____      _         _      __        __         _     _          
         / ___|_ __(_)_______( )___  \ \      / /__  _ __| | __| |         
        | |  _| '__| |_  /_  /// __|  \ \ /\ / / _ \| '__| |/ _` |         
        | |_| | |  | |/ / / /  \__ \   \ V  V / (_) | |  | | (_| |         
         \____|_|  |_/___/___| |___/    \_/\_/ \___/|_|  |_|\__,_|         
         
      \\                                                          =o)      
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:   ___     _         ___         _                 ___ _         __  __  :
:  / __|_ _(_)______ | _ \_____ _(_)_____ __ _____ / __| |_ _  _ / _|/ _| :
: ( (_ | '_| |_ /_ / |   / -_) V / / -_) V  V (_-< \__ \  _| || |  _|  _| :
:  \___|_| |_/__/__| |_|_\___|\_/|_\___|\_/\_//__/ |___/\__|\_,_|_| |_|   :
:                                                                         :
:     Humans are consumers, and I am no different. I like to share my     :
:   consumer experience with any one that will listen, or in this case,   :
:     read. Unless you are reading outloud or someone else is reading     :
:                               it to you.                                :
:                                                                         :
:                             But I digress.                              :
:                                                                         :
:  I bet some insomniac is reading this site in hopes of inducing sleep.  :
:                                                                         :
:               Anyway, I'm sure you will like my reviews.                :
:                                                                         :
:                              Sleep tight.                               :
:                                                                         :
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.--/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\--.
:                                                                         :
:                   Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer                    :
:                                                                         :
: I watched Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer this weekend and I really  :
: enjoyed it. You might think that this is one of those super-soft shows  :
:   like Strawberry Shortcake, but that is far from reality. There were   :
: giant robots that shot lasers, a rocket-powdered flying horse, several  :
: types of monsters, and a Mega Man wannabee (he shoots lasers too!) The  :
:  story centers around Rainbow trying to bring spring to Earth, as she   :
: does every year apparently. But it's a no-go because a spoiled princess :
:   has stolen a gigantic diamond--the same gigantic diamond that makes   :
:                              spring come.                               :
:                                                                         :
:  Rainbow and her new friend Orin (the Mega Man looking guy) must fight  :
: to bring it back. Orin has a robotic horse named On-X. The horse looks  :
:  like a cross between a spartan helmet and a BBQ grill. He shoots what  :
: appears to be clean-burning flames from his feet, thus allowing him to  :
:     fly. I think he is a propane-bot! The princess' minions seem to     :
:  include robots resmebling those in Berzerk and some various monsters   :
:   that I don't remember very well. The robots shoot lasers from their   :
:                eyes and wear little booties in the snow!                :
:                                                                         :
: Eventually Rainbow and Orin make it to the evil princess, who promptly  :
:  steals Rainbow's belt-- the source of her power. Things look bad for   :
: our heros--will they be able to get Rainbow's belt back and defeat the  :
: evil princess? You are going to have to watch to find out! I recommend  :
:             this movie for a good time. 4/5 star sprinkles.             :
:                                                                         :
:--/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\--:


            __________________________________________________             
           |   ____    ______                                 |            
           |  |    |  /     /       SHOP YOUR LOCAL           |            
           |  |    | /     /_______________________________   |            
           |  |    |/     |   _____ _____  ______  _|  |_  |  |            
           |  |          /|  /     \\__  \|_  __ \|_    _| |  |            
           |  |          \| |  Y Y  \/ __ \|  | \/  |  |   |  |            
           |  |    |\     | |__|_|__(____  /__|     |__|   |  |            
           |  |    | \     --------------------------------   |            
           |  |____|  \_____\    AMERICA's FAVORITE STORE     |            
           |__________________________________________________|            



