Candy's Raves (and Rants)

I really enjoy end of the world novels and movies. It’s the fight to survive, the burned out cities, the ruin. Death, destruction and devastation. Perhaps that makes me a little macabre, but whatever.

I don’t think you can talk about this book without mentioning The Stand by Stephen King. I won’t say it’s as good as The Stand (which is by far the best post-apocalyptic novel ever written), but it has that same feel. It moves slowly in places while it sets up the back story, but it moves quickly in others while it races towards it’s ending.

I won’t put any spoilers, but the ending really angered me at first. Then I read it was the first book in a triology, so the ending is a little more understandable, however I prefer my series books to be wrapped up a little tighter.

I had a few reservations reading this book. First was the sheer size, which can be overwhelming and all encompassing. The second was that there are vampires in it. I love the idea of zombies and vampires and werewolves, but I don’t really like them in my serious books. They’re fine for fun, but not for my “real” books. Don’t let this stop you though. The vampire angle is handled differently than you might expect and they are a small part of the story.

Don’t miss this one or be intimidated by it. It’s a really good read that’s broken up. Very highly recommended, a must read.

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Book count for 2010: 55

A friend of mine demanded I read something by Ayn Rand. I looked and they were written in like the early-ish 1900s. This was the shortest one, so I decided why not. Wow. This was just weird and bad and bizarre. It was way too short for the story. And I think it could have been great. The concept was exceptionally well thought out, but it wasn’t executed well. The story was too deep, yet too simplistic all at once. It was rushed, yet too slow. I’m not sure if my review makes any sense, but I think had it been done today with a really good editor, it would have been more my style. I get it was ahead of it’s time and probably controversial back in the 1930s, so I’m giving it two stars for that, but I think so much more could have been done with it.

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Book count for 2010: 54

When people talk of creating a Guild in and MMO they often talk about the types. So people talk about hardcore versus casual. Other people talk about PvP or PvE. This guide is for anyone that thinks that the two major categories of guilds are 1.) Those that get things done and 2.) Those that don’t. If you follow this guide you’ll be well on your way to creating a guild that not only gets things done, but has a lot of fun doing it!

This book treats guild creation and maintenance very seriously. In a lot of ways, it mimics several books that I’ve read on starting your own business. Well, in many ways, you are. You’ll have a Guild Leader (CEO), Guild Officers (V.P.s), Veterans (Middle Management), and then your general membership (employees). In order to get anything done (creating a product) you’ll have to keep the guild productive and drama at a minimum.

This book starts out simply. It asks one question: What kind of guild do you want to make? It defines many different types of guilds. It then moves on to the best ways to get people into your guild (and also lays out several ways NOT to get people into your guild).From there the topics range from guild events, alliances with other guilds, how to deal with drama in your guild, and even taking the guild out of the game and into the real world for face-to-face encounters.

There are only two things that I think detract from the book:

1.) It takes itself too seriously.
2.) It’s all text.

A little humor included in the reading or a cartoon here and there giving a humorous glimpse into the subject matter would have been welcome.

These too shortcomings aside, I think this is a great read. It should be considered required reading for anyone considering starting a guild (and for many of the Guild Leaders already out there!) Thank you Mr. Andrews for a great read and wonderful incite into the world of Guild Management.

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I have to say I was very impressed when I opened the box. The booklet is a great “Quick Start” guide, while the DVD gives a more in depth look at how to use the product. The carrying bag is a nice touch and, unlike some other products, this Spinal Stretch fits nicely and neatly bag into the bag.

Setup was a breeze! My master bedroom is carpeted and I had plenty of room to setup the device and lay down. I do wish that I had a TV or some other entertainment (reclined is not the best way to read book), but it is only 15 minutes after all.

I was in a minor car accident over 10 years ago and have suffered minor back pain ever since. My pregnancy with my 2nd child made the pain even more regular of an occurrence. For the last year I’ve been going to a chiropractor once a week just to keep the pain at a low enough level not to need pain medication.

The Spinal Stretch isn’t going to replace my weekly chiropractor visits. However, for those between visits times that my back acts up, it is very easy to set up the device and just stretch out for 15 minutes. It also gives me a nice break from work.

If you suffer from regular lower back pain, give the Spinal Stretch a go. Around the house or even on a trip, the Spinal Stretch makes sure I can make it to my next Chiropractor appointment.

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I really didn’t know what to expect when I first picked up this book. I am a huge fan of time travel dramas, but not so much of period-piece type literature. Overall, I am glad a read the book but in the end I found it wanting.

I grew up in South Carolina, so the exploration of racism and oppression really hit home with me. I have seen people in similar plights. They feel stuck, locked into a repeating series of situations and events that just leads to more oppression and racism.

The writing is well done, and easily read. My main problem with the book is the contrived time travel. A fountain behind a locked fence leads to an adventure in civil war era New York. I guess I am just a bit of a stickler for details but I would at least like to have this part of the story fleshed out a bit more.

The main character is a juvenile, however the themes covered in the book are probably not appropriate for your average teen. I would probably say that this would be a good read for later High School in a class where they are comparing the situation of Blacks in present day versus the late 1800’s. Genna’s (the main characters) situation in both times is very well covered and should lead to a lot of discussion.

