perpetual kid

I was originally going to post this over at my new bran.bryanbird.com blog, but decided it was significant enough to put here.

I've been a bit wistful lately for books I enjoyed during my childhood, and hopped on over to Amazon to see if any of them were still in print. The Very Hungry Caterpillar? Yes, complete with holes in the pages. Re-reading it made me smile. I loved this book so much when I was five that my mom redrew it on cardstock so I could have my own copy. Now I kinda wonder what happened to that edition.

I looked at a few Dr. Seuss books, and stumbled upon the Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook and Dr. Seuss Pops Up! The former is a collection of recipes with a Seuss theme, while the latter is a pop-up book with excerpts from seven of his books. The cookbook is a bit gimmicky, but there are some good ones in there. The pop-up book is fun, although I'd prefer to have one entire book done in pop-up rather than just excerpts.

Speaking of pop-up books, I used to have one for The Little Engine That Could. This edition is no longer in print, and I'm hesitant to buy a used copy sight unseen. It was very cool though.

And let's not forget Barney Beagle and the Cat. This was the only Barney Beagle book I had (originally my brother's), but there is a whole series of them, all out of print. Rereading this one made me smile too.

So in the vein of releasing one's inner child, I present perpetualkid.com. These things likely won't whisk you back to your childhood, but they're altogether fun and slightly useful. Here are some of my favorites:

Temperature-Controlled Faucet Light - I've seen this before, but it only had a blue light. This model glows red or blue depending on whether you're using hot or cold water. I may actually buy this eventually.

Holy Toast Bread Stamp - Want to strike it rich on eBay? Manufacture your own Virgin Mary toast! It's sacrelicious!

Bacon Bandages - As the silica packet said to the little boy, DO NOT EAT. Or if you're a bit hungrier, go for the Bacon and Eggs Bandages.

Remind yourself how to create an adverb with Schoolhouse Rock Magnets!

Attending a tropical party in the middle of February? Bring your own Hula Grass Slip Coaster to identify your drink.

Be professional and funky at the same time with a Crayola Ballpoint Pen.

Need a gift for Tom & Kristy's wedding? How about a Chicago Manhole Cover Rug? Also available for other cities.

Why eat candy from a dish when you can trap it inside a claw game and be infuriated every time you want something?

For the person who truly wants to get nothing done at work, stack a set of Acrobots on your desk, and you'll be distracted for hours on end.

Cold office? Co-workers telling you to dress warmer even though it's your hands that are freezing and you need them to type so you can't just wear gloves? Try these fingerless heated USB-powered gloves. Just plug them into your computer's USB port, fold back the finger covers, and type away.

Cool and slightly practical for a rec room, Drink-o-matic Soda Machine.

And lastly, Grow Your Own Sensitive Plant, quite possibly the most awesome plant ever created. Its leaves fold up when you touch it, then slowly reopen. How cool is that? I may get one of those too.

And thus is why being an adult is better than being a child: you can drive a car, you can vote, and you can buy cool stuff like this with the money you earn instead of begging for things from your parents at Christmastime.