Reviews by Friends of dmdifalco

RudiXeno says "Bosch Nexxt 500 Plus: The Right Front Loader" about Bosch Nexxt 500 Plus WFMC5301UC Front Load Washer

RudiXeno — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:35:34 GMT

A couple of years ago, when our house saw its 20th birthday, several of our major appliances were growing long in the tooth. For the past few years we have noticed that they needed more frequent repair. But now they were beginning to fail. First to go was our GE Dishwasher. After careful research we settled on a Bosch Evolution 500 Series as its replacement.

Next came our washing machine. Our Kenmore Top Loader had served us well. It's no longer common to find washing machines that will last for 2 decades. But now it was beginning to rust out and the time had come to replace it.

Perhaps 10 years ago we might have marched into Sears and purchased an updated version of the top loader we owned. But we were looking for something that was more efficient both in terms of water usage and energy consumed.

The Search

Over the last several years I've read and rated over a thousand reviews of washing machines. With all that experience I found that information has a way of sticking....

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RudiXeno says "Mitchum Clear Gel Antiperspirant & Deodorant: A Family Choice" about Mitchum Clear Gel Antiperspirant & Deodorant - Rain Storm

RudiXeno — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:03:32 GMT

Recently, when I was at the market I found our Mitchum Clear Gel Antiperspirant & Deodorant nowhere to be found and so we "settled" on Degree Invisible Stick - Cool Rush. We liked it, but still our Antiperspirant & Deodorant of choice remains Mitchum Clear Gel in the Rain Storm Scent.

Living in South Florida, we find that a deodorant itself isn't enough. We prefer a combination deodorant/antiperspirant. Ideally, it should be a product that the whole family both can and want to use. For us that product is Mitchum Clear Gel Antiperspirant & Deodorant.

Mitchum Clear Gel Antiperspirant & Deodorant in the Rain Storm scent goes on as a light gel that is quickly absorbed into the skin. The active antiperspirant ingredient, Aluminum Sesquichlorohydrate, is mild and temporarily fills the pores through which you would ordinarily perspire.

What We Like

The alcohol-free, quick drying formula is mild enough for the Xeno women to use the product soon after shaving underarms. Unlike many...

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PattyTherre says "This foot soap doesn't live up to any of its claims. A dud." about Avon Foot Works Exfoliating Bar Soap

PattyTherre — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 04:33:33 GMT

Quick View: I am all about soft skin year round and I use a variety of foot scrubs to keep my feet supple. When I saw this bar soap, it seemed like an easy way to exfoliate and soften my feet without the mess that foot scrub makes. It was very disappointing!

My Take on Avon Foot Works Exfoliating Bar Soap

This soap is light blue with little dark flecks of shells in it. It's a nice size at 4.2 ounces. It hardly has any scent which is unusual for a foot product. Generally they are more strongly scented to deodorize and leave feet fragrant. The scent is a barely there fresh one. Nothing special comes to mind when I sniff it.

Avon Foot Works Exfoliating Bar Soap lathers but I don't feel those little flecks of shells exfoliating at all. It is a very, very gentle soap and doesn't do the job or even half the job or the least potent foot scrub I own.

My feet don't feel hydrated after use, which Avon promises, and they don't feel smoother. They simply are clean which I can get with any cleanser...

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BayouBengal says "Cold Sores and/or Chapped Lips? Carmex to Rescue!" about Carmex Lip Balm - 0.5 oz tub

BayouBengal — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 18:39:05 GMT

I was never one to pick up Carmex when winter weather brought on dry, chapped and cracking lips. My husband, on the other hand is a Carmex believer. It is his product of choice and the first he will pick up when he feels a cold sore coming on or has chapped lips.

Carmex .5 oz Tub

The famous little Carmex Tub with a yellow lid is a familiar thing to see on my husbands nightstand. He reaches for it at bedtime and puts it in his pocket in the mornings on the way to work.

Carmex .5 oz Tub is designed to relieve the symptoms of cold sores and dry, cracked or chapped lips. It contains moisturizers along with active ingredients of menthol and camphor to sooth lips.