.--/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\--.
:                                                                         :
:                      Flex Track and Motorized Cars                      :
:                                                                         :
: On a whim I bought a glow-in-the-dark flexible race track on clearance. :
:    The set, which comes with a single car, had 220 pieces of little     :
:     plastic track that can pivot once snapped together. If you are      :
: imagining a traditional slot racer track where the cars get their power :
:    from the track, I assure you that this is a different animal. For    :
:   starters, instead of track pieces that are several inches long and    :
: molded into curves and straight-aways, the track pieces in this set are :
:   about 3" wide and maybe 1/2" long. Having each piece able to pivot    :
: allows for the track to be re-shaped the way you could a rope laying on :
: the ground. The track not only curves at will, it can also ramp up and  :
:             down allowing you to make overpasses and more.              :
:                                                                         :
: The included car runs off of a single AA battery and when you switch it :
:  on, it just goes, kind of like a Stomper. There are several lights on  :
: the car that flash as it drives. With the flashing lights and the track :
: glowing in four different colors (orange, yellow, green and blue), the  :
:  track looks great in low light. I had so much fun with the set that I  :
:   went back and bought four more and hooked them all together into a    :
:                         massive, winding loop.                          :
:                                                                         :
: The only thing that disappointed me is that there only seems to be two  :
:   colors of car- orange and blue. With my five sets, I got three blue   :
:  cars and two orange. I have since remedied that with the help of some  :
: paint markers. I now have the original orange and blue cars, plus ones  :
:   that now sport pink, red/black, green paint jobs. This is one of my   :
:                    favourite purchases for the year!                    :
:                                                                         :
:--/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\--:



.--/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\--.
:                                                                         :
:                             Big Leauge Chew                             :
:                                                                         :
:  This pink, shredded bubble gum tastes as you would expect it, but the  :
: novelty of it is that is comes in a chewing tobacco pouch. Now baseball :
: loving kids can imitate their big league heros without to health issues :
: associated with tobacoo products. I gave Kadence some on Friday and she :
: seemed to like it too. I did notice that it lost it's flavour in about  :
: 15 minutes, but that is better than you get with the dried up sticks of :
:               gum that come with baseball trading cards.                :
:                                                                         :
: What else is there to say about Big League Chew? If I knew, this review :
:  would be longer. 4/5 bases. I know, there are only 4 bases but 4/4 is  :
: too good for this product and 3/4 is underselling it. Maybe the umpire  :
:   keeps an extra base in the trunk of his car in case of emergencies!   :
:                                                                         :
:--/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\--:



.--/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\--.
:                                                                         :
:                            The Clapper Plus                             :
:                                                                         :
: You've probably seen the commercials for this one. "Clap on! Clap off!  :
:  The clapper!" The clapper is advertised as a "sound-activated ON/OFF   :
: switch for appliances." When I brought this home, I pluged my lamp into :
:    it straight away and installed it in the wall receptical. I then     :
:          clapped and was rewarded with the light from my lamp.          :
:                                                                         :
:  I see that there are now imitation clappers on the market. My parents  :
:   picked up one that is activated by the sound of an include remote,    :
:  which is essentially a dog toy in the shaped of a remote. Giving it a  :
: squeeze makes it go squee-eek!. They use it on their bedroom TV to turn :
:  it on and off. It works well for them, but for the me the real appeal  :
:  of the genuine Clapper is that you don't have to locate a remote-- I   :
:                             am the remote.                              :
:                                                                         :
:   When I walk into my living room and it's dark I can just clap twice   :
:  and the lamp comes on. I don't need a search for a remote to do this.  :
: The only issue is when I have my hands full-- any I haven't figured out :
:   how to clap my feet yet. This is a simple device that does what it    :
:              claims. A round of applause for the clapper!               :
:                                                                         :
:--/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\--:




