On Ghost Hunting Theories: Sexy Steampunk and Costume Fashions

The Ghost Hunting Theories blog has a neat post with photos of steampunk type fashion: Sexy Steampunk and Costume Fashions. I love steampunk; the fashions, the machines, -- something sexy about it to me.( I'd love to see Helen Mirren in a steampunk movie; something for the sexy older woman. I think she'd carry that off very well.) I particularly like these shoes Ghost Hunting Theories posted, but I know I couldn't wear those heels!

The Shake Weight

That's right, I bought one! And it's great. Silly, but great. I use it in the morning, and work out on the bike/elliptical thing in the evening.

I bought it at Target, which was good; I didn't have to order it and wait, etc. It comes with a short DVD which is easy to follow. Six minutes or so, really, and you can really feel it as you work out with it! It doesn't use batteries or anything; it's just the one weight that you, well, shake.

The advertising proudly announces that the Shake Weight has been featured on the Ellen DeGeneres show. Well, yes, it has, but not exactly what you'd think; this is pretty funny. I love Queen Latifah's handling of the thing:

Still, the thing works, and that's all I care about. I don't feel ripped off or anyting, it's easy to use, and that's what matters to me when it comes to things like this.

Commercial and Symbolism

Update: I'm not kidding, after I posted this, I turned off the computer, put it away, went back into the bedroom, turned on the TV, and a commericial was running, one I hadn't seen before. The commerical? Yes, that's right! This very one!

The Geekologie blog brings us this commerical clip for the Shick Quattro For Women TrimStyle with Bikini Trimmer. wQuestionable Women's Razor Commercial I'd say this was in your face heavy handed Freudian symbolism, but that could be taken the wrong way...

Things that suck -- vacs

For the past 5 years or so I have had a lovely Dyson vac, similar to the model in the photo. However, the past several months it has been obviously near complete break down. It has like half the power it used to and the motor sounds wrong. None of the hoses are clogged, so that isn't the problem. After that many years of sucking up tons of dog and cat hair it seems to have had enough.

It took me months to admit to it, but I needed a new vac and I just can't put out the money for a new Dyson. Yesterday I finally replaced it with a Bissell pet hair vac, which was less than 1/3 the price of the Dyson animal vac.

I am not in the least happy about replacing my Dyson with something that isn't a Dyson, but I don't want to pay $500 and really can't afford to. I haven't even taken the new one out of the trunk of my car yet. I will later today and give it a go. At the very least it will have to work better than my half power Dyson, but is it also possible that it could work as well as my Dyson did when it was new? That is my hope -- that I will be very pleasantly surprised. I have sworn for the last 5 years that Dyson is the best vac ever invented, but I would be happy to be wrong.

I will update after I try the new one.