I was sent five different flavors or “functions”as JavaFit likes to call them - original, energy extreme, diet plus, focus plus multi-vitamin, and immune plus multi-vitamin.  Each of the non-original flavors/functions contains a variety of supplements geared toward a specific goal: increased energy, appetite suppressant, mental clarity, or an immune system boost (you can read about the specific additives on their website).  I am far from a coffee aficionado, but I would describe their coffee as average.  It tasted very similiar to other mid-range pre-ground coffees I’ve had in the past.  I generally add a decent amount of sugar and milk to my coffee, but for this review I tried each of the coffees without sugar/coffee, and with, to gauge the flavor.  Here are my thoughts on each flavor:

Extreme Energy: this one has a slightly odd flavor, maybe it’s the green tea extract?  It also has an unfortunate slight aftertaste.  Extreme Energy tastes decent with enough sugar and cream.  This flavor/function gave me a definite energy boost for a few hours - I drank two cups in a row one day, and it gave me jitters.  This might be a good alternative for people who use energy drinks to get them through the day, or if you prescribe to the marketting materials, a good way to jumpstart a workout.

 Diet Plus: I didn’t detect and weird flavors in diet plus, and it tasted pretty much the same as the original.  I didn’t really follow the scientific process, but I don’t think this flavor/function supressed my appetite for very long.  I am not sure if any of the other additives had any beneficial effects on me, but they very well may have.

Mental Clarity: It is very hard to determine whether the additives in this coffee had any effect on my mental clarity, so I have to evaluate it based on taste alone.  I thought it was odd, that after opening the package, this flavor/function didn’t really smell enough like coffee.  Despite the weird lack of aroma, this flavor tasted pretty decent, and had no aftertaste.  I was pleased that it didn’t taste like vitamins - although it did taste slightly different than the original.

Immune Support: This flavor was basically the same as mental clarity as far as taste, and once again, it is very hard to tell whether it had a real impact on my immune system health.

I don’t generally associate coffee with exercise or fitness, especially given that coffee dehydrates me, but I do find that JavaFit has a good angle on the supplement market.  By selling to offices, workout centers, and other places that want to promote coffee with benefits, JavaFit is finding it’s target market, and gaining customers who enjoy coffee with the added health benefits.  Since I generally take a multivitamin every morning, and I only drink coffee every few days, I don’t really see a need to drink coffee with vitamin additives, especially if they alter the flavor.  Also, I don’t find that I enjoy the high/low cycle of energy supplements, and I don’t have a need for an appetite suppressant, so I am really not one of JavaFit’s “target” customers.  Despite that, their product has the potential to provide real benefits for people who are willing to pay the slightly higher price tag (about $1 per pot of coffee, if buying at their online store).  I probably won’t ever buy their coffee again, but I enjoyed it for what it was, as did the people I gave samples to.  I didn’t derive any specific benefit from the special blends, but I can see how they would be enticing to some.  Assuming the cost isn’t prohibitive, you may want to try it.

Thanks to JavaFit for sending me these coffee samples for review, if you have a product that you would like me to review, please check out the ‘Get Reviewed‘ page for details on how to contact me.  Have you ever tried JavaFit coffee? What do you think of the supplemented coffee concept?  Is $1/pot too high of a price?

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I decided after a quick overview of the available brokers that LaptopsIntoCash.com looked like my best option (despite the annoying sounds on their website).  They quoted me a higher price than some others, as well as offered to send me a pre-paid shipping box for the laptop, so I decided to try them out.  As a test, I first sent them my oldest and most broken laptop - for a promised price of $10.  That may sound like a horrible deal for me, but this was a very old computer with few working components, so it was better than giving it away at a recycling drive (or allowing it to continue to gather dust in the corner of my office).  The pre-paid box showed up on my doorstep within two days of submitting my shipping address and laptop specs on their website, and I had my $10 check within a few weeks of dropping off the box at a FedEx/Kinkos location.  The first successful transaction gave me the confidence to send them 2 more laptops over the past few months.  Each of those two transactions was successful, with LaptopsIntoCash.com sending me the quoted amount for each computer, without any delay or argument.  All communications I’ve had with the people at LaptopsIntoCash.com were courteous and friendly.

