Guitar Hero and Packing Cubes

Guitar Hero and Packing Cubes
by Lauren Traub Teton

Traveling gives us a chance to try new things. This week my travels allowed me to play Guitar Hero for the first time, and to use my beloved packing cubes inside my suitcase. Guitar Hero is a hoot and a half, and the packing cubes kept my goods neat and pulled together for travel.

Guitar Hero - you don't have to KNOW how to play the guitar to have fun!

Guitar Hero is a video game where you and your opponent wield toy Gibson guitars and compete for who can play the most correct notes in a song. I had seen it played by teenage boys before, but I hadn't previously noticed that you don't actually have to KNOW how to play the guitar to play this game. The 5 fret keys on the neck of the guitar are color-coded and you hit the guitar keys as the colored notes scroll toward you on a video pathway.

We played the song “Surrender" by Cheap Trick. Playing this game made me laugh out loud! After each round you receive instant gratification or mortification with a detailed point score breakdown, and your rock star avatar bows proudly or slinks offstage depending on how you did. Fun! Can't wait to play the new Aerosmith version they made for Xbox 360, PlayStation 2 and 3, and Wii.
Guitar Hero was first released on the PlayStation 2 in November 2005, in case you've been wondering why you haven't played it yet.


Packing Cubes

I've been using my Eagle Creek Pack-It Cubes to organize my suitcases since my last trip to summer snowboard camp in the Alps. These soft-sided mesh topped zipper cubes are a fantastic way to keep your suitcase or duffle neat, pack plenty in, and best of all, find it.

Packing is almost fun now; just roll up your small clothing items and stuff them into a zippered mesh cube. Unpacking is a snap because you can just throw the neatly packed cubes into a drawer at your destination. Luggage inspection at the airport is a breeze too, because underwear or lingerie items won’t be dangling around in plain sight and your suitcase innards will look civilized. You can fit more in your suitcase too.

Other manufacturers make the cubes besides Eagle Creek, but I think Eagle Creek invented them and they have a large variety of shapes and colors and some patterns. Most importantly, their cubes have handles, so when you need a little bag to carry your book, sunscreen, and key to the pool on your trip, they’re really handy to use for that too.

Besides the cubes, the Eagle Creek Pack-It Folder is a miraculous way to compress a pile of neatly folded clothes so you can fit plenty of shirts and pants in your carry-on and have them arrive still spiffy. It looks like a large envelope and opens out flat. It comes with a folding board so you’ll be able to fold your clothes as neatly as those tees stacked at the Gap. Just stack your clothes, wrap up the edges like a square old-school diaper, overlap the Velcro, and you’re off!