.--/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\--.
:                                                                         :
:           The Episode of Andy Griffith That Was on Last Night           :
:                                                                         :
: I know it's not exactly a new series, but last night I actually saw an  :
:   episode of Andy that I don't think I've seen before. Opie joined a    :
: secret society and was made the keeper of the flame, which meant he had :
:  to buy new candles if their's burnt out. Anyway, they were meeting on  :
: some fellow's property and said fellow came in the sherrif's office to  :
:        complain to Andy about the boys trespassing in his woods.        :
:                                                                         :
: So you asuume that this fellow was a right prick, but it turns out that :
:    he is running a still out of his barn and he didn't want the kids    :
: catching him. Well, the fellow burns down his own barn on account of he :
:   is stupid and using a gas lantern in the still room, and the still    :
:   room's floor is covered in hay. Dude needed a visit from the moon-    :
:                        shiner's version of OSHA.                        :
:                                                                         :
:  It does turn that he is a right prick after all because he decided to  :
:   use Opie and his friends as an escape goat by saying that he caught   :
:  them in the barn right before it went up in smoke. Andy and Barney go  :
:   out to settle up with him, Andy being responsible with his boy and    :
:  whatnot, and Barney drank from the bucket sitting by the well punch.   :
:  Wouldn't you know it, the bucket was full of moonshine and Barney got  :
:  gassed. Andy then put the peices togehter and arrested the prick for   :
:          running and illegal still. Good episode, 1/1 bullets.          :
:                                                                         :
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.--/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\--.
:                                                                         :
:                                My Clock                                 :
:                                                                         :
:  My clock looks pretty, but it sucks. It is a cross-cut of a piece of   :
:   wood with the bark still on it. It has a dark coffee-coloured heart   :
: wood with a lighter brown sap wood. The bark is very dark, the color of :
:  the heart wood. I think it might be walnut, but I am unsure. It looks  :
:                      like it was dipped in epoxy.                       :
:                                                                         :
:  The numbers are about an inch high, bright brass in colour and glued   :
:  onto the heart wood. The fond has some fairly elegeant serifs. The 7   :
:  and the 11 both seem to be a little off. It kind of makes me want to   :
:  get a slurpie. The hands are really ornate, but they are loose and I   :
: cannot get them to tighten down so the clock is pretty much useless as  :
:      the hands catch on each other and the time is never accurate.      :
:                 Final verdeict: Don't rely on my clock.                 :
:                                                                         :
:--/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\--:




.--/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\--.
:                                                                         :
:      Book: "The Computer Nut""" by Betsy Byars (ISBN # 0670235482)      :
:                                                                         :
:   Kate is using her dad's office computer when a message comes on the   :
:  screen to comment on the self-portrait she just drew on the computer.  :
:   When Kate tells her mom about the message, her mom is terrified of    :
: stanger danger. The mysterious messager claims to be an outerspace guy  :
:                  monitoring all the Earth's computers.                  :
:                                                                         :
: It is never directly answered if Kate was online or not on her father's :
:  computer (or what type of computer it is), but she later goes over to  :
:   a boy's house and uses his Apple, which was explicitly stated to be   :
: offline. The talk to spaceboy using this isolated computer and say that :
:    means that it has to be an alien if he can connect to an offline     :
:        computer. I am thinking that it must be a computer virus.        :
:                                                                         :
: Kate's older sister is in college and holds a party for their dog. She  :
:   is pretty weird but works really well as the comic relief. I won't    :
: spoil the ending, but I can confirm that it does. 9 out of 3 frisbees.  :
:                                                                         :
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.--/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\--.
:                                                                         :
:               Tozai Video Tape Rewindeder (Item # 808366)               :
:                                                                         :
:  Someone gave me this thing--the box says it sells for $9.99. It also   :
:     says it "saves wear and tear on VCR" and it boasts "fast, quiet     :
: operation." The device itself is black and pops open when you push the  :
:  big button. Slip a video cassette in it and push it back shut and man  :
:  does it make a lot of racket! After 2-3 minutes it pops up and if you  :
: haven't crapped yourself you can then put the video back in it's sleeve :
:  and put it back away. It seems like a good device even if it doesn't   :
:  made good on it's "quiet operation" claim. This is maybe not for the   :
:                        high strung. 12/17 stars.                        :
:                                                                         :
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.--/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\--.
:                                                                         :
:       Realistic Universal Remote Control, Model 150, Cat# 15-1902       :
:                                                                         :
:   This sure is a nice remote, but for $49.95 it should be! This thing   :
:  controls my Curtis Mathes console TV, my Zenith VCR, and probably any  :
:  other IR device you throw at it! How does it work? There are no codes  :
:   to enter because this is what they are calling a learning remote. I   :
: left it to read it's own manual while I made a turkey sandwich, but it  :
: didn't learn anything in that time. The remote has a little windows on  :
: the side you don't point at the TV that you can feed it codes from your :
:    existing remote. It learned all my remotes without much issue. I     :
: recommend this remote if you have a bunch of remotes and would like to  :
:                           simplify your life.                           :
:                                                                         :
:--/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\//\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\--:




I have dreidel
two rocks
a container of paper clips
a wooden cat from the caribbean
and a green duck...