I have one more laptop to send them, and their service has been perfect so far.  I recommend them to anyone holding onto an old laptop that’s taking up space.  I can attest that they do in fact send out checks, and they haven’t yet tried to lower their bid once they have my equipment (a common problem people often run into when trying to sell old electronics to brokers online).

LaptopsIntoCash.com Laptop Buying Service: 5 out of 5 stars 5/5

Have you ever sold a laptop or other electronics to an online brokerage?  What was your experience?

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In short, the tour did not live up to it’s reputation.  Things started out badly when the transportation bus to the pier was over-filled, forcing me and my companions to stand during the entire drive through the city.  We were unable to see any of the countryside or sites that the driver pointed out during the ride.  It also did not help that the bus-line was touted as a “party bus” service, and the driver was a bit crazy - making it even harder to stand in the narrow bus aisle through 10-15 minutes of his erratic driving.

Once at the pier, we met the Jolly Pirate ship’s lackluster crew.  While some may describe them as laid back, I think it is fair to say that the crew of the ship didn’t really put any energy into their jobs, and they didn’t try to create the atmosphere described by many pasts guests of fun and excitement.  Instead, I felt more like one of the herd, shuffled onboard, issued equipment, and transported to each snorkel location with no visible enjoyment from the crew.  Even after they opened the bar and started serving drinks, things didn’t really pick up.  Also, part of the tour description was that the crew would give us a mini-show by doing tricks off of the rope swing - which they didn’t.  Given their overall attitude I didn’t really expect the rope tricks, but it would have been nice to see, and would have increased the entertainment value of the trip.

Being out on the open ocean was nice - as was most of the ship - it was a large ship, with plenty of space for everyone.  The one part of the ship that was not enjoyable was the bathroom.  I wasn’t expecting anything wonderful, but the bathroom was disgusting.  If you go on a Jolly Pirates tour, try as best as you can to avoid the bathroom, and focus on the rest of the ship instead.

The snorkeling locations weren’t incredibly exciting.  We were looking forward to snorkeling at the shipwreck of the Antilla, a World War II ship sunk off of the coast of Aruba - but the water was very rough, and the shipwreck turned out to be hard to see, and not a fun place to snorkel.  The other locations we stopped at were picturesque, but also were not good places to snorkel.  There was very little ocean life available for us to see, and venturing far from the ship looking for interesting snorkeling sites wasn’t really an option, because we spent a minimal amount of time at each location.  I didn’t try the rope swing, but the guests who did said it was fun.

The snorkeling equipment worked well and fit nicely, and the bar service on the way back to port was good.  The excursion did have good qualities, but overall, I can’t recommend it.  There were too many negative qualities for the price, and I won’t go on a Jolly Pirate’s trip in the future.

Aruba Jolly Pirates, Sail, Snorkel, Swim, and Swing! (RCI Shore Excursion): 2 out of 5 stars 2/5

Have you been on a Jolly Pirates trip? What did you think? What other trips would you recommend in Aruba?

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In general, I liked our room and the hotel a lot.  The decor at Whitelaw is very unique, and gives the hotel and each room a specific personality that is refreshing when compared to the usual drab Holiday Inn or Marriott.   The first thing I noticed after walking through the door was how hot our room was.  Much to my dismay, the thermostat revealed that the air conditioning was already set on the lowest setting, and we would have to live with the current temperature.  I did acclimate to the somewhat humid and warm atmosphere after about an hour, but I am not sure I could stand the underperforming A/C during one of the summer months.  The room had two double beds separated by a mini-fridge/nightstand, with both beds facing a 42 inch LCD TV mounted on the opposite wall.  The TV was a great feature, but we didn’t spend much time in the room watching it.  The dresser under the TV had a stereo with an iPod dock, which was also a nice feature that we didn’t get a chance to use.  The only other piece of furniture in the room was an antique-style chair next to the bathroom door, which made a good place for a laptop bag, or bathroom supplies.  The floor length mirror mounted on the wall was useful and decorative. The white-painted hardwood floor, bright colored walls, and interesting drapery helped round out the eclectic style of the room.  Right inside the door was a giant closet, the perfect place for storing luggage.  The closet featured a very roomy electronic safe (big enough to fit my 13 inch widescreen laptop!), a feature I love to see in any hotel room.  The beds in the room were very comfortable, although seemingly shorter than a normal bed, as my feet didn’t quite fit.  The bedding was also very comfortable, and I slept reasonably well (despite the lack of adequate A/C).

