Libraries: The goldmine down the street
You may not know this, but there are more library branches in the US than McDonalds. True fact. Wait! Before you sigh and move on to the next article, hear me out! I’m not going to tell you about books. Well, not much, anyway. It turns out, there’s far more to today’s libraries than books, and I’m pretty sure there are a bunch of Homies out there who could totally use some of their local library’s services, but have no idea what kind of riches they’re missing.
My Star Wars, Doctor Who, Harry Potter rainbow living room
What I like best about my living room is that it is MINE. No one else I know has a Star Wars, Doctor Who, Harry Potter rainbow living room! Here’s how I turned my boring living space into a family-friendly living room straight out of a nerd’s fever dream.
What are your experiences with the new generation IUDs?
as anyone used a new-generation intrauterine device (IUD)? My doctor brought it up, and it sounds like a great form of birth control. I like the idea of local medical interventions (a hormone-relasing IUD) when possible, rather than systemic (the pill). However, I frankly am still a little creeped out by something in my uterus. Clearly everyone should only take medical advice from their doctors, but I am asking for personal advice here. Have any Offbeat readers had favorable or negative experiences with one of the new generation IUDs? How did it fit into your lifestyle?
8 tips for developing personal style when you have none
I have never considered myself “fashionable.” Growing up, I had the tomboy thing down and wore jeans and t-shirts through high school. Every so often I would get the urge to “dress cuter” and swear not to acquire any more free unisex t-shirts, and wear a skirt here and there. But inevitably I ran out of outfits to wear and reverted back to the same jeans-and-t-shirt look, not because it was more “me” but out of habit and because it was easy. Then, I decided this was the year that I would finally dress the way I really want to, as part of my quest to figure out what being an adult really means to me. After a few months of going through my closet, lots of online searching, and one exhausting trip to the mall, I am starting to get a wardrobe I really like and figured I could share some tips for those of you who also didn’t just figure this stuff out at puberty.
Throw this Doctor Who wibbly wobbly timey changey party
My birthday party always falls on the same weekend as the time change, so I thought it would be fun to host a time-travel party. My guests were asked to dress as someone from their favorite era (early 21st century attire was totally fine) or as their favorite Doctor Who Character. I dressed like a Dalek.
Here’s how I threw an awesome Doctor Who-themed birthday party with Whovian decor, favors, and food!
Mark Poulin makes jewelry for nerds and animal-lovers
Y’all get ready to do SQUEEing and AWWWWing over Offbeat Home & Life sponsor Mark Poulin‘s quirky and cute jewelry. From octopodes (or quadrapodes?), dogs and cats to sloths and dinosaurs… these pieces are guaranteed to be the cutest damn things you will see today. Ready to take the “I dare you not to say AWWWWW, while you check out this jewelry” challenge? Ready… go!
Throw this party: Top secret crime scene 30th birthday
Last year you may remember the Mystery Science Theater 3000 birthday party I threw my partner Andy. This is when I began planning his 30th. I wanted to have the party before one of Andy’s shows because many of his family and friends have not seen him perform before. His band is called CoverUp which leads one to think of conspiracy theories and government investigations so I used this to lead my theme.
The four-hour trip to the bank that reminded us about what was REALLY important
All the while we were dating, my (now) husband and I kept or finances completely separate, but after a long talk about money, we decided we at least needed access to each other’s bank accounts. My husband banks at Navy Federal Credit Union, and the nearest branch is four hours away. When we finally did make the trip to his bank, it was one that would change our lives and forever change our priorities.