Reviews by NancyShrew

NancyShrew says "You can trust this nonprofit." about The Trust for Public Land

NancyShrew — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 21:52:52 GMT

My husband and I have a rule for our kids. Whatever money they obtain (they are only 10 and 12, so we haven't been able to get jobs for them yet!), they have to split into thirds: one third to save, one third to spend and one third to donate to the charity of their choice.

Selecting their charity was fun. We talked about the things they care about, like animals, the environment, their school, sick or disadvantaged kids, among others. My older boy couldn't really decide until I told him about The Trust for Public Land, which works to conserve land for people to use as parks, community gardens, historic sites, rural lands, and other natural places. As soon as he heard "parks," he got it and his choice was made.

The Trust for Public Land is headquartered in San Francisco, but they have regional offices all over the country. They work with both government and community groups to reclaim "brownspace" to make it usable park land or natural space for people to enjoy. Since 1972, has completed more......

NancyShrew says "These glasses do their job -- even on the brightest days." about Maui Jim Sunglasses

NancyShrew — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 11:49:00 GMT

I hate buying sunglasses. I lose the cheap ones, and the expensive ones are, well, expensive. But it turns out that I have very sensitive eyes, and the better the sunglasses, the better I'm protecting myself from UV light, blah, blah, blah.

So I just spent $200 on a pair of Maui Jim shades. These things are great. A little heavier than my old Ray Ban sporty shields, but they block glare and look good as well.

So, all you blue-eyed people, don't skimp on eye protection. Get a good pair of sunglasses with polarized lenses to protect those pale retinas. Maui Jims are a good choice.
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NancyShrew says "Bought it once for the packaging; won't buy it twice." about Method Bloq shave cream

NancyShrew — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 21:45:35 GMT

I love the Method line of home care products. I have been happy with the other soaps and cleaning products I have tried. So when I found this amazing looking new product on the shelf at Target, I was excited to try it.

First, a description: The package is a little green square. Really. Cute as can be, really different from anything out there.

But that's it for the good news. The bad news is that the product, which says it's shave cream, has the consistency of milk, and doesn't lather up at all.

So buy it for the cool packaging if you're a sucker for that kind of stuff like I am. But it doesn't really work well as a shaving cream.
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NancyShrew says "What was I waiting for? This thing is candy!" about Apple - iPhone (8 GB) Cell Phone

NancyShrew — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 01:56:32 GMT

Here was my thought process: I don't need such an expensive gadget. I already have a phone, a camera, an iPod and a laptop. But, I have a birthday this month, and so, a convenient excuse for buying the Apple iPhone.

From the very first touch point with the product, I was impressed. It comes in a beautfiully designed little box. Ear buds, a cradle / dock, USB cable, AC power adaptor, and a little instruction booklet called "finger tips" are all tucked inside the box. I hooked up the dock, launched iTunes, and within 5 minutes, I had updated my Cingular / ATT cellular plan, and synched all my contacts, calendar information and music.

How simple is that?

So far, after owning the thing for all of 16 hours, I've sent and received email, made some calls, used the camera and played with the internet. (Wait until you see how to scale the web pages!) Apple has wisely kept the phone's sound effects to a minimum, but the sounds it does use are satisfying and appropriate. (It's helpful to hear the numbers......