http://www.viewpoints.com/aboutme/macque Tue, 15 Apr 2008 21:59:34 GMT Reviews by macque http://www.viewpoints.com/University-of-Phoenix-Online-Campus-review-d0e00 I earned my Master of Science in Nursing degree from University of Phoenix Online in 2006. I honestly don't know how I survived it. I'm glad to have my degree, but I would never do it this way, again. — It's like getting your Masters via independent study, except that nearly half your grade depends on projects you must complete with your "learning team." Sometimes you get to choose the other members of your learning team; other times they are assigned to you by the instructor. Either way, there always seems to be at least one slacker who does not contribute, but still gets the same grade as the rest of the team. I got tired of carrying other people's weight all the time. My grade depended on it, though, and my employer was looking at my grades to determine eligibility for tuition reimbursement. — The program runs at lightning speed, with 6-week classes. I took a week off between classes, just to catch up on some sleep and try to regain a shred of my sanity. I never slept... Tue, 15 Apr 2008 21:59:34 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/University-of-Phoenix-Online-Campus-review-d0e00 macque 3 http://www.viewpoints.com/Hampton-Inn-Manheim-PA-Manheim-PA-PA-review-c7b00 I've had the pleasure of staying at the Hampton Inn in Manheim, PA twice while on business trips, and I was quite pleased both times. My company wanted me to stay at another hotel in the area this time, because it was a few dollars less. I told them I would pay the extra $20 out of my pocket, just to know that my room would be clean, comfortable, and quiet. The price of the room was very reasonable. The hotel is located right next to the Lebanon exit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, but I did not hear traffic noise in my room at night. If I ever get a chance to go visit the Amish Country on pleasure, again, I will stay at the Hampton, Manheim. The front desk staff is always cordial and helpful. My room was spotless every afternoon when I returned from my meetings. I highly recommend the Hampton, Manheim if your travels take you in that general... Fri, 11 Apr 2008 22:36:33 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Hampton-Inn-Manheim-PA-Manheim-PA-PA-review-c7b00 macque 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/SC-Johnson-Windex-Wipes-Glass-and-Surface-review-04111 These are OK. I thought it would be good to keep a package in the car to clean the inside of the windshield and take the dog's noseprints off the back windows from time to time. Unfortunately, once you open the package, it doesn't seal well enough to keep the wipes moist for very long. You are pretty much committed to using them all up within a... Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:55:42 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/SC-Johnson-Windex-Wipes-Glass-and-Surface-review-04111 macque 3 http://www.viewpoints.com/Cascade-2-in-1-Action-Pacs-with-Bleach-Hydroclean-and-Dawn-review-eea46 I received a sample package of these, once, so I tried them. I found that they didn't get my dishes as clean as my usual product. They seemed to leave a film on my dishes--especially the... Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:49:02 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Cascade-2-in-1-Action-Pacs-with-Bleach-Hydroclean-and-Dawn-review-eea46 macque 3 http://www.viewpoints.com/Clorox-Disinfecting-Wipes--25911-review-bc6f2 These wipes disinfect, but they're not too absorbent. I feel like I need to wipe things off with a dishcloth, and then use the Clorox wipes as an extra step. I have some, but I don't use them very... Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:45:18 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Clorox-Disinfecting-Wipes--25911-review-bc6f2 macque 3 http://www.viewpoints.com/Electrasol-3-in-1-Tablets-review-2c862 I use these all the time. I don't buy anything else. They are easy & convenient, and they get my dishes clean. I don't have to buy a rinse agent, because it's built right into the tablets. There's no mess trying to pour a liquid or powdered detergent into the dispenser. This is a great... Sat, 15 Mar 2008 14:41:47 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Electrasol-3-in-1-Tablets-review-2c862 macque 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Southwest-Airlines-review-67c75 Last time I flew Southwest, they were making a hullaballoo about their new boarding system. It sounded like the same system to me, except they tried to convince you that you wouldn't have to check in 24 hours in advance and then stand in line for an hour to get the seat you want. I haven't been back on Southwest, since, but I'll believe it when I see it. I strongly prefer to reserve my seat when I purchase my ticket. I think it's terrible that families & travelling companions get split up, because they're in one of the last boarding