Pullup Tip of the Day

Don't shave immediately following an upper body workout. Tired arms may not be as precise with a razor blade as your skin would prefer.

Less Wal-Mart Tip of the Day

Thanks to the new thing called the internets, you can actually subscribe to your groceries, or Marketplace: your favorite toilet paper. It is a new program from Amazon.com where you can have items from their Grocery department shipped to you every month. Plus you save 15%!

Shaving Tip of the Day

Guys, do you try to shave every day, but get discouraged because the mirror is so fogged up you can see your face? Sure you do. So here is a tip for you. Try shaving the mirror first. And if you're paranoid about getting the gunk from the mirror on your face, or just ruining the blade, you can leave the little plastic guard on while you shave the mirror. The advantage of this technique over the old use-the-towel-to-wipe-off-the-mirror technique, or better yet the just-use-your-hand technique is that it doesn't leave any streaks. And that means, there is one less thing that looks like it needs cleaning!

Blackout Tip of the Day

If the power is out, and it is night, be extra very careful when you're brushing your teeth. Because even thought it is shaped like toothpaste, and feels like toothpaste, it may actually be Timewise face cleanser.

Trash Tip of the Day

You should have a trash can in every bathroom. Not everything is flushable. You don't want anyone to "wreak havoc on the plumbing."

Fish Tip of the Day

I think if I had fish, the bathroom would be an interesting place to keep them. A lot of people have fish or ducks or other oceany things decorating their bathroom anyway. They would give you something to watch during those down times when you're not Swiffering. Plus, when they die, you don't have to go very far to "bury" them.

Swiffer Tip of the Day

Want to do something productive during your "down" time in the bathroom? Keep a Swiffer™ within arms reach. If you have a small enough bathroom, you can easily turn a couple minutes while you sit there into some productive time by tidying up the floor with a quick sweep.

Clogged Tip of the Day

Good old Bob Vila (ok, one of his minions) tells you how to get your sink drain unclogged in this little video.

London Tip of the Day Part 1

So, you're a guy and you're walking down the streets of London and suddenly, you have to use the rest room. Have no fear, in London, you can go outside! That is, they have outdoor urinals! Seriously...there was this guy literally running past us yelling about having "to go" and he just stops at this booth and went!

Silica Tip of the Day

Don't throw away those silica gel packs that come in things like new luggage and toiletry bags. (Also don't eat them, but that's another story.) Instead stick them in places you don't want to get all moist and subsequently moldy. Those place abound in the hot summer months, or use them in places that are always prone to mold, such as that toiletry bag it came it. It's like antiperspirant for your stuff.

Travel to Europe Part V

Here are some miscellaneous tips for traveling:

• Don't lean back in your chair in coach, especially on long flights. It cramps the poor person behind you who is cursing at you under her breath. These seats weren't really made for reclining. That extra 1.5 inches you gain feels like 12 ft lost to the person behind you. Be kind, don't recline.
• Fanny packs should be neutral colors (tip by Clarissa). Fanny packs are very useful while traveling. If you are going to forgo fashion for the sake of convenience, at least choose a color that does not make you stand out, like black, brown, beige, etc.
  
• Be prepared to pay for the use of a bathroom. Most of the time you can get away with finding a free one, but sometimes you must pay the piper. Hence, the quote, "I feel like I should stay in here until I have to go again."
• If you decide to go on a military post while overseas, prepare to spend the rest of your life there. They need your passport, DNA, blood analysis, 5 references, 7 forms filled in triplicate, your genealogy to the fourth generation, and the pledge of your first born. It's probably not worth the time and energy.
  

Save Moo-lah Tip of the Day, Part 1

I recently received in my inbox a list of 50 things you can do to help take care of our world and save some money in the meantime. That email was titled "Going Green" although my husband would rather emphasize the fact that it saves you money, rather than worry about the possibility that he accidentally married a liberal. Some of the suggestions were easier than others. For example, I don't currently have $8500 for a solar water heater, even if it will pay for itself in six years. Sooo, that one's not likely to happen. My condensed list of "so easy it's stupid" things we can all be doing, will follow over the next few days.

1. Update your lighting
Make it a policy to buy energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs. You can now get a variety of shapes and perfectly match the color hue and lighting for each room. They look good and use at least two-thirds less power than regular lighting.

2. Wall Warts
Those clunky power adapters draw energy from the wall all the time. Unplug them individually or attach them to a power strip and turn off the whole switch when not in use. Around 75-percent of all electricity in a home comes from appliances that are turned off, but are still plugged in. Make sure that you only have those appliances plugged in where you're actually using the electricity. You will save on bills and we as a society will save on energy

3. Save Water
Place a water bottle filled with liquid or pennies into your toilet's water tank. This will cause the tank to use less water every time you flush. Plenty Magazine Managing Editor Deb Snoonian estimates it wil save you about a quart to half a gallon per flush. (Seriously - her name is "Snoonian?")

DooDoo Tip of the Day

If you're shooting video at any place with the name "Horse Park" in it, chances are there are going to be not only horses, but dogs. And when you have lots of horses and dogs, there's bound to be a lot of dookie lying around. So, be careful and look before you sit.

Otherwise, you'll end up doing what I did and sit in s*it.

If you do happen to do this, don't immediately try to pull your pants around to survey the damage, or else you'll end up with it on your hands too, and have nowhere to wash them.

And then, you'll probably end up seeing someone you haven't seen in a long time, and awkwardly avoid shaking hands with them.

TP Tip of the Day

According to Rosie, you can't use just one...sheet of toilet paper as Sheryl Crowe believes.

Fingernail Tip of the Day

When I clip my fingernails, I have a problem with the clippings flying everywhere. Even if I am close to the trashcan, there's a good chance it won't catch them all. But if you get your hands soaking wet first, the clipping want to stick to stuff, like your fingers or the clippers, make for a much more consolidated cleanup.

Google Tip of the Day

Google, the fun loving company they are. Always has a fun "new product" on April Fools Day. This year it's free commode based Wi-Fi.

Update: Turns out Gmail had their own prank too.

Pee Tip of the Day

If you followed the advice in the last tip, you're probably a little happy with me, but also a little mad because you're peeing constantly. You may feel like you have a bladder control issue, what with those "sudden, frequent urges" and all. Well, I'm sorry. But at least you're on your way to feeling better. Still, should you have to travel after following my advice, heed this advice as well. If you happen to find yourself on a plane at 4:30am, after drinking approximately 3/4 of a gallon of water, several glasses of OJ, and enough water to dissolve 2 "Airborne" tablets, you're going to have to pee--very soon. So, definitely pee prior to planing. But in the event of an unexpected plane de-icing prior to take-off, don't think to yourself, "hmm, we'll be in the air soon...I can hold it..." because you can't. De-icing will take approximately the rest of your life. And you may or may not know that you can't use airplane lavatories until you reach cruising altitude. Which also takes approximately the rest of your life. You may have to do what I did, and bolt to the back of the plane BEFORE you're allowed to, which results in the flight attendant yelling at you, and giving you dirty looks for the rest of the flight.

Ice Cream Tip of the Day

If an place has a neon ice cream cone out front, then history has proven that there will be good ice cream inside. That does not guarantee that you should ever step foot inside the restroom however.

-Thanks Fowler

Scuba List of the Day III

It's important in scuba to know a little sign language, obviously, because you can't talk. And they do make underwater tablets that work in water, but if you're with Amanda, she's probably filling it up with quotes for her quote board! So, you should probably learn the following things to sign prior to scuba diving:

• I'm out of air
• I really, really have to pee.
• Can I pee in my wet suit?
• Is there a bathroom underwater?
• Some jacker just took off my face mask; I can't see; and I just realized I'll have no way of watching you respond
• A shark just ate my fin
• The fact that the shark just ate my fin is actually the least of my/our worries.
• Do I look fat in my non-black wetsuit?

Also important to note: in scuba diving, the "thumbs up" signal does NOT mean "cool!" "awesome!" or even "all's well!" It actually means "ABORT THE DIVE AND SWIM AS FAST AS YOU CAN TO THE SURFACE!" So, be careful not to get too excited underwater.

Superbowl Tip of the Weekend

Superbowl Sunday is the one time of the year where you'll find non-sports-entusiasts like me and Teresa halfway kinda watching the tube. This is a tip for those of you, who like us, would rather do ANYTHING than spend 4 hours of your life watching football, but find it necessary to at least feign interest because of the social gathering. In fact, at the end of this tip, you'll look like a TRUE, DIE-HARD fan who spends every Sunday and Monday watching football. Here are a few things you should know:

• Don't refer to the game as a "match" by saying "who's winning the match?" or "that's quite a match we've got going on here." Call it a "game" or a "bout." :-)


• "Strikes" don't apply in football; only baseball, bowling and the California legal system. Similarly, things like "foul balls," "batters," "dugouts," and "pucks" aren't really often used in this sport.


• Don't act too excited about watching Prince during the halftime show. That's just weird.


• Don't act too excited about watching ANYTHING during the halftime show--people will be on to you that you don't like sports.


• When people score in football, sometimes known as a "touchdown," for whatever reason, they get either 6 or 7 points. No one really knows why, but it's just the way it works. So don't be alarmed when the opposing team scores and suddenly the score goes up by a gazillion points. You'll really embarrass yourself if you say, "They gave them 6 points!"


• While most people take bathroom breaks during commercials, you can take yours during the "match" itself. This will guarantee a freed-up bathroom (so take your time) and also means you get to miss some of the boredom.


• Volunteer to help cook the burgers, brats or nachos. This will make you appear selfless, and also require you to watch less of the big game.


• Contrary to popular belief, you can, and should, flush the toilet during halftime. The water companies can handle it.


• Just because the timer only has 15 minutes left on it does NOT mean you're only 15 minutes away from the end of the game. In fact, it probably means you're about 3 hours away from the end of the game (if you're lucky.) In football, we've found they like to stop and start all the time. Again, no one knows why. So don't plan on "being outta there" in 15 minutes. Plan for the rest of your life.


• Find out who's playing before-hand, so you don't make stupid remarks like, "what does CHI, or IND mean?"


• There's a superimposed line on the field. That's done in TV magic, not in real life. So don't ask how that moves. And that technology has now been in place for about 18 years. So if you act like it's the coolest thing ever, people will know you've not watched football in 18 years.


• When in doubt, cheer with the people you're with, and keep quiet if you're confused. Or, go to the bathroom. Again.

Antibacterial Tip of the Day

You know how it is...you're in a bathroom stall, you hear someone else flush, leave their stall, and head straight out the door without washing their hands (ugh!). Here's a good way to avoid scary bacteria when you're using the office bathroom. The technique is easily picked up as a habit. When you wash your hands, leave the water running after you've sudsed up and rinsed, and grab the paper towel from the gizmo on the wall. After you dry your hands, use the paper towel to turn off the faucet and to open the door. Then hold the door with your foot, throw the towel in the trash, and head back to the safety of your work area without touching anything else in the communal area of the office.