Priced at $1.99 or less, it is a good choice for relieving dry, chapped lips or when you are coming down with a fever blister. The product works well at soothing and contains a moisturizer to help restore moisture back to your lips. Carmex can also be found at just about any store or convenience store. Look by the checkout...

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Fardreamer says "One star is way too good for lame Jaws: The Revenge" about Jaws 4 - The Revenge

Fardreamer — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 17:48:15 GMT

One of the many sad truths about being a constant movie watcher and film reviewer is that for every good movie that comes to a local multiplex near you, there are usually two or three fair-to-middlin' ones and quite a few bad apples in the same cinematic menu.

Sure, what might be a good moviegoing experience for me doesn't necessarily mean it will be for some. For instance, I honestly like the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy which was out in theaters between 1999 and 2005, while others honestly and earnestly don't. Conversely, I don't like Michael Bay movies along the lines of Pearl Harbor or Transformers, and yet I've come across reviews that defend those films with an equal passion as my write-ups for, say, The Phantom Menace or Revenge of the Sith.

In short, as the old TV sitcom theme song written by Alan Thicke puts it, Different Strokes for different folks.

But there are times when studios, either for financial or artistic reasons, release realy bad movies that most reasonable viewers...

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Matt says "Last Man Standing is enjoyable but formulaic thriller" about David Baldacci - Last Man Standing

Matt — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 07:14:14 GMT

Last Man Standing is a formulaic thriller that was decidedly easy to read that and was enjoyable but it did not rise to the level of memorable or distinguished for what it was. That said, I am not a regular reader of this genre of fiction, but I was generally underwhelmed with the quality of writing in David Baldacci.

I found the plot to be both predictable and ridiculous which frankly is not such a good combination. On one hand I knew what was coming next, on the other hand the string of coincidences stretched the thin line of believability so much that the end of the book just felt like he was tying up a whole mess of loose ends.

Bottom line? A good very light vacation read but you can do better.

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bkovacs says "Good hard drive for the older laptop computer" about Samsung HM160HC 160GB 2.5-inch IDE/PATA Laptop Drive

bkovacs — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 22:54:35 GMT

I have a five-year-old laptop computer that came with a 60 GB hard drive. Although the computer generally worked fine, it had a couple of minor problems related to its Windows XP operating system. After all, the OS had been updated over five years, and the computer has had two different anti-virus packages running on it. That's a sure way to make a computer sluggish and occasionally ornery, which this computer was.

A solution was to reload the operating system and if I was going to do that, I wanted to upgrade the old 60 GB hard drive to something bigger. The catch was that this laptop is so old that it uses a hard drive connection standard called IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics), a standard that has been out of fashion for... well, five years. Please note that IDE means the same thing as PATA (Parallel AT Attachment), and that the "AT" in the middle of PATA refers to the now-ancient IBM AT computer that was state-of-the-art in 1987. We're talking really old technology here.

So I went...

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bkovacs says "This movie really left me "Up In The Air"" about Up in the Air

bkovacs — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 20:46:42 GMT

I usually like George Clooney in movies and the previews for Up In The Air looked good, so I went to the cheap matinee at the theater. I'm glad I did, as Up In The Air was a good movie, even if it had a vague and not particularly satisfying ending.

Ryan Bingham's (Clooney) job is to visit people at work and fire them. He is good at it, hiring his service out to weeny bosses who don't have the guts to do the firing themselves. Ryan flies all over the country and has accumulated millions of frequent-flyer miles, and is closing in on his goal of 10 million miles. He loves all the perqs he gets at the airline, hotels and car rentals.

He also loves the bachelor life, especially when he meets Alex (Vera Farmiga), a fellow frequent flier who shares Ryan Bingham's travel sensibilities. The two quickly spark a relationship that starts Ryan thinking that maybe flying solo isn't as much fun as it used to be. At the same time back at Ryan's home office in Omaha, a hotshot young business analyst named...

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CyndiA says "Invest in quality and have great meals and no replacing pans." about Le Creuset Stoneware Baking Dishes

CyndiA — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 19:58:25 GMT

My Granny got me a set of Le Creuset pans when I was in college which I still use and love, so when I broke a favorite baking dish, I decided to splurge on a Le Creuset stoneware baking dish. I say "splurge," because the Le Creuset line is expensive. But, when you use them for a lifetime, it makes sense to pay more and get good cooking gear.

