Adventures with My RubiksTouchCube - Week 1

This was the sound that greeted me once I figured out how to scramble the cube. Brainiac that I am, I tried to do something with the colorful cube before I read the little manual that came with it. Mistake. If you want to get the most out of the experience, read the manual.

The first thing that you hear is the little digital tune that it plays when you turn it on. It sits there in all its brightly lit wonder, daring you to scramble it and see if you can solve the mystery that is the digital cube. If you dare, you push the "S", and in 40 moves, the cube scrambles itself. Let the solving begin.

Unlike the old Rubiks cube that you manually moved rows around on, there are no moving parts with the RubiksTouchCube. Like my favorite iPhone, you move the rows by sliding your finger across the row that you wish to move. Hint: Only the rows on the top move, so if you want to change the ones on other sides, you have to turn the cube over to that row.

Each side of the cube has one symbol embedded into the center cube. These symbols allow you to turn the cube on and off, adjust the sound, undo scramble, hint and solve. So, you don't need to feel totally helpless. The cube will give you hints; it's hard to miss something blinking at you. If you give up, the cube will solve it for you. That in itself was amazing to watch.

So, how have I done after a week? I almost had it solved. I had the top and bottom squares all in one color. However, on each of the remaining four, the center square was the wrong color. I was proud of myself, so proud that I just didn't understand why I could not just do the same thing the next time.

The bottom line for the RubiksTouchCube? It is a big, beautiful, colorful cube of fun. I think that my son and I are going to have to share.

I Am A Gas Gardener - and You Should Be Too

A while back, a friend of mine sent me a message about how she had earned a gas card playing a trivia game called gasgardentrivia. The site was called Gas Garden. Gardening for gas - what was that about? However, since two of my favorite things were involved - trivia and saving money on gas, I had to give a try. Besides, anyone who could come up with "gardening for gas" must be a pretty creative person.

I went to www.gasgarden.com  and was pleasantly surprised by the bright colors - and the colorful rows of gas cans "growing" in the garden. I immediately signed up, followed  www.twitter.com/gasgardentrivia on Twitter, and started playing. I got caught up in the number of games available for new signees, and competitive type that I am, I played every one. I was never bored, because variety was the name of the game. I played every game available in one sitting because I was having so much fun!

Here are the great things about gas gardening: You earn points for every successful completion of a game. Once you reach the set point levels, you can get your gas card, or bank your points as you garden for a bigger card. I chose to do that and am currently working towards my $10 gas card. The fan favorite - the "spot the difference" pictures are bright and bold and fun! I have seen nothing but positive comments from fellow "gardeners".

The best thing about Gas Garden is the head gardener herself, Gabbie Lauderdale. She is the brains behind the games and is a welcoming and active presence. She is very responsive to her users and cheers us on as we work in our gardens, inching ever closer to those cards. From personal experience, I can tell you that she is a pleasure to chat with.

Are there any negatives about Gas Garden? None, except you might need to use a magnifying glass on some of those pictures because Gabbie does a great job of inserting little changes.

As for me and my gardening, so far so good. She hasn't stumped me yet, and I've only had to use the magnifying glass once.

To start your own garden, look at my fave site links, click on Gas Garden and start gardening today!