December 28, 2023
Relaxing In Coffee Shop
April 21, 2022
Comfy In The Airport
Take your shoes off.
Put your feet up.
Wrap your legs around some luggage.
Recline and put your head back into the pillow.
Put in your ear buds and listen to some music.
Have something to drink.
Take a few extra seats.
Relax and enjoy.
Flying the friendly skies. ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Comfy In The Airport
July 23, 2021
My Big Kahuna
Kahuna LM-7000 in this amazing red color.
It was awesome how the chair came completely assembled.
Just plugged it in, jumped on, and started it up.
I was lying back in a spaceship reclining position getting kneaded, tapped, knocked, and shiatsu'ed.
This was better than I had imagined it would be.
I am hoping this helps with aches, pains, and sleep.
I've got my big Kahuna now! ;-)
(Source Photo: Massage Chair Heaven)
My Big Kahuna
April 13, 2021
Comfy Legs
Cross, uncross, cross.
Of course, the dress pants and shoes aren't so comfortable.
Do clothes really make the wo/man?
Here, there's no real clothes or should I say person to speak of.
Clothes is better than a fig leaf for Adam and Eve.
Much of clothing is just "look your best" and try to "feel good" vanity.
The soul is what really makes the person. ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Comfy Legs
October 12, 2020
Sleep Number Got My Number
My good friend got one and recommended it!
Went to the store today and tried them out.
I was really amazed, especially since I have some significant back pain that I am dealing with.
I am hoping, G-d willing, for some pain relief and some extra Zzz sleep! ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Sleep Number Got My Number
August 3, 2020
Now That's A Deck Chair
Life is good!
Keep it simple!
Have a pillow to match.
Last chair in stock.
Grabbed the floor model.
Reminds me of the Patagonia brand. ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Now That's A Deck Chair
May 21, 2020
Great Chair and Ottoman
The chair practically reaches out to grab you.
And the ottoman is an almost perfect ball.
Like two pieces that were made to be together.
You can't help but sit down, get comfortable, and have the best rest of your life! ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Great Chair and Ottoman
May 31, 2019
Tie Dye Hammock
It's called "DoubleNest," so I guess that means it fits 2 people.
So open, colorful, and inviting to rest and relax in.
Sillily, the store only carries the hammock and not the stand...so good luck with that.
Also REI clumsily filled this gorgeous hammock with Nalgene bottles--on sale 30% off!
Uh, if you make even the nicest stuff look like junk for storage, you're not gonna get the brand image you want.
Anyway, the hammock was awesome! ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Tie Dye Hammock
May 24, 2019
The Cave Tree
The Cave Tree
January 3, 2019
Best Baby Carrier Ever
I have to call this out as the best baby carrier ever.
What a combination between a kangaroo pouch and a cozy snugli.
Anyway, it's comfortable, fun, and good-looking.
Can't you just see your baby in this?
Best Baby Carrier Ever
April 9, 2018
An Introverted Extrovert
They called themselves an "Introverted Extrovert."
I asked what they meant, and they explained as follows:
"I'm Introverted until I get to know someone then I am extroverted with them."
This actually made a lot of sense to me.
We may be reticent at the beginning when meeting new people, but once we feel comfortable with others and start to trust them, then we naturally open up to them.
The truth is most people aren't extroverted (social) or introverted (shy).
Instead, people are on a continuum, which is generally a bell-shaped curve.
In other words, most people are somewhere in the middle---either introverted extroverts or extroverted introverts.
Well, what's an extroverted introvert?
It's someone who tends to be more comfortable and trusting and social with people, but they also need time alone to recharge, and perhaps they even get shy sometimes.
Most people don't exist on the extremes--that's why they are called extremes!
So don't be so quick to judge yourself as an introspective introvert or an outgoing extrovert or anything else for that matter.
We are "this" AND "that"--sometimes maybe a little more this or that, but that's all part of us and it's okay to be us! ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
An Introverted Extrovert
February 25, 2018
Improv, Let's Do it
We went to the Atlas Theater in Washington, D.C. and did Improv (no script).
For a Jewish kid from the Bronx, this was not something I was used to, but I loved it.
- Say your name and an animal with the same first letter and act it out.
- Say something you love or hate and everyone gravitates on the stage towards or from it based on whether they agree.
- Repeat a word and action from someone else and pass it on.
- Act out an action that someone else calls out after yelling "Let's do it!"
- As a group, answer a question from the audience, by each person adding a word to the aggregated answer.
- Give your neighbor a pretend object and after they identify what they think it is and thank you for it, you explain why you gave it to them.
- Stand on an emotion (happy, sad, angry, scared) and act out a scene with someone else rotating through the feelings.
- Pretend you're a hitchhiker and infest the emotion with everyone else in the car.
I was really amazed at how good so many people were with doing these exercises.
And I felt it was so freeing to be doing it too.
I feel like I really learned a lot about being comfortable with yourself and just letting your inhibitions go and even though it was scary and hard, I would like to do this again.
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Improv, Let's Do it
August 15, 2017
Happy Summer Shoes
People throw off the thick winter coats and heavy boots and wear some nice sandals.
