wednes | Entries tagged with consumer product watch

H and I decided to get Amazon's Subscribe and Save service for groceries we use often, stuff that's bulky to carry, and stuff that's cheaper or offers more variety than we get at our regular grocery store.

Our first box arrived with a 12-pack of canned ravioli on top of a smashed 30 ct box of 1oz bags of chips. Here's video evidence:

"Amazon Grocery Unbox" (Watch on YouTube)

Contacted Amazon and they refunded the whole thing. No need to ship it back, they said. So that was cool. It was only $8 and some cents. But here's the thing--they raised the price on the chips without saying anything--by $4 a month. I thought that sucked, but whatevs. So after two deliveries I'd have paid for all those broken chips anyway. But hey, prices change. Subscribe and Save is probably still okay, right?

I was checking on my items for this month, mainly because the ravioli I got is ghastlier than a thousand ghouls. Accidentally ordered italian sausage rav instead of beef. Ew. Totally my fault though, so no big whoop. I can donate them to a food bank.

But I looked at the box of Fruit Leather I ordered. I planned to get a box two months in a row, and then every other month after that. Plenty fruit leather, right? Except the price was missing on the list. Odd, all the other items had prices listed.
Turns out--the price on the new shipment WENT UP TEN DOLLARS IN A SINGLE MONTH. So not only did they jack up the price by like, 65%, they went out of their way to hide that from me. The difference between $14 and change and $25 and change is significant to people who are actively trying to save money.

Listen, I get that Amazon is a business, and that businesses exist to turn a profit. But dammit, ripping off loyal customers is not remotely the way to do that.

It's bad enough that they charge for Prime while offering fewer perks every year--and then charge more for items that have "free" Prime delivery. I can live with that. Then they offer you a dollar digital credit if you choose standard shipping instead of 2-day. But there's no way to know how much credit you have before you buy a book, song, or movie.
Not only that--but a lot of the digital content you "buy" is really just permission to stream the shows from the website. No downloading allowed. Come on--that's just bullshit. And that's without the Subscribe and Save shenanigans.

It has since become obvious to me that Amazon's Subscribe and Save service is designed to lure you in with low prices, then hope you don't notice when they charge more every month. If it's an introductory price--just say so. We all have cable TV and know how that hoosefudge works. Gotta talk to H about it tonight, but chances are--our use of Amazon Subscribe and Save is going way, way down. Like cat pads only.

I'm sad about it too, Amazon's fuckery makes me look like an idiot since I defend them always--even in the face of other authors who say Amazon doesn't record all of their sales. Seriously Amazon, you done messed up.

Color me: angry
Inquiries will reach me @ Ann Arbor, yo.
I'm enjoying: Voltaire
Crossposts: http://wednes.livejournal.com/1233048.html

I've mentioned that we get Door to Door Organics delivered every other week. This means we have fresh produce for the week when we don't go to the grocery store. It's pretty awesome. Right now we have peaches and nectarines. Plus we got garlic, a lemon, green beans, capsecums, and beets for roasting, plus some bananas. It's $23 for Door to Door Organics to deliver it to my door. When they show up, they actually knock instead of just leaving it somewhere. And they take the box, cooling packs, and packing materials from the previous week away for recycling. If a piece of produce is ever bad (or like recently, there is a recall) they refund in full if you let them know via Email.

Nature Box v Graze

I wanted to get more snacky stuff around so I'd be less likely to eat chips (my fave) or baking cookies or brownies for snacks. I ordered Graze because it was cheap and seemed to have yummy choices. And they do. The deliveries are easily recognizable, which means I have to watch for it so my neighbors don't steal it. The snacks are varied and pretty tasty. A lot of dried fruit, nuts, and trail mix type stuff. They offer tiny bags of microwave popcorn, but I've never gotten the knack of those. The problem? A box contains four portions, and they are one small single serve for one person.

My sister-in-law hipped me to a special with Nature Box where you could get their $20 box for $10. One Nature Box contains 5 bags of snacks. Each bag is supposed to contain 4-5 servings, but I'd say it's more like 3 for a reasonable person who is actually hungry when they snack. The choices seemed about as good as Graze. They arrived promptly, and the bags were indeed, bigger. The problem? They weren't that great. Everything was salty and heavily flavored, which attempted to mask sub par ingredients. Some of it was downright rank. Chocolate quinoa granola sounds awesome, doesn't it? I assure you it is ghastlier than a thousand ghouls. The good stuff, like dried pineapple, came in a 3oz bag. That's not very much IMO.

I wasn't sure how I wanted to proceed. I wasn't wild about Nature Box, but Graze just wasn't getting the job done. I decided to cancel Nature Box, since there's no reason to pay for something I don't love--remember, later deliveries would have been $20 each. I went back to Graze's website to get one delivery a week, instead of every other week. That's when I saw that Graze is about to start larger delivery boxes much more akin to what Nature box is doing--with their usual higher quality of food.

They haven't started yet, but I'm on the list so they'll tell me once the new boxes are available for order.

Color me: hungry
Crossposts: http://wednes.livejournal.com/1008731.html

Before I get right into the Penny Dreadful tarot, I'll take a mo' to remind you all that I'm reviewing Penny Dreadful for GeekBinge. The first episode looked like 75% vampire wank, 25% cool Frankenstein stuff. The second episode was fucking incredible. If you check out my review, you'll see that Alex Price (Proteus) stopped by to give it a read. Squee, am I right?

Before the show aired, I went ahead and ordered the Penny Dreadful Tarot from the Showtime store. Their Dexter stuff is of good quality, so I figured these would be cool. By the by, you can get Penny Dreadful Tarot readings Here. They are silly.

First off, the Penny Dreadful tarot is smaller than a typical deck, though larger than a playing card deck. 2.75" x 4.75" They are purple with line drawings, and no other color. I don't have any other decks like that, so that's neat. If you're wondering, these are the other decks I have:
Rohrig
Rider-Waite
HR Giger (Major Arcana only)
Thoth
Goddess
Mythic
and now this one, the Penny Dreadful tarot.

The major arcana cards are interesting, if not particularly true to the original symbolisms.
( I'm gonna cut the pics since they're kinda big )

The so-called face cards are unique and cool also. I just don't think I could ever actually read with this deck. But then, I don't read with the Giger deck either. I have it because it's utterly badass, and was a gift from an old friend.
What I think is cheap though, is the number cards. Each suit has one card design, with the symbol added to match the count. So the II of Cups is the drawing with two cups. The III of Cups is the same drawing with one more cup...and so on through 10.
( Here they are )

So yeah, they aren't bad. They aren't very expensive, so I think the Penny Dreadful tarot deck can be a fun little treat. But don't expect to actually read anything with it. The good news? After a slow beginning, Penny Dreadful is kicking ass and has every indication of being a top-notch show.

Color me: good
Inquiries will reach me @ in a meteor shower
I'm enjoying: fire raining from above
Crossposts: http://wednes.livejournal.com/986252.html

H's sister, Girl-H introduced me to Lara Bars a few years ago. Damn, they are tasty. They're made entirely out of dried fruit, tree nuts, and seeds. They're delicious and healthy without added sugar or tons of fat and salt. I eat them for breakfast a lot. Even though I work from home, I don't really get it together to make breakfast. Sometimes I have a Fage yogurt, but if left to my own devices, I tend to eat the same kind of cereal I ate when I was 10.

Anyway, my favorite Lara Bar is the Uber cherry cobbler. It's most dry cherries, figs, and almonds. It's not all ground up and smooshed into a bar like their other bars, everything is left pretty much whole. Delicious! Yeah, kind of expensive, but the portion control is worth it.
And then Meijer decided not to carry them. I went to the herb website that sells them by the case for cheap. No dice. Finally I went to Amazon, where they have 16 count boxes on sale for $20. Clearance.
It really seems like they're discontinuing my favorite bar.

Meijer offers a new bar, called KIND. As a pothead, that's pretty funny.
KING bars come in great sounding flavors that include dried blueberries and pomegranates, pistachios and cashews. I try a few. They are tasty, but very sweet. Some of them even have chocolate in them.
After reading the label I see that not only are KIND bars more expensive than LARA bars, but they have added sugar and are about 1/3 puffed rice. Puffed rice is a lame filler with basically no nutritional value. So I'm bummed.

Movie-wise, I watched The Fury for the first time in years. This was Brian DePalma's next film after Carrie, and it also stars Amy Irving. Daryl Hannah is in it, right around age 16. Dennis Franz is skinny in it, with a full head of hair. Not as good as I remember, but it's always fun to see John Cassavettes play a double crossing a-hole in stuff.

Gonna try to get H to watch Sinster this week since he still hasn't seen it. I may have to sit through the new Riddick in trade.
Worth it.

Color me: blah
Crossposts: http://wednes.livejournal.com/957391.html

Before I begin with today's post, I just have to say:
How in the name of complete and utter fuck is it September already?

Moving on...
When I was on college, I once whipped up some green bean casserole after a night of drinking and et cetera. A couple of my friends were amazed by it. "Green beans and mushrooms and some kind of creamy sauce?" Outrageous!

I didn't know how anyone could get through life without encountering green bean casserole. This is even more true when you're talking to people whose families go to church. How do you get out of a church picnic without a scoop? Not to mention um...Thanksgiving.

Years later, H told me the same thing. He'd never heard of green bean casserole, but he really liked it. He wanted it all the time. A few years ago, H's grandmother told me about this wonderful dish she had at a church Christmas dinner or some such. She also had never heard of it and was really hoping she could find the recipe. She described it--and it was green bean casserole. Of course I sat down and wrote it out for her, and sent it in the mail so she'd have a hard copy. I don't think she has a computer.

Thinking about it, I realized that all of the people who didn't know about green bean casserole were African American. In case you don't know, green bean casserole was invented in the 50's. Campbell soup company put it in a recipe book called "Cooking with Soup." They used to send it out free to--well, wives, so they'd have even more reasons to buy Campbell's soup.

A few days ago, I told H that I had a craving for tuna casserole. He asked me what that was. *blink blink* Really? Tuna noodle casserole? How is it possible that--oh...it's yet another recipe that calls for Campbell's cream of mushroom soup (or thereabouts). The stuff in the Cooking with Soup cookbook is mostly recipes that require no fresh ingredients. I honestly don't know whether or not that would have been more economical at the time.

Now I want full data on how those cookbooks were distributed, and to what target demo. I mean, I have a guess...but it's just weird to me that with people living in the same cities at the same time (Detroit, for example, or Philly)--some people completely missed out on information others were given for free. Surely Campbell's wanted as many people as possible to buy their yummy, salt-filled soups?

