The Chronic Consumer

So I finally got around to trying one of the new Doritos flavors that I’ve been seeing a lot recently: “2nd Degree Burn Fiery Buffalo”. I usually don’t like hot chips, but these were actually quite tasty. I was expecting more of a Buffalo wings flavor, since that’s pretty much what these are advertised as, but didn’t get it. Nevertheless, there was still a nice tangy flavor, as well as the promised heat.

Of course, a major problem with these chips is the fact that a 2oz bag packs a whopping 300 calories. I’m already feeling guilty about the single bag I downed, and have been searching for quick weight loss products ever since. Obviously, Doritos cannot be a regular part of my diet if I want to continue shedding pounds, but this is a nice once-in-a-while treat.

Motocross gear is very expensive, so I’ve been outfitting my son a bit slowly. Instead of spending $1,000 on everything he needs, I started with the important stuff (helmet and boots) and have been adding to his equipment bag whenever I can. My most recent purchase was these Fox Dirtpaw MX Gloves.

Motocross gloves are important because they’re padded around the knuckles to protect your hand against the rocks and roost that might churn up while riding on the track. In addition, some MX gloves claim to help prevent or reduce arm pump. This isn’t something I’d know about, as I don’t ride.

Anyway, these Fox Dirtpaw MX gloves for kids are pretty good. They fit snugly, serve as protection, and have survived several washes without adverse effects. The only thing I don’t like about them is that it practically required a certificate in document management to get through all the tags that were attached to the product at the time of purchase! Seriously, less is more, fellas.

The bottom line: for $20, you really can’t go wrong with these Fox Dirtpaw MX gloves. Now I just hope they last until my son outgrows them!

Almost exactly one year ago, I posted that I wanted to buy a Jonathan Toews Chicago Blackhawks jersey to celebrate getting back into the sport as a fan. Well, I finally pulled the trigger on the purchase a little while ago. After spending a bit of time going through all the different jersey options at shop.nhl.com, I ended up buying the Reebok Premier version (mostly because it was the cheapest). Honestly, though, this turned out to be a mistake, as I wasn’t familiar with the different types of jerseys before shopping. Next time, this is something I need to handle in a store instead of online.

I’m not saying the NHL Shop or Reebok are at fault here. I simply didn’t read the product description carefully enough and didn’t understand what kind of jersey I was paying for. So imagine my surprise when, after spending $115 on this thing, it arrives at my door looking and feeling like the cheapest hockey jersey on the planet! I swear, I wasn’t expecting this! The Blackhawks logo on the front feels like some flimsy piece of cardboard, and the shoulder logos, numbers, and player’s name are all screen-printed on. I was expecting everything to be sewed/stitched, which was my mistake. The product description clearly mentions words like “heat-pressed”, “screen printed”, and “applique”, but I didn’t think anything of it at the time.

Let me explain where my confusion stems from. I had previously seen some Blackhawks jerseys at Dick’s Sporting Goods that retailed for $149. These jerseys had the sewn letters and numbers that I was looking for. I thought the Reebok Premier Replica would be the same thing because at NHL Shop, the customization option (adding a player’s name and number) costs $55, which would put the price right in the DSG range. That’s why I was expecting to get a sewn jersey. The only good thing about this transaction is that I actually bought the jersey during a promo for free customization. I would have been seriously PISSED to pay more than $150 for this product.

Anyway, I am not pleased with this purchase at all (even though it’s my fault). I’m not a jersey snob or anything, and don’t mind replica jerseys like the ones the NFL puts out (with all screen-printed logos, letters, and numbers). But those replicas only cost about $50-$60, so I KNOW damn well what I’m getting. When I shell out more than $100 for a “replica” jersey, it should be of higher quality than this Reebok Premier replica.

I’m not as livid about the purchase as I was the day I first got it, but you better believe there’s no way in hell I’m buying one of these things ever again. I guess I’ve learned my lesson here.

I saw a new (to me) cereal at the health food store last week and decided to give it a try since it was on sale for $1 a box. It was a Vanilla Almond flavor from Peace Cereal, and features golden corn flakes along with “crunchy clusters” (of what, I don’t know) and thin slivers of almond. There is also supposed to be natural vanilla flavoring throughout.

I wasn’t expecting much here, so I was pleasantly surprised by the taste. Unlike a lot of the major cereal brands, there is a very good ratio of clusters and almond slices to flakes, so the cereal ends up being very flavorful. My palate can’t distinguish the vanilla flavor from anything else, but the overall effect is actually quite good.

Another thing I like about this cereal is that the company seems to be heavily involved in community projects that benefit children. Instead of using their profits to build employees’ stock portfolios or send everyone on Branson vacations once a year, they roll 10% back into worthwhile community endeavors, such as Free the Children. Gotta respect that!

