it, and toss it in my purse to go to work: