HoundsGood: Chronicles of a Virtual Volunteer

Sadly, we lost another one.

We don’t have many neighbors. In fact for a few years, we were the only house on the side street. When someone would drive slowly, or turn the corner, it would definitely cause a stir. They had two options: they were either woefully lost or were aware of our existence and were there to see us. Little did we realize at the time, that there was a third reason people slowed down in front of our house, and then drove away.

Though our home is relatively new, as you know, the land it was built on has been there forever. Our garage is actually an ancestral burial ground for vacuum cleaners that have ceased to be. We believe the aforementioned drivers slowed down against their will, as the machines that they drove shuttered or reverently paused. Miscellaneous attachments and power cords roll like tumbleweeds in this forbidden place.

It all started with the faithful, reliable vacuum that met its tragic demise in a crashed moving van. A substitute was quickly found, but the first vacuum lived on in spirit. Its attachments fit the new vacuum perfectly, except it was a different shade of blue. These parts were donated as extras for when we lost them. The new vacuum was not discriminatory that the old parts were more ocean and it was more of a blue gray. True to urban legend, the machine started to take on the characteristics of the organ donor and met the same demise. Though it did not go peacefully. It unraveled some berber carpet in the process.

Then, there was the canister vacuum that worked too well for my mother-in-law to throw away two moves ago, but didn’t work well enough to contend with our two long haired dachshunds. We had visions that it would live out its days as the “car vacuum.” How silly of us that the whole state of affairs of having to contend with a power cord did not register in our minds, much less the power surge the obviously not Energy Star rated behemoth created. Hoisting the canister up into the truck and wrestling with the hose only created tire tracks INSIDE the car. The ghost of the burnt orange canister vacuum with electrical tape on the hose still looms.

For some reason, my husband thinks that we became keepers of the graveyard because of our two long haired dogs. I reminded him that there usually is no logical excuse for such hauntings. In fact, often it can follow a person. It seems that we thought we were saving tons of money by accepting third hand vacuums and buying the cheapest ones. All we got in return was knee socks stuck in the wheels, cords spliced by someone’s uncle and sand and gravel all over our car. That’s not thrifty!

Will we ever break the curse? Maybe if we cast IN the Devil….the Dirt Devil , that is. I am floored to have found a cordless vacuum that doesn’t take a millenia to charge, pays its room and board and can withstand all the dog hair. Well the Dirt Devil AccuCharge doesn’t really have money, but it doesn’t just get by on charm. It pays for itself by using 70% less electricity than the norm. Truth be told, it probably uses 99% less energy than the aforementioned “Car Vacuum” and it does not come in sunset orange or harvest gold. I am willing to bet on that! There is hope for us yet!

Click below to watch the AccuCharge in action!

When I was considering a college for the first time, the procedure involved receiving glossing brochures, and if I had further interest, I would receive a catalog worthy of a door stopper. Alternately, I was sent a video of a mythical school where all the students sat on the lawn in groups of 3-5 at all times during the day while the camera panned around the campus. Of course, no one had their back to the camera ever.

Nowadays, Kettering University has its finger on the pulse of the social networking world and the Youtube generation by releasing the Stickman videos onto the web, where they are spreading virally. With the simple, yet hip animation, the videos are a clever hook to entice students to consider traveling to Flint, Michigan of all places. (I can joke about Flint as a native Michiganian or Michigander, whichever term you prefer.)

Little may one know when the webisodes first catch their eye, that Kettering was ranked #1 in US News Best Colleges for Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering. If the videos raise an eyebrow, the hard facts close the deal.

This Stickman and Stickchick episode caught my attention. The nod to playing “Star Wars” as a kid, plus many memories of using my mitten to explain where in Michigan I used to live put me in a nostalgic mood.

I have a feeling that Stickman is not just a gimmick or fad. I remember when a particular Auto Maker that I worked for at the time sent colorful brochures of trucks to children to start imprinting them with brand awareness at an early age. After all, kids like dump trucks. I bet that there will be eight year old out there who will get Kettering stuck somewhere in their mind upon seeing the cartoon and will think about studying mechanical engineering at the school in the next decade as well.

I stumbled across this story about “ReBorn Babies.”     They are a series of dolls that not only look pretty real, but are wired to make small noises and movements to give the impression of a real baby.    Some comments pointed out that it is truly an artform for people that collect dolls.  I would agree they would be perfect for television shows. 

However, the video suggests some people walking around town cradling this fake baby.  They cost hundreds and the individuals purchase baby furniture and clothing hand over fist for them.   Some defend the practice saying it lets women who really don’t want children to have an outlet for their mothering instincts.   (What happened to watching a relative’s kids for the afternoon? Or buying clothing for a child who doesn’t have anything?) But really, in my mind it appears that people want the attention of toting a newborn around without having any responsibility whatsoever.

As strange as it is, perhaps its a better outlet for someone to buy a fake baby and all of its designer clothes than getting a dog or cat for those who want the attention but none of the responsibility of a living thing and putting them in a little purse to carry until you are tired of it.  Are you reading this Paris?