At any rate, I’ll definitely buy this cereal again, and will be looking to try other flavors in the near future!

For the past few years, I’ve been fighting what I thought was extremely stubborn acne across my forehead. These were not full-blown nodules or cysts or anything like that. These were small (yet clearly visible) flesh-colored bumps all over my forehead (particularly concentrated near my temples) that never seemed to go away. I tried every OTC acne treatment known to man, but nothing ever worked. I even spent more than $800 on dermatologist visits and prescriptions for Clindamycin, Differin, and others, but again, nothing cleared up my “acne”. It was a very frustrating and embarrassing situation.

I used to torture myself by reading acne horror stories over at acne.org, and imagining that my skin could actually deteriorate to the point where I would no longer want to leave the house — like some of the folks that posted over there. But I also started reading some product reviews and other threads, and learned that my “acne” might not even be acne at all. It might be a fungal infection that mimics acne — which would explain why NONE of the OTC/prescription treatments even made a dent. The people who had this fungal infection used prescription Nizoral cream with 2% ketoconazole. I’d spent so much money at that point and was so desperate to try anything that I figured I’d part with another $14 for a tube of Nizoral.

When the product arrived, I was a bit scared about using it, particularly since I bought it from one of those online pharmacies and did NOT actually get diagnosed by a doctor or anything. So I just tried it in one corner of my forehead, a part that is easily hidden by hair or a hat in case of a massive breakout. After a few days, I didn’t notice any adverse effects, so I started putting Nizoral all over my forehead. 10 days later, I was COMPLETELY CLEAR!!!!!

I am not exaggerating when I say my forehead has not looked this smooth and clear in five years! I cannot believe that my problem wasn’t even acne!!!! I cannot tell you how wonderful it feels to be all cleared up like this and not have to worry about what I look like or what other people are thinking when they see my “acne” covered forehead. Wow!!!!

I stopped using Nizoral on a daily basis once I cleared up, and now just put it on once or twice a week for a “maintenance dose”. The last thing I want is for my skin to build up a tolerance for Nizoral and then not respond to it anymore!! I have gotten one or two legitimate pimples in that time, but those dried up after a couple applications of benzoyl peroxide — which is exactly what should happen.

The bottom line here: for those of you with bumps or bumpies or whatever you want to call them on your forehead, you might not be dealing with acne at all. See your dermatologist and bring up the idea of a fungal infection. Nizoral with 2% ketoconazole has changed my life!!!

I had to make a quick trip to the office supply store to stock up on a few things for my desk. I bought a pack of my favorite Pilot Gel Pens, as well as stuff like white out, Post-Its, jumbo envelopes, and a sheet of stamps (those came from the post office, of course). I was thinking about buying some printer ink too, since mine is getting low, but didn’t feel like spending that extra 40 bucks just yet!

So I finally got around to trying the Pringles Restaurant Cravers line of potato chips. I’ve seen these on the shelves for a while now, but I’m not a huge fan of Pringles to begin with, so buying them never felt like a priority. Anyway, I ended up trying the Mozzarella Sticks and Marinara flavor, and was pretty disappointed in the result.

The biggest problem with these chips is that the flavor isn’t distinctive enough. I couldn’t tell that it was supposed to me Mozzarella Sticks and Marinara flavor. It just tasted like a regular Pringles with a slight dusting of some unidentifiable flavor. When I eat chips, I want the flavor to stand out. If it’s sour cream ‘n’ onion, you should know that with a single bite. Same with barbecue or cheddar cheese or whatever. That wasn’t the case here, so I doubt I’ll be buying any Restaurant Cravers anymore!

I just don’t know what to do about my face anymore. Seriously, I’ve tried practically every prescription and OTC acne treatment out there, and still have problems. I don’t even want to think about how much money I’ve wasted, but here’s just a partial listing of all the products I’ve used in the past couple of years: DIM supplements, fish oil tablets, zinc picolinate, various vitamins for acne, BHA gel, AHA gel, benzoyl peroxide gel, Metrogel, Adalpene (Differin), Clindamycin, jojoba oil, extra virgin olive oil, probiotic yogurt, apple cider vinegar, and more toners, scrubs, and cleansers than I can count.

After reading some message boards, I think I might have a fungal infection rather than acne, so my next purchase will be Nizoral cream, which is supposed to combat the kind of fungus that gets on your face. Why do I think I have fungus? Because my problem consists of tiny, non-inflamed skin-colored bumps that form in clusters at the same places all the time (it’s the worst at my temples). No acne treatment works on them, so they’re practically always present. Even big, red, inflamed zits go away after a while, ya know? But not these. If the Nizoral doesn’t work, then I seriously give up. I can’t keep going through all of this.