Surveying the Chaos
10.15.2007
Grammar Humor
I'm such a geek that I just LOVE grammar humor.
You too?
Check this out: http://grammarlaughs.blogspot.com/ ¶ 15:46 0 Comments
You too?
Check this out: http://grammarlaughs.blogspot.com/ ¶ 15:46 0 Comments
8.30.2007
Stuff I look at every day.
There are a lot of sites to waste time on the net... but I think most people limit themselves to a certain few they look at every day.
In order, I usually look at:
1. Email (Yahoo... no reason except that it's been that for a long time)
2. House Listings
3. xkcd online comic - reviewed previously in this blog
4. From there, I click on the Questionable Content link near the bottom - a serial webcomic I am addicted to (start way back at the beginning & see how far it's come). My favorite is Hannalore.
5 & 6. From there, I go to their links tab & look at Able & Baker, then Diesel Sweeties. I also like Dinosaur Comics & Overcompensating web comics, but only occasionaly, not daily. You can also get to the absolutely wonderful Exploding Dog page... which is not a comic.
7. Deviant Art
8. Cynical C-Blog
9. Anywhere Cynical C ends up leading me...
10. It's usually an afterthought, but I almost end up on Dilbert.com at some point in my day. And Explosm comics
Now that's a lot of mindless entertainment, but I could always use more! :)
Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net
In order, I usually look at:
1. Email (Yahoo... no reason except that it's been that for a long time)
2. House Listings
3. xkcd online comic - reviewed previously in this blog
4. From there, I click on the Questionable Content link near the bottom - a serial webcomic I am addicted to (start way back at the beginning & see how far it's come). My favorite is Hannalore.
5 & 6. From there, I go to their links tab & look at Able & Baker, then Diesel Sweeties. I also like Dinosaur Comics & Overcompensating web comics, but only occasionaly, not daily. You can also get to the absolutely wonderful Exploding Dog page... which is not a comic.
7. Deviant Art
8. Cynical C-Blog
9. Anywhere Cynical C ends up leading me...
10. It's usually an afterthought, but I almost end up on Dilbert.com at some point in my day. And Explosm comics
Now that's a lot of mindless entertainment, but I could always use more! :)
Cyanide & Happiness @ Explosm.net
Labels: web distractions
¶ 13:54 0 Comments
7.17.2007
Great Parnassus Hotel & Resort - Cancun, Mexico
We stayed at the Great Parnassus Hotel & Resort on an all-inclusive deal from Sunday afternoon to Friday morning. I have a mixed review for them. I did have a lovely time overall, but I am unlikely to go back to this particular hotel.
Hotel:
The hotel is beautiful, as you can see from the pictures. For an all-inclusive, it had a lot of restaurant choices, which was particularly important to me (it's easy to get tired of your choices, even with this many). I particularly liked Portofino, which was a 5-star dining experience. I strongly recommend the lobster/shrimp ragout plate. Mmmm...
It did not have enough elevators. There were many times we were packed in like sardines, which is never pleasant, especially without air conditioning (A/C is limited to the rooms).
The public restrooms need to be cleaned a lot more often. The restrooms near the bottom pool outside were SO DISGUSTING they nearly made me puke. The inside public restrooms seemed a little better, but again need more frequent cleaning.
Some important amenities were not open yet - no gym, no spa. You have to go to the sister hotel, Golden Parnassus, for that, which is an adults-only hotel. This means if you have a minor with you (my sister is almost 18 but not quite), you have a heck of a time trying to get a pass for them (especially because of the language barrier).
Also, it seemed like the hotel was put together very quickly and perhaps not quality-checked enough. The handrail in the tub in our first room, for example, was barely hanging onto the wall (good thing we didn't really need it).
Pools:
( Top Pool) 
The second pool was dedicated to activities (aerobics, volleyball, etc.). We spent most of our time in the bottom pool, which was fine. The hotel is very family-oriented, with a huge play area like a pirate ship & castle. There was an adults-only area on the second floor, but the pool there was tiny.
Room:
I loved how the rooms were designed each with their own balcony, each with an incredible view. I liked that the room was not carpeted, though I believe my mother and sister would have preferred it to be. The bathrooms were large, with the toilet separated into its own closet, and had plenty of storage space. We did have to move rooms once because the first room we were in had black mold near the shower and near the A/C ducts. When we explained the situation, we were moved to another room and had no further concerns. The A/C in the room worked great.
Employees:
Many of the employees were very helpful and friendly, as well as responsive. I was particularly happy with the host and servers in the Portofino and Samurai restaurants, as well as the walk-up bar by the pool and the 2nd floor bar called Atlantis. Also, Frederico (in the lobby - not sure I am spelling his name right) was great.
However, a few employees were unfriendly to the point of hostile. The particular incident that upset me is when my mother slipped and fell. She slipped because the showers were tiled and oily from everyone's sunblock (they really should have concrete here, not tile).
There was a ledge beneath her when she fell, which she hit her back on. This could have resulted in a very bad injury (when I saw her fall there, I had visions of broken back or concussion), but we were lucky and she was ok. There was an employee standing right behind the shower area looking right at us who did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to help. Besides the fact that he does work for the hotel (we saw him all week putting out umbrellas & putting them away), this earns him an F- on just being human.
Here's a pic of him.
Next time, we'll go to an adults-only resort. We may even try the sister hotel to this one, The Golden Parnassus. We went there for a massage (best one I've ever had!) and it seemed really nice.
Cancun is so beautiful. It is also very tourist-oriented, which is very nice for newbie travelers like me.
We stayed at the Great Parnassus Hotel & Resort on an all-inclusive deal from Sunday afternoon to Friday morning. I have a mixed review for them. I did have a lovely time overall, but I am unlikely to go back to this particular hotel.
Hotel:
The hotel is beautiful, as you can see from the pictures. For an all-inclusive, it had a lot of restaurant choices, which was particularly important to me (it's easy to get tired of your choices, even with this many). I particularly liked Portofino, which was a 5-star dining experience. I strongly recommend the lobster/shrimp ragout plate. Mmmm...
It did not have enough elevators. There were many times we were packed in like sardines, which is never pleasant, especially without air conditioning (A/C is limited to the rooms).
The public restrooms need to be cleaned a lot more often. The restrooms near the bottom pool outside were SO DISGUSTING they nearly made me puke. The inside public restrooms seemed a little better, but again need more frequent cleaning.
Some important amenities were not open yet - no gym, no spa. You have to go to the sister hotel, Golden Parnassus, for that, which is an adults-only hotel. This means if you have a minor with you (my sister is almost 18 but not quite), you have a heck of a time trying to get a pass for them (especially because of the language barrier).
Also, it seemed like the hotel was put together very quickly and perhaps not quality-checked enough. The handrail in the tub in our first room, for example, was barely hanging onto the wall (good thing we didn't really need it).
Pools:
( Top Pool) 
(Second Pool [Activities Pool])
( Bottom Pool)
There are 3 pools on the ocean side of the hotel, in which you could see out over the ocean as if there were nothing separating the pool & the ocean water (infinity pools). However, the top pool is usually filled with young children (so is the pool to the side with the swim-up bar) and thus is questionably hygienic. I'm not being paranoid about the hygiene - they actually closed the small pool because of a child not making it to the bathroom in time.
The second pool was dedicated to activities (aerobics, volleyball, etc.). We spent most of our time in the bottom pool, which was fine. The hotel is very family-oriented, with a huge play area like a pirate ship & castle. There was an adults-only area on the second floor, but the pool there was tiny.
Room:
I loved how the rooms were designed each with their own balcony, each with an incredible view. I liked that the room was not carpeted, though I believe my mother and sister would have preferred it to be. The bathrooms were large, with the toilet separated into its own closet, and had plenty of storage space. We did have to move rooms once because the first room we were in had black mold near the shower and near the A/C ducts. When we explained the situation, we were moved to another room and had no further concerns. The A/C in the room worked great.
Employees:
Many of the employees were very helpful and friendly, as well as responsive. I was particularly happy with the host and servers in the Portofino and Samurai restaurants, as well as the walk-up bar by the pool and the 2nd floor bar called Atlantis. Also, Frederico (in the lobby - not sure I am spelling his name right) was great.
However, a few employees were unfriendly to the point of hostile. The particular incident that upset me is when my mother slipped and fell. She slipped because the showers were tiled and oily from everyone's sunblock (they really should have concrete here, not tile).
There was a ledge beneath her when she fell, which she hit her back on. This could have resulted in a very bad injury (when I saw her fall there, I had visions of broken back or concussion), but we were lucky and she was ok. There was an employee standing right behind the shower area looking right at us who did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to help. Besides the fact that he does work for the hotel (we saw him all week putting out umbrellas & putting them away), this earns him an F- on just being human.Here's a pic of him.
I did complain to Frederico about this guy doing nothing. Frederico seemed greatly concerned about this incident, but I'm not sure whether anything came of my complaint.
Next time, we'll go to an adults-only resort. We may even try the sister hotel to this one, The Golden Parnassus. We went there for a massage (best one I've ever had!) and it seemed really nice.
Labels: review, vacation great parnassus hotel resort cancun mexico
¶ 09:47 0 Comments
6.21.2007
xkcd
Um, ok, I'm sure everyone else in the world pretty much knows about this site except me, but... maybe there are some other anti-net-socials out there who haven't been lurking about in community forums, either, and don't.
