Reviews by LibbyMcMillan

LibbyMcMillan says "Most uncomfortable car EVER" about Ford Mustang - 2008

LibbyMcMillan — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 03:26:53 GMT

2008 Ford Mustang is extremely uncomfortable !!!!
I just rented this car - BIG MISTAKE - when also offered a Ford Fusion. I thought the Mustang would handle curvy roads and mountains, which is why I chose it. There was never a minute that I didn't regret that decision.

I have no idea who the "designers" thought would be comfortable in this car. I'm only 5'4" and my head was nearly touching the ceiling. The console was so wide there was no room in the front seats, and the cup holders were so deep, a short cup completely disappeared and you couldn't get it out again. The seat belts were wall-mounted so far back that we couldn't reach them from the front seats. They were also un-adjustable, high-to-low, so we got our necks gouged by the belts by four days.

When the front door opened, and I had to swing my legs around to get out of the car, a piece of very hard plastic protruded above the seat level, and into my left thigh, and it hurt. (And I have normal size...

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LibbyMcMillan says "Never enough time in this great Southwestern City!" about Top 10 Things to Do in Albuquerque

LibbyMcMillan — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 01:50:06 GMT

Albuquerque New Mexico's Top Ten Cool Things to Do

New Mexico's largest city is a great destination for families, couples, adventurers, and seniors. This beautiful city, stretching from the base of the Sangre de Christo mountains to the lush Rio Grande river valley and beyond has countless fun things to do year-round and they're all affordable. Here are my favorite things to do when I hit town:

Ride the tram to the top of the mountain
If you go when it's cool outside, be aware that the temperatures at the top of the mountain are FAR chillier than those below. Take a coat or sweatshirt. The ride is scary but safe and affords fantastic views of the city. High Finance restaurant and bar, at the mountain's top, has wicked-good hot drinks, which will be practically necessary in winter, when the peak is covered in snow.
Go see an IMAX movie at the Natural History Museum
If you like dinosaurs and such, plan on an extra couple of hours to take in the museum as well. Either...

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LibbyMcMillan says "The Nutcracker is a four-star performance" about New Mexico Ballet

LibbyMcMillan — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:00:10 GMT

New Mexico Ballet's Nutcracker is one for the ages
You may have seen this classic Christmas ballet performed before. But unless you've seen one of the world's top metropolitan ballet companies perform it in an iconic setting, you haven't really seen the Nutcracker yet. Albuquerque, New Mexico may not spring to mind as one of the world's top performing arts cities, but, in fact, Albuquerque ballet schools have launched a steady plethora of students and professionals onto company stages around the world: ABT, Joffrey, San Francisco Ballet. Its principal ballerinas and lead male dancers are extremely well-trained, classically beautiful performers, adept at their craft.

Add a professional symphony, a world-class performing arts hall (The Popejoy, on the UNM campus) and you've got the ingredients for a stellar bit of Christmas magic. New Mexico Ballet performs this classic with verve and talent, and - surprisingly - with occsional humor, too, which helps keep the audience...

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LibbyMcMillan says "A-1 Express: affordable parking near TPA" about A-1 Express Services Inc.

LibbyMcMillan — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:45:09 GMT

A-1 Express Services makes flying in/out of Tampa pleasant
You know you have to leave your car SOMEWHERE.....but does it have to be a major line-item in your budget? Not any more. This friendly little lot offers the cheapest parking I found near the Tampa airport, and STILL provides peace of mind, with 24-hour security (they're also open 24 hours), free airport shuttles, and clean restrooms in the office.

How to Get the Deal
It's simple. Go to the company's web site and pre-pay for your parking. It's that simple. I just left my car there for 2+ weeks and paid only $7 per day. Plus they will even bring your car around for free, in the middle of your reservation, if you're doing back-to-back trips and need to do the suitcase shuffle. All the while maintaining professional demeanor, cheery disposition and decent shuttle buses. The lot is only about 2 miles from the airport, and right off the freeway. . . very easy to reach, and if you need help, they give...