My pots are the hunter green which I love, but thy now have lime in the green. I'm not so fond of that color. So, I went with the red. Online it looked more orange, but it turned out to be a true red. I was glad. I really like the red in the baking dish with the beige inside. Nice color combo. It looks fine to put right on the table for serving or to take to a pot luck dinner.

As far as how this pan bakes - excellent. Le Creuset is known for products that heat up well and even, and the casserole dish is no exception. This can make a big difference in how dishes come out. I don't get burned edges and soggy centers with this high quality bakeware.

I hope...

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CyndiA says "Wild n Mild is a great grilling marinade and mop style BBQ sauce" about Wild n Mild Grilling Marinade & Sauce

CyndiA — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 19:42:16 GMT

Wild n Mild barbecue sauce is one of my favorites. It doubles as a marinade for meats or can be brushed or mopped on throughout the grilling process, since it does not have a ketchup or tomato base.

This grilling sauce can be used on basically anything. We use it on steaks, pork chops, chicken, and vegetables. It adds an interesting flavor - kind of sweet but with a bit of zip. The hot version has more kick than the mild, of course.

For any hunters out there, Wild n Mild is very good on game meat. It helps pull the gamey taste out when used as a marinade and adds the nice sauce flavor.

We also use Wild n Mild for stir fry. Neither of my sons really like the taste of soy sauce. This is similar in terms of the texture, but the flavor is nicer in stir fry dishes. Wild n Mild adds the moisture and then sauces up so that stir fry meats and veggies are very good over rice.

I have a grill site called Yes You Can Grill, and I try out lots of barbecue marinades and sauces. Wild n Mild is one of...

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PattyTherre says "So sticky, I feel like I just smeared syrup on my lips!" about Avon Mark Caribbean Shine Lip Gloss

PattyTherre — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 07:45:54 GMT

Quick View: This product is more of a balm than a gloss. It is very thick and VERY sticky. It hydrates but it's too thick for me. I feel like I need to wipe it off!

My Take on Avon Mark Caribbean Shine Lip Gloss

This gloss comes in a clear plastic squeezy tube with a slanted plastic tip to apply. There are three "beachy" swirled shade combinations. I chose "Kiss on the Beach" which has swirls of pink, brown, and white. It's pretty to look at!

The gloss has a sweet taste and a chocolately scent. It's more like cocoa butter, I think, than a true chocolate scent. It lightly tints lips (in the case of Kiss on the Beach, the tint is a deep pink. The others are what look to be a brown and a coral) and does add shine.

My issue with this product is that it is incredibly thick. I usually like good coverage but sticky, gooey stuff on my lips is not a good feeling. No matter how lightly I apply, it's still very thick and sticky.

Usually when balms or glosses are this thick, they last a long time on...

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Bryan-Carey says "Hayneedle.com: More than 200 Stores to Keep you Busy" about Hayneedle

Bryan-Carey — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 05:25:28 GMT

Finding the right gift can take some time and shopping online can often involve jumping from web site to web site as you seek out the right item for the occasion. One web site that offers a large variety of merchandise in a sngle place is Hayneedle.com, an online store that sells home- related products.

Online Store Commentary:

Hayneedle.com is an online store that offers goods in categories like patio & garden, home accessories, babies & kids, sports & games, and more. Hayneedle.com is unique in that it combines multiple “web sites” into a single online shopping experience. As you click the links and search for something to buy, you will notice that the screen changes names to another web site, such as cribs.com, musicboxes.com, birdcages.com, etc. However, the Hayneedle.com logo remains at the top of the screen and this is because most all of these web domains are part of Hayneedle.com. There are a few exceptions, but most of the stores you find while shopping at Hayneedle.com...

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njchicaa says "Freshen up your counters with this Norwegian Angelica Spray." about Caldrea Norwegian Angelica Countertop Cleanser

njchicaa — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 02:20:44 GMT

I've been a big fan of the Caldrea line of cleaning products over the past 10 years now, so it wasn't a surpise for me to find their Norwegian Angelica Countertop Cleanser in a Christmas gift from my ssiter.

