Sometimes I think we have progressed as far as we possibly can as humans. We have sent astronauts to the moon. We have built vehicles to explore other planets. We continue to seek the outer reaches of the galaxy.

As far as I am concerned, I thought our technological advancements had reached an end. Then I went to the grocery store the other week.

I had to drive to State College to see a wrestling match. I didn’t feel the greatest since my sinuses finally succumbed to the winter weather, so I stopped to get some supplies for the ride. I needed to keep my strength to make the day a success.

I started out with the basics – orange juice, sinus medication and cough drops. Then I headed for the food aisle to get some snacks. After snagging a package of breakfast bars, I saw something which may have changed my views on several important philosophical topics.

The crackel. Or maybe it’s best described as a pretzer.

One side is a cracker. The other side is a pretzel. The world has not seen this inventive collaboration since the time people ran into each other coming around a corner, one holding peanut butter and one holding chocolate.

Apparently, these crackers appeared a few years ago so I’m almost embarrassed to mention that I just discovered them. I could not believe the genius involved in creating this product as I looked at the box.

About an hour into my drive, I had almost totally forgotten about how my nose and throat felt. I wondered if the new crackers had some kind of magical quality.

I could have easily downed the whole box, but wanted to save more for later. I discovered a couple of days later that they really go well with soup. The possibilities were limitless.

But I fell into the same trap thinking that everything which fascinated me would turn out to change my world. The culprit once again was an As Seen On TV ad.

They showed this really cool pillow which helps people who sleep on their side. I sleep on my side. This had to solve any problems I have sleeping.

The commercial raved about the special filling they used to make the pillow comfortable. I was amazed by the special hole where you fit your ear for comfort. Images demonstrated how the back half of the candy cane-shaped pillow would support your back.

I needed this thing. They didn’t even need to tell me how I would get a second pillow free. I just assumed the first one would change my life rendering the second one useless.

So I went online to check out some information, and my world collapsed around me. I found review after review panning the pillow. The purchase changed a few lives, but I can never get past the negative reviews when I find this kind of information online about a product.

I accepted that my regular pillow would have to suffice for now. But at least I could eat some of those pretzel crackers to make me feel better. I’ll take small victories like that.