The bathroom was very modern with large limestone tiles covering the floor, walls, and shower, and a glass vessel sink.  While the bathroom looked nice, it unfortunately wasn’t 100% functional.  If the sink faucet was turned on more than half way, the water jettisoned out of the sink, creating a very unpleasant puddle on and around your feet.  The shower seemed high-scale at first glance, but had a shower curtain on a rod rather than a glass shower door, which wasn’t very fitting for the shower configuration.  Because of the shower curtain issue, it was impossible to take a shower without once again soaking the floor of the bathroom (If all of the rooms have these water related issues, I imagine the housekeeping staff spends a majority of their time in each room mopping up the bathroom).  Also, the shower was quite small and had no storage for shower necessities like soap and shampoo, so we had to use a portion of the already limited floor space to store our supplies.  The bathroom door didn’t shut easily, possibly due to swelling of the door frame, or bad carpentry.  When opened, the bathroom door made a loud high pitched squeal - which wasn’t conducive to un-interrupted sleep at night.  Despite the problems, the bathroom was manageable, and it fit well with the style of the rest of the room.

The amenities provided at the Whitelaw were nice - starting with the free shuttle from the airport (despite the somewhat grumpy driver).  The room had nice robes and toiletries available, as well as a good selection of mini-bar items including snacks on a shelf next to the bathroom door, and drinks in the mini-fridge.  Free wifi Internet was available throughout the hotel. Free drinks were offered to hotel guests between 7 pm and 8pm in the lobby/bar, and the atmosphere at the bar during the “happy hour” was fun (obviously, tipping the bartender was highly encouraged).

The Whitelaw has somewhat of a reputation for being a party hotel, and the music in the lobby definitely had the potential to be too loud for rooms located near the front of the hotel - we were luckily in the back, and we weren’t disturbed by the volume and late hour of the music.  Unfortunately, we were disturbed early in the morning by a trash truck in the alley outside our window, making more noise than I thought possible by a simple trash pickup.  Yet another trash truck showed up about an hour after the first, making nearly as much noise as the first.  The lesson learned was that noise pollution is a consideration for anyone planning to stay at Whitelaw Hotel, and if you are a light sleeper, you should probably ask for a room far away from the lobby (or party late enough every night so that the lobby music is no longer an issue).

The hotel is in an ideal location - 2 blocks from the beach, and centrally located in the art deco shopping area of South Beach.  We were happy to go exploring around this unique and fun area in the evening, without having to travel more than a few footsteps out of our hotel lobby.  We had fun looking around at a few stores and walking to the ocean before succumbing to hunger.  As you can see in my previous review, we found a great pizza place in the area, and had a good dinner back in our room.  I was also able to quickly locate a CVS pharmacy, in order to purchase 11 days worth of soda to take aboard the cruise ship. Unfortunately, we only had the one night to check out South Beach, and I am sure we missed a good portion of the night-time sites and experiences - I look forward to going back at some point to explore the area more in the future (we did find the time to walk to the beach in the morning before heading to the port of Miami, and it was beautiful (see pic)).

Overall, our stay at the Whitelaw Hotel was good, and I would recommend the hotel to anyone interested in staying in a unique South Beach hotel - as long as you can secure a cheap enough price (we paid $79 for the night), and deal with a few quirks in your room.  Also, I have to warn you ahead of time that I was charged $19 for mini-bar items that we never used, after we left the hotel.  After a few phone calls I still haven’t received a refund for these charges, but I am confident that I will in the next few days.  If I don’t receive this refund, I will update my review to reflect the fact that I was ripped off and accordingly drop my rating, as well as contest the charge on my credit card - let’s hope for Whitelaw’s sake that they do the right thing.

