Thrifty

 Everyone enjoys a bargain though there are instances when you can get more than you bargained for. A Seattle,WA woman bought a crochet kit to make animal hats but when she got home and opened the kit she found another parcel wrapped in yellow rubber and labeled 100%,she called the police who later informed her it was 2.2 lbs of cocaine. A similar thing happened in AZ when a couple bought a glow worm toy for their child from a thrift store and found it filled with 5,000 fentanyl pills. The amusing part of both of these cases is thinking about the people who thought they had found the perfect hiding spot for their stash,then either forgot where it was or someone else had a different idea, either way it's off the street. 

 

Dining Companions

 There have been some clever ideas hatched from this pandemic but this one is something that would be fun without the social distancing factor. Peter Luger Steak House in Brooklyn,NY has made social distancing less obvious by borrowing wax figures from Madame Tussaud's and placing them around the  establishment to ensure people were keeping their distance. Imagine spotting Holly Golightly among your fellow diners! Unfortunately the figures will only be there until Monday as the museum has recently reopened. 

Heavy on the Mayo

Mayo is kind of magical stuff,along with the primary use as a condiment it has countless other uses,various hair and skin treatments and numerous household tips rely on mayo. Mayo is currently starring as a sea turtle rescue tool. While the cause of the oil spill is still under investigation the oil tar off the shores of Israel is being consumed by the wildlife causing many varieties to perish. Fortunately for the green sea turtles mayo is being employed to break up the tar that builds up in their throats and can eventually lead to death. The lecithin in the mayo makes the oil stick to it so it can be carried through the digestive system and pooped out. I'm assuming once the oil/tar is pooped out it can be collected and properly disposed of since the turtles are being treated at a wildlife center. Once the animals are given a clean bill of health they are released. 

Getting a Head

 Ha! You're probably  thinking I meant getting ahead but you're wrong. Police raided a house in Birmingham,UK after receiving information that alligator heads were being imported then sold on eBay for a considerable profit. The National Wildlife Crime Unit participated in the joint investigation conducted under the Control of Trade of Endangered Species Act. Of course no one wants people out killing animals for the sake of making a profit but doesn't eBay have rules about that kind of thing? It seems like I read about that at some point. Never mind that the heads look incredibly fake since they are all one size,but I'm sure the officers involved would know if the heads weren't real,wouldn't they?

Everyone's a Critic

 Do you have in depth conversations with your dog about how they could be helping you out? and maybe at some point even suggest they could get a job? If so this may be your lucky day! ProDog Raw is looking for three dog food critics to try their new line of raw food. If you are flatulent,have bad breath,large poops and laziness you are just the type of dog they're looking for,those with serious health problems will not be included in the testing. The pay is 30 days of raw food and $141...of course you'll need your owner to keep a video log of the changes in your health/attitude,but hey,you'll be working just like they always wanted!

Rude or Honest?

 Has common decency become a thing of the past? or has everyone decided that being outspoken means they can say whatever they want regardless of who they hurt. For example this woman in Green Bay,Wisconsin has a Cornish Rex cat named Pixel who is also a triple champion but that doesn't stop people from telling her he's the ugliest cat they've ever seen,that she should lock him in a cage and pray,or call an exorcist because he has to be possessed. Granted Cornish Rex cats are not a typical cat with their big ears and eyes and strangely shaped bodies,but since when is it okay to tell someone the pet they love is the ugliest thing you've ever seen? Wouldn't it be just as easy to keep your mouth  shut? You know like the saying,"If you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all". 

Self Serve

How many of you have heard of Ouroboros Steak? The steak takes its name from the symbol of a snake eating its tail and so far it's only a controversial art exhibit. The idea was to make people examine what they are eating and how sustainable those foods are.  The suggestion is that humans should start growing their own meat from their skin cells and expired blood which caused heated debate even though the project was only meant to provide an absurd solution to a serious problem. As bad as the steak went over at the Design Museum in London it had more favorable reception in the US,and here I thought the US was generally opposed to genetically modified food!  

Mystery Solved

 Why would anyone build a Palace of Depression is the question that stumped me when I read about it around a week ago. Finally the light came on,it was this mans way of thumbing his nose at the 1929 Depression. The former Alaskan gold miner bought a junkyard for $4 and went to work. He spent 3 year building the palace out of junk,then opened it to the public for 25 cents per head. Unfortunately he became addicted to the attention he received and told the FBI that the kidnappers of a child in 1956 had stopped at his palace which landed him in prison for a year for lying to the FBI and left unattended, the  palace was vandalized. Eventually a restoration association was formed and the work is ongoing though the palace can be visited by appointment. 

Ouch!

 What started as a snowmobile trip to stay in her brother's yurt in southeast Alaska took a surprising twist when the sister went to the outhouse and got bit on the butt when she sat down. Her brother heard her scream and came running. When she told him something had bit her he opened the lid and shined his headlamp inside,much to his surprise a bear was staring back at him. The next day the fish and game biologist said the bear had got in under a door and was using the space as a den,the bears have been bad this winter as it was a poor year for salmon and berries so they didn't go into a deep hibernation. Fortunately the woman wasn't badly hurt but she says she will be checking before she sits down from now on.  

Missing the Human Touch

 We all knew on some level that computers/AI were bound to get more plentiful,though the pandemic has made that come more quickly in some instances. Hotels are now employing AI as concierges,bell hops,and room service to make social distancing easier on booth guests and employees. Japan has been doing this for years and opened the Strange Hotel in 2015 becoming the first to be fully staffed by machines,now South Africa has started one and has plans for another even though they have one of the world's worst unemployment rates. The good news is,not only does a person not need to worry about hotel employees breathing their germs on you but worries over the rooms not being properly cleaned and prepared should be a thing of the past. 

Face Condoms

 As it turns out calling face masks face condoms may have given some people ideas of how to capitalize on that thought. On sites like Snifffr and All Thing Worn men and mostly women are wearing face masks inside their underwear for 24 hours then selling the "scented" disposable masks for up to $250. I guess it shouldn't be too surprising since even before the pandemic people were selling worn socks on fetish sites,oh and let's not forget Gwyneth Paltrow's vagina scented candle. The bad news is even though the mental image isn't one most folks wish to embrace there is also a risk of contracting the very disease they're trying to avoid by wearing a  face mask worn next to genitals as the virus can be transferred by trace fecal matter and linger on the mask material. 

Crispy

 Anyone who has ever tried chips on a sandwich knows the delight it brings with the crunch and the added flavor. Now a man in the UK has challenged himself to create a new chip sandwich creation for all of February,I am inspired and may take the habit back up. 

• Snackrite Prawn Crackers with hard boiled egg and sweet chilli sauce
• Mccoys salt and vinegar ridge cut crisps with cream cheese and anchovies
• Pringles, cream cheese, olives and sun-dried tomatoes
• Beef Monster Munch with horseradish sauce and hot beef gravy
• Crispy bacon Frazzles with two fried eggs, tomato ketchup and English mustard
• Cheese Doritos with salsa, shredded cheese, sour cream and jalapenos
• McCoys salted crisps with jam and feta cheese
• Skips, grated cheese and tomato ketchup
• Walkers poppadoms with mango chutney

Ben Taylorson started the sandwiches as a bit of fun

Pringles, cream cheese, olives and sun-dried tomatoes

Doritos with salsa, shredded cheese, sour cream and jalapenos

Beef Monster Munch with horseradish sauce and hot beef gravy

McCoy's salt and vinegar ridge cut crisps with cream cheese and anchovies

Space Raiders with chillis, sweet chilli sauce and sour cream