According to the label, Caldrea Norwegian Angelica Countertop Cleanser contains essential oils of lemon and parsley. The name of this product comes from the name of a plant, Garden Angelica, that has an herbal fragrance. The actual scent of the product is very herbal, fresh, and clean. If you gave me 4 or 24 hours to try to figure out exactly what the scent components were, I wouldn't be able to do it. To me, the scent is just a bright and fresh herbal-type aroma.

As with all Caldrea Countertop Cleansers, this one is highly-scented spray cleanser that can be used on walls, woodwork, tile, laminate, porcelain, fixtures, sealed wood floors, and sealed stone. It is great for light clean-ups and freshening up the scent of a room, but this Norwegian Angelica Countertop Cleanser...

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PattyTherre says "Tarte lifts me up where eye belong! Smooth, lifted eyelids." about Tarte Lifted Natural Eye Primer With Firmatrol

PattyTherre — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 01:01:53 GMT

Quick View: I always wear eyeshadow primer to lengthen the time my shadow stays in. I discovered Tarte Lifted Natural Eye Primer With Firmatrol on the Tarte website during a 40% off sale and decide dto try it. I really like the subtle lift and smoothing this product gives my lids and it's a good primer as well.

My Take on Tarte Lifted Natural Eye Primer With Firmatrol

This product comes in a typical mascara-like tube with a small sponge tipped applicator. It is a light nude color and very creamy. I just apply a couple of swipes of the applicator sponge along my lids then blend. It dries fast and leaves a smooth canvas for eyeshadow. It also almost immediately tightens the kids and smooths them for more youthful looking eyes.

Tarte Lifted Natural Eye Primer contains no Parabens, Petrochemicals, Phthalates, Sulfates, GMOs, or Triclosan. It is considered a "green" product due to its lack of chemicals and its special tube that breaks down in landfills much faster than similar tubes.

I find...

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njchicaa says "Cran Slam is a nice holiday candle scent!" about Yankee Candle Beanswax Cran Slam Candle

njchicaa — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 00:24:53 GMT

I never really got into the soy wax candle thing, so I had no experience with it until a few days ago when I received a Yankee Candle Beanswax Cran Slam Double Wick Candle as a gift from my cousin's fiancee. I'm all about candles, so I was eager to try it out.

According to the Yankee Candle company web site, Beanswax candles contain 100% soy wax, no artificial colors or dyes, and are made from a renewable resource. The Cran Slam candle that I received was completely opaque white in color and with a wooden lid lined with some kind of metallic foil layer to prevent it from catching on fire.

I've been burning my Beanswax Cran Slam Double Wick Candle for a few days now and I just love it. The scent is a lovely combination of sweet and tart cranberries. Despite the fact that the wax melts and the wicks become exposed quickly, there is no black smoke or soot produced by this Beanswax Candle. One of the biggest turn-offs for me about the regular Yankee Candle Housewarmer Jar Candles...

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njchicaa says "Goodbye Grind and Brew! I love my new Keurig Platinum Brewer!" about Keurig Platinum B70 Keurig Brewer

njchicaa — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 23:29:24 GMT

We received a Cuisinart Grind and Brew Coffee Maker a few years ago as a Christmas present from my sister. I hated it from the get-go, but we were stuck with it because it was a very expensive gift that family members expected to see in the kitchen month after month and year after year. I expressed a desire for a Keurig Platinum B70 Brewer many times over the past year to my husband, and wouldn't ya know? Santa left one under the Christmas tree for me this year. He's good like that!

The whole point of the Keurig Platinum Coffee Brewer is that you simply put a pre-measured package of coffee into the machine, put a cup under the dispenser, and then simply hit "brew". You'll have a piping hot cup of coffee in 30 seconds! There is no messing around with measuring beans, grinding beans, cleaning out filters, etc. You just pop the K-Cup into the Keurig, hit brew, and voila! Coffee! There are also K-cups to make several varieties of tea, hot chocolate, and even chai. K-cups average...

