Reviews by Friends of rsilva

BayouBengal says "Graveyardmall.com is a Great Online Site for Bargains" about Graveyard Mall

BayouBengal — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 01:45:58 GMT

It has been some time since I ordered anything from www.graveyardmall.com and today I decided to visit the site to see what they had to offer. I was surprised to see many high end items for the kitchen and also name brand lighting fixtures added to the site since I last visited. All of these items will be of interest as we start to remodel our house we moved out of last year. And yes, the project is way behind with my dad's illness.

Graveyardmall.com

In case you don't know www.graveyardmall.com is a discount online store that sells closeouts and other discontinued items. You can find some hard to find items here and some good buys. There are other deals that just make you want to say, "that is junk!" So visit the site with an open mind.

I've always enjoyed surfing the site to see what is available. Stock changes often, sometimes even daily. If you see something you want, you should buy it NOW.

The site is easy to navigate and the pages load quickly. All items are shown with...

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Jo says "Yankee Candle Company Reed Diffuser Sparkles in the Snow or Sun" about Yankee Candle Company Reed Diffuser- all scents

Jo — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 00:31:06 GMT

Yankee Candle Company Reed Diffuser was my first diffuser. I was always afraid to buy one because of the warnings of not putting them on fabric, etc. I have the Sparkling Snow scent which was a gift.

It wasn't until I started this review that I realized why I like the scent - it has patchouli in it - one of my favorite smells- along with pine and fruits.

The Pros

Unlike some fragrance dispensers the Yankee Candle Company Reed Diffuser gives off the same smell for a long time.
The reeds are put into a beautiful decorated glass piece. The Sparkling Snow has a hand-decorated (really?) white snowflake on it.
The aroma is subtle unless you are sitting right next to it.
There is no flame.

The Cons

It takes 24 hours after putting in the reeds for the fragrance to come about. It can be quicker and these can be refressed by inverting them and then re-inserting the reeds.
The Yankee Candle Company Reed Diffuser is made in China.
You have to be careful with the oil.
The price is $12.00.

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BayouBengal says "ProAir HFA is Not as Good as Albuterol" about ProAir HFA Asthma Inhaler

BayouBengal — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 23:21:12 GMT

I discovered that I had asthma several years ago. I had no idea that I had it but started having allergic reactions to certain things quite often and was sent over the edge with chemical pneumonia when someone decided to do some painting indoors at work without ventilation the building. After that episode it was all downhill. I developed a bad case of allergy induced asthma and was prescribed an inhaler, Albuterol. This past fall when I got my new prescriptions I found a new drug, ProAir HFA, which is the good source of Albuterol sulfate so I was told.

The ProAir HFA Inhaler is smaller than the inhaler I was accustomed to but other than that, it was made the same way. There is a small canister and a mouthpiece with a cover. To use the inhaler you should first shake it up well, remove the cover, place in mouth and make sure your mouth is closed completely over the mouthpiece and press down on the canister to administer the medication. Hold your breath for 10-12 seconds before...

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bkovacs says "Bright, efficient outdoor floodlights" about Feit Electric PAR38 Indoor/Outdoor Reflector Floodlight

bkovacs — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:14:42 GMT

Saving the Earth has always been on my personal agenda. One thing I did early on was to change all the light bulbs in my house from old-style incandescents to efficient fluorescents. Fluorescents use a LOT less power than incandescent bulbs and it's really noticable when there are several outdoor floodlights on the same circuit.

At my house, there were four 150W outdoor floodlights on the same switch. Pointed at my driveway, walkway and back patio, these lights did a good job of making the outside usable. However, the four drew so much power power (600 Watts to be exact) that it caused my kitchen ceiling light to dim slightly when I switched on the outdoor lights. Several years ago, I replaced these outdoor incandescent floodlights with fluorescents that used a lot less power. One of them just burned out and I replaced it with the same model: a Feit Electric PAR38 Indoor/Outdoor Reflector Floodlight. I purchased it at Costco in a four-pack for $17.70, which works out to about $4.45 per...