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LibbyMcMillan says "General Palmer: walk to everything in Durango" about General Palmer Hotel - Durango, CO

LibbyMcMillan — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 06:54:22 GMT

Durango is terrific and the General Palmer is a wonderful home base
I had always favored the historic Strater hotel in downtown Durango. But my sister booked a room for us at the General Palmer, on a recent roadtrip to southwest Colorado. The location is practically identical to the Strater, only one block south and closer to the town's famous train station.   Smaller and more intimate, the General Palmer - built in 1898 - makes a great first impression and then follows through.

The lobby was beautiful, filled with antiques and providing views of the snow-covered mountains that form the bowl in which the city sits. The front desk gal was warm and helpful.   Our room was smallish but cozy and nicely decorated. The bed was great.

The only down side was the noise: not a major factor, but typical of an older hotel.   You can hear what's happening in the hallways outside your door, and in the room next to you. Request an end room if you're a light sleeper. Many of the...

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LibbyMcMillan says "Selling on eBay is easier than ever" about eBay

LibbyMcMillan — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 06:33:26 GMT

Selling on eBay: easier than ever to sell goods online!
eBay has really succeeded at making their site user-friendly for novice computer users who want to be Sellers. If you can set up a PayPal account, shoot a digital camera, and figure out (or get someone to show you) how to access your photos, you're in business. Literally!

eBay is a wonderful way to make money turning stuff you don't use into extra cash. I know lots of people who make a living by searching for goods to resell, at garage sales, etc. I have only used the site sporadically, and mainly for purchasing, but after spending a few hours today helping my dad list several items for sale, I was really impressed at how the site has been revamped for newbies. The last time I tried to put something up for sale, I remember it being difficult. Today, it was sooo easy!

eBay sets up their Sell page in simple-to-follow steps: just fill in your title, choose some photos to upload, fill in your description,...

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LibbyMcMillan says "Hotels.com offers loads of info" about Hotels.com

LibbyMcMillan — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 06:27:30 GMT

Hotels.com shows hotels, area maps, amenities, nearby attractions & more

Hotels.com may not always be the absolute best place to book a room, but it is certainly the easiest place to learn the most information in the shortest amount of time. You can search by location, and by hotel chain, if you like. You can find options near major attractions or airports. And all the hotels that match your search criteria come up in a list, but more importantly, also appear as icons on a map. So if you know you want to be on the south side of a city, for example, you can instantly see which of your options are worth checking out further.

I particularly like the fact that you can see how other guests have rated each property. (three stars, four stars, etc) These ratings mean something when considered against the number of reviews factored into the rating. If one guest had a beef, I don't give that opinion too much weight. If 127 people average out at 2.0 stars out of 5, that...

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LibbyMcMillan says "Bananagrams: fast fun for wordsmiths!" about Bananagrams game

LibbyMcMillan — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 15:59:46 GMT

Bananagrams will make you laugh until you cry
I first spied the yellow zippered banana-shaped bag in a gift shop in Durango, Colorado.....the minute my sister and I realized it held letter tiles for a crossword speed game, we bought it and took it home anxious to play. Our dad is a crossword junkie, and we are both Scrabble addicts.   Turned out to be the best $15 we ever spent!

The first time we played this game, we were hooked
You dump all the letters upside on the table, then take 18 letters each (for 3 players).   Everyone turns over their letters at the same time, then starts making their own crossword puzzle using every letter. Just like Scrabble, no capitalized words, no contractions, no acronyms, no foreign language.

How it Works
As soon as the first person has used all his tiles, he shouts PEEL, at which point he and all the other players must take a tile.   This new tile is often placed quickly by the person who "peeled," meaning he will likely keep shouting "Peel!"...