 ***UPDATE***

I have decided to lower my rating for the Whitelaw Hotel from 3.5 to 1, because I never heard back from the man who was supposed to be looking into a refund of my $19.  I called and left him messages, as well as sent him emails, with no response.  I have since had to file a dispute through my credit card, instead.  Any hotel that mis-charges for minibar items, and then never responds to their customers about the issue, isn’t worth staying at - if I had stayed for a week, how much extra money would they have tried to squeeze out of me?

Whitelaw Hotel (Miami Beach, FL): 1 out of 5 stars 1/5

Have you ever stayed at the Whitelaw Hotel?  Have you visited Miami Beach? What hotel did you stay at? What did you think of the area?

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• December 7, 2008 -- Review: Pizza Rustica (Miami Beach, FL) (0)
• June 12, 2008 -- Review: Binion’s Gambling Hall & Hotel (Las Vegas, NV) (0)
• February 5, 2008 -- Guest Review: The Hilton Garden Inn (Laramie, WY) (0)

 The service was good, I placed our order over the phone, and it was delivered very shortly to our hotel without any problems.  The delivery man did his job, the phone was answered quickly, and our order was fullfilled accurately.  We ordered a large Hawaiian pizza, and it was quite a bit larger than expected (18 inches?), much more than the two of us can eat, for $20 delivered.  The price was reasonable, when factoring in that we are in South Beach (a bit pricey), and this was a large quantity of very delicious pizza.

The pizza itself came topped with smoked ham, pinapple, and diced tomatoes.  There were a lot of toppings, and plenty of cheese.  The toppings were all very fresh, and tasted great.  In particular, the crust was very satisfying, with a good balance of salty sweetness.  The pizza tasted so good, that I probably over-ate - but I don’t regret my actions.

Anyway, I need to get back to vacationing - so just know that if you are ever in South Beach, you should check out Pizza Rustica, you won’t be disappointed.

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• January 3, 2009 -- Review: Whitelaw Hotel (Miami Beach, FL) (1)
• November 21, 2007 -- Review: Domino’s Crispy Melt Pizza (0)

What are Soft Claws?

Soft Claws are small, round-tipped, claw-shaped covers designed to be glued over your cat’s claw - removing their ability to use the sharp nails underneath for destruction.  They are touted as a great alternative to de-clawing, and they don’t hinder a cat’s normal detraction of their claws into their paws.  I picked up a pack of 40 clear Soft Claws at the pet store for about $22 (they also come in pink, purple, blue, and red).  They also have a variety of sizes, based on the weight of your cat.  With 4 destructive claws on each paw, the pack of 40 claw-covers is plenty to cover all 3 of our cat’s claws, with enough left over for replacements later.  The package also came with two small re-usable bottles of adhesive, for gluing the caps onto claws.

The Application Process

Of course, the big challenge with a product like Soft Claws is to enlist the cooperation of your cat in order to glue the covers onto their nails.  As you can imagine, most cats don’t really like the idea of you fondling their paws, and jamming pieces of glue-covered plastic onto their claws, especially if they are as grumpy as our first cat, Ebony.  The application of the Soft Claw nail caps is certainly not as easy and calm as the photos on the packaging would make it appear, unless you have previously drugged your cat, or they are incredibly mellow.  Ebony absolutely hated being held, and we had to wrap her in a towel in order to control her movements during the process.  She whined constantly, struggled, scratched, and did everything she could to make it impossible for us to glue the caps to her claws.  After she gave up some of her fight, we were able to get one paw covered, but by that point we were exhausted, and we let her go.

Application on the other cats wasn’t as bad, but definitely wasn’t easy, and therefore we only did one paw for each, the first time around.  Our troublemaker, Cyrus, spent a great deal of time after we finished with his paw, licking his claws, and attempting to remove the caps - which he did quite successfully.  I believe that 1 out of 4  of Cyrus’ caps came off in the first 2-3 days.  We later found one of the removed caps on the floor, split down the middle.  This basically proves that if your cat has the drive to remove these caps, they can and will.  Thankfully, our most ferocious stair-scratcher, Ebony, does not have the drive to remove her caps, and they are still in place.  Also, I should note, our cats were very angry with us for at least two days after our attack, apparently they don’t easily forgive unwarranted harrassment.  Now we just need to build up the courage and energy to tackle everyone’s second paw (and the re-application of most of Cyrus’ first paw - maybe more glue this time?).

