Goldfrapp -- Supernature

Another Goldfrapp hit, this one more "clubby" than the others, but still great music.

$14.99 on amazon.com

Master Lock 5/8" Locking Hitch pin

This simple device allows me to lock my pintle hook adapter to the Land Crusier. It's Class III/IV rated (10,000 lbs trailer weight and 1200 lbs tongue weight) and has a very nice heft to it. The locking mechanism is a regular key, nothing high-security looking about it, but at least it would keep away the standard city rats from just pulling whatever is hitched up off the truck.

$11.50 on amazon

Goldfrapp -- Black Cherry

Love (!) Goldfrapp. Seventh Tree is the first album I bought and am now going back through their catalog to collect the rest.

Amazon.com for $11.98

Valley Pintle Hook Adapter

With my new 4x4 Labs rear bumper on my Toyota Land Cruiser (and compounded by my 4" lift and taller tires), I was worried about cars running underneath the back of my truck. The solution? A removable pintle hook adapter that fits in the rear receiver. This sits low enough that if a car were to run into the back of my truck, they would get caught up on the adapter and hopefully not smash into the rear suspension parts further up in the truck.

Bought on amazon.com for $50.26

Netgear GS608: 8 - Port Gigabit Switch

Sweet, sweet gigabit speeds. This goes out in the A/V rack to hook up the Denon receiver to the Airport Express so I can configure the Denon through a web browser. Oh, and it will also feed a Squeezebox, Mac Mini, etc. One of the nice things is that it comes with a new style AC adapter that lets off a lot less heat.

$49.99 on amazon.com

Hi-Lift ORB (Off-Road Base)

The Hi-Lift Off-Road Base gives a large footprint to a Hi-Lift jack (think five-foot tall car jack.) This is very useful when off-roading and you're stuck in loose sand, mud, or really anything that the jack could sink into. Will I ever use it? Who knows, but if I'm ever stuck where the jack can sink right through the ground, I'll have this in the trunk and ready to help me get me out of a sticky (or sinky) situation.

Bought on amazon.com for $41.64

Compass American Guides: California Wine Country, 5th Edition

I spend too much time in CA wine country not to have a proper book about it. This is a great book and I'm looking forward to checking off all of the places we've been, as well as finding new places to try. I like that it has places outside of Napa/Sonoma, so that we can pull off the highway anywhere in CA and taste some wine. And then check it off. I'm big on the checking off.

$14.93 on amazon.com

Denon iPod cable

Simple enough idea, right? Plug in your iPod into your stereo receiver. Well, for me, since I have my Airport Express to stream music to my Denon, this is really for guests that want to hook up their iPod and have it BOOM! I was hoping for iPod control of the music, but this really acts just like a car iPod interface kit where it relies on the on-screen menu system of the reciever to browse music. You loose the fast scroll of the iPod click-wheel, but you gain control using the remote and seeing the iPod menu on the TV. One gripe is the price. $60.00 for a cable? Usury?

Amazon.com $60.00

Cole Haan Air Elly

Love, love, love these shoes. And despite the fact that 2 out of 2 of my posts are about shoes, I am not a shoe person. But I love these shoes & have bought them in two colors. The blue are gone, so here are my patent black ones. Amazingly comfortable and they look great with anything! I have a spring in my step when I wear them. Really.

BTW, they run about 1/4 size small, so order up if you're on the fence.

$100 on colehaan.com

Cole Haan Air Bria

I'm bringing the feminine touch to this blog, so it's fitting that my first post is for shoes. I needed shoes to walk to work in and I got a good deal on these. They are very comfy & don't look like tennis shoes. Most importantly, they slip on (no laces) and I don't have to wear socks if I don't want to. Perfect!

$70 on colehaan.com

Cisco - Linksys RV042 VPN Router

This is my second one of these. The one I have now has been over-heated several times in the cabinet (now I have my case fans) and is making a funny whining/hissing noise. Since internet access is sooooo important to me, I bought this one to replace the old one and will keep the old one handy in case the new one craps out. There are several great features in this router: dual WAN ports (think using cable modem AND dsl at the same time), point-to-point VPN, PPTP server for VPN-ing into your network remotely, and security features like DoS blocking, SPI, and others. One other really nice thing is this has the newer-style power brick that gives off much less heat. This is good for the general heat load of the Ikea credenza, but at the cost of the quality of power that goes to the router. It's not so bad, since there is the APC battery back-up doing the power conditioning at the plug!

$139.98 on amazon.com

Hockey Pucks

What? Hockey pucks!? Really?? Yes, even though I have never played a game of hockey in my life, I just bought 8 hockey pucks. What are they for? Spacers. Specifically stereo equipment spacers for the rack system. Think about it: cheap (check), stable (check), absorb vibrations (check), modular (check), look good in the rack (check). Done! Now this will hold up the Belkin power conditioner up off the floor of the rack to allow space for the case fans.

Amazon.com for $10.72 (8 x $1.34 each)

APC-BE750G 750VA Battery Backup

Bought this to replace a 650 VA battery backup that failed. Apparently, these devices do NOT like 139 volts for long periods of time (thanks PG&E!) This is providing power backup & conditioning to my network gear (Netgear switch & Linksys router and cable modem.) I expect about 2 hours of back-up time when the power is out. Nice feature with these is the easy-to-access alarm switch when the power is out. "Yes, I know you have no power, and there is NOTHING I can do about it, so shut up!"

Bought on amazon.com for $82.23

RaXXess Quiet Rack Fan

To keep my stereo equipment cool in my Belkin Rack, and my network equipment cool in my Ikea credenza, I bought 2 of the RaXXess Quiet Rack Fan on Amazon.com. They look pretty stout and when plugged in they are very quiet.

$29.95 each on amazon