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Puppy chow down

Kristen asks:

My puppy eats his food way too fast.  How can I make him eat slower without having to give him little bits at a time?

There is quite a market out there for dog food dispensing.  The cheapest and most effective method I have found is the Omega Paw Tricky Treat Ball.  It is a rubber ball with a hole in it where you pour the food.  Due to the construction of the ball, the food only comes out when the ball is rolled around.  This serves to help your pooch exercise their brain and get their food in small bits at a time.  Here's a video of the Tricky Treat Ball (or as we call it in my house, the bumble ball) in action:

They come in three sizes according to the size of their bits of food and can be found many pet stores (including Amazon).

Bonus:  my (blurry) dog Oscar in anticipation of his bumble ball:

One fruit, two fruit, old fruit, new fruit

KJ asks:

It's summer and I need some new food in my life.  What should I try?

Fresh fruit is one of my favorite summer treats.  If you are in the market for something new and exciting, here's some wilder things to try:

"Dragonfruit or Pitahaya" by Luke Lawreszuk is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Dragonfruit has the consistency of a kiwi but a milder, sweeter taste.  The outside is bright pink and green (looks like dragon skin) and the insides can be white or pink with black seeds.

"kumquats" by Howard Walfish is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Kumquats are about the size of grapes and look like small oranges.  Incredibly sour, you actually eat them whole, rind and all.  Rolling the rind in your hands before eating is supposed to release extra sweetness to balance out the tart, but personally I haven't had any luck with that.  Let me know if you do!

"rambutan" by benchristen is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Rambutans, if you've never seen them before, may be one of the most alien-looking fruits out there.  Pink on the outside with a seemingly furry appearance, the pitted fruit inside is very sweet and refreshing.  Something to know about rambutans are not like bananas in that they do not continue to ripen after being picked.  When picking them, choose rambutans with a bright pink outside and the closer to green you can find the 'hairs', the better.

Me, My Shelf and I

Carly asks:

Hey Beth, I need to put a shelf in my pantry, where can I go to find one on the cheap?

"94.7thHStreetFestival.NE.WDC.17September2011" by Elvert Barnes licensed under  CC BY-SA 2.0

When looking for shelf to be placed in an exact amount of space, the cheapest route to take would be to make your own.  You may be able to find something pre-made to fit the measurements of your pantry, but unless it is a pretty standard size, you may not have much choice when it comes to cost.

In the Washington, D.C. area, I suggest checking out Community Forklift.  They are a treasure trove of reclaimed building materials and a DIYer's dream!  In addition to shelves or shelf pieces, you can also score some brass doorknobs, a claw-foot bathtub or a vintage light fixture.  The prices are incredibly reasonable and you'll be reusing instead of buying new!

Pop question, hot shot!

Orville asks:

Hey Beth, I always burn my microwave popcorn even though I cook it to the EXACT time it says on the bag.  Help!

"popcorn!!" by superiphi is licensed under CC BY 2.0

For starters, if you are serious about your popcorn, you have to at least try another method that doesn't involve the microwave:  stove top (cheaper and healthier since it only has the ingredients you choose), air pop (if you are feeling fancy and want to buy another large kitchen gadget for your home), or the ever-magical Jiffy Pop (I think everyone should try this at least once, preferably over a camp fire).

But if you are taking the microwave route, the secret to popcorn perfection is counting between the pops.  Once you've heard the majority of the kernels fulfill their destiny, start counting the seconds between the residual pops.  Once it gets to about 2 or 3 seconds between, your popcorn is ready for snacking.

If those seconds are far too much to deal with, you can always download the app from PopSecret that uses the microphone in your device to time those pops for you.

E-I-E-I-Ooh!

James asks:

Hey Beth, I really like using my juicer but the fresh veggies are so expensive.  Farmer's markets seem great, but they seem to only be open while I'm at work.  How can I keep up the juicing without going broke?

From a local orchard, the largest apples I have ever seen.

If you know you'll be eating lots of fruits and vegetables, it may be worth it to look into a CSA:  Community Supported Agriculture.  It is like a subscription service for produce.  You choose the amount of food you want (usually measured in 'shares' which can vary in size from farm to farm), pay up front for what you'll be getting and then go and pick up your produce on a weekly or bi-weekly basis (depending on the farm).

Unlike farmer's markets, you won't decide exactly what you will be getting but it is a great opportunity to try new foods!

To find local places near you, check out Local Harvest.

Shoo cat, don't bother me

Miss Robin asks:

There are some cats in my neighborhood that have taken a shine to using my flowerbeds as a litter box.  I don't want to hurt them or anything, I just have no idea how to get them to not pee in my petunias!

Strong scents and creative planting are the best way to humanely control critters in your gardens.  Marigolds around the perimeter of the plot will keep away the bunnies where as cats tend to stray away from eucalyptus and lavender.  Although I am told it works, I would stray away from using moth balls due to their toxicity.

