Reviews by richelmore

richelmore says "Delicious and natural!" about Quaker - Simple Harvest Chewy Granola Bars

richelmore — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 22:22:18 GMT

To begin, let me state that I am an oatmeal freak. I love the stuff and constantly find ways to incorporate it into foods that might not necessarily need that extra oatiness that I so crave. Naturally, whenever there is granola to be had, I take full advantage. The same can be said for granola bars.

I recently acquired a tasty little oat-based morsel in Quaker's new Simple Harvest line. The flavor of choice was "cinnamon brown sugar with apples and cranberries." Tastewise, this is my thing. Those are all some of my favorite flavors. Nutritionally, I really don't have many complaints. One little bar touts a 140-calorite label (25 from fat), 3g of fat (0g sat), 90mg sodium, 28g carb, 2g fiber, 10g sugar, and 2g protein. Compared to other granola bars, this seems pretty average.

On a slightly confusing note, though, the label misrepresents the amount of fiber TWICE. It says, in a written description, that there are 3g of fiber in each serving (not true--2g) and that that provides 10% of the...

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richelmore says "The most delicious food in the most beautiful setting." about Rebecca's at the Lodge - Cloudcroft, NM

richelmore — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 17:10:20 GMT

Oh, where to even begin. Rebecca's at the Lodge and I have an interesting history. When I moved to New Mexico and into the dorms, it turned out that my new roommate (and subsequently, my best friend) was from this little tiny town that caters to lots of tourists in the Sacramento Mountains called Cloudcroft. I heard stories and stories about Cloudcroft, plenty about Rebecca's, which is a common place for hard-working high school students and college students to earn their tuition throughout the summers and winters. This definitely does not mean anything bad about the service, though. It is very thorough and professional.

Anyway, after hearing these stories day and night, Rebecca's had been hyped up (as had CC, as it is affectionately abbreviated). Eventually, my roommate dragged me down to this stunning part of the state. I couldn't believe my eyes- you have White Sands and this beautiful, lush valley full of pecan orchards and then you go up a bit and are in the most picturesque mountains.......

richelmore says "One of my favorite places to dine in the Duke City" about St. Clair's Winery and Bistro - Albuquerque, NM

richelmore — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:53:08 GMT

Whenever I move somewhere new, which is often (military brat), one of the first things I do is go try a local restaurant. In the first few weeks, if anyone in my family even mentions fast food or chains, they get the evil glare and the exasperated, "But they have that in ___________ (insert last place of residence here)!"

The same, of course, happened in Albuquerque. I moved there two years ago from England (culture shock?) and immediately starting roaming around with my mouth wide open for new cuisines. I quickly learned about green chile and the tendency to put it in...everything. At the end of the summer, I realized something else about New Mexico that was completely unexpected. New Mexico has quite the collection of vineyards and private wineries throughout the state (north of Santa Fe and around Las Cruces and Deming-- St. Clair is out of Deming, actually). This boom in wine culture is reflected in the foods and wine pairings at St. Clair.

One day while driving aimlessly around the Old...

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richelmore says "Touching and much, much deeper than expected" about Bless Me, Ultima

richelmore — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:20:24 GMT

Rudolfo Anaya's debut novel Bless Me, Ultima is one of the many, many books in my giant heaping mounds of literature to devour. This is the third one I've managed to fit in between work, school, and life in the past couple of weeks (yay!). And let me tell you, I love this book.

Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I spent the last two years in New Mexico and have grown to love that state. Perhaps it has something to do with how much Spanish I took in high school and how lovely it is to happen upon something that refreshes my memory. Perhaps it is because I love novels that are also deeply philosophical. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps. Really, this book was just far beyond what I had anticipated.

A brief starter on Anaya: He is from Santa Rosa, New Mexico and attended the University of New Mexico. This book was initially published in 1973 and won the Premio Quinto Sol National Chicano Literature Award. It quickly became widespread and even before the thought of moving to New Mexico......

richelmore says "This book WILL forever alter how you look at war and society." about On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society

richelmore — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:40:58 GMT

Ok, so I know what you're thinking. Why on earth did this 20-year-old woman decide to pick up and lug around a book by a former Army Ranger about how killing affects society? What on earth was going through her mind?

Well, it was my History 101 professor. She had an amazing, astounding, mind-blowing collection of books that she used to teach her class. Each day was like Christmas for little ol' bookworm me and I would write out lists and lists of her recommendations. One that stuck with me was this one. The title pretty much explains what you'll find in here, at least in a nutshell. On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society is just that, a portrayal and breaking down of what it means for man to learn to kill fellow men in not only the most violent of violent acts, war, and how that leaks out into how ordinary folk perceive and believe about it as well.