(I'm not defensive. Really.)
Ahem. - go to xkcd.com for a very witty 'webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.'
I don't get the math jokes. Or most of the internet jokes (see above).
Sample fun (items 1, 4, & 5 are pretty much my husband, our friend Jay, and me, respectively):
(I'm not defensive. Really.)
Ahem. - go to xkcd.com for a very witty 'webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.'
I don't get the math jokes. Or most of the internet jokes (see above).
Sample fun (items 1, 4, & 5 are pretty much my husband, our friend Jay, and me, respectively):
Labels: review
¶ 16:05 0 Comments
6.20.2007
Pirates of the Caribbean 3
Um, I really liked Pirates 1. Pirates 2 I liked a little less, but still enjoyed, and really thought it was setting up for an exciting Pirates 3. However, Pirates 3 sucked. :( Arrr...
And it sucked because, somehow, despite this many gorgeous people cast, and despite trying to pack in as much action as possible, it was BORING. There was no energy or chemistry between the actors. They manage to make you not care about anyone's purported goals in the movie. Keith Richards is in it - but who cares? They don't bother to do anything interesting with him.
The supposedly climatic scene in the movie, after Calypso's release, with both ships circling around and around in a whirlpool, drags on and on forever.
All I have to say is FLUSH ALREADY.
Um, I really liked Pirates 1. Pirates 2 I liked a little less, but still enjoyed, and really thought it was setting up for an exciting Pirates 3. However, Pirates 3 sucked. :( Arrr...
And it sucked because, somehow, despite this many gorgeous people cast, and despite trying to pack in as much action as possible, it was BORING. There was no energy or chemistry between the actors. They manage to make you not care about anyone's purported goals in the movie. Keith Richards is in it - but who cares? They don't bother to do anything interesting with him.
The supposedly climatic scene in the movie, after Calypso's release, with both ships circling around and around in a whirlpool, drags on and on forever.
All I have to say is FLUSH ALREADY.
Labels: review
¶ 11:04 0 Comments
Ch-ch-ch-changes
I changed the template - the old one was cut off at the top.
I think I'm going to delete my rhetorissa blog & stick only with this group one. Anyone who wants to review, can. Just let me know.
And, starting now, I'm going to review things like crazy - anything I encounter in life is fair game. This site has stalled lately, so my apologies, now fixing.
:)
I think I'm going to delete my rhetorissa blog & stick only with this group one. Anyone who wants to review, can. Just let me know.
And, starting now, I'm going to review things like crazy - anything I encounter in life is fair game. This site has stalled lately, so my apologies, now fixing.
:)
Labels: review
¶ 10:58 0 Comments
4.17.2007
Freakonomics
What happens when a reasonably intelligent journalist and a completely unconventional economist get together? That would be Freakonomics. For any remotely non-ADD individual, it's easy to finish this in an afternoon, but the thoughts you have about the questions raised tend to stay with you for a while. I think the reason I liked it so much is that every chapter brought about a "duh" moment for me. I am not well-studied enough to articulate all my thoughts on some subjects, but Levitt and Dubner get paid to do the studying for me (although they would likely be the first to point out, since it is a major theme in the book, that I shouldn't let the so-called experts do my thinking for me). Consider the link between Roe vs. Wade and crime rates in the early 90's. Being pro-choice, I definitely feel that women who don't want a baby shouldn't have one. It's bad for the mom, it's bad for the kid, and the authors put some time into research that seems to suggest it's bad for society - the very types of women who were most likely to benefit from Roe seem to be the very type that would tend to have children that grow up to commit crimes. Of course I'm dumbing this down - that's why I think you should read the book. Even if you don't agree with all their analyses, you come away with the sense that life is richer and fuller if you just turn situations on their head and see where that train of thought leads you.
Labels: review
¶ 11:44 1 Comments
4.08.2007
GRINDHOUSE
This is one of the most original & entertaining movie experiences to come around in a long, long time.
I almost didn't want to see this movie thanks to a preview trailer at 300 that showed Rose McGowan with her gun leg. It left me just saying "OoooKaaay..." & wondering if Tarantino/Rodgriguez had really slipped over the deep end this time.
Well, they did - the movie IS very schlocky - and yet they make it work for them instead of against them. It is, in fact, very funny schlock, from the "prevues" & "missing reel"s to the inherent cheesiness of a zombie flick.
It's also very "girl power," as a friend of mine noted as we made our way out of the theaters. This is Kill Bill style girl power, though - action driven.
