Remember Rubber Coin Purses?

What a blast from the past!  I came across these rubber coin purses at the souvenir shop at Mount Rushmore a few weeks ago..

I haven't seen (or noticed) these things in stores since I was a kid.  I along with many of my friends used to carry these around in the 70s and 80s.  I personally liked how they kept all of my change as well as various boyhood items like firecrackers, arcade tokens, and Cracker Jack toys neatly contained.  For us kids, these coin purses were a Godsend, because change wouldn't fall out of our pockets when we were running, biking, or sitting down.

The coin purse was created back in 1951, and was quite popular for the next three or four decades.  They were handed out as freebies by supermarkets, liquor stores, restaurants, banks, and many other types of businesses.  My prized coin purse had print on it which made it look like a football.  My dentist gave me one once that was red with a set of white teeth printed on it, which made it look like a mouth opening and closing when you squeezed it.  Something about the manufacturing process ensured that the print wouldn't get scratched or wear off (at least on the top quality brands like Quikoin).

I'm truly saddened that these coin purses are nearly extinct, but maybe more so because of the reasons why.  Folks simply don't use much legal tender these days.  Cash has become an annoyance to many, and we've largely become a society that is now paying with plastic for most items.  If I remember correctly, my old coin purses used to hold about $3.00 - $4.00 in silver coins quite comfortably.  When I was a kid, that kind of money could keep a kid fed and entertained for the better part of a day.  Sadly today.. it cannot.

When Susan B. Anthony Dollars were released, you could load your coin purse up and run around town like a big shot!  With the new dollar coins available today, I guess you could fill it up and carry about ten bucks in coin on you.  Which gets me to thinking.. 


I believe I'm going to peruse my junk drawers to see if I can dig up some of my old coin purses.  Call me crazy.. but I dig using cash rather than plastic, and a rubber coin purse is still a very useful item for someone like myself who does a lot of biking.  I've also got a few ideas running through my head in regards to re-purposing them.  I'll let you know what I dig up..

Book Review - Fitness for Geeks

Fitness for Geeks 
Real Science, Great Nutrition and Good Health
by Bruce W. Perry

It seems that in this day and age of technology, many folks find themselves spending more time in front of a computer than staying physically active.  That in itself can create all kinds of problems, and wreak havoc on ones health.  Enter 'Fitness for Geeks' a book that deciphers the path to living fit in a modern day technology driven world.

The author expresses that a geek is someone who spends a huge amount of time analyzing the fine points of whatever interests them.  Since I seem to fit into that general description of "Geek", this book was right up my alley.  I've been rebooting my life as of late, and health is one of my top priorities to get a handle on.  'Fitness for Geeks' has helped me immensely in this matter by showing me many fixes are a matter of simple math or chemistry.  This is exactly what I needed at this point of my fitness reboot, as I often tend to think my body somehow has different needs nutritionally than what tried and true nutritional rules dictate.

The thing I really dig about this book, is how it's put together.  The author breaks down the basic ways our bodies work, and how to maximize our "pre-installed software" to our benefit.  A multitude of graphs, and discussions on fitness, nutrients and exercise, help to explain our physical makeup in a scientific, yet incredibly interesting manner.

Mind you.. this is not a diet handbook but rather, a guide that educates you as to what works and what will not in regards to staying fit.  As complex as some of the concepts of food chemistry and phytochemicals may be to grasp normally, the author packages the information in a format that's easy to read and understand.  Of particular interest to many will be the "Geek candy" in the form of detailed explanations of fitness apps and widgets for self tracking various fitness issues, not to mention an extensive list of reference URL's on the web.

As I finished reading this book, I was amazed at how much I learned about human physiology.  At the same time, I was also amazed at how much I didn't know about the inner workings of the human body.  Knowledge is power, and for this reason I recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve their health (Geek or not).

Fitness for Geeks

Publisher: O'Reilly Media

 By Bruce W. Perry

Print ISBN: 9781449399894  Ebook ISBN: 9781449399887        

Pages: 336 

 Print Price: $34.99  Ebook Price: $27.99 

Buy at O'Reily Media

or 

online at Amazon.com 

Chock Full O'Nuts Coffee - Yet another product I didn't know still existed

I remember my folks talking about a coffee called 'Chock full o'Nuts' when I was a kid.   On these walks down memory lane, I'd proceed to torture dear old Mom with a barrage of questions about the coffee like.. "Mom.. why do they call it Chock full o'Nuts?  Is the coffee made out of nuts?!?  The short answer of  "No" of course wouldn't satisfy any seven year old, so it was always immediately followed up with the question.. "Then WHY do they say it's Chock full of nuts?"  This inquisitive assault would usually continue until I was told to go away and do something like play with my Star Wars action figures, or watch 'Happy Days'.