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bkovacs says "Not a bad 'life' but it's a little too long" about Dan In Real Life

bkovacs — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 02:33:36 GMT

I somehow ended up with the movie Dan in Real Life, despite not particularly liking the work of two of its stars, Steve Carell and Dane Cook. By the end, I was a little surprised that both were pretty good in this little movie, a romantic dramedy with a family twist.

Dan in Real Life starts out with Dan (Steve Carell), a "Dear Abby"-style newspaper columnist who finds that it's easier to answer questions about other people's lives than it is to live his own. His three daughters are driving him crazy as he shoves off for a holiday visit to his parent's home in Rhode Island. Once there, he falls hard for beautiful and mysterious Marie (Juliette Binoche), only to find that Marie is his brother Mitch's (Dane Cook) new girlfriend.

Meanwhile, there's lots of family activities and meals, most of which drive Dan crazy either from contact with Marie or the antics of his relatives. Dan tries to stay on an even keel through it all but he gets more frazzled as the days wear on. Getting set up with...

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bkovacs says "Simple case makes for a quick installation" about Sabrent (SBT-EKU25) USB 2.0 External Drive Case

bkovacs — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 01:26:57 GMT

I recently got a case for a spare IDE/PATA laptop hard drive, and it failed in about three weeks. I therefore looked for another case and found the Sabrent SBT-EKU25 2.5-inch IDE Hard Drive Enclosure at a nearby computer store for $10. So far, this is a nice little hard drive case.

What it is

The Sabrent SBT-EKU25 2.5-inch IDE Hard Drive Enclosure fits standard 2.5-inch laptop hard drives, as long as they conform to the older IDE (also known as "PATA") standard. The case consists of two pieces: an aluminum box into which the drive is inserted and an end cap that contains the interface electronics for the drive. The end cap has a pilot light and a single standard USB port for connection.

Inside the box for the Sabrent SBT-EKU25 2.5-inch IDE Hard Drive Enclosure was the aluminum case, the end cap, two tiny screws, a vinyl sleeve for the case, a USB cable, instructions, and a CD disk with software and drivers. The device also included a tiny screwdriver.

The Sabrent SBT-EKU25 2.5-inch IDE...

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bkovacs says "Terrific accessory for running/charging an iPod or smart phone" about Kensington - USB Car Charger

bkovacs — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 01:08:33 GMT

My wife recently got a fancy smart phone, the Samsung Moment. Immediately, we realized that she'd probably be using the phone a fair amount in the car (while I drive), since it can get on the Internet to look things up. That meant that it would be smart to find a way to run and recharge the phone in the car. The cellular company sells a car adapter for $30 but I figured out a better way: the Kensington USB Car Charger, which cost only $10 at a nearby computer store.

What it is

The Kensington USB Car Charger is a small black plug that fits into a car's cigarette lighter. The end sticking out into the car has a standard USB port. According to the Kensington USB Car Charger's package, this port is capable of delivering 5 Volts at 700 milliamps, easily enough to charge and even run my wife's Samsung Moment. It's probably also enough to run an iPod or iPhone, and it's certainly enough to recharge either of those two things.

Although the package shows that there is a pilot light next to the USB...

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AngelaWLaFon says "MK Signature Eye Color Duets Color Me Happy" about Mary Kay Eye Shadow

AngelaWLaFon — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 19:12:24 GMT

Mary Kay Signature Eye Color Duets

Mary Kay Signature Eye Color Duets makes choosing compimentary eye colors easy. Each eye color duet comes with two sections with two shades of one hue. MK consultants can also give you a helpful eye color application guide that shows you how to apply you're duets eye colors.

Why I like MK Eye Color Duets:

-Complimentary colors are already paired.

-Lots of colors to choose from.

-Can be applied "wet" or "dry."

-Stays put and doesn't crease.

My latest favorite MK Signature is "Blue Moon." The name is misleading because it's not exactly "blue" but rather one is smoky and the other silvery. It's been my go to eye color fo the holidays. Blue Moon looks really good on people with "Spring" or "Ocean" coloring like blonde hair and blue eyes.

