This has absolutely nothing to do with horse racing or the Derby but...
I love Sky Mall magazine because I love gadgets and unique items that have a limited purpose or look great in a catalog and then never get touched at home. After 22-hours of travel on Monday, and plenty of time with my thoughts and a copy of the spring 2011 Sky Mall magazine, here's an off-topic post on my Sky Mall picks: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.
If Money Were No Object
Tru-Black Genuine Leather Massage Chair ($7,999) - My mom has one of these things and they are utterly fantastic. You got any stress or sore muscles in your body? Plop yourself down on one of these and you'll be feeling relaxed in minutes. Of course, the eight grand price tag puts this product in the upper echelon of pricey Sky Mall items, but it's clearly the pick of the litter.
The Good
Litter Kwitter 3-Step Cat Toilet Training System ($49.99) - Have you seen Meet The Parents? If you have seen the movie you know that Mr. Jinx, Robert DeNiro's cat, was professed to be potty trained. When asked how this task was accomplished, DeNiro described how he put Mr. Jinx's cat box under the lid of the toilet and then took it away after the cat learned to use it. Sky Mall actually has a product designed to train your cat in the same manner. I don't own cats, but if I did, I'd be buying this thing in a heartbeat. Brilliant. The only negative is the name of the product - it should have been "Mr. Jinx's Cat Training System" for maximum brand recognition.
The 14-Gallon Portable Gas Pump ($169.95) - I might actually buy this thing. This gas pump looks like your standard spare plastic gas container (only larger) but it has a nice pump at the end of a hose for dispensing gas. If you're constantly going to the gas station to refill the gas can for the lawn mower, this larger container is a nice option. If you prefer not to spill gas from the short spout when refilling, this seems even better.
"Tex the Armadillo" Beverage Holder ($19.95) - This is exactly what the title says: an eight-inch high, resin Armadillo statue that holds one can of beer. If I had a swimming pool, I'd have one of these at every table. Ah, Americana!
The Bad
The Slanket ($32.00) - You've seen the Snuggie? Well, here's the Slanket...a product that looks pretty much like a Snuggie. I'm not sure what the actual difference is and, I suppose, it doesn't really matter since I'm not going to buy either one. The $32 price tag isn't bad.
Potty Porch ($259.99) and The Indoor Dog Restroom ($99.00) - I own a year-and-a-half-old Basset Hound that took about six months to properly house train, something I'm sure most dog owners can sympathize with. We trained our dog to let us know when she needs outside to do her business because we don't want any dog business done in the house - our house is messy enough without adding a dog bathroom into the mix. These two Sky Mall products offer the opportunity for your dog to relieve itself inside the house on what amounts to a patch of fake grass. I don't need my dog thinking it's okay to go back to her free-wheeling puppy ways; I'll pass on the indoor pooch loo.
The Ugly
Encyclopedia Britannica ($1,395.00) - I had a full encyclopedia set at one time, the year was 1986 and nobody was doing anything of note on-line. The 30+ book set looks lovely in a library and in a time when all research was done via paper (or the dreaded microfiche), a complete encyclopedia was a "must have". Today, you can sit down at any computer, pop search terms into Google, Bing, or whatever else you like to use, and find everything you could find in an encyclopedia, and more.
I love books and, personally, I prefer using hard copies instead of the information superhighway...but I wouldn't shell out $1,400 for information I can find for free on the internet in about 10 seconds.
Easter Island "Ahu Akivi Moai" Monolith Statue ($995.00) - You know those statues on Easter Island? Well, here's a six-foot-tall replica to put in your yard! I'm sure this would look cool for about five minutes...then the novelty would wear off and you'd have a six-foot-tall replica of an Easter Island statue in your yard.
The Peeing Boy of Brussels Statue and Fountain ($199.00) - I know it's a representation of a significant 17th century piece of art, but I really don't want an almost four-foot-high statue of a peeing boy in my yard...even if the price isn't half-bad! (Honestly, the whole statue section of Sky Mall is pretty bad. I suppose some of the pieces aren't too awful if you have a big yard and excessive lawn ornaments are your thing, but it's just not gonna happen at my house.)
Happy shopping!
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