Amazon Review: iPod Shuffle and More...

I had mentioned earlier that I had recently picked up an iPod Shuffle.  I've been using it for a couple of weeks ago, and I've posted a review on Amazon with the results.  I had also been in the market for a set of in-ear earbuds because the ones that come with mp3 players tend to fall out when jogging.  To remedy that, I've been using a pair of Skullcandy Buds Ink'd Earbuds, and I also have a review of these up as well.  Enjoy.

Until next time...

PH

Alarm System Scam

Today's topic is not a lot of fun, but I need to let you know about an attempted scam that came our way earlier this week. Someone from Northstar Alarm came by, and they did almost verbatim what you can read here. The guy was only going to be in our neighborhood that day, and he wanted me to sign up on the spot. I was shocked by the boldness of this ploy.

The best advice I can give you is to trust your instincts. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. If something doesn't seem right, there's probably something wrong. I know I just recently wrote about getting something for nothing, but in my experience this is the rare exception.

Until next time...
PH

Amazon Review: Meat Glen Campbell

Continuing with yesterday's thoughts about enjoying the simple things, I received a few CDs and books for my birthday that I will be reviewing weeks to come.  The first one is a gem of a CD that I got from Dad (thanks again!) by Glen Campbell called Meet Glen Campbell.  I heard about this on the radio about a month or so ago, and I had been really interested in it.  It certainly did not disappoint.  See my review for the details.

Until next time...

PH

Changing Demographics

As many of you know, last Sunday was my birthday.  They say that time stops for no man, and that includes me.  In addition to everything else that birthdays imply, this one had another element to it.  If you have ever filled out a survey, one of the things they typcially ask is for you to select which age group you are in.  Saturday marked the last day that I was eligible for the 25-34 bracket (*gasp*).  Perhaps the move into the 35-44 bracket is an attempt to lessen the blow of reaching 40, but I'm not sure if I like it just yet.  I guess I'll let you know in five years!

I did enjoy a few birthday celebrations over the past few days.  We had a party to kick off the choir season last Friday, and Christy arranged for a cake (chocolate with chocolate icing of course) and singing of "Happy Birthday".  Saturday we went to one of my favorite restaurants BJ's Brewhouse.  They have good pizza and beer, and what more could you ask for?  In short I'll steal a line from Bilbo Baggins from The Fellowship of the Ring, "But today of all days, it is brought home to me: it is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life."

Until next time...

PH

When Junk Mail Isn't Junk

I'm sure a lot if not most of you are in a similar situation when you go to the mailbox.  If you are lucky you have at most one piece of junk mail for every item you actually need to look at.  With our schedules as hectic as they are, you probably give it a quick glance and toss it in the recycling - you do recycle, right?

Perhaps a second glance is in order.  The other day I had what looked like a flyer from the electronics store Conns.  I was about to throw it away when I realized that there was something in it.  Curiosity got the better of me, and I found a $50 promotional gift card.  I looked it over for the catch, but I didn't find anything.

So I stuck it in my wallet and went to our local Conns a few days later.  Thinking I knew what "the catch" was, I asked a sales clerk if there was a minimum purchase required to use the gift card.  I was shocked to find that the only stipulation was that it was a one use card.  That is if your purchase only amounted to $5, you lost the remaining $45.

I thought that was a pretty good deal so I looked around to see what they had close to $50.  The answer was not much; however, for $49.99 I saw a 1 Gb iPod Shuffle.  After finding nothing else I decided that was a good way to take advantage of their gift card.  I was prepared to pay the taxes, but much to my surprise I didn't have to.  Not bad at all.

I don't know how my of these things Conns sent out, but I can't believe that they have any iPod Shuffles left in their case.

So, the next time you get a load of junk mail, make sure it's really junk before you throw it away.  You never know what's going to be in there.

Until next time...

PH

September Vine Leftovers

Yesterday was "leftovers" day for the September Vine items.  Unlike the last couple of months, there wasn't a lot of music to choose from.  So I am going to be well stocked in books as I selected a couple of new ones to read in addition to Sea of Poppies.  The first is a legal procedural called A Cure for Night by Justin Peacock.  I'm hoping it winds up being like a Grisham novel.  The second is probably the more interesting.  It is a suspense novel by James Reese titled The Dracula Dossier.  It is actually about Bram Stoker and Jack the Ripper.  It sounded pretty interesting.  Now all I need is some cold weather, a fire, and a pot of coffee!

Until next time...

PH

Fall TV Has Begun

This week has completed the end of the summer lull. The beginning of the end was the start of, what else, football season. We got around to watching the double episode premiere of Heroes last night, and I think we are in for a doozy. I won't go into specifics since you can watch both full episodes online. However, this year they are not wasting any time with slowly developing plots. Many questions from the first two (one and a half really) seasons are answered. If you like super heroes or sci-fi, you don't want to miss the boat on this one.

Until next time...
PH