This video is an ad from Kaiser Permanente - a great ad which took Michelle Shocked’s song “When I grow up I want to be an old woman” and turned it into an outstanding visual celebration of older women.
We’re betting you’ll watch it more than once!
Public family restrooms, sometimes called Unisex restrooms, are becoming more popular as buildings are renovated to keep up with the changing needs of society.
These flexible rooms accommodate two adults comfortably, are big enough for a wheelchair, come with changing tables and afford more privacy than single-gender restrooms.
They solve the dilemma of which bathroom one gender is supposed to use while assisting the other gender, letting a grandfather, for example, assist his young granddaughter without having to narrow their choices to the men’s or women’s bathrooms.
Learn more from The American Restroom.org and watch for one in your airport, train station and department store.
Misty Lamb, of Nashville, Tenn., gave us the following tip about an easier way to wear jewelry:
“This may not be a big deal to you but I love magnetic attachments for jewelry. You (or someone else if you have MS fingers) attach the magnets to the clasps of a necklace and then you can just snap the jewelry on and off.”
This link will take you to a site where magnetic clasps are sold. (Apparently, this one has a safety clasp so if the magnet inadvertently pops open, the safety clasp will keep the necklace from falling. Reviewers also say this one works better with heavy necklaces than some other magnetic clasps.)
For a top-of-the-line magnetic clasp, see your local jewelry store.
In closing her note to us, Misty left us with this, “I have a big Mary Poppins-style purse so I can keep my fold-a-cane with me all the time.”
Eds. Note: MS fingers in the 2nd paragraph refers to someone with Multiple Sclerosis. Or in Marty’s case, someone who’s just naturally clumsy.
Computer programs created by some of the country’ brightest students would let vision-impaired shoppers point cellphones at supermarket shelves to hear descriptions of products and prices.
Another program lets a Gimpy person guide a computer mouse using brain waves and eye movements.
The programs featured in this New York Times story were among those created by eight groups of volunteers at a two-day software-writing competition in California.
Many of us don’t appreciate physical conveniences until our bodies make it difficult for us to accomplish even the routine of daily life.
Cait has been rather immobile as of late and the inability to run errands and stay on top of her life was giving her Cabin Fever far too early in the season.
Riding in the car was fine. But the getting in and out was hell, especially when it came to slippery parking lots and unsanded sidewalks.
So she looked at what she needed to do, organized her route and in one drive took herself to breakfast, the bank, the pharmacy and the mailbox at the post office - all of which had drive-ups.
The drive-ups got her out and about, she listened to a good music CD she had just burned on her computer and her dogs got to ride through the Big Wide World, which ranks high on their entertainment list.
When Cait first moved from Canada to the United States, she dismissed this country’s many drive-ups as conveniences for lazy people - not that there is anything wrong with being lazy!
These days, however, it’s not much of a stretch to say that Cait finds drive-ups a life-sustaining necessity.
Marty needed a Mobigrip on a recent flight when her iPod slipped off her lap and under the seat in front of her.
The iPod then slid so far forward she couldn’t retrieve it until the plane landed and she could get down on her hands and knees in the aisle and hunt for it. Not a fun time. Not a pretty picture.
The Mobigrip is a peel-and-stick gizmo that attaches to the underside of a cell phone, iPod, glucose meter, television remote and so on. The Mobigrip’s band slips over your finger, making it more difficult for the object to fall. Useful for people who have limited hand strength or are just plain klutzy, like Marty.
The Mobigrip people have this cute video on their Web site, where you can see the various Mobigrip colors.
It’s the time of year when many of us are driving distances for the holidays, prepping for semster-end exams or trying to fit too much work and shopping into the crammed month of December.
What to do when you need a little boost? The New York Times has two stories on caffeine versus the nap.
In this story, a small study suggests that for improved physical and mental performance, say in taking an exam, an afternoon nap works better than caffeine.
But in this story about driving, a jolt of java is found to be better than a nap.
We agree this would be a great stocking stuffer for a nearsighted loved one in your life.
The MagRX Medicine Bottle Magnifier clips onto a prescription or medication bottle, providing 3X magnification for easier reading.
An adjustable arm lets you move the magnifier closer for a larger view of the print.
While searching Google and taking our brains for a walk, we came across the following question. Given our penchant for laziness, we thought it appropriate to pass it on to you:
Dear MissFit:
If a person were to consume an entire pumpkin pie, could the calories be burned off by several hours of vigorous rocking in a La-Z-Boy recliner every day between Thanksgiving and Christmas?
Christine
p.s. Does it make a difference if the pumpkin filling had cheesecake between the pumpkin and the pie crust?
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