Be Careful On The Roads!
Not sure about you, but I think that the little bit of snow such as we received yesterday and the day before is much more treacherous than getting say – 10 cm’s of snow in one evening. Why is that you ask? Simple.. cuz drivers still think it’s the middle of summer!
I don’t know whether it’s the Christmas shopping season or perhaps just coincidence, but good lord there’s some bad drivers out there this time of year.
I find it humorous now, perhaps since I’m getting older.. that the people that go nuts and speed past me doing 30-40 km/h over the speed limit only get up to the next stop light and I pull in right beside them or behind them.. it’s hilarious.
I’m pretty sure they don’t realize that in an instant they can go skidding off their path and the next thing they know they’re getting a collision estimation for some nutty amount due to a little bit of a fender bender.
I don’t know, I liked to speed as much as the next person, I guess I just find that nowadays it’s really not worth it – and I actually enjoy going a bit slower and taking in the sights and sounds of the season this time of year.
Or maybe I’m just getting old.
In the market for a good popcorn maker? Read this..
I’m a huge fan of popcorn. I think most people that know me, know this. Heck even if you’ve read this blog a bit you’d know that I’ve gone through some lengths to get the ‘movie theatre’ popcorn at home and how I did it.
So unfortunately, the popcorn maker which I purchased back in April of last year has seen better days. It doesn’t owe us anything of course, but the ‘bowl’ part was dropped, and cracked.. and well, now it’s just not worth using anymore as I don’t know how appetizing it is to eat out of a duct taped bowl.
So, we were in the market to find a replacement…. sort of. Truthfully, it wasn’t on the top of our shopping list, but it is something that I enjoy on a regular basis – so we were on the 
lookout for a good deal. Whilst shopping to buy step stools for the kitchen at Walmart – we came across the Nostalgia Electrics KPM-508 Vintage Collection Kettle Popcorn Maker. This, is crap. I’ve no idea who’s writing these reviews online, but I guarantee they’re being paid to do it. During the first attempt at getting this thing home and making popcorn, it got stuck spinning the kernels around 3 times. This isn’t good.. nor is it safe in my opinion as they kernels have to keep spinning around or they’ll burn! Anyhow, after two attempts, we took it back.
We then headed up to Bed, Bath and Beyond to see what they had in store. I had a 20% off 
coupon which you get every so often in the mail, so we were prepared to buy something if it really jumped out at us. This is where we came across the Nostalgia Electrics™ Vintage Collection™ 48" Popcorn Cart. Now this wasn’t exactly a cheap investment – we paid over $200 for this sucker, but I figured it would be well worth the investment if we owned it for years and it worked well – I do enjoy my popcorn. Yes, I know it’s a lot of money.. but every so often you have to splurge on yourself a bit.. don’t you??
Anyhow, took this home, and I never realized until now they were made by the same manufacturer.. but I guess you know what happened.. the same fricking thing! And this was after spending 40 minutes or so putting it together! Yes.. I was pissed.. how could something that cost over $200 not work properly from the get go? It stuck 4 or 5 times while trying to spin the kernels around, I did not overload the machine, I did a basic one scoop of popcorn per the instructions. Now that I think about it, that’s another thing.. this thing had WAYYY too many unpopped kernels.. there’s a little tray for them below where teh popcorn comes out and it was catching, I would say at least 1/4 of the kernels which were coming out unpopped..
Unacceptable.. it went back.
This time however, I decided to revert to the older style popcorn maker, but with a trusted 
brand name. We opted to go with the Cuisinart® EasyPop™ Popcorn Maker – Red. It was also not a cheap purchase as far as popcorn machines go.. but at this point, I was willing to see how it did.
I can tell you that I am very happy with the purchase thus far. Hardly any unpopped kernels.. the heating element and spinning arm did not get stuck, and the whole thing is pretty much dishwasher safe! This is huge for me as the other one I had got pretty gross after awhile and cleaning it by hand was a pain.
Anyhow I wanted to share my experience in case anyone else out there was thinking about buying the crap Nostalgia Electrics ones… stay away in my opinion.
Ok.. New Music Service Of Choice – Ya Slacker..
So it wasn’t that long ago that I decided that I don’t mind paying a monthly fee to have my music streaming on my phone (with the option of keeping it on my phone so I don’t incur constant data charges when I’m driving, etc.)
Back on August 23rd, I posted about a new service in Canada called ‘Rdio’, and I tried it out for a month. I was quite hopeful and loved (and still do) the way that I can ‘push’ music to my phone automatically as no other service I’ve found since (and I’ve tried a few) can do that.
Since I had a jailbroken iPhone – I then tried Grooveshark and honestly was quite happy with that product. I used it right up until yesterday – when I received my iPhone 4s.
The good points about Grooveshark was that the iPhone application was QUITE polished, and worked the way I wanted it to. I could keep all my files offline and not have to worry about data charges, finding them was quite easy as well as obviously they have a HUGE amount of files and music selection to choose from.
But I’ve found my newest favorite.
Slacker Personal Radio is my new favorite and the music service I’m currently subscribing to. I should mention that all these products cost roughly the same amount per month which is right around the $10 mark. I can justify paying for these legal services since well.. I can’t actually remember the last time that I purchased a CD and truthfully trying to maintain and keep a constant library of music on countless hard drives is a pain in the arse.
The advantages of slacker is it’s very impressive radio stations which play varieties of music hand picked by DJ’s … I’ve only started the service today, but I’ve already found a bunch of tunes and downloaded them for offline use to my phone (via a playlist).
It kind of sucks to have to ‘refresh’ your offline files every time you make changes – but I can deal with that as most of the time I’m going to be on wifi when I’m finding and checking out music anyhow – PLUS, when I’m home touching up photos, I’m going to just leave it on a custom radio station and then just pick the files I want anyhow to listen to.
Now if I can just figure out the best way to stream my iPhones music to my various electronic systems around the house I’d have a complete wireless home theatre system.. which would be awesome 
You can read another great review here as I’m just giving you my own quick lowdown.
Heat Stains On My Table Be-Gone!
Ok, I haven’t tried this yet, but I plan on it.. I mean.. what harm could it do? I have a few heat stains on my table from my own stupidity (ironing on a towel, on the table).. ok , I’ve done lots of smarter things – but I thought for sure those stains were permanent.
Well, thanks to the blog over at tipnut.com, they’ve posted a way that I could get rid of them.
I won’t re-type the entire article as they’ve got the instructions over there as well as some alternatives to their methods for people that reported it didn’t work – but here’s the steps they took (make sure you read all of them):
- The first thing I did was wash the table top and dry it well.
- I took a clean, white cotton towel that wasn’t too thick and placed it over the scorch marks.
- Taking an old iron set to high dry heat, I placed it on top of the towel, directly over the stain. I let it sit for close to a minute, checked, and nothing happened. The stain was still there.
- I kept reapplying the hot iron with no results, but once I turned the steam on–that’s when the magic happened. The white marks literally disappeared from the table. I couldn’t believe it and it defied logic to me–wouldn’t the steam cause more damage? All I know is that it worked. I was quick to wipe away any moisture and water on the table after each stain was removed.
- Added: A fe of the comments below mentioned finishing things off by wiping in a bit of olive oil after lifting the marks with the iron trick.
I’m sooo going to try this when I have some spare time. Those damn things are annoying on my table!
Tipnut.com is an excellent site for everything from tips on home decorating to motorhome repair or anything else.. bookmark it
What Would You Do For A Good Deal?
It’s no secret that I try to find the best deals possible for any purchase that I’m making. Be it groceries, gas, my morning coffee, house wares, or anything really. I will use coupons, check out the flyers, check online, etc – to save a few dollars… I mean.. why not? It’s money in my pocket.
While you can get everything from Proctor & Gamble coupons, Kohls coupons, Gillette coupons, and every type of product you can imagine – what is tough to find if you don’t have great timing are Vacation deals.
That’s quite a pre-amble for simply letting you know about a site called SaveOnResorts.com.
This site offers ridiculously low priced stays at some great locations – in exchange for one thing. 90 minutes of your time (and your ability to say “No”.) Yep, it’s a time-share presentations, and yep, they’re going to try to sell you on the idea, and nope, I haven’t bought one.
My experience with SaveOnResorts.com was nothing short of extraordinary… seriously.
I was a bit skeptical of the deal – it was $139 USD for two nights.. BUT included the following:
- $100 Visa Gift Card
- FREE Morning Breakfast each Day
- Use of Hotel Amenities and Services
- FREE Shuttle Service To and From Las Vegas Airport
- Hotel Taxes and Parking Included
I figured at worst – we’d be out the $139 and have to find a hotel while we were down there – but we also knew that it was likely legit – since we did have to do something for them, the 90 minute resort ‘preview’ which was scheduled for 1:30pm on the middle day of our stay.
So fast forward to our arrival at the Embassy Suites.. a non-gaming establishment in Vegas. We were treated like royalty at the front desk, any of our questions answered, plus they let us know about the breakfasts and ‘ambassador hours’ that night where you can come down into the restaurant area and have a few complimentary drinks and just socialize with other guests and some managers of the hotel. We took advantage of this twice and both times really enjoyed ourselves.. munchies included.. yumm!!
It became apparent that where we were staying, had nothing to do with the time-share presentation and that it’s possible they had no idea we were doing it. A kitchenette in our room, free wired Internet, and overall just a beautiful stay was definitely the highlight of our entire trip to Vegas.
