The Air Mattress: Not Just for Blowhards

You can make a big difference between a good night's sleep vs. feeling tired in the morning by buying the right mattress. Remember air mattresses--which have been available for a long while? They bring up such unpleasant recollections - including the occasion when, as a college student jumping between apartments rentals, I spent an entire semester sleeping on one. That was the old days. Nowadays blow up beds are superior in both construction and comfort.

No longer must you settle for a twin size inflatable mattress--now they are available in queen and king as well as twin. A twin blow up mattress, though capable of fitting an adult (think camping) is perhaps, in terms of comfort, better suited to a child. For adults, the most comfort and turning & tossing room, a queen or even king-size blow up bed is the best choice. Also, by buying a raised air mattress, you won't feel as if you are sleeping on the floor.

With older air mattresses, you had a choice of making yourself dizzy by blowing it up yourself or by using a bicycle pump. Air mattresses intended specifically for camping are still inflated by manual means. However, a blow up bed intended for indoor use comes with an electric pump--much easier. And, of course, you don't have to inflate the mattress all the way if you prefer a softer sleeping surface.

Outdoor type mattresses are constructed completely of a waterproof PVC or vinyl material (this is true of the less expensive indoor airbeds as well). The better air mattresses are available with pillow-tops of varying thicknesses and paddings for greater sleeping comfort.  And, they all come with repair kits.

Simmons Extraordinaire Pillow-Top Air Bed

Most standard sheets will fit air mattresses, although with a less padded one or one that is not raised up higher from the floor, you will have to tuck your sheets and blankets under the mattress if you want to keep them in place.

An inflatable mattress is a great, inexpensive alternative as a guest bed, especially if you infrequently have guests that stay overnight. They are perfect for children's sleep-overs. In addition, if you are on a budget, you can find other pieces of inflatable furniture, such as couches and chairs.

To Charge or Not to Charge: The Wireless Charging Pad Debate

The charging pad--what is it? It's a space-saving gadget that allows you to charge several PDFs at once in the same spot. With a wireless charge mat, you only have one plug and wire to contend with: that of the device itself. Each PDF (cell phone, mp3 player, etc.) gets a dedicated small receiver that's place inside the device next to its batter. The exception are devices like the iPhone which cannot be easily opened and aren't meant to be accessed by the user. For the iPhone there is a sleeve, containing the receiver, that fits over the phone. (Note: you don't have to keep that sleeve on the iPhone except during charging.)

 Why would you need a charging pad? If you just have one cell phone or iPod, there's no real advantage for you, since you'll have just the one wire and outlet to deal with. But, if you're like many people, and have more than one item (mp3 player, portable gamer, cell phone, GPS device) you'll appreciate the charging pad's convenience and neatness. Most of them have a sleek, low-profile design which is much less unsightly than a power strip. You put it in a handy spot, like your kitchen counter, place your cell phone(s) on it, and let it do its thing. You no longer have to go hunting for power cords, which is a big benefit if you're one of those people who tends to misplace such things. Some cell phones have very flimsy power ports; by just laying your phone on a charging pad you don't have to worry about ruining it.

For travel, there are portable charge mats that fold up for space-saving packing. In a typical motel room or airport terminal you're fortunate to find one free outlet. The next generation of charging pads will come with car mounts and DC outlet converters for even greater convenience in charging multiple devices when you're on the road. There are many styles and price ranges currently available, so if you're in the market for a charging pad, you're sure to find one that suits your taste.

Roll Your Own Cigarettes

Want to save money on cigarettes? Buying a cigarette rolling machine is the way to go. You won't just save money--you may or may not be aware of all the crap that tobacco companies put into their cigarettes. Arsenic, benzene, formaldehyde, nitrosamines and more. For a complete list, check out the article on Wikipedia. If you must smoke, a healthier alternative (you'll still get nicotine & tar, of course) is to roll your own.


When you buy tobacco in bulk, you know where it's coming from. You can choose by location and/or type and you can choose organic tobacco that's free of any pesticides. You can find a good list of sellers here. You can also find a huge selection of papers; they come in a variety of flavors, sizes and materials, like hemp, wood pulp and rice straw. In addition to papers, you can buy pre-rolled tubes, which are used in injector-type machines. With both papers and tubes you can buy filters; some tubes come with the filters already inside.

Just one example of cigarette tubes.

There are three basic types of cigarette rollers. The simplest and cheapest is the hand roller, which consists of two rollers with a slot for tobacco and paper. Using a rolling motion, similar to hand rolling, you can turn out a neat cigarette in a couple of minutes. Some of them are adjustable or made specifically for "blunts" or thicker cigarettes.

Next up in price are the hand crank machines. With these you place a cigarette tube over a hollow holder, insert the tobacco and turn the crank. The advantages of these over the basic roller is they can turn out a more evenly packed "professional looking" cigarette and, with the pre-rolled tube, there's no glue to moisten. Some of them can push out 2 or 3 cigarettes at a time.

The fastest, most efficient choice is also the most expensive: the electric cigarette rolling machine. Load it up & push a button: couldn't be simpler. I have both an electric machine and a small hand roller. The hand roller, being small & portable, is great for travelling in case you run out of the ones you've made at home with a table-top machine. If you run out of tobacco while you're on the road, you can buy pipe tobacco; but because the consistency is different from that made for cigarettes, you'll need to break/chop it up before using it.

The prices range from as low as $6 to $90. The electric machines in particular may seem a bit pricey, but you'll save so much money in the long run it will pay for itself many times over. If you want to smoke, one of these machines is the way to go.

Everything and Nothing

This blog is a place for me to vent/opinionize/whine/pontificate/criticize/recommend/etc. about whatever interests me at the moment. No one may ever read it. Eh...