Simple Randomness

I Am Legend Review

So over the weekend my wife and I rented the movie I Am Legend staring Will Smith.  I must say that Will Smith really is an awesome actor. It’s actually funny to go back and see him in Fresh Prince and then see some of the things he’s done the last couple of years.  Who would have ever expected him to go from that to an action movie star?

Anyway, this movie was ok.  His acting was great, but the story itself was pretty weak.  I think it had a lot of potential, but it seemed like the just sort of ended it at the end.  That was very disappointing.  In fact, at the end my wife and I just looked at each other with a puzzled look on our face saying, “That’s the end?”

I read a synopsis of the book, and I think it sounds like the book would be quite a bit better.  But, isn’t that how it normally is with movies?

Labels For a Business

A few years ago I worked as a bookkeeper for a food manufacturer. Until I had this job I never really realized what all goes into the production of food items that you get in the freezer section of the grocery store. There is the product itself, then the protective wrappers, the boxes that you see on the shelf, and the boxes that those boxes go into for shipment to the store. It was quite the process! And it seemed like most of these parts of the process had its own label that had to be used.

Well, if you run a business that needs a lot of labels (such as wine bottle labels), you should check out the labels done by Label World. Note that these guys are here to do large orders, not just 20-30 labels at a time. But if that’s the kind of printing power you need, check them out!

Rollerblading!

I remember as a kid rollerblades were the hot thing to have.  I remember zipping around the neighborhood on them, playing roller hockey and all sorts of fun stuff.  In fact, I remember one year we went trick-or-treating on rollerblades and that was the year we got the most loot!

Has anyone noticed that you don’t see people on rollerblades as much anymore?  Well, now my wife and I are going to be some of those people that do have them!  Last week we decided to each get a pair of rollerblades.  This way instead of just going for a walk with the kids we can make it a little more fun.

In fact, if the weather holds out we’re planning on going rollerblading up the canyon tomorrow morning.  I’m excited to go, since I really haven’t done something like that since I was a teenager.  Hopefully I still remember some of my old ‘moves’ .

By the way, this picture is the actual blades that I got, and my wife got the girly version of them.  Pretty good price on them too!  I guess one good thing is that rollerblades are overall a lot cheaper now than they used to be!

All My Least Favorite Foods Keep Ending Up Being Dangerous!

I have to admit something: I really really don’t like tomatoes.  For anyone that really knows me, this comes as no surprise.  Sure, I love salsa and all that, or in other words some foods that contain tomatoes, but to eat them plain?  You won’t see me do it!  I always take them off my hamburgers, sandwiches, etc.

So when I recently heard that there was a salmonella problem with tomatoes, I figured it was just another sign that tomatoes are of the devil.  I had a similar feeling a few years ago when there was that E. Coli breakout with spinach.  But, I really don’t have it in for spinach like I do for tomatoes, in fact I actually really like cooked spinach.   I digress…

For those of you that like tomatoes - good for you.  I on the other hand will continue to hate them, and now I even have more good reason to because I really don’t want to risk getting salmonella!

Airline Credit Cards - Another Way to Save

I know I know, I’m writing about another credit card site.  It seems that there are a lot of these kinds of sites out right now, and I also know that with money being tight a lot of people are having to resort to credit cards to help them through the month.  I hope this is not you, because really - going into debt just isn’t the best option.

But if you’re able to be responsible with your credit cards, you really can get a lot of extra benefits out of them.  I’ve mentioned in the past getting good deals on things like gas, but what about another popular way to use credit cards: Airlines?

For example, if you are in a business or job where you have to travel via airplane a lot, you’re probably constantly looking for airlines credit card deals.  I know that I would be!  Well, here’s another example of a site where you can find good deals on different credit cards that offer airline benefits.

Some of the airline cards deal with specific airlines, but I think the better ones will let you use any airline you want.  In the end you have to weigh the overall benefit and what you personally need, but this is a great way to get paid back in airline miles.