Make no mistake.. there are no nuts in this coffee!

This coffee's name is a nod to the company founder William Black's New York based nut shops called 'Chock full o'Nuts' that were a smashing success in the late 1920s.  In 1932, his nut shops were converted to coffee shops, because of suffering sales due to the depression.  The 18 coffee shops kept the same name, and were known for selling a cup of coffee and a sandwich for a nickel.

In 1953 William Black started selling his own brand of coffee in stores, named after his original street-side nut shop located on Broadway and 43rd street.  By 1955, Chock full o'Nuts became the number one coffee in  New York city.  While bumpy roads set the company back in the 70s, the company has went through a revitalization in recent years, and is still immensely popular with New Yorkers and Americans nationwide.  

Next time I need to make a coffee run, I'm definitely going to give Chock full o'Nuts a try.  Then it will be my turn to suffer the endless questioning from my kids about the name of this coffee!

Visit Chock full o'Nuts online

Book Review - Kindle Fire: The Missing Manual

Kindle Fire: The Missing Manual
The book that should have been in the box

by Peter Meyers 

I recently read a copy of this book that O'Reilly Media provided to me for review.  I was more than happy to take a gander at it, seeing as my first generation Kindle Fire was devoid any type of manual on how to use the Kindle's many useful features.

Since I don't own a smart phone, I'm a bit behind on the new touch technology that e-readers use.  Therefore, this guide was quite helpful as it's written for folks who aren't super techies.  

The Kindle is an unbelievably powerful tool, that has tons of capabilities.  This book taught me how to obtain apps, view vital system info, explained Kindle cloud technology, read PDFs, Word files, Excel spreadsheets, and other docs, how to load pictures and videos, and much more!  You get tons of illustrations and step-by-step instructions along the way, making it super easy to learn how to use the Kindle Fire to its fullest potential.

This is an excellent manual that I highly recommend to anyone that's just entering the world of e-readers.  This book will help you unlock the full power of the Kindle Fire, and I'd venture to say that it may even teach the skilled Kindle user a thing or two.

Kindle Fire: The Missing Manual Publisher: O'Reilly Media By Peter Meyers Print ISBN: 9781449316273   Ebook ISBN: 9781449319502   Pages: 280 Print Price: $19.99   Ebook Price: $15.99

Buy online at O'Reilly Books

New Retro Style Dishware

I was at King Soopers the other day (a Kroger owned supermarket) and felt like I was transported back in time to 1976!   All of these dishes on this store display reminded me of the ones my Mom and Grandma used to have back in the 70s.  There was even an avocado green bowl on the display!  I guess it's true what they say.. wait long enough and everything eventually comes back in style!

Hmmm... I wonder when 90s workout pants will make a comeback?   They're comfy.. yet visually appealing.  A win-win!

Retro Tire Trivia

I love useless yet interesting trivia.  If you're anything like me, tons of useless information is bouncing around my memory banks, anxiously waiting to be used in trivia matches or board games. Well here's a nice tidbit of trivia for you..

Ever wonder what those little rubber hairs or whiskers protruding from your bicycle or car tire are for?  Have you even noticed them before?  If not, now you will..

These little whiskers are called 'Sprues' or 'Sprue Nubs'.  They are remnants of where liquid rubber was injected into the tire mold during the manufacturing process.  They serve no purpose whatsoever, and will eventually fall off or wear out with normal use.

Old Pringles Mini Potato Crisp Can

I was in my Old Man's garage the other day, and came across this little bit of retro goodness..

I recently wrote a blog post about the new retro Pringles cans, and lo and behold.. my old man has a bona fide retro mini can, that's pushing 20 years old.  I found it on a shelf being re-purposed as a container for nuts and bolts. 

I love it.. you never know what you're going to come across in my Dad's garage!

You might be a Retrophile if.. you start your day with a song

Have you ever heard the old adage.. "Start your day with a song"?  Maybe it's because my Mom and Dad used to wake up humming and singing, but for as far back as I remember, I wake up with a song in my head every morning.

I'm talking every morning.. with no exception.. no matter how I'm feeling.  What's more, it's always a different song.  I'm sure these songs eventually repeat themselves.  However, if they do.. the amount of time between these occurrences are so long, that I can't recall when it happens.

A couple of weeks ago I began to question if I was somehow mistaken, or if I really did wake up with music in my head every morning.  I decided to keep my trusty writers journal next to my bed for a week, to jot down the names of songs that I woke up humming, singing, speaking, or simply thinking of.

