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Things Not to Do With a Fish Tank

Fish tanks are a beautiful and cost-effective way to brighten up a home.  But—if you’re stupid enough—they can get pretty darned expensive thanks to water damage.

Take this kid, for example:

 

Okay—that was an honest accident.  I suspect the kid will be more careful next time he’s flexing his massive guns around glass objects.

But this next video . . .well, some people are just stupid on purpose.  Best guide the kiddies out of the room for this one—it ends with a naughty word.  And if you’re in PETA, avoid this video altogether.

The results were predictable, though I thought for sure those fish were goners.  I like being wrong about things like that.

Then you have the random factor that is a cat.  As I write this, my 25-pound furry buddy (Buster) is trying to squeeze behind the entertainment center – and, like an octopus, he is somehow compressing his body to the thickness of a sheet of paper.  In other words, he’s succeeding.  And in a minute or two I’m gonna have to get up and pull his fat ass out because he’ll get stuck.  He’s done this before.

But I digress.  This next video shows you why I currently don’t have a fish tank:

That could have ended a lot worse.  If a cat the size of mine did that, there would be glass, water, and fish all over the floor.

I guess there’s a little lesson in here somewhere.  Buy a fish tank.  Enjoy its beauty.  But, unless you have flood insurance, don’t go swingin’ heavy stuff around it, blowing it up, or allowing your cat a preview of the night’s menu.

by John Barker

Written by editor on September 3, 2010 at 10:26 am
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He said, She said

Hey friends, here’s this week’s report from blogland. 

I discovered an almost brand new blog called Meet My Ugly Baby, a 367 day apartment-flip project in Vancouver.  Today, and I mean TO.DAY, they get the keys and the clock starts ticking.  

Any e-Bay aficionados out there?  There’s a great story at BossyColorBlog that features gin, a pretty shade of blue, and lots of cardboard. 

Russel Wright Iroquois casual china

Thinking about fall yet?  Grass Rooted has some good tips about rakes.  She says better to check your supplies now than when your hands are blistered and the job is half done. 

Subtraction by Addition – get it?  Home additions that make a house uglier. These are bad.   At  HomeOwnerNut.

If you didn’t make it to Atlanta this week for the 2010 International Woodworking Fair (IWF), here’s a sneak preview of some  new tools on the showroom floor. 

Until next week, happy weekend!

by Lisa Oram

Written by editor on August 27, 2010 at 9:36 am
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Cooking in the Dishwasher

As a chef  (yep—I used to be a chef. . .now I’m just a burnt out husk of a cook), I’ve encountered a wide variety of bizarre cooking methods.  Like this one:  poaching salmon in the dishwasher.

This concept has been around for a long time.  Horror master and brilliant gourmand Vincent Price apparently cooked fish in a dishwasher on the Tonite Show back in the late 1970s.  I have one of his cookbooks – but couldn’t find any info on that little event.

This guy, Tom Scott, tackles the project with quite a bit of zeal:

WITH the dirty dishes????!?!?!?!?  That can’t be good for you.  And it kind of grosses me out.  I mean, I’m all for multi-tasking and such, but that’s sort of akin to eating a Twinkie that’s buried in the garbage and covered in coffee grounds. Isn’t it?

I admire the enthusiasm of Mr. Scott in the video above – particularly the gusto with which he scarfs down his meal. 

Here’s another version; this recipe has bit more skepticism and scrunched up foil. 

Yum!  Delicious soapy water and gritty detergent flavoring anyone?

I’m not saying that the method doesn’t work.

But I am saying that I’m not gonna try it.  My oven works fine, thank you very much.

by John Barker

Written by editor on August 26, 2010 at 2:04 pm
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Bug Bomb Fun

Fumigating your house is not fun.  You can make it fun by holding some sort of beer bash in your garage while the bug bombs go off, I suppose.  At least that’s what I do.  Having a Cornhole tournament usually gets things going nicely.

Nonetheless, I think we can all agree that bug bombing is an annoyance.  What I didn’t know, however, is that it can also be explosive:

Something smells a little fishy to me.  I’ve never had a random pilot light problem.  In fact, I spent much of yesterday trying to figure out how to turn ona pilot light in a professional gas oven/stove.  Hint to me in case I forget: it’s waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay in the back and can only be reached if you shrink to the size of an atom.