Anyway, we're having tuna noodle casserole tomorrow. I don't think I have any peas though, so probably I'll use broccoli. It won't be completely authentic. H should like that fine, and it's not like he's gonna know any better. He's never had it before. o.O

Color me: pensive
I'm enjoying: Simpsons
Crossposts: http://wednes.livejournal.com/919383.html

Checked out The Orphanage today after buying it a long while ago. Damn, it was amazing. Beautifully shot, great cast, and plenty of surprises. It was creepy throughout, damn scary in parts, and had a motherfucking gut punch I in no way saw coming.
So yeah, bravo once again, Guillermo Del Toro.

Speaking of movies, the remake of Maniac was fucking incredible. Exactly what it needed to be, plus Elijah Wood. Very strong camera work, excellent stylized kill scenes, and just the right amount of camp. I did think that Elijah Wood could pull off a serial killer, so it wasn't a total surprise. I was very pleased with how well he developed such a dark character, and how much humanity he was able to bring to something SO melodramatic and textbook.

The first mag issue is coming out on August 4th. I daresay it looks more like an anthology with pictures than an actual magazine at this point. It's a great read though, with some fun stories and cool extras. The subscription link isn't quite ready yet because there's an error and I can't find where to fix it.

Horror fans take note: I'm looking to bring in some more curators to read, comment, and vote on submissions. It's pretty fun--so much fun that we don't actually pay people to do it. But you'll get to read tons of free fiction as well as getting your name in the mag.

And finally, Taco Bell's smothered burritos are pretty good. They are spicier than I expected, very filling, and tasty.

Color me: hopeful
I'm enjoying: That SVU ep with Carol Burnette & Matthew Lillard
Crossposts: http://wednes.livejournal.com/910093.html

There's a company called Aura Cacia who makes essential oils.
They are great. I use a bunch of them, as should most people.

Their oils come in bottles that are all the same size, and shape.
The bottles are square and the lids are round and white.

Lavender oil is great on cuts and sores, etc.
It's also good for aromatherapy, so I keep it by the CPAP.

Lemon oil is NOT great on cuts, but is great for aromatherapy.
So I keep it by the CPAP.

Guess what happens when your humble narrator reached over in the dark to grab some soothing lavender oil and apply it to an injured area.

...

The End

Color me: distressed
Crossposts: http://wednes.livejournal.com/904098.html

Project: Buy a gun for home protection has been dismantled. I'm feeling less anxious with the addition of more meds and etc. This still isn't a particularly safe neighborhood, but I'd rather save up to get the hell out of here than making sure I can kill anyone who tries to mess with us.

Got the first mockups for my new website design. They look nice, and I'm really pleased to have someone reliable to work on it for me. The Kiss Me Like You Love Me audiobook will be done soon, and available at Audible.com soon after that. It's got some familiar voices along with some new ones. I've heard some of the reads, and they are awesome.

I ate a whole pineapple over the course of last week.
It was not in season, and thus not very sweet or pineappley.
H got fresh cherries at the store last week. They were awesome.
Cherries go well in absolutely everything. I used them in ground chicken meatballs and they were fabbo.
I've been craving potatoes and sausage in horseradish sauce.
So I'm making that next week.

New short story is in the works. Subbing it at the end of the month.
It's a 3rd person narrative, because I need practice with that.
Finished reading Under the Dome.
It's depressing as shit, and made me really mad most of the way through.
People suck, and SK is damn good at conveying it.

Been having crazy, violent nightmares lately. I was bashing some lady over the head with a wine bottle in one, and trying not to get stabbed in another. H is almost never in my dreams, which I think is weird.

Color me: cynical
Crossposts: http://wednes.livejournal.com/887323.html

Still chugging away on the NaNoWriMo. Trouble is, it's all rewrites on A Stabbing for Sadie when it's supposed to be the first draft of Millicent Mixter's CS Guide (to a murder-free workplace), which is being released next year. I'm having trouble organizing it. If I was smart, I'd just start writing the sections and worry about organizing them later. Hey! I think I just figured something out.

Anywhoo...

Work is fine. Would like to be making a little more money, but when is that ever not the case? TV reviews are going okay. They are fun to do and allow me to write off my cable and internet bill. But the money is small and nobody comments at the site.
The marketing writing pays a lot better, but some of the topics are just awful. I actually had to write for a Weight Loss client. None of that stuff has my name on it, but still... Even though my articles are truthful and fact-based, I still feel like I'm schilling for the enemy.

It's been a terrible week for people who love shitty food. The Hostess company has finally collapsed into itself. Eventually, a business either has to admit that its employees are human beings who require a livelihood--or it needs to shut the fuck down. Hostess has chosen the latter, to the detriment of my passion for King Dons (or whatever they call these in your area).
Meanwhile: PapaJohns, Olive Garden, and McDonalds are going out of their way to pretend that health insurance will ruin them. Fuck you if you don't think raising your prices by a few cents is a small price to pay for ALL of your full time employees to have insurance. You don't deserve to run a business, let alone deserve my patronage. For fuck's sake--it's FOOD SERVICE. That's an industry where healthy employees are for everyone's benefit. And dammit, boycotting McDonalds is not something I'm going to enjoy. Their breakfasts are fucking delicious.

I'm sick of hearing about how when poor people want to see doctors, eat, or have homes, that they are whiny and greedy and always have a hand out. But then people who are already millionaires pretend that paying their taxes is government slavery. Niggah please.
Oddly, a lot of these are the same people freaking out because white people are no longer the majority. Oh Noes?!?!?! Like homophobes in the military--this is another case of people who are terrified that others will begin treating them the way that they've been treating others.

Watched that 21 Jump Street movie with Jonah Hill. I have increased respect for Jonah Hill, and I already thought he was pretty funny. That movie is smarter and more hilarious than it had any right to be. Well done!

Color me: annoyed
I'm enjoying: Jethro Tull: Thick as a Brick
Crossposts: http://wednes.livejournal.com/835705.html

Well, because horoscopes are a combination of superstitious guesswork and clever writing. Guess what? I'm a fan of clever writing. That's why I read Rob Brezny every week. I have to read both Scorpio and Sagitarius for reasons I won't get into here. Usually, the two contrast each other in a nice way that leaves me pondering various ways in which I can better my life and my own bad self.

This week however...

Sagittarius:
The highest unclimbed mountain in the world is Gangkhar Puensum, an almost 25,000-foot-tall beauty in Bhutan. It will remain free of human influence indefinitely, as local authorities are keen on preventing the environmental degradation that has occurred on popular peaks like Mt. Everest, where climbers have left lots of trash. What's the equivalent in your sphere, Sagittarius? The most prominent unconquered prize? The Grail that still remains elusive? The virgin treasure your quest has not yet won? According to my analysis, you now have the potential to make tangible progress toward that goal. Unlike the case with Gangkhar Puensum, there are no rules or laws preventing you.

Scorpio:
In the song "Fantasy World," the lead singer of the band Pissed Jeans imagines himself in his happy place. "It's Friday night and Saturday morning in my fantasy world / Sitting near piles of clothes and drinking a soda / with a slice of pizza in my fantasy world." He's not describing some unrealistic paradise where he can fly like an eagle and seduce anyone he wants and find gold bars under his pillow in the morning. Rather, he's content with the simple, familiar pleasures. I urge you to follow his lead as you imagine and create your own fantasy world this week. Love what you've got.

Notice how one of them is telling me to quit my day-job, and the other is telling me not to? I still really want to do it, but can't risk suddenly not having a reasonable income. Still...there's nothing in the world I'd like more than to quit.

*sigh*

In other news, I've been trying these Lean Cuisine frozen snack dealies. I like the spring rolls very much. I'm pretty surprised too--usually frozen (and particulary DIET) stuff is gross and super salty. Not so, these yummy spring rolls.

Do you guys know about Zombie Go Boom!? They are the mythbusters of zombie weapons. Shovels, bats, they test it all to let you know what YOU need to stock your arsenal with. I dig them, and you will too.

Color me: anxious
Inquiries will reach me @ home
I'm enjoying: True Blood
Crossposts: http://wednes.livejournal.com/795149.html

My new standard breakfast at work of late is untoasted Pop-Tarts. I had somehow convinced myself that they are made of decent ingredients, like fruit, and fortified with a bunch of vitamins. Plus, they are WAY lower in fat than toaster strudel. I felt okay about it. Today, I decided to read the label (probably something I should have done sooner). So...they are made with "real fruit" with an asterisk* by it. Turns out, they contain 10% fruit. That's the same as those cheap juices that I refuse to buy because I want real juice. Pop Tarts also have 5 grams of fat EACH, because a serving is only one--even though it comes in a non-releasable package of two. So really, I'd be better off with a multi-vitamin and a bag of potato chips. But then someone would say, Potato chips for breakfast? That's so unhealthy. I shake my fist at you, Battle Creek! So yeah, I really do need to wean myself off of processed foods. It's just that the processing adds both convenience and deliciousness.

Thought I was going to have a 3-day weekend this week since I have Friday off. Came in today and checked next week's schedule and it looks like I may have Monday off as well. So hmmm...4-day-weekend! Neat. It's our slow season at work, so hours are fewer and far betweener. Going to a co-workers going away party on Friday, a recital on Saturday, and seeing my bro-ham on Sunday. I'm thinking of bringing some of my famous Mexican Dip with chips, and some kind of store-bought dessert.

I got new recordings of Chaps 1,2, and 4 of Kiss Me Like You Love Me for the podcasting--which premieres on Tuesday, by the by. We're going to post 2 chapters every 2 weeks, with the in between weeks being a new short story until I run out of them. And it's much easier than I thought to route stuff over to iTunes. In fact, the first short story from "A Spoonful of Murder" is already there. I'm also planning to submit to Podiobooks. They love Scott Sigler over there; and I guess they even pay the authors when people give them money. Neat.

And finally, I watched the Collateral Murder vid. It made me sad, angry, and confused. I guess "The Troops" are like every other cross-section of society. There are lots of amazing people, and some tools so drenched in shadenfraude that it turns my stomach.

Color me: tired
Inquiries will reach me @ United States, Michigan, Ypsilanti
I'm enjoying: work

Spent the day sending out the last of my press releases for the new book and book release party. I'm pretty excited for my splashy event. Tomorrow I'm going to check out the space, talk about formatting for the music, and figuring out what kind of signage and accessories I'll need to acquire. H is standing by to make me some signs and such. And I'm going to give out the bookmarks I made for the Vampire Ball since I still have a jillion left.

