The Chronic Consumer

I’ve been jogging for fitness for the past two years now. I can only jog three times a week because if I try to do more than that, I’ll feel it in my knees. I don’t want to be one of those people who can tell bad weather is coming on just from joint pain, so I don’t push myself. Instead, I walk every other day instead of jog.

I never thought my knee pain could actually be due to my shoes, but that might turn out to be the case. I used to wear New Balance running shoes, but I recently switched to the Asics Gel Nimbus 12 because the store I was at didn’t carry New Balance. Let me tell you, there’s a HUGE difference in cushioning between these two pairs of shoes!

At first I was kind of conflicted because I’d read that you shouldn’t use a heavily padded running shoe. I’ve forgotten the reasons that were stated, but it had something to do with the barefoot running movement or whatever. So when I saw how much padding the Gel Nimbus 12 had, I thought in the back of my mind that I could potentially mess up my gait or whatever.

Anyway, so far that doesn’t seem to be happening. I’ve been using these shoes for about 3 weeks now, and feel great when I run in them! The heels absorb so much shock that I swear I can feel the shoes acting like a spring to push me forward. There is noticeably less force being exerted on my knees and hips, so I’m able to run pain-free for much longer distances than before. I’m even slowly working up towards running every day.

The only thing I don’t like about these shoes is the high arches inside them. I suppose that’s for extra support too, but they feel kind of weird for me — particularly in the left shoe for some reason. If the arches were normal, these shoes would be perfect.

Overall, I really like the Asics Gel Nimbus 12. They’re much more comfortable than the New Balance running shoes I had been using, and at $100, weren’t overly expensive. I think I’ve found a new running shoe brand!

I wear clear plastic retainers at night (I think they’re called Essex, but I’ve forgotten already) as a follow-up to orthodontic treatment I had a few years ago. I like these retainers better than traditional ones because other people can barely tell I’m wearing them. But the big problem is that they collect tartar just like your teeth would, and they’re often caked with the unsightly yellow stuff. It’s pretty nasty!

I had been using denture cleaner like Polident to soak my retainers, but clearly that product wasn’t doing the job. I finally got around to trying Retainer Brite, which is a cleaning tablet made specifically for retainers. The product description says Retainer Brite can help prevent/remove tartar buildup while also eliminating odors. This was what I wanted.

At first, there wasn’t much difference between Retainer Brite and Polident. But after a couple weeks of consistent use (meaning once every morning) plus some extra brushing and scraping with a dental pick I have, my retainers look A LOT better! They haven’t been restored to like-new condition or anything like that, but they’re at least as clean as the courtesy touch up I get when I visit my orthodontist. Seriously, if I had been using Retainer Brite from the start, I’m 100% confident that my retainers would be in near perfect condition.

Anyway, I bought a year’s supply (a total of 384 tablets in six boxes or something) for about $50 from Dentakit.com. The order also came with a retainer case and a “soaking bath”, which I guess is just a deeper retainer case that you can use for, well, soaking. I didn’t really look too closely at that stuff, though. I just soak mine in an old mug that has been set aside for the purpose.

Overall, Retainer Brite is definitely a product I recommend. I’ve had great results after just a couple of weeks, and really wish I’d learned about this stuff earlier!

Several months ago, I wrote this review for a Camelbak Better Bottle that I bought. I ended up liking the bottle so much that I bought another one — this time one that features my favorite college team’s logo on it. Yes, this black and white Better Bottle with the word “Mizzou” and the tigerhead logo usually costs about $5 more than a plain Camelbak, but I managed to get it on sale for 25% off, which dropped the price down to its normal level. The Mizzou version is just as good as the original, and allows me to broadcast support for my team. Needless to say, I love it!

I heard about Slingbox years ago when it first came out, but I didn’t really understand the technology behind the device. I knew that it had something to do with being able to watch your TV even if you were away from home, but I thought the TV had to be left on in order for this to work. Because that seemed incredibly stupid to me, I never bothered checking out Slingbox more closely.

Well, after finally speaking to someone who actually has the device and learning more about how it works, I decided to buy one for my home. I went with the Slingbox Pro HD, which has iPhone/iPad/Android apps (all sold separately) for mobile viewing. The box cost about $300 because I didn’t bother with auctions, used equipment, or any other types of discounts.

Setup:

My husband set the Slingbox up because I am completely hopeless when it comes to anything with a wire sticking out of it. From what I could gather, it was pretty easy. Instead of connecting the TV and hard disk recorder to each other and the cable box, you instead route everything to the Slingbox. This helps the device capture the digital images from all of your equipment. The Slingbox must then be connected to the Internet modem. This was the biggest pain, as my television is nowhere near the modem, which meant we had to clip the wire to the baseboard and up the wall/ceiling to get it across a doorway.

