Men of a certain age have made it clear: they need for a room of their own, one that bears no trace of “the female touch”. This pursuit has led to proliferation of the “Man Cave”. If you’ve ever been in one, then you know the drill – garish lighting, enormous sound system/flat screen TV, and “decor” that would rightly be rejected in the main living quarters (i.e., flashing neon beer signs).

While this room screams “Eyesore!” amidst an otherwise beautifully designed home, the Man says he feels good in this room. He needs this room. But must it be so abominable? Thankfully, the interior design world is encouraging men to take an active role when they design their space so it reflects their age, not their shoe size. This concept is bolstered by Los Angeles interior and set designer Kyle Schuneman. As Kyle pointed out in a recent interview,

The “Man Cave” is as much a psychological move as it is a physical space. It’s a rebellion against the rest of the home because the man is often estranged from the décor that fills the other rooms. It is his way of claiming his territory and representing himself. Good design is always collaborative and both sides need to be willing to have some give and take. Women need to open up to the man’s ideas and men need to take a valid interest.

We applaud the efforts of Mr. Schuneman because though most women don’t particularly want to step foot in the Man Cave, they’d still like to know that if a guest mistakenly opens the door to the Cave while searching for the bathroom, their senses would not be completely offended.

On sale now, the Panasonic SC-PT670 1000W 5-DVD 5

The single most important aspect of any good gathering — barbecues, weddings and Saturday night beer busts alike — is music. And nothing makes music sound better than a high quality sound system.

The good news? You can buy yourself an great, booming sound machine without breaking the bank. Snap Pony is hosting a serious sale on a complete home theater systems. No need to worry about different components. With these all-in-one systems you can do everything from playing music to watching movies.

Which one is right for you? Check them all out here.

Good apple. Bring it home.

1. Check for store cleanliness.
2. Separate raw meat, poultry, and seafood from other foods.
3. Inspect cans and jars for irregularities.
4. Inspect frozen food packaging for signs of damage or defrosting.
5. Add frozen foods and perishables last.
6. Choose fresh eggs carefully, eyeballing for cracks and cleanliness.
7. Be mindful of transport time and changing food temperatures.

Sounds reasonable, right? If you want more detail, go here.

Lea Michele -- one of the most powerful and influential women in the world, at least according to Time magazine.

Lea, 24, is wise, savvy and beautiful, an extremely gifted singer-actress-dancer-comedian with perfect pitch…she is inspiring young people to get involved in musical programs in schools and encouraging communities to fund them…

Though Michele may not herself be a geek, she personifies one perfectly as Rachel Barry, her character on Glee. If you’re not yet a fan of show yet, download Glee episodes on iTunes and become a Gleek, aka fans of Glee.

A faster way to get dinner on the table has arrived!

Better still, convection microwaves are green. They use less energy than standard microwaves. The cooking temperatures are lower, which helps retain nutrients in food. This is a big bonus for those of us who love the convenience of a microwave but fear that the good stuff from our meals is being zapped out of existence. These lower cooking temperatures also mean that during the heat of the summer, you won’t feel the need to get out of the kitchen.

In addition to these great features, cooking time is reduced by 20% in comparison to standard ovens. All signs point to a cooler kitchen and a quickly prepared, healthy meal – from microwave to table in no time.

Before you buy, consider what you are most likely to cook in a microwave. If you’re main fare is Hot Pockets, a regular microwave may serve you better. But if you’re up for some serious cooking, you may yet fall in love with a convection microwave.

Heidi Montag, 23, claims to have had 10 plastic surgery procedures in one day.

But things are a’changing in Hollywood, The New York Times reports:

IT took years for Hollywood to create the perfect woman. Now it wants the old one back.


In small but significant numbers, filmmakers and casting executives are beginning to re-examine Hollywood’s attitude toward breast implants, Botox, collagen-injected lips and all manner of plastic surgery.

Admittedly, some of us here at Snap Pony wouldn’t mind a bit of plastic surgery, if you’d even call it that. Maybe some face lasers and some spider vein zapping.


But the sad fact is, we’re too broke to make ourselves look freaky, even if we wanted to.

CNN reports:

The right coverage can protect globetrotters from tacking thousands of dollars onto their trip costs when something such as a natural disaster, a weather event, a medical problem or an emergency at home gets in the way of a smooth vacation.

When is travel insurance necessary? You probably won’t need it for a weekend vacation to Las Vegas, but insurance might be a worthy investment for more ambitious trips.

“If you’re buying a travel investment — it’s the trip of a lifetime, a honeymoon … and it’s a big event and you’re investing thousands, if not tens of thousands of dollars, it probably would make sense to consider insurance to protect that investment,” said John Pittman, vice president of industry affairs for the American Society of Travel Agents.

SquareMouth.com is a good place to start your travel insurance research. “[SquareMouth.com is] a site that allows customers to compare and buy policies from a range of vetted providers, opt for policies that bundle coverage for trip cancellation, trip interruption, medical and medical evacuation, according to CEO Chris Harvey,” reports CNN.

This is a hand. But you knew that. Still, it's intended to illustrate the point of this post.

But for everyone else who wants some serious hand improvement (including me, as I stare at the back of my hands as I type this post), there are things you can do.

You can break down the steps into two groups: cheap and expensive. Even if you can afford the more expensive treatments, you should still pay attention to the cheaper steps toward younger looking hands.

One of the most important things you can do is balance your diet. Discovery Health asked a dermatologist, Dr. Roberta Palestine, to explain.

Balance your diet. You need enough protein for good hair and nails. “Drastic low-calorie diets or protein in short supply will cause the body to divert resources to more vital areas and your nails will suffer,” explains Dr. Palestine.

If you’re willing to spend a bit of money, you may want to try laser resurfacing, a body peel, simple moisturizing and sunscreen, and perhaps lipo-injection. What’s lipo-injection? Glad you asked, but this is not for the squeamish.

“We can move fat from the hips, buttocks or other areas by a minor procedure under local anesthetic. The skin of the hand is numbed and the fat is injected beneath the skin for an instantaneous improvement. Any mild bruising or swelling at the tiny injection sites subsides within a few days,” explains Palestine.

Dr. Palestine starts injecting the fat at the wrist and then manipulates and massages it to fill the hollows of the hand.