Sean and I were talking about what style of sunglasses he would be sporting this summer, but the thought of retiring his good old aviators didn’t appeal to him much. However, we did end up talking about styles and brands of men’s sunglasses that are most popular in California. Many areas have their own “local heroes”, and San Diego is no exception. While Oakleys (based out of Orange County) are always a favorite, you can’t leave the house without seeing a score of men wearing Dragon sunglasses. Truck stickers with the Dragon logo are also really popular. As it turns out, Dragon is a San Diego County (Carlsbad) based company, which explains the hometown love that the brand enjoys here. Their styles are largely designed for the sports enthusiast, so you’ll find incredibly sturdy frames that block 100% of all harmful UV and Blue Light. Wrap-around sunglasses frames are also one of their hallmarks, as are the occasional fashion forward style. There is a new 2007 model called “GG”, which is straight up 1980’s nerd style: thick two-toned coffee and bronze frames, perfect for rocking the blazer, t-shirt, and Vans look. To cater to a wider audience, they also offer more subdued, metal frame sunglasses styles. (You can see GG shown at top left, in black.)

If you’re looking for a pair of men’s Dragon sunglasses, eBay has an awesome selection. Even better, I’ve been watching auctions and you can definitely get a new pair for well below retail. Oh, the magic of eBay.

Posted by Lauren in Outdoors, Clothing and Accessories
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Can you believe it? Summer Solstice is finally here! Today is the longest day of the year (in terms of hours of sunlight, which we find to be a great gauge for awesomeness), and the official start of the summer season. If you’re in the Northern Hemisphere then you’ve probably got 3+ months of sunshine coming your way!

If you happen to live in an especially sunny climate, such as our own San Diego “300 days of sunshine” California, you might find yourself wishing for a little relief from the heat. When you’re outside and away from your air conditioned houses and cars, try using a portable mister like 8.5″ tall Cool Blast. All is takes is a superfine mist of water and you’ll be feeling 30 degrees cooler. It doesn’t even need batteries. Brilliant! They’re even on sale right now, so you can beat the heat all summer for just a few bucks.

On Sale: $14.99 or 2 for $25 (usually $20 each)

Posted by Lauren in Outdoors, Gadgets
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It’s summer time and we’re all going to be spending a lot more time in our pools. You may not have one, but your neighbor probably does, and you’ll go to at least a couple pool parties this summer, right? Well then the only thing stopping you from being the coolest pool party guest or host is having a motorized pool lounger … or two.

Seriously though, who wouldn’t want a ride on this sweet double joystick double thrusters pool lounger that can not only get you from one end to the other with out getting wet, but can do 360 spins? Weeeeeeeee!!! To top it off this bad boy has a drink cozy, and comes with air pump so you don’t look like a chump blowing up your pool lounger with your own lungs while everyone is already having fun. Get your motorized pool lounger now.

$149.95

Feel free to kick it up a notch at your own pool party with this remote controlled floating serving tray that holds 5 drinks and 16 ounces of snacks. Just imagine yourself relaxing in your sweet crystal clear pool on your motorized lounger, drifting in the slight breeze and when the sun is too much you motor over into the shade. Then when hunger or thirst strikes you beckon your floating snacks with a flip of a button and chow down. Just keep in mind that there are five 12 oz. drink holders and your bladder can only hold so much. But then again if you are by yourself and it’s your pool …

$49.95

Posted by Sean in Outdoors, Splurge, Fun
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Living in one of the most sunny climates in North America certainly has spoiled the Mable’s Crew. When June hits, if it’s not 73 degrees outside, we get cranky. Although it’s been pretty steady in the 60’s lately, we’re still dreaming of heat waves and pools. Judging by the reports at weather.com, the rest of the US should be getting excited, too. So the question is, how can you stock up on your favorite water toys to beat the heat but not your wallet?

Leaps and Bounds is making it a lot easier by offering 15% off orders over $100 throughout June. Although they carry a whole bunch of other cool kids items, their new pool toys have really caught my eye. In addition to the water park inspired “Shock Rocker Inflatable Float” shown at right, there are several more rad looking water toys. Don’t have a pool? No worries; all of these “pool toys” are safe for use in lakes, the ocean, or pools. If all you have is a little scrap of yard, you can still set up your very own Family Fun Water Park! There’s even a reusable underwater camera (on sale!) and sea creature shaped Sun Signals UV Sensors for more safe water fun.

Family Fun Water Park

Inflatable Squirter Donut

Slider Island

COUPON: Get %15 off orders of $100 or more. Enter B15JUNE in the promotion code field during checkout to get your 15% discount. Offer expires June 30, 2007.

Posted by Lauren in Sale, Outdoors, Kids
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The weather is changing and that means we get to spend more time outside. Good outdoor lighting can really make a difference and I think everyone should have some glowing orbs lying around their backyard. These aren’t just your ordinary light up orbs though.

Since it’s officially Earth Day I thought I’d recommend these solar powered glowing orbs from Hammacher. Not only do these collect the sun’s energy during the day, they also gradually change colors to create some relaxing ambient light at night. Their sturdy translucent plastic globe is watertight and can be left floating in a pool or set upon it’s stand for table illuminations. The bright LEDs slowly turn blue, pink, and green and the orb can detect darkness to turn off automatically at dawn.

$39.95

Posted by Sean in Outdoors, Green Living
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Whenever I’m watching a movie and a car goes plummeting into a body of water… I hold my breath with the character in peril. Maybe it’s a sympathetic thing, or a testament to our innate survival instincts. Either way, when the character inevitably can’t open the window or door, I remind myself to buy a hand held glass breaker. The fine folks at Swiss+Tech have made such a device, but it also has 4 other useful functions. “The BodyGard 5-in-1 Emergency Tool incorporates five specific devices: automatic glass breaker, safety-blade seat belt cutter, high-decibel sonic alarm, flashing red distress light, and bright-white LED flashlight.” So in-between all those times that your car gets submerged in water or the electrical systems get shorted in a fire, you can also use this pint-sized bad boy to ward off would-be attackers. Now that’s peace of mind.

$14.99

Posted by Lauren in Outdoors, Gadgets
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The more common funny doormats say things like “Hi, I’m Mat” or “Wow! Nice Underwear” but I found some other funny doormats I’d like to share.

What sparked this post is the sheer simple cleverness of the “You are Here” doormat. As soon as I saw this and got over my initial chuckle I wondered why I didn’t think of that. I was also proud to see that this particular doormat is made of 100% recycled truck tires.

Another clever doormat made from recycled rubber is the sewer manhole cover. It comes in Boston, NYC, or generic Metro styles.

Lastly are my personal favorites because they are quite nerdy. “There’s no place like 127.0.0.1” is one, and the other simply says “welcome” but stylishly encoded in binary (just a bunch of 1’s and 0’s).

Have you come across any funny doormats you’d like to share? We’d like to hear from you, so leave a comment below to let everyone know about it.

$17.99 - $39.99

Posted by Sean in Outdoors, Household, Unique
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Welcome to the most comfortable sitting experience you’ll probably ever feel. This portable gel seat from Hammacher & Schlemmer is designed with maximum comfort in mind. You’d be surprised how many times a day you might be able to use this: waiting at the bus stop, sitting on a park bench, behind your desk, in the bleachers during a sporting event, or anywhere that has less than comfortable seating options. The pliable gel interior disperses weight evenly across the cushion, relieving painful pressure when sitting. The center groove even gently slopes for tailbone comfort- which helps to eliminate back pain- and the entire design is just slightly sloped to encourage correct posture. Good things do come in small packages; at a wee 2.5 pounds, the gel seat is compact (folds right in half) and portable (comes with a handle).

$59.95

Posted by Alison in Just For You, Outdoors
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Living in cold weather climates has it’s ups and downs. One of the funnest things about the normally not-so-fun freezing temperatures is the ability to make your own backyard ice rink! Just think… no more driving to the ice skating rink or paying entrance fees. Now you can have your very own outdoor home ice rink to skate or play hockey on anytime you like.

Whether learning how to ice skate is on your “to do” list or you’re an ice skating pro, having your own ice rink is a great winter treat. I just moved to California from back east, and although the warm weather is fantastic, I’ll always kinda miss cold weather fun like this. Playing in the snow is great, but outdoor ice skating is even better, it’s great excersize, and it’s fun for all ages. It doesnt even matter what size yard you have. KB Toys offers DIY kits to make an ice rink in 4 different sizes, so even smaller yards are not left out. There is a Snow Toy sale going on at KB from now until February 12th and all of the Ice n’ Go rinks are 30% off.

How to build an ice rink with your Ice n’ Go Kit

$149.99-279.99 (normally $199.99-399.99)

Posted by Alison in Outdoors, Kids
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Remote controlled cars and trucks make great toys to play with, but pale in comparison to being captain of your own pirate ship. Ready to sail for captains ages 5 and up this remote control pirate ship is best suited for calm waters (pools, ponds, and small lakes). This 18″ galleon comes equipped with twin propellers and a deadly cannon that makes sound and light effects upon command. The wireless range is 80′ so don’t let it out of your sight or it might sail off into the sunset.

For those little landlubbers who want be captain of a ship, but aren’t yet allowed to play in the water there is the Black Pearl Remote Control Pirate Ship that operates on land and features Jack Sparrow and friends action figures.

For the big kids who need the attention to detail and can handle a bigger motor there is the King’s Ransom RC pirate ship. Made by AquaCraft this galleon has a pre-painted fiberglass hull and is ready to hit the waters or sit in a static display.

Complete the pirate themed gift set with a very special Captain’s Dream t-shirt from Threadless or pirate costume. Heck, why not throw a huge pirate themed party and get every guest in the swashbuckling mood?

Posted by Sean in Outdoors, Kids, Fun
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I’ve always been a nature lover, and although I’ve never thought myself to have a green thumb I’ve always wanted to try growing a Garden Fort. I remember reading about sunflower houses when I was little and being amazed at what a little planning and some seeds could produce.

Hearth Song’s exclusive GardenFort would be a great spring time gift whether you are a nature lover, gardener, or just like the idea of being surrounded in a lush little secret garden of your own. This would be a great eco-friendly activity for you and your children as warmer months approach. (What a great way to get kids outside *playing* after being cooped up for all those winter months!) The kit includes supporting framework as well as 4 fast growing seeds like cypress vine, and moon flower.
$69.95

Posted by Alison in Outdoors, Kids
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I had a dream last night about this very riding toy. Since I saw this online a couple days ago I keep thinking of all the fun times I had as a child riding the sit and skate Flying Turtle. Recommended for ages 3 years and up kids propel themselves by swinging the handlebars from side to side on smooth-rolling skateboard wheels. If you’ve seen them before then you know how easy it is to get moving. I tried to find a good example of people riding a Flying Turtle, but the best I could come up with is this 5 second video of a grown up riding in a circle. If you can find a better example video online or upload one of your own, please let us know by leaving a comment with a link to it.

My personal memories are from the mid 80’s and this teal color really brings back those 80’s feelings. Now you can get them in the always stylish black, in purple, or even a dark green.

I remember I enjoyed it because I couldn’t skateboard well at all, but still wanted to hang out in empty parking lots with the bigger kids. This gave me the transportation, not to mention good exercise, I needed to be able to keep up with the others in the neighborhood. Which is exactly why I would recommend this as a good gift to kids who happen to be in a similar situation.

$58.50

Related: “Trikke 7″ three-wheeler for ages 8 and up.

Posted by Sean in Outdoors, Kids, Fun
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Using a bicycle for trips around town is the ultimate in environmentally friendly transportation; so promote the use of their bike by giving this easy to use and install cargo trailer. Although this trailer says its made for the eGo Cycle (electric bicycle) it looks like it will fit any bicycle with at least 20′ wheels (most do). This bicycle cargo trailer features a low profile for better visibility or lights and reflectors, can attach in a snap, and can carry up to 100 lbs of additional weight. When not in use this trailer folds up flat for maximum storage efficiency.

$169

Gaiam also offers gift certificates so recipients can find their own perfect present.

Posted by Sean in Alternative Energy, Holiday Green Gift Guide, Outdoors, Misc
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Shopping for a fan of snowboarding or skiing? Help reduce waste in our landfills and find the gift you’re looking for by utilizing old snowboards and skis as new furniture. Pictured here is a recycled snowboard bench, but that’s not all. Other items of recycled furniture available are: bookshelves, coat racks, picnic table, outdoor chairs, DVD rack, trash cans, clocks, and more. The time to buy these is now due to the fact that they are made when ordered and they take weeks to be delivered. Actual time depends on the product selected.

Clock, Coat Rack, & Trash Can $30-85
Book Case, Tables, Chairs $150-400

PatioandYard.com has some similar recycled snowboard furniture worth taking a look at as well.

Posted by Sean in Home and Outdoors, Holiday Green Gift Guide, Outdoors
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In the heirarchy of green products, those that cleverly solve two problems at once reign supreme. Not only is this wreath made from recycled plastic, but the lights are powered by a solar cell. To make a smart idea even smarter, it’s daylight-sensing and automatically turns the lights on or off so you don’t waste your solar charge. I’m not sure if it’s just proves that the manufacturer really knows their target market, or to play up the “hippie” allure, but you can choose from the traditional style or a peace sign shaped wreath.

$89

Gaiam also offers gift certificates so recipients can find their own perfect present.

Posted by Lauren in Holiday, Holiday Green Gift Guide, Outdoors
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