Product Review: SHEEX

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Most people probably don’t get overly emotional about sheets but, if they wanted to get emotional about sheets, SHEEX would certainly be the most likely culprit. I came across SHEEX at BlogHer’12, on the expo floor, with the rather come-hither proposition of getting to lie down on a soft-looking bed covered in sheets that were billed as being the softest things I’d ever slept on. OH HOW I LOVE A CHALLENGE.

Needless to say, I was ready to fall asleep right there on the expo floor in front of all those other bloggers. I was amazed by how soft the SHEEX were. Then the rep started to talk about the selling points (softness, wicking, breathability, durability, etc.) and she challenged me to take some home and try them out. It seemed unlikely that they would live up to such billing when I got them home, but I’m a born skeptic. Then again, as a mom of two small kids – with a full-time job outside of the house – my sleep time is at a premium. So, if there’s a way I can make my bed that much more comfortable or inviting, I’m willing to give it a shot.

SHEEX

Don’t you just want to take a nap, now?

I put the SHEEX on the kids’ beds (I got twin-size SHEEX) and tested them out on the toughest critics: the small people of the house. The feedback from the kids was pretty immediate in that they loved the SHEEX. They found them soft and comfortable, and those first few days of having the SHEEX meant virtually needing a prybar to remove the child from the bed. Still, I wanted more time to test them out. Since DH and I have been wearing wicking material for ages (primarily for working out), we both have a lot of experience with microfiber materials that wick moisture away from the body. DH was concerned that the wicking process would cause the SHEEX to smell after a few days, so that was something we were careful to check. I also wanted to be sure that the color wouldn’t fade and that the fabric wouldn’t pill, snag or get “runs” after repeated washing.

So, here’s how things went on each of the selling points (which were taken directly from the SHEEX web site):

1) SHEEX are “ridiculously soft”. Verdict: Absolutely YES. It was hard getting the kids OUT of the bed, and it was similarly hard getting our heads off their pillows when we would cuddle with them at bedtime. The feel of the sheets is akin to a cross between satin sheets and a microfiber (like that used in the softer tech shirts worn by athletes). It makes for a very soft and comfortable bed.

2) SHEEX’s temperature control system facilitates “deeper, more restorative sleep”. Verdict: Unsure. Frankly, it’s hard to get a read on this when you have young kids doing the sleep testing – your mileage always varies on how well they sleep from night to night. However, I will say this: the SHEEX didn’t have a negative impact on their sleep patterns, so it’s safe to assume that the result is no worse than a “maybe”.

3) SHEEX breathe “nearly 50% better than cotton”. Verdict: Unsure. I don’t have any good way of measuring this. However, low thread-count sheets are notoriously bad for breathability and tend to run hot and uncomfortable, which is why DH and I tend to aim for nothing less than 400 thread count on our sheets. The SHEEX didn’t seem to be any less comfortable than what we typically put on the kids’ beds, so again I think it’s safe to assume that this is no worse than a “maybe”, but I have to be honest and fess up to the complete lack of a lab where I can truly test this out.

4) SHEEX have “precision fit” to work perfectly with any mattress. Verdict: Probably yes. We have two different mattresses for the kids’ beds (same source, same type, different years), and the SHEEX worked great with both. I didn’t notice any issues with there being an excess of fabric, nor did I see any tightness trying to get the SHEEX on the beds as they were being made. There appeared to be no slippage as the kids slept (which you would typically see with ill-fitting sheets). We didn’t find that we had to refit the fitted sheet at any point, and there always seemed to be a good amount of top sheet to cover the bed.

5) SHEEX’s wicking will keep you “dry and comfortable”. Verdict: Absolutely YES. Since we got the SHEEX in August and I put them into service as soon as I had washed them, it was simply a matter of seeing how the kids did with the nights we did (or didn’t) put on the air conditioning. The kids never woke drenched in sweat (or even mildly sweating) after a night’s sleep. This is where DH’s concern comes back – did the SHEEX smell from wicking away the moisture during the night? The answer to this is a defiant NO. SHEEX somehow, magically, wick away the moisture without taking on the odor that could accumulate over several nights of use.

6) SHEEX’s durability means they will resist fading, wrinkling or shrinking. Verdict: Absolutely YES. I’ve been holding off on this review for a while because I wanted to make sure that they held up to repeated use and repeated washing. I can say that I’ve seen no pilling, no “running”, and no other signs of wear or easy breakdown. The “plum” SHEEX I received have been able to remain vibrantly purple after several months of use and washing, and I consider this a very good sign. I will note that the plum color did transfer to lighter items in the same load of wash, so we have had to wash all of our purple sheet sets together since to avoid further transfer. Amazingly, though, the SHEEX haven’t faded – so even though some color seems to have rubbed off on lighter colored items in the wash, the SHEEX themselves have maintained their rich plum hue.

plum SHEEX

Plum is a perfect color for the Fall/Winter bed

Overall verdict: SHEEX are really fantastic. I can definitely see people getting excited about having these on their beds, especially during the warmer months, when heat and stuffiness can make sleep more difficult. Price-wise, SHEEX sets run from about $159 (twin sheet set) to $239 (california king with pillowcases designed for twin XL mattresses). You can also buy individual SHEEX pieces (top or fitted sheet, as well as pillowcases). SHEEX come in a variety of colors, so they match easily to a wide array of bedroom decors. As we’re coming up on the holiday season, consider SHEEX a deliciously decadent option to give to someone else…or to be a sweet gift to yourself.

Where to buy: SHEEX can be purchased online directly through the SHEEX store and can be purchased offline at stores like Bed Bath & Beyond and Macy’s.

Disclosures: 1) All images shown on this post are from the SHEEX web site. The picture of the plum-colored SHEEX, while not taken in my house, is representative both of the color as I saw it when I first received the SHEEX and also the color they maintained after several months of repeated washing and usage. 2) I received two sets of twin-size SHEEX for evaluation, so I could form my own opinion of SHEEX. I have received nothing else from the SHEEX folks in exchange for this review and all opinions expressed above are MINE.

Post-election: tripping down memory lane

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Twenty years ago, I voted in my first election. It was the fall of 1992, and I was a junior at Penn State who’d found my niche in Political Science. Then-President George H.W. Bush had come to campus to campaign, and I was one of many who stood outside the penned in area, NOT PLEASED to find him there. I’d grown up in a solidly blue household in Suburban MD, just outside of DC, and as soon as I could register to vote, I did. I got my absentee ballot and I voted in the general election for the man who I’d supported in the primary – William Jefferson Clinton.

On election night, I sat in a large lecture hall with a number of other Poli Sci students watching election returns on a giant screen. We had snacks and drinks and we settled in for a long evening. When the election was called for Clinton, the majority of us left the building completely exhausted but totally elated. Not everyone supported Bill Clinton, of course, and I was friends with other students in the same program who supported President (H.W.) Bush. There are a couple of things that are interesting to me about that time.

First off, I was so excited that I got to vote. I couldn’t understand my fellow students who chose not to vote, who claimed that their vote didn’t count. If nothing else, I think the 2000 election taught us that it’s completely naive and foolish to claim that your “vote doesn’t count”. That’s just nonsense. I couldn’t wait to vote, and I still – to this day – don’t get the idea of just not bothering at all. OK, sure, the people who were hit hard by Superstorm Sandy that don’t know where their polling place is or who have more pressing concerns, like how to get through their day alive…they get a pass from me. But the others? I still don’t get it.

Second, Bill Clinton got in on the strength of the youth vote, and I was proud to be a part of that. We “rocked the vote” back in 1992, and that movement clearly had an impact on the election twenty years later, where the youth helped power President Obama to a second term. The higher emergence of other constituencies, such as Latino voters, also clearly had a positive impact on President Obama’s vote count. I feel like something changed in 1992, where the youth voice was suddenly IMPORTANT in a way that it hadn’t been in quite some time. I think that just happened again, with the youth and other constituencies outside the standard older, white male vote.

Third, and perhaps more importantly, we used to be able to have conversations and arguments where people eventually changed their minds or were willing to agree to disagree. I remember a time back in 1991, when I was having an argument before one of my Poli Sci classes with a fellow student and the other students were ready to start jumping in between us. Sitting in our desk chairs, we both looked at the others quizzically, and the interlopers explained that they were afraid we were about to start throwing punches. Sure, our voices rose a little, but that was it. Both he and I calmly told our fellow students, “We’re having a political discussion. We don’t agree. We’re allowed to not agree with each other and then argue it out.” They looked at us, dumbfounded, unsure how a clearly Democratic girl and Republican guy could A) have this type of discussion and B) still be friends. He and I ended up being friends for quite some time, united by our willingness to have this type of refreshing discourse. You’re never really challenged by people who only ever agree with you, and we both forced each other to defend our positions, confirm that we had solid reasoning for them, and be willing to stand firm on the things we believed in.

