http://www.viewpoints.com/aboutme/Nicole Thu, 01 Nov 2007 02:49:03 GMT Reviews by Nicole http://www.viewpoints.com/Pumpkin-Master-Deluxe-Pumpkin-Carving-Set-review-67133 The Case — — Last Halloween, I was determined to carve pumpkins. Due to unfortunate circumstances, I had not been able to enjoy this tradition for about two or three years prior to 2006, and by God, I wasn’t going to miss it again! So, we headed out for supplies, namely pumpkins and a carving kit. We chose our pumpkins and grabbed a $3 carving set. Who would have ever guessed that this was the best spent $3 ever?! — — The Good — — That $3 carving set is called the Pumpkin Master Deluxe Pumpkin Carving Set, and, after the second year around, it’s still going strong! So, two years of use now, with at least one more in the works, and the whole thing only cost me three measly bucks! Amazing! — — The set includes six carving instruments: a large scraper for the inside guts, a small scraper for detail carving, a mini scraper meant for some purpose that I haven’t discovered yet, a handy pattern puncher, an outline pencil,... Thu, 01 Nov 2007 02:49:03 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Pumpkin-Master-Deluxe-Pumpkin-Carving-Set-review-67133 Nicole 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/California-Costume-Hip-Witch-review-6dcb The Case — We struck gold with one costume this year, but, unfortunately, we weren't as lucky when it came to my sister Ally's Hip Witch outfit.  It looked cute enough on the package, but boy, was it a nightmare otherwise! — The Good — Well, it's cute.  And, uh...it was easy to keep track of her while we were out and about, because she was so sparkly and bright.  Uh...yeah.  That's all I got, people. — The Bad — Everything else.  No, seriously.  This costume started falling apart even before we got it out of the store!  Which might lead you to question why we bought it...but, uh, let's not talk about that now.  The point is, it wasn't comfortable for my litte sister because it was literally falling off in pieces, and it wasn't durable, because it was literally falling off in pieces.  And, get this: we paid $20 for it!  Never, ever again. — The Verdict — Two stars!  I'd stay away from... Thu, 01 Nov 2007 02:38:01 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/California-Costume-Hip-Witch-review-6dcb Nicole 2 http://www.viewpoints.com/Zizzle-Pirates-of-the-Caribbean-3-Jack-Sparrows-Ultimate-Pirate-Gear-review-81ae0 The Case — There's really not much to say for this one.  My brother said he wanted to be a pirate for Halloween.  When we asked which one, he opted for Captain Jack.  And man oh man, with this Jack Sparrow kit, there was no mistaking who this eye-lined, dread-locked pirate was supposed to be! — The Good — Every Halloween, you get the expected complaints of uncomfortable costumes, costumes that fall apart, and costumes that 'just aren't cool enough.'  Well, not this year!  Adam's Jack Sparrow costume was a hit, especially with Adam. — It survived blocks and blocks of trick-or-treating, too.  Fantastic!  And, as a bonus, it's got actual props, not just clothes, so there are toys to be played with all year round, not just on Halloween!  Everyone was a fan! — The Bad — It didn't come with Jack Sparrow's mannerisms.  I'd pay good money to see my brother strut around like the erstwhile Captain Jack!... Thu, 01 Nov 2007 02:23:12 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Zizzle-Pirates-of-the-Caribbean-3-Jack-Sparrows-Ultimate-Pirate-Gear-review-81ae0 Nicole 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/DXG-Technology-DXG-518-Digital-Camera-review-b1783 The Case — I was so excited to get this camera for Christmas last year.  Finally, a digital!  The first big place I took it to was Disneyworld, and it was there that I realized - this is one of the worst cameras ever! — The Good — I admit, the size of the DXG-518 is very handy.  It fits in almost any pocket, bag, or purse.  It's easy to carry around.  Plus, I do enjoy that there's a wide variety of settings.  You have all the basics and then some.  I got some truly spectacular shots of the Strip the last time I was in Vegas, and it's thanks to this camera.  However, the good does NOT outweigh the bad! — The Bad — The absolute worst thing about this camera is the focus.  I swear, it hates me.  Its got a serious shutter lag, and nearly 2/3's of my pics turn out terrible.  In addition to that, the video camera function is not the best.  99% of the time, the images don't match the sound.  