Reviews and More

Whenever I leave the house, I have to take a quick inventory to make sure I have all my gadgets with me: PDA, cell phone, iPod, etc. And that’s just to run out to the store to grab a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread! So recently I’ve been thinking that I need to do a little streamlining, which is why I’m thinking of buying one of the latest BlackBerry phones.

The best thing about BlackBerry phones, of course, is the fact that they can do so many different things. A BlackBerry phone functions as a PDA by providing a calendar, address book/contact list, memo pad, and task list so I can keep track of what I need to do during the day. The device also functions as a media player, thereby allowing the user to enjoy audio and video files in various formats. This feature would mean I wouldn’t have to carry a separate MP3 player anymore. And finally, BlackBerrys serve as full-featured cell phones, offering everything from text/instant messaging (with a full QWERTY keyboard), email capabilities, web browsing, and much more.

I spent some time shopping for BlackBerry phones on the Wirefly.com website and think that the 8800 is the model I would choose if I could buy one today. I looked at the new Pearl, but wasn’t too wild about it, so the 8800 won out in the end. It comes with all the features I mentioned above, plus GPS, BlackBerry Maps, expandable memory, and Bluetooth hands-free capability. In addition, the BlackBerry 8800 just looks great! It’s definitely a phone that I could get a lot of mileage out of.

I’m not able to get out of my current cell phone contract just yet, but when it expires, I’m probably going to go with a BlackBerry next. If nothing else, it will be nice to carry around just one device for a change!

With Easter looming right around the corner, I thought I’d do a quick post on my favorite kind of candy. I don’t know about you, but Easter will always mean jellybeans to me. (No offense to the religious folks out there; I’m speaking strictly of the “bunny holiday” here!) These days there are much fancier confections available, but I still prefer jellybeans to everything else. And for the past couple of years, Starburst Original Jellybeans
have been the only ones I’ve eaten.

There are two main reasons that I prefer Starburst Jellybeans to other brands. First of all, Starburst sticks to basic fruit flavors instead of delving into a bunch of exotic stuff. I certainly don’t need flavors like Buttered Popcorn, Jalapeño, or Cappuccino; I’m perfectly content to leave those to others. Starburst offers “safe” flavors like Strawberry, Orange, Lemon, Green Apple, Cherry, and Grape, so I never have to pick through the jelly beans to discard any gross ones. Second, I like Starburst because they simply taste good. The flavors are neither too weak nor too strong, so I find I can eat a bunch without getting sick of them.

I realize that some people want more flavor variety with their jellybeans, and in that case Starburst is probably not for you. But if you don’t need anything too special, I recommend giving these a try. I think you’ll like them!

If you’ve ever dreamed of appearing on television or in the movies, then I recommend checking out a website called ShowbizLtd.com. Showbiz Ltd. specializes in providing the most current, up-to-date information regarding auditions and casting calls, as well as listings of agents, producers, directors, and other major Hollywood players. With ShowbizLtd.com, you don’t have to be an insider to gain access to this valuable information; just place your order and you’ll get what you need within a few days.

I spent some time browsing through the ShowbizLtd.com website and I liked what I saw. There is a lot of information to help new users get started, the company’s contact info was easy to find, and all prices are prominently displayed so you know exactly what you’re paying for. Furthermore, there were numerous testimonials from Hollywood celebs and superstars, which definitely gives me confidence in the quality of ShowbizLtd.com’s products.

To me, the answer is clear: if you’re still looking for your big break, maybe it’s time to utilize the resources available at ShowbizLtd.com!

I allow my four-year-old son to rent one movie every week or two from the children’s section at our local video store. He usually chooses movies based on the DVD cover and is still in that stage of childhood where he is fascinated by animals and cars. So I figured that he would get around to choosing the 2006 animated feature Open Season, starring Martin Lawrence, Ashton Kutcher, and Gary Sinise.

Lawrence lends his voice to a domesticated bear named Boog who lives a pampered life in a town called Timberline. He performs in a show and is treated very kindly by Beth (Debra Messing), the forest ranger who takes care of him. Boog gets to sleep in Beth’s garage, where he has a bed, a teddy bear, and a toilet all to himself. He is also hand-fed all his meals and snacks, and really couldn’t ask for a better existence.

Then one day Boog has the misfortune of running into Elliot (Kutcher), a buck that has been captured (out of season) by a mean hunter named Shaw (Sinise). Boog sees Elliot tied down to the hood of Shaw’s truck, takes pity on him, and frees him. Elliot then follows Boog, professes his undying thanks, and convinces Boog to sneak out of the garage in the middle of the night for a foray into town. Boog reluctantly assents, so the two go and break into a convenience store where they proceed to get drunk, eat everything in site, and generally destroy the place.

Once Beth hears of what Boog has done, she decides that the best thing for Boog would be to set him free in the woods where he won’t be able to harm anyone. Of course Boog can’t really fend for himself since he’s been domesticated for so long, so he resolves to try to make his way back to Timberline. Elliot insists that he knows the way, so Boog has no choice but to let Elliot tag along.

Right in the middle of the movie, the focus shifts from the relationship between Boog and Elliot and their attempt to make it back to Timberline to the approach of hunting season, which poses a danger to all the animals in the forest. From that point forward the action consists of Boog, Elliot, and a bunch of other animals forming an alliance and working together to defeat the hunters and preserve their lives for at least another season.

My Reaction: It’s hard for me to judge children’s movies because I can’t help but apply my adult feelings to what I’m seeing. So as an adult moviegoer, I thought this movie was just average. I’ll admit that there were some laughs along the way, but I didn’t really connect with the story — especially with the plot shift that I described above. If the movie had been only about Boog and Elliot making their way back to Timberline or only about the animals defeating the hunters, then I probably would have felt differently. But as it was, the script was far too disjointed for me to see this as anything but an average film.

That being said, my son liked Open Season well enough. He laughed in a lot of places and the movie managed to hold his interest for 40-minute blocks, which is twice as long as he usually sits still. We finished the movie in just two viewing sessions and that means he liked it. So on that level, Open Season did its job.

Overall, then, I’m going to split the difference and give Open Season 6.5 stars out of 10. Your kids will like it far more than you will, so keep that in mind if you decide to rent it!

While this is not an issue I’ll ever have to contend with, a couple of my friends do have this problem. I’m talking about trying to find comfortable and stylish clothes to fit a busty, slim figure. If you go to the mall, you’ll see that most of the clothes that can accommodate busty women are sized for full figures, which obviously isn’t going to work if you’re a size 6 with a 36DD cup size.

If you fall into this category, then I’ve got a website I think you’ll be interested in. It’s called Eris Apparel, and it’s an online store that specializes in garments for women with busty figures. From dresses to blouses to casual tops, Eris Apparel has clothes you’ll love to wear.

Check out the site today and put an end to all the frustration that comes with trying to find clothes in your size at the mall.

I just finished reading The Sittaford Mystery, which of course is another Agatha Christie book. When I first started reading her novels, I thought they were pretty inconsistent in terms of quality, but I really think that she started to hit her stride in this period of her writing. I know that The Sittaford Mystery is not one of her more famous titles, but nevertheless, I thought it was a good read.

The main plot concerns a murder that was seemingly predicted or revealed by a séance (what Christie calls “table-turning“). Though the participants in the seance don’t really believe that what they’re doing is real, a few of them are still a bit worried about Captain Trevelyan, the supposed victim of the murder. One of the participants rushes over to Trevelyan’s house, about six miles away, despite a dangerous snowstorm only to discover that the captain has indeed been murdered.

This book doesn’t feature one of Christie’s usual detectives like Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot. Instead, the main sleuth is a young woman named Emily, whose fiancé James Pearson (the victim’s nephew) is a prime suspect in the murder. After Jim is arrested, Emily sets out to perform her own investigation and find the real killer, which of course she does in the end. I thought the solution to this mystery was pretty good, and admit that I wasn’t able to solve the case. I won’t reveal the answer here, but I definitely think this book is worth reading if you’re looking for a decent mystery. I give the novel 6.0 stars out of 10.

Note: This review originally appeared on my blog The Fire Pit, but while I was doing some routine site maintenance, I thought the post would be a better fit over here.

Two years ago, my family and I flew from our home in Japan to San Diego, CA for a short vacation to meet up with friends and relatives. While we were there, we decided to go down to Mexico for a few hours since we were so close. We crossed the border in Tijuana in our rental car — even though we didn’t have Mexican car insurance — without giving it a second thought.

