http://www.viewpoints.com/aboutme/JChancey Tue, 20 May 2008 04:56:40 GMT Reviews by JChancey http://www.viewpoints.com/The-Chronicles-of-Narnia-Prince-Caspian-review-7d1b5 My husband and I are surprised to find any positive reviews of this film by people who have actually read C.S. Lewis's book. "Prince Caspian" the movie basically borrows character names and a few scenes from the book and changes everything else, including the strong Christian themes of nobility, chivalry, sacrifice, and courage. Instead we are left with an empty shell of a story that is basically all CGI and no character development. — — If you are able to listen to NPR's interview with the film's director, you will find the reason so little of the movie resembles the real story. Douglas Gresham (Lewis's stepson) disagreed with all the changes made to "Caspian," and the director fully admits that he created the film based on his memories of the book rather than the book itself. The director's imagination simply cannot compare with C.S. Lewis's brilliance. What we get is a dark film with too much testosterone and too little virtue. Caspian is a shadow of himself, and the... Tue, 20 May 2008 04:56:40 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/The-Chronicles-of-Narnia-Prince-Caspian-review-7d1b5 JChancey 1 http://www.viewpoints.com/LG-Strawberry-Chocolate-Cell-Phone-review-14ca1 I had a flip phone for a couple of years but became disappointed with the features (especially the fact that it was too easy to accidentally hang up on people and the fact that the phone dropped calls rather frequently). I did some research and found that flip phones often have a more limited pick-up than flat phones, so I decided to check out a new model when my Verizon contract's free upgrade offer came around. — — I loved the look of the Chocolate right off the bat, but I also appreciated the sliding panel feature that allowed me to cover the keypad without flipping the phone closed. With curious children, it's great to have a keypad that's a bit difficult for little hands to access! I also liked the camera, which takes photos of a higher quality than my previous camera -- and which lets me email photos directly from the phone to friends and family. — — The MP3 feature is one that, frankly, I should use more often, but it takes quite a bit of time to sync... Wed, 14 May 2008 20:19:22 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/LG-Strawberry-Chocolate-Cell-Phone-review-14ca1 JChancey 3 http://www.viewpoints.com/1-800-Flowers-com-review-12cd3 I'm surprised at all the negative reviews of 1-800-Flowers. I've used them for four years now (mainly through MyPoints.com, since I get extra points when I go through that site). I've never had a single order go wrong, and that's covering many floral arrangements for Mother's Day, birthdays, new babies, thank-yous, and more. — — I love the convenience of choosing a floral arrangement online and setting up the delivery options quickly and easily. 1-800-Flowers also gives me the option to save people into my address book so I don't have to re-enter information in the future. — — Flowers are packaged carefully in damp packing material and wrapped securely before being placed in a box. If you opt for a vase, that is packaged separately with instructions for placing the arrangement into the vase once the package is opened. This Mother's Day I sent my mom and my mother-in-law live roses that could be planted. The roses arrived in gorgeous full bloom with a pewter... Wed, 14 May 2008 19:42:35 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/1-800-Flowers-com-review-12cd3 JChancey 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/St-Pauls-Cathedral-London-review-0bd98 I visited St. Paul's with friends during a 2007 trip to London. Designed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1663, this magnificent cathedral is every bit as gorgeous as pictures suggest. While the entry fee (7 pounds at the time) is a bit stiff--particularly with the collapsed state of the American dollar--I'd still rate this as a "not-to-miss" attraction in London. — — The exterior will be familiar to anyone who's seen the "Feed the Birds" scene from Disney's "Mary Poppins" or photos from the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Di. The interior is so breathtaking that it almost defies description. While Westminster Abbey is a combination of memorial and museum with its crowded graves and markers, the sheer open spaces of St. Paul's inspire awe and wonder. The great dome with its Whispering Gallery and paintings from the life of St. Paul could easily occupy an art and architecture fan for an hour. — — We decided to brave the long climb to the top (over 500 steps),... Thu, 08 May 2008 02:03:21 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/St-Pauls-Cathedral-London-review-0bd98 JChancey 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/British-Museum-London-United-Kingdom-review-f1e83 I missed the British Museum the first two times I went to England, but I managed to spend one day there during a short trip in 2007. I wish I'd had two or three days more to explore galleries I could only walk past with a regretful sigh. — — There is so much to see in this national treasure of England--but it's not just English history and art. Prepare to gaze upon ancient Babylonian sculptures two storeys high. Brace yourself for gallery after gallery of ancient Egyptian mummies, complete with intricately painted wrappings and multiple sarcophagi. Relish gazing into hundreds of cases filled with gorgeous jewelry from the Romans to the Celts through the Victorians. There are simply too many spectacular categories of world-class art, sculpture, and historical artifacts to even begin to list them. — — Be sure to enjoy tea and pastry in the museum cafe', which has a very modern flair and serves absolutely delicious food. The central library and tea room was,... Wed, 07 May 2008 18:07:29 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/British-Museum-London-United-Kingdom-review-f1e83 JChancey 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Allstate-review-298e4 We use AllState for our home owner's and vehicle insurance. Because we do this, we get a substantial discount, which is a big help for our budget. Our local AllState agent is available to answer questions at any time, and we have had a very cordial