http://www.viewpoints.com/aboutme/Buggheart Sun, 11 May 2008 17:58:38 GMT Reviews by Buggheart at Viewpoints.com http://www.viewpoints.com/Pelican-Grand-Beach-Resort-Fort-Lauderdale-FL-review-ba6e2 A few months ago my husband and I booked a 4-day cruise out of Miami and decided to fly down a few days early to extend our vacation to a week and stay in Ft. Lauderdale.  After booking the flight I began my search for the perfect hotel which would be right on the beach but not too expensive and found the Pelican Grand Beach Resort which turned out to be so perfect that we are already planning our return trip. — At about $200 a night in May, Pelican Beach was a bit high for my taste but after reading the description, the amenities, and looking at the pictures I bit the bullet and booked it.  A few days after booking to inquire about the AAA discount I booked with and was met with a snippy attitude by the gentleman who answered the phone.  This worried me a bit but I fell in love with the place based on the reviews, amenities, and description so I ignored and figured he had had a bad day or something.  In general the staff at Pelican was fairly... Sun, 11 May 2008 17:58:38 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Pelican-Grand-Beach-Resort-Fort-Lauderdale-FL-review-ba6e2 Buggheart http://www.viewpoints.com/This-Is-How-It-Happened-Not-a-Love-Story-review-83de3 The Verdict:  I absolutely loved this book and could not put it down!  If you're looking for some good summer chick lit, this could be the one. — Just the Facts:  I'm detecting a theme here - the last book I read had a picture of a pink cupcake (Devilish by Maureen Johnson) on the cover which caught my eye and turned out to be a good read.  During last week's trip to the Bookmobile another yummy looking book caught my eye. This Is How It Happened (Not a love story) by Jo Barrett features a delectable looking brownie on the front cover with a skull and crossbones flag stuck in the top.  Brownies, skulls and crossbones, what could be wrong about that?  Not a thing.  This Is How It Happened turned out to be a great book that I ripped thru in just a few hours. — The book is about marketing expert Madeline Piatro who gets totally screwed over by her ex-boyfriend, Carlton Connors.  The book begins with... Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:29:00 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/This-Is-How-It-Happened-Not-a-Love-Story-review-83de3 Buggheart http://www.viewpoints.com/Good-in-Bed-review-512f9 I can walk into a bookstore for one book and easily emerge with a heavy load of several books but my wallet significantly lightened due to the prices. So one of my new year's resolutions this year is to stop buying full price books and to use my local library more often. As a result, I'm saving lots of money, getting something back from the thousands in property taxes I pay, and I'm finding some really great books that I would not normally have read. My library has a list of suggested books for different age groups, genders, and interests so I checked out a few of the books they suggested. One of them was Good In Bed by Jennifer Weiner which was one of the books on the "20-something and older" list. It was a very enjoyable read and I recommend it. — Good In Bed is about Candace (Cannie) Shapiro, a 28-year-old reporter for the Philadelphia Examiner who recently broke up with Bruce, her boyfriend of three years and a fellow writer. A few months after the break-up she is... Tue, 22 Apr 2008 18:03:40 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Good-in-Bed-review-512f9 Buggheart http://www.viewpoints.com/Devilish-review-83e34 I love to read but since I've been under a lot of stress lately my mind is only interested in reading light stuff. No Stephen King, nothing with too much of a plot or too many characters. Because of this I've been turning to the young adult section during my weekly visits to my city's Bookmobile. Last week when I stepped aboard to see what was new I was drawn to a book titled Devilish by Maureen Johnson as it had a yummy looking pink cupcake on the front cover and the title sounded good so I grabbed it. — Devilish is about Jane Jarvis who is a smart, sassy Juno kind of character who goes to a private school for girls in Providence, RI with her best friend, Ally. They are both average students who don't really stand out for any reason but wish they did. A few days after Ally experiences an intensely embarassing and mortifying incident at school, she returns and is all of a sudden cool, stylishly dressed, confident, and dripping with friends. Turns out that Ally has sold her soul... Tue, 22 Apr 2008 17:43:31 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Devilish-review-83e34 Buggheart http://www.viewpoints.com/Black-Olives-A-Novel-review-0a823 I don't even remember where I got the idea to read Black Olives by Martha Tod Dudman.  