If you think about it, it’s never the easy times that really shape who you are. It’s always the adversity, no matter how small, that tests your faith and your commitment and shows whether or not you have the strength to survive. He and I helped shape each other’s ability to survive, and we strengthened each other, and I see such a terrible lack of this at the national stage it’s not even funny.

OK – so we made it through the seemingly never-ending season of robocalls, forest-destroying mailings, and blood-boiling TV ads. The election’s over. Now, wouldn’t it be nice if the people we elected actually put aside their own personal agendas and worked things out with each other LIKE ADULTS because that’s what we elected (and pay!) them to do? I’d hate to think that the mature actions of two college kids can’t be echoed and imitated by people twice that age.

I figure that, in forty years, I’ll probably be one of those old biddies at the polls, checking people in and giving them their ballots. If I didn’t have to work, I would’ve been outside the polls with a sign yesterday, rooting on the people I wanted to win. This stuff gets my blood flowing. With the election over, I’d like to see it keep flowing and not turn to boiling. Let’s hope the adults will rule the day. It certainly would be a nice change of pace.

Movie Review: “Wreck-It Ralph 3D”

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Wreck-It Ralph

For those of us who spent good portions of our youth feeding quarters into arcade games, “Wreck-It Ralph 3D” is a sweet return to long-lost friends, like Q*bert and Pac-Man. And, of course, it’s our introduction to a supposed game from the same time period, “Fix-It Felix, Jr”, the home for the eponymous good-guy foil for the movie’s namesake. As the story goes (illustrated in a song run over the end credits), Ralph (John C. Reilly – “Talladega Nights” and “Boogie Nights”) was living well enough on his own until his land was taken by eminent domain and had a high-rise apartment building put on it. As his revenge on the interlopers, he takes took his huge hands and starts bashing in windows, all the while spouting his tag line: “I’M GONNA WRECK IT!” Enter Fix-It Felix (played by Jack Brayer, well-known for his work on “30 Rock”), who uses his magical fixing hammer to reset everything back to normal. As Felix undoes all of the wrecking wrought by Ralph, he climbs the high-rise and is presented with a medal by the apartment building’s residents, the Nicelanders.

Wreck-It Ralph: Felix is presented with his medal

Felix is presented with his medal

Once the arcade closes for the night, you see an arcade version of what happens to the toys in “Toy Story” when no one is around: they play, they eat, they hang out with each other, and they even travel between each other’s games via a conduit system known as “Game Central Station” – a vast transfer point embedded within the power plugs and power strips that feed electricity to the machines. As “Fix-It Felix” reaches its 30th anniversary, Ralph finds himself in a support group for bad guys, trying to understand why he doesn’t ever get to be presented with a medal, why he’s never the hero. His fellow baddies assure him that this is never meant to be – that he should accept being the bad guy – and they try to make him take it “One Game At A Time”. When Ralph returns to his game, he finds the denizens of the apartment building lighting it up (literally), celebrating the game’s anniversary with dancing, fireworks, and even a cake…but not with him. Since he considers himself an integral part of the game’s success, he tries to insinuate himself into the party. But, in the end, it all falls apart on him – leaving him frustrated and vowing to return with his own shiny medal to rival the ones won by Felix at the end of every successful game.

Wreck-It Ralph: Bad Anon meeting

BAD-ANON: One Game At A Time

As he broods in the “Tapper” barkeep game, Ralph comes across a soldier from a first-person shooter game fighting “cy-bugs”, evil, fast-breeding bugs that destroy or eat everything in their path. He learns that the soldier’s game, “Hero’s Duty”, ends with the surviving soldier getting a medal, and he immediately sets off to join the unit. At this point, Ralph meets up with Sergeant Calhoun (voiced wonderfully by the incredible Jane Lynch – “Glee” and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”, among others). She tries to lead him into battle but he manages to make his way through on his own, eventually reaching his coveted medal and then immediately making a complete mess of everything. Ralph ends up in an escape capsule with a cy-bug and mistakenly trespasses on yet another game: the deceptively sweet, candy coated go-kart game, “Sugar Rush”. His game-jumping creates a problem in “Fix-It Felix, Jr.”, since the villain isn’t there to create any wreckage for the hero to fix, and the game is labeled “Out of Order” – a literal sign that it will be turned off and put on the scrap heap without Ralph’s return. A distraught Felix decides he needs to go in search of Ralph to set things right and bring him home.