relationship with his staff for the past three years. Any time we need them, they are johnny-on-the-spot. They've gone above and beyond the call of duty to help us out whenever we've had questions or needed to make policy changes. Simply fantastic customer service. —... Wed, 07 May 2008 17:48:17 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Allstate-review-298e4 JChancey 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Shakespeares-Globe-Theater-review-bd607 On a recent trip to London, England, I had the opportuntity to attend "The Merchant of Venice" at Shakespeare's Globe Theater on the banks of the Thames. The Globe is almost directly across the river from St. Paul's Cathedral via the Millennium Bridge and is well worth the ticket price! We purchased "Groundlings" tickets at only five pounds per person. The drawback is that you stand for the entire performance, but I have to say that we felt we had the best "seats" in the house! You have an eye-level view of the stage, and performers walk right out among the Groundlings during many scenes, making the play seem almost interactive. — — I've seen Shakespeare in many settings, including in a beautiful reproduction of the Blackfriar's Theater, but this was, by far, my favorite performance. The Globe itself is absolutely beautiful--a faithful reproduction of the theater as it looked in Shakespeare's day. The acting company is absolutely superb with the best set design and... Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:03:37 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Shakespeares-Globe-Theater-review-bd607 JChancey 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Dell-inspiron-I6400-Laptop-review-50201 I wasn't convinced at first that a move to a laptop was a good idea. I was happy with my PC and thought I'd hate the smaller keyboard on a laptop. But our family travels quite a lot, and I really wanted to be able to redeem the time while sitting in the car, so I bit the bullet. — — More than one friend urged me to consider Dell because of the excellent quality and service warranty. In the end, it was an unbeatable Dell bargain that convinced me. I was able to get my fully-loaded laptop, complete with all the software I needed, for under $700. That included extras like Microsoft Office and Microsoft Word, plus a transfer kit to move my files from my desktop to the laptop. I can honestly say I have never looked back and have often wondered what I ever saw in a desktop PC! The slim portability of a laptop just cannot be beat. The long battery life on my 6400 makes it easy to take on trips as well, and I love the hibernate feature that allows me to conserve the battery... Fri, 28 Dec 2007 01:45:25 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Dell-inspiron-I6400-Laptop-review-50201 JChancey 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Casio-Exilim-EX-Z75-digital-camera-review-7fa12 After growing frustrated with the easy death of AA batteries on other digital cameras, we decided to go for a model with a rechargable cell battery. The prices were off-putting at first, but we were able to snap up our Exilim at a discount at Best Buy and have been very happy with its performance. — — For still pictures, this is a very nice camera and easy to operate. Definitely invest in the pop-out memory card, which makes it much easier to download photos--particularly if you are prone to losing download cords! The compact size makes this easy to slip into a purse or a pocket, but it still has a large LED display on the back for easy picture-framing before you click. — — The only real disappointment with this model is the low quality of its video option. For close-up shots taken within three or four feet, the quality is clear and sharp, but if you try to focus on something in the distance, the picture goes blurry. So if you're looking for a top-quality... Fri, 28 Dec 2007 01:29:48 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Casio-Exilim-EX-Z75-digital-camera-review-7fa12 JChancey 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/KitchenAid-KSB560-5-Speed-Blender-review-eec41 We knew we needed a blender for two simple reasons: homemade salsa and yogurt smoothies! Both of those items were really tough to make by hand. But shopping for a blender wasn't much fun. I read review after review, discouraged by high prices and low quality. Then a friend told me about Kitchenaid's blender. Already the happy owner of a Kitchenaid stand mixer, I decided to investigate and see how their blender stacked up. — — I was delighted to find hundreds of positive reviews, but the bargain price made me wonder if perhaps this kitchen gadget didn't have quite the same quality as my stand mixer. Still, I decided to go with the Kitchenaid reputation and my friend's recommendation, and I am so glad I did! This blender is very sturdy. It can handle crushing ice and mincing tomatoes with equal ease -- without turning either item into absolute mush. The options include Stir, Chop, Mix, Puree, and Liquefy, and the Pulse feature allows the user to control the speed and... Fri, 28 Dec 2007 01:21:19 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/KitchenAid-KSB560-5-Speed-Blender-review-eec41 JChancey 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/KitchenAid-Classic-Plus-Stand-Mixer-review-ff5d3 My husband and I received a Kitchenaid mixer as newlyweds, and it served us faithfully for years until I burned out the motor on bread dough gone wrong! I was actually happy to upgrade to the larger Professional 5 Plus and chose the gorgeous cobalt blue color to complement my blue and yellow kitchen. This is one fantastic workhorse of a mixer! — — I also purchased the juicer, grinder, and chopper attachments and have enjoyed using all of them. But, by far, the thing I use this baby the most for is mixing. I appreciate having the variable speeds so that I can leave things stirring gently or crank it up to whip cream for me while I do something else. Not only is this a functional kitchen tool, but it actually looks nice on the countertop, more than compensating for its bulk. — — I've recommended Kitchenaid to my friends for years. They really do make a quality product, and it's not hard to find sales and bargains... Fri, 28 Dec 2007 01:12:43 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/KitchenAid-Classic-Plus-Stand-Mixer-review-ff5d3 JChancey 5