I think that this is a good book, and is a must read for people looking into race relations and how they have evolved over time (and how some have stayed the same). However for the general reader you might want to pass unless you really just want to give it a chance.

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When you first walk into Domenick’s Pizzeria, you are struck first by how stark and kind of boring the place looks. There’s not much there really. It appears to be family-owned though which I absolutely love. Domenick himself came out to talk to us briefly and ask how we were doing. A very nice lady, whom I believe to be his wife, took our order and served us. They were both such super nice folks. For that reason alone, I would definitely return. I can see if we lived really close, it would become a family tradition pretty quickly.

The pizza was really good. Large slices, not too greasy, crisp crust. Very good. We didn’t try anything else on this trip, but my kids loved their pepperoni pizza.

My problem, and the reason it loses a whole two stars, is that Domenick committed what I deem to be the single largest sin in pizza. He put jarred mushrooms on my pizza. Yes, you heard that correctly. Mushrooms from a JAR. This is so not okay. Jarred mushrooms should be outlawed all together, but to put them on a pizza is downright insulting to the pizza and the pizza maker. What would have been a really great “everything on it” pizza turned into an “eh” pizza. Pizza really truly needs fresh mushrooms.

I consider myself a mushroom freak and pizza simply isn’t pizza without some of that wonderful fungus on it. If I return, I would have to say “hold the mushrooms” which would break my heart.

Recommended, just don’t order the mushrooms. They do keep the jars in the kitchen, so I didn’t have to look at those poor mistreated mushrooms.

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This book was my first introduction to Daniel Pinkwater’s writing. I somehow managed to miss his previous offerings the Neddiad and the Ygyssey. I think you could best describe Adventure’s of a Cat-Whiskered Girl as “odd but fun” reading.

If you haven’t read the first two books, it is not really that big of a deal. While the writing continues in the same vein (think Illiad and Odyssey meet Spongebob on his wierdest day), the previous books are only mentioned in a few places. The Cat-Whiskered Girl is off on an adventure of her own and not just a minor character like in the Ygyssey.

Big Audrey (the main character) starts off on a quest to…well…she doesn’t know where. She only knows that she is supposed to go. She gets a ride with Marlon Brando and off they go to New York. Only she never makes it. She ends up in Poughkeepsie. She works at the local UFO bookstore. Her friends include the local crazy lady (Chicken Nancy), Clarinda Quakenboss (that makes the best fritters in the Galaxy), and a half-dutch Leprechaun. Weird enough for you yet? If not, don’t worry…you are in for a real treat!

My 9 year old is in the process of reading this book now. He keeps coming to me giggling about the new character that just popped up in the story. He is an advanced reader for his age and it is nice to find a story that isn’t dark and gloomy or filled with romance (or both..the teen section of the local bookstore is overrun with Twilight knockoffs).

I highly recommend this book. I plan on getting the first two as soon as my son finishes with this one. We can’t wait to read them together and compare the silliness.

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I love dark roast coffee. There is nothing better than the smell, feel, and flavor of a good dark roast. Unfortunately, a lot of places thing “dark” means “burnt”. After I’ve had some bad “dark” roast coffee, it is nice to have something a little mellower. Melitta Cafe Collection Blanc et Noir fills in nicely for those times.

The flavor is not light roast, or dark roast. I wouldn’t even really say it is somewhere in between. It is definitely not a “Medium Roast” like the Maxwell house some reviewers have likened it to.

While this will not be replacing my dark roast anytime soon, Melitta Cafe Collection Blanc et Noir has earned its place in my pantry for those times when I just want something different. Not light, not dark, but somehow both.

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This book continues the saga of the “typical American boy” who is being hunted down as a murderer. Ok, typical if you don’t consider the fact that he unbelievable karate skills and is also be hunted by a radical Islamic terrorist group set on destroying the United States.

Overall, it was a fun read. I could have asked for a little more “closure” at the end of the 2nd book. But once again, it is a typical 2nd book in a trilogy. They can’t give away too many answers or no one would come back for book 3.

This series is a good read, don’t get me wrong. I would definitely recommend it to a middle school aged boy. There are just a few too many religious references for my taste. Also, the “patriotic” viewpoint of the main character is very naive. The “radical Islamic” terrorists are very two dimension and not very fleshed out. Maybe if a little time given to “previous life” flashbacks could have been devoted instead to a little insight into whats really going on throughout the whole storyline.

Once again, good read. I will definitely read the 3rd book when it comes out sometime at the end of this year if for no reason but to give myself some closure.

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I’ve long been a fan of Avery products. Every time I buy an off-brand just to save a few cents, I always end up with paper jams or unusable smudged, smeared, or incorrectly placed labels. Avery products are always well-made and supported by every device that I use in my office. The Avery File Folder Labels are no exception.

Speaking of software and formats, even if the program you have doesn’t support Avery (I can’t imagine which one that would be…) you can go to their website and download templates or even use their website to print! (This one is great because our office includes not only PC’s but also several Linux machines).

Lastly, I was happily surprised to see the inclusion of 2 “Box Tops”. My children’s school does an excellent job of collecting these and turning them in. It is nice to finally see these great incentives on products other than snack food. (oh and if you don’t have kids, yes, we will take your box tops *laughing*)

When is a label not just another label? When it’s an Avery label!

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