Time flies and seasons change. We're going on much needed sabbaticals
to recuperate, refresh, revitalize and to work on other projects that all of a
sudden require the lionshare of our time and focus.

The last two years writing for Productdose have been great. You guys and
gals are the best troll-guards on the internet.

Thanks so much for your readership, your encouragement, and your
criticisms. 

Check back occasionally. You know we'll be back.

From someone who put it better than anyone else:

"Surprised by joy--impatient as the Wind
I turned to share the transport--Oh! with whom
But Thee, deep buried in the silent tomb,
That spot which no vicissitude can find?
Love, faithful love, recalled thee to my mind--
But how could I forget thee? Through what power,
Even for the least division of an hour,
Have I been so beguiled as to be blind
To my most grievous loss?--That thought's return
Was the worst pang that sorrow ever bore,                   
Save one, one only, when I stood forlorn,
Knowing my heart's best treasure was no more;
That neither present time, nor years unborn
Could to my sight that heavenly face restore."

                              ---William Wordsworth

For you designers who actually sleep so that even when you manage to count a few sheep you'll be dreaming about the creative suite. Mmm, endless work is a blessing these days. |via SwissMiss|

It's true, after penguins pandas are the cutest of animals. |via BB|

Even when you're in the middle of nowhere, you've got to have your aqua vitae. Correction, especially when you're in the middle of nowhere. Like San Bernadino, CA. Drink your favorite refreshment from this slender, leak-proof flask. Save the water for the handwashing.

An immediate classic. This chair has a simple construction that fully serves functionality, making it easy to assemble and use. And compared to the typical beach chairs I've dealt with that's a blessing. The expandable chairs I've used in the past, with their complicated architecture, are easy to open, sure, but once a little sand gets into the moving parts they are impossible to collapse. Even a small frustration can ruin a perfect day at the beach. With this field chair all you'll have to worry about is finding a spot in the sun to park yourself. |via Valet|

I love women. I love them in all their amazing and difficult facets. But sometimes I am at a loss as to how and why they are feeling. Most of the women I know tell me when they are PMSing, it's just no fun to be around them. They know it. I know it. yet the storm always seems to hit me. This free online service, PMS Buddy, and 99 cents iPhone app might be the relationship-preserver we've all been seeking.

Features:

•        A unique PMS meter that shows green to red warning levels
•        Display of date when PMS will begin
•        Automatically calculates upcoming PMS dates
•        Ability to track up to 10 women

I especially like the ability to track ten women at once capability.

Ah, memories. The first time I encountered jaegermeister was in a French Quarter watering hole. My friends and I were poor college students and we always looked for drink promotions to make our libations last. There was a girl walking around with an armful of jaegermeister t-shirts and all we had to do to earn one, a shirt not a girl, was to drink seven shots of jaeger. Being young and foolish we decided we should drink all seven at once, each of us. I got my t-shirt. The rest of the night I don't remember much. This tap machine serves ice cold shots of your favorite cough syrup. It won't serve your two aspirins in the morning though.

Today is the greatest day of the literary year, William Shakespeare's birthday. I also happen to be born on this day so I'm rewarding myself with a day doing absolutely nothing. Be back tomorrow, happy people!

And here's the Happy Birthday Monkey.

These glazed, porcelain balls are decorated with bird and floral motifs and banded by a silver streak. Just a little something to flare up your pots and plants. |via Fubiz|

I hate to be a total fanboy about this but I can’t live without my iPhone. I have used the iPhone to avoid the weather. Yes, the weather, something that seems inescapable. But is it really? Using the iPhone’s weather forecasting function, I’ve managed to stay dry during wet times and kept warm during cool days. I’ve nimbly sidestepped lightning storms. If there’s a tornado warning in Kansas, my iPhone alerts me to not drive through there on the way home from work. Because of my iPhone I kept a wide berth of the island of Tonga. How it knew that undersea volcano was going to erupt is a bit of technology that my mind has found impossible to grasp. And that’s just the weather. My iPhone has kept me safe from falling planes, crashing trains, and even attacks from religious fanatics. And it updates my email in real-time. That's why I protect it with some eco-friendly bamboo. |via Ecofriend|

Unfortunately for me, I live so far away from good ski locales and snowboarding trips are a once-a-year thing for me (if I'm even THAT lucky). If I lived any closer, I would definitely invest in a Roundhouse Snowboard from Arbor. The design is amazing and the board is truly a work of art. 

This summer there will be no more spilled drink and icecubes colliding with my front teeth. These, and a good tan, are my summertime ambitions. |via Book of Joe|