I think it was recommended by an online search thingie because I like Judy Blume's adult books.  All I know is the description sounded pretty interesting so I checked it out of the library and read it.  Having finished Black Olives I found it to be neither good nor bad, just kind of average.  I was not crazy about it. — Black Olives is about Virginia, a middle-aged divorcee who was dumped nine months ago by her boyfriend of nine years, David.  She spots him at a local grocery store and hides behind the olive display (partly where the title was derived from I suppose) so he won't see her as she is still very much hurting over the break-up and is not ready to meet him again in person. So instead she makes a crazy snap decision to burrow herself under the stuff in the back of his Jeep and spend the day riding around back there to see what he's up to.  They eventually... Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:22:59 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Black-Olives-A-Novel-review-0a823 Buggheart http://www.viewpoints.com/The-Heroin-Diaries-A-Year-In-the-Life-of-a-Shattered-Rockstar-review-2c4a3 When I was in high school I was a huge Motley Crue fan.  This scared the crap out of my parents who did not understand what interest I could possibly have in dudes with weird makeup and hair.  And they absolutely freaked when they'd hear the all too familiar strains of Shout at the Devil thumping from behind my bedroom door.  That actually was half the fun of being a Crue fan - freaking out of the parental units. — In all honesty, I was a very good kid and they had little to worry about.  What I did not know about the Crue though is the terrible mess the band members had gotten themselves into with regard to drugs, alcohol, and other addictions.  While I was enjoying their music and stressing about flunking Chemistry or whether I'd get my period on a day I had to wear my majorette skirt, the guys in my favorite band were fighting some really bad stuff. — The Heroin Diariesdetails a year in the personal journal of Motley Crue... Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:12:56 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/The-Heroin-Diaries-A-Year-In-the-Life-of-a-Shattered-Rockstar-review-2c4a3 Buggheart http://www.viewpoints.com/Revlon-PerfectHeat-Ceramic-Professional-Styling-Iron-Model-RV051C-review-ef861 A few weeks ago I realized that my curling iron is nasty so I pitched it and bought a new one.  After perusing the curling iron section at WalMart I decided to get the Revlon PerfectHeat Ceramic Professional Styling Iron with the one inch diameter.  I'm not crazy about it. — It has 30 heat settings, 30 second fast heat up, and the packaging says that it has a ceramic barrel for "softer, shinier curls".  Those facts, as well as the low price tag of about $12, sold me so it came home with me. — The first time I used this curling iron I was fairly disappointed with the result.  Sure, it did heat up really quickly and I like the shape of the handle which fits comfortably into my small hand.  The problem is with the ceramic barrel which has a somewhat brushed finish to it. I'm used to a shiny, smooth curling iron barrel which allows me to slide it easily through my hair to straighten and smooth most of the length of my hair but lightly turn the... Sat, 05 Apr 2008 21:25:32 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Revlon-PerfectHeat-Ceramic-Professional-Styling-Iron-Model-RV051C-review-ef861 Buggheart http://www.viewpoints.com/Provo-Craft-Precision-Scissors-review-b7e34 I used to be super crafty and almost always took advantage of the 40% coupon for Michael's craft stores that came in my Sunday paper.  But since I've become addicted to the internet and yoga I just don't do crafty things as often. Still, I find it hard to pass up that coupon and almost always cut it out even if I throw it out the next week.  — I was telling my mom about the fact that I never use the coupon when she suggested that I use the next one to pick up some scissors to keep around the house.  I have one pair of scissors that is always getting lost and I can never find them when I need them so buying extra pairs to keep on hand seemed like a great so I bought some with my next coupon. — I ended up getting a set of three Precision Scissors made by Provo Craft and I'm really happy with them.  The set includes a large, medium, and small scissors with lavender colored handles that can be used by right or left handed people.  