Short Circuit

Almost immediately, you should be able to see where Pixar got inspiration for it's latest CG flick "WALL-E", right from the mechanized protagonist down to the "robots can have feelings too" theme. The movie centers around a robot (dubbed Number 5) that's been built as a military weapon. After a (rather corny) presentation of the robot's destructive power, an electric surge causes Number 5 to malfunction in an interesting way-- He develops self-awareness and curiosity for the world around him. His inquisitiveness leads him outside the military compound and into adventures in the regular world. However, the army dudes are terrified that their weapon will either go haywire or be stolen, so they hunt Number 5 down to bring him back and erase his personality. He befriends a woman, Stephanie Speck, who helps him evade capture and teaches him (and is taught by him) about the world. Even though this movie was made more than 20 years ago, I was thoroughly impressed with the robotics used (though the CG lasers were quite...amusing). It takes a little while to get into, both humor-wise and to get into the 80's mindset, so I wasn't wowed until about 20 minutes in. The star of the movie is Fisher Stevens, who plays a spot on Indian tech guy, making wisecracks about sex and fumbling up English sayings. The rest of the characters were amusing in their cheesiness, but it was still a fun movie to watch.

Kama-Sutra - The Secret to the Art of Love in 3D

Kama Sutra...ancient art of love making...yadda, yadda, yadda. I'm sure most of you know about, or at least heard of, some of these techniques. Basically, it's an instruction manual on different sexual positions that aim to extend pleasures of both partners, physically and/or emotionally. The 'Kama-Sutra - The Secret to the Art of Love' was something random my beau and I found on Netflix, so we decided to check it out for S&Gs. The experience was...odd, to say the least, but not because I found anything innovative with this video. It is odd because of the set up. The movie goes over 50 different positions, all to the same really boring, semi-porno song that was played on loop for an hour (though we laughed when we heard "MAAAAH MAN!" every couple minutes). While the actors preform the techniques, a female voice with an Indian accent (that sounds fake) instructs the schematics of the positions, the advantages and disadvantages of it, and how it should feel between the partners. Most of them looked rather humdrum, which was probably because many of them were so similar (missionary with spread legs, straight legs, bent legs, etc. etc.). Out of the 50, it seemed like only 15 were unique (if that), and we were constantly asking each other 'Didn't they already show that one?' I was hoping for some more exotic positions, but was given more of the same old stuff that almost every 20 year old knows about. If you're not well versed in the basic arts of love, then this might be a good beginner's look. For someone looking for more adventurous tutorship, then it's best to look elsewhere.

Sleeping Beauty

This was one of my older brother's favorite movies as a child. He would put on a cape for each character and recite the dialogue word for word, then get angry when all I could do was giggle when he made me be Sleeping Beauty, yelling to our mother "SISSY NOT BEING DEAD! SISSY NOT PLAYING RIGHT!" Ah yes...this movie has been the source of much amusement for everyone in our family.

Disney's "Sleeping Beauty" is a princess fairytale around the girl Aurora. When the King and Queen of the kingdom finally manage to bear a child, she is blessed at birth by 3 good fairies, but a witch who wasn't invited to the 'coming out' party decided to lay a curse on her: On the eve of her 16th birthday she would prick her finger on the needle of a spindle wheel and die. Horrified by this, her parents burned all of the spindles in the kingdom in an effort to protect their child. The fairies decide to take extra measures and wisk the baby away to keep her safe until after her 16th birthday, until the curse will have no effect on her. So the princess is raised up as a commoner in the woods, under the name Briar Rose, by her fairy caretakers. As the day for Aurora's return to her real home draws nearer, news of her whereabouts reach the ears of the evil witch, who strives to make her curse come true.

This, for me, is where I see Disney princesses beginning to develop personality. "Snow White" was a complete snore fest because everyone had the personality of a doorknob (EXCEPT the wicked witch it seems). With "Sleeping Beauty" I at least cared about what was going to happen to the good guys, and it felt like there were actual relationships between them. This movie is a definite masterpiece from Disney once again.

