Space Bags, the Final Frontier

We’re in the process of selling our home, which means a lot of cleaning and de-cluttering so it looks nice for showings and open houses.  Part of the de-clutter effort involves placing quilts, blankets, and comforters into Space Bags to mask our lack of closet space.

What is a Space Bag?  Essentially, it is a giant Ziploc baggie that you fill with stuff and seal.  Then, you put the vacuum hose up to a little valve on the side and enjoy the show.  The vacuum sucks out all of the air out of the bag, compressing things down to a fraction of their original size.  This is oddly mesmerizing, and is a great source of amusement for children and easily entertained adults*.

*Especially if the vacuum hose isn’t perfectly centered and the valve makes a loud “pbbbbbt” fart noise.  We are easily entertained in the Feit Can Write household.

Behold the power of Space!

Juvenile fun aside, Space Bags make me ponder deep metaphysical questions.  For example:

What would happen in you put a Space Bag inside a Space Bag?  I want to try this, but I’m afraid of doing irreversible damage to the space/time continuum.

If I could find a Space Bag big enough for my sedan, could I shrink it down to a compact?

Do they make wearable Space Bags?  I’ve got a pair of pants that will not fit without vacu-shrinking assistance.

If I switch my vacuum from suck to blow*, could I make objects in a Space Bag bigger?

*grow up, this is a family site.

If I put a lump of coal in a Space Bag, could I make a diamond?

Thought of the Day – 5/29/2014 – Nutella Like It Is

Our household has been on a bit of a Nutella kick.  The kids like to ask for a peanut butter and Nutella sandwich at meal time.

Sure, Nutella can call itself a “hazelnut spread”, and tout its quality ingredients like as skim milk.

But let’s be honest here, gang:

Nutella is rich chocolate and hazelnut frosting that is socially acceptable to be eaten as part of a meal.

Personally, I think it gained that social acceptance for the way it can help transform everyday breakfast foods into one-off versions of yummy treats.

Nutella on bread?  A poor man’s cake.

Nutella on toast?  A non-fried, chocolate iced donut.

Nutella on bacon?  An experience not of this world.

Nutella on a spoon?  A utensil that will be licked clean.

Not that I would know anything about that last one…

Mmm, really thin cake (Photo credit: ninacoco)

 

National Review: IRS targeting adoptive parents for audit

There are a ton of partisan landmines in the controversy of the IRS targeting groups with certain political leanings – and I’m purposely choosing to tip-toe around those.
Last year when I wrote to support extending the adoption tax credit, I mentioned in passing that claiming the adoption tax credit all but guarantees an audit.
I had no idea how right I was.
The numbers cited here (90% were asked for more info, and 69% were audited) are astounding, appalling, and hopefully a call for action.

While it absolutely sucks that adoptive parents have to face yet another layer of scrutiny not known by most families, fear not – if it is one thing adoptive parent know, it is how to fill out a form.

There’s No Song Like “Home”

The other night, we watched “A Home For the Holidays” on CBS, which is a lovely Christmas special focusing on families who have been blessed by adoption.  They show little vignettes of families sharing their adoption stories and have different musical performances for a studio audience of adopted kids and their families.

One of the musical performances was American Idol winner Phillip Phillips performing his hit song “Home”, a beautiful song that was very appropriate for a show about adoption.  If you are one of the six people in the world not familiar with the song (or if you, like me, like to listen to it) you can play it here:

But that was not the only thing to stick out to me – it is (at least) the fourth different television network to use that song.  The unofficial list:

• FOX:  Where it all started:  American Idol
• NBC:  “Home” was played during the Summer Olympics whenever they were getting ready to show a women’s gymnastics segment.
• ABC:  Used it in promos for Extreme Makeover – Home Edition
• CBS:  A Home For the Holidays, live performance

While I’m sure I’m missing some other examples, I find it fascinating* that all four of the broadcast networks have used the same song fairly prominently in their programming.

*Even though I am a big dork for obscure observances like this, I’m using “fascinating” very loosely.

In this day and age, playing songs during TV shows is very common.  Grey’s Anatomy helped The Fray sell millions of albums.  And I’d be willing to wager that ESPN plays more music than MTV does.  But for the most part, these songs tend to be pretty exclusive to a network – or at least a corporate structure.  Off the top of my head, I can’t think of another song that has been used this prominently on multiple networks – let alone the big four broadcast networks (but if you can, drop it in the comments).

Thought of the Day – 8/28/2012

On my way to work this morning, I noticed a house that had their Christmas lights up, which made me wonder:

If you have your lights up before Labor Day, are you really ahead of the game – or way behind?