Sorry . . . got distracted.

The bug bombs I’ve used in the past wouldn’t ignite anything.  They just sprayed a huge cloud of gas all over the place.  Call me naive, but I’ve never seen any bug bombs that had to be lit like something from a fireworks factory until I sat down and started working on this article.

I’m not leaving any ignited substance unattended in my house.  That’s just. . . well, it’s just crazy.

While the guy above obviously didn’t have much fun with his bug bomb, this guy used his experience as inspiration:

If only it were that easy…

And then you have The Mythbusters.  Bug bombs inspired them in a slightly different manner.  And, if you watch that show, you know there always something that’s gonna blow up.

God, I’d love that job. . .

by John Barker

Written by editor on August 22, 2010 at 10:29 am
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Duct Tape to Match Your Mood

How many times have you wanted your duct tape to reflect your mood? Never, you say? Well, that isn’t stopping the good people at Duck from creating a few options for you.

Put away those Sharpie pens. Now, duct tape comes in a variety of colors and patterns. Duck just announced a few new flavors of the craft/work favorite, making for over 20 different options.

Some of the new patterns include animal prints like Zig-Zag Zebra and Spotted Leopard, a trippy Cosmic Tie-Dye pattern, the flame-filled Hot Rod, and the military-inspired Digital Camo. They already have a ton of colors, such as red, yellow, aqua and purple as well neon shades Funky Flamingo (pink) and Island Lime (green).

Perfect for that duct tape  prom dress. . .

 

Duct car . . .

 Or a duct couch . . .

 If you are looking for something special to do with that new funky duct tape (maybe a duct basketball hoop) the Duck website has plenty “Ducktivities,” which also include step-by-step instructions. They’re also always looking for new, creative uses, and invite submissions to the Duck website.

The new Duck patterns are on sale now. You should be able to find them at craft and home improvement stores, as well as anywhere else you’d find duct tape.

 by Rachel Cericola

Written by editor on August 16, 2010 at 10:43 am
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Just Say No to Crack!

We’ve all seen it.  And like a car wreck or a penguin on a unicycle, it’s difficult to turn away from.

Picture the scene: your kitchen sink refuses to drain.  You try clearing it with a plunger.  No go.  You then use a little snake to hopefully rid the pipes of whatever hell-spawned blob is causing the obstruction.  Still no luck.

So you call a plumber.  And this is what you see:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jganderson/3037650580/in/pool-624266@N22/

Plumber’s butt.  And worse.  You know what I mean. 

I’m not sure why but plumber’s butt, also known as plumber’s crack, inspires more than a few people to take up a video camera and get creative—like this guy, who inter-cuts audio from the classic film, Jaws:

 

But not all plumbers have to be men, right?  Where are plumbers like this when I have issues with my kitchen sink?

I saved the best for last—but don’t let the kiddies in the room when you watch this:

Gah!  See, that’s more like the kind of plumber I’d get in my house…  Except he’d be in his 60s and talk incessantly about how he itches everywhere…

Am I slamming plumbers?  Hell no.  I respect them immensely.  That’s some pretty hard work, my friends.

And if we’ve gotta see a little crack to get the job done… well, I can think of worse things.

by John Barker

Written by editor on August 13, 2010 at 1:31 pm
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He said, She said

It’s the middle of August, which means it’s hot where I live. I imagine it might be hot where you live, too. 

There are some things that nobody wants to do when it’s this hot -  like putting on a new roof or welding. For me, whose house is PURRRRFECT and doesn’t need those things anyway, being hot meant I didn’t want to read anything too heady or technical as I sweated my way around blogland this week.  I simply didn’t want to think too much.

Freshome - Interior Design, Decorating, FurnitureSo, I spent some time at Freshome. 

In the architecture department,  I indulged my senses with beautiful photos of gorgeous homes from around the world.  Click the View More button at the bottom of any post  and you will be treated to a stunning display. 