I'm officially a fan of Krusteaz mixes. Every one I've tried has been fantastic, whether I've made it as is or made additions. Gets my highest recommends. I've done the lemon bars and turned them into lemon cheesecake bars per instructions on the box. I've made their strudels and brownies, and last night made the pecan bars. They are very easy to make, require roughly the same stuff as a Duncan Hines/Betty Crocker cake mix, and are really delicious.

( LOST came back last night (spoilers) )Is that dependent on whether or not V is coming back? FYI, I did not care for V. I can tell you that moving LOST to Tuesday's is totally messing with my week.

Caprica is fantastic. Very well written, strong cast; they're setting us up for some great drama later on. If you get near it, do give it a watching.

I made a new soup I've never made before. I combination of Ragu double cheese sauce, chicken stock, and veggies. We did a mexican thing with ground beef, tons of sweet peppers, white corn, black beans and tomatoes. Then we added broccoli and kale, and some real cheese. Fabbo! Really, super good. Got the recipe in

s0ups_on which is a fun little comm.

Color me: hungry
Inquiries will reach me @ United States, Michigan, Ann Arbor
I'm enjoying: Criminal Minds

Meijer has Peanut Butter and Jelly ice cream. No, I'm not kidding. And yes, as long as peanut butter is safe, you should totally have some. It's premium ice cream sold by the pint. About 10 bites is a whole, big lot so eating one pint will def take you several sittings. Mostly super rich peanut butter ice cream. Then softer, super purple grape jelly swirl. Yummers, for serious.

My mom's cousin Victoria (don't you just love that name?) sent H and I the coolest gift. It's a bamboo box full of those flowers tea bouquets and a glass teapot for the steeping. You put a little bouquet of tea in the pot, pour in some hot water, and the dry tea blooms all pretty and then turns yummy. It's really pretty and I'm gonna give it a whirl on Weds, which is my next day off.

Going to catch up with Cindy tomorrow as I'm told that she bought me a tiny electric aquarium with fake fish that swim around. Apparently they had them for $2 at a local drugstore. Neat.

Having my first violin lesson on Friday. That should be neat. I'm gonna see if I can get it back in tune before the teacher gets here. A guy I work with is giving me lessons in exchange for my help with some writing projects. Eventually, I'm going to play in a recital at my work.

Color me: busy
Inquiries will reach me @ United States, Michigan, Ann Arbor
I'm enjoying: Futurama

I'm going in to work tomorrow, even if my voice is as crappy sounding as it is today. My low, gravely voice is okay, but my higher, customer voice is nowhere to be found. The Coricidin is helping me feel well enough to function, but I'm by no means up to snuff. No holiday work-party, no solstice bon-fire; I didn't even cook H a fancy meal like I'd planned. We ordered from Tio's, which cost $40 for some reason. Fie! H enjoyed his birthday gifts from me. I got him a cute pair of boxers for his cute butt, Pan's Labyrinth (2-disc SE), Battlestar Galactica Razor, a book about high tech spy gadgets (not for Kindle, real), and some new earbuds.

We sent out out holiday cookies and such today. I was quite pleased to have gotten everything finished on time. We send a big box of treats to H's mom & fam, H's dad & fam, H's grandparents, my brother, and my Aunt Barb & fam. We sometimes also send a box to

sudrin, but happily it looks like we'll be seeing him in person this year. Yay! Oh, and

sudrin? Sorry about the late nite text. Anyway, I'll be baking more cookies to give out on NYE, as well as a batch of my amazing peanut butter fudge.

Speaking of texting, I got a call from a lady at Credo Mobile, which is my new phone service I mentioned earlier. Last time I posted about them, one of their reps asked me to get in touch. I heard that they have people watching what's being said about them online. Since they responded to my post within 12 hours of my posting it, I must assume that they are indeed, keeping a watchful eye on the Internets. After all, my blog os only moderately popular. Anyway, I did get in touch with them, saying pretty much ( this )

They called me back a few days ago, but I was waiting to call them back when I had a voice. A chick named Yvonne called back today and was totally on-the-ball and helpful. She seemed genuinely concerned about fixing my issues and basically dealt with me the way I would deal with myself, had I called myself at work (if that makes any sense). She even talked to me about various Sprint policies, how they deal with their GPS info, and why Sprint phones don't typically have SIM cards. Needless to say, she made me very happy. I settled all my issues (well, I still can't get this Bluetooth thing to work but that may very well be something on my end. I'm not sure yet.) They are also sending me a solar charger for free to make up for our sucktacular beginning with their service. Overall I was impressed by their timely response and what really did feel like a sincere desire to give good service. So yeah, thumbs up!

Because smoking is such a hot-button issue this New Year's Eve, I'm posting a poll. H and I honestly tried to think of someone we know who doesn't smoke cigarettes but still allows cig smoking in their home. Aside from us, we couldn't think of anyone. So here:

[Poll #1502027]

The NYE menu will consist of a repeat of the Nutella pastry from my birthday party, a strawberry shortcake trifle, and corn chips with spicy salsa which I will make myself. And whatever people decide to bring with them. In case you weren't aware, it starts at 8pm and ends when we're finished. Intoxicants should be consumed in moderation, as our crashing space is limited and contains rambunctious cats.

Scored a big box of 70's children's books today. If anybody wants to go through them, let me know. They are well worn and have obviously been loved by children. But looking through the box is like being in my elementary school library again, minus bullies and corduroy pants. Speaking of libraries: once when I was 10, my mom was a Girl Scout leader *irony* that all the troop kids loved. One day they asked her how old she was and for some inexplicable reason, she told them she was 22. Of course, they counted back and a rumor went all over school that my mom had me when she was 12. Eventually, the librarian asked her about it. It sucked.

Hope everyone I didn't see on FB had a wonderful Yule.
I didn't even drink my mead as I was so damn sick.

Color me: cranky
Inquiries will reach me @ United States, Michigan, Ann Arbor
I'm enjoying: Fugitive in HD

Wasn't going to post again so soon, but I'm delighted that two Coricidin have made me feel sooooo much better. I'm baking oatmeal cookies right now and I can actually smell them. So that is awesome. Going to bed early and then getting up early to grocery shop with H. Not sure I want to spend time at Mejiers 5 days before Christmas, but we need groceries so that's the breaks.

I was looking for a wednes, and then I found a wednes
and heaven knows I'm miserable now.

Which song was this lyric from?

And just for fun, to get you's ready for LOST's final season, here's a recap of every time Hurley says "Dude" during LOST's first four seasons. It's delightful:

When I got my last 3 phones, I typed in the code *#06# and it gave me the phone shut-off code so that if someone lifted my phone they wouldn't be able to use it. That code does not work on my current phone from Credo Mobile. Couple this with my phone not having a SIM card, and the phone insurance we order STILL not being added to our account, it's a recipe for worry. Anybody know if there's a different code?

And finally HD TV is the best thing ever. Every single thing I watch on it looks amazing. However, it appears that closed captioning is not available on the HD channels. Weird. And the DVR is fixing it so that TV will never make me stay up late to finish watching it again. Wheeeee!

Color me: groggy
Inquiries will reach me @ United States, Michigan, Ann Arbor
I'm enjoying: King of the Hill

Experienced my second big baking mishap of the year yesterday. Wasted roughly $35 of high end baking ingredients ruining a double batch of cranberry walnut bread. I used cranberries that we not thoroughly thawed, and as such the whole inside of each bread did not cook. As I follwed the instructions (unlike regular cooking, where I improvise, I tend to use recipes for baking--mainly because math and science are not my strong suits) to a T and the bread looked awesome on the outside, I did not take its temperature. So when it had cooled and I went to dump it out of the loaf pans, it promptly fell apart all over the cooling rack, getting uncooked batter freakin everywhere. Ruined. So now I need more eggs, flour, orange juice, shortening, walnuts and cranberries. Fie!

Last night was my first Sunday night FOX with the HD. Amazing how much better it looks, and it's just a freakin' cartoon. Also got to record with my DVR to free up my hands during the shows. ;-] JoJo stepped on the on/off switch of the surge protector so ALL the media stuff turned off at once, right in the middle of a new ep of Family Guy. So Fie again!

Today is the home-stretch work-wise. Today is really the last day we can promise that standard shipping will reach people in time for Xmas. Even still, we'll have people calling as late as Christmas Eve damanding that we overnight ship for them even though I don't know of any service that will ship on Xmas day. Work Christmas party is this Saturday, followed by H's birthday on Sunday, and the Solstice on Monday. In January begins the attempts to secure reviews for the new book. And I'll likely begin some violin instruction from one of my co workers. Nice. No one has been told they ruined Christmas yet.

Pet Peeve of the day: deleting internet posts that have generated spirited discussion. People do this all the freakin' time. I don't get it. Why bother to have a discussion on the internet if you're going to erase all record of it? And if you don't want to have a spirited discussion, stop posting controversial shit on the internet.
Second Peeve: My new phone company CREDO MOBILE has been less than stellar. So far the phone did not arrive when they said it would, even though out monthly charge began before the phones were even sent. I'm still not able to get on the internet from my phone--which means I can't get any decent ringtones. The reception where I was Saturday night was terrible. The account online still doesn't match the order we placed or the online updates me tried to make; and they wouldn't let me fix it over the phone because apparently being H's wife doesn't allow me to ask questions about our account. I said I would keep everyone informed on this new company, so I am.
Temporary CREDO MOBILE verdict: sucks!

Color me: sleepy
Inquiries will reach me @ United States, Michigan, Ypsilanti
I'm enjoying: People freaking the hell out

In about 20 minutes, my hair will be something called "bright black" owing to the fact that Feria was on sale. As a somewhat frequent hair dyer, I've tried all the drugstore hair color and the whole foods stuff, and I prefer Feria to all of them (although Garneir Nutrisse is also good depending on what color I'm in the mood for). I've never actually gone this dark before, and hope I don't end up looking like a Vampire. I usually go some kind of red or maroon, or maybe a reddish brown. Pics to follow this evening, once it's dry.

Assembled some peeps for a viewing of District 9 last night. WOW!!! Never a dull moment, grabs you and doesn't let go...additional generic movie comment here. My initial reaction to this movie is that it crams the social message down your throat. Even though I agree with the message, it seemed a little "up it's own ass" as Trey and Matt would say. H pointed out that the truthiness outweighed this aspect, as it was a very likely and believable chain of events from every angle. I was expecting some kind of smart action movie that was well above average. This was a drama with some action, and was absolutely fucking fantastic. Just to sit there and watch, it's entertaining and engrossing. Emotionally exhausting, to be sure, but easily one of the best films of the year. Keep your eyes on this director, and on the lead actor because he was incredibly versatile and believable. I like the idea of using all unknown actors so you have no idea who the "main" characters are. If you are a fan of sci-fi, horror, drama, talking about politics, or seeing things that are good, for the love of Prawns, do not miss this movie. On a completely unrelated topic, I've cancelled my trip to Johannesburg which was to take place 3 years from now. *snerk for people who have already seen it*

A few years back, there was some fake zombie news on a fake website designed to look like BBC news. Well, BBC must have liked that idea, because they've posted some actual zombie news. Seriously. They say that If zombies actually existed, an attack by them would lead to the collapse of civilisation unless dealt with quickly and aggressively. Really? No shit? Well, thank you Captain Obvious!

Still haven't looked over my manuscripts to see what to work on next. Really need to get on that. Should also be picking up my new violin tomorrow. I'm going to write a blog over at www.stringcommunity.com detailing my progress as a barely musical person trying to learn the violin from scratch. I think it's a good idea and that maybe someone in that circle will find it valuable. Maybe it will end with me playing something in front of people. We'll just see how it goes.

And finally, Kraft is making a brick cheese that tastes like both cheddar and swiss. After eating it, I still find it inexplicable. It's texture is cheddary, but the taste is def swiss.

Color me: anxious
Inquiries will reach me @ United States, Michigan, Ann Arbor
I'm enjoying: Cramps: can your pussy do the dog?

Oh Lane Bryant, your disdain for your customer base makes me want to die.

You all know Lane Bryant? The store for fat chicks that has always flat out refused to use fat models in their catalogs and ads. Why? Because they sell more clothes when customers can't actually see how the clothes will look on a fat person. Genius, yes? No.

Unhappily, I still buy things from ~~Lane Bryant~~ Woman Within. How can I not? They send me like, 3 catalogs a week. Besides, it really is the cheapest place on the world for fat chick pants, bras, T-shirts (although the King Size Men's catalog has cooler print T's) thermal clothes and casual dresses.

Why bring it up? What's my point?
Well, I came across one of these on the Facebook, then found one more.
I had no idea women were ever referred to as "Stout."
Except that Disney teapot chick. Teapots are stout, and short.

Plus, those chicks aren't actually fat.

Color me: confused
Inquiries will reach me @ home from work.
I'm enjoying: Shatner: RocketMan

As we all know, the climate is changing. Bummer. We're also running out of natural resources and all need to pay very close attention to the way we consume things. Green light bulbs, recycled toilet paper, biodegradable soaps that don't clean so well--basically the only thing soap needs to do. And...we diversify. That's a word a learned being on the debate team in high school. Diversification: to vary the range of products or field of operation. That's for business, but it applies to us as well. We can't do just one or two things for the environment, we need to do everything we can. And that is why...

We must all buy chocolate made from camel's milk.

Seriously, it's gonna be delicious.
So get out there and buy it.

Yes, that whole environmental lead-in was just a front for talking about chocolate. Sorry for the ruse, folks. But chocolate is very, very important to me.

Also, I somehow forgot to take my meds for the last 24 hours.
Really.
And it's the new moon so I'm feeling loopy as hell.
Tonight I'm gonna pull an all nighter working on the draft. I tend to do my best noveling when I'm feeling less than fully sane. Off I go then!

Color me: crazy
Inquiries will reach me @ United States, Michigan, Ann Arbor
I'm enjoying: Spoon: The Way We Get By

...but I can't. Poor Grasshopper.

Serious badass may have died the same way as total 80's douche. Personally, I think what a man wants to do with his crank when he's alone in a room is SO not anyone else's business. I also think it is disgusting and unnecessary to publish this kind of "news" so soon after his death (please then, overlook the irony of my posting about it). What's the point of trying to make David freaking Carradine look like some kind of perv? Is it just because he's from a famous Hollywood family? Because Kwai Chang Caine was so wicked awesome that he needs to be brought down to the level of the common man? No, it's mainly because he's dead and can't stand up for himself. How much quality entertainment has this man given us? Lots. So why make him out to be a freak? Honestly, if we knew what average people really did (or fantasized about doing) sexually in their real lives, EVERYONE would seem either completely freaky, or totally repressed.

I am duly intrigued by the story of William Kurelek whom I've only been made aware of today. Apparently, he was a schizophrenic with amazing artistic talent. Maybe I should say he was a talented artist who also had schizophrenia? He sounds utterly fascinating and I'm trying to find a short film that was made about him in the 80's. One of the most interesting facts about him is that he supposedly found answers to his spiritual problems by converting to Catholicism. Not to be a smart ass, but I've never actually heard of that happening before. Frankly, I don't know how any adult could accept the teachings of Catholicism unless indoctrinated from an early age. Then again, Poppy Z Brite has recently converted to Catholicism, and I don't really understand that either. We pagans are not fans of arbitrary sex rules, tithing, or institutionalized bigotry.

Had some time off earlier this week. Now I'm paying the price. Worked today, work tomorrow, on-call on Sunday. Our website is gonna be down and some of us have to come in to take orders by hand. I know, right? It's gonna suck nard, as the kids say (or said in the 90's). Anyway, if it's busy I told them they could call me and I'd come in. Hopefully, it'll be nice and slow.

Hopefully this week I'll finally be able to watch Pontypool with H. We've been meaning to check it out for a while now. Anybody heard anything about it, good or bad? It is, apparently, about zombies.
Also, why does IMDB suck so bad anymore? Lots of annoying and intrusive ads, the "Pro" feature that you are supposed to pay for to get info on movies still in development, and even stupider people commenting in the forums.

And finally, Jolly Rancher cherry soda is surprisingly bad. Silly me, I expected it to be a cherry jolly rancher in soda form. No dice. It tastes more like carbonated cough syrup. Just as well, as I'm not really drinking sugar sodas much anymore.

Color me: pissed off
I'm enjoying: Pearl Jam: World Wide Suicide

My work has "dress up Thursday" on Thursday's, kind of the opposite of casual Friday. Today I'm wearing a nice skirt and a frilly pink shirt with renaissance sleeves. Cute!

Mystery Men is on TV right now, as if I needed another excuse to love Hank Azaria.

We got some Krunchers chips on sale. They taste like Funyons, because they are sweet onion flavored. H likes them very much.

Later, I'm going to watch Be Kind Rewind which is supposed to be damn funny. I'm not as impressed with Jack Black's movies as I want to be, but we shall see. Anyway, that and some leftover Chinese food should make for a splendid evening. Chicken and Broccoli...mmmmmm.

Coldplay was on Daily Show last night. For the life of me, I just can't see the appeal of Coldplay. I know they are very popular, but every time I hear them, I think: Meh.

Today H is sending out some books for me to Midwest Book Review. I thought my publisher had sent them weeks and weeks ago, so much for relying on him. That would be a good place to have a review, so I'm hoping for the best. I also need to get a book to the Ann Arbor news soon. I ran out of envelopes after sending all those books to Borders and B&N.

Which Lost Girl Are You

Your are :

Shannon

You're shallow and that's what gives you your reputation. Under all the expensive clothes and makeup you're quite intelligent.

Which Lost Girl Are You Find out at Quizopolis.com

Not a great result, although I do get busy with Sayid. Whooooo!

Color me: geeky
I'm enjoying: Mystery Men

I was going to post about how 100 Calorie Pack cupcakes now come in blueberry and banana, they were even on sale today. But then...I discovered one of the greatest culinary combinations since potato met sour cream:

Nutella and Sara Lee Pound Cake.

So go to the store right now, buy these items. Combine and eat.
Repeat as neccesary.

Crazy, CRAZY good.

While I'm here, I'll mention that I found out that one of my bi-polar meds actually causes high blood sugar. So I'm going to start taking only a half dose of that unless I start to go manic. That should help a lot. Not really sure how the docs missed that, but I will surely inquire.

Color me: full
I'm enjoying: Pearl Jam: Jeremy

Going out of town this weekend to write. I don't really need to go out of town to write, but it's going to be fun since

absinthofheart is going to write too. Also, no kids. It is a rare thing indeed to go out of town with

absinthofheart and no kids. Not that I have anything against the kids. They are great, but not conducive to writing or doing many other grown-up things I enjoy. Anywhoo, I'll be back on Sunday, in time for cartoons.

I have all opening shifts next week. I hate having to be in by 9am. I suppose that's pretty normal for an office job, but I'd much rather sleep in and stay late. I tried to take a nap when I got home today, but I wasn't tired yet and it was too chilly to sleep in the bedroom. Work in general is not so bad. I'm getting the hang of it for the most part, and I'm not hating it much. Ask me again as we near closer to Xmas and the after Xmas rush of returns. I just hate how all the time I have to spend at work takes me away from writing and other things I'd like to be doing. Of course, I could be writing now but I'm doing this instead. I thought about doing the NoBloPoMo but didn't want to bug you all with lame posts when I have nothing of value to say. Although I'm doing a pretty good job of that right now. ;-]

It's damn cold outside.

I have what is either a bug bite or a hive on my neck. I hope I'm not getting hives, I hate them and don't feel like having any kind of full blown allergic reaction.

My grocery store has these new pomegranate juices that are just fabbo. I like the cranberry and the blueberry, both mixed with pomegranate juice. Mmmmm...
I've also found I like boursin cheese with potato chips. Mmmmm again.

H's computer is messed up. I don't know what's wrong with it, but he seems to think it's "broken." He even has a spare computer and thinks he messed that up too. I feel really bad for him since he uses his computer even more than I use mine. And I use mine a LOT. I imagine though that I'll see a bit more of him now that he can't play WoW.

Color me: chilly
I'm enjoying: L&O

Clicky to make Biggie!
The back has a pic of Clarence:

In Consumer Product Watch news, Cinnamon Sun Chips are delicious. They have a nice, buttery flavor that makes them seem much more caloric than they are.

I ordered a gift for my officiant from Magickal Omaha that was on clearance. Turns out, they didn't have any more, which was a drag. I thought I was getting a cool amethyst pendant that I couldn't get. Fie, right? So I cancel the order even though they offered me 45% off one item--I just couldn't find anything suitable for that price. So I ordered my officiant something from

lirrin instead, which is actually quite beautiful. So then, the rest of my Magickal Omaha order arrives (some fancy soaps for H's grandmother) and they included a tiny but beautiful amethyst pendant. I must say, that was pretty slick on the customer service side of things. So mad props to them.

Full steam ahead on JulNoWriMo business. I just posted a new chappie over at

wednes_writes which is a super scary murder chapter. Oooooh, the terror!

Also, I got a free box of Nag Champa today. 100grams no less!

Color me: cheerful
I'm enjoying: Komeda: Curio

My depression turned out to be PMS, whoda thunkit? I'm having horrible cramps and feel like...well, I'll spare you the colorful euphemisms and move right on to Consumer Product Watch.

#1 Lean Cuisine Pannini: Since I'm doing such a great job of improving my eating habits, I thought I'd check out if any of these diet-style dinners were any good. This one looked really tasty. It had chicken, bacon, cheese and something like ranch dressing. It wasn't bad, but the chicken was of poor quality and had (Ew) gristle going through it, which ruined the whole experience for me. C-
I also bought a mushroom pizza from Lean Cuisine, but haven't tasted it yet.

#2 Doritos Flavor #X13D. I'm not kidding, it's actually called that. It's a new, unamed flavor of Doritos released in a nameless bag with a number on it. I thought it tasted like BBQ steak, and something gross, like soy. H thought it tasted like a hamburger with everything, while my buddy Steve thought it tasted like a blander version of a regular Dorito. In any case, I didn't care for it. I much prefer the regular Doritos, or the Pepper Jack--those rule.

#3 Hostess 100 Calorie Packs. I've seen these packs in cookie varieties, and they are pretty good even if they're a little on the tiny side.

smarbaby hipped me to 100 Calorie Packs in chocolate and vanilla cupcake form. Even though they are hostess cupcakes, they are missing the adorable swirl. That's really the only negative I can say about these. They are extremely delicious and satisfying, although I didn't like paying $4 for six packs of three.

#4 Eden Botanicals Amber Royale. This is my main scent that I wear pretty much every day. It is a heavenly aromatheraputic whiff that puts me in a good, calm mood when I smell it. Amber is one of those wonderful, classic scents that smells good on pretty much everyone. This particular Amber oil cost $12 for enough to last several months if not a year. An exceptional bargain.

I'm gonna be laying low this week until it's time for me to go on vacation. I hate being all menstrual, depressed, and everything else that this entails. Yuck. Still, I have therapy this week and Group, and I'd kind of like to get some writing done even though I'm kind of enjoying the hiatus. Once I'm feeling back to scratch, I'll be right back to scribing like crazy.

Pan's Labyrinth comes out on DVD today. Damn, that movie is really good. If you haven't seen it, you might as well go ahead and buy it. If you own movies, you'll want this one.

Color me: awake
I'm enjoying: Futurama

Somebody from some fairy tale sometime has silver slippers but I'm damned if I can remember who. Many of you know a lot more about such things than I do, so maybe you can tell me. Who had the silver slippers?
Not Cinderella
Not Dorothy
Actually, those are the only shoe-intensive stories I know.

Anyway, I ordered my silver wedding slippers from Dance-4-Les on Sunday.
Get that, I ordered them on Sunday and they were here today.
That is some fly service if you ask me, especially since the slippers look great and were less than $25 shipped. Whooooo!

New LOST tonight. Maybe it will be good.
That would be nice.

Also, the Chicken House had excellent food for reasonable prices.
The fish and chips were super tasty, I'd order again if I wasn't so broke, broke.
Plus, I'm a fan of broasting and traditional fish & chips is one of those things I just don't cook. I've no desire to learn the fine art of deep frying, because I'd do it all the time.

In other wedding news, H thinks diamonds are "trite" and shouldn't be in my wedding band.
I told him to Shut up, Flanders because I'm tired of being called vain and materialistic because I want things sometimes. If only he knew how truly vain and materialistic women behaved...
Feh, I don't even have an iPod.

Color me: content
I'm enjoying: Cure: love song

A pot, a pan, a broom, a hat.

A few of you have nudged me, no doubt wondering where I've been. To you I say, join my writing comm,

wednes_writes because I've been posting over there. The new novel is coming along fine, even though it does not appear to be a hit with my (mostly female) readership base.

My return key is sticking. I hope this doesn't become a problem. I kind of use that key a lot.

We watched The Departed which was an amazing movie with lots and lots of violence, surprises, excellent performances, and suspense. Insane amounts of suspense. Gets my recommends even though I'm a little late to the party on that.

Speaking of parties, next Friday will be the celebration of the 29th year of

pak_man78. We'll be gathering at my place around 9pm, sharing yummy food and delightful company. Promises to be a swell affair.

Stephen Colbert's Ben & Jerry's ice cream, Americone Dream, is delicious.

I'm recording some TV here and there. Almost done getting season one of Big Love, which is a great little show. Right now I'm taping Wolf because it's on and because I love that movie.

I don't care for the new look over at IMDB.

I'm pretty tired. When this movie is over I'm going to bed.

Zombies 3: Mall Walkers (an expansion pack for the board game Zombies!!!) is awesome. Just enough new cards and territories to make the original game really interesting once again. I sort of wish it came wiht more zombies, but oh well.

Took the "everything test" that's been going around. I found it woefully incorrect. As I was telling

paulcurtis, I only like quizzes that compliment me. ;-]

I wish I could watch lots and lots of Bullwinkle cartoons. They are so funny.

Color me: tired
I'm enjoying: Wolf

I imagine you can feel me on this:

Reece's Crispy Crunchy Bar

It's like a butterfinger, under a Reece cup, surrounded by a snickers.
And it's only getting stuck in my teeth a little bit.
I'm telling you kids, if you only blow your diet once this season, this is the way to do it. And if you don't beleive in dieting, what the hell are you waiting for?

Reece's Crispy Crunchy Bar

H heard me out here typing and said You're not posting about it are you?

So what if I am?

Inquiries will reach me @ fortress of chocolatude
I'm enjoying: Little Shop of Horrors on HBO

My sweet new toaster no longer works. I actually consulted the directions to make sure I hadn't committed some kind of inadvertent toaster faux pas. This is probably the work of cylons who'd like nothing more than for me to have to eat raw toast with my egg whites and turkey bacon. Bastards. So we now have to take it back and exchange it for a toaster that actually toasts. Shame, since I liked the blue lights on it. I've never had bad luck with an Oster before.

Fie!

Received my package from elf today. Apparently they couldn't send me the nail stuff because they ran out. With a big "everything is one dollar" sale that's bound to happen. I did get 2 4-packs of shadow, 2 eye liners, 2 multi purpose pinks, a brush, 2 pressed powders (although these were quite tiny, .16oz to be exact. Most of my other PP's are from .35-.4oz. Still, for a dollar it's hard to complain. Got some other stuff too, makup remover pads, lip balm, concealer, sharperners and such...all for only $18. 'Twas a fabulous bargain and the stuff all looks pretty and nice.

Only a slight Fie! over no nail stuff--I ordered 3 polishes and a set of toe separators because I'm a girly, girly, girl.

Smallville: it's painfully bad.
Fie!

Missing birthday parties: also Fie!

I'm in the middle of a smallish block as I try to finish chapter four of my NaNo Novel. This chapter will have a smallish animal attack too, so that'll be fun. As usual, I'm posting chaps in my awesome writing journal,

wednes_writes. And also as usual, I need to know who is reading so you have to join up proper to see my amazing locked chapters. Woot!

And from our "I don't think this is just me..." file, here's a poll:

[Poll #860566]

Inquiries will reach me @ Bronson, MS (dis aint' ovah)
I'm enjoying: Pink Floyd: Breathe

Have you all seen the totally disturbing, excruciating minute of video of the "mom" who laughs at her kid as he almost dies from falling from an amusement park ride? The caption says "Mom" but I think the kid calls her Janice. In either event, if I see this bitch, she's DEAD! Okay, not really. But this woman is vile.
In all seriousness, I debated posting this because it's really upsetting. For now, I'm pretending that it is staged.

I got a new toothbrush this week. I used to have this one, which was pretty good. But the heads are not replacable and you need, get this--BATTERIES. What kind of self respecting product requires me to purchase multiple batteries just to use it? I daresay that technology has progressed to the point where such an annoyance should be well past eliminated. With that in mind, I procured this which I like very much. I like having a fresh charge on it every morning and night. Nice, powerful vibrations--on the toothbrush. You people are pervs!

As I may have mentioned, I have an abiding fondness for Granola Bars. I gave up almost all candy and am having granola bars in its place. You have to watch out for them because sometimes it's a close call between a granola bar and a candy bar. Case in point, are the Sweet "N Salty approximation made by Reese's. Yeah, the candy guys. Hershey makes one too. Everybody's getting in on the act of imitating my favorite granola bar. That's good for me, the consumer. Anyway, these Reese's bars are tiny. Very tiny, and far too sweet IMHO. I maintain that the Nature Valley ones are still the best. I like the mixed nut variety, but the peanut and almond are both very tasty.

I'm pleased to say that I had a good meeting with my Life Coach today (well, yesterday now). It turns out, she is much smarter than she let on, and her plan makes a lot of sense to me. Thankfully, I went ahead and did all the assignments even though they were annoying and emotional and I didn't see the point. So I'm glad that it turned out not to be a collosal waste of my time, even though I do have to take the damn Meyer Briggs again. Further, I am glad that I didn't give up right away like I planned.
She pointed out something today that I had never thought of. You'll catch me saying pretty often How does so-and-so get all these great jobs, they SUCK! I'm increasingly sure that I don't suck, so it was baffling me that (without trying to sound like a dick) people who clearly had less intelligence, less creativity, and less applied knowlege than me were getting jobs that I was already lowering my standards to take. Damn, that sounds pompous as hell, but it's true. The revelation was that I am not a follower. That and I'm totally discounting the importance of environment in terms of succeeding on the job. I am reminded of John Locke (the one from LOST) who was miserable in his crappy job until a firey plane crash improved his life and gave it meanning--until the season 2 finale anyway.
The point being that there really are aspects of this situation that I hadn't been looking at. It now seems more possible for me to really get the kind of job I want. And the Life Coach has this awesome system that's all about psychology and chakras, brain structure and archetypes...fascinating shit. I'm very interested to see how this all works out.

( and now...to celebrate yet another new lj layout, here's a little present for all you horror fans. )

Color me: eeek!
I'm enjoying: Head

Today we went grocery shopping and continued in our quest to eat better. I've been losing about 2 pounds a week for the last five weeks or so, and over the weekend I noticed that one of my dresses fit better than usual. I mention this not so anyone will congratulate me, but to express my amazement at how cutting down on a few particular foods has made a huge difference in my energy level and feelings of heathiness.

Tonight for dinner, I made a mediterranian feast of roasted squash and purple cauliflower, falafel with cucumber sauce, toasted homeade bread with tomatoes and feta, and I finally replicated shish kafta, which is my favorite dish at La Shish. The secret is seven spice, or in our case, five spice with cumin and paprika added. I didn't know what was supposed to actually be in mediterranian seven spice, so I got chinese five spice and then guessed. They also didn't have greek yogurt at the store so we had to get regular yogurt and strain in in cheesecloth for 8 hours. It was a ton of work and very, very satisfying. And my sinister plan to develop H's pallet is proceeding full swing. Later, we watched Sin City. That movie rocks.

Here's a zombie survival quiz I got from

itches ( well, here, actually )

In Consumer Product Watch news, there is some good news and some bad news:

Dr Schols for Her Intensive Healing Lotion is supposed to soothe my dry, cracked feet. H got me a really good foot lotion a few months ago that kept my feet smooth and soft. But I ran out of it, so I had to get this stuff because they had it at Meijer and I'm not making a special trip on the bus for foot lotion. Then again, maybe I will because this stuff sucks. It was almost $6 for 3.5 oz of it. It's loaded with alcohol and has a thin, useless consitency. My feet feel slightly less dry; but I've had to reapply it twice today already, which means this $6 container will last about 2 weeks. Booooo!

William Shatner Roast this isn't a product per se, but it's marketed like one. It wasn't really as funny as I thought it should be. Costanza was on the mark when he called it a veritable Who's that of comedy. Farrah Fawcett seemed way out of her element, and Andy Dick looked pissed the whole time. Bette White was funny and sweet, but overall it was a big meh. Why the hell was the Monday night midnight showing bleeped? Booooo!

Sugar free Hershey's Minatures with almond. These do not sound like anything anyone would want to eat anywhere, ever. Surprisingly though, they are quite tasty. I daresay, they have a smoother and richer flavor than regular Hershey bars because you can't taste all that soy. Hershey bars taste like soy to me.

Sugar Free Jello pudding snak pak. Bill Cosby has been trying to get me to try these forever. I was resistive though; last time I tried a sugar free pudding I was convinced that I didn't like sugar free snacks. I'm telling you people, they have changed. This stuff is so tasty, I bet a kid would eat it; and it comes in a bunch of good flavors too. Yay!

Meijer Brand magic wipe sponge this is a cheapskate version of a product reccomended to me by

absinthofheart I was rather impressed with this product. They cost about $1 apeice and cleaned all the grease off my stove top in no time flat. Scrubbing baked on release spray is the worst!! But this made short work of it, and also got the dirt of my textured dining table. It didn't do so well on scuff marks on the wall, but that may be due to my wimpy wrist powers than the sponge itself. H is gonna try later.

Also, I'm not keeping ice cream in the house anymore. I'm switching over to lemon sorbet, which is so tasty that it doesn't seem like I'm missing anything at all. It's sugary, to be sure, but in place of Ice cream I think it's a good choice. So unlike Hazel, my new alter ego, I'm turning into an incredibly food conscious person.

But fear not. For even if I lose some girth, my sparkling wit and abrasive demeanor shall remain unslenderized.

Color me: vigilant
Inquiries will reach me @ home w/H
I'm enjoying: Dinosaur show on PBS

Sam Waterston tried to warn us, but it appears that the fine folks at Honda are just not listening. We'll see how they feel when all of their medication has been eaten for robot fuel.

In other kinds of terrifying news, we all know about the danger we are in due to supposed "terrorists." Many of us feel that this is just another way to make people hate/fear/keep an eye on our brown-skinned friends and neighbors. It's been an excuse for racial profiling, and for curtailing all of our rights. But now...The Man is trying to foil my favorite restaurant. Right, because anyone who sends money to their home country is obviously a terrorist. Nobody who makes such good lemonade, falafel, or shish kafta can possibly be a terrorist. I mean come ON, they have classic caesar salad...you can hardly get that anyplace anymore.

You know how we all thought Pentelope was a cat?
Not according to Xanga, she's not!

After skipping Group last night due to drama, I had a total mindfucker of a therapy session today. My therapist thinks that what's really bothering me about this whole "dishonesty" business has to do with what she called "The Great Lie." This is referring to my mom totally denying who my biological father is, even to the point of paying to falsify a birth certificate and hanging it on my wall so I could look at it everyday. I got "in trouble" for ever telling anyone the truth. All the while though, my mom was hysterical and fanatical about lying. Of course I would have issues with the whole lies v truth business, since so much of that is unresoved.
As such, I'm going to get off my ass and go back to EMDR even though I haven't gone in months. I just hate having so many damn therapy appointments since it makes me feel much more dysfuntional than I want to. I'm also supposed to call my Fetching Employment Counselor to talk again about how I might be able to go to grad school.

I keep forgetting, what time is that wedding this Sunday? Six?
I don't wanna be late, and miss the opening remarks; I'm sure they'll be funny.

Color me: hopeful
I'm enjoying: Komeda: Happyment

Long time readers of this journal will know that this has always been my favorite beverage. Of course, it pales in comparison to the juice bar lemonade at La Shish, but that is not a mass produced product. My point here, is that there is a mass produced sparkling lemonade every bit as good as my favorite one and it doesn't cost $5 for a single stupid six pack (not counting the deposit). And that beverage is San Pellegrino Limonata. We've been drinking it in cute little 6.5 oz bottles, six of which cost $2.99. Actually, that is pretty expensive, but I don't drink all that much soda anymore.

Moving on, why haven't pedophiles figured out yet that MySpace is being heavily monitored? And why break the law someplace where you leave a virtual paper trail?!? I know there's a lot of hoo ha about online predators these days, but keeping your kid off the internet is not the answer. Like most things, giving them proper information is the best way to keep them from doing stupid shit, online or elsewhere. That said, the guy in this particular article is not really at fault. While I have a tough time picturing a 13 year old girl who looks 18 in person, it's certainly easy to make that mistake online. I really hate how these stories make it look like the website is the problem, and not the people getting up to all these shenanigans.

In cinema news, dang. Not that I thought Poseidon was gonna be great or anything; but wouldn't it have been cool if it was? Even though I can be very snobby about films, sometimes it's a lot of fun to get swept up in Summer Blockbuster Madness.

( Since I didn't post about LOST (spoilers) I will now!! )

Smallville season finale was tired and predictable. And what's up with Clark and his feathery windblown 80's hair? Please tell me that crap isn't coming back. I really don't want to start carrying a comb in my back pocket again.

Color me: irked
Inquiries will reach me @ same as ever
I'm enjoying: Monty Burns: See My Vest

By far the most exciting rumor to reach mine ears in the last little while is the one which suggests that Terry Gilliam wants to direct Half Blood Prince. And JK Rowling wants him to do it. Without going into lengthy and vivid detail, that would be nifty. It's gonna be hard to make HBP into an enjoyable film since the story is so damn tragic, but if anyone can do it, it's Mr Gilliam.

In Consumer Product Watch news, I tried Olay Daily Facials Self-Foaming Discs seeing as how my skin is beginning to show it's (or rather MY) age. Not that i mind looking my proper age, but I'm so very cute that I'd hate to lose my elasticity or my smooth, soft skin. These are pretty good. They make a whole huge bunch of lather, only time will tell if it lasts all the way to the bottom of the jar, but I bet it will. Cost? $6.49 for 30. I presume that I'll use them every other day, instead of every day. My skin felt great afterwards, and a light exfoliating was just what I needed. These get my reccomends, although I probably should have gotten the more moisturising ones. Myself, I have combination skin.

Every store in town is out of ant bait, anr traps, and ant spray.
Bastards!

( And now, onto LOST )

I think I added everyone who invited me to their MySpace. If you requested me and I didn't add you, it's because I didn't receognize you by your uncongruous username/pic. So you know, make yourselves known.

And finally, why am I just finding out now that Simon Pegg is in MI:III?
I also saw him on Doctor Who a few weeks back. Anyway, we'll probably go on Monday unless the reviews are dreadful.

Color me: discontent
Inquiries will reach me @ Living Room
I'm enjoying: Frasier

It's been awhile, I know, but happily it's time for another edition of Consumer Product Watch:

I happened to taste this grape alcohol drink last week or so, and it was really good. Didn't taste boozy at all. Of course, my tolerance for alcohol is so low, that this one bottle was making me feel drunk. Reason # 908 why I drink almost never. Sadly though, I forget what it's called. I think it was a Smirnoff thing; it was not a wine cooler. Those are for losers. Anyway, it comes in a clear bottle shaped like a beer bottle and the stuff is as grape as grape can be. Purple grape candy, not real grapes. Dang...what's is called?

Doritos is doing it's best to make you crave them. Of course, I have always revered the Potato Chip over the Corn Chip. But some of these new Dorito flavors are hard to resist. The Black Pepper Jack is very yummy and flavorful without tasting like the same damn "nacho" dorito you've been eating since you were 10. By the way, what exactly is "nacho" cheese? Is it a type of cheese, or is it simply what happens to cheese when you involve it with corn chips? Taco Bell uses nacho cheese. I could ask them, and they'd probably have to tell me--with a smile. At Taco Bell, smiles are free. Anyway, the Firey Habanero chips are quite remakably hot for being mainstream. This is rather a recent trend in commercial foodstuffs: actually making things HOT. I support it. Really, I do.

Chocolate Avalanche Payday. Hershey has always led the US in terms of developing delicious candy bars. Who among you remember the joy that ensued after the Nutrageous was invented? My buddies were practically dancing in the street. The Payday bar was something of an anomaly because it contained no chocolate. It's ad campaign used to tout that it didn't need chocolate to be delicious. Well, that philosophy has gone the way of 7up, with chocolate covered Payday. I daresay it's the most innovative chocolate enrobing since the Chocolate Covered Twinkie.

And finally, if you still dont' own a tiny replica of The Oscar Meyer Weiner Mobile, you can buy one here.

Happy Holiday to all my Thelemite friends who are celebrating today. I intend to do a bit of merrymaking myself. For the rest of you, here is a tiny snippet from The Book of Law, Chapter Three:

Fear not at all; fear neither men nor Fates, nor gods, nor anything.
Money fear not, nor laughter of the folk folly,
nor any other power in heaven or upon the earth or under the earth.

Color me: indescribable
Inquiries will reach me @ living room
I'm enjoying: Jefferson Airplane: Wooden Ships

In Consumer Product Watch news, it is the holiday season. And that means the return of many of our favorite seasonal items.
McDonalds brings back egg nog flavored partially gelatinized non-dairy gum based beverage. Mmmmm...
Canada Dry (eh) brings back Cranberry Ginger Ale, which is a Wednes fave. Delicious, sparkly, and totally free of that mind scrambling drug: caffienne.
Terry's Chocolate Orange can be found many places where it usually is not.
What, pray tell, is your favorite seasonal, wintertime product?

