When yours truly was a kid, eating at the State Fair meant grabbing some fried cheese curds, a funnel cake, and resigning oneself to a coating of that unique combination of powdered sugar and sweat. Things are not so simple in the new millennium, however. [More]
summer
This Summer’s Gas Prices Predicted To Be At Their Lowest In Six Years
By 5.15.15
As if there wasn’t enough to celebrate with the impending arrival of summer, road trip vacations will be even better this year with gasoline predicted to be at its cheapest in at least six years. Perfect for when you finally decide to drive across the country to visit that giant ball of [insert weird thing to make a giant ball out of] in [state far away from where you live]. [More]
Memorial Day Weekend Travel Expected To Reach Highest Level In Past 10 Years
By 5.13.15
The unofficial start to the summer kicks off in just over a week, and it looks like the 2015 Memorial Day holiday weekend will be the busiest we’ve seen in nearly a decade. The folks over at AAA estimate that 37.2 million Americans will hit the open road or board planes over the holiday weekend, an increase of more than 2 million travelers from last year. The auto club says the increase in vacationers is likely due to the lower fuel prices much of the U.S. has experienced over the past several months. [The Plain Dealer] [More]
Give Your Gas Grill A Checkup Before Summer Begins
By 5.6.14 — Updated: 5.2.17
Around my suburban neighborhood, the smell of grilled meat is beginning to waft from backyards. Here in the Northeast, we pack our grills away for the off-season. Now that it’s May, we’re fairly certain that it’s not going to snow anymore, so most people are bringing their grills out of hibernation. How can you make sure that yours is in safe working condition for meat season? [More]
Invasion Of The Slugs: How To Prevent Garden Destruction
By 1.28.14
So it’s obviously too early to be gardening, with the sub-zero temperatures and all, but for those of you daydreaming about your fabulously lush spring gardens we’ve got some to tips and tricks to ensure nasty, slimy slugs and snails aren’t wreaking havoc on your bounty. [More]
Best Buy Hops On Black Friday In July Bandwagon
By 7.25.13
We’ve noticed an awful lot of “Black Friday” sales recently, and developed a hypothesis that it’s a more inclusive variation of what used to be called “Christmas in July” sales. Now we’ve spotted another major retailer honoring this new holiday: Best Buy. [More]
5 Reasons Mosquitoes Find You So Darn Irresistible
By 7.15.13 — Updated: 5.2.17
I once had a roommate casually mention that she never got mosquito bites because she wasn’t allergic to the little buggers. Hearing this, while I was grumpily slathering hydrocortisone over seemingly innumerable red itchy skin splotches caused an overwhelming and totally rational jealousy. Why me? Why anyone? Stupid bugs. [More]
CDC Confirms What We All Suspected But Didn’t Want To Acknowledge About Poop In The Pool Water
By 5.16.13
Memorial Day is almost here, bringing with it a summer of bad 3-D movies, sunburn, mosquitoes, vacation rentals that smell oddly of grandma, people in shorts, and of course, trips to the local swimming poo. [More]
Haven’t You Always Wanted A Giant Floating Panty Liner?
By 6.7.12
At the pool, no one wants to be reminded of the time of the month that women worldwide bitterly refer to as “Shark Week.” So it caught Amanda’s attention when she noticed this light-colored pool toy with gentle curves on the outside. It would be nice to float on in the pool while lounging, waiting for your sunscreen to dry so you don’t catch fire. Oh, and it looks like a giant feminine hygiene product. [More]
Cool Your Car Down Quickly With This Trick
By 7.22.11
The summer sun has a way of transforming cars into ovens, and it’s no fun sweating while you wait for the air conditioner to provide some relief. You can speed things up with a bizarre yet apparently effective little trick. [More]
7 Ways To Keep Your House Extra Hot This Summer
By 7.18.11
If there’s anything that makes a summer heatwave even better, it’s finding ways to capture that stifling heat and keep it in your home for as long as possible. Our toasty friends at Freeshipping.org compiled this useful list of ways to defeat your air conditioner and make sure your house stays as hot as possible all summer long. If you run an air conditioner, imagine all the money you can waste! [More]
Feeling Woozy In The Heat? Eat Some Salt!
By 6.15.11
Summer is here and while frolicking outside is fun, if your body isn’t ready for the heat it can be a bit of a downer, or even dangerous. If you find yourself feeling light-headed, an unexpected friend in the kitchen can help you out. It sounds counter-intuitive, but a few pinches of salt may be just the trick. [More]
What Is Your Favorite Frozen Treat?
By 7.6.10
It’s apparently quite hot here in New York City. I wouldn’t know because I refuse to leave the igloo I’ve created around my air-conditioner. But if I were to venture out onto the sizzling streets, the first thing I’d do is get me a huge bowl of mint chip ice cream… not a cone because in this weather that’s just asking for disaster. [More]
Crazed Ice Creampreneur Keeps Inventing Horrific Flavors, People Keep Buying Them
By 7.6.10
If you were tricked into volunteering for a Big Brothers Big Sisters-style program, and you live in San Francisco, here’s an easy way to get out of the job. Take your kid to the Humphry Slocombe ice cream shop in San Francisco’s Mission District and order her some Coconut Candy Cap Caramel sorbet–the “candy cap” is mushroom! Or try the Salted Licorice, which Elizabeth Weil in the New York Times says her kids threw on the sidewalk. Or leave the kids at home and try the Secret Breakfast, which contains so much bourbon that “the scoop always runs soft.” [More]
You Still Can't Trust Trust Sunscreen SPF, Waterproof Claims
By 6.20.10
Sunscreen makers can say almost anything they want about their product’s sun protection factor or water fighting ability because the FDA’s sunscreen regulations are a just a teensy bit late. Well, they’re actually thirty-two years late, but the FDA swears that they’re going to publish final regulations by October. Except maybe not. So what can consumers do in the meantime? [More]
It's June, Time For Hobby Lobby To Kick Off The Christmas Creep Season
By 6.20.10
People, it’s June! Why is Hobby Lobby selling Christmas wreaths?! Two years ago Hobby Lobby rolled out the trees in August. Last year they decked the halls in July. We’re going to celebrate Christmas all through 2015 at this rate. Seriously Hobby Lobby, call us if you ever decide to throw one of those “We’ve Gone Crazy!” sales. We’ll totally vouch for you. Hit the jump for some unreasonably unseasonal pictures. [More]
The Great Grill Debate: Gas Or Charcoal?
By 5.31.10
In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s Memorial Day. That means overblown, low-quality movies that will earn more in a weekend than some small countries will in a decade and — most importantly — it’s grilling season. Alas, despite decades of debate, countless technological advances and several attempts by Presidents Clinton, Carter and Bush to bring resolution to the matter, there still remains a great divide in this nation between those who swear by charcoal and those who are cooking with gas. [More]