To begin, the author is, as I mentioned, Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman. He was a formed Army Ranger who......

richelmore says "Avoid, Avoid, Avoid" about eHarmony.com

richelmore — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:50:55 GMT

After one particularly boring weekend, my lonesome little self decided to track down a little online love. Of course I was cautious and careful but even more than that, I was honest and serious in the search. I wanted to find someone compatible, even if just to chat with. The price was a little steep so I tried to get a discount by signing up for the 12-month plan, on which you can pay in three installments of $83 and some change. This is expensive for my poor, almost-Ramen-eating college self, just so you know.

Actually, I was on the trial version and after one particularly fascinating and cute connection, I had to sign up to continue talking...so I did. This match looked wonderful and was so interesting. We chatted for a while and it seemed like things were doing well and then, voila, SILENCE.

This suddenly became a recurring theme.

On the advice page, we are told to write to all of our matches, just so we didn't limit anything. As one to take advantage of any costly service, I made sure......

richelmore says "Pricey but worth it!" about Earth's Best Sunblock Creme Anti-Solaire Mineral Based SPF 30

richelmore — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:35:53 GMT

As a person who spent two years living high up in the sky in beautiful Albuquerque, New Mexico, I quickly learned that it was key to wear a good sunscreen everyday. Even in the dead of winter, at such a high elevation, the level of sun you're exposed to daily is much higher than your skin/body requires. My body was usually quite covered but this pale, pale face of mine was having a few problems dealing with so much sun at first. I needed to protect my face, ears, chest, and neck and pronto. My problem: my skin is insanely sensitive to sunscreen and it appears that this is from a mild skin allergy to whatever it is that SPF is usually derived from. I needed something with zinc or some alternative product to keep my face from breaking out into a painful, painful rash.

So, I got in my car and drove to the nearest Walmart to peruse their options for me. Most looked ok but all had the same chemical-derivations. This wasn't going to work. Then I stumbled across this little guy. Earth's Best Sunblock......

richelmore says "The Only Facewash I Ever Want to Use" about Aveeno Skin Brightening Daily Scrub 5 oz

richelmore — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:07:55 GMT

Aveeno has worked magic here. This is, by far, my all-time favorite face wash. It is a mild-exfoliant, which is wonderful. Because it is so mild, I can use this wash in the morning and at night without feeling as if my flesh is being scrubbed away. With it's thickness, the extra moisture and smoothness is transferred to my grateful skin and I feel like my skin is as young, clean, and pure as it could possibly be.

It never leaves a residue on my skin; it never gets in my eyes when I rub them to get the make-up off (even if I might be a fool for using an exfoliant to remove make-up!); it always leaves my skin looking bright and renewed, even when I'm not.

This is an amazing product. Granted, my skin is usually clear and I don't have acne or wrinkle protection to consider in a product. All the dull skin is gone, though, and that makes my skin look way younger than it might after a late night up studying or partying.

For me, this is perfect.

As all things in nature though, there is one flaw: the......

richelmore says "Not my new favorite" about Clean & Clear Deep Action Cream Cleanser, Sensitive Skin

richelmore — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 23:52:51 GMT

This cleanser is...ok. As I like to maintain hygienic standards, I always use face wash. Because I am poor and don't want to pay $7 for the face wash I REALLY love, I decided to seek something else out. Maybe I just prefer exfoliants but this one just doesn't really do it for me.

The cream cleanser is somewhat hard to completely remove and more than once have I had some in my eyes (ouch!). I do appreciate that it is oil free and intended for sensitive skin but am finding it's not as thorough or astringent as I would have expected. The level of salicylic acid is pretty low, or at least it seems to be, because I never really have any tingling going on.

My skin feels amazingly smooth, though, which is nice. The major downfall: the cleanser isn't scrubbing where I need scrubbing (T-zone) and so little whiteheads formed and then my traveling fingers ended up poking and prodding to the point where it now appears that I've got some light acne going on. Sure, this is my fault, but the redness was......

richelmore says "I just want to swim in this stuff." about Suave Exhale Alluring Body Lotion

richelmore — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 23:39:54 GMT

Readers,

I adore this lotion. If it were any other scent, I'd probably not really care so much. The lotion is pretty thin (but still quite good) and is nowhere near being "rich" as it advertises on the bottle. If you try to apply after shaving, beware of some stinging and red marks that will appear. It is not so thick that it really works fabulously as a skin-nourishing lotion.

So why buy it? Why love it?

The smell. Sandalwood and cinnamon. It's such a sexy scent (hence being "alluring") with that nice, earthy, spicy scent. It makes me feel so warm and is almost like cuddles-in-a-bottle. Something about that smell hits every little receptor in my mind and makes me relax and feel so cozy.

Unfortunately, it only seems to translate into this specific scent in the lotion form (pretty common issue- sprays are too concentrated, gels and washes smell too soapy, lotions are just right). I'd love to wash in this, though.

Oh, also, I have am very sensitive to strong smells and usually can't even put......

richelmore says "The busy and cramped student's lifesaver!" about BookHug

richelmore — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 23:01:03 GMT

As a third year college student, my book stack is pretty monstrous (you know this is the same for my non-school related books, too, if you read my reviews often!). Some of these beasts are 800+ pages (Who does this??).

After getting a Barnes and Noble gift card and wanting to buy more than just books to add to the collection, I saw that there were several bookstands available for sale. A little light bulb turned on that told me I should most definitely look into these since I often stay up into the wee hours of the night hovering under a giant book and scrambling in between the pages and layer of chaos to keep track of my homework. With a bookstand, I could just prop the thing up and have space to keep organized.

This is exactly the case with the BookHug. It's just a little thing and if you didn't know what it was, you wouldn't. It's made of steel, I believe, and is just wonderful. It's small and easy to stow away when you don't need to have book support. The page holders are not too tall,......

richelmore says "I might have actually LOLed for real." about The Devil in the Details

richelmore — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 15:55:48 GMT

So, once upon a time I was in the library with my friend and I saw her pick up and borrow The Devil in the Details. It looked so strange and interesting- I wanted to read it. Recently, it showed up on Barnes and Noble's website as a discount book and since I had seen it sitting on my list of books to read for such a long time, I lunged at the chance to purchase it. (As a side note: Traig is a contributor to McSweeney's, so any of you Dave Eggers fans out there should perk your ears up a little about this one. You can definitely see the McSweeney's in this book).

So, I did and I read it quite rapidly. The book is very funny. Sometimes I did laugh out loud, mostly I just smiled to myself. Traig really is a funny author and I know that if I had heard her read sections outloud with all of the inflections of a first-person experiencer, I would have possibly wet myself. Unfortunately, some of the humor probably fell to the floor because of that but in general, it was a very interesting book (also......

richelmore says "What's the Fuss All About?" about Kim Edwards - The Memory Keeper's Daughter

richelmore — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 15:35:16 GMT

I love books. I buy them incessantly and build stacks so high that they become decorative objects. They go where I go and book stores are my favorite places.

This book, The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards, is a book that I found when a used book store by my old campus was shutting down one location to move to another. They had a ton of books for sale, all with deep discounts (think 60-90% off at times). It became an addiction to go see what else they had and I ALWAYS came home with at least $30 worth of gear (usually about 15 books or so). With so many books, it became impossible to read them all and so they became, like I said, massive decorative objects. After moving across the country and into a new dorm, I figured I should split the collection up a little bit and bring some with me. Since I'd heard some quite wonderful things about this novel and it had great reviews, it made it into the heavy box that eventually was lugged up those horrible three flights of stairs to my room.......

richelmore says "Mediocre at Best" about Americas Best Value Inn - Chattanooga, TN

richelmore — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 19:02:12 GMT

Recently, my mom and little brother made the fabulous journey from home to visit me in beautiful Chattanooga. On a budget and just here for the night, they were really only in search of a place with a bed or two (since my dorm definitely doesn't accomodate family visitors).

The location is okay. There are restaurants nearby, which is good, but it is out of the way if you're looking to be downtown or near the UTC campus for the majority of the day. The staff was helpful, though, and the rooms spacious and clean. The major downfall: the decor was horrific and even the non-smoking rooms reeked of smoke.

For the price, though, they did the job. As my mom said, if the place weren't as clean as it was, there was little else keeping her there, even for the night, and she would have sought out a better place. But it was clean and pretty quiet so...just beware. It's ok.
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richelmore says "This book terrifies and excites me all at the same time." about Wreck This Journal - To Create is to Destroy

richelmore — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 01:34:15 GMT

Friends, readers, book-lovers, book-haters: Beware of "Wreck this Journal." Instructed to destroy one of the things closest to my heart, I'm having mixed feelings. My reason for buying this: the insant sudden, sharp intake of breath I experienced as soon as I saw that this book even existed. It was online. I had to touch it. Today, it arrived in the mail. I've opened it up and begun the painful annihilation. What happened?

The first page is easy. Write your name in a bunch of random ways (in white, in large letters, illegibly, etc). Ok, this is fine. A couple of pages later, I am told to do something that I'm not sure if I can do. CRACK THE SPINE. Are you kidding? The hours I have spent in libraries being scolded, and then scolding others when it was my turn behind that desk, that that is how you ruin a book! It's possible that my own spine cracked as I sheepishly obeyed. It gets worse. Much worse. But for one, I don't want to ruin the surprise. Second, it might make me weep.