Summary

As I’ve explained, so far we have had mixed results with the staying power of this product, and the application process can be a nightmare depending on your cat’s personality.  Soft Claws are also quite expensive when you consider what you get: two tubes of glue, and 40 tiny bits of plastic.  Given the destruction they are capable of preventing, though, they are probably worth the money and the hassle for most people.  Just covering Ebony’s first paw has caused her to not scratch as often as she used to, and I am sure that at least with her, the second paw will be a success as well - so we have had a partial victory.  Also, when they stay on, Soft Claws appear to work very well for their purpose.

Have you tried Soft Claws before?  What do you do to prevent your cats from scratching?  Do you have any other product suggestions for us to try?

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Ignoring the romance sub-plot, The Hunger Games presents itself as a graphic and bloody adventure, following the bad-ass heroine Katniss Everdeen through her survival of the yearly ‘Hunger Games’ - a no-rules, televised contest reminiscent of ancient Roman gladiator battles, with a helping of nature survival thrown in for good measure.  While some people may not appreciate the violence and conflict, they define the book, and set it apart from most of the nonsense that is usually found in the young adult novel category - I would say that it barely fits into the young adult categorization.

One thing I didn’t like about The Hunger Games is something I found out in the last chapter - the story doesn’t end with this book, and it is rather the first in a planned trilogy.  It’s hard to be patient, especially with such engaging writing, and a semi-cliffhanger ending.  Thankfully, this is merely a trilogy, and doesn’t require the patience that the Harry Potter series did.  Another thing that detracts from the story for me, but probably not for most people, is a lack of explaination for many of the technological accomplishments described in the book, such as unseen television cameras and microphones located wherever necessary, and seemingly magical supplies capsules that float down directly to the games’ contestants locations (I was reminded of the supplies that show up exactly when you need them in a lot of shooter video games).  Thankfully, the writing more than makes up for these nit-picky shortcomings, and I dare say that nearly anyone will find The Hunger Games an enjoyable read.

Have you read The Hunger Games?  What did you think?  Have you read any of Suzanne Collins’ other books?  Would you recommend any of them to me?  How about any good post-apocolyptic fiction?

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On the plus side, I have recently enlisted a weapon into my yard work arsenal, a Toro “Rake & Vac” Electric Blower Vac (Model 51574).  I picked it up at Home Depot for $50, and I spent an extra $5 on the extended warranty.  I chose the cheapest of the leaf blower/vacuum combo units available.  It is an electric blower/vac, and requires that I drag an extension cord around the yard to use it.  Unfortunately, the battery powered units didn’t have vacuum capabilities, and the gas-engine powered units weren’t worth the extra cost or future maintenence concerns.  The 51574 model was a compromise, giving me vacuum capabilities, as well as a cheap price.  With 210 mph air speed, and 2 speed settings, the “Rake & Vac” is plenty powerful as well.  It is also advertised as having the capability to shred 8 bags worth of leaves into one bag, and it comes equiped with a quick-release latch, making the switch between blower and vacuum mode quick and easy.

I’ll start off by saying this blower/vacuum was well worth the money, as long as it lasts through the end of leaf season.  Just today, it reduced 2-3 hours worth of raking into less than an hours worth of blowing and vacuuming.  The work was much less labor intensive as well (the last time I raked the yard I think I strained my shoulder with the repetitive motions).  I will have to buy a longer extension cord in order to reach the far corner of my yard (my 50 foot cord doesn’t quite reach), but thankfully, extension cords are useful for a variety of things.  I was surprised by how easy it is to blow the leaves into a large pile, and I was happy with the performance of the 210 mpg wind speed.  Actually, it may be a little too fast on the highest setting, because I was accidently blowing our landscaping mulch out of the flower boxes.  The unit weights 5-10 pounds, and is easy enough to carry around the yard for 30 minutes, while blowing the leaves into a pile.  The only frustration while using the blower, is the constant need to struggle with the extension cord.