Mederma

So I've vanquished my acne once and for all with the mighty magical Accutane, but after the long and arduous battle has left its mark on the turf. In case you don't get the metaphor, I mean that even though my acne has cleared up there is still some scarring I have to deal with. It's not that I have horrible craters on my face but there are noticeable blotches on my cheeks that I would like to see gone. I also have scars on my lips and chin from a close encounter of the canine kind several years ago. Unable to afford laser scar removal, I went the much cheaper route and played with Mederma. Before I used it on my face, I tested it out on a two inch scar I acquired on my hand from my insane dog. So I could see how drastic of a difference it made, I only covered half of the scar. There's no cleaning regiment to follow, no special "leave it on for 5 minutes then wash it off" thing to do, just smear on the clear gel twice a day and you're done. It dries quickly and leaves only a slight medicated smell behind, though it's not very strong at all. In about 2 weeks, the scar had faded to almost non-existence and the only way you could see it is if you 1) knew it was there and 2) had your eye ball about 2 inches from the skin. Pretty good results in my opinion. I've started using it on my face and the scars and blemishes are already beginning to fade. For a $35 tube (and you only need a dime sized drop each time), I've been very pleased with how Mederma has worked for me.

Sword in the Stone

Ah Disney...They've really taken this fairytale thing to the max, though they eventually ran out of material from the Brothers Grimm and had to move to other sources. "Sword in the Stone" is the adaptation of T.H. White's "The Once and Future King," which is his creative adaptation to the myth of King Arthur. The movie is completely centered on the first part of the book which involves Arthur's childhood adventures leading up to the point where he accidentally draws Excalibur from the stone and is declared king. The movie features some names you will recognize from the general myth (Merlin as Arthur's teacher) and others you will have never heard of to spice things up (Mad Madam Mim = Classic!). The movie brings a lot of the good aspects of White's novel to the screen, but mixes in a hearty amount of extra humor and excitement as well. Along with telling a good story, there's a heavy pro-education theme as Merlin tries to teach Arthur that it's better to exercise the mind rather than be a muscle bound idiot (complete with an amusing little temper tantrum Merlin throws when he hears that Arthur is going to learn to be a knight). "Sword in the Stone" lacks the 'Disney Princess' aspect, meaning there's no female figure for little girls to identify with. I don't feel that this is specifically geared to boys, this was and still is one of my favorite Disney movies, but a little girl might be indifferent to this. There is also an absence of the trademark musical interlude in this movie. I don't see it as a hindrance but just some food for thought. Either way, this is a fantastic retelling of an amazing book and a great addition to the Disney resume.

BSN(reg) Syntha-6(tm) - Chocolate Mint - 2.91 lbs. at GNC

This is the stuff my brothers began to take after they finished taking HydroxyCut to maintain their weight. Syntha-6 is a protein and dietary supplement, to maintain weight and lean muscle. It's safe for both males and females to use (though different dosages for each gender) and you have to take 2-4 servings a day. The supplement is a powder that you mix with water, milk, or some other beverage to make a milkshake of sorts. There are different flavors from Chocolate Mint, Banana, Strawberry, Fruit Punch, and many others, though my brothers said they all tasted like crap. Banana and Strawberry were the only ones they could stand to drink every day, though they usually have to choke it down. The liquid that is created is sticky and gross, becoming plastered to everything it gets on and making clean up unbearably annoying. Using a wired brush on a cup to get a layer of hardened froth out is not especially great. It's extremely expensive stuff as well, I think they get it off E-Bay for $150 (which includes a set of other supplements and pills to take), which is unbelievable to me. But besides the horrible taste, the clean up, and the expense, it's been keeping my brother's trim since they got of their other weight loss pills, though they've been going to the gym more frequently as well. I'm sure there's other stuff that could work just as well (*coughdietcoughexercise*) so unless you feel like throwing your money away, then pass on this.

Mitch All Together by Mitch Hedberg

Possibly one of my favorite comedians of all time, Mitch Hedberg has a comic delivery that is extremely unique and unlike any I've heard. "Mitch All Together" is Hedberg's second CD he's released and contains some of his most loved jokes (including the origins of the "DR. ACULA" joke commonly used in the television show "Scrubs"). The now deceased comedian fills his shows with a smattering of stories that are interlinked by the most random detail ("I thought about having my teeth whitened and I thought 'F**k that, I'll just get a tan instead'....I have enough tartar you could dip a fish in it.....I'd like to go fishing and catch a fishstick....If fish could scream, the ocean would be loud as s**t, they would all be yelling "AHHHHH F**k!" paraphrased). Basically, he has an imaginary conversation with himself the entire time. The things that chains his thoughts together are delivered with hysterical intensity. As you probably could have gathered from my written sample, the language isn't for virgin ears, though he doesn't use it so much that it's pointless or tacky. This CD is about 45 minutes or so long, with a massive range of material to listen to. He is a greatly underrated comedian and everyone I've shared his comedy with has grown to love him as much as I do. If you want an almost guaranteed laugh, then check out some of Mitch Hedburg's work.