And here's another Consumer Product Watch question for you. Why do people, why does anyone, why do I...own a copy of A Christmas Story when it is literally played upwards of 30 times (12 of which being right in a row) during the holiday season? Answer: I don't know.

Undead. So bad, it's good? Or just kinda bad? Only being about halfway through ti, I haven't decided. But the fact that I'm posting while it's on is not a good sign. Lots of blood though. Me likee the blood. Hitting many of the main zombie plot points: farm houses; meteors; pickup trucks; brain eating; gunfire; acid rain; pregnant chicks; basements; looting; and of course, useless, panicking women. The fx were pretty funny, looks like somebody got Final Cut Pro for their birthday. It was very "student film".

After watching King Kong (1933) with the esteemed

lickingtoad, I began my holiday baking with a double batch of banana bread with splenda, walnuts, and raisins. I got a new pan this year that does six bakery sized muffins instead of those little cupcake ones. So far, so good. Tomorrow will be butterscotch oatmeal cookies. Mmmmmm.

By the by, does anyone know if Aeon Flux sucks as badly as Rotten Tomatoes says?

Color me: can I get a woot woot
I'm enjoying: Undead On Demand

I cna honestly say that I was very pleased with the debut episode of The Colbert Report. I imagine it will undergo a bit of tweaking here and there, but the Stone Phillips interview was awesome. I'm sure we'll be seeing a book of Colberts made up words out soon enough. I'm also sure it will be most trustigious.

In Consumer Product Watch news, here are some new products I like:

First off, I am digging my new toothbrush. My old Oral B spinny toothbrush lasted about 3 years. This news one spins around and also goes back and forth. Plus, it only takes one battery instead of 2.

Yoplait chocolate yogurt whips are also a low fat way to get your chocolate on. Not very filling, but very sweet and tasty, and with those live acidopholus cultures every body needs.

Ground chicken. It's my new favorite thing. We switched from ground sirloin to ground chicken. You can do all the same stuff with it, but it will be slower to kill you. Hint: sprinkle on plenty of paprika and a hint of salt. For burgers, add some finely chopped onions for moisture. Yummy!

As for me, I got some new dress shirts, underthings, and my last dress I ordered in tha mail. Whee! Now I have a reasonable wardrobe for when I am employed. That will be good, now all I need is a job. My Avon is taking forever to get here. I hate waiting, I should have just paid the damn shipping.

The unrated edition of Land of the Dead comes out today. It's list price is $30, which I surely will not be spending on it. However, Blockbuster won't have unrated ones for sale pre-viewed as far as I know. If anyone sees it for under $20, do let me know.

Plus, do we know what we're going for Halloween yet?

Color me: amused
I'm enjoying: 'Salem's Lot Remake

H and I just watched this movie Intermission which was quite excellent. It has cops and love affairs and divorces and robberies and kidnappings and fistfights and wheelchair races and urine. I get my reccomends, plus it has Cillian Murphy, and it you don't know who that is...you need to do a better job keeping up with film. The film also features the actress who plays Moaning Myrtle in the Harry Potter movies, Collin Farrell, Colm Meany and much, much more!

( What I think about the FDA ban on RU486 )

On another crazy unrelated topic, I used to want a machine that could do this since I was a little kid. They used to have them at the movies theatres, before the film came on...this is back in the day when there were no commercials before films. But I didn't know they really made them for regular people to buy. Even though I would probably never spend on this, it's awfully cool to know it's there if I ever want one.

Color me: pensive
I'm enjoying: Major League on cable

I had the most delightful candy bar today. Hershey's Nut Lovers is a more creamy than usual chocolate blend with peanuts, almonds, cashews and pecans. It was simply delightful.

Talked to the med doc today, we decided that I'm going to try staying on a low dose of the current meds to see if I can work through the joint pains. I also have to determine if it will help my mood without raising my blood pressure too much. We shall see.

Then I had my regular therapy session. It seems that next week I'll be having my first session to begin a new kind of therapy to deal with past trauma. It's a thing called EMDR or Eye Movement Desensitization Repositioning. It's sort of new and supposed to be very effective. I'm sure I'll talk much more about it when I know more and when I actually start doing it. It's supposed to lessen the hold that past trauma has on my life today. Funny thing about this treatment, it's the first non talk-therapy/non drug/non-electrical therapy that's ever been suggested for me. I've been seeing shrinks since I was 7, and they are just trying this now. Go figure...

Later, was group, which is always a mindfucker. But now that's over for another week.
I really like most of the women in my group, but some of them are lying fucking sociopaths.

I was going to try to stay up late tonight and write, but I have to be up early for the next few days to do pre-party things and to catch up with some people. Plus I have to call maintenance and find out which of my feet they'd like me to put up thier collective asses for not fixing my microwave. I'm hoping it's the right, as I have increased kicking power in my dominant gam.

You're a Tyrannosaurus Rex!

You can't stop talking about the "good old days" of the past. While
you remember everything being so much better and more glorious back then, you've
got to realize that times have changed! It's time to move on, time to bring in
the new technology and advancements! Still, there is some charm to your olden
out-dated ways. Children seem to love you, for example, as do some historians and
scientists. And you should really eat something... your bones are starting to
show.

Take the Animal Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Color me: meh.
I'm enjoying: Law & Order/Homicide Crossover

Realm Decor (which should really have some little symbols above the letters because it's so hip and foreign) has desinged a product called DVD Lava Lamp wherein your TV can become a futuristic light show. Wooooooo, my TV makes lights! Nifty. Keen. Next thing you know, it'll make moving pictures and animal sounds...
And how much does this DVD Lava Lamp cost? $35

$35 to make your TV look like a lava lamp.

And here's the kicker: An ACTUAL Lava Lamp costs only $19.99!!! Granted, that one is probably somewhat crappy, but it's an actual lamp and not a DVD about one.

And now, some TV quotes about lamps:

Abe Simpson: Hey, the lamp's running away.

Bart: No, that's my dog.

Abe: So long, lamp

-----------------

Brick Tamland: I love lamp

Ron Burgundy: Are you just looking at things around the room and saying you love them?

Brick: I love lamp. I love lamp.

Ron: Do you really love the lamp or are you just saying that?

Brick: I love lamp.

Color me: confuzzled
I'm enjoying: Pink Floyd: Echoes

Here are some things I find interesting, maybe you will too:

Reece's "Creamy" Peanut Butter Cups taste exactly the same as regular cups.

Lays makes Curry Garlic flavored potato chips now. They are tasty, like all potato chips. But all in all I'd have to call them fairly unremarkable. I guess I'm more interested in the thought process behind such a product. Does the average dumbass american even know what curry tastes like?

Rob Zombie is so sexy. Just reminding you all.
He's on some show right now where some asshole is trying to climb out of a coffin buried in the ground with wet dirt on top. Yeah...good luck a-hole! Seriously, if he lives I'm declaring shenanegans.

I'm stoked for the movie Red Eye. Wes Craven is due for a hit, and Cillian Murphy is just delightful.

I thought our modem was broken. But it turns out H just plugged it into the outlet that goes to the light switch. Duh?!? But I sleuthed it out and have my delicious cable modem internet once again.

I put up the rest of my posters today. I forgot I even had that sweet poster of Micky and Mallory Knox. It's awesome!! Plus my old "Area 51" poster is back up. Wheee!

Went to the dollar store today to get some miscellaneous crap: Bubbles, chip clips, chocolate, crazy glue, candles and a pencil sharpener. Dollar stores, like Comedy Central, have improved greatly since my first encounters with them. I also went to the fabric store to get some new altar cloths. Now I have a nice white satin one. Turns out, one yard is the precise size I needed.

I'm enjoying: Cable...Sweet, Succulent Cable!!

As you may know I do watch a fair amount of TV since I'm out of work and all. I have it on while I'm cleaning house, packing, reading, and being online. It's on right now even thought I'm posting and listening to itunes. I just draw comfort from The Box. Sad but true.

One of the things I have grown to dislike about TV (and there's a BUNCH of things, mind you) is the proliferation of commercials for prescription medicine. I have many mixed feelings about western medicine and the docs who practice it. But that is not the point of this post. The thing I find hilarious though, is the lack of effort that goes into choosing names for some of these products.

So our topic today is "not-very-well-thought-out names for HBA/Rx products":

Vagisil and Anusol

Do I even need to explain this? I'm sorry, but they might as well go ahead and call it "snatch lotion" or "ass-boil-away". It's equally obvious; and while funny, doesn't make it any easier to purchase. You know...if I ever had to purchase any.

Herpecin

It's for cold sores. While this has basically the same problems as the above products, it doesn't specifically mention any "privates". What it does do is conjure up images of venereal disease (for those of you old enough to still call them that) and give you a nightmarish mental piture of the loser in line ahead of you buying the herpecin...actually having sex with another human being. Gross.

Mucinex

I get it, it's like Mucus Be Gone!!! But Ew. It's bad enough having a head full of mucus, do you really need to "ask for it by name" when the name is clearly saying "Lookit me, my head is full of mucus".

Ener Ex

This one cracks me up, because in the late-night commerical they are so incredibly careful to say EN-er-Ex, rather than EN-ERECTS because everyone knows that is what we are really talking about (on the off chance that we are openly discussing "natural male enhancement").

Nads

Of course I could not have this list without bringing up the most unfortunately titled Sweedish hair removal system ever to hit US shelves. At least since the voluntary recall of ~~Bearded~~ Clam*. I will point out that the woman in the commercial is most blunt in saying 'my daughter was really hairy, so I made this stuff for her'. and the poor daughter is like 'yeah, I was really hairy...but now I'm on TV. I hate you all so much...' That's what I'd say anyway.

*This product, to my knowlege, never existed. But if you invent it and market it with sucess, you have to give me money.

Oh, and here's a new narrative I wrote a few minutes ago. It will kind of explain to

absinthofheart why I can't seem to write romance. It all comes out like this, with varying levels of blood and death.

Color me: "naughty"
I'm enjoying: Pink Floyd: One of These Days

Damn...that Veet dipilatory cream is great stuff on the legs, but for gosh sakes dont' use it on your underarms. I think I've learned that "Veet" is sweedish for "chemical burn". I put aloe on it and that just made it worse. Baby powder is working okay though...

Speaking of girly products, I'm having good luck with Olay Quench lotion. Despite its' slight priceyness, it is good stuff. And it really does last all day and into the next day. I'm a bit concerned though that it is making my skin sparkly. It's pretty, but I don't know if it's good to leave sparklies on my skin all the time. Aren't they mettalic or something?

Anyone remember THIS report from 2002?? The CDC claimed that Obesity was the #2 cause of death in the US and would soon overtake smoking as the "number one cause of preventable death".

