My Favorite Material Things of 2010

I’m a late adapter. Although I really like gadgets and things, I’m pretty reluctant to buy myself new electronics and other non-essential items, because a) I’m cheap, b) I’m certain they will break anyway, c) I know my husband and kid will just steal it, like my iPhone. Of course, I eventually give in, because I’m a weenie that way. So, in no particular order, here are some things that I caved on, and love love love so much now.

My steam mop: I love this thing, because it cleans super-well, and because I’m super-lazy. I picked this Eureka one after reading a review at Amazon where some guy compared five+ different steam mops, and this one came out on top (in the comments, too.) So I sweep my kitchen, and then kind of lazily push this thing around. I want a steam-cleaner for everything now.

My mesh back support thingy: Last year, I spent too much money on a chair that was supposed to be awesome and provide enough support for someone working 8+ hours a day. It didn’t, and I tried every bed, chair, sofa, floor, pillow in my house, searching for a way to work as long as I needed to without wanting to cry at the end of it. Usually, that meant a couple of cushions at my back, and my legs up.

Then I spotted this thing at my local Walgreens (I don’t know if this links to the same brand that I have, but it’s basically the same thing). I think it was something like $15 (I’ve seen cheaper online), so I thought: What the hell. So I slipped it on over the back of my chair, positioned it … and loved it. I bought one for my car, too.

It’s not perfect. When I first began using it, the frame would slip down into the crease between the seat and the seat-back of my chair, so now I’ve situated the bottom of the frame against the seat itself to prevent that. Also, the mesh wasn’t quite firm enough for me in the lumbar region, so I stuck a small cushion in the space between the mesh and the seatback.

I also still prop my feet up onto my desk or my bed (depending on which way my chair is twisted), just because I prefer that.

Netflix and Amazon On Demand: As much as I still love hulu for catching up on shows like Fringe or Castle, I don’t think I could have survived my wisdom teeth extraction a few months ago without having seasons of BSG streaming on Netflix. And my head might have exploded if I hadn’t been able to watch the Doctor Who Christmas Special at Amazon (because I missed the show when it aired.) Through Amazon On Demand, I watched the new Sherlock (loved it) and tried out other shows like Whitechapel. I’ve been able to show my daughter a ton of movies through Netflix (The Neverending Story, FTW!) that I couldn’t find at Blockbuster … and I’m pretty sure that if I didn’t have a husband who lives on ESPN, I wouldn’t even bother with a TV and cable anymore. I don’t watch much TV, but everything I want to see is online now — either free, or for a nominal fee at these two locations. So I love it.

And speaking of Doctor Who — that’s another favorite thing of 2010. I really enjoyed Tennant’s and Eccleston’s turns as the Doctor, but was a little uncertain about Matt Smith. But he totally won me over, and I’m still enjoying the heck out of the show. I can’t wait for the new series to start.

Fingerless gloves — particularly the kind that go halfway down your forearm: I think it was Lauren Dane on Twitter who mentioned wearing these while she wrote, and so when I saw some at Target, I thought: What the hell. (Do you see a pattern here? I’m a cheap impulse buyer. Gah.) And I can’t remember if she does it for the warmth or for the same reason I began wearing them all the time: They are somewhat supportive, without the stiffness of a wrist brace. I mean, they are warm, too — it feels really nice to wear them, especially in the winter months. But what surprised me was how much less fatigued my wrists and hands felt after writing. Maybe because they keep the muscles warmer? Maybe it’s similar to the circulation/pantyhose thing you hear about for legs? I dunno.

Also, they look kind of cool. Better than my sweats or this outfit, at least. (Though I think they look especially awesome with the striped socks.)

And, okay — this isn’t really a material thing, but a webcomic that is updated every Sunday: Oglaf (NSFW!) It’s bawdy, raunchy, crazy fun, full of apprentices, evil sorceresses, barbarians, fairies, mythological creatures, villagers — and plenty of idiots. Also, lots of nekkid characters. Many of the stories stand alone, but there is also a chronological order to the comic as a whole. You can start at the beginning, and see if it’s for you. Or check out the archives (which are listed most recent at the top -> earlier comics at the bottom) for several safe-for-work stories.

I have a few more things, but this is running long … and I’m interested in your favorite things of 2010. What did you start using this year that you would never give up?