Demetri Martin - Person

You may have seen Demetri Martin fluttering around Comedy Central. He's done half hour specials and works as the "Young People's" correspondent on "The Daily Show"- the humorous, satirical news show run by Jon Stewart. Demetri is a clever young man from law school who dropped out to follow his significantly less paying dream- comedy. "Person" is Martin's hour long special which replicates his past comic stylings. Martin is a fan of stage props, employing charmingly bad illustrations, charts, graphs and lists to emphasis his point. Dotted through his special are short animated segments (drawn by him) which function as their own stand alone skits, ranging from ponderings on porcupines to his own take on cryptozoology (that's the study of mythical animals). His jokes have a whimsical quality to them, with glimpses of random musings about why things are the way they are, and stray away from the 'tell a funny story that happened to me' kind of thing that other comedians do. His delivery can be monotone at times though, to the point where sometimes I'll find myself spacing out then snapping back to reality at a startling noise. But overall, Demetri Martin is a great young comedian to watch at least once.

Procter & Gamble Tag Body Spray For, After Hours Pack, 3 Pack 3.5 oz/ For Men

I love these TAG commercials, they're always great for a lark. One whiff and women will stampede over each other to get at your hot, manly flesh. All very funny. Now I'm sure no man really expects that to happen, but it doesn't change the fact that almost every guy that walks by has this stuff billowing around them. I can't describe how many dates I've been on where I wanted to shove napkins up my nose to avoid inhaling the smell. I'd like to say they just used too much but I took the time to experimented with my brother's TAG. A single spray and I was almost floored. It's far too overpowering. I know men try to completely cover up their body odor, but being able to catch a hint of their natural scent is good too. Plus, having 50 other guys in the room smelling exactly like you doesn't really single you out much. About the only appropriate time I can think to use body spray as strong as this is if you need to follow someone through a pitch black maze, lead on only by the trail of smell left behind by his TAG. So unless you're doing that, or covering up the smell of gangrene, then maybe dab it on lightly. Less is more, the hint of a smell is more pleasing than being bowled over by it.

LOreal Feria Hair Color - 36 Chocolate Cherry (Deep Burgundy Brown) - 1 Eac...

Every once in awhile, you just feel like doing something different. I was running out of hair to cut off so I went the next route-- color. So I ditched my dishwater blonde look and went to the dark side. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go all the way to black and brown didn't seem to fit, so I hunted among the reds. I'm not a fan of the bright, fiery red colors so I wanted something much darker. I quickly learned that the trick to hair dye is that your natural color will dictate the shade the dye will take. A chocolate brown dye on a light blonde head would only be light brown/dark blonde instead of the color you wanted on the cover. None of the other bands I looked through went dark enough to compensate for my light hair until I came across L'Oreal's Deep Burgundy Brown dye. From the sample on the side of the box, the color would be a very deep purple so I felt safe either way. If it turned that exact color I'd have a cool edgy look, if it was a bit lighter I'd still have a nice color.

I've never dyed my own head before this and I was pleasantly surprised with how easy the process was. The box comes with instructions (duh), plastic gloves, several bottles of color mix, applicator bottle and conditioner geared towards red heads. The directions were easy to follow and there was plenty of dye to drench my hair. At first I was afraid of running out but after completely covering my head several times over, I realized that I barely used 1/4 of the bottle (though I do have short hair). So I just poured it all on and let it sit for 25 minutes, cleaned it out and went to see the results. The color was VERY BRIGHT once I got out of the shower, and I almost ran to the store to buy black to save it, but after a few minutes it darkened to a beautiful violet-crimson color. I was very happy with how it turned out and it was so simple to do that I wouldn't hesitate to continue using L'Oreal in the future, no matter what color I decided to take. This is one of the more expensive brands but it was well worth it to get the exact look I was going for.

Wenzel Insta Bed Airbed with Comfort Adjust Pump Full 1ea.

A few too many jumps on the bed and I found myself without box springs to support my mattress...again. So instead of buying another, I just put my mattress on the floor and slept on that. After awhile I started getting back aches and was eventually forced to find something else. I couldn't afford a futon at the time so I borrowed this airbed from my aunt. I can't say that it was much of an improvement.

