For my birthday my parents got me a USB rock. My dad made it himself. It's the greatest thing! I took it to work, connected it to the USB port on the side of my monitor, and let me tell you - it's causing quite a stir. People stop by my cube and are asking questions about it. Here are some of my stories explaining what the rock does:

• It's charging.
• It glows in the dark at night. You need to come after hours to see it. I tested it at home.
• It grows hair.
• It's a new air purifier with natural ions. Just smell the air!
• It releases moisture. It's a natural humidifier. It creates condensation on the outside via gyroscope in the middle. Then the water evaporates.
• It cools down the air. It's a small AC unit. I bought it online. The website said it counterbalances the heat released by the PCs. I paid 50 bucks for it.
• It's part of a USB rock-paper-scissor kit.
• It hums. Seriously, try it. Just put your ear to it.
• It makes ocean wave sounds. Try it.
• It's for my back pain. Doris got it for me as part of the ergonomnics set. It releases magnetic waves. It really helps!
• It relieves joint pain. Try holding it. The doctor said I should hold it for at least 30 seconds after heavy typing.
• It's an electronic paper weight. It attracts paper on molecular level.
• It emits magnetic waves that help you relax. It really helps.
• Well, it's charging now. Once it's fully charged, it rolls. Oh! Did you see it! Man, you just missed it! It's really fast!

1. Your dollar isn't worth a nickel in Europe anymore.
2. When the rental company offers you a free upgrade to a larger, "better" car - don't do it. You will spend a fortune on gas.
3. Switzerland has different plugs than the surrounding countries; so does Italy, but at least you can fit standard euro plugs into Italian outlets.
4. In Europe "double room" room means room for two people, and not room with two beds. If you go by US customs (paying per room and not per person), the hotel will think you are trying to cheat them.
5. If you had argued with the hotel owner, and accidently left something in the room, don't expect to get it back.
6. The Swiss have a huge inferiority complex.
7. Don't trust MapPoint directions - they will route you through mountain hiking trails.
8. Don't leave fresh alpine cheese in a plastic bag in a hot hotel room.
9. Most European hotels don't have 24h reception.
10. When driving in Rome: there is no concept of lanes. Scooters always think they have the right of way.
11. Even though the stamps in Europe are old school, you don't have to lick. They have sponges for that. Just don't go overboard.
12. When arriving in small village hotel, make sure you are at the right address before you unpack =)
13. When going to a small alpine village, don't trust the GPS - be sure to know the hotel name.
14. Not everyone accepts credit cards (especially not B&Bs). Make sure to have cash.

Some snaps I took today while shopping with my Nokia phone. Not so good quality, but still pretty cool =))

My old lawn mower has something wrong with the engine – it smokes a lot and comes to a rapid halt once it gets hot. Obviously that's not very usable.
To finally cut my jungle of a yard I decided to get a new one. Rather than shelling out $300 for a brand new mower, I turned to craigslist. As always, it worked. I found one I liked, the price was right, so I got it. I just wish the seller had more faith in people – he actually made me go to an ATM since he would not accept personal check. Old people…

Anyway, the mower works great! It has a bag so I don’t have to rake. And it’s really quiet, too. Already did the lawn, looking forward to next time =)