No Reviews this week.

 Halloween may be over but I'm still doing my best impression of the Wicked Witch of the East.
Not that I actually had a house fall on me. But at the same time, I sort of did. 
After living the past two and a half years in a house that was a bit too large and a bit too expensive my family and I made the (rather hurried) decision to downsize our living space. We were able to find an apartment that more than suited our needs.

Once we made it through the approval process we were two weeks away from our move in date, we then began the long process of packing and paring down possessions; its funny, but when you are living in a house that is too large for your family you end up acquiring a lot of junk and things you don't need.

Those two weeks went by very quick, before we knew it we were trading a check for a set of keys; then the real fun started. 

Find me someone that actually enjoys, moving, seriously if there is really someone out there that likes packing and moving let me know, I've got a stack of boxes to introduce them to.

We managed to accomplish the bulk of the moving in 2 days, thanks in part to my Inlaws, and of course a trailer from Uhaul. We are all still exhausted from what I've termed "manic moving" and there is still plenty of cleaning up to do in the old place.  But its nicer to be in a smaller place, and I know in a few months we're really going to appreciate the reduction in rent.

Needless to say, the last month has been very hectic for me and mine, this month could be almost on par, and I don't even want to consider December yet.  Between moving and just life in general I've found myself with less and less time to devote to blogging, or any of my other hobbies.  Though I don't want to say that I am taking a hiatus, I really don't expect to be updating all that often.  I just wanted to assure my readers that this blog isn't dead, its just sleeping.

I do plan on a post here and there, but I don't expect to have an abundance of review time until January.
I also have a few pots on the back burners, those are simmering along and I am really excited about what's in them.

Thanks for sticking around as I try to figure out my blogging rhythm, I know you won't be disappointed that you did.

Ooh That Smell.

I'm back with another review brought to you (and me) by Bzzagent.com, today I'll be telling you about the Glade Expressions collection. I received coupons for a starter kit for both the Fragrance Mist, and the Oil Diffuser from Glade, first off let me just say that these products were very difficult to find, I still have not been able to locate the Oil Diffuser, but I did get my hands on the Fragrance Mist.  I'm no stranger to air fresheners, I use them both at work and at home, and I've used a number of different brands, but they all look the same, and they are all clearly air fresheners, but Glade's fragrance mist is different, first off we have the sleek cover, its all white with a small window where the color of the can is visible, you can use this bit of color to coordinate the mister into your decor, the scent I selected was Cotton & Italian Mandarin, in a blue can, so the little strip of color visible on my mister is blue, I've a lot of blue in my bathroom so though the mister has been traveling the house, when I manage to get it back in its "spot" it matches up very well to the rest of the room.

On to the fragrance, ever tried one of those misters that you have to spray a few times before the smell you were trying to get rid of disappears? Or even worse the ones that smell WORSE than the original offending odor? I'm sure we've all been there, Glade Fragrance Mist is neither of these things, just one squeeze and the offending odor is gone, and the fragrance left behind is light and fresh, it really does smell of citrus and cotton, it reminds me of clothes hanging on the line and a fresh glass of orange juice, dare I say, Summer in a can? Just about, I've even sprayed it a few times just because.  It is that nice of a scent.

Between the sleek put anywhere style of the reusable container and the fragrance of the mister itself, I am hooked, even my four year old has commented on the "yummy smell" and my cat box has never been so unobtrusive as its been since I've been using this spray.

I plan to get another mister for my office (never again will fish smell assault me from the break room) and I'm looking forward to trying other fragrances. We used to be a Fabreez Family, but after this campaign we have definitely become Glade Groupies.

Lend me your ear, you'll be glad you did.

My oh my, over a month has gone by since my last review, I've been very busy though the last month so we'll have to let that be my excuse.

But enough with excuses let's get back to what we're here for: Reviews!

I was contacted last week by Wes Meadows of Flowerpot Records, asking if I would be interested in listening to and reviewing an album by one of their bands. Flowerpot Records is record label based out of Berea, Ohio, they produce CDs and tapes from indie artists throughout the state of Ohio.  I was a bit surprised at first since I'm about as far away from Ohio as you can get and still be in the Continental US, but if you know me at all you know that my first love is music (followed closely by books of course), so of course I agreed, not only was it an opportunity for a little something to put in my blog, but it was also an opportunity to find new music and I never pass that up.

I was given a list of the albums that Wes preferred I review, and I chose the one I liked the best based on band name, album name and cover art.  Which is pretty much how I used to shop for new bands back before Internet radio and such.

This is the album I decided on, The cover caught my eye before I even noticed the name of the album or the band, Lady Liberty on the phone, I don't know why it struck me the way that it did but I downloaded "I Liked Them Before They Went Political" by The Suburbanites, and listened to it repeatedly over the next few days.

From the very first track I was impressed, their vocal range is fantastic, and reminiscent of Brian Molko in some songs, in still others I was reminded of Cherry Poppin' Daddies, or Cake.

The instrumental arrangements are fresh and clever, yet still remaining true to the ska/rock genre; wicked guitar riffs and awesome percussion blend with the vocals to give the listener the impression that not only have the Suburbanites have been playing together for a long time but they know what they are doing.  The lyrics are funny and poignant by turns, some of the songs tell a story, some of them convey a feeling, but all of them are good. That said, its seldom that I find an album that has only good songs, no matter how much I like a band or an artist I can generally find a song that isn't that great, or that I just dislike, but that is not the case with "I Liked Them Before They Went Political", each song has its own flavor, and its own story to tell, and I found myself very interested in what that story had to say.