Inflating and deflating the bed is really easy to figure out and the surface is pretty soft to lay on. But halfway through the night I would wake up with horrible back pain. I ended up stealing pillows from other people in the middle of the night so I could have some padding and support. If I shifted around too much I'd start to get motion sick as well. It wasn't great feeling like you were going to hurl when you rolled onto your side. When I began to notice that I spent more time sleeping on the floor than on this thing I went back to regular mattress. For a single night use, this would be an okay choice, but more than that would probably be a bad idea.

HydroxyCut Hardcore by MuscleTech - Hydroxy Cut Weight Loss Supplements - 1...

Several members of my family have gone on HydroxyCut with varying results. Both of my brothers used it with success yet my cousin has yet to see any improvement, even though they all started using it at around the same time. My brothers have burned off fat and built up muscle in this time and have achieved a shape that they're happy with, while my cousin has retained her doughy physique. Though, you MUST do diet and exercise, and that goes for any weight loss supplement on the market. My brothers went to the gym at least 2 days a week and they were careful with their carbs. The little brother still ate fast food a few times a week but he continued to lose weight, older brother abstained from all fast food and lost a lot more. The cousin, on the other hand, ate crappy food every day and never exercised so she simply maintained her original weight.

So HydroxyCut isn't a magic cure-all for weight loss, it's meant to make things easier on you. You don't have to put in as much effort as you would have otherwise, but you still need to do the basics. One of the things everyone complained of was the side effects. If you didn't take it right on time, or if you didn't eat at the right time, it made you very nauseous. Since the dosages are relatively few, it's pretty easy to manage. If you're willing to make the extra effort to exercise and manage your munchies, then this would be worth a bottle to try out. Though it is, as Anabel has said, quite expensive...so don't make the plunge if you don't have time to hit the gym or go jogging.

Philipp Keel - The Story of Your Life: All About Me.

If you're one of the cool kids who got caught up in the whole myspace thing, you'll probably know about the dreaded-yet-must-fill-them-out surveys that pop up from time to time on your bulletin. If you haven't gone to the darkside, or just don't look at your bulletins, then you'll probably lost as to what I'm referring to. These 'Myspace surveys' are simply lists of prepared questions that one person answers, then posts for all their friends to see. If all goes well, those friends will copy those prepared questions and answer it themselves. The questions can range from anywhere between "What's your favorite color?" to "Where's the craziest place you've had sex?" It's a fun way to learn more about your friends or to just have a good laugh over some wacky answer.

Philipp Keel basically takes this idea and puts it into a hard cover book. Over 82 pages, he asks a wide range of questions that will either be a no brainer answer for you, or make you honestly think. I just recently got this as a present from a special someone. Well, actually, I got two. One blank and one he filled out with his answers. I thought it was a very sweet gift and it's functioned as a way to 'break the ice' as it were, leading towards long discussions or interesting stories that helped me learn more about this special someone.

I think that this is a very thoughtful gift for a couple to work on together, or for friends to get to know each other better, or if you even want to keep it as a diary marker for where you are in life right now (and fill another one out a year later or something). This probably wouldn't go over well with people who are secretive or shy/unsure about opening up (there are some things that might be embarrassing to share), but people who are comfortable with themselves and eager to get to know you better would delight in this fun little book.

SKECHERS shoes - Women's CASUAL : REFRESHMENTS - BREEZE (style: 28154)

Only reason I got these was because they were on sale for $10, originally $35. Great deal, right? I didn't think they were especially cute but they seemed pretty comfortable while I was testing them out in the store. So I figured these would be nice slip on shoes to walk around in. I ended up being very wrong.

I wore them the next day at school. The distance between the parking lot to my first class was about a quarter mile, not very far at all compared to where my other classes were, and I was already limping by the time I walked in the door. I had quite the horrendous blister forming on one heel (even though I was wearing socks) and the pads of my feet were beginning to ache. So I hurried around campus most of the day in these terrible shoes and eventually took them off completely. When I got out of my last class I made the mile long trek back to my car barefoot, then inspected my wounds once I had a chance to sit down. The shoes had rubbed me raw right through the socks. Both heels were blistered (one had popped and the skin underneath stung like the dickens) and a few more on the sides and pads. Couldn't walk right for at least two days.

These are the single least comfortable shoes I've ever worn. I know that it takes time to break shoes in but my feet were wrecked after a day in these. I even mustered up the courage to take daily walks in them to try and loosen things up, but to no success. These hurt! And you don't even get the satisfaction of it being a proud hurt, like when you strut around in a sexy pair of heels. They're quite plain, borderline ugly, so the only reason I can see to wear these is if you're into torture.