The Chronic Consumer

I can’t get enough of processed cheese snacks, so I’m surprised it took me so long to discover The Laughing Cow Cheese Wedges. This brand, which originated in France, has been around since 1921 (according to Wikipedia), and has been available in my local supermarket ever since I can remember. I’ve always seen the red cow logo; I just never bothered buying the products.

Anyway, a couple months ago I was at my mom’s house for lunch and she convinced me to try the Light Swiss flavor. The cheese comes in convenient wedge-shaped individual servings, and is very easy to spread. I just put put mine on a couple slices of french bread, spreading the cheese much as I would butter or another topping. I know it sounds kind of plain, but it tasted great! From that point forward, I was hooked!

In addition to Creamy Swiss, Laughing Cow cheese also comes in Creamy Swiss, Light Garlic & Herb, Light Onion, and more. I have tried most of them, and prefer the Swiss flavors to the others, though all are rather tasty.

I usually have Laughing Cow cheese and bread whenever I’m in the mood for a light breakfast, lunch, or snack. Each wedge only has 35 calories, which is amazing because it tastes so rich, and is perfect on bread, crackers, or even by itself.

If you like processed cheese as much as I do, you just have to try The Laughing Cow Cheese Wedges for yourself. These things are awesome!

I’ve been a fan of ebooks for more than five years now, ever since I bought a CD-ROM containing 1,000 works of classical literature for reading on my laptop. Wanting a more portable electronic reading experience, I graduated to a PDA a couple years later, and finally, bought Amazon’s Kindle — a dedicated ebook reader — at the beginning of July. Now that I’ve been using Kindle for a couple months, I finally feel ready to give you my review of the product. Since this is probably going to be a long one, I’ve decided to break the review up into two parts: the Pros and Cons. I’ll start with the Cons here.

In all honesty, my first impression of the Kindle was not a good one. It was hard to get started with it because the instruction manual is very short and lacks detailed explanations of how to do things. All the manual does is list the functions of the different buttons, but it doesn’t tell you how to manage content, switch between different titles, enter the owner’s name and info, set a screensaver, check the time, etc. This wouldn’t have been so bad in and of itself if the user interface on the device was intuitive, but it’s not. As a result, it was very difficult (and frustrating) trying to figure out how to get started.

Now that I’ve been using the Kindle for a while, all the basic functions are second nature, but at the beginning this was definitely not the case. I would have preferred a better instruction manual for sure. As it was, I was forced to check several online sources to help figure things out.

Another thing I didn’t particularly like about the Kindle was the layout of the page turn buttons. These buttons take up both sides of the device, making it difficult to pick up the Kindle without accidentally turning the pages.

Moreover, I like to read while lying down in bed or on the sofa. Not propped up with pillows or anything; just fully supine. It took me FOREVER to try to find a comfortable way of holding the Kindle so I could read it while lying down. At first, I couldn’t do it and had to sit up to read, but now I’ve finally figured it out and can read comfortably in any position.

A third problem I had with the Kindle was with document conversion. Actually, I shouldn’t use the past tense there, as these problems are ongoing. Amazon offers a free conversion service that turns selected file types (.html, .pdf, etc.) into .azw files that are readable by Kindle. I’d say that this conversion process only works on about 80% of the documents I’ve sent in, which is not that great a rate considering this stuff is supposed to be fully supported.

When conversion works, it’s very quick and easy, but it’s extremely frustrating to get emails saying, “There was a problem with your documents…” No, the problem isn’t with my documents, it’s with the conversion process!

Because of this, I have to keep my PDA around to read any ebooks that can’t be converted to Kindle files, which is a pain in the ass.

And my final problem with Kindle has to do with the cheap cover provided by Amazon. This thing is made of faux leather and does NOT hold the Kindle in place securely. At first, I had to take the Kindle out of the cover to read it, which I thought partially defeated the purpose of a protective cover. Yeah, it’s great to have the device covered when it’s sitting on my shelf, but I need it covered when I’m reading it too in case it accidentally slips out of my hand or something (like when I nod off while reading).

Thanks to other Kindle owners’ tips, however, I was able to rig the case and device with Velcro strips. This has done the trick very nicely and now my Kindle is completely secure in its cover. But still — you’d think that a device that costs $350+ would come with a better cover….

As you can see, there are relatively few Cons to the Amazon Kindle. These problems are minor, and with the exception of document conversion, can easily be overcome after the user gets accustomed to the device. Overall, while these annoyances are certainly troublesome, they’re not significant enough to prevent me from recommending the Kindle as a good buy.

Although I’ve been trying to cut down on the amount of processed and/or frozen foods that I eat, one product that I simply cannot give up is Ore Ida’s Bagel Bites.

These are tiny bagels covered with pizza sauce and toppings such as cheese, sausage, and pepperoni. They are definitely one of my favorite snacks all year round, but especially when summer gives way to fall and warmer foods are called for.

Bagel Bites are currently available in the following flavor varieties:

• Three Cheese
• Cheese & Pepperoni
• Cheese, Sausage & Pepperoni
• Supreme
• Mozzarella

Though all of the flavors are great, my favorite ones are Three Cheese and Cheese & Pepperoni. I absolutely love these things and could probably live on them if I had to!

