Month: March 2015 | Shiny Bits of Life

March 31, 2015March 31, 2015

Creativity vs. Practicality

cabin-camper Fort Collins is full of creative people. I’d bet that your town is too.

My son Jay took this photo on one of the residential side streets of Fort Collins. I’m guessing that the owner of this Toyota uses his (or her) cabin-camper as daily transportation. Obviously, it’s not as practical as a boring sedan for daily use. But it has a huge amount of character. The artist who made this dwelling/vehicle chose to favor creativity instead of practicality.

That’s what art is all about. The beautiful painting that graces your wall is not practical. But it is, in a way – beauty feeds the soul. A healthy soul makes for a better functioning life. And that’s practical.

March 24, 2015March 14, 2015

Apple Watch and intended sales

Back of iPhone showing apple logo I wonder how many people will walk into an Apple Store after April 24th and then find out that they need an iPhone for their desired new timepiece to function.

Yes, Apple will be selling a fair number of iPhones to Android people who must have the latest toy.

This is very clever on their part. Apple’s share of the smartphone market has been slipping a little over the last few years. This strategy will maybe change that trend.

It’s the only product I know that has the same internal mechanism but varies in price from $349 to $17,000 – depending on the shell. (My UK friends who are so inclined will pay between £299 and £13,500.) What a price to pay for appearances!

I have to admit that if it weren’t for a number of un-planned-for recent necessary expenditures, I would be very tempted to buy the base model, even though I don’t wear watches. (If I could afford it, I would start wearing an Apple Watch.)

March 10, 2015March 9, 2015

Review: Better by Nature Coffee

Better by Nature coffee If you like smooth, non-bitter coffee, I have found your java nirvana. Better by Nature produces coffee through a unique process that results in a very smooth cup of coffee.

In non-scientific terms, the process uses mushrooms to remove the bitter agents and impurities, while leaving behind what coffee-lovers thrive on – great taste.

The variety I tried was created from Costa Rican beans. I am not a wine-snobbery-terminology kind of person, so I can’t describe the floral notes with undertones of oak. Suffice it to say that if normal coffee is too bitter for you unless you load it down with lots of milk and sugar, check this one out.

If you are interested in giving it a try, visit the Better by Nature website.

Disclosure: I was given this coffee as a free trial. I am thankful.

March 3, 2015February 25, 2015

Sad to see them go

dead-sign Another local business died. After 31 years, Arapahoe Cyclery closed their doors. Mike and Greg were amazing mechanics, nice guys, and a pleasure to do business with.

What’s sad is that I didn’t get the opportunity to say goodbye. Since we’re in the depths of snowy weather, I hadn’t been through their doors in a few months. I’m hoping I’ll run into one of them at some point, so I can share my pain at the loss.

Rather than go into a long rant about why it’s good to give business to your local independent shops, I’ll just ask you to try to do that when you can.

By the way, the sign is from the same plaza the bike shop was in. It was for an auto parts store that closed down within the last year. My hopes aren’t too high for the new fitness center that recently opened.