But guess what?

It was a huge lie.

Conspiracy theorist that I am, I do not think it was a computer error at all. If it was, that would indicate an obscene level of incompetance in an organization important enough to really need to have it's shit together. I think it has much more to do with diet products being big business, and that many people simply have a bias toward fat. I now refer to that as the "Disney" outlook because when you watch Disney films everybody looks like what they are.
I'm especially sensitive to this issue because someone on my friends list is having bariatric surgery, and another person was thinking about it. I am afraid for my friend, and angry that she thinks she needs to surgically alter herself to find happiness.

Speaking of which, Can you even beleive silicone breast implants are coming back? I must confess, I feel bad for those women too. They put so much emphasis on physical beauty, and end up scarred and in pain instead of just looking like themselves.

In Wednes news, I think I've finished my synopsis. I've sent it out to a few people and am waiting to hear what they think so I can do some tweaking and then send it out.

Color me: creative
I'm enjoying: X files

As many of you know, I like to try new candy bars when they come out. Reece's tends to be the leader in developing new and fabulous candy bars; so I trust them to provide me something delicious for my 69 cents. This is especially true once I remember that when I started buying candy bars as a kid, they only cost a quarter.

Currently, Reece's offers a BIG cup which is a chunky-sized version of the regular cup. Problem is, it's not actually twice as big, yet costs the same as the old pack of 2 cups. Rip off!!!

Besides, I don't need to tell all you breast-lovers out there that cups should come in twos.

So in short, Reece's finest innovation to date remains the Nutrageous.

Color me: munchy
I'm enjoying: Malcolm in ther Middle

For some reason, the mayor of Detroit is pre empting my Jeopardy! That is no damn good. He's a big liar anyway, so I don't see why I should want to listen to anything he has to say.

Not much going on around here this week. We finally watched Hero, which was awesome. I love that Zhang Ziyi, as I was just telling

sudrin yesterday. It seems that he is hooking me up with a battery for my ibook. It will then become a Battery Operated Fooling Machine, which will be good. Plus I made H a swell stroganoff last night which he has been eating like a mindless eating machine. Luckily, it gave us enough energy to finish our spring cleaning.

I started taking that long personality test that everyone is taking and posting. But I decided it was stupid. I don't like things that are stupid. That's also why I didn't enjoy Spring Break Shark Attack, which played on TBS a few days ago. Don't worry, I didn't watch much. In fact, I didn't even see the shark. But I presume there was one.

In Product Watch News, there is Girl Scout Cookie ice cream now. We got some at the store. They come in thin mint, samoas, and tagalong. I'm sure anyone who has met me knows which one I picked. It was peanut buttery and delightful.
Speaking of foods that are bad for you, we tried the Aunt Jemima french toast sandwich dealies this week. They are tasty, but we certainly won't be buying them regular as they are far too bad for us.

I did get a call from the Employment Rehab place. It seems that I do qualify for thier program, and tomorrow I can call and get an appointment with whomever my counselor will be. Just what I was hoping for, more silly meetings to go to. But if I end up getting money for school, it's all good.

Before you go, please enjoy this post from my freaky sexy comminuty:

erotillectuals !

Color me: depressed
I'm enjoying: Smallville

I forgot to mention when I posted about LOST, that Hurley was on TV in the room with the Korean family in the flashback scene. I know a wee bit of spoilery info, but I will refrain from posting it here. I just hope we get to see Hurley's backstory soon. I think we will.

Also of note is the fact that we tried "I can't beleive it's not butter" recently. I don't want to sound snide, but I have no trouble whatsoever beleiving this isn't butter. But I can see where that wouldn't be a good name for the product.

( Cut for overall mundane quality )
Tomorrow, in addition to doing a ton of typing and word counting, I'm going to get Open Water on On Demand. I've been meanning to see that forever, so tomorrow I shall.

Saturday night, everyone is invited over around 9pm. I'll make a cake or something, or you can bring something if you want.
Do let me know if you plan to attend; or in the alternative...that you despise me and wouldn't set foot in my home if your life depended on it. Or you know, if you already have plans.

I imagine that in addition to the usual festiveness, we'll be showing last Sunday's Simpsons for those of you who missed it. Speaking of TV, have you seen that Robot Chicken? If you haven't, I suggest you see it as soon as possible. Or have I already told you that? I can't remember anything properly anymore. Stupid meds. Stupid pot. Stupid Sexy Flanders.

Of course I have to have at least one alarmingly cool item per post. And here is that thing for this post:

wednes

Make your own LJ UserPic links!
which is, of course, what I would look like if I lived in Springfield.

Woot!

Color me: exhausted
I'm enjoying: I have a pain in my side

Here is me, helping you consumer types out there with my own brand of unsolicted advice.

This week I tasted Diet Mountain Dew Code Red. I'm not really drinking caffeinated sodas anymore so I just had a sip. And a good thing too. This had a totally rank aftertaste that made it seems as though i were washing down some sand with my soda. Gross. H likes it though, so go figure. Myself, I'd rather drink cold Evian than pretty much anything else. Although my favorite soda of all time is this one : the most delicious soda I have ever tasted. I drank it every day for almost 2 years and never got sick of it.

Next up are these yummy Champagne and Strawberry candies H got from WizzyWig. these I can sum up in just one letter repeated several times: Mmmmmmmm. They taste kind of fizzy, but are not. Like most asian candies, they are bite-sized and not too sweet. I advise that you not chew these though as the taffy-like center is stickier than the stickiest thing you can think of.

Moving on, I know it is a little late for this, but a few of you local types wanted to know where I thought the best place to go for Paczki's is. And I'll tell you: it's Dom's Bakery on Washtenaw in Ypsilanti. You will recognize this place by it's giant sign, it's closeness to the Lover's Lane store, and the one or more cop cars that always seem to be parked outside. Sadly though, they know they are the best bakery in Ypsi, and as such,

pak_man78 ended up paying $9 for a dozen assorted Paczki's. Myself, I like the bavarian creme or the custard.

This week, H tried Peanut Butter Toast Crunch Cereal. I must tell you that it's very tasty. Cinammon Toast Crunch is one of our fave cereals as it has a good shape, good crunchiness and makes the milk taste sweet and delicious. Expect a similar experince from this new variation, with a bit less powder falling off into the milk.

Lastly, for you consumers who just love cute things to consume: Consume yourself (or your sweetie) one or more of these before they are gone!!!

This has been me,

wednes, for Consumer Product Watch.

I am nerdier than 29% of all people. Are you nerdier? Click here to find out!

Color me: cynical
I'm enjoying: Pet Sematary

Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper tastes exactly, presicely the same as regular diet Dr. Pepper.

The lasagne you get from Cottage inn is the same stuff you get from Cottage Inn Cafe'. This might not sound like a big deal, but it equates to me having lasagne from Cottage inn Cafe' delivered to me at home. Thanks, H.

I do not want to go to the doc tomorrow. Plus I'm thinking it was a terrible idea for me to schedule a job interview within an hour of leaving a 2 hour therapy appointment where I try to nutshell my life for a stranger so they'll know why I'm so fucked up. Maybe I should just print out a copy of my novella, hahahaha! Of course I will go though. How else will I be able to get new meds that have not yet been recalled??

I'm not doing a lot of writing yet, but I have added about 1,000 words and have done a bunch of editing. I like it very much, as I keep saying. I also have some more cool ideas for my idea file. I bet once I get back to work and start leaving the house on a regular basis again, I'll be simply flooded with good ideas.

Dodgeball was pretty funny. Not as funny as Zoolander or Old School, or Anchorman, but funnier than pretty much every other comedy that does not feature Stiller, Vaughn, a Wilson, or Will Ferrell (even though Wil Ferell did not appear in Dodgeball...he must have been shooting Elf or something). Anyway, it was amusing, but not great.

I'm pretty nervous about this interview tomorrow. It would be really cool to get this job, methinks. It a combination of customer service, reception and sales...all of which I'm good at. So it's really just a matter of impressing these people. We shall see, I guess.

Anybody watch Lost last night? Kate is SO getting together with Sawyer.
And I saw that crap with Sayid and the stupid girl coming a mile away...
Plus I'm telling you all now that Terry O'Quinn is going to turn out to be a very bad man.
A Very Bad Man.

Color me: nervous
I'm enjoying: Emeril

In-store Movie and Game Rental Terms (from Blockbuster.com)

Movie and game rentals are due back at the date and time stated on the transaction receipt.

There is no additional rental charge if a member keeps a rental item beyond the pre-paid rental period. However, if a member chooses to keep a rental item more than a week after the end of the rental period, BLOCKBUSTER® will automatically convert the rental to a sale on the eighth day after the end of the rental period. BLOCKBUSTER will charge the membership account the selling price for the item in effect at the time of the rental, which is either (1) the retail price charged by that BLOCKBUSTER store for the product if sold as new, if the product is not available for sale as previously rented product at that BLOCKBUSTER store at the time of rental, or (2) the selling price charged by that BLOCKBUSTER store for the product if sold as previously rented product, if the product is available for sale as previously rented product at that BLOCKBUSTER store at the time of rental.

The selling price will be discounted by the amount of the initial rental fee paid by the member at the time of rental. If the member returns the item within 30 days of the sale date, BLOCKBUSTER will credit back to the membership account the amount previously charged to the member's account or the member's credit card, as applicable, for the selling price of the item, but the member will be charged a restocking fee. All rental items must be returned to the proper BLOCKBUSTER store. These rental terms are subject to change without notice at any time. Rental terms and policies may vary in franchised locations. Additional membership rules apply for rentals. See store for full details.

Since Blockbuster is such a bunch of slippery bastards, I thought I'd post this to keep you's from getting caught unawares.

Color me: devious
I'm enjoying: quietness

We tried the Grapple today. I'm bummed that it's fake, because man is it tasty! I don't know exactly how they make them, but they do something totally artificial to make the apples taste like grapes. I'm also a bit put out that they cost a dollar each, but not too put out because I bought 4 of them. Mmmmmm...grapey, and without the expense and political ramifications of buying grapes. These get my reccomeds for tastiness, and my wariness at how they are produced.

Moving on, Nestle cookie dough bars. This is a "candy bar" that promises the deliciousness of cookies in the conveneince of a chocolate covered bar.
Guess what? They suck. Dry, crumbly, and about as tasty as eating a Balance Bar dipped in carob and soy.

Next time: Jimmy Deans meal-size sausage biscuits.
I have some in the freezer now, but am making Stroganoff tonight, so it will be awhile before I eat one.

This has been, Consumer Product Report.
Thankee!

Color me: impressed

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