And if... Thu, 01 Nov 2007 01:54:03 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/DXG-Technology-DXG-518-Digital-Camera-review-b1783 Nicole 2 http://www.viewpoints.com/Langensheidts-German-Pocket-Dictionary-review-6b3d2 The Case — — I bought my Langenscheidt Pocket Dictionary way back in the day, when I was in high school. We needed a dictionary for German class, and Frau Esch recommended Langenscheidt. And when Frau Esch recommended, you bought. Since then, my German dictionary has come in handy many a time – I’m very glad I have it. — — The Good — — This dictionary is compact and easy to travel with. Whether you’re headed to German class or Berlin, you can fit this book in your bag with no problems. Thanks to the two-way translation, the dictionary can be used to either interpret the foreign language or use it, and it never hurts to have the Langenscheidt with you when you’re transcribing or translating from Deutsch into English (or vice versa)! — — The Bad — — I gotta say, when it comes to actually using this dictionary, I’ve never had a problem. However, I’d love it if I could get a copy in... Wed, 31 Oct 2007 16:00:22 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Langensheidts-German-Pocket-Dictionary-review-6b3d2 Nicole 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Woot-com-review-46fd0 The Case — — I was introduced to woot.com by a good friend of mine, and, since then, I’ve tried to check the site every day.  It’s a great place for techies, nerds, geeks, and housemoms alike.  Woot caters to everyone! — — The Good — — The basic premise of woot.com is one product per day.  That’s right – you won’t spend a lot of time shopping or surfing on this site – you visit, you see, you decide, you buy, or you leave.  It’s all very simple, which I love.  Since I’ve become a regular visitor at the Woot website, I’ve seen everything from video cards to digital cameras, from the little, round, self-propelled vacuum cleaners that suck up your dirt and entertain you at the same time to wide-screen televisions. — — I guarantee that you won’t forget the address of this site, and that’s handy for checking it with only a few seconds of spare time... Wed, 31 Oct 2007 15:01:41 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Woot-com-review-46fd0 Nicole 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/IKEA-Franklin-29-Foldable-Bar-Stool-review-f0752 The Case — — I just moved into a new apartment recently, and I don’t have a kitchen table.  This is partly because I’ve never had a need to buy one and partly because there’s no room for one anyway – the foosball table takes precedence!  However, I do have a nice, long counter, and it’s perfect for a set of tall stools.  So, without further ado, I headed off to Ikea.  I returned home with a pair of 29” Franklin foldable bar stools, and, so far, I couldn’t be happier with them! — — The Good — — The Franklin stools were $24 each, which is a lot cheaper than most of the other stools I looked at (Franklin also has the same stool at 25" for only $19.99).  They're very comfortable, with a back and a footrest, which I particularly enjoy.  They fold up easily if you need to get them out of the way, but when they’re out, they don’t look transient, they look like they... Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:49:21 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/IKEA-Franklin-29-Foldable-Bar-Stool-review-f0752 Nicole 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Transformers-review-d2af2 The Case — — To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from Transformers besides good special effects.  I figured it would be best to go in with low expectations and prepare for a so-so movie.  I sure as heck wasn’t ready to be thoroughly entertained from beginning to end! — — The Good — — The one thing I thought would be decent – the special effects – weren’t decent at all, they were amazing.  I was like a little child sitting in the theater, gazing up in absolute awe at the movie magic displayed onscreen.  The one phrase running continuously through my head was ‘This is so cool!’ — — And, as a bonus, it was a good movie to boot!  The performances were fun and believable, the humor was interspersed regularly and effectively, and the soundtrack was complete, over-the-top fun.  Definitely worth picking up for your next road trip.  Overall, Transformers takes the... Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:36:38 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Transformers-review-d2af2 Nicole 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Harry-Potter-1-7-Audio-Book-CDs-review-fa0b1 The Case — — I’ve never been a big fan of audio books – they’ve always seemed like a type of cheating to me. I mean, can you really claim that you’ve read a book if you only listened to it? I was always proud to say that I’d never listened to an audio book and I never would. Of course, that was back when I was a book snob. I’ve since learned the error of my ways, and it’s the Harry Potter audio books that educated me. — — After the seventh Harry Potter book was released, I went through a mini-Harry Potter withdrawal. In a desperate attempt for more Harry Potter in my life, I decided to purchase the entire audio book series, despite my better judgement. Thank goodness for that! — — The Good — — The HP audio books are offered in both abridged and unabridged versions. I think abridged books are a blasphemous invention, so I’m pleased that I was able to get these extremely long books... Mon, 29 Oct 2007 16:54:05 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Harry-Potter-1-7-Audio-Book-CDs-review-fa0b1 Nicole 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/CiCis-Pizza-Austin-TX-review-561e1 The Case — — When you have a lot of young’uns in the family, you become very familiar with all of the pizza joints in town, especially if they’ve got games to play after you’re done with dinner.  CiCi’s is one of the many choices for a kid-friendly restaurant, but thanks to their pizza buffet, we usually head there instead of Gatti’s or Chuck E. Cheese. — — The Good — — It may not be the crème de la crème of places, but CiCi’s has it where it counts – namely, in the kid department.  With decent buffet prices, a wide selection of pies for the whole family – including parent preferences like supreme, veggie, and spinach – dessert pizzas up the wazoo, and a big game room for entertainment after the meal, CiCi’s has it goin’ on for the entire family. — — The Bad — — Even though I’m a CiCi’s fan, I still have a few... Mon, 29 Oct 2007 15:56:49 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/CiCis-Pizza-Austin-TX-review-561e1 Nicole 3 http://www.viewpoints.com/Crocs-Cayman-review-345e The Case — — There are a number of great reviews about Crocs out there already, but I just had to add my voice to the multitude. These shoes are absolutely fantastic! — — The Good — — Okay, besides the fact that my Crocs are the most comfortable things I’ve ever worn in my entire life, I’m the most pleased with how easy it is to clean them. Your Crocs are dusty? Muddy? Caked in sludge? No problem! Hose ‘em down, let ‘em dry, and you’re good to go! They’re extremely durable. — — The strap is another handy feature. If you’re into slipping your shoes on and off hassle-free, you can push the strap forward out of the way. If you’re the type of person that needs your shoes secured on your foot, you can use the strap across the back of your heel. Nice, easy, simple. Just how I like my footwear. — — The Bad — — They can’t substitute as heels. How... Mon, 29 Oct 2007 15:42:21 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Crocs-Cayman-review-345e Nicole 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Gone-Baby-Gone--135148-review-aa4a This review is spoiler-free! The Case — We get a lot of free movie passes and advance screening tickets in the mail, and the latest one was for a movie called Gone Baby Gone.  Honestly, I'd never heard of it.  Had to look it up to find out who was in it and what it was about.  A cop movie.  Really?  Well, I had nothing else to do last Tuesday, so what the heck.  I went to see it.  And I walked out of the theater totally impressed. — The Good — Gone Baby Gone is a movie based on the Dennis LeHane novel of the same name.  I haven't read the book, but after seeing this movie, I really want to.  Casey Affleck shines as hometown private investigator Patrick Kenzie, and, thanks to Ben Affleck's amazing directing, the flow of the movie is smooth, natural, tense, and unpredictable all at the same time.  