Technology & Plumbing Collide

After 11 weeks, I am finally publishing my first plumbing related post.  I'm in the plumbing/construction industry so plumbing products hold an allure to me, which some people find strange. When going out to eat, I'll always be sure to note the toilet, sink and faucet in the restroom.  I will know if that kitchen faucet on Cribs really is top of the line or not. But most of all, as a semi-tech geek, I love when plumbing & tech collide.

This week I had the opportunity to use the Kohler Moxie Showerhead.  

The speaker in hand, charging port shown

It is essentially a bluetooth speaker in a showerhead. Music in your shower, streaming from your phone.  (This is the kind of innovation that really gets me excited about my industry!)

 Moxie was introduced in December and was actually on quite a few tech blog X-mas lists, but not yet having the opportunity to test it myself, I wasn't ready to put a recommendation out.  Function for me is huge, i.e. if the shower head can't get conditioner out of my hair, the head probably won't pass my test.  There needs to be force behind the water, not just good looking exterior design.  The Moxie is not the best spray I've experienced out of a Kohler head, but passes the test just fine.

The spray is only on the outside of the head since the speaker has to be placed in the middle. I'll allow a little leeway in function here to get to the point; it's a speaker in a showerhead. The speaker insert has a 7 hour battery life, is water resistant, is bluebooth enabled up to 32 ft away and can be used separately from the rest of the showerhead.  I've heard of waterproof speakers for a full sound system inside your shower, but the idea of literally combining the 2? True innovation.

 (Kohler, Retails for $199 - See video here)

Golden Tidbit:

Obviously you'll need some body wash to use with a new shower head, why not some infused with 24k gold? (Available at Bath & Body Works, on sale for $8.25 other scents also available)

Golden Quote: "Everyone who's ever taken a shower has an idea. It's the person who gets out of the shower, dried off and does something about it who makes the difference." - Nolan Bushnell

New year, new Golden opportunity

I'm not big on New Years resolutions.  I hate the obligation to stick to something I think will make me a better person that I probably should be doing anyway.  The whole feeling of it hanging over my head leads me to hate the idea.  Instead I thought I would do something that I WANT to do and think will make other people as happy as I am to get it. I love getting mail.  Real-in my mailbox-with a stamp on it-bonafide snail mail.  I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only one; who doesn't like discovering that little golden envelope with a stamp on it mixed among all the bills and ads and junk mail?  So this year I am committing to send 52 letters/thank you notes/birthday cards/care packages to the people in my life.  I know that Mail seems to out of date in this online era (says the bloggger) but  I hope my recipients enjoy receiving as much as I enjoy sending.
And yes friends, I have of course found a place online to make custom Gold Postage (www.zazzle.com)

Golden Feature:

These hand engraved Gold cards from Crane & Co are a perfect way to say Thank You!

($19 for a box of 10)

Golden Tidbit: "I've always felt there is something sacred in a piece of paper that travels the earth from hand to hand, head to head, heart to heart.” - Robert Michael Pyle

Local Liquor

I received a fantastic belated Xmas gift from my brother; a bottle of Sun Liquor Co. Gun Glub Gin:

This resulted in one of the best G&T's I've ever had, which of course made me research this amazing liquor.  Turns out Sun Liquor Distillery is one of the only distilleries in the US that has a full service bar  & restaurant (with Brunch!)

And lucky for us, was just up the hill (514 E. Pike, Seattle)

 We ended up with some pretty delicious Biscuits and Gravy, a damn good Moscow Mule for me and a refreshing Greyhound for Jeremy (with fresh squeezed Grapefruit - fresh squeezed really does make all the difference).  We also tasted their original Gin (Hedge Trimmer) as well as their Vodka, which we ended up purchasing (the vodka); any restaurant/bar where you can also purchase booze is a pretty good deal, really.

Not only is Washington blessed with an abundance of wineries and craft beers, but we are actually a home to quite a few local distilleries. Along with Sun Liquor, there is also Sound Spirits (Interbay), Mischief (Freemont), 2 Bar (Sodo), Oola (Cap Hill), Batch 206 (Interbay) and that's just a few of the local ones within walking/Uber distance for me.  (Let me know if I forgot any others in the DT Seattle/Cap Hill/Interbay area; I count Woodinville as a separate "distillery district").

Golden Feature:

A gold flask seems like a pretty good way to transport new distillery goods as needed, and this one's on sale on Overstock for $28.49

Golden Tidbit: "I drink Champagne when I win, to celebrate... and I drink Champagne when I lose, to console myself." - Napoleon Bonaparte

A Kitchen Sink Christmas

As a Frequent Flyer during the work week (especially after 5 straight weeks of travel or visiting managers) it's nice to start my vacation by NOT traveling and staying local.  In a time when so many people are traveling to be with their families we were lucky enough to be in town and spend some quality time with some of our best friends this weekend.  Inspired by a dance off (adults against children) at a recent dinner with friends, we decided to rent a dance game of our own using Game Fly;  "Everybody Dance!" for Playstation 3.  If you are a DDR fan, or just never played a dance game, take the next step and try it.  What an entertaining night we had and discovered our friends are incredibly talented dancers!

