Paging Tina Fey
The iPhone lets the user set a wallpaper. This wallpaper image shows up during two common occurrences. The first is when you unlock the phone. The second is when someone calls and are not in the phone's contact list. On my phone, nearly all of my contacts have pictures. If my mom calls, I see a picture of my mom. If a friend calls, I see their picture. So, what's the problem, you ask? Simply this:
Much to my chagrin, Tina Fey is not on my contact list. She's my current wallpaper image. Thus, whenever a strange number calls me, I see a picture of Ms. Fey pop up on my screen and, for a split second, I actually think that she's calling me. The next moment, the bottom drops out, I realize that it's just my wallpaper image, and I begrudgingly pick up the phone. This is one little feature that drives me nuts about the iPhone. I want a background image that I can enjoy, but I also don't want to be tricked into thinking a celebrity is calling me every time an unknown number calls me. Such a quandary!
Some say it’s mystic; It’s electric!
I'm not one to give out free advertising. I refuse to wear clothing emblazoned with company logos, I don't let car dealerships put their company license plate frames on my new car, and I don't hang up political signs. If a company or person wants attention or sales, they can spend their own funds to make that happen. This includes spending it on me. For example, if Best Buy wanted to pay me $10/hour to wear one of their blue polo shirts around in public, I'd be more than happy to oblige. All that aside, I am willing to provide a company or product with positive word of mouth on my own volition, if I feel that it is especially beneficial, groundbreaking, or noteworthy. This is one of those times.
I've been using rechargeable batteries intermittently for years. For a while, I used Energizer NiMH batteries, but grew increasingly frustrated with their performance. I would charge these things up, put them in a drawer, and find them completely dead when I pulled them out six months later. What's the point of using rechargeables if they aren't convenient? As a result, I would buy huge packs of alkaline batteries and just keep throwing them out as they died. I felt like I was single-handedly supplying the local landfill with all of its garbage needs, which left me feeling like a heel, but what was I supposed to do? Spend four hours charging up my Energizers only to have them die again in no time? I don't think so.
That all changed about a year ago when I purchased a 4-pack of Sanyo Eneloop batteries, along with an included AC charger. I took to these things faster than you can say 'paradigm shift.' They charge up in the standard amount of time, but they hold their charge for years. Yes, you read that correctly, I said YEARS. Using LSD NiMH technology, they can be recharged over 1,500 times and hold 75% of their original charge for three years (according to Sanyo). Is that not enough for you? As an added bonus, they come fully charged and ready to use when you buy a set... just like a typical pack of alkalines.
So, yeah. There's my shiny endorsement for Sanyo battery products. If they felt like tossing a few advertising dollars my way, I wouldn't be entirely unappreciative.
God Save the Tea
I'm a total tea snob. This isn't new information. When I drink tea, I want something that tastes robust and smooth. I want my tea brewed from whole tea leaves, so that I may enjoy the full spectrum of flavor. This little caveat means that most mass-produced teas are no good. Lipton, Twinings, and Salada are disqualified immediately, because they are made from tea shavings. It's more of a powder than anything else and the result is a lousy tasting brew. Sure, I'll drink it if it's the only thing available, but given a choice of something else (anything else), I'll shy away from it.
The Brits know what they're doing when it comes to tea, while most of us American heathens don't know the difference between Darjeeling and Ceylon. Why? We've always been a nation of coffee drinkers. Only now is tea finally gaining its well-deserved place in American kitchens. But even so, most people still have no idea what they're doing. Meanwhile, our British friends across the pond have been enjoying great tea for hundreds of years. Or so I thought. Currently, one of their most popular teas is called PG Tips. It's a black tea that comes in a pyramid-style bag and brews a very dark cup in about four minutes. Intrigued to see what all the fuss is about, I picked up a small box of bags and decided to give it a try.
My initial taste test reaction: "What the hell is this!?"
I swear, this stuff is no different than Lipton. I tore open one of the tea bags to take a look inside and took the picture seen above. See that? Chaff. It looks more like coffee than tea, doesn't it? This obviously accounts for the blisteringly strong cup of tea that was brewed (high surface area = stronger tea) and it also accounts for the overpoweringly stale flavor. Chaff tea is bilge. Rubbish. The apex of awfulness.
I can only hope that the English spend more time in specialty tea shops these days. Otherwise, I'm inclined to think that the current generation of British tea drinkers is getting scammed.