I think the Affleck brothers should team up more often! — The plot of the movie revolves around the... Sat, 20 Oct 2007 16:04:20 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Gone-Baby-Gone--135148-review-aa4a Nicole 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Desktop-Tower-Defense-review-133b1 The Case — — I work for an educational stock trading company as a copywriter, which means that I'm at my computer 8 hours a day. As such, I'm extremely well-versed in the wide world of Internet games, and the one I just recently discovered - Desktop Tower Defense - is the epitome of addictive fun! — — The Good — — DTD has everything you could want from a computer game - it's easy to learn, it requires the use of strategy, it has levels for beginners and experts alike, and it's sooo entertaining! I enjoy the fact that this game calls for thought and planning, but, at its most basic level, it's really just easy to play. Trust me, even if you're not into computer games, this one will have you hooked! — — Desktop Tower Defense consists of a game map (which looks like a desktop - hence the name), various gun options, and creeps, which are little bug-like things that you need to destroy before they reach the other side of your desktop. ... Mon, 08 Oct 2007 15:08:38 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Desktop-Tower-Defense-review-133b1 Nicole 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Into-The-Wild-review-4bb92 The Case — Into The Wild is a film based on the book and true-life story of Christopher McCandless, a young college graduate who gives up all of his possessions and takes an alternate route in discovering the joys that life has to offer. Sounds pretty good, huh? Yep, that's what I thought, which is why I went to see it this weekend. And it wasn't good. It was phenomenal. — The Good — Leaving out the origins of the story for a moment, I'd like to give props to the separate elements that made this film so wonderful. First, the locations. This production traveled across the entirety of North and South America to capture all of the places that McCandless actually experienced, and the movie is stunning because of it. From the deserts of Mexico to the mountains of Alaska, this movie will leave you breathless. — Second, the filming technique. The movie feels like it's alive, and that's due in part to the amazing camera work. There's a lot of handheld shots, a... Wed, 03 Oct 2007 17:56:18 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Into-The-Wild-review-4bb92 Nicole 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Empire-Strikes-Back-Star-Wars-Episode-V-review-40a01 The Case — Okay, we're all familiar with the legendary, and sometimes infamous, Star Wars films.  We've all seen the movies - and if you haven't, I demand you stop reading and go watch them NOW! - we've all heard the quotes, we've all used the phrase "May the Force be with you."  Wait - doesn't everyone use that phrase in everyday conversation...?  — Uh, anyway, what I'd like to do here is rank the six SW movies in order from "The Best Flick of all Time That Makes Me Weep With Joy Every Time I Watch It" to "Oh My God, What The Heck Is This Abominable Monstrosity of a Thing and Why Does It Have The Name 'Star Wars' Attached To It?!"  For simplicity's sake, I'll refer to my ranking system on a numerical scale for the rest of this review. — Star Wars Movies - From Best to Worst: — #1 - Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back — #2 - Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope — #3 - Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi — #4 -... Sun, 30 Sep 2007 23:02:00 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Empire-Strikes-Back-Star-Wars-Episode-V-review-40a01 Nicole 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Star-Wars-Episode-IV-A-New-Hope-review-37fa1 The Case — Okay, we're all familiar with the legendary, and sometimes infamous, Star Wars films.  We've all seen the movies - and if you haven't, I demand you stop reading and go watch them NOW! - we've all heard the quotes, we've all used the phrase "May the Force be with you."  Wait - doesn't everyone use that phrase in everyday conversation...?  — Uh, anyway, what I'd like to do here is rank the six SW movies in order from "The Best Flick of all Time That Makes Me Weep With Joy Every Time I Watch It" to "Oh My God, What The Heck Is This Abominable Monstrosity of a Thing and Why Does It Have The Name 'Star Wars' Attached To It?!"  For simplicity's sake, I'll refer to my ranking system on a numerical scale for the rest of this review. — Star Wars Movies - From Best to Worst: — #1 - Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back — #2 - Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope — #3 - Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi — #4 -... Sun, 30 Sep 2007 18:50:20 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Star-Wars-Episode-IV-A-New-Hope-review-37fa1 Nicole 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Star-Wars-Episode-VI-Return-of-the-Jedi-review-61391 The Case — Okay, we're all familiar with the legendary, and sometimes infamous, Star Wars films.  