Recaps & Reviews

24 posts

Valentine’s Day Candy Review: Russell Stover Heart-Shaped Assortment

Perhaps there are Valentine’s Day candies that are more predictably tasty: for example, the Reese’s Peanut Butter Heart, whose pliant chocolate and dense, salty interior excite your taste buds just as pleasurably as they did at Christmas, when they came in the shape of a tree; at Halloween, as a pumpkin; and Easter, an egg.

There are V-Day candies that are perhaps more unidentifiable with any other day: candy conversation hearts, for example. But those marry the flavors and mouthfeel of an Edwardian spinster’s tooth powder collection with the kind of creepy suggestions you’d find in a collection of crazy and creative ways to ask someone to prom.

But the very best Valentine’s Day candy is an assortment of chocolates, each morsel an adventure, just like romantic love. And to me, the quintessential V-Day assortment is Russell Stover’s Assorted Fine Chocolates, you know, the one in the red heart-shaped box with the cellophane. Nothing says “I cherish you” like waxy American chocolate crammed with corn syrup. Continue reading

Audio Book Review: Never Have I Ever: My Life (So Far) Without a Date

never-have-i-everA few weeks ago I took a drive from San Antonio to New Orleans. This is a drive I’ve done numerous times, but not since I graduated from college in 2006. Back then, I would bring my big ‘ol CD case that held 64 CDs and pick out my favorite albums as my road companions and just drive for 8 or 9 hours. This time I decided that I would find an audiobook to keep me entertained for the nearly 600 mile trip.

After perusing the iTunes audiobook store, I picked out Never Have I Ever: My Life (So Far) Without a Date by Katie Heaney. The book outlines the first 25 years of Heaney’s life without ever having a date. Being able to relate to this author’s Forever Alone status, I thought I would give this one a try. Continue reading

Movie Review: Gravity

When I got a call from a friend today asking if I wanted to go see Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity, at first I was apprehensive. You see, as a kid, I loved space. I still do, in fact. I went through a (long) phase where I wanted to be an astronaut despite the math and science requirements being far, far beyond my reach, although today’s movie experience may have changed my mind! I have always been fascinated by the stars and planets and one would think Gravity, with its beautiful images of Earth from space visible even in the preview, would be my kind of movie. Continue reading

A Non-Techy Girl Reviews iOS 7

The new iOS home screen is brighter, more open and more ... neon?
The new iOS home screen is brighter, more open and more … neon?

I feel I need to preface this post with the following: I am not a technologically savvy person. I love my iPhone for the reasons most of us love our smart phones: in addition to making calls and sending texts, I can check Facebook and Twitter and email and the Internet wherever I am. It gives me directions when I’m hopelessly lost (sometimes — ask me about the time I wound up in the middle of a field. The phone said turn right!) It means I’m never without somewhere to eat. It is a portable computer I can fit in the palm of my hand. What’s not to love? Continue reading

Booze Review: Tito’s Vodka

TitosVodkaI admit it, I’m a vodka snob. Not because I have such discerning tastes, but because I hate a hangover, and I like to drink a lot of vodka. Nothing better to me than a (or some) nice, crisp, straight up, vodka martini just a little dry. Must have three olives, an even amount is bad luck, you know. (Learned that one from an old time bartender friend, who served them when it was still okay to have martini working lunches.)

To me, the vodka cannot taste too starchy or sting like rubbing alcohol when it touches my lips. Obviously, as a martini drinker, I like a vodka that I can drink straight. I find the starchier and less smooth the vodka, the greater the hangover. Continue reading

Yelp Users Will Review Pretty Much Anything

Reviews are the stuff of life nowadays. Very rarely do we encounter anything anymore where someone hasn’t written an opinion about it. Of course there are reviews for every place or event you can think of, but what about the places or things that you’d never consider? Who the hell would go to their computer or phone, load up Yelp and start typing out a tome to the DMV? Well, ok, everyone knows why someone would do that but still?

Out of curiosity, I’ve done some completely random, non-comprehensive, non-scientific research to find out who these people are and some of the places they felt the need to share their view of the world for: Continue reading

British Pubs in Pictures

On a recent trip to the U.K. we spent as much time in pubs as possible. We’d snoop out the proper pubs – old, dark buildings with low ceilings and beams with padding on them so when you walk into it you don’t hurt your forehead too badly.

Mainly we were in search of bitter beer, which is hard to find in SoCal, where we live. The pub food… well, the fish and chips were greasy and the chips didn’t taste as much of potato as they should. Anyone wanting a light meal was out of luck (try the antipasto plate, it’s as close as you’ll get to a salad, most places).

No one even seems to offer a ploughman’s – a trad lunch of Cheddar and/or Stilton Cheese, pickled onions and good bread. Continue reading