Allow me to be brief. Annie Chun’s just-add-water soup: http://www.anniechun.com/our-food/soup-bowls is nasty. It’s real nasty.
Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
Review – Annie Chun’s Soup
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010Review – Battlestar Galactica
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010I’ll extend to everyone the courtesy that the EW.com article did not extend to me – namely, I’ll tell you that if you click on ‘read more’ there’s going to be spoilers, so if you haven’t seen the whole series, but plan to, don’t keep reading. I’ll also offer up the sound advice that if you are in the middle or planning to start watching the series on DVD, don’t dally. Helpful friends will accidentally blurt things out that ruin the suspense, and mean-spirited individuals won’t blurt so much as Nazi-speed-talk spoilers at you. And, because many of the actors have since gone on to perform in other shows, half-witted writers will label said actors with descriptors that, also, ruin the suspense. Take the DVDs, crawl into the nearest cave, and don’t come out until you hit “Daybreak, parts 2 & 3.” (And, by all means, stop right here, unless you’ve already seen the whole thing, or don’t care.)
Without which not
Thursday, June 24th, 2010If you’re a Battlestar Galactica fan, you may remember that as the translation for the Latin-titled episode (8th in season 4.0) “Sine Qua Non.” And if you’re just getting into the series, or ever plan to, be warned – there’s spoilers and bitter commentary ahead.
Movie Review – Robin Hood
Tuesday, June 1st, 2010I heard someone howl like a street urchin that this movie “isn’t really Robin Hood!” because, apparently, she was hoping for yet another version of the same movie that gets remade every-other-generation. Don’t mistake me, dear readers, I enjoyed the 1991 Kevin Costner version as much as anyone else… but it’s a little soon to remake that one. Additionally, I, personally, think we’ve given the traditional legend all the airtime it needs for at least another four decades. Between the various movie interpretations, the various television treatments, and the repeated references in popular culture, I don’t think there’s any need to howl over the “real Robin Hood” story getting short shrift. That said, I really enjoyed the latest movie flying the Robin Hood banner.
Movie Review – Ironman 2
Friday, May 21st, 2010The summer movie season seems to have kicked off early (or maybe, weather-wise, spring just seems later than usual) and “Ironman 2″ is the first big summer movie (that I know of, it’s probably a matter of opinion, depending on how you define “big movie” and “summer”). Anyway. However you define either, I’ve seen it, and I’m reviewing it, but in case you’ve read enough reviews already, I’m presenting it from an unusual angle.
Product Review – Sanyo Rice Cooker
Sunday, May 9th, 2010I’m generally an advocate for a more old-fashioned approach to all things in the kitchen. Well, let’s step back just long enough to define ‘old-fashioned.’ I don’t mean Dark-Ages-antiquated. I’m not advocating grinding the wheat myself or leaving porridge simmering over an open fire for days on end, fetching water from a cistern or turning a blind eye to mouse droppings in precious food supplies that I wouldn’t dream of pitching out to the hogs. I mean the other kind of old-fashioned, where meals are prepared more often from separate ingredients rather than produced whole from a single packet that goes from freezer to microwave. I believe in chopping vegetables at a cutting board, boiling things in metal pots, and buttering bakeware with actual butter (that spray-on product should be banned, but that’s another topic entirely). I even believe in the steel wool it takes to then clean all that cookware. What can I say, dear readers, I’m a product of my upbringing. But even if I do prefer the laborious process of traditional cooking, I have a fondness for spectacular kitchen technology, particularly when that technology improves everything from the cooking itself to one’s overall health. I recommend to you: the Sanyo Rice Cooker.
Get Lost! (… with Garmin)
Monday, April 26th, 2010I’d like to think that technology really could solve all our problems – including my own trouble with deciphering maps. But, like all tools, technology can only help, not totally solve. Still, devices like those from Garmin (www.garmin.com) are pretty darned useful. These navigational devices can be programmed to show your present location and then chart your way to your destination, either by name (for example, restaurants or sports stadiums) or by address. Useful? Absolutely? Foolproof? By no means. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider getting one; but neither should you throw away your paper map.
‘Free’ Business Cards Explored
Monday, March 15th, 2010Business cards are handy things. I’ve used more of them over the course of my lifetime as bookmarks than as a means of patronizing anyone’s business… but that’s still finding a use for them. I recently thought I might like to have business cards for my freelancing, and set about investigating the so-called free business card offers online. I’m going to stick with the term so-called and with employing the single quote marks that indicate both falsehood and the speaker’s sarcasm – because even the cheapest of the ‘free’ business cards even out their affordability with endless, endless, endless hassle.
Natural Soap (worth the cost?)
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010People who are seriously into the all-natural hygiene product scene sometimes get excited (by excited I mean disapproving or panicked, depending on their personality) about the potential toxicitiy of commerically-prepared soaps. I’m talking about the ordinary bars of soap a person uses in the shower and buys at the grocery store for a nominal fee – the Dial, Zest, and Irish Spring sorts of soap. These soaps generally come in multi-packs, and the price per bar averages between 50 cents and $1.25, roughly. Without getting into how fast they dissolve and the weights of the average bar of soap, when you compare that to the $3.50 – $6.00 price tag (per bar) on the hand-made, all-natural, or organic soaps out there, you have to ask yourself: “is it really worth that much more?”
Product Review – Stash Tea (Green Chai)
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010I’m a supporter of loose-leaf teas from fancy outfits, not just because they sell a fine product, but I really enjoy the old-timey experience of measuring out loose tea. People were keeping tins of loose tea long before any of us were born… and for some reason, fighting with the lids, botching the measuring, and spilling loose tea on the counter makes me feel a little more connected with the whole human race. (I’m actually really serious, and urge everyone to give it a try. It’s like a visit to a living history museum, right in your own kitchen.) But, we don’t always have the luxury or the time to prepare loose-leaf teas to accompany us to the office, on the trail, or in the car.