We've all seen the movies - and if you haven't, I demand you stop reading and go watch them NOW! - we've all heard the quotes, we've all used the phrase "May the Force be with you."  Wait - doesn't everyone use that phrase in everyday conversation...?  — Uh, anyway, what I'd like to do here is rank the six SW movies in order from "The Best Flick of all Time That Makes Me Weep With Joy Every Time I Watch It" to "Oh My God, What The Heck Is This Abominable Monstrosity of a Thing and Why Does It Have The Name 'Star Wars' Attached To It?!"  For simplicity's sake, I'll refer to my ranking system on a numerical scale for the rest of this review. — Star Wars Movies - From Best to Worst: — #1 - Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back — #2 - Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope — #3 - Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi — #4 -... Sun, 30 Sep 2007 18:47:14 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Star-Wars-Episode-VI-Return-of-the-Jedi-review-61391 Nicole 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Star-Wars-Episode-III-Revenge-of-the-Sith-review-b42c1 The Case — Okay, we're all familiar with the legendary, and sometimes infamous, Star Wars films.  We've all seen the movies - and if you haven't, I demand you stop reading and go watch them NOW! - we've all heard the quotes, we've all used the phrase "May the Force be with you."  Wait - doesn't everyone use that phrase in everyday conversation...?  — Uh, anyway, what I'd like to do here is rank the six SW movies in order from "The Best Flick of all Time That Makes Me Weep With Joy Every Time I Watch It" to "Oh My God, What The Heck Is This Abominable Monstrosity of a Thing and Why Does It Have The Name 'Star Wars' Attached To It?!"  For simplicity's sake, I'll refer to my ranking system on a numerical scale for the rest of this review. — Star Wars Movies - From Best to Worst: — #1 - Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back — #2 - Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope — #3 - Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi — #4 -... Sun, 30 Sep 2007 16:28:12 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Star-Wars-Episode-III-Revenge-of-the-Sith-review-b42c1 Nicole 3 http://www.viewpoints.com/Star-Wars-Episode-II-Attack-of-the-Clones-review-ebaf3 The Case — Okay, we're all familiar with the legendary, and sometimes infamous, Star Wars films.  We've all seen the movies - and if you haven't, I demand you stop reading and go watch them NOW! - we've all heard the quotes, we've all used the phrase "May the Force be with you."  Wait - doesn't everyone use that phrase in everyday conversation...?  — Uh, anyway, what I'd like to do here is rank the six SW movies in order from "The Best Flick of all Time That Makes Me Weep With Joy Every Time I Watch It" to "Oh My God, What The Heck Is This Abominable Monstrosity of a Thing and Why Does It Have The Name 'Star Wars' Attached To It?!"  For simplicity's sake, I'll refer to my ranking system on a numerical scale for the rest of this review. — Star Wars Movies - From Best to Worst: — #1 - Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back — #2 - Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope — #3 - Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi... Sun, 30 Sep 2007 07:23:04 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Star-Wars-Episode-II-Attack-of-the-Clones-review-ebaf3 Nicole 2 http://www.viewpoints.com/Star-Wars-Episode-I-The-Phantom-Menace-review-73f6 The Case — Okay, we're all familiar with the legendary, and sometimes infamous, Star Wars films.  We've all seen the movies - and if you haven't, I demand you stop reading and go watch them NOW! - we've all heard the quotes, we've all used the phrase "May the Force be with you."  Wait - doesn't everyone use that phrase in everyday conversation...?  — Uh, anyway, what I'd like to do here is rank the six SW movies in order from "The Best Flick of all Time That Makes Me Weep With Joy Every Time I Watch It" to "Oh My God, What The Heck Is This Abominable Monstrosity of a Thing and Why Does It Have The Name 'Star Wars' Attached To It?!"  For simplicity's sake, I'll refer to my ranking system on a numerical scale for the rest of this review. — Star Wars Movies - From Best to Worst: — #1 - Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back — #2 - Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope — #3 - Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi — #4 -... Sat, 29 Sep 2007 04:12:20 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Star-Wars-Episode-I-The-Phantom-Menace-review-73f6 Nicole 2