Wreck-It Ralph: Sergeant Calhoun

Calhoun is locked-and-loaded

It’s at this point that Ralph makes the acquaintance of Vanellope von Schweetz, a pint-sized antagonist played to bratty perfection by Sarah Silverman (“The Sarah Silverman Show” and “Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic”). Vanellope gets her hands on Ralph’s medal and uses it as her entry fee to the road race to determine the nine top avatars that will be offered in the next day’s go-kart races. As Ralph soon discovers, Vanellope is as much of an outcast as he is, and he agrees to help her in her quest to compete in the race. Unfortunately for Vanellope and Ralph, it seems as though all of the other citizens of “Sugar Rush” are out to stop them, especially King Candy – a Mad Hatter-looking figure voiced by the wonderful Alan Tudyk (“Firefly”, “A.I” and – for those, like me, who saw him on Broadway – “Spamalot”).

Wreck-It Ralph: Vanellope

Vanellope – the sugary thorn in Ralph’s side

Meanwhile, Sergeant Calhoun and Fix-It Felix, Jr. have teamed up, Felix aiming to find Ralph and bring him back before his disappearance spells the end for the game, and Sergeant Calhoun hoping to destroy the cy-bug that hitched a ride in Ralph’s escape pod. As she describes it, the cy-bug will eventually take over and completely obliterate all the games, and Calhoun is the last line of defense. The latter third of the movie is action on top of action – Vanellope and Ralph clashing and colliding with King Candy and his loyal subjects across the sugary landscape while Calhoun and Felix work feverishly to chase down the deadly cy-bug that threatens the survival of all of the games.

Wreck-It Ralph: King Candy

King Candy tries to reason with Ralph

While many gamer jokes are hidden within the earlier scenes, it’s the time spent in the land of “Sugar Rush” where all the candy jokes come into play, some of which are incredibly silly (yet wholly amusing) puns. As you would expect, there are a number of cameos from real-world video game characters, like Clyde from Pac-Man and Sonic from Sonic the Hedgehog. Q*bert probably has the best (and largest) cameo of the bunch. This is a cute, sweet film that uses the gamer (and candy) in-jokes as seasoning, rather than as the main meal. “Wreck-It Ralph 3D” is, at its core, a movie about what it means to be a hero.

It’s worth sticking around through the credits (more gamer jokes), including a small scene at the very end of the credits. The 3D in this movie is fairly well done, although I found that I had trouble with fuzziness at times. I’m not sure how much of that was the placement of the glasses with respect to my eyes, but some shots just seemed crisper than others. It is worth noting, however, that the animators clearly took great pains to make certain levels of graphics or certain movements by characters matched the quality and style of their time. The characters in “Sugar Rush” are much more like what you’d expect to see today – slick movements and glossy graphics, while the choppy movements of the “Fix-It Felix, Jr.” characters is clearly fitting for a 30-year-old game.

“Wreck-It Ralph 3D” is a clever film, answering a question I don’t know that we could have imagined without “Toy Story”, and it’s really very nicely executed by the team at Disney. (Pixar had a hand to play, as well, as John Lasseter executive produced.) Some of the early time spent in “Sugar Rush” is a bit lengthy, and I wonder if the 3D was really necessary for many of the shots, but overall I think it was a really cute and often amusing film.

Also worth noting: “Wreck-It Ralph 3D” is preceded by the 3D version of “Paperman”, which I saw earlier this year just prior to a special screening of “The Odd Life of Timothy Green”. “Paperman” was just as sweet and wonderful in 3D, although I don’t even think it needed to be presented in 3D. It didn’t gain a ton other than a slight amount of visual depth by pulling the characters forward and making the backgrounds more clearly backgrounds. The heart and soul of the story is still the same, and I still think it’s Oscar-level material.

Lastly, while there were plenty of kids in the audience at the screening I attended, “Wreck-It Ralph” does have a couple of scenes that some small children may find scary, particularly the ones with the cy-bugs and the final showdown at the end of the film. Kids unfamiliar with shooter games may also find the gunplay overwhelming for the handful of scenes where guns are used.

3 out of 4 stars

“Wreck-It Ralph 3D” opens nationwide on November 2, 2012. This movie is rated PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) for some rude humor and several scenes of action/violence.