Once the leaves are piled, it is time to use the vacuum and shredding capabilities of the 51574.  The vacuum is pretty powerful for a cheap electrical unit, but I would prefer to have better suction.  There were multiple instances where leaves clogged the vacuum tube, and the vacuum process is a bit slower than I expected due to a lack of suction.  Small sticks and clumps of leaves are eventually pulled up the tube, but if your yard is full of small cottonwood sticks, like mine is, it is definitely slower than a pile of pure leaves.  In the end, though, it is better to have somewhat weak vacuum capability, rather than having to bag all the leaves by hand.

The impeller (chopper) is quite powerful, despite being made out of plastic.  Some of the larger sticks got stuck in the impeller area of the machine, and required that I stop vacuuming to remove them, but for the most part, sticks and normal yard waste in addition to leaves were chopped quickly, thoroughly, and without problems.  I am actually surprised that the plastic holds up so well against sticks, and I am pleased with the chopping performance overall.  I think the claim of reducing 8 bags worth of leaves into one bag is nearly substantiated.  I was able to reduce quite a large pile of leaves (maybe 6-8 bags worth), so that they fit with room to spare into one of my 32 gallon trash bins.  The shredded leaves will make a great addition to a compost pile, once I’ve figured out where and how I want to start one.  I am also pleased with the provided zip-up bag - it holds in a lot of the dust and all of the chopped leaf debris, and is sturdy and easy to empty.  Unfortunately, it is impossible to keep some leaf dust from getting all over yourself, your clothes, and the machine itself, while vacuuming/chopping, but the bag seems to hold a lot of extra dust from flying out into the air. The bag also has a shoulder strap on it, making it easy to carry the unit with the extra weight of the chopped leaves.

All around, the “Rake & Vac” 51574 seems sturdy, well built, and does it’s job well.  Despite being a bit slow at vacuuming, the 51574 has a cheap price point, and quite a few features that are nice and work better than I expected.  Although I will likely only use this appliance for a month out of every year, I am happy with my purchase, and if you need a solution to a leaf problem, this Toro is a good blower/vacuum unit, and you should consider picking one up.

Have you ever used a blower/vac?  How was your experience?  Do you have any suggestions for a leaf blower newbie?

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If you are a big fan of any of the headliners, you might enjoy this movie.  If you are a Dane Cook hater, don’t even consider seeing it.  If you don’t have strong feelings about any of the cast, I suggest you wait for the DVD rental from Red Box.

Did you see My Best Friend’s Girl?  What did you think?  Were you offended?  Do you hate Dane Cook?

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The first impression that we both had after applying some Skin MD to our hands was how smooth and non-greasy this lotion is compared to other lotions we’ve used.  Skin MD definitely has an advantage, having formulated a non-greasy and effective moisturizer.  Crystal has informed me that daily use of Skin MD works just as well as her old lotion, although she didn’t notice many remarkable improvements, beyond the texture.  She tried the lotion in many different places, including her face, arms, legs, and hands - she reports that it worked well everywhere she tried it.  One additional feature that we noted during our use of the lotion was that it dispersed and/or absorbed quickly into the skin, making it quick to apply.  Crystal commented to me that it is, “a good guy lotion,” because it is non-scented, quick applying, and effective.

Since we both liked this lotion, I naturally wanted to see what the price is - the Skin MD website lists a 4oz bottle for $18.  The lotion is apparently also carried by Walgreens, but I wasn’t able to find it on the walgreens website, to price it.  At $18 for a 4oz bottle, I have to say that Skin MD is a bit expensive.  If you have the extra cash to spend in order to acquire a fast-obsorbing and non-greasy lotion, then Skin MD is a good choice, but unfortunately, I can’t justify spending that much money for this lotion, despite it’s good quailities.  I definitely recommend this lotion to any lotion users who aren’t satisfied with their current moisturizer, maybe try out a sample yourself?

Thanks to Pete from Skin MD for sending me this review sample.  If you have a product that you would like me to review, please check out the ‘Get Reviewed‘ page for more details.  Have you ever tried Skin MD?  Is there a cheaper lotion with the same benefits that you want to recommend?

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