This is a fairly new album less than a month old, and sadly it seems that the Surbanites have taken an extended hiatus, I do hope they record another album at some point because I would love to hear more from them, but until that happens, do your ears a treat and check out the first track on the album

Now you're ready to head over to Flowerpot Records where you can check out and get the rest of the tracks.  While you're there, check out some of the other bands they have to offer, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

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Bzzagent Book Review: The Dark Monk

The Dark Monk: A Hangman's Daughter Tale, By Oliver Pötzsch ★ ★ ★ ★☆

Blurb from Amazon: 


1660: Winter has settled thick over a sleepy village in the Bavarian Alps, ensuring every farmer and servant is indoors on the night a parish priest discovers he's been poisoned. As numbness creeps up his body, he summons the last of his strength to scratch a cryptic sign in the frost.

Following a trail of riddles, hangman Jakob Kuisl; his headstrong daughter, Magdalena; and the town physician’s son team up with the priest’s aristocratic sister to investigate. What they uncover will lead them back to the Crusades, unlocking a troubled history of internal church politics and sending them on a chase for a treasure of the Knights Templar.

But they’re not the only ones after the legendary fortune. A team of dangerous and mysterious monks is always close behind, tracking their every move, speaking Latin in the shadows, giving off a strange, intoxicating scent. And to throw the hangman off their trail, they have ensured he is tasked with capturing a band of thieves roving the countryside attacking solitary travelers and spreading panic.

I received "The Dark Monk" and its prequel, "The Hangman's Daughter" as part of a Bzzagent Campaign, though I'm not a big fan of historical novels, I was excited to read these books as I love mystery and suspense and both of these books were purported to have a large helping of both.

They take place in 17th century Bavaria, a time and an area thick with fear and ignorance, where the town physician could as likely kill you as cure you, and women can be killed for the slightest whisper of witchcraft.

Both stories are well told and well crafted, the characters are three dimensional and human.  If you do read these I suggest you start with "The Hangman's Daughter" as that book introduces us to most of the characters that we meet in "The Dark Monk".

I enjoyed the Dark Monk a good deal more than the first book, the characters were already known to me by then and I had my favorite ones.  The Dark Monk is faster paced than The Hangman's Daughter, and the suspense begins to build from the very first page,  I felt that I was actually there in Bavaria, traveling from town to town in search of the Templar treasure and the monks that will murder to keep it out of the hands of "heretics".  Though "The Dark Monk"  doesn't really give "clues" like other mysteries, there is still much for the reader to deduce, and make theories on. In fact I was pleasantly surprised to find some of mine to be correct I may have even exclaimed "I knew it!" as one element of the mystery was reveled.

The storytelling was colorful, the descriptions were vivid, the suspense and intrigue were tangible, on many occasions I caught myself holding my breath or chewing my lips as I read.

There were a few things that I didn't like about these books but thankfully they can be attributed to formatting and the fact that these books were originally written and published in German.

The kindle/ebook format is poorly done, the font size and style changes through out the book, page breaks and paragraph separation is random, and at times very confusing.  However I have noticed that this is sadly a somewhat common occurrence in ebooks.

 My second issue with the stories would best be summed up as "loosing something in the translation" there is a lot of slang and colloquialisms used in the book that I just don't see being used in the 17th century.  "We're screwed" for instance, I can't help but think there could have been a less modern phrase that would have expressed the same feeling.  Sadly the books were rife with language like that, and I do have to say that it lessened my enjoyment of the story a bit.  I don't want to blame the author or the translator though, language is odd and it would not surprise me to find that there was simply no adequate English translation other than "We're screwed".

Those two pet peeve points aside, "The Dark Monk" was truly a fascinating tale, one which I am glad I had the opportunity to read.  If you have any inclinations toward historical fiction, suspense, and religious stories you should give these books a try.  I enjoyed both of them and after the teaser at the end of The Dark Monk I am looking forward to the final book in the series as well.

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Clear Hair, Shiny Hair, Once Again I Love My Hair

    I wasn't looking for a new shampoo when I received my Bzzagent invite to the Clear Hair campaign, I was basically satisfied with what I'd been using, and to be honest I've never really noticed a huge difference in my hair when I switch types of shampoo, but I'm not one to turn down sample of a product, and I figured it wouldn't hurt to try a different shampoo for a month or so.

I received a full size bottle of shampoo and conditioner as well as sample bottles to hand out to friends.  I started using Clear as soon as I got my bzzkit, I was pleased with the light odor and the fact that it was a cream based shampoo, and I was slightly amused that the shampoo sparkled, curious, I checked the ingredients and sure enough mica is one of them. I don't think I've ever used a shampoo that sparkled.
I honestly didn't expect to see much of a change in my hair, and if I did I figured I wouldn't see it til at least a few weeks.

I was wrong though, within just a few uses, my hair was remarkably shiny and much softer than it had been. After a week of use I'd begun to notice that I was "shedding" less, and that my hair seemed to have a bit more wave than normal.

A month later and I am so happy with my hair, its significantly less frizzy, more wavy, softer and shinier.
There is even a bonus perk, it seems to be very beneficial to the psoriasis that I have on my scalp, I've noticed a decrease in itchiness, as well as large reduction in flaking, in fact Clear has worked better to treat my scalp issues than the leading medicated brand ever did.

I'm hooked, I love Clear Total Care, I plan to try some of the other formulas as well, but Clear is my new brand of shampoo and conditioner.

They've got a great price too, you might expect to pay $8 or more for a shampoo that does all this, but Clear has a price tag of less than $5 at many retailers, and it is available at most major retailers and drugstores both online and off.

I've been recommending it to everyone I know, If you have a love/hate relationship with your hair, or if you are tired of your lackluster shampoo, and are looking for something new you can't go wrong with Clear.