Let's keep it brief

Dan asks:

Hey Beth, I need a classic-looking briefcase.  I want something that isn't too fancy, but I don't want to look like a broke college student either.

One word:  Saddleback.

Although a bit on the pricey side, they have a 100-year warranty.  That wasn't a typo.

One hundred years.

So the price may look steep, but you'll never need to buy another briefcase again.  They look pretty casual but the quality of the bag really shows that you're a professional with an excellent eye for detail.

As a bonus, here's how to make a Saddleback knock-off:

I must know!

Hey Beth, why is a raven like a writing desk?

Simple:  Poe wrote on both.

(Photo from alice-in-wonderland.net)

Chase the blues away

Hey Beth, I'm having a terrible day.

Here's a .gif set to fix that:

Why can't all this tech stuff work together?

Hey Beth, why can't everything just get along?  I've got a tumblr, a Jawbone Up, Instagram, Gmail, and a bunch of other applications.  I really want to make them all interact with each other but of course, they don't.  Have any magical ways to fix that?

Actually, there is a way to actually make this work.  It's called IFTTT (pronounced like 'gift' without the 'g').  Which means 'if this, then that.'

They are a free service that allows you to make conditional statements about your different applications.  For example, I set it up so that when I post to this blog, it also posts to my tumblr.

They have an iPhone app in addition to their web app so you can set up different relationships (or 'recipes') from anywhere.

IFTTT

Bonus!  IFTTT office dog blog!

The Rental Searching Blues

Hey Beth, I'm apartment hunting and I can't seem to find one that I like.  Help!

There are plenty of rental-searching websites out there.  Some of my favorites are Zillow, Trulia and HotPads.  They all basically work the same and have pretty similar results.

One thing that's great to think about when you're combing through listings is using multiple sites to get the information you need.  

Say you found the perfect place that's right in your price range but on Zillow you've only got a satellite view?  Take your search one step further and google the address of the place.  Chances are that the owner may have put up pictures of the inside on a different website or maybe the house was for sale online at one point and you can get an idea from those photos.

Taking this extra small step can really help you get a better idea of a place without having to go look at dozens in person.

(Photo from Fenway Triangle Trilogy in Boston)

Spaghetti? Western?

Hey Beth, where does the term "Spaghetti Western" even come from?

 +  =  ???

Back in the day, 'Spaghetti Western', was originally a derogatory term and referred to western movies produced and directed by Italians.

Wiki

Rain, rain go away

Hey Beth, I hate the rain.  Do you have a website to fix that?

No one's made a website that controls the weather just yet, but if you dread rainy days, it really helps to have the happiest umbrella on earth.  Get yourself an umbrella that you are so excited to use that you can't wait until it rains.  Here are some of my favorites:

Samurai Umbrella from Neatorama's Neatoshop

Lightsaber Umbrella from ThinkGeek

The Colour Change Umbrella from suckUK
My personal favorite and it hasn't rained since I got it.  :(

Scotch Tape

Hey Beth, why is it called Scotch tape?

First of all, Scotch is a brand, not a kind of tape (like Kleenex and Chapstick are brands, not items), made by the company 3M.  The legend behind the choosing of the name is that one of the first iterations of masking tape was not quite adhesive enough.  The bodyshop painter attempting to use the tape exclaimed, "Take this tape back to your Scotch bosses of yours and tell them to put more adhesive on it!"

MIT article

Ooh! What flavor is this one? Eeeew...lemon

Hey Beth, wouldn't it be awesome if they made a mixed chocolates box that you could pick the flavors?

See's Candies will do it for you.  Just go to their site, select what pieces you want and then get those sweet lemon-curd-free chocolates delivered to your door.

See's Candies

Hotel Boredom

Hey Beth, I'm planning a vacation and I am really tired of staying at boring hotels.  

How about staying in a house instead?

Homeaway is where you can find people renting out their homes for short term lodging or vacations.  They run the gamut as far as pricing is concerned and you get a completely different experience than the traditional hotel.

Homeaway

(In case you are curious, click here for the link to the rental pictured above in Italy)

Eggplant?

Hey Beth, how did a big, purple vegetable end up being called an eggplant?

Actually a fruit, the eggplant (or aubergine) that was grown in Europe was white or yellow in color and resembled goose eggs.

Mother's Day

Hey Beth, I don't know what to get my hippie mother for Mother's Day!  HALP!

You know the hippies love a good sandal and they love helping create jobs and using fair labor practices even more.

How about a classic pack from Sseko Designs?  Fun, versatile sandals made in Uganda so that talented young women can afford university tuition in a male-dominated, impoverished society.

You can change the straps on them and make them wrap however you please.

$69.00 from Sseko Designs (http://ssekodesigns.com/)