I’ve noticed that a lot of new GPS devices are “widescreen” (i.e., 16:9 ratio instead of 4:3 ratio). Call me crazy, but… isn’t a GPS interface actually better in the traditional full-screen aspect ratio? I’d rather see more of what’s directly ahead of me on the map than what’s directly to my left and right. For both televisions and computers, the wide aspect ratio makes sense: Movies are filmed that way, and documents can be viewed side-by-side. But I think they need to draw the line somewhere—based on the actual use of a screen—and that line should have been drawn before GPS devices.

The lemon tree stabbed me with one of its thorns today while I was trying to water it, which was especially rude considering that a) the temperature was 105 degrees today, and b) much of the state, including this county, was declared a “drought disaster area” today. No respect, I tell ya.

Despite their high price tag and countless standard features, I’ve noticed that BMW vehicles don’t come with turn signals. I don’t even think it’s an option. With all that German engineering, it seems like they could figure out how to put a little blinking light on the back of the car that lets other drivers know when they’re about to be cut off. What a horrible oversight!

I noticed a new section on my Amazon.com homepage (I assume it’s different for every customer, but perhaps you have this too) called “Food Oddities: Products Tagged as Odd.” There are three products listed, and they’re not the sort of product suggestions I’d like to see right at dinnertime:

Fresh Whole Rabbit $38.50

Pork Chocs – Sugar Free Chocolate Dipped Pork Rinds $12.95

Booty Sweat, 8.4oz. Can (Pack of 24) $44.99

I’d like to point out that the Pork Chocs use sugar-free chocolate, for those of you who are health-conscious or have special dietary needs.

By the way, you need to click on the Fresh Whole Rabbit and check out the customer-uploaded images. Be sure to roll over them for their “notes.”

It’s been a long time since Ilse’s been so excited about a treat (a treat meant specifically for dogs, not for people), so I have to blog about these. She absolutely loves these Zuke’s Mini Bakes that we got at Anaheim Feed.

I’ve never seen them at Petco, so I’m not sure how long they’ve existed. They only have the Zuke’s Mini Naturals, which smell gross. I went to Anaheim Feed to find a different treat but ended up deciding to try these. We got her the “Peanut Butter ‘n Blueberryz” flavor because she likes peanut butter more than turkey, and we think she’s allergic to chicken.

She’s been getting them for over a month now, but she still dances and acts crazy when she knows she’s going to get one. She usually loses interest in her treats pretty quickly, so her reaction to these is a welcome change. And they come in a huge box (325 pieces) for a low price (about $5), so that’s a welcome change too!

As a bonus, they’re made without wheat, corn, and soy, which is good if your dog has allergies, or if you’re a dog-allergy-hypochondriac.

Ashleigh and I are going to Paris in November, and we’re working on a list of must-see places, must-do attractions, and most importantly: must-eat food. If you’ve been to Paris and can recommend a specific restaurant, be sure to let us know! If you have a strong opinion about a museum/monument that we simply must see–or mustn’t waste our time seeing–let us know about that too!

I’m specifically looking for places to have fondue, recommendations for Seine sightseeing, fun little shops and boutiques, fancy dinner that won’t gross me out, and places to sit and drink coffee and people-watch.

It was announced today that Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, who attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford, is going to be released from prison on August 16. The other would-be Ford assassin, Sarah Jane Moore, was released back in 2007.

Both were members of the Manson “family,” and are featured in the musical Assassins by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman.

Someone needs to immediately start writing a fictional sequel (also a musical, of course) in which the two women reunite, and conspire once again to do what they failed to do 34 years ago: to assassinate Gerald Ford.

I imagine the two senior citizens will go on a long journey to accomplish their goal, only to fail at the very end, when they reach President Ford’s home and realize that he passed away in 2006.

By now I’m sure everyone realizes that “Free Credit Report dot com” isn’t really free; you have to enroll in their “Triple Advantage” program to get your free report, and if you forget to cancel, you get billed monthly for their credit monitoring service.

For anyone seeking truly free alternatives, I want to share my own choices for credit tools that don’t cost me anything but do a decent job of keeping an eye on my credit reports and credit score.

1. To get your credit reports completely free once per year, you can use AnnualCreditReport.com. There’s no commitment and no cost. You just pick any (or all) of the three credit bureaus, and you can instantly get a free report once a year to see exactly what’s on your file.
2. To check your credit score as often as you like (although I think it’s only really updated once a month), you can use Credit Karma. It only uses one credit bureau, but that should be fine unless you’re conducting a really sensitive transaction like a real estate purchase.
3. To keep an eye out for identity theft, you can use a service that’s included as a free perk for members of the Auto Club: CreditCheck Select, which monitors your credit report and alerts you whenever there’s a change (like a new account or an inquiry). I know that’s not technically free, but it is if you’re already a AAA member.

Using those three services, you can keep a pretty close eye on your credit without having to pay anything extra!

There’s a Citi (formerly known as Citibank) commercial on television right now in which people are talking about ways to save money, like biking to work. One woman shares, “[I] take hotel shampoo bottles when I travel. Haven’t paid for that stuff in years!”

Now, here’s where I’m concerned: Those bottles have maybe an ounce of shampoo in them. Either this woman travels very frequently, or she washes her hair very infrequently.

My new plan for getting through the recession is to enter a lot of sweepstakes in the hope of winning free stuff and thus saving money. Today I entered (or re-entered) two contests for free mobile phones, one for free household appliances, one for a vacation to New York, and three for free computers. Granted, in the time I spent entering those contests just now, I might have had just as much luck walking outside and waiting for a free phone, computer, or household appliance to fall out of the sky.