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LibbyMcMillan says "Pandora's transition to iPhone is seamless" about Pandora Media, Inc. Pandora app for iPhone

LibbyMcMillan — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 15:33:47 GMT

Pandora is the coolest thing ever . . . and now it's available for iPhone.
If youre a music lover and you haven't yet discovered Pandora, just go there now. It will change your life! :-D Pandora has determined the many musical qualities of every song you can imagine (and tons you've never heard of and might not ever find on your own) in what it calls the Music Genome Project. This brilliant move allows your Pandora station to know what you like by the very first song you enter into your own customized radio station.
Then it fills up your station with songs that have similar qualities (things like harmonies, minor/major key, upbeat tempo, etc). You do NOT have to understand music or be a musician to use Pandora. Just know a couple of songs you like and this program does the rest; it "learns" what you like and don't like and continues to refine your station(s).

(See my full review at http://www.viewpoints.com/Pandora-Radio-reviews)

The Pandora App brings all...

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LibbyMcMillan says "$1.99 for Local Knowledge: Around Me" about TweakerSoft Around Me 1.0

LibbyMcMillan — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 15:01:31 GMT

Around Me leads iPhone Users to Gas, Dining, Movies and More
iPhone isn't perfect (don't get me started) but it does have its addictive features. All the cool new apps that are available for free or next to nothing top that list. One of my favs is called Around Me. Using your phone's present location in a GPS way, the app pulls up a number of nearby options in any category you choose: gas, restaurants, theaters, hotels, coffee houses, groceries, banks, hospitals.

Get Lots of Info and Save It
So if, like me, you are still travelling with an official GPS in your car, it doesn't even matter if you miss your turn. Just stop the car, give Around Me a second to assess your location, then ask it where the nearest "whatever" is.......and not only will it give you a whole list, you can see a map of and route to each thing, as well as get the phone number, address and web site. When this page pops up, you can even all that info to your list of Contacts and permanently save it. ...

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LibbyMcMillan says "Love my little Passport" about Western Digital WDC 3200BMV external 250 gig USB hard drive

LibbyMcMillan — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 14:26:54 GMT

Keep your promise to yourself..........to back up your files
It's fast and easy with the Passport!

Love this palm-sized hard drive!
When I bought my latest computer, I knew it was past time to protect all my photos. In the last year, I'd had two friends lose all their digital images. I wasn't into burning a million CDs (coz thats about how many pics I have) so I went in search of a small external hard drive which hooks to my computer via USB cable. At Costco, I found the Passport for just over $100. Aptly named, the passport is almost exactly the same size as......a passport, of course!.........and came with its own little zip-up carrying case and USB cord.

Easy to Use
The passport couldn't be any easier to use. Simply plug it in, and Move or Copy files onto it: it holds a jillion pics and documents. I could almost say it's fun to use. It's small enough, it fits in my camera bag or purse if I want to take it on the road with my computer and continue...

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LibbyMcMillan says "Australia has incredible FX, great story" about Australia

LibbyMcMillan — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 21:27:17 GMT

Australia is an Epic Adventure....
.........to a place most of us will never see, in a time we can't go back to. This high-budget drama goes all out to depict the drama that plays out from a vastly remote cattle station in the Aboriginal-inhabited outback, just prior to World War II. NIcole Kidman is perfectly cast as a well-to-do English lady who flies around the globe only to step into a mess that's far from her comfort zone. She quickyl pulls on her big girl panties, however, and goes after the bad guys with the competent direction of Jackman's character Grover, a free-wheeling cattle wrangler.

Characters, Style and Pace
There's not a character in this film who isn't well developed, well cast and thought out. Viewers will recognize Brian Brown, of the Thorn Birds, and will surely fall under the spell of young Brandon Walters as Nullah. The movie starts out a little odd: highly stylized, with some odd directorial decisions . . . you feel like you're not sure what...