The only downside to Bagel Bites is that they contain a lot of calories — 210 for one serving of Three Cheese Bagel Bites. A serving is just four pieces which is not enough for me, so I usually double up and go with 8 (or 9 depending on which package I’ve purchased).

Overall, however, these things are great! If you’ve never tried Bagel Bites, you are totally missing out. They’re cheap, easy to make, and taste delicious, so pick some up today!

I enrolled in a free shopping rewards program through my credit card provider several years ago. Basically what happens is I earn one point for every dollar I charge to my credit card, and can redeem my points for merchandise such as restaurant gift certificates, home electronics, hotel stays, and more.

Of course, all the good prizes require much higher point totals to claim, so I figured I’d just let my points accumulate for a while before trying to redeem them. Well, after five years of regular credit card usage, I had enough points to get a free third generation iPod Nano. I went with the 8Gb model in black.

This is my second iPod Nano (I still have a 1st gen that I use regularly), and third overall. I wanted this player because I simply ran out of storage space on my 1st gen Nano, so this purchase was actually necessary. I briefly considered buying an 80GB iPod Classic, but didn’t like how bulky the product was.

Anyway, after several months of near-constant usage, I have to say that I am very impressed with the 3rd gen iPod Nano. In addition to the music and photos that the 1st gen can handle, the 3rd gen can now play videos. It’s a tiny 2-inch screen, to be sure, and it takes a bit of extra work to convert videos that you don’t buy from the iTunes store, but it’s still a cool feature.

In addition, the 3rd gen Nano is completely redesigned from the 1st gen. Whereas the 1st gen was tall and thin, the 3rd gen is short and squat (2.75 inches tall, 2.06 inches wide). I think I read somewhere that this redesign was commissioned in order to deal with bending/breakage problems people had from shoving their 1st gen into their pockets. At any rate, the 3rd gen looks great — much better in person than in pictures, I might add.

Another new feature is Cover Flow, which allows you to browse your music by cover art. I don’t use this feature very often, and in all honesty, could take it or leave it.

Thus far, my 3rd gen iPod Nano has worked flawlessly. I’ve had zero problems in terms of playback, iTunes compatibility, battery life, sound quality, or anything else. In short, this product fully lives up to the iPod reputation of superior performance.

Overall, I fully recommend the 3rd Gen iPod Nano 8GB. It’s a terrific little MP3 player — made all the better considering the fact that I got mine for free!

As many of you already know, I purchased an HP rx1955 PDA quite a while ago. I love my device and have use it on a daily basis. Up until recently, however, I didn’t have a proper case or cover for it. I was just using the rather cheesy one that HP included in the box. But I really want to take care of my PDA, so I decided to buy a good protective case for it.

After doing some research, I thought the Krusell Leather PDA Case would be my best bet. I was initially attracted by two things: the case came in soft black leather, which is what I wanted, and the case was specifically made to fit HP products. I went ahead and bought it, and here’s what I think about it.

Pros:

• The cover fits perfectly, leaving easy access to the buttons and stylus.
• It looks nice and sleek.
• There’s extra padding on the front, which of course covers the screen.
• The cover has a very secure snap closure.
• The swivel clip is handier than I ever expected it to be, and can also be removed quickly if I find it to be too bulky for the situation.
• There are handy memory card storage slots inside the cover.
• The price was very, very reasonable.

Cons:

• It’s rather difficult to close the case and snap it shut. I really have to stretch the cover in order to get it closed. Plus, the fit is so tight that sometimes the power button gets pushed on, which is obviously something I don’t want.

As you can see, the pros heavily outweigh the cons for this product. I am extremely pleased with the quality and functionality of the Krusell Leather PDA Case, and would definitely recommend this product to all of you. You can’t go wrong here!

My good friend Kevin lives in London, but frequently comes back to the U.S. to visit his parents. Whenever he returns, he always brings me a ton of Penn State Pretzels, a brand I’ve grown to love thanks to him.

Penn State Pretzels are manufactured by a UK company, and to the best of my knowledge are not available in the U.S. I’m not even sure what their product line consists of, because the only thing I’ve ever tried from them is their Sour Cream & Chive Pretzels.

I know, I know… Sour Cream & Chive Pretzels sounds like a bit of an odd combination. I was reluctant to try these at first, but they are surprisingly delicious! The flavor is quite strong, so if you’re not a big fan of sour cream, you’re going to want to avoid these.

If you are a fan of sour cream flavored snacks, then you’re in for a great experience. I absolutely love Penn State Pretzels and don’t really enjoy eating plain ones anymore!

I don’t write about regular grocery products too often, but since I haven’t had a lot of extra spending money to buy “fun” stuff, I figured this is as good a time as any to talk about some of the items that are in my shopping cart week after week. One of these is Johnsonville Beddar with Cheddar Smoked Sausages.

Johnsonville Beddar with Cheddar Smoked Sausages are basically very big, thick sausages with chunks of cