It's a Mystery, It's a Mystery

Editors Note - just realized that an old draft of this was published...no idea why.  Made a few corrections. Sentences cut off, bad formatting, etc... fixed  07-31-2010

Since I have had very poor lucky in getting a Woot Bag of Crap lately. I decided to do a Graveyard Mall Mystery Box.

Graveyard Mall is similar to Woot in the fact that they offer a different deal each day of overstock or damaged packaging products. Unlike Woot, they are not specifically tech and gadget oriented. Sometimes they have gadgets, sometimes home supplies, sometimes decor, sometimes clothing and sunglasses, sometimes comic books...they are all over the place. I've ordered from GYM several different times in the past and have both been pleasantly surprised and slightly disappointed.

I had seen the Mystery Box come up several different times but have never ordered it...mostly due to the fact that at $25, it was three times as much as a Woot Bag of Crap. The disappointment of not getting a bag of crap for a long time was starting to gnaw on me, so I decided to give the Mystery Box a try. The name Mystery Box is boring, so in my mind it became the Mystery Box of Crap. I figured this would help temper any expectations even though as I said about Woot's BoC, you are really just buying "hope" because you are most likely just going to get a box of crap.

After waiting several weeks, I was surprised at the size of the box and how heavy it was. Opening it, it was intricately stuffed with all kinds of items...stuffed, no padding material needed, there was no room and it was packed just right so that I wasn't able to come close to repacking everything so that it would fit back in the box. The funniest thing about the Mystery Box of Crap was the letter that came with it that said "Sorry, the Plasma TVs wouldn't fit in the box."  That in itself cracked me up and made the whole thing worth it.  Here is what I got for the money:

1) Russell Athletic Dri-Power performance fleece hoodie - black. I am not much of a pull-over hoodie person...zip-ups are fine but pullovers are usually too much of a pain in the ass...plus they mess up my beautiful hair. This is a nice hoodie, medium weight, supposed to wick away sweat to help keep you warm and dry. Also has the built in channels and openings for you headphones. Might be a good under layer for ice skating.

2) Jimmy Eat World DVD. A nice little live DVD with just a few songs on it. Looks like it was probably used at a promo or something...buy the CD get a free DVD type thing. Haven't had the chance to watch it yet, but I like Jimmy Eat World so I am looking forward to it.

3) Tree Frog Thermometer. Who doesn't love tree frogs and knowing what the temperature is? Combine the two and you have instant gold! I am actually using this product and it works pretty well, although it didn't quite stick the first time I hung him up and the fall cracked one of his legs (it is the thinnest plastic imaginable).

4) Emerson Research SmartSet Alarm Clock. This seems like a nice clock, sets itself automatically, dual alarm, jumbo screen, clock radio. If I needed an alarm clock this seems like it would be a pretty good option. Unfortunately, I already have several that I don't use anyway, so I gave this to my mom as she just happened to be looking for a clock for her basement. It is working great for her needs.







5) 10" Accent/Under Cabinet Light. Not a bad light, not sure what I will do with it yet...maybe on my living room bookshelves. It would be better if there were two, but I am sure that I will make one work in some way or another.





6) Electric Pepper Mill / Wine Bottle Opener / Cheese Grater. I have a couple pepper mills and I don't have much use for a wine opener. Cheese grater might come in useful sometimes. Looks like it is a decent unit, although uses "C" batteries. I'm sure it needs the power of C batteries but C batteries are not something that I ever have on hand. Plus you know C batteries just seem like they should be used in something like a vibrator or something. It might get re-gifted to my dad who needs a new pepper mill and drinks wine.





7) Hanging Plant Elephant Bracket. Originally I type "Elephant Hanging Bracket" but that sounds like something that you would hang elephants from and I don't think that this has the tensile strength to hold an elephant. It's cute and fun, I don't really have any hanging plants though. I gave it to my mom and she likes it and may use it in my niece's room.

8) Westinhouse StickUp Bulb. You can see from this packaging how full the Mystery Box of Crap was. This thing was shoved into a space in the box of Crap that it didn't really fit and the package suffered for it. The base was a little warped but the bulb and everything seems intact. It's a battery powered light bulb. Just stick up the base and pull the string...or not. I didn't seem that it also came with screws to hold down the base and even though I gave the string just a gentle tug, it all came crashing down. I think it will work great in my dark closet...once I decide to screw it down.




9) Rechargeable Electric Razor. I don't usually use an electric razor so I can't tell you how this compares to others of its kind. I tried it out Tuesday morning and it seems to do an OK job. Maybe I will use it in the future if I need a quick touch-up to my manly Five-O'Clock-Shadow.

10) Sudoku game set. A hand-held sudoku game and a sudoku controller that you can plug into your TV. I like sudoku a lot, but I usually only play it on my phone. I might test it out and see how the difficulty level is as "genius level" on my phone usually seems a little easy now. If I don't care for it, I will probably give it to someone else that has more use for it.







11) Vent Filters. This is a pack of vent filters...cut to size, place inside your vents and it filters out dust. I already use these on most of my vents. Now I have enough to filter my cold air returns also.








12) Open Ended Wrench Set. This is what formed the majority of the weight in the box. They look like nice enough wrenches although I have not tested them out yet. Wrenches are good, I already have several sets but I am horrible at putting the wrench that I used back in the proper place so it is always a chore to find the one that I need. I have also used them for unintended purposes like prying and hammering, so a few a little bent or beat up. New wrenches, I'll use them.