The resort preview was a 15 minute drive (at least) outside of the Vegas strip.. kind of a pain, but whatever, once we got there.. we were told they had a shuttle and would have picked us up.. (whoops), but they refunded us the money we spent on the cab! We then had some food and waited while the ‘preview agent’ got ready to try to sell us on the idea of the time-share.
They did a good job in selling it, no.. I didn’t bite (although Liz thought we were crazy not to) – but truthfully if you do vacation and travel every year – a time-share is likely the way to go. Unfortunately for us, we don’t know when/where we’re gonna be able to do that – so it’s not for us. After going through the first agent, second agent, and then the manager.. they let us go get our $100 VISA gift card and dropped us off to enjoy the rest of the day in Vegas.
Yes.. so the stay in the Embassy Suites for 2 nights.. 2 breakfasts.. drinks in the evenings… and shuttles not only to/from the Strip, but to the Airport as well as a custom trip out to the Outlet Mall!! Cost us $39.. ($139 less the $100 VISA card).. plus tips of course.. (and we tipped them well.. why not??)
So.. summary.. saveonresorts.com is legit.. and we had a great time. If you can handle the ‘preview’ and meet the requirements.. I highly recommend and we’d do it again.. check it out, it’s got a HUGE list of spots to vacation.. unfortunately, the deal we had is no longer on there I don’t believe.
PS: they also sent a follow up email to me to fill out a survey.. once I did.. I get $40 off my NEXT vacation 
sweet.
Need Some Home Work Done – Looking For Suggestions
Well since I implemented a Facebook and regular comment system, I’m hoping a few people out there can chime in with their own opinions on this one..
Basically, I’m looking to get some things done to my home.. construction things.. firstly, a fence built. I’m not sure what type of fence yet – but one in which I can leave the ole hounds out all day if they want and not have to worry one little bit There’s other things I will want to get done down the road as well such as deck modifications, perhaps even a garage built.. but that’s way down the road.
Anyhow, it’s funny.. but I have no idea where to start.. I’ve gotten approximate pricing.. but who do I get to do it? I know they make pre-made fences (did you know they have manufactured homes for sale as well?) but I’m a bit worried that I’d have inclines in my yard and such..
Anyhow.. if anyone knows anyone or has done this in the past.. please let me know
Rdio – a music app worth paying for?
Well, I must say.. I don’t think I’ve ever been so close to 
purchasing a music service than where I’m at right now. Lately I’ve been finding that I’m doing a lot of searching for music on my phone and having a tough time managing my library, etc.. truth be told – illegal downloading of music is starting to become a pain in the arse. I’ve been asked many times questions about “where do you download music”, etc… etc.. and I have to be honest – I don’t download music anymore. I haven’t in a long time.
Why? Well, pretty simple really.. why would I bother to download, import, keep them on hard drives, etc.. when I can simply stream it for free from an online service? Grooveshark was one of the first which I really enjoyed, but I don’t even think you can get the iPhone app in Canada for it. Spotify is another one which I hear great things about – unfortunately however.. no luck for Canadians at the moment as it’s unavailable.
Enter Rdio. Firstly, it’s open to Canadians which obviously a must. Secondly, it’s got a 7 day trial to check it out – and good thing, cuz I don’t think I’d be writing this if it didn’t as I’d likely have just skipped it.
The biggest advantage of this service so far for me is it’s iPhone application. I can listen to music on the web here at my computer, and with a click of a button.. I can send that music to my iPhone, and even have it available for offline listening! Yes, that’s right.. you don’t have to be connected to the Internet to listen to it!! This is huge.
I’ve just finished syncing up a bunch of music from my browser to my iPhone and I happily enjoyed a bunch of great new songs during my drive home and over lunch hour.
After the 7-day trial to have the same syncing and features that it gives you is a $9.99 charge a month. I’m pretty sure that I’m going to be using one of my rfid credit cards and purchasing the monthly plan after this week. Hell, I could sell the hard drive that I keep all my old music on and use that to pay for the monthly fees.. it really isn’t that much to have new music available every day ready to sync up (note I didn’t say download) and listen to – and the fact I can avoid having a huge library of music on my iPhone and home computer could really be a benefit.
Try it out.. let me know what you think.
Most Of You Will Never Visit Newfoundland.
Now that I’ve visited “the Rock”, during one of it’s busiest times (George Street Festival Week) – I’ve quickly realized that I want to go back .. for longer next time, but the sad reality however is that most of you will not get the same chance.
I’ve spoken to a LOT of people on the Island and otherwise about my trip to NFLD and most all say the same thing, which is “never been, but someday…”. Well, I’ve got news for you, “someday” will never come for you. I know this, because I was that person and always wanted to head to NFLD but never really had a reason to until recently. I’m glad I did for sure.
