respublica

Now we can get a product we didn't think we needed.....and don't need. Chip Fingers! Protective finger covers for eating messy snacks. 

Cleaning your car advice

This sounds boring but I got suckered into looking at a website which has advice on cleaning every part of your car without having to spend money on a car detailer. The first one made me laugh and I almost decided not to continue, but, hey, I like a clean vehicle.

The first was doing the dirty floor mats. If you have the fiber type you do know how blackened they can get from all kinds of dirt. So the advice is to first use a fabric stain remover to lift up some of the dirt and then toss them in the washing machine. Supposedly they'll come out as good as new. Frankly, I'd be hesitant to put those in the machine, the wet weight might not be good for the washer after the spin cycle.

Also, use hair conditioner instead of wax to get that car to shine. Not going to try this either.

But using WD 40 to get sticker stuff off windows or bumpers should work. WD is one of those miracle products.

And, pour a can of Coke over your windshield to clean it. The fizz will supposedly fizz away the grime, but then you'll have a sticky mess that will attract more dust so you have to rinse really well. Not doing this.

Use a coffee filter to dust the dash board. They are made of lint free material which grabs the dust and holds on to it. Hey, maybe this will work for dusting furniture.

Anyway, if you want to see more hints, here is the link.

Scooter litter

Earlier this month I wrote about the electric scooters which have become as common as sparrows these days. They end up being left by people who rent them in all kinds of odd places. Last night we came across one on the campus and it's still here this morning. We really doubt it was left there by a seminary person so the question is who left it and why here? Did it run out of current?

Oh deer

This is an odd law. In Illinois if you hit and kill a deer you can keep it. If you witness someone else hitting and killing a deer and he doesn't want it, you can take it. But, and this is the odd part, you can only take that deer if you are and Illinois resident not behind on child support payments.

What an odd codicil to a road kill law.

Poop signs

Springfield Missouri came up with a great idea after a growing problem of dog poop in public places. They had signs made and put them around their downtown parks and parking lots in hopes people will start picking up after their dogs.

We need to get some of these. There are too many dog owners who think they don't have to do this.

Let there be no light

This is the nuttiest thing I've come across in a long time. From The Economist : "There is little evidence that light and electricity truly transform people's lives."

This was from a supposedly smart periodical. One wag commented: "Did....A candle write this?"

Another wrote: "Easy to say when you’ve had it all your life. Experiment: I would love to see the author of this article live w/o electricity for a few months."

 

As if there wasn't enough to worry about

Now comes a suggestion from the New York Times to clean the remote in hotel rooms you stay in. "It's touched by everyone but rarely cleaned."

Let's talk pockets

I bought a couple of new pairs of light cordoroy slacks last week knowing the temperatures were going to drop and shorts just wouldn't cut it. It wasn't long before I wore one of the pairs last night that the pockets were tiny. So tiny, in fact, one car key would not fit in them at all. This frustrates me because I see no need to lug around a purse everywhere I go to hold my wallet, car key and phone. I'd like at least one pocket like men get in their clothes.

Why do womens' clothing makers do this to us? It reminded me of an article I read sometime back in which the woman writer confessed she wants to wear men's clothes. She wants to wear them because they have real pockets. I never understand why so many women carry around pretty big purses and wonder just what they need that requires such a big thing. And, do they need all that's in the purse everywhere they go? Isn't it easier to go to the grocery store without a purse dangling over a shoulder or plopped in the cart?

Here is the reason I found for the lack, or tiny-ness of pockets on womens' slacks/shorts/skirts. It's aesthetics. "pockets give an outline or the fabric for the pocket bump out on the sides especially since pants for women are pretty tight and no pockets = smooth thigh area at a distance. Think this is quite noticeable for tuck-in tops aka the pants are high waisted Having pockets on the sides can make hips look bigger too which is a no no most of the time."

This is kind of nonsense. Not all pants for women are yogo-style tight. Khaki slacks could easily be made with pockets. So could shorts in summer.

In the end, it's good it's getting chilly. Light jackets for women are still made with decent pockets and the often have zippers to keep things from falling out.

Those electric scooters

You've probably seen them sitting around sidewalks or next to curbs, electric scooters which more and more people are using to get around. You get yourself a code which will allow you to use any scooter sitting alone anywhere. I'm sure there's a fee involved. The issue for many people is how dangerous this is becoming at worst, and how annoying at the least.

When you use a scooter to get where you're going you can leave it anywhere. We've seen them left all over our neighborhood, including right in the middle of driveable alleys and on sidewalks. There has been a spate of these left on the campus, especially on the edges of campus. I don't have a particular problem with them except for the problematic places they're left, but most importantly, how dangerous they are. Several times I've started to back out of our driveway and there came someone zooming down the street on a scooter not paying any attention. And, when they are on busy local streets, like Demun you just don't see them.

Why this year has become so busy with these scooters when the lime green scooter of a couple of years ago were a bit of a flop, I don't know.

But, one man in Florida got so weary of the many scooters littering his neighborhood, lawns, sidewalks and streets that he took to going out in the middle of the night and disabling them. More than 140 were vandalized in the Fort Lauderdale area and police blame this man. Police set out surveillance cameras and caught Randall Williams walking around the neighborhood in a stealthy fashion, utilizing the shadows and the alleyways to conceal his movements. He would walk up to an electrical scooter on the street, slap a white sticker on its QR code, and cut its brake lines, essentially rendering it impossible to use.

He was arrested and booked on charges of criminal mischief, resisting officers, and loitering or prowling. He was released Monday after posting $500 in bond.

He must have really been upset by these scooters.

Seeing double

Have you ever gone to multiple events in one week and see the same people at each? This is our week.