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LibbyMcMillan says "Norman Love BLACK: tantalizing dark chocolate " about Norman Love Confections BLACK

LibbyMcMillan — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 20:42:22 GMT

Norman Love's BLACK is a dark chocolate triumph
I'm lucky to live at Norman Love's home base: southwest Florida. This former pastry chef (Ritz Carlotn, no less) turned his attention to chocolate a few years ago, and since then, has taken the world by storm. Mr. Love's Chocolate Salon in Fort Myers, Florida is not to be missed (and is near RSW airport for a quick stop when you visit!).

This fall, Norman launched BLACK, a line of chocolates just as beautiful as his others (which look like ethereal marbles or shiny stones in vivid hues). But the new BLACK line is made with the world's finest dark chocolates. Norman sourced the world for primo cocoa beans and found them in the Dominican Republic; Ecuador; Bolivia; Venezuela; and Madagascar.

The resulting dark chocolates have a variety of flavors, some robust, some more subtle. Wrap your tongue around a BLACK confection, and - as in drinking red wine - a panoply of flavors become apparent: notes of...

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LibbyMcMillan says "Mark Farnsworth is amazingly smart & intuitive" about Mark Farnsworth - Kagen Jugen & Associates Rehab Center - Fort Myers, FL

LibbyMcMillan — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 21:47:48 GMT

I Relied on Mark Farnsworth
Mark was assigned to me after I had arthroscopic shoulder surgery with Dr. Kagan. I was thrilled ot hear he'd spent his career working on pro baseball players. He has two world series rings for his years with Kansas City and Philadelphia. Mark knows shoulders. This became more and more evident as he oversaw my rehab exercises and then started to stretch me afterwards. He knew what I could handle, and when.......and if I told him I was experiencing pain, he'd quickly make adjustments to eliminate it.

But the shoulder stretching - once I was healed enough to take it - was just the best thing ever. Mark knows so many different ways to stretch a part of the body that you only THINK you understand until he goes after it. Then you realize that not only have you been unaware of all the intricacies of the shoulder, but so is your massage therapist.

I followed my instructions very close to the letter, and my rehab went very quickly. I was hitting...

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LibbyMcMillan says "Design Within Reach inspires " about Design Within Reach - Estero, FL

LibbyMcMillan — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 21:10:38 GMT

Design Within Reach is an inspiring environment
You may think, like I did, that you're not a fan of contemporary design. But DWR will change your mind. These nationwide design studios were formed as a way to give the public access to fully-licensed designer furnishings without a middle-man. This means that instead of knock-offs, or wanna-be pieces, DWR furnishings are the real deal, and with care, will hold their value or appreciate. They are collectibles, lifetime pieces, the stuff you will hand down to your kids. And in the meantime, you'll get a real kick out of having any of these pieces in your own home.

Could be Snobby..............but they're NOT
DWR staffers could be pretty snobby if they chose to be: after all, most people are not conversant in the designers whose pieces they carry, with the exception of, say, Eames. However, part of the DWR philosophy is approachability. Despite the significant price tags, dogs are welcome in the store. The proprietor,...

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LibbyMcMillan says "Texas Tech makes me proud of the Big 12" about Texas Tech Red Raiders football team

LibbyMcMillan — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 20:19:37 GMT

2008 is the Year of the Big Twelve
With due respect to fans of Alabama, Florida, USC, Penn State and Ohio State........the 2008 football season is the year of the Big 12. Study the stats - particularly those of the numerous Heisman contenders and their teams: OU, TX and TX Tech - and you'll have to agree. No other conference compares this year. Perhaps the most exciting team to watch has been Texas Tech.

Texas Tech has Heart & Talent
The magic between QB Graham Harrell and the receiver he most often connects with, Michael Crabtree, has really been amazing to watch. These two guys are so in synch you can't even believe what you're seeing. It's just beautiful football - countless long, long Harrell passes that Crabtree snatches and scores on. And Harrell is so darn cool under pressure, in his pocket, thanks to his linemen who protect him. So far, the only team to breach this nearly impenetrable pocket has been my own team, Oklahoma. But ironically, I took no pleasure...

