You can wear out a Border Collie – When Monkeys Fly!

I got a box of random things from a company called www.woot.com last week.  Its a lottery, you pay $8 and you can get junk or a pallet full of things that make it worth while if you sell them on ebay.  I've gotten enough things worth while that I'm still in the black with them after 8 years of purchases.

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My box was more junk than anything else.  Two calendars from 2010, two High School Musical Clocks, something else that I can't remember, and a plush toy.  I don't need toys, my house is stuffed with them, but this was something that a Border Collie would love.  It is a flying toy that looks like a monkey wearing a cape.  When you put your fingers in the two hands and pull back on the feet, the arms stretch out to three feet.  Let go and the rubber bands that are the arms will snap to allow the monkey to fly across the room.

Do not launch monkey at others. 
Do not launch monkey at ceiling fan. 
May cause injury. 
Your mileage may vary. 
Do not taunt happy fun ball.

All that.

When you launch the monkey, there's an electronic sound box that lets loose a shriek that is music to a dog's ears!  I have a shelter dog who was billed as a “Non Barky Dog”.   It was weeks before I heard her bark at anything other than other dogs, and in the house she's next to silent.   If I show her the toy, it sets her into spasms of doggy joy that is accompanied by a fusillade of barking that can only be eclipsed by Fireworks. 

If she gets that toy, it's dead.  So far we have managed to hit the ceiling fan and not damage it, knock over some things on tables and chairs, and it is still safe.  She doesn't think it's hers yet so she's still doing that Instinctive Herding Behavior, but when she changes her mind, it won't last five minutes in her mouth.

So that picture?  Last night I had played with the screaming monkey and Lettie was so overjoyed that when through she sat down completely tired out, hyper like a 3 year old on sugar, and fell asleep after whining at the toy that I had thoughtfully hung on the door just out of reach.

MINE, DADDY! MINE!!!

Woot Off and Woot Review

Today is a Woot Off.   Woot is a website that is an obsession with some and used to be with me.   When the site started it was a deal a day.   When the deal sold off that was it until tomorrow.   Tomorrow was midnight Central time, or 1AM for us on the East Coast.

As the site got more popular they tried something really quite intriguing called a Bag Of Random Crap.   There was a picture of the item on the page, and in this case it was a generic brown paper bag with a big yellow question mark on it.  Back then when it showed nobody knew what it was and some tried for it since it was $1 for one, up to $3 for 3 and $5 for shipping.   Total of $8.   Not a lot of money for a gamble and these "bags" could be anything.  I've gotten a few and got some very nice things in it.   Keep in mind, there are thousands of people looking for this item alone since some have gotten a 62 inch flat screen TV  while others have gotten a Mr T Record.   I got the record and while its not "nice", I have it hanging on the wall since I Pity The Foo who doesn't like a Mr T Record.   Great conversation piece and the rest of the things that came in the Bag Of Crap were certainly worth it.  It has been copied elsewhere on other sites such as www.yugster.com.

The Woot Off will have a "thermometer" on the top right of the page showing the relative number left of this item, Yellow flashing lights and a rather amusing description.   When this hits zero, the item is sold out and they'll bring another one up so hit F5 like everyone else and see what the next one is.

There are a few problems with www.Woot.com and their woot offs.   First is that the woot off is a victim of their own success.   I've gotten items from the woot off, and find a better deal is on their closeout site which I think is linked on there somehow or just click here.   The Woot Off is one of those things where they sell weird items and sometimes discount, sometimes not, but you have to ask do you really need a packet of 2 more LED flashlights, a USB powered rubber bladed fan, or a Plasma Ball even if it is 1.99 plus 5 shipping for example.

I just can't see how anybody needs a "Shun Ken Onion 9 Piece Knife Block Set" for 519.99 plus 5 shipping!  In This Economy?   Are you crazy?  If you do, I'm sorry, but you need some "adversity" in your life!

Second is about the site in general.   Right about the time that I heard they changed hands and were bought out by a Big Grumpy Corporate Organization they changed their way of looking at things.  They've decided that since they are the Woot Gods, they have the option to have your sale not go through and when you ask them about it be rude.   Well they ARE from Texas.   That IS the state that gave us not one but two Bushes, and neither were any good at anything they did.   I swear there's something in the water in Dallas because everyone was driving around like Stepford Wives acting stoned in their happy little world.  I mean a state that turned Ann Richards out of office for a Bush has to have a population with a relatively low average education level.

Texas aside, they decided the last Bag of Crap to dump a lot of people who actually got the product (it takes some luck and timing to beat everyone else out) and cancel the sale.  For the Bag of Random Crap before they shipped out 1500 identical Bags of Crap more or less to everyone that won, thereby killing the Random Crap name, of ugly pink bags, cheesy hand held games, and plastic army men as a joke and be sarcastic about it in later product postings and in their blog.

I'd say watch the site for the entertainment value.  I do and its in my tabs for the daily surf since the descriptions are amusing, but don't depend on it for value, don't be obsessed, and do live a normal life - away from www.woot.com if you need to. 

Now I'm going to go shower before the next item shows up!