Two is better than one

Due to technical difficulties - and exhaustion - I didn't post yesterday. Isn't it odd how we always have to make up excuses? Thus, today is a double post!
Anyway, today I'm eighty-sixing (to Goodwill) another pair of sunglasses and a bottle of Glucosamine Chondroitin (to a friend at work). The former were another one of my impulse gas stations buys, the latter I bought for my knees. After years of athletic abuse - which continues to this day - I thought I would take some of this to build back all that cartilage that I wore out. But, after buying it and removing the safety seal, I learned that it contains shellfish. Hence, a direct violation of my vegetarian lifestyle. The problem is that it says they expired on 2/09, so who knows if their any good. I'll let my co-worker be the judge of that. The thing is I think I paid a pretty penny for these horse pills - something like $15 - so it's still worth trying to give to someone else. I did find out that you can buy a vegetarian version, so I'll look into that (I'm sure they cost even more).

Cyclops

I like sunglasses. I used to have a nasty habit of buying a pair on a regular basis at truck stops I frequented for gas during my trips back and forth to law school. My car always contacted a back-up pair for my back-up pair. Then, I was given a pair of really nice sunglasses from one of my friends and I decided that one nice pair of sunglasses is all one really needs. Thus, I think I can eighty-six some of the old ones, particularly this pair (for obvious reasons). Too bad, I really looked cool in them...

Let there be (book) light

The book light has gone through many a transformation since it's early beginnings. I've had many book lights, but my first was a chunky one from I think Borders (which is pretty much closing down and is killing me..where can I go hide at lunch now?). The problem with my first book light is that it weighs so much there is no way to even put it on the book to read it. Besides, book lights seems to be going the way of books - the dodo bird. It seems we will all eventually have to adjust to a world of ebooks. I'm sure Gutenberg's monument in Mainz will soon be holding a Kindle instead of a real book. This makes me want to cry every time I think about it, as a writer and a self-proclaimed bibliophile, but it's the sad reality of things.
I will say that I'm only eighty-sixing my first book light because it's too bulky to be practical, not because I've completely abandoned books in print. That would be insane.
Photo soon to follow...stay tuned.

Here it is (and only a day later!):

Stop hanging around

As promised, two posts in one day! This second post is about a blue lanyard. It's completely generic, has no insignia (that's a first), and has been hanging in the hallway downstairs for years. I already have one of these for work, and another one in my desk at work, so there is no point in this redundancy! Thus, in the trash it goes. Besides, I'll probably get a couple more of them at a conference or two this year that I attend (the whole time I'll be lamenting about the lack of sticky notes).

Useless cables

I found a drawer full of cables. I know they've been in there a long time as I've never used any of them. I don't have enough technology know-how to even understand what they go to. Mark inspected them and came to the conclusion that I should see what they go to before throwing them out - I told him OK, but this probably just means they'll go back in a drawer for another few years until I actually throw them out. I don't have the time to cross-reference cable ends to all of the pieces of technology I own. But, there was one he approved eighty-sixing; not even his technology-minded brain can figure out what it goes to. I think finding all of these cables has been good for me; in the future I will use a marker to mark them so I can distinguish what they are supposed to be used for (and then I expect they will still go in a drawer for several years before I rid myself of them!).
I will have one more eighty-six later today - to make up for yesterday - stand by.

Eye Opener

I like to try new face stuff on occasion. During a weak moment, I bought some Neutrogena "Instant Eye Reliever." As someone who has trouble sleeping, I thought it would help with my dark circles that I sometimes get. First off, Neutrogena is a child company to Johnson & Johnson. As long as I've ever known, the latter tests on animals. If I'm wrong, feel free to correct me (I know I'm not). Thus, it must have been a seriously weak moment when I bought this product. Second, for a product that you are supposed to put around your eye, I've never had something burn as much as this product does when it inadvertently gets in my eyes. It just happens - even if you're super careful - that a product you put around your eyes will get in your eyes at some point. Third, I didn't notice any difference.
Thus, this product is eighty-sixed.

Not safe for climbing

Nowadays it seems like every time I go to a conference I get one of those faux mountain climbing clips with an endorsement/company name on it. I had three hanging down in the hallway for at least a year. I took them to work today, careful to remind the person I gave them to that they aren't for climbing.
I remember when people gave sticky notes and awesome pens out at conferences. I miss those days. You can't ever go wrong with sticky notes and pens and you can never have too many. One you have more than one climbing clip - as I use one for my keys - you're pretty much set.