Urban Legends

I struggle to get adequate exercise into my routine, as apparently chasing kids isn't aerobic enough. And, oh yeah, there are about a zillion things I'd rather be doing. Exercise has always been a 'should' complete with attendant shame, but recently I've been noticing that I really do feel better on the days I exercise. There's also what I call the Placebo Poundage Effect, where even if you look no different than the previous week, you feel thinner, just on virtue of having made a valiant attempt. And some days, that's enough.

We recently dropped our Y membership, so I'm down to walking/biking/rollerblading - which I prefer to be kid-free experiences, preferably in decent weather. If that's not possible, I have an eliptical strider in the basement. Bob surprised me with it two summers ago (free from the postings at work), and the shelf for the DVD player is quite handy. Basically I hop on (generally without shoes or stretching - I know, I know) pop in a DVD, and get thru 45 - 60 minutes. For a while those Netflix picks were around an awfully long time, but now I can get thru a perfectly forgettable movie I don't even remember ordering in 2 or 3 workouts. Which is a good week for me.

We've never had cable so I've missed a lot of pop culture and happily, Netflix supplies me with the films and shows I've missed out on. I loved Deadwood, and Six Feet Under. And my guilty pleasure: Nip/Tuck. But lately, I'm all about the MythBusters. Or as X refers to "that show where the guys blow stuff up. Alot."

It's a pretty cool premise to take on urban legends and folklore, and scientifically test them out by rigging up similar conditions - usually requiring some sort of bizarre contraptions - and comparing results to label the myth as confirmed, busted, or plausible. It's always interesting how the projects take shape and the hosts are really mechanically inclined and ingenious. The show I watched this morning was all about how they find the assorted props and equipment to make it all happen - shopping for everything from a plane fuselage to pig stomachs. They are based in the SF Bay area so generally they go to quirky surplus dealers, junk yards, and the like. One of the hosts has a bit of a hoarding problem - house full of things with a high "gee whiz" factor being slightly out-numbered by the WTF? category. Perhaps he and the Clean Sweep guy should have a crossover episode...

This seemed as good a time as any to put in a plug for our local, quirky surplus store: Ax Man.

They have several metro locations now, but the mothership is the St. Paul store, on University Ave. 2 blocks west of Snelling. They have a bizarre assortment of electronic pieces/parts, office supply, some military, lab equipment, and usually some cool toys, marbles, beads, etc. Emphasis on the etc. as you truly never know what they're going to have, and sometimes staring at the goofy signage and the bizarre items - you still don't know what they have! Most of the stuff is used/discarded so you feel like you're recycling. But Ax Man has the power to make you walk the aisles, suddenly inspired in by a few postal tubes, copper sheeting, ductwork and old golf balls to make some cool Rube Goldberg contraption. The staff and patrons may have taken Industrial Arts in high school, and they're not letting it go. I know folks who are banned from shopping there by their spouses. The kids love it - more like a museum where you get to explore and touch stuff than a mere store.

The best finds I've scored in recent memory: rocket balloons (which they no longer carry!), giant scary pinking shears, nice wooden boxes for the kids to decorate as treasure chests, and the entire inventory of a geology unit with lots of boxes containing all sorts of samples of various rocks. And most of the time, the prices are very reasonable. There is also a Blue Sky Guide coupon to use, and if you're buying things for a preschool or school project, they'll usually give you 10% off.

Since we call my son X-Man, he thinks it's his store. And a cool one at that.

Here's a link: www.ax-man.com. But you didn't hear it from me.