The insides of... Sat, 05 Apr 2008 21:07:15 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Provo-Craft-Precision-Scissors-review-b7e34 Buggheart http://www.viewpoints.com/Enchanted--122136-review-80db7 I was dying to see Enchantedwhen it came out last holiday season but I couldn't talk my husband into going and my nephew had already seen it.  So I added it to my Netflix queue and waited patiently for it to come out on video.  It came out last week so I watched it on the day it arrived and liked it but wasn't totally wild over it. Enchanted is about Princess Giselle (Amy Adams) who is a animated character who is much like Snow White in her pureness, sweetness, and propensity to attract cute forest animals but the mere sound of her lilting voice. — When Giselle meets and plans to marry the local prince his mother, Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) fears losing her crown to Giselle and banishes her to a place where "there are no happily ever afters" - New York City.  It is at this point when the movie goes from full animation to live action which was very cool and reminded me a bit of The Wizard of Oz when it goes from black and white to brilliant... Thu, 27 Mar 2008 16:01:18 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Enchanted--122136-review-80db7 Buggheart http://www.viewpoints.com/Gaiam-Yoga-Essentials-Strap-review-b1161 My new love these days is yoga.  I'm addicted to it like it's a drug. I can't stop thinking about when I can get my next fix but, like a drug, the addiction is getting a little expensive so I've set up a small studio in my home where I can practice a few times a week. — One of the props I picked up for my studio is the Gaiam Yoga Essentials Strap.  While I'm getting more flexible every day, there are certain moves with which I need some extra help to hold the stretch or to extend it.  For example, lying on my back with my legs straight up in the air.  Sure I could do this one up against the wall but it's not the same and going over to the wall does not always fit into the flow properly.  — This six foot strap allows me to loop it around one or both feet to lengthen and hold the stretch and keeps me from getting lazy and just laying there with my legs up in the air.  It's just a cotton strap but it helps get me into the right form and keep me... Tue, 25 Mar 2008 18:32:57 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Gaiam-Yoga-Essentials-Strap-review-b1161 Buggheart http://www.viewpoints.com/Red-Lotus-Yoga-Rochester-Hills-MI-review-60e60 The thought of running or walking on a treadmill or taking an aerobics class is so mind-numbing that I just cannot imagine doing it.  It reminds me of that hamster on the wheel in its cage; kind of fun for people to watch for about 5 minutes but the novelty wears off very quickly.  I never understood that term "runner's high" either.  I just cannot get into exercise and unfortunately my body is a reflection of that fact. — I've always been interested in yoga and the mental focus that goes along with it but the few times I tried it out on my own were fairly ineffective.  I had no idea what I was doing and videos only help to a certain extent so I gave up after a few tries.   — I was recently looking for something fun to do while my husband was at school (he takes classes on Friday nights so I get bored) and decided to check out what was happening at the local yoga studio called Red Lotus Yoga.  When this... Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:03:06 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Red-Lotus-Yoga-Rochester-Hills-MI-review-60e60 Buggheart http://www.viewpoints.com/No-Country-for-Old-Men-Book-review-cb074 The Verdict - I must have been absent the day they passed out the Cliff's Notes for this movie because apparently I missed something.  No Country For Old Men was probably the worst movie I've ever seen in my entire life.  I didn't get it, I didn't like it, and I don't understand what all the fuss is about. — I admit that I knew very little about this movie when I Netflix'd it earlier this week. I only knew that it won 4 Academy Awards and that it was supposed to be great.  And I read the little blurb on Netflix so I'd have some clue as to it's plot. — The movie is about a guy played by Josh Brolin who stumbles upon a grisly scene of a drug deal gone bad in the west Texas desert.  There is one guy who is still alive but barely. Nearby he finds 2 million dollars in a case and takes it home.  