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daily snapple fact #27
A ball of glass will bounce higher then a ball of rubber.

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Coming Clean

I switched to Cheer.

Yesterday, I stood in the detergent aisle at Target ready to grab my standard Tide when it struck me that I had no idea what the hell the difference was between Tide, Cheer, Wisk, Gain and Purex, let alone the sub-categories available (Mountain Breeze? High-Efficiency?) Why use Tide, then? Because that's what my mom used.

The Breakdown:

Tide, back in 1943, was the only laundry detergent available. Prior to Tide, Americans used something called soap-flakes. When it was introduced, Tide was so popular that store owners had to limit the quantity folks could buy. They improved their formula 22 times in the first 20 years alone, and today have over 60 variations. They continue to be the world leader in laundry detergent sales.


Wisk (a Unilever brand; like Caress, Lipton, Popsicle, Vaseline, Best Foods) has been around almost as long as Tide, introduced in 1956 as the first liquid detergent. They've had their fair share of innovations as well, introducing the tablet-form in 2001.




Gain, another P&G brand is fairly new. The Gain formula is centered around keeping clothes smelling fresh for the longest amount of time. They're still building product/brand name recognition.

Cheer has only been around since 1990 (introduced in Japan to expand Procter & Gamble's detergent line [Tide is P&G, too. P&G own everything.]) Cheer's biggest claim is that it has "ColorGuard" technology (as well as LiquiFiber) and is geared almost completely towards color protection.


Purex, the leading value brand, is a product of the Dial Soap company. They've been around since 1932 as a bleach / soap flake detergent company. If you're short on cash, it doesn't get much cheaper than Purex.

All, couldn't find any information on it, and they don't have an official website. In fact, I don't even know what their parent company is (and I'm not heading over to Target just to see). However, a lot of good testimonial and it IS the STAIN LIFTER.

Other brands I didn't feel like researching: Surf, Sun, ERA, Xtra. There's also a bunch of Japanese brands like Zero, and European Brands like Bold.

But, when it comes down to it, I like the idea of happy clothing. I got my cousin some and she's switching over because she likes the smell. Wisk sounds too much like dish-soap, Gain/All are both so ... metaphysical. Purex sounds too much like drain cleanser, and I'm not happy with Tide. But Cheer, with Cheer I can almost hear the contented sighs of my clothing being washed.

Yes. I am a Cheer man.

posted by Doug 11:22 AM

Seagull Stole Her Churro

Melissa and I walked to the R.L. Stein 4-D Haunted Lighthouse at SeaWorld. A girl walked in front of us. In one hand she held her boyfriend's hand, in the other, a Churro.

the flap of wings. an ear-piercing scream. and then she held neither. the boyfriend pointed at his empty-handed girlfriend and laughed. she glared at him and his churro, shaken. guiltily, he handed his churro to her.

posted by Doug 1:30 AM

Man, That Guy Is Classy

Elario's is this $41+ a plate restaurant at the top of the Hotel La Jolla with live jazz at dinner. I have a friend who's getting taken there tomorrow night and holy cow is that classy. Geez. I'm more of a miniature golf and greasy taco stand guy myself. I drive around in a 1995 white Chrysler minivan and I sit at home and play Weezer on the guitar, listen to stereotypical jilted-intellectual indie rock, and read magazine/webzine articles all day about things like "The Google Bomb." And for the most part, I'm pretty satisified with my dorked-out life. I like watching the Powerpuff Girls, and to me, Trader Joe's Frozen Potato and Cheddar Perogi is a solid, good meal.

But periodically I get these glimpses of a different life. One of ocean-views and $80 meals, jazz, and french gourmet. Pin-stripes and food that looks good, too. And for a second, I think, how sweet a life would that be.

And then I remember that I am a dork. Somebody hand me another comic book.

posted by Doug 1:58 AM

France No Good



The Coffee Bean. A customer peruses the menu board.

Customer: Decaf Coffee, please. What is it today?
Me: French.
Customer: FRENCH?! Geh! Let me have the regular coffee instead. Rather have the caffeine than French anyday.

A little coffee knowledge here: French roast is not from France. Much like french fries. French fries are called french because they're "frenched" as in, sliced. French roast is called french because it's triple-roasted. It is not unusual for people not to like the french roast because it has a strong smoky taste. On with the story.

Me: Not a big fan of the dark stuff?
Customer: No, it's not that. I hate the French. And France. And all things French.
...
Me: Oh, I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking. This is actually our decaf Freedom roast.
Customer: You're damn right it is. Give me a regular Decaf Freedom.

The image is from Found Magazine

posted by Doug 10:15 AM

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