I wonder what needs to happen in order to have more people visit one of Canada’s most beautiful provinces? Perhaps build a bridge? Ha! Not likely.. but I do believe air fare has a lot to do with it. Why would someone book a $350 flight return out of Halifax (cheapest I’ve seen around on a regular basis), when just yesterday I could have booked a flight to Florida for about $100 more? It doesn’t make any sense to me.. shouldn’t domestic travel be a lot cheaper when considering the taxes and such? And the fact that it’s part of the Maritimes?
With Newfoundland quickly becoming a “have” province with all it’s oil and resources starting to emerge – I believe that someday in the not-so-distant future you’re going to see flights out of Charlottetown to St. John’s.. I believe that the oil industry is going to allow all of those folks whom are out West working in the Oil camps to be a little closer to home and head to the Rock for work instead of Alberta… but maybe that’s just me, or maybe that’s just me hoping.
Despite how many dollars the ole receipt printer spit out at me while I drank beer after beer on George St., I know I’ll be back – someday.
Porter Air – My First Impressions..
So when I booked our Newfoundland Trip back in March – I was really excited that I was going to fly on the newest airline in the Maritimes.. “Porter Air”. It’s no secret that I was pretty pumped about the idea of a new ‘WestJet’ style of airline opening up and I was excited to try it out. What was not to like? Free booze, lots ‘o legroom, free snacks.. w00t w00t!
Well I may as well just tell you how it all went down – I have to admit the checkin process and all that was just fine and standard. Nothing out of the ordinary and we were went through all the necessary security and such and sat in our plane… ready for the greatness to begin.
First thing I have to say is that this was a prop plane, I’m not sure if they are all prop plans in their fleet – but I hate them. Regardless, the legroom didn’t seem any different than any other plane I’ve been on… maybe I’m wrong, or perhaps I don’t fly enough…. but to me it wasn’t a huge deal one way or another.
Bring on the booze! Since we were heading to NFLD around 9:30 at night, it was time to have a drink or two since I wasn’t going to be driving once I got to the rock – so we waited for them to come down the aisle .. ha, this was pretty interesting. So before the stewardess came down for service – a few people went to the bathroom which was at the front of the plane. Since the stewardess worked her way from the front of the plane to the back for beverage service, this one fella was sort of stuck – but was standing in behind her waiting for her to go past his seat so he could sit down… I didn’t catch this, but Liz told me that she turned right around and barked out at him “You’re making me uncomfortable.. could you stand at the front of the plane.” 
I think I would have lost it.
Uncomfortable? How about having to piss on an airplane in a bathroom the size of a phone booth and then have everyone stare at you as you come out and everyone thinking.. “hey.. did that guy wash his hands?”.. it’s not like the plane had any sort of entertainment on it, so this guy coming out of the bathroom was definitely getting stared at.. and now the stewardess (whom was not friendly at all) told him to back the ‘f’ up, so now he stands at the front of the plane being stared at again.. embarassing! Yep.. I would have lost it.
Next problem – beer selection.. they only had two brands, both of which I never heard of before (bummer). Wine for me. Two glasses? Not a chance.. they never came around again and certainly didn’t ask if we wanted anything.
The snack(s)? Oh some pretzels or something that sucked as well. Ok, so you get my drift on this post.
The flight itself (pilot) was ok with a little more turbulence than I was used to, but since I hadn’t flew in awhile I couldn’t remember if that was normal or not… perhaps it is going over the ocean like that.
The flight back was pretty much the same – however it should be noted that the flight crew for the trip home STOLE OUR CAB!! Oh ya.. We were pissy, but since we didn’t miss our flight and weren’t really rushed.. it was all good.
So despite all of this – I won’t say Porter is all bad.. after all, you really only remember the bad parts right? To me however, they were just another Air Canada.. except my bags arrived.
The price was ok, but my favorite airline by a landslide is still WestJet.
Boy Do I Have A Lot To Talk About..
So a vacation span of two weeks has come and gone – and in that time period I’ve travelled to.. hmm… let’s list them:
Halifax, NS
St. John’s, NL
Bay Roberts, NL
Moncton, NB
Portland, ME
Boston, MA
Montreal, PQ
Crazy huh? Well I certainly think so and do I have a lot of travel stories to tell you! (Some good.. most, not so good )
So I do apologize to people that actually read this that there have been non new updates in awhile – between the travel, my photography, and not having any access but usually table top displays (my iPad or iPhone) to write on, I was just never able to find time to sit and write.
Sooo.. that said – I will post about my experience with Porter next
I’m also going to post a few photos in the coming posts of my adventures in the various parts of the world, this first one was in Mad Rock, NL and well.. it doesn’t have any representation of my trip there as I had an EXCELLENT time – but it certainly did catch my eye 
