When my Dad was visiting, he brought an electric hot water pot from Taiwan for my sister. He thought I already had one, so he apologized for not bringing one for me. I assured him that I had told him not to bring anything, and not to worry. My sister generously offered to let him use it while he was visiting, so we just kept it in my house until he left. During this time, we used it every day to make tea and soup on demand. I even used it to give my anemic coffee maker a boost in the water temperature, resulting in a faster, richer brew.

When my sister finally got to take it home, my house seemed empty. Tea took 15min to get prepared, and I constantly had to reboil the kettle to to make another pot. So I finally got this Zojirushi 3.0L Hot Water Pot from Amazon. It has three water temperatures, an electric pump, a dechlorinator. And heck…it’s from Zojirushi, the premiere Japanese kitchen appliance maker! Hot water, on tap!

I also totally want this Mr. Bento Lunch Jar. Look! The microwave safe bowls stack inside the lunch jar, which is insulated and keeps them work. TOTALLY AWESOME. If I still worked in an office, I would totally get this. Yeah, totally totally.

Via my sister’s blog: Build your own office out of these $12.95 construction kits! Future game development slaves, here’s your chance to experience life in the fast lane!

You can buy them at Archie McPhee, “Outfitters of Popular Culture since 1980”. This being my first visit, I was quite charmed by the selection of “Enlightenment”-themed novelty products, arranged by major religions like Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, and Elvis. Back in my college days I used to quiz one of my roommates about the rules of kashrot; now I can relive that by playing Kosherland:

Don’t get stuck in the honey or mix meat with milk, you’ll have to wait a turn! But, if you eat Matzah on Passover or say the blessing of “Hamotz” for your bread, you get to jump ahead!

Just in time for Passover!