Here’s a picture montage of a totally different kind.  Aaron Whomsley is a handyman who runs what he calls a “light construction company” in West Chester, PA.  This week, he features a lovely kitchen renovation he’s recently completed.  Thirteen photos.  Beautiful work. I wish this guy lived near me. A good handyman is a good find.   

There are nice photos throughout the posts on Rambling Renovators, but I am especially drawn to their occasional feature called Love List.  Shouldn’t everyone have a love list? 

This blog, Brick House, is sorta the opposite of a love list.  Read the FAQs (tolerable even in heat) and then look at the pictures. 

And, one day, when the temps dropped a little, and I managed to focus on two words next to each other, I really enjoyed this post at Garden Rant.  I think they make some sense . . .  but they also could  be kinda lunatics.   What do you think?

Happy weekend!  Keep cool.

by Lisa Oram

Written by editor on August 13, 2010 at 12:26 pm
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Pluto’s Dream House

I want a dream house.  I don’t think it’s too much to ask.  The people on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition get one.  Barbie has one (as does Ken in Toy Story 3.) And apparently even Pluto has one:

Damn it!  If Pluto gets a dream house, I should get one too!  It’s just not fair!

Though I could live without the life-threatening magic involved in poor Pluto’s case.  You would think that with the infinite power harnessed in that lamp a house would just appear.  Instead it has to conjure invisible tool – wielding demons to manufacture Pluto’s house.  Just this alone would make me call an Exorcist – after I changed my pants.

It’s hard enough to find a good contractor, let alone trust anything that calls invisible minions into our dimension – even if they are good at carpentry.

Though they did work for free . . . And in my current situation, that carries a lot of weight.

Of course, in the end it was all a dream – which is what my dream home will continue to be for the foreseeable future.  I’m a realist.  I know that I’ll need to fill up at least 8,000,000,000,000,000,000 more penny jars before I can even hope to make a down payment.  But a kid can always dream . . .

by John Barker

Written by editor on August 7, 2010 at 10:26 am
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Are You Watching This New House?

This Old House sounds dusty. This New House is fresh and vibrant. Maybe it’s a sign of the times — or just a TV spin-off.

Last week, the DIY Network debuted This New House. According to DIY, the show will air every Thursday at 8:00 p.m. (EST) on the cable channel.

The idea behind the program is to showcase some out-of-the-ordinary items, from building materials to techniques to must-have home gadgets. In other words, expect to see a lot very cool items that you don’t have (or can’t afford) at home.

A perfect example of what’s to come could be found in the first episode, which featured Blu Homes, Inc., a green builder out of Massachusetts. According to the builder, the house is what’s known as a Blu|Element, which is small and very eco-friendly. Designed as a single residence or vacation cottage, these homes typically come in three sizes, with one, two or three bedrooms. Options include a fireplace and various configurations for windows, doors and walls. Two of the standards in this open floor plan include bamboo floors and a towel warmer.

Not everything old is new again; This New House features the This Old House host Kevin O’Connor. He shares the grunt work with co-host Amy Matthews. Check out the clips below –  and tune in tonight at 8:00 EST.


by Rachel Cericola

Written by editor on August 5, 2010 at 10:11 am
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Fun with Chainsaws

Director Tobe Hooper’s 1974 horror masterpiece The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (and to a lesser extent, the 2003 remake directed by Marcus Nispel) has influenced a lot of people to pull some ridiculous pranks.  But perhaps even without those films, doesn’t the fact that chainsaws are loud and can hack your limbs off just scream out fun and games?   

But, as cruel as some of these pranks are, I can’t help but find them funny.  And hopefully these people were smart enough to actually remove the chain belt from the saw before swinging the thing around.  If not, well, that’s what the Darwin Awards  are for.

This first clip, from Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights, shows a professional at work:

Yeah… I’d run, too.

But you don’t have to be a professional actor to be effective playing your favorite chainsaw-toting villain:

Poor little fireman kid!  He’ll be scarred for life!  Well, mentally at least.

It also should be noted that Halloween isn’t the only time of the year when a chainsaw can be used to scare the sh*t out of someone:

Now that I think about it, my Dad used to do stuff like that to me.  That explains a lot . . .

by John Barker

Written by editor on July 28, 2010 at 10:21 am
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