National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets Review

So last night my wife and I watched National Treasure 2 - Book of Secrets for the first time. I’ve been interested in seeing this one for awhile, so here’s my take on it.

I thought that overall it was what I expected: just a fun, family friendly, history filled movie. Nothing too spectacular, and in my opinion it fit pretty well what I expected. It was fun, a little cheesy at times. I don’t think it’s a movie that I would watch over and over again, but I enjoyed it.

I also have to mention here that I think the first National Treasure movie was much better than this one. I know sometimes that happens because the with the first one you really don’t know what to expect. But it seems like in so many situations the first one of a series really is just a better movie. This isn’t always the case (for example, I think Return of the Jedi was way better than A New Hope, and it was the 3rd movie to come out!), but seems to be all too often. I’m hoping that The Dark Knight, the new Batman movie that comes out soon, won’t follow this trend, but I guess we’ll just have to see.

Saving Online with Coupon Codes

One of the great things about shopping online is that you get to save money.  What could be better right?  Well, you can also save extra money by using coupon codes for your favorite online sites as well.

There are a lot of coupon sites out there, and just recently I came across this one called Coupon Ninja.  This site is a lot cleaner and easier to use than a lot of other coupon sites that I’ve come across.  And they have coupons for a TON of merchants!  Honestly, I’ll have to make sure I come here the next time I’m looking to buy something online.

Dads Are More Important than ‘Grads’

So, for the last who knows how long they always seem to lump Father’s Day with Graduation.  I know it’s catchy to say “Dad’s and Grad’s” and all, but it seems to me that by saying this we’re getting the suggestion that Dads don’t deserve their own holiday.  It’s like they’re just not important enough.

I think I’m thinking about this more lately because I’m a father myself.  I would hate for my kids to compare me with some of the ‘father figures’ that are portrayed in TV these days.  What happened to the shows that had great dad’s like the Cosby Show and others?

I have to admit that I get a little annoyed when I see ads on TV or hear them on the radio where the guy is the idiot in the family.  And it seems to becoming more and more this way.  Is that what we’re being portrayed as?

I know that I don’t want that stereotype to be what my kids think of me.  And I think its up to all of us Fathers to really stand up and be the best fathers that we can be.  So happy Father’s Day to all you Dad’s out there.  I know this year I’ll be thinking about what I can do to better deserve the day and not be lumped in with the Grads.

Another Credit Card Site to Check Out

Seems like I keep coming across these credit card sites that can help you get the right credit card for your own personal needs.  Well, actually, you could also get one for business needs on these kind of sites as well!

I guess in the end the real idea behind going to a site like this is so you can see the best credit card deals.  And if you’re looking for a new card, that is an important thing to consider.  Actually, now that I think about it, I still need to look into possibly getting one of those cards that will give you cash back when you use it for gas.

The site I’m talking about this time is called CreditCardSpecialist.com.  They have some really good comparisons and things you can look at for making the best decision on which credit card would be right for you.   Personally, I’m all about rewards and a good interest rate.  And please, make sure if you get a card to use it responsibly!  I’ve talked on this blog before about getting into debt, and I must say that I don’t encourage it.  But if you use a credit card right, it can be an amazing tool!

So check the site out, and see if you can find something that will work for you!

Thoughts On Organic Foods

I’m all about eating healthier, but sometimes I wonder if going “organic” is really worth it. The other day my wife and I were looking around an organic grocery store and trying to decide if that would be the smart thing to do.

I guess the thing I wonder sometimes is if there are different levels of ‘organic’. Does it always mean that there are no chemicals used? Or are there some less harmful ones that can be used to still keep the vegetables and fruits bug free.

I will say though, I’m not overly impressed with the standard produce that I always get at the local grocery store. So if organic food really does taste better and in the end is a lot better for me, I’d probably make the switch.

I’m also a believer that it’s a good idea to eat as few processed foods as you can. I’m not talking about being a fanatic and avoiding all processed foods all together, but I do believe that’s one of the reasons why we have such an obesity problem in this country.

Anyone else have some thoughts on going organic?