Since that time, however, I’ve learned that we were pretty lucky not to have gotten into an accident. If we had, we would have been in big trouble because Mexican driving laws are so different than American laws. For example, in Mexico, a car accident is considered a felony and the police can hold you until you pay for all damages sustained. Me, spend time in a Mexican jail? Um, no thanks!

So from now on, I am going to make sure I have the proper insurance coverage (and maybe even an emergency medical service plan) before driving in Mexico, and I suggest that you do the same. It’s easier than you think to get short-term Mexican auto insurance for your vacation through companies such as Ace Seguros, so there’s no reason to leave anything to chance. In fact, you can get an insurance quote from Ace in three easy steps and even print the policy out right there on your own computer.

Check out Ace Seguros today and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing you’ll be completely insured on your vacation!

This is an important announcement, so please pass this information on if you know anyone who has been directly affected by a product called the Kugel Mesh Hernia Patch. This patch was initially developed as a means of speeding up the recovery rate of patients with hernias and to reduce the chances of recurring hernias. But the product actually did more harm than good in a lot of patients who used it, and some very serious side effects have been reported.

As a result of these problems, a New York firm is conducting preliminary investigations to aid in a Kugel Mesh lawsuit that will be brought against the manufacturer should sufficient cause be found. Anyone who has suffered adverse symptoms because of the Kugel Mesh Hernia Patch can call 1-800-LAW-INFO for a free case evaluation.

Again, please pass this number on to anyone you know who may have been affected.

I’m probably not the only one who knows Lindsay Lohan more for her tabloid-headline exploits than for her acting, so it’s easy to forget that she’s actually a pretty good actress. I’ve seen a couple of her movies before (Freaky Friday, Mean Girls) and liked them well enough, so I recently decided to give the 2006 comedy Just My Luck a try as well. Here’s what I thought of it.

Lohan stars as a young woman named Ashley Albright who has had incredibly good luck for most of her life. She finds money in the streets, has no problem hailing cabs in Manhattan in the middle of the day, and wins every time she purchases a scratch-off lottery ticket.

Ashley’s incredible luck even extends to her career, where she one day finds herself having to make a pitch to Damon Phillips (played by Faizon Love), the head of Masquerade Records, when her boss gets stuck in an elevator. Phllips loves Ashley’s PR suggestions, so her boss Peggy (Missi Pyle) puts her in charge of the project, which centers around a big masquerade ball.

While all this is going on, we get parallel scenes of a young man named Jake Hardin (Chris Pine). Jake is every bit as unlucky as Ashley is lucky: he gets caught in rainstorms, can never hail a cab, works as a bowling alley attendant, etc. Jake’s goal is to meet with Damon Phillips for a minute in order to slip a demo CD into his hands. The CD is by McFly, a British band that has been playing at Jake’s bowling alley. Jake represents them and wants to make them famous in New York, but that hinges on getting the right people to hear the demo.

The movie progresses in this manner for awhile, and then we get to the masquerade ball. Jake, who knows that Damon Phillips will be inside, manages to sneak in by pretending to be one of the hired dancers. While at the party, Jake and Ashley end up dancing together, and they kiss. During the kiss, Ashley’s luck transfers over to Jake and suddenly their lives transform in opposite directions. Jake becomes lucky and successful while Ashley gets fired and loses her apartment.

The rest of the film then deals with Ashley’s attempts to find out who she kissed (it was a masquerade ball, remember) so that she can kiss him again and get her luck back.

My Reaction: I kind of liked the whole idea behind the plot of Just My Luck, but didn’t like how the script was executed. For one thing, I thought the beginning was way too long. There were so many scenes of how unlucky Jake was that I started to get impatient. It was like, “Yeah, ok, I get it already. This guy is a total loser and nothing works out for him. Let’s move on, people!” Those scenes got old very quickly.

Once Ashley and Jake kiss and the luck transfers, the movie picked up a little bit. Everything that happened was still entirely predictable, but at least it was more interesting. The ending was cute as well, but again, everyone could see it coming from a mile away.

Overall, I think Just My Luck was an average movie. It will probably appeal to younger (pre-teen?) crowds more than anyone else, so this might be a good movie for kids in that age group. Otherwise, I can’t envision a more sophisticated crowd enjoying this. I give the movie 5.0 stars out of 10.