Category — Stuff I Love

With storm season well underway back home in Texas and hurricane season weeks away in Florida and the Bahamas, I want to highlight one of the best gifts I ever got myself: the Eton Emergency Crank Radio.

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Maybe it's the Boy Scout in me, but I picked up this ResQMe Mini Escape Tool a couple of years ago for the truck.

I'm sure I've watched too many investigative news stories, but living near a lot of lakes/retention ponds/bridges/etc, I guess I got to thinking that there might come a day where I could end up in one of them and need to get out of the truck. And how would I do that?

Or what if I came upon some fool who drove into a ravine or high water? How would I help?

The ResQMe fits on your keychain and easily pulls away for easy use if (God forbid), you ever need it. It has a seat belt cutter blade and a small, but mighty spring-loaded glass breaker - basically everything you might need in a pinch to get yourself (or someone else) out of a submerged car.

The ResQMe is roughly the size of a small Swiss Army knife or pocket Bic lighter. Even so, I don't like it on my keychain (I think it's a little bulky) but it is a great idea to have it somewhere that it can be reached quickly by yourself or your passenger (if you are… say… unconscious). So… I suggest a quick loop of fishing line around the column shift or even velcro. That way it is convenient and doesn't go flying through the car when you might really need it. I bought it in banana yellow so that I can see it even if I get conked in the head.

For $10 it's a great little add-on gift for a friend (for Christmas, birthdays, or the quickly approaching Mothers Day & Fathers Day!) or buy one for yourself for some pretty cheap piece of mind. Check it out at Amazon.

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Remember the great rechargeable batteries I blogged a few weeks back as Stuff I Love? Well, they're on sale at Amazon. A four-pack of Eneloop batteries is on sale for $13.13 - almost 40% off.

Run don't walk - if you need Eneloop rechargeables.

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One of the great "Stuff I Love" entries (that you might actually get to use if our guestroom is occupado!) is the Wenzel Queen Raised Insta-Bed.

We bought this back during my "man fridge" days of living solo in Florida. (Actually, I got this when Merrin was finally moving down - had to upgrade for the wife, ya know?!)

Here's why I love this inflatable mattress:

#1 - It inflates itself in less than two minutes (and it deflates itself, too!)
#2 - It's raised like a standard mattress/box springs, so you really feel like you're in a "real bed".
#3 - Since it's a true queen size air bed, your standard queen sheets fit.
#4 - It's shockingly comfortable. I wouldn't think twice about making you sleep on this.
#5 - It does not leak. The two of us slept on this for several nights and didn't need to inflate it.

Not convinced? Well, since we only have one spare guestroom in the rental, come on over for a party or to see the Mouse. We'll put someone else in the guestroom (sucker!) and "relegate" you to the air bed. AND YOU'LL THANK ME FOR IT!!!

Seriously, if you are looking for a great spare bed (or a semi-permanent bed for your new apartment, maybe??), definitely check out the Wenzel Insta-Bed air mattress.

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One of the more recent additions to the "Stuff I Love" list are the Eneloop NiMH Rechargeable Batteries that I use in my Canon digital camera.

These 2000mAh rechargeable batteries have approximately four times more power than a regular alkaline battery. But, unlike other rechargeables I have tried, they have an extremely slow discharge rate (they stay 85% charged after even one year in storage), so — even if I don't pick up my camera for a month or more — there is still plenty of juice left.

Another great feature of these batteries are that - for all intents and purposes - they infinitely rechargeable. Unlike most NiMH batteries, these Eneloops can be charged and recharged 1,000 times without losing capacity. (For all you "save the environment" types, that means one Eneloop saves 999 alkaline batteries!)

If you're looking for OUTSTANDING rechargeables, definitely check out the Eneloop batteries.

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No list of "Stuff I Love" would be complete without the OUTSTANDING Dynamo Illuminator Wind-up LED Flashlight.

Roughly the size of a small cordless razor, this hand-crank LED flashlight is perfect for keeping in your car/truck or an emergency drawer in the house. Even a few seconds of cranking gives you several minutes of light. It won't double for a hammer the way a maglight can, but it will never leave you in the dark, either.

Another thing I like about the Dynamo is the very wide spot given off by the three LEDs. If you've ever had to change a tire in the dark or find something in the garage, you will appreciate the roughly basketball-sized light beam. Or, if you need a more focused beam (or just want to conserve power), you can toggle to a single LED.

The Dynamo flashlight can be had for less than $10 at Amazon. Not bad at all.

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