Well.. I indeed woke up to a different song every day for the duration of my record keeping.  Sometimes the songs were there the second I opened my eyes.  Other times the songs were in my head a few seconds before opening my eyes, acting like an alarm clock.  On a couple of instances, the music didn't pop into my head until a few minutes after I got out of bed and stepped into the shower.

Here's my mental playlist from those seven days..

Day 1 - It's a Beautiful Morning - The Rascals
Day 2 - My Guy - Mary Wells
Day 3 - Tossin' and Turnin' - Bobby Wells
Day 4 - Have you seen her? - The Chi-Lites
Day 5 - Why do fools fall in love? - Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers
Day 6 - Hungry Heart - Bruce Springsteen
Day 7 - Born on The Bayou - Creedence Clearwater Revival

( Bonus! )
Day 8 - Runaway - Jefferson Starship

Once I perused this list, I took note of two interesting facts.  One.. there's nothing remotely new on this list, which makes me think my "Retro-Oblongata" takes up more space in my brain than I had originally thought.  And two.. not one of these songs are anywhere in my personal music collection.

I love all kinds of music, and this list doesn't doesn't even come close to the smorgasbord of musical genres I sometimes wake up to.  Waking up with a song in my head is sometimes "a blessing and a curse" as they say.  Sometimes I get a song stuck in my head for the entire day like "I'm too sexy" or "Mambo #5", but overall I wouldn't trade waking up like this for anything.

Catch insects with Retro style using Black Flag Flying Insect Traps!

I usually don't get excited over stuff like this, but I've got to say.. I love the new "BLACK FLAG Flying Insect Trap"!  Check it out..

 

The bamboo styling on the trap is reminiscent of a tiki torch, and I love it.  The design is meant to blend into your landscape easily versus other insect traps on the market that stand out like a sore thumb.  The unit comes with attachments that allow you to either stake it into the ground, or hang it.  Both fly and wasp lures are sold that you can interchange within this unit.  You simply drop a lure into the trap, and fill it half way with water.  Within a few minutes, the mixture is ready to start attracting pests, and you only need to replace the bait every thirty days.  

When the flies get unbearable this summer, the traps will blend perfectly with my Tiki torches.  When wasps and yellow jackets are at their peak (like right now) I can hang these in a tree, or near the little buggers nests to keep the population down.  One of the best things about the wasp and yellow jacket lures.. is that they DO NOT attract Honey Bees.

Aside from its cool retro look, my trap worked pretty dang well also.  I hung it on somewhat of a breezy day, and within 40 minutes I noticed a yellow jacket inside the trap, along with two others circling about the top.   Also.. Black Flag Brands must really have confidence in their product, because they warranty these traps for 3 years.

If you're looking for a great working (as well as great looking) insect trap, I highly recommend the new Black Flag flying insect trap.

Visit BLACK FLAG online

Book Review - The Complete IDIOT's Guide to Couponing

I dig using coupons.  It makes me feel good to trim a few bucks off of the weekly grocery bill, or to get items for free on occasion.  While I use coupons, the savings usually only equate to a few dollars or so.  I received a copy of the new book "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Couponing" for review, and learned a lot from reading it over this last couple of weeks.

The book is written by Rachel Singer Gordon who blogs at MashupMom.com, an amazing site that offers all kinds of tips to save you money.  This is not a book that's meant to school you on how to be an extreme couponer.  In this book, Rachel gives you all of the tools you need to shave some big bucks off of your grocery bill. It's not only a great book for someone just beginning to use coupons, but for experienced couponers as well.  There are tips and tricks that are included in this book, that I didn't have the faintest idea ever existed.

One thing I did learn, is that couponing involves more than just running to the store with a handful of coupons.  It takes planning, organization, and patience to make it worthwhile.  And.. like everything else, the more time you put into it, the better the results.  For instance, I decided to use several pointers from the book this week while shopping.  With only 10 minutes of clipping coupons and 20 minutes of checking the web for store sales, I shaved 37% right off the top of my grocery bill.  I used a trick she shared of using a credit card that offers cash back rewards, which will probably push that savings close to 40%. 

I must admit that I compulsively bought a few items not on sale, and without coupons that I really didn't need.  I'm thinking that if I would have stuck to my shopping list, I could have very well saved 50% off of my grocery bill this week.  

If you'd like to save some clams (and who of us wouldn't?) I highly recommend this great book.  From clipping the old fashioned way, to the ins & outs of online couponing, this book has it all.

 The Complete Idiot's Guide to Couponing

8.26 x 5.23 in paperback

 272 pages

(also available for e-readers)

 ISBN 9781615641536

$16.95 US

Buy online at IDIOTSguides.com

or..

Buy online at Amazon