In the middle of the night he feels bad about leaving that guy out there to die so he goes back to bring him some water and ends up being chased out of there... Mon, 17 Mar 2008 14:33:11 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/No-Country-for-Old-Men-Book-review-cb074 Buggheart http://www.viewpoints.com/Philosophy-Fresh-Cream-3-in-1-Bodywash-review-b5816 The Verdict - I was not crazy about this mildly scented product at first but it has really grown on me and I love it now. — Just the Facts - A few weeks ago QVC offered a set of 3 Philosophy 3-in-1 products for a really good price. I totally didn't need them but couldn't resist the interesting scents and the fantastic price so I ordered them. — One of the bottles in the collection is the Philosophy 3-in-1 Shampoo, Shower Gel, and Bubble Bath in the Fresh Cream scent.  I expected it to smell like whipped cream; like sort of a creamy sweet scent with a touch of vanilla.  But when I used it, it literally smelled like fresh cream without anything added.  Kind of strange, but oddly comforting, light, and nice. — I'm generally very into highly fragranced bath and body products so I was initially quite disappointed in the lack of fragrance with the Fresh Cream gel, but after using it a few times the scent really grew on me.  In addition,... Sat, 15 Mar 2008 15:45:26 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Philosophy-Fresh-Cream-3-in-1-Bodywash-review-b5816 Buggheart http://www.viewpoints.com/Bonne-Bell-Dasani-Pure-Replenishment-Lip-Balm-Mouthwatering-Strawberry-review-51166 Last week was kind of a rotten week at work for me.  Someone actually made me cry.  So at the end of the day I laid down for a quick nap before going out to find myself some dinner.  When I woke up my right eye was swollen majorly and kind of itchy like something had bitten me or maybe I got poked with a feather from my pillow. — You're probably wondering what this has to do with lip balm, right?  I'm getting there. So after 40 minutes of trying to get the swelling to go down, I went to Walgreen's to show the pharmacist who recommended a few products to bring the swelling down.  On the way to the cash registers I happened upon the holy grail of all drugstore aisles - the lip balm aisle.  Now I've got 9000 perfectly good lip products at home but after the week and day I had I felt the overwhelming urge to treat and reward myself with a brand new lip balm even though my new year's resolution is to not buy any new ones until I've used up the one I... Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:41:57 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Bonne-Bell-Dasani-Pure-Replenishment-Lip-Balm-Mouthwatering-Strawberry-review-51166 Buggheart http://www.viewpoints.com/1st-Michigan-Colonial-Fife-Drum-Corps-and-Friends-Love-Forever-The-Sweetness-of-Mary-review-24451 Earlier this week when began closing in on that all important 400th review here at Viewpoints, I started thinking about the subject matter for this very important event.  This review will change my status on this site that I'm so happy and proud to be part of so I knew it must be about something very special and personal and only one thing fits that bill.  I apologize in advance as this one could get long, but the subject is close to my heart and soul and I must tell the full story. — This review is about the CD I had the honor and pleasure to record in November of 2005.  That CD is called Love Forever - The Sweetness of Mary. — A little background info: I spent the years between age 12 and 20 and a few years in between playing with a local Revolutionary War musical re-enactment group called the 1st Michigan Colonial Fife & Drum Corps.  During those years I spent countess hours and days dressed as a Colonial American soldier marching all... Wed, 20 Feb 2008 03:49:13 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/1st-Michigan-Colonial-Fife-Drum-Corps-and-Friends-Love-Forever-The-Sweetness-of-Mary-review-24451 Buggheart http://www.viewpoints.com/Kiva-org-review-96ad2 Several weeks ago I was watching TV and heard about a site called Kiva.org.  A news program was doing a story about ways to give back and make a difference in the world with limited resources.  The story featured a woman in a developing country who was in the business of selling dry cereal at an open air market.  She needed extra money to buy more supplies and have the ability to increase sales and make more money to support her family and hopefully someday lift them out of poverty. — She only needed about $100; not much money here but a fortune in her country.  So her business was featured on Kiva.org and investors, every day investors like you and me, sent the money to her via Kiva, a non-profit organization.  — Well I thought this sounded like a great opportunity to help others so I immediately went to the site, checked it out, and within a few minutes I had donated money to help a woman Nicaragua expand her beauty salon (I can never get... Tue, 19 Feb 2008 23:28:53 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Kiva-org-review-96ad2 Buggheart http://www.viewpoints.com/LUSH-American-Cream-Solid-Perfume--130337-review-6cf22 One of my favorite LUSH products is a conditioner called American Cream which is thick, rich, and smells so good that I seriously want to eat my hair.  When I use it I flip my hair around like a freak and practically give myself whiplash just so I can get a whiff of my sweet, luscious, vanilla hair in the wind (yeah, I love my hair). — So last year when LUSH decided to create a perfume with the same scent I was first in line for a container of it.  I exaggerate, but I was there as soon as humanly possible to get my tiny tin of American Cream Solid Perfume. — It comes in a small tin that holds .35 ounces for about $12.  It is very concentrated so just a little bit is needed to fragrance my skin with the wonderful scent of vanilla, honey, strawberry, candy.  I found this out the hard way though as the product is kind of hard in the wintertime.  The base is cocoa butter so since it is cold here right now the perfume is cold and hard... Tue, 19 Feb 2008 23:03:03 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/LUSH-American-Cream-Solid-Perfume--130337-review-6cf22 Buggheart http://www.viewpoints.com/Haribo-Happy-Cola-gummy-candy-review-00ee0 I like to snack.  Sometimes I crave cookies or Doritos or even chocolate but when I'm really looking for something satisfying I go for gummy candy.  I love the taste but also that it takes a lot of chewing to get thru the process.  This takes longer then gobbling a bowl of chips but it makes the snack last longer and that's really satisfying for me. — I've always been a big fan of gummy bears.  When my uncle lived in Germany he sent me a giant one like in the original Willy Wonka movie and I ate myself sick on that thing.  Gummy bears are still a great fruity, chewy snack but the chewy candy I really crave is Happy Cola gummy candy.  — They're made by Haribo (the same people who brought us the classic gummy bear) and taste like Coca Cola!  They are shaped like tiny Coke bottles.  The top half is clear-ish and the bottom half is cola colored so they look like tiny, Coke bottles half filled with cola (or half empty depending on your... Tue, 19 Feb 2008 20:30:10 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Haribo-Happy-Cola-gummy-candy-review-00ee0 Buggheart http://www.viewpoints.com/Pogo-com-review-06ec0 I'm one of those people who can't just sit still and stare at the TV or do nothing.  I almost always have to be doing two things at once so I like to keep my brain and hands busy playing games online. I've tried a few different sites for free and downloadable games that are OK but my hands down favorite is Pogo.com. — I signed up in 2001 with just a plain free account which gives user access to over 80 free card, casino, puzzle, board, word, and arcade games.  The games display on screen fairly quickly and have good instructions and tips for gameplay.  User can win tokens and prizes (t-shirts, mugs, small stuff like that) and use tokens for entering the larger contests.  There are also jackpots that can be won on most of the games.    — The only annoyances with the free games are ads and the lure of Club Pogo games.  Every few minutes or rounds of game play end with 30 or 60 seconds of internet ads displayed on the screen which... Tue, 19 Feb 2008 19:21:05 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Pogo-com-review-06ec0 Buggheart http://www.viewpoints.com/Nyakers-Ginger-Snaps-Gift-Tin-review-27565 Although I really love a big, soft, chewy cookie, I'm super crazy about gingersnaps.  I love the slightly tingly flavor and mouthfeel of a cookie just loaded with ginger and all those yummy spices. — At Christmas time I was buying some stuff at World Market and stumbled upon a little table with free samples of Nyaker's Ginger Snaps so I grabbed a few to munch on while I continued my shopping.  Then I went back for a few more, a few more, and then a few more after I paid for my purchases.  For some dumb reason I didn't buy a tin of them for myself! — Since then I've gone back to buy a few more tins to keep on hand as they are delicious and make a nice snack.  These ginger snaps are super thin (slightly thicker than a quarter) and crisp so the texture is very nice and they melt in the mouth.  But the really great thing about them is the flavor.  All the yummy gingerbread spices are in these crispy cookies, but the ginger is very strong and... Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:59:28 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Nyakers-Ginger-Snaps-Gift-Tin-review-27565 Buggheart