Un-Boring Valentine's Gifts for Men from All Over the Web

Hi, folks!  Jonathan here with a few possibly helpful suggestions for what to get your/a man for Valentine's Day, besides the obvious (insert tasteless-but-true joke here).  The prices on these vary wildly, so you can find ideas whether you're looking to really knock someone's socks off with manly jewelry, or just to tug on the toe of the sock a little with some thoughtful slow-melting ice (but, oddly, there are no socks on the list*).

1. Bespoke Post

A great option, especially for someone whose tastes you're not super-comfortable guessing.  Unlike most subscription boxes, you get to see the contents before ordering, so the gift-to-pleased-recipient ratio is one-to-one. 

*This month's Bespoke Post selection actually is an array of socks.  

2. Aeropress

The smallest, cheapest, best, and most fun coffee maker out there.  The coffee is smooth, the press is easy to clean, and ejecting the “puck” of compressed grounds is as satisfying as the coffee itself.  Well, almost. 

3. Proof Sunglasses

Who knew wooden sunglass frames were lighter than metal?  Maybe everyone but me, but the lightweight comfiness was a pleasant surprise to me.

4. Kaweco Sport Fountain Pen

Class up the joint with this perfect-for-a-pocket fountain pen.  Cartridges eliminate the mess of tradition ink refills/need to learn how to refill a fountain pen.  Available in a variety of materials (plastic, aluminum), and colors, including clear plastic. 

5. Dollar Shave Club Subscription

Is it an offensive stereotype that many men forget to replenish their essentials?  Yes.  Is it a relief to get quality blades delivered without having to remember to reorder them?  …Yes.  Worth the extra couple of bucks to go with the mid-range or upper-level razors (I'm a 4X man, myself).  Also worth the few minutes to watch their insane/hilarious/insanely hilarious commercials.   

6. Large Ice Cube Tray

Less surface area = slower melting = less watered down drinks.  Well known for its benefits in cocktails, the large ice cube is also great in iced coffee. 

7. Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited Subscription

Like Netflix for Marvel Comics, the subscription allows access to tens of thousands of back issues, and updates more than weekly.  If your gift-worthy friend/relative/mate doesn’t mind perpetually being six-to-eight months behind publication, everything Marvel publishes eventually ends up available, and if you’re looking to relive some childhood memories, or catch up on classic stories you may have missed (possibly because you weren’t born yet), a year subscription can pay for itself in a lazy Saturday. 

8. Custom Converse

To add a personal touch to a classic, Converse’s website allows for the creation of a completely customized Chuck.  And if your soon-to-be-grateful recipient is already the owner of, say, six pairs of Chuck Taylor All-Stars, and you can sneak a peek at the size, you can sleep easy that it’ll be a perfect fit. 

9. Edward Mirrell Jewelry

For manly, manly jewelry, there’s nowhere better.  Rings, bracelets, cufflinks, key chains and more feature unusual and manly materials like titanium and cable for a unique and low-key accent piece. 

Un-Boring Valentine's Day Gifts for Ladies from Etsy

I know. Some (probably the most well-adjusted) people don't do Valentine's Day gifts. And to that I say, "Good job!" If you're one of those people, this list can serve as birthday or holiday inspiration. For the rest of you suckers, you better get your shopping done before you run out of time. We've only got two weeks to get this sh*t together. Let's go!

Keep in mind that if I knew which lady we were shopping for here, these choices would be more specifically targeted. Instead, I aimed for that category of things almost all ladies enjoy: pretty.

  

 1. Linen Goldfish Clutch, JCarterHandmade, $49.

2. Chunky Knit Scarf, VitalTemptation, $70.

3. Rose Necklace, SimplyChacha, $18.

4. Blue Tree Swing, HoganTreeSwings, $74.

5. Tote Bag, rougeandwhimsy, $50.

 

 6. Lace Necklace, TopiaryDesigns, $30.

7. Neuron Necklace, NewtonAndTheApple, $44.21.

8. Mend My Black Heart Giclee Print, NanLawson, $10.

9. Dandelion Necklace, Ural Nature, $36.

 

 10. Maple Seed Helicopter Necklace, Honeybee, $50.

And now a few cards from which to choose:

1. I Hate Everyone But You, PageFiftyFive, $4.

2. Larry David, RestlessExpress, $5.

3. I Mustache You to be Mine, duvdesigns, $3.95.

4. I Still Love You, witsicle, $4.

5. Jesse Pinkman, TurtlesSoup, $3.85.

Best Birthday Gift Ever?