13) Pocket calculator. A simple pocket calender where the keypad slides out like a slide phone. Nothing really special about it that I noticed but functional.






14) 20 Q Live game. Do you like to play 20 Questions but not have any friends? Then this game is for you. This is just a USB drive with the game on it, but the packaging is like 12 inches by 8 inches...talk about a waste of packaging. Were they really that worried about theft? Or were they just trying to grab your attention. I haven't played it but the gist seems to be that you think of something, then you answer 20 questions from the computer game and it makes a guess at what you are thinking about. According to the box it "can read your mind"...whatevs.



15) Digital Voice Recorder. I really have no need for this. I don't record meetings and if I need to leave myself a note then I have my phone. Maybe I will give it to my niece to play with.

:-(

16) Emoticon Notepad. A notepad with a bunch of emoticons pictured so that instead of writing a message you can just check the emoticon that applies to your situation. I don't know it seems strange...seems wasteful to have a 6" x 9" notepad and just make a check mark. Plus I am pretty sure that it would take me longer to find the appropriate emoticon than to write a note. Plus it doesn't even have the dirty ones like:

( . )Y( . )

or

\|/

or

8===D

or

,,!,,

I would have had much more use for something like that. What is the emoticon meaning "Piece of Shit Waste of Money"?






17) Clock / Calendar / Key Holder / Voice Recorder. I definitely didn't need to different voice recorders...or leave different messages for three sets of keys. This thing is just weird, I suppose it is nice if it is something you need but to me it seems pretty useless.

Not bad. Average price of $1.47 per item. It was fun going through all the packages to see what I got. Christmas in July...and like real Christmas you get some stuff you like and some stuff from your crazy aunt that you can't believe anyone would want. I still don't know if it is better, worse, or just as good as woot. What would do you think of the haul....oh maybe I should post a "haul video" on youtube just like a teenage girl.

Leave it to the Sensible Canadians

I would just like to say that you to the Canadian Olympic clothing designer for showing how it should be done. The Canadian official clothing for the most past is simple, sharp, and patriotic. Just look at this stuff, there is no doubt what country you are supporting...but not in a gaudy way, in a clean but bold design. Who makes this clothing? I am unsure as there is not a huge logo plastered across it. But that is what is so great about it, you are showing support for your country.

I love this red and white sweater - it just looks elegant to me...almost vintage in it's style.  I think it definitely provides a classic look. They also have one that is opposite - red with white trim and letters (but I couldn't find a good picture).  I can't decide which one I like more, I find both extremely handsome.

 

And this hoodie is perfect in it's simplicity.  Available in a wide range of colors but I am pretty sure that 90% of the people are choosing this subdued red.  It is just such a rich warm color.  This hoodie looks awesome to just hang out and relax in...looks like it would be soft and keep you warm plenty warm.  I am a recent convert to the greatness of hoodies (I know, I know I am stubborn sometimes) but even if I was still a hater, I would find this an attractive option.

However, nothing is more iconic and striking than the red mittens.  These little mitten say a lot.  Simple but bold, these are beautifully symbolic to my mind...a rallying point for the people.  You don't need something large, fancy, or expensive to show your love of country.

Plus all proceeds from these mittens go to the Canadian Olympic team...and at just $10, nearly everyone can contribute. If I buy something from the USA store, am I directly contributing to the team? I am not sure...it could be all going into Ralph Lauren's pocket.  I just don't know because it doesn't say...plus there is not anything for Team USA that captures the spirit like these mittens do.  Team USA - please take note that this is how it should be done.  In the future, please remember that simple is more and create me some iconic clothing to show my patriotic support.

Good job Canada!  We look like corporate sellout whores by comparison.  Canada gets the Gold for apparel design this Olympic Games.

60% Dork

I have long known that I am a dork. I've always enjoyed all the dorky things in life - Tolkien (long before the movies), Star Wars, Star Trek, D&D, Dr Who, sci-fi, fantasy, comic books, action figures...that type thing. I agree more with Dwight on the If it is dorky, I will usually like it. I just have never known how dorky. Hetero Life-Pal CT and I once went to a Star Trek convention...it cost $15 - I was expecting maybe $5. I was very disappointed in the whole experience, so I could always say "At least I am not THAT dorky..."

Star Wars was always one of my biggest dork weaknesses - Yes, I have watched all three original movies in a single night. Yes, I saw all the re-releases on opening night. Yes, I can quote way too many Star Wars lines. Yes, I have bought the Star Wars soundtrack on more than one occasion. What can I say? Going to see Star Wars in the theater is one on my earliest memories.

When Marc Ecko Cut & Sew came out with his Boba Fett hoodie last year, I thought "I am not dorky enough to spend $100 on a Star Wars hoodie." Although I think there are tons of cool Star Wars toys available now (have you seen the Lego Star Destroyer? Awesome.) I have always avoided buying them...not wanting to be the middle-age Star Wars collecting dork who proclaims his religion as The Force. Secretly though, I coveted the hoodie and had little day dream fantasies of wearing it. Today, they are having a 40% off sale. I found out that I must be 60% dork because that seemed a reasonable price to pay (still a little high for a hoodie but at least palatable).