Connectivity:

Once the physical installation work was done, we had to download and install a small program from the Slingbox website. This took just a few minutes. From there, we set up a Slingbox user account so we can watch stuff on our computer. This part required some specific details, such as the brand name and model of our HDD and modem. My husband found that information with no trouble, but you might want to have those things on hand before getting started.

Playback:

Slingbox works incredibly well! We were surprised by how crisp and clear the picture is, even on the iPhone app (which we also bought, for about $30.). When you choose a program to watch, it takes a little while to start as the video stream buffers. But after that, playback is awesome!

Recommendation:

Slingbox was very easy to set up. The whole thing was as straightforward as one could hope, and took about 40 minutes tops. The device works precisely as advertised, and allows you to watch and control your television, cable box, and hard disk recorder no matter where you are in the world. If you like to watch your own TV shows or sports events even while you travel, then Slingbox Pro HD is a must. Do I wish the iPhone and iPad apps were included in the price of the device? Sure I do. But for a one-time fee of $330 ($300 for Slingbox, $30 for iPhone SlingPlayer app) and no subscription charges ever, this purchase was still worth it! Highly recommended!

I have a friend who is a nurse, and she just showed me the scrubs she’s planning on using for the last couple weeks of October. Isn’t this top just totally adorable? She works in the children’s ward, and said the kids just love these themed nursing uniforms. I can see why! Wouldn’t you at least smile knowing that your nurse had a sense of humor and appreciated the holidays? These scrubs are much better than the dull blue or gray numbers usually seen in hospitals!

Now that fall is just a couple weeks away, I’ve been shopping around for items that will keep me warm and toasty when the weather gets bad. One purchase I recently made was this plush blanket featuring my alma mater’s name, logo, and colors. The blanket is a nice 48″ x 60″ size, and is incredibly soft and comfortable. I haven’t actually had to use it yet, but I’ve already got it folded up neatly on my favorite recliner, where I plan to watch plenty of Tigers football!

This plush blanket usually retails for $29.99, but I got it at a 25% discount. That’s still a little high considering similar logo-less blankets can be had at Wal-Mart for less than $10, but I love supporting my teams!

I love my Tigers, so when I saw this beach towel over at FootballFanatics.com, I just had to buy it. It features the tiger head logo in the center, as well as two smaller logos on each end with the word “Mizzou” printed along the edge. It’s a nice big size (30 x 60), which is perfect for the beach or for the shower (which is how I’m currently using it).

Additional features include:

• 100% cotton
• Sublimated graphics
• Washer/dryer safe
• Officially licensed

The only drawback to the towel that I’ve noticed thus far is that it’s a bit on the thin side. Then again, beach towels are almost always thinner than true bath towels, so I guess I can’t complain too much. Can’t wait to head to the pool with this thing next week!

So hot on the heels of my Eat This, Not That purchase, I also bought a book called Cook This, Not That by the same authors. The Cook This book is subtitled “Easy & Awesome 350-Calorie Meals,” which of course was an intriguing premise for someone interested in dieting.

First, I want to say that the recipes in this book truly are easy. I am not a good cook by any stretch of the imagination, but I was able to prepare each recipe I tried from this book with great success. Granted, I haven’t tried them all, but still… I think the fact that I was able to make any at all speaks volumes about how easy the meals are.

Second, almost everything I tried really was delicious! Remember, this series is billed as a “no-diet weight loss” program, so the recipes aren’t limited to veggie burgers and low-fat salads. There are big, greasy burgers involved, as well as a whole host of other food that would not be on anyone’s diet meal plan. I have so many new additions to my regular rotation from this book that I can barely keep track of them all!

The only real quibble I have with Cook This, Not That is the fact that hardly any of the recipes are for legitimate “meals.” To me, a meal consists of a soup or salad, a main dish, a side dish, and a vegetable. But the recipes here were either for a main dish or an appetizer, not a complete meal. Obviously the authors did this so they could splash that eye-catching claim about “350-calorie meals” across the cover of the book, since it would be practically impossible to get an appetizer, main dish, side, and vegetable for 350 calories. Nevertheless, I found the title a bit misleading. Fortunately, the food was so good that I ended up not caring much about that part.

Anyway, I think Cook This, Not That was a terrific purchase. The book has helped me discover many new recipes, as well as healthier alternatives to stuff I usually eat. This one is a keeper for sure!