I realized that I meant to post this last year, and it was somehow still saved in my drafts. I can be pretty scatterbrained at times. In any case, feast your eyes on this!

Jonathan ordered a custom illustration from Nan Lawson for my birthday! That's us, with our dogs and the quilt I made! We're also wearing our favorite pajamas. I will treasure this forever and ever and ever!

Speaking of gift-giving occasions, it's been a long time since I've done a gift guide... I have ideas, let me tell you. Okay, doing it!

Happy today!

Out for Skewers at Paradise Garden Grill (Disney's California Adventure)

So, so good.  From top to bottom: chicken with chili sauce,  chicken with tzatziki, veggies and tofu with chimichurri.

I'm Obsessed with Stylebook

So, so, so, so, so obsessed. I can't even. Stylebook an app for iOS that helps you organize your real-life clothes, arrange them into looks a la Polyvore, calendar your outfits, make packing lists, and, you know, other stuff.  This is perfect for me. I can procrastinate whatever it is I'm supposed to be doing by putting together outfits and calendaring them, and then, when I wake up in the morning, there will be a picture of the day's outfit waiting for me. This is great because I like clothes, but deciding what to wear is my least favorite thing ever (probably because I sleep hard and wake up confused). You can even view which of your items hasn't been used in any outfits, which is especially useful when it comes to deciding what to purge. The biggest danger now is losing myself in a black hole of outfit-making. It's addictive!

A Belated Hello

Hi there! Long time. You can probably tell I've been a little on-the-fence lately about whether I want to keep the blog up and running. I don't want to post just for the sake of posting, but post too infrequently and what's the point, right? I haven't made up my mind yet. It's hard. What I'm trying to say is my life is like Hamlet without the murders, you guys. That's all.

Jonathan and I kicked off the new year by taking a full car of stuff to Goodwill! It's been almost two years since we were able to make such a significant purge. Even dropping off one bag gives me such relief. This was gloriously cathartic.

We'd both held on to a lot of toys from our childhoods, and they were living in our office closet, presumably only to be sifted through after we had kids, at which point most would get thrown out or donated. They were taking up a ton of space. I felt like an extreme jerk thinking about the pile of excellent-condition toys I was leaving to gather dust in the closet while actual kids could be playing with them. That alleviated the weird guilt I felt about giving them away. We each kept a few things that were the most meaningful. (I kept Claudia, Carrie, and Carmencita: my Cabbage Patch, Puffalump, and rag doll.)

To the toys we added clothes, picture frames, seasonal decorations, a few purses, my college backpack (still in awesome shape, but utterly unused) and that big wrapping paper holder. We get and give a lot of gift bags, and thus most of the wrapping paper in the holder was purchased many years ago. We kept three rolls, which tuck neatly into a small nook in the office closet. Getting rid of the holder freed up enough space that I was able to move fancier non-everyday dresses into the office closet, which gave clothes extra room to move around in the bedroom closet. (Not being able to slide clothes around on the bar was starting to annoy me. It was hard to see things.)

Now, for the first time since moving to Los Angeles, I live somewhere that has some partially-empty shelves! Maybe this is sad, but for many years, that's been a dream of mine. Partially-empty shelves, can you even imagine? Whatever. You can't shame the unashamed! Now I want every shelf to be partially-empty. I think that's a goal that's going to take quite a while, but I already have ideas.

That's it for here, for now. Have an awesome day!

Out for Dole Whip at Tiki Juice Bar (Disneyland)

 

It's hollow inside! Nicely constructed, Tiki Juice wizard!