Aamas 2004 blog

Archive for April, 2010

I have had my Garmin Forerunner for 4 months now. PROS: Display is nice, easy to customize, easy to read. Have not had issues with locating satellites outside. Heart rate monitor works well. Love the ability to have virtual partner, set alarms for goals, etc. CONS: COMPUTER SOFTWARE and CUSTOMER SUPPORT! Initially everything worked perfectly. A couple weeks after I had used the device, I searched for software updates and the program said there was an update available. I downloaded the update then had major issues with transferring data and storing information on the computer. Numerous communications with customer service yielded poor responses and ineffective solutions. Independent research discovered that the so called ‘update’ was actually an earlier software version than the one I had loaded and not a more recent update. Wound up having to remove software and reload original, then it worked fine…UNTIL…a couple of days ago. I tried to customize a workout on the software and transfer the workout to my device. All seemed fine until I tried to then download my data after the workout. The device read “Transfer Complete” but the Training Center gave me an error message saying Trouble Communicating with Device…make sure it’s plugged into the computer then try again. Contacted customer support without reply. Seems like this device works well when you don’t try to customize anything or transfer from software onto device. I am VERY disappointed w/ this product and the support from Garmin.
Pevonia RS2 Rosacea Line

Ordered Wii to exercise, we ar nearly 80. We got FIT games, enjoy bowling, golf, baseball. Thought it would include exercise series used by our daughter, but find we have to have balance board; unable to find balance board for purchase. Expensive, think the descriptions of games, accessories on AMAZON should be more complete. Find Wii still not completely available in stores. Would not buy again for our ages!
Disney s Enchanted Stickers

Water for Elephants amazed me. It was not at all what I expected. I knew it was about a circus, and obviously for the title, an elephant was involved. What I was not prepared for however, was the cruelty it showed. And I don’t doubt for a minute, that even though this was fiction, that these atrocities didn’t happen in real circuses.

We are introduced to a death in the prologue. While it is fuzzy and hard to tell who’s who, we are witnesses to a scene that the narrator, Jacob, has viewed and never forgotten. Mayhem abounds as we discover that the menagerie of a circus is on the stampede.

We are then reintroduced to Jacob, many years later, as he is a resident at a nursing home. He is ninety three, or ninety one, he can’t keep it straight and a circus is in town and being set up within sight of the nursing home. This causes him to reminisce about his time spent with the Benzini Brothers circus.

As a runaway college student, after the death of his parents, he finds himself hopping a train that turns out to be part of the circus train. There, instead of being thrown off, he is taken in by an older man named Camel who secures him a job with the circus mucking stalls, which later turns into a position as the circus’s veterinarian.

He falls in love with Marlena, the wife of his schizophrenic boss August. While he keeps his love hidden, August, dangerous and unpredictable makes life tough for Jacob in the circus while in his better moments is a best friend to him.

He also makes the acquaintance of Walter, a dwarf clown whom he bunks with and together they help Camel in his time of need. He also makes an unlikely friend in Rosie, an elephant picked up from another failing circus whom he feels a bond with and devastation at her treatment from the cruel August.

Throughout the book it cuts back and forth from Jacob at the nursing home, to his reminisces of the circus and its happenings. One of the ending chapters recaps the prologue, only with more detail.

Gr
Boston Red Sox Forever

We bought an electrolux several years ago but needed something that would vacuum floors. Consumer Reports stated that this Hoover worked well on non- carpeted floors. We bought it and not only does it work on non- carpeted floors it is great on them as well. Our expensive electrolux did not get all the dog hair but the Hoover was great!!!!!!!!!!
Huggies Snug N Dry

My mom loves books and she’s got so many she doesn’t have room for them. I got her a Kindle for last year’s Mother’s Day. She loves this thing so much. She reads her books like crazy, the adjustable size print is great. She gets to read the first chapter of any book for free so she can decide whether to buy it or not. The menus are so easy for her and the screen is literally like looking at paper. It’s not LCD so don’t confuse it. My sister bought her the leather case for it and my mom is crazy about it. I wil probably buy one for myself because I don’t read enough. One detail that’s maybe small, but I think is so classy, is the old fashioned art work that displays on your kindle when it goes to sleep. Since the image on the screen doesn’t require power to stay put, there’s this cool portrait of a different author everytime you open your kindle. I know it’s a small detail, but adds that bit of class to the device.
Zoo Med Can O`

As with other reviews the dirty tank does feel up faster than the clean tank empties so this means more trips back and forth to the sink. So far I’ve cleaned all the carpets/rugs in my home and they look amazing. I haven’t touched the furniture just quite yet but will be doing so tomorrow. The machine is easy to use once you get the hang of it and pretty light-weight although very loud.
Fireworks Ceremonial Illuminations and

Even though there is a more current model available, I purchased this one primarily because it is cheaper than the newer one. After talking with more seasoned runners, several said the newer model was larger and the navigation tools were not as easy to use. I purchased this model (again) after giving my last one to my fiancee. It has all the necessities without the price of the newer features that I do not need. PS – I love this size as it is not as large as the newer one.
Running Linux on IBM

This carpet cleaner does a good job. It is ironic though that it is called a “steam” cleaner and there is no mention of using hot water in the manual and the unit does not heat the water to make steam. So, I used water I had heated to a boil and did not use any soap at all. This did a great job and dried quickly.
Ultra Quiet Air Purifier

Priscilla and Aquila Paul

Zoo Med Laboratories Repti