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Because we tried them for you in July!
There’s nothing really special about them, but that’s what makes them great! (FYI, they are also available in a ton of different colors.) I’ve been using them for the past month and they have been thrown around in my bag and fallen off my face while I was longboarding, and they've held up just fine to the abuse. No bending, no scratches on the lenses...they are just amazingly solid sunglasses. 😎 —Jeff Barron
I spent the last few months contending with what I thought were unfixable problems: minor heartbreak, major anxiety, and my front hall carpet. The edge of the rug suddenly began to curl up underneath the door jamb, maybe because of the heat or because of the entropy that plagues even the most beloved living spaces. In response, I developed a complicated foot motion whenever I entered or exited my apartment, tamping the rug down and stretching with the rest of my body to reach the doorknob. But it made me feel silly and helpless, and it didn't even fully work — the door could only open about halfway, and nobody else could really do it but me. I realized I was spending much more energy on the workaround than just dealing with the problem head-on.
So I bought carpet tape. I had been dimly aware that it existed but it seemed too boring and grown-up to be something I could acquire without, like, a permit. The tape did exactly what it was supposed to do, and still does, many entrances and exits later: keeps the carpet firmly stuck to the floor. Maybe there is other, cheaper tape that would have done the job; maybe the edge would have uncurled once the city cooled down. I don't care!!! To me right then it was the universe's most mundane miracle, and a reminder, however small, that some things can be fixed. —Alanna Okun
I live for the weekends. Camping trips, cabin retreats, boat getaways…if it’s outdoors, SIGN ME UP. I love the planning, the people-wrangling, the actual activities — but one thing I’ve *always* hated is packing. I’m a last-minute, pack-under-pressure type of person, which means that I usually just shove a swimsuit, some leggings, random shirts, and a fistful of underwear into a backpack and call it a day. Once I’m at my destination, my clothes are in either a giant twisted contraption or strewn all over my temporary bed.
That all changed when I tried the Rolo, a minimalist travel bag that keeps clothes organized, so you never have to unpack. There are two large mesh compartments for shirts and pants, and two smaller ones for socks and underwear. Here’s how it works: first, pack your clothes flat, put them in the appropriate compartment, then roll the Rolo up like a burrito to compress it, and secure the two buckles. If you really want to downsize the bag, you can tighten the buckle straps even more.
It's designed to be attached to the outside of a backpack or worn like a duffel with the removable carrying strap.
My favorite thing about the Rolo is that you can use its hook to set up a portable hanging closet virtually anywhere. It allows me to see all of my clothes at once, so I can just take out the item I need.
There are, however, a few downsides: I wouldn’t recommend putting in a toiletry bag, because that would make it harder to use your knees to really compress it. Depending on how you pack, it can fit about four or five days’ worth of fresh clothes — but for bulkier winter items, even less. But the Rolo is roomy enough for a weekend warrior and is totally worth the $50. (Even though I was given one to try for free, I bought one for myself and my boyfriend bought another because he was jealous of mine.) —Nicole Nguyen
Check out some more incredible travel gear here.
Every day after I got home from high school, our two poodles would greet me in the exact same way: Gaston, the mini, liked to bounce on his back legs to get my attention, then run off to get his ball and insist we play fetch. Gigi wanted me to get down to her level on the floor, so she could lick my face and get a cuddly ear rub, and then flop over so I could scratch her tummy.
We still repeat this routine whenever I come home these days, except I only make it back to my parents' house about twice a year. And as much as I miss telling them goodbye in the mornings, I miss the poodle's enthusiastic greeting at the end of the day even more. Especially every time I arrive home to my apartment, which is frequently empty.
That’s why I love this custom pet portrait from Lauren Rogoff, which I got through Minted’s new artist commissions. There are many artists who work through this program, so you could get all sorts of custom artwork made. But pet portraits are great for kids headed off to college, to memorialize a pet that has died, or to create a fancy animal gallery wall, if that's your thing. The one Lauren created for me — which would cost you $225 and take her 3–4 weeks to turn around — is a gorgeous, one-of-a-kind art piece that I’ll frame and hang in my kitchen, and while I’ll still miss their in-person joy and love, I’ll at least be able to see their faces as I come and go. I also plan to hang it by the entrance of wherever I live in the future, even after I finally have the time to adopt poodles of my own, as a reminder of those happy after-school hellos. —Natalie Brown