I saw this one lady wearing these happy, colorful sandals on the Metro.
I'd expect to see these more in Florida or California than in stodgy Washington, D.C.
They were pretty awesome--trendy, stylish, even comfortable looking.
Fashion is self-expression and freedom.
It's also artistic and a reflection of our culture and our desires.
We need more color, more chance, more futurism from our fashion.
The clothes can shape not only our bodies, but the times we live in. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Happy Summer Shoes
August 4, 2015
Bell-Bottom Style
And truly there is something about bell-bottoms that just yells cool and sexy.
The hour glass shape of the pants is timeless.
The flair gives you flair.
The white stringy bottom gives contrast with the blue jeans.
Whoever wears these, you're the automatic hit of the party.
Basically, your the Sonny and Cher on the 21st century, and presumably you can dance like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Bell-Bottom Style
February 5, 2015
Teen Lounge Chair
Stretch out and relax or study on this oversized lounger.
The fabric is emblazoned with:
- PEACE
- FREEDOM
- LOVE
- FLIRT
- BEAST
- ROCK
- POWER
- EGO
- SHINE
I think this would look pretty good in a kids room.
How about you?
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Teen Lounge Chair
November 4, 2014
My Favorite Couch
I took this photo in Tyson's Corner many moons ago.
If anyone knows where to get this couch, please let me know.
I want it--really! ;-)
My Favorite Couch
September 8, 2014
I Drive This Way (NOT)
Unlike the Google Car, which is purported to drive itself...this one let's the rider sit on top (that's a joke people)!
Doesn't matter if you bend the roof with your butt.
The view is much better from on high, and it's oh so comfortable on the white aluminum with your pants bottom shining it up.
Maybe this is a give-a-way for the next carathon or something equally prizeworthy. ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
I Drive This Way (NOT)
December 25, 2013
The Lie Of The Open Workspace
Often, they tell you what they want, either to save the company money or to make themselves look innovative, but either way it’s inevitably at your cost.
One of these lies is from chieftains that tell you’ll be better off working in an open workspace--i.e. thrown into a corporate bullpen.
Oh, by the way, vacate your office by Friday!
Sure there are a plethora of benefits to having common spaces to share ideas and open up communications—and these should be plentiful and stocked with comfy sofas, energy-inducing munchables, and ample white boards and tech gear to facilitate collaboration.
But when the pendulum swings all the way to the other side, and your personal office space become a hoteling situation, you know you are losing out to penny-pinching executives, who want to save on leasing office space, furniture, and the like in order to boost their personal bonuses at the end of the year.
Just ask yourself:
- Do people need privacy to handle sensitive personnel, budget, contracting, and strategic planning and execution issues (as well as occasional family or personal issues—we are all human)?
- Do you need time to close the door for some quiet time to think, innovate, and catch up on work?
- Is there a genuine human need to have a place to put your work and personal things to be productive and comfortable?
The truth is that people need and deserve a balanced work environment—one where people can move healthily between closed and open spaces, individual work and teamwork, privacy and sharing, creativity and productivity, individualism and conformity, comfort and cost-savings.
Anyone that tells you that people work better in a fully open environment where you have to book up a desk and computer is selling you on short-term organizational cost-savings at the expense of longer-term human capital satisfaction and productivity.
Next time, a “leader” tries to convince you of the merits of your not having a professional workspace, desk, computer, and so on—ask yourself whether you want to work in a Motel 6 every day or for a stable organization that values and invests in it people.
An appropriate blended environment of open and closed work spaces, where it shows that you are empowered and valued is a career, and not just a job;-)
(Source Photo: here with attribution to epochgraphics)
The Lie Of The Open Workspace
December 27, 2012
Brilliant Knife Set Design
I love the the simplicity and eloquence, and these won the European Cutlery Design Award.
There are four knives in this set for paring, utility, chef, and fillet.
Deglon also has a steak knife set--similar concept in that the knives fit together, but they stack rather than fit inside each other, so it is cute, but has less of a wow-factor.
My other concern with these knifes is their handle which doesn't have a cushioned or rubberized grib--so for lots of cooking and cutting, I am not sure how comfortable or slip-resistant these are to use.
Similarly, some of the knives may not be so quick and easy to pull them out and use, especially the ones that are tucked inside the others.
Perhaps, these are an example of form versus function--where this contemporary knife set look very beautiful, but how practical are they for everyday use?
At $750, I am pretty sure these are better than anything I use regularly, but I am definitely no chef! ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal screenshot at Deglon.com)
Brilliant Knife Set Design
October 24, 2012
Best Frog Slippers
They are also uncomfortable.
Someone I know refuses to replace their old slippers and they have an unsightly hole at the big toe--name withheld to protect the guilty. ;-)
And I have a old pair of Kung Fu slippers that look mean and are good for building calluses, but otherwise not so good.
However, these frog slipper that my daughter got are great!
They are actually more like sock-slippers, but they win #1 in my book.
Who wouldn't walk a mile in these and still be smiling?
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Best Frog Slippers