Today we got to see even more friends and they came bearing gifts:

Kitchen Sink white wine - what a perfect backdrop! (Picture courtesy Charles)

 We've had the Red before and I highly recommend it, I've heard the white is just as good and we can't wait to try it! What a perfectly fitting gift, thanks Stephanie & Charles!

Golden Feature:

Gold Banded Wine Glass

Is there a better way to enjoy wine that out of a gold rimmed glass? Probably not.  These are actually on sale right now at Williams Sonoma for $95.99 for a set of 4

Golden Tidbit: "Wine makes every meal an occasion, every table more elegant, every day more civilized." - Andre Simon

Treasure this Season with your family and friends, and I hope you all enjoy a very Merry Christmas! 

A golden guide to gifts

Happy Holidays! I figured it was time to join in (yes there are a few shopping days left, don't worry!) and give you all a little gift guide. And yes, it's a Golden Themed gift guide. Some of these are items I own so I feel fully comfortable recommending them (find the Gold *) and others are just good Gold ideas.  Happy Shopping!

Golden Feature - Gifts for her:

1. Gold Scarf  - by Target $14.99

2. Gold Nail polish - Felicity by Julep $14.00*

3. Gold Lotion (with 24k gold!) - Oro Gold Body Butter $25.50 *

4. Gold Heels - by Ivanka Trump $129.95

5.Gold Wallet - by Kate Spade $100

6. Gold Druzy Necklace - on Etsy $53.00

7. Gold Earrings - by Tory Burch $78.00

8. Gold Chocolate - by Godiva $15.00

9. Gold Journal - by Grandluxe $11.47 *

Golden Feature - Gifts for him:

1. Gold Shave set - by Erbe $186.95

2. Gold Cigar Cutter - by Xikar $49.95

3. Gold Watch - by Bulova $450

4. Gold Earbuds - by Nixon $75.62

5. Gold Cufflinks - by Cufflinks.com $100.00
6. Gold Pen - Starwalker by Montblanc $470

Golden Feature - Gifts for the Home:

1. Gold Bar Cart - by Society Social $515.00

2. Gold Ornament - by  Starbucks $4.95 *

3.Gold French Press - by  Bodum $69.95

4. Cougar Gold Cheese - by WSU Creamery $20.00 *

5. Gold Champagne - by Armand de Brignac $269

6. Gold USB Drive - by Kate Spade $50.00

7. Gold Dinnerware - plates by William Sonoma $39.95

Golden Tidbit: "Anyone who believes the competitive spirit in America is dead has never been in a supermarket when the cashier opens another checkout line." - Ann Landers

Jingle Bell Dashers

When it comes to charity, a 5k is a great excuse to get up early on a Sunday with a few close friends!  Up at 5am, we got to Dash with 12,000 Seattleites for the Jingle Bell Run  (Raising money to fight Arthritis, donations can be made Here)

Obligatory group shot

Pre 5k couple shot

If you've never done one of the bigger charity runs here in Seattle, I'd highly suggest it. Yes its crowded, and if you have to drive into Seattle, the parking may be a little tough, but man do participants go all out on the theme.  I saw at least 2 Grinches, more than a few Santas, elves, reindeer, even a Christmas Unicorn, a couple of wrapped presents, about 7 different versions of Christmas Trees and every other xmas light wrapped festive outfit you can think of. (And in case you were wondering, I was going for the Snowflake theme this year).  Just getting to the start line was a bit of a struggle, but after forming a train through the crowd with our team, we found a break in the fence and went for it!

If you are looking for a list of local 5k's you can find it here. Whether you are looking for a fun run or a race to set a PR, you'll find it there.  This was the first 5k I've done that wasn't to set a time and I had such a good time; kind of nice to just enjoy the fun.

Edit: If you bring an umbrella to a 5k in Seattle, I will call you out.  

Especially since it wasn't even raining.

Golden Feature:

Hanukkah started on Saturday and since the traditional colors are silve/white and blue it's actually been pretty hard for me to find anything gold.  (If you know where I can find a nice gold Menorah with clean modern lines that isn't post-modern, let me know) In the meantime, use this Golden Dreidel ($1.99 on Amazon.com) to win yourself some Gelt!

Golden Tidbit: "My Future starts when I wake up every morning...Every day I find something creative to do with my life" - Miles Davis

iPhone goes for the Gold

After 3 very painful months of no wifi due to an unfortunate..... water incident, I am now the proud owner of a brand new iPhone 5!

I've only been wanting to upgrade since it came out (ok, not that long, but still), but I'm one of those budget conscience people who will wait until the contract upgrade rather than paying the up-front $600+ even if it killed me to have the outdated model.

I didn't notice how slow my phone was until after playing with the 5 in the Apple store.  After that, it felt like every activity took so.much.longer.   I have close to 2,000 pictures on my phone, both personal and for work purposes, so the camera speed & quality is incredibly important to me.  If you don't have an iPhone 5, find a friend or go to the Apple store and test it.  Literally burst photography, which allows me not haul around my DSLR all the time.

Golden Feature:

This is the new case I just ordered from Amazon ($12.95). Let me say there's a LOT of gold cases on Amazing, but look carefully at the close-up pics of the camera lens portion; over half of them cover it. Or the bezel comes too close to the lens which results in too much lens flare (experience garnered from a red case that made all my pics glow pink)

Golden Tidbit: "Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works." - Steve Jobs