A lot of Mary Kay makeup is made in the U.S.A. I noticed that this eye color duet is made in Italy.

With any eye shadows I think a eye color primer is helpful for longer lasting color and I think good applying...

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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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AngelaWLaFon says "Variety is the spice of life and I like the Aramis Life variety." about Aramis Life Eau de Toilette Spray

AngelaWLaFon — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 04:29:57 GMT

Aramis Life Eau de Toilette Spray

I like it! My husband has been a Estee Lauder for Men cologne wearer for a long time and I love the scent. He occassionally also wears Royall Lymn which is a winner with me too. It's easy to get comfortable in our ways and in our sprays but recently my husband tried out some Aramis Life Eau de Toilette. I like this one too!

Aramis Life has been described as "woodsy" and "spicy." I don't disagree but to me the scent is really soft. I don't mean "baby" soft. It's a very manly scent but many men's colognes start out soft and end with an edge and this cologne is just really smooth all the way through.

Yes, the bottle is attractive too. It's a bright blue with a silver top.

Aramis Life is very reasonably priced. It's smells clean and manly but yet very smooth and soft. It's more of a casual scent. It's easily an every day scent because it's in no way overpowering but to me anyway, it's very attractive. It makes you snuggle up a little closer...

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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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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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BayouBengal says "Maybelline Dream Mousse Eye Shadow -- It's Moussey!" about Maybelline Dream Mousse Shadow

BayouBengal — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 02:15:26 GMT

I'm not a morning person but I'm also not one to go out of the house without makeup! And that goes for eye shadow too on most mornings. One of my new finds is Maybelline Dream Mousse Eye Shadow. I picked it up because I found it at Dollar Tree and I knew my daughter loved the foundation. So I decided to give it a try.

I bought the pastal lilac shade of Maybelline Dream Mousse Eye Shadow for only a buck at Dollar Tree. I picked up two different shades if I recall. I have opened and have been using the lilac shade for several days now.

Maybelline Dream Mousse Eye Shadow is a whipped formula of eye shadow that is very lightweight. The shade I have is a pastel lilac and it has a shimmer to it that is barely noticeable.

I love the way Maybelline Dream Mousse Eye Shadow applies. It dries quickly, and will allow for you to add another dab if you need the shade to be a bit darker. It is not sticky nor greasy. The slight shimmer is just enough to catch the light and add a bit...

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bkovacs says "Cars and comedy" about Top Gear

bkovacs — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:16:23 GMT

My oldest brother got me interested in a British car show called Top Gear and it's become a favorite in my home. Produced by the BBC in the UK, Top Gear is shown in the US on BBC America -- I've found that new shows are usually on at 8PM Monday nights.

Top Gear features three middle-aged but usually surprisingly childish men (Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May) talking about, driving, trashing and daydreaming about cars. Many episodes have an unusual challenge, which run the gamut from bizzare to spectacular. In the show I watched last night, the hosts had a race to see which could get to the magnetic north pole faster: a dog team or a Toyota Hilux pickup truck. (The Toyota won, but not by much.)

What makes Top Gear really distinctive is the humor on the show. It's funny to the point where I mostly consider Top Gear to be a comedy information show about cars. Jeremy Clarkson has a biting take-no-prisoners wit that is sometimes too sharp for my taste but is often right on the...

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bkovacs says "A sports movie about rebuilding a country" about "INVICTUS"

bkovacs — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 21:14:22 GMT

Invictus is not a great movie but it is a good movie. It starts as Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) takes over as the president of South Africa, in an orderly change that few scarcely dreamed would happen. Mandela immediately cuts off any talk of reprisals against the former white government and invites the remaining white staffers in the building to remain a part of his government. This includes assigning four white policemen to Mandela's security detail, which infuriates the the black captain who now runs the detail.

At the same time, the Springboks (South Africa's rugby team) are playing badly. The team is hated by black South Africans, who cheer for whichever team opposes the Springboks. The rugby World Cup is coming up in a couple of years and it will be hosted by Sough Africa, so Nelson Mandela has an idea: Can the Springboks be turned into an icon of a new inclusive South Aftrica? He reasons that whites and blacks cheering for the same team will be an important step to drawing...