Clearly, I am......

richelmore says "A HUGE money saver" about Ryanair

richelmore — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 03:34:02 GMT

I spent the last three years of high school (2003-2006) in England with my mom and siblings while my dad was stationed in Italy (Navy). Since we were in Europe, we knew we had to take advantage of the locale. So, we traveled as much and as often as possible. This made our time overseas so much more enjoyable than it would have been without and I cherish my travel memories so much.

How does RyanAir fit in? They are the only airline we used when flying within Europe. The prices were often dirt cheap; the gas charges are what brought them up. Still, when flying all around, I often got tickets, including fuel charges, for 15 GBP. We knew that the fuel charges would be many, many times more than the basic charge (often only 1p). For price, absolutely nothing compares. They do tend to take you to kind of remote airports but none so remote you can't get to and from the major city easily.

We hated the bright yellow furnishings but loved the cheapness and ease of transport. Perhaps it was because......

richelmore says "The bra I buy over and over again." about Cacique Stretch Cotton Full-Coverage Underwire Bra

richelmore — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 17:40:10 GMT

Bras...we have to wear them (at least I do), but they have so many flaws. They are either uncomfortable, too frilly to really wear, not that supportive, too supportive and granny-like, too expensive, or look weird under clothes.

I've had bras that give Madonna's 80s cone look a run for its money. I've had ones that fit all right, look so cute, but from the outside make it look like my breast are hairy and bumpy (which they aren't). Some are not supportive enough, even when you try to readjust. Some are never the size as marked and pinch, squeeze, flip over on themselves on the sides and just make me an unhappy girl.

Cacique is a brand that I'm happy to be friends with. The fit on the breast is wonderful; I never have any "cup runneth over" moments. The sides are the right size to fit my body so they always stay in place. The straps are nice and supportive. And on top of this, they have some really cute styles!

Although this is a review of the cotton ones, I figure it's a good place to review......

richelmore says "Gripping, Stirring and Fascinating- a book to keep around" about Jose Saramago - Blindness

richelmore — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 17:12:47 GMT

To begin, let's give a brief explanation of Jose Saramago. Born in Portugal, the man has made a name and reputation for himself by being subversive. He adamantly speaks out against issues in the Middle East, he's an out atheist, communist, pessimist, and culturalist. After his novel, The Gospel According to Jesus Christ, which tells the story in a way definitely not told in the Bible, the Portuguese government basically kept the books off the shelves and would not consider Saramago for any of the European literary prizes as a Portuguese citizen. So, the man jumped ship and moved to a little Spanish island off the coast of Morocco (Lanzarote in the Canary Islands). In 1998, he eventually won the Nobel Prize for Literature for "who with parables sustained by imagination, compassion and irony continually enables us once again to apprehend an elusory reality."

In his writing, Saramago is not the easiest to read. He tends to ignore the need for punctuation or clearly identifying who is speaking......

richelmore says "So Quick but Somewhat Limited" about Overstock.com

richelmore — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 05:48:33 GMT

Overstock is great for several reasons: the quality of the items is top notch and the prices are stellar. To ship, you pay $2.95 and the shipping is fast. Whenever I feel like I immediately need ____________ (pasta machine, knife set, etc), I go to overstock. The quality of those items is just what I'm looking for and at the right price. I love quality for an affordable price tag...so much!

Unfortunately, some of the items are not exactly cheap. Sure, if I was in the market for buying Prada, etc I'd probably be thrilled with discount designer things. But I'm not. I just want to get something nice for the price of something not as nice. Really, that's it. For kitchen supplies and probably housewares in general, overstock is really great. Beyond that, it begins to falter and I NEVER shop there for books or clothes at all.

And since I've never had any product problems, I've never contacted customer service or made a return.
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richelmore says "A Gem- Never Leave Home Without USAA" about USAA Banking and Insurance

richelmore — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 05:35:42 GMT

As a stickler for customer service and product quality, it is rare for me to really fall for a company. USAA has always been superb at dealing with my banking issues. For example, they noticed a large charge on my account that seemed out of place so they contacted me, froze my account with my permission, immediately distributed a new card, and returned the stolen money. The whole thing was so smooth and seamless.

Last week, I was on a trip to say some final goodbyes before moving across country when the fuel pump in my car blew. It was so easy to talk to USAA and have the tow sent, etc. They even have an automated phone call sent after you make a distress call to tell you who is your tow company and when they should be there. After 35 minutes, they call to make sure they arrived. If they haven't, you actually get to speak to, I know this sounds crazy, A LIVE PERSON!!! A person who cares and will try to fix the problem!!! Even the tow company had to ask who my insurance was because everything......