groups. I've even given up my window seat so that a mother could sit beside her 10-year-old son who was on his very first airplane ride. Otherwise, they would have been on the aisle, three rows apart from each other. That's a crying shame. The seats are awful narrow, too, and the plane is always packed to the gills. I don't use Southwest for my personal travel at all, even if it's cheaper than another... Sat, 23 Feb 2008 02:49:07 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Southwest-Airlines-review-67c75 macque 2 http://www.viewpoints.com/Jet-Blue-Airways-review-8eaf7 I fly Jet Blue between Pittsburgh & Boston to visit my daughter & son-in-law. I wish I could fly Jet Blue when I go on business trips to other parts of the country. Jet Blue is comfortable, affordable, and relaxing. The flight attendants are actually attentive, unlike some other airlines I've flown on. They let you have a full can of soda, and they smile & crack jokes. The blue tortilla chips are fun! When I'm shopping for an airline ticket, I always check Jet Blue, first, to see whether they fly to my destination. If not, then I check everybody else and take the cheapest ticket I can... Sat, 23 Feb 2008 02:37:57 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Jet-Blue-Airways-review-8eaf7 macque 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Walt-Disney-World-Orlando-FL--24548-review-555a0 I went to on a business trip to Orlando a couple of years ago. Before I left, I bought a 3-day park hopper ticket with no expiration date. I went to Magic Kingdom one evening and Epcot one evening. I had a wonderful time! The parks were clean and there was lots to see & do. Now I just need to get back there to use the last remaining day on my park-hopper! —... Sat, 23 Feb 2008 02:23:11 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Walt-Disney-World-Orlando-FL--24548-review-555a0 macque 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Starbucks-Seattle-WA-review-14453  I work near a Starbucks. I think just about everyone in the country can say that, these days, because it seems like there's one on every corner. I can't stand their regular coffee. It is always way too strong and tastes bitter & burnt. Their coffee, and everything else, is way overpriced. Nevertheless, I will get a Grande skim latte with 1/2 the sugar-free vanilla syrup about once a week for the past 3 years. Now, all of the sudden, they're advertising "skinny lattes" like it was their idea?!?!?!? I think I deserve a cut of the profits on that one!... Sat, 23 Feb 2008 02:12:06 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Starbucks-Seattle-WA-review-14453 macque 2 http://www.viewpoints.com/my-coke-rewards-review-33c31 I've been entering my codes on the website, when I can figure out what they say. Sometimes the codes are unclear and no matter how many times I try to guess whether something is a B or an 8, an H or an M or an N, a 0 or a O, it just won't let me enter my code. Also, I'd rather have a coupon for a free refrigerator pack of soft drink than just about anything else they offer, but they only let you redeem points for a particular prize one time. Then you have to pick something else next time. What if I don't want any of the other stuff??? Sure, it's free and all, so I don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth,... Wed, 23 Jan 2008 01:27:43 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/my-coke-rewards-review-33c31 macque 2 http://www.viewpoints.com/GoodSearch-review-d764 GoodSearch is phenomenal! You choose the charity you want to support from thousands of participating organizations (schools, churches, animal welfare, and troop support to name a few). — Personally, I GoodSearch for AnySoldier.com, because I have had wonderful experiences with that organization. My son was in the Marines for 3 years, and I love the way AnySoldier lets me send care packages directly to specific deployed units, based upon their requests. — But, back to GoodSearch...it's a search engine that's powered by Yahoo! and I have it set as my default search engine on all of my computers. Each time I perform a search, a penny (or more) goes to my charity. GoodSearch also has a GoodShopping option, where merchants donate a percentage of my purchases to my selected charity. That was a bonus during the holidays. If you've got to search for something online, give GoodSearch a try! It's easy, and you are supporting the non-profit organization of your own choosing. —... Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:51:58 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/GoodSearch-review-d764 macque 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/MyPoints--25775-review-d51f0 I've been a MyPoints member for years. It sounded too good to be true, at first, and I wondered what the catch was. The first time I redeemed a reward, I didn't really believe they would send it to me. I was pleasantly surprised when my gift card arrived in the mail! I usually redeem my points for Shell gas cards, and they only take a few days to arrive. Who couldn't use a little free gasoline these days??? —  I'm not a big online shopper, but I do buy something online from time to time. I always check MyPoints to see if the merchant I want to purchase from is among their participating websites. —... Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:35:18 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/MyPoints--25775-review-d51f0 macque 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Dogster-review-6bc52 I signed up for Dogster and visited for about a week. I kind of lost interest with so many other things to do. It is a very cute site, though, and I wish I had more time to... Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:29:27 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Dogster-review-6bc52 macque 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/The-Animal-Rescue-Site--28893-review-c01d2 I click on this website daily, along with the Breast Cancer, Literacy, Child Health, & Rainforest websites. It doesn't cost me anything and only takes about 5 seconds. If it's helping to make this world a better place, what more could we ask... Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:26:16 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/The-Animal-Rescue-Site--28893-review-c01d2 macque 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Bounce-Fresh-Linen-Scent-Dryer-Sheets-review-e9f83 I like this scent of Bounce. It's not overpowering and doesn't bother my sensitive nose. It still does the job it's supposed to do by eliminating static, which is great! My husband also appreciates it, because it's not flowery. He doesn't want to "smell like a girl."... Sun, 16 Dec 2007 16:07:25 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Bounce-Fresh-Linen-Scent-Dryer-Sheets-review-e9f83 macque 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/LG-WM2233H-Front-Load-Washer-review-ac4d4 I shopped around and did my homework before I bought my new washer and dryer. I wound up choosing the LG front loader. It uses less water and is easy to use, but I find that it doesn't get the white clothes truly clean, even in hot water with bleach. My whites have turned to grays. Another problem that has been "minor" so far is that it turns off in the middle of the wash cycle with some sort of error code that tells you to contact the company. Fortunately, the solution is to unplug the machine and allow it to reset itself, then plug it back in. Unfortunately, you have to re-wash that load, because it's been sitting in dirty water for who knows how long. Mine has developed a little leak that looks like it comes from the soap dispenser, which runs down onto the hinges of the door, resulting in some corrosion and making it harder to open the door all the way. When it's time to buy a new washing machine, I will still look for a front loader, but not an... Sun, 16 Dec 2007 16:01:35 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/LG-WM2233H-Front-Load-Washer-review-ac4d4 macque 3 http://www.viewpoints.com/Hyundai-Sonata-2006-review-2b7e1 I traded a 2003 Tiburon for a 2006 Sonata. The handling of the Sonata is surprisingly similar to the Tiburon! My Sonata has a 4-cylinder engine, which had me a little concerned in the beginning. Would it have that zip? Would it be responsive in traffic? Could it climb a hill? The answer to all is a resounding "Yes!" I am very satisfied with my Sonata, and I'm considering trading it in for a new 2008 model. Oh...I almost forgot to mention that the trunk is cavernous! You can fit all kinds of stuff in there with room to spare.... Sun, 16 Dec 2007 15:51:07 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Hyundai-Sonata-2006-review-2b7e1 macque 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Hyundai-XG350-2005-review-4a321 My husband dreamt of owning a Lincoln Towncar for a long time, but our pockets aren't that deep. He traded in his 2003 Sonata for a 2005 XG-350 and has been in the lap of luxury ever since! People mistake the XG for a Lincoln all the time! It's funny! The nice thing is that the XG also rides like a Lincoln. We've taken it on several road trips and it is extremely comfortable over the long haul. Now that Hyundai has retired the XG, he's looking at the Azera. We hope that Hyundai has kept the high quality in the Azeras that we have enjoyed in our... Sun, 16 Dec 2007 15:41:28 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Hyundai-XG350-2005-review-4a321 macque 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Bridgestone-Potenza-RE92-Tire-review-fbe13 The Potenza wasn't what I planned to purchase, but I could not find a tire dealer in my area with the tires I had in mind. I've heard of Potenzas, before, so I went with them. I've only had them a week and it hasn't snowed, yet, but they provide very solid traction in rain. The ride is smooth,... Sun, 16 Dec 2007 15:27:50 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Bridgestone-Potenza-RE92-Tire-review-fbe13 macque 4