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bkovacs says "Maybe, man" about Yes Man

bkovacs — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 01:36:08 GMT

The premise for Yes Man is excellent: What if you said "yes" to everything and where would that lead you? And there are a few good things in Yes Man about this uplifting concept, enough to make me think that we should all say "yes" a lot more often. However, Yes Man ultimately becomes just another chance for Jim Carrey to mug his way through a script that veers a little too silly for my taste.

Carl Allen (Jim Carrey) is a bored and boring bank loan officer when a friend drags him to a seminar on learning to say "yes." Skeptical, Carl decides to give it a try and quickly has some pleasant and rewarding adventures, not the least of which is going for a wild ride on the back of Allison's (Zooey Deschanel) motor scooter. He soon starts a tentative relationship with Allison and his fortunes at the bank change as well. Carl learns that it is hard but rewarding to say yes, and this is the film's strong point.

Of course, Yes Man is a Hollywood film headed by big star, so there must be some silly...

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Jo says "It may be hard to find your jewels at YardSaleTreasureMap.com" about YardSaleTreasureMap

Jo — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 23:23:26 GMT

I was elated when I read about www.YardSaleTreasureMap.com. I love to go to yard sales. Before we moved I would plot out my morning by streets and spend several hours at yard sales.

Not knowing the area quite so well I have limited my hobby to yard sales on one long street in my town. www.YardSaleTreasureMap.com is simple to use. I just put in my starting address, the maximum miles I want to drive and the day I want to go treasure hunting.

When I saw a red balloon I clicked on the listing and found the specific time of the yard sale and where it was. There were details of what would be for sale as well.

There are two problems with www.YardSaleTreasureMap.com.

The listings are taken from www.craigslist.com. That is very limiting for someone like me who lives in a suburban area 50 minutes from Boston. Yard sales are posted in local newspapers or just via signs on the trees. I found one yard sale in my town. I put in Boston and found a few more but not enough for me to rave about YardSaleTreasureMap.com....

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Meredith says "Big Star wins!" about Big Star - Chicago, IL

Meredith — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 05:48:05 GMT

I really love the new Tex-Mex cantina in Wicker Park - Big Star. The owners of Avec started Big Star... nice group. Let's just say I went there 3 nights in a row so it must be good. Located across from The Violet Hour on Damen near Milwaukee. Great vibe, greater food and drinks. I'm in love.

The highlights...

- $2 tacos (chicken, fish, pork, veggie)

- Impressive tequila & bourbon list. Plus, a ginger & beer cocktail that I love. Most cocktails are $7.

- On tap: Goose Island's Matilda ($6), Lagunita lager ($4) & Schlitz ($1)

- Super fresh quacamole, handmade tortillas

- Chill atmosphere, friendly staff

- Good music. They play records. Yes real records on a record player! Mostly rockabilly, old country (think Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash)

Go early-ish for any hope of getting a seat at the bar or seats anywhere, for that matter.

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bkovacs says "Cheap hard drive enclosure failed after three weeks" about Inland Pro USB 2.0 HDD Enclosure

bkovacs — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 02:17:02 GMT

I recently upgraded the hard drive in an older laptop and that left me with a perfectly good 60GB 2.5-inch laptop drive. This drive used the older PATA (also known as EIDE) interface, which is rapidly becoming obsolete. I wanted to get a case into which I could put the old 60GB drive so that I could use it for general storage needs, and the local computer store just happened to put such as case on sale. I bought an Inland Pro USB 2.0 Hard Drive Enclosure (stock #08411) for just $6.

What it is

The Inland Pro USB 2.0 Hard Drive Enclosure is an empty case that can house a standard 2.5-inch laptop hard drive. This Inland case has the electronics necessary to convert the drive's "parallel ATA" (PATA) interface into a standard USB port. The case came with all the parts necessary to house the hard drive, including the actual case, screws and a two-foot USB cable.

Assembly

The hard drive enclosure kit came with instructions but they weren't necessary. I had the 60GB hard drive mounted in the Inline...

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