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njchicaa says "If you like red licorice, check out this philosophy shower gel!" about Philosophy Red Licorice 3-in-1 Shampoo, Shower Gel, and Bubble Bath

njchicaa — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 22:41:29 GMT

I used to be an equal-opportunity licorice fan until one very bad night back in college involving Black Sambuca. I stick to red licorice these days and was thrilled to find a bottle of philosophy 3-in-1 Red Licorice in a Christmas present from my sister.

philosophy Red Licorice 3-in-1 is a combination product that can be used as a shampoo, shower gel, and bubble bath. It is a transparent but deep red in color and smells SURPRISE!!! like red licorice. If you had someone blindfolded and wafted the scent of this stuff under their nose, they would bet their life that you had a bunch of Twizzlers in front of them. The smell is THAT dead-on.

As with all of the philosophy shower gels, Red Licorice works exceptionally well as a shower gel. A dime-sized amount of a mesh sponge produces enough bubbles and lather to completely wash my whole body. As a bubble bath, it does produce some bubbles and fill the tub area with the pleasant licorice scent, but the bubbles disappeared fairly quickly. ...

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MikeMaroon says "Lost in, but never Rescue Me from These Shows I watch with Glee" about Best TV 2000-2009

MikeMaroon — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 19:17:57 GMT

Here we are at the end of another decade. Of course, I know you can carve any 10 year chunk of time out of the calendar and call it a decade and, well, it is. 1993- 2002 is a decade, BUT we mortals tend to think in multiples of 10 and so, for the purpose of categorising things, we think the beginning of all decades involve a number ending with a zero. Therefore, for most of us, Jan 1, 2010 will begin a new decade.

Now, any ole hack can pick the top 10 TV shows for a year, but this ole hack is gonna have the audacity to name the best (at least in my mind) TV shows I saw in the past 10 years. I KNOW! But, anyway I do understand that anyone making a list like this is gonna bring their preferences and biases into it and I'm not a huge sitcom or reality show fan, which is why you won't find much of that here. I must say, there was a LOT of quality TV out there and it was a tough choice, but I picked the shows that I just couldn't resist. You may or may not be surprised by some...

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Jo says "New Green Acres RV Park, SC: A great overnight stay" about New Green Acres RV Park, Walterboro, South Carolina

Jo — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 23:59:27 GMT

We left Massachusetts several days ago heading south. The first campground in which we stayed one night was New Green Acres RV Park in Walterboro, SC.

Information you may want:

www.newgreenacres.com
396 Campground Road, Walterboro, SC 29488
(843) 538-3450
The longest and widest pull-thru sites east of the Missisippi. That is according to the website; however, the sites were very long and although we are used to backing, in most of the sites were pull-throughs so we went with that.
Electric hook-up (30 and 50 amp)
Water and sewer
Cable- but note: it is an additional $2.00.
Laundry
Swimming Pool
Children's Playground - Note: I wan't all that impressed with the playground. All in all I consider New Acres a great place to stay for a night of two but it is not a destination campground- especially since it seemed to be in the middle of nowhere!
Dog Playground
Wireless Internet Service though we didn't use it so it either wasn't available or it was to hard to use.
Restrooms...

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Fardreamer says "Jaws 3 stinks worse than three-day-old fish!" about Jaws 3

Fardreamer — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 17:48:44 GMT

Although Hollywood studios did make a few movie series (The Thin Man, Andy Hardy, Blondie) in the so-called Golden Era of the 1930s and 1940s, the modern concept of the Big Blockbuster Sequel really didn't emerge until the 1970s, starting with Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather: Part II, followed by Airport 1975, Airport '77, and Jaws 2. And, of course, the phenomenal success of Star Wars and the subsequent The Empire Strikes Back proved to be decisive in the studios' increasing dependence on sequels to make millions of dollars at the box office, especially in years where there are no real "boffo" champs deserving of either critical or popular acclaim.

While all the major studios are prone to make totally unnecessary sequels, Universal Studios is perhaps one of the worst purveyors of Film Sequels from Hell, and one of the best (or is it worst?) examples is Jaws 3, which was originally known as Jaws 3-D.

The third film in The Series That Never Should Have Been a Series actually has the...

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