Downside: disgusting gore. See, there's gore, and then there's disgusting gore. Kill Bill, with all its blood, for example, didn't bother me. This did, as I'm sure was intentional. It's really a kind of attack on the senses. Tarantino (who acted in Rodriguez's film) seems to love to play up these sexually disgusting parts to the max. The scene where he is chasing Rose McGowan while his balls drip infection is the absolute definition of disgusting, sexually deviant gore. Be forewarned.
The fact is, though, that I still give the double feature 4.5 stars. I wasn't bored the entire 3+ hours. And being wholly original goes a long way.
Oh, yea, disclaimer: I am friends with one of Rose McGowan's sisters, but not with her. So I don't think I'm biased, but I'll just lay that on the table for ya.
Here's NPR's review: NPR GRINDHOUSE Review
I almost didn't want to see this movie thanks to a preview trailer at 300 that showed Rose McGowan with her gun leg. It left me just saying "OoooKaaay..." & wondering if Tarantino/Rodgriguez had really slipped over the deep end this time.
Well, they did - the movie IS very schlocky - and yet they make it work for them instead of against them. It is, in fact, very funny schlock, from the "prevues" & "missing reel"s to the inherent cheesiness of a zombie flick.
It's also very "girl power," as a friend of mine noted as we made our way out of the theaters. This is Kill Bill style girl power, though - action driven.
Downside: disgusting gore. See, there's gore, and then there's disgusting gore. Kill Bill, with all its blood, for example, didn't bother me. This did, as I'm sure was intentional. It's really a kind of attack on the senses. Tarantino (who acted in Rodriguez's film) seems to love to play up these sexually disgusting parts to the max. The scene where he is chasing Rose McGowan while his balls drip infection is the absolute definition of disgusting, sexually deviant gore. Be forewarned.
The fact is, though, that I still give the double feature 4.5 stars. I wasn't bored the entire 3+ hours. And being wholly original goes a long way.
Oh, yea, disclaimer: I am friends with one of Rose McGowan's sisters, but not with her. So I don't think I'm biased, but I'll just lay that on the table for ya.
Here's NPR's review: NPR GRINDHOUSE Review
Labels: gore, GRINDHOUSE, review, Rose McGowan, schlock
¶ 13:28 0 Comments
2.25.2007
Origin / Diana Abu-Jaber / W.W. Norton / June 2007
If you are going to choose just one of the books I have recommended on this blog thus far, make it this one.
Diana Abu-Jaber ('Crescent,' 'Arabian Jazz') does a great job with a strange story line. This one is weird - the main character believes something unbelievable about her childhood so fully that the reader really buys into it, too. It has compelling characters, with a nice, realistic love story. Throw in the suspense of the 'whodunnit' crime scenes, and you've got a great read.
I would have read this in 1 day if I had nothing else to do. Instead, I ignored everyone, walked around the house with it open while I brushed my teeth, got dressed, etc. Heh.
Diana Abu-Jaber ('Crescent,' 'Arabian Jazz') does a great job with a strange story line. This one is weird - the main character believes something unbelievable about her childhood so fully that the reader really buys into it, too. It has compelling characters, with a nice, realistic love story. Throw in the suspense of the 'whodunnit' crime scenes, and you've got a great read.
I would have read this in 1 day if I had nothing else to do. Instead, I ignored everyone, walked around the house with it open while I brushed my teeth, got dressed, etc. Heh.
Labels: review
¶ 15:27 2 Comments
The Departed
Sometimes I read other people's reviews; rarely do I end up agreeing with the reviewer's assessment of whatever it is (except with art, for some reason). I read a review of The Departed when it came out, and the reviewer managed to convince me that this movie was hardly worth watching.
That person was wrong. This movie was fantastic. It was smart and funny, with a tour de force of acting on display. There were 2 small things I didn't like about it, but they come nowhere close to affecting my overall assessment.
One of the reasons I was sure I wouldn't like this movie much was because Leonardo diCaprio is in it. But I was wrong about that. He has really improved with age. He takes his acting seriously and does an amazing job in this flick. Plus, he's really sexy in this one (the first of his films I can say that about).
Yeps. A must-see.
Sometimes I read other people's reviews; rarely do I end up agreeing with the reviewer's assessment of whatever it is (except with art, for some reason). I read a review of The Departed when it came out, and the reviewer managed to convince me that this movie was hardly worth watching.
That person was wrong. This movie was fantastic. It was smart and funny, with a tour de force of acting on display. There were 2 small things I didn't like about it, but they come nowhere close to affecting my overall assessment.
One of the reasons I was sure I wouldn't like this movie much was because Leonardo diCaprio is in it. But I was wrong about that. He has really improved with age. He takes his acting seriously and does an amazing job in this flick. Plus, he's really sexy in this one (the first of his films I can say that about).
Yeps. A must-see.
Labels: review
¶ 11:19 0 Comments