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LibbyMcMillan says "Company Buzz lets you follow what's being said about any company" about Company Buzz Application on Linked In

LibbyMcMillan — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 17:24:44 GMT

LinkedIn has a cool new app.........
Not yet sure how Twitter can make your life more productive? Here's a classic example. If you're a LinkedIn member (and you should be, for networking purposes, job possibilities or for reconnecting with old friends) then sign up for the free app called Company Biz. It allows you to select companies you're interested in, and will show you any and allTwitter postings that are relevant. You can see what people are saying about a company, track trends, get heads' up on impending peril, or discover that the latest hearsay is really just a rumor.

The list of people this app is good for is dauntingly long: journalists, researchers, educators, investors, job hunters, people fearful of layoffs, family & friends of people who work for large companies, folks worried about their own local economy and what the big players in town are doing..........

I hope to get some feedback on who is using this app and why. I love the concept and...

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LibbyMcMillan says "Western Digital's Passport is compact, easy to use" about Western Digital WDC 3200BMV Passport external 250 gig USB hard drive

LibbyMcMillan — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 16:47:07 GMT

Computer Crashes Make You Smart
We say we'll backup, we mean to backup, but for many of us, the only time we ever really DO is after we have a total loss of data, or a near miss. I've had both. So now I'm a faithful backer-upper, and think there's no better or easier way than an external hard drive.

I have a drawer full of Flash Drives, but they are so small, they're easy to lose. That makes me nervous. Plus none of them can hold all the stuff I need to store: jillions of photos and documents for my work as a writer. An external hard drive gives you everything: a safe place to put ALL your stuff, a portable device that's compatible with any hotel computer when you're on the road and don't want to lug your own, and an easy, failproof hurricane plan for securing data during evacuation. WOO HOO!

I found Western Digital's 320 gig Passport at Costco
I could have spent less, perhaps, but I needed an external hard drive and generally trust the pricing at Costco,...

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LibbyMcMillan says "Dell improved + Windows XP still available!" about Dell Computers

LibbyMcMillan — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 16:30:30 GMT

I've come back to Dell
I bought a Dell notebook about 5 years ago, and had a lot of problems with it: lots of parts had to be replaced (battery, keyboard, etc) and service was sent overseas to well-intentioned tech assistants in India. Communications were just difficult enough that I got frustrated during my (many necessary) service calls. (And am I the only one who found the cloyingly treacly sweetness of these assistants irritating? Never understood if the constant barrage of apologies and verbal niceties were the result of a Dell customer service policy or a cultural thing, but it drove me nuts . . . and I appreicate good service!).

That was Then, This is Now
When my Dell finally croaked, I switched to a Sony Vaio. Now that's croaked as well (thank God for external hard drives; I'm a heavy user). I consulted an IT friend who keeps systems running for a big insurance company with mobile agents, and he said "GO DELL." I realize this is purely anecdotal, but hey,...

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LibbyMcMillan says "Vaseline bath beads: inexpensive bath-time luxury" about Vaseline Intensive Care Moisturizing Bath Beads enriched with aloe

LibbyMcMillan — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:03:28 GMT

Vaseline Intensive Care Moisturizing Bath Beads
I discovered this product by accident, and am not even sure how it came to be in my house. But when I poured these aloe-rich beads into my warm bath as I drew it, little did I know I'd be instantly hooked on an inexpensive luxury.

You've probably seen the bath beads: they come in a smallish 24 ounce box. I tried the "Botanical Garden" fragrance. While it smells very nice, it is the silky smooth feeling of the bath water that will get your attention. A 15 minute soak and your skin is just beautifully soft and smooth. "Intensive care" is an apt name.

I've tried other bath beads since then, but Vaseline has this category locked up. Next time you want a treat for yourself, a romantic notion or a nice little pick-me-up for a friend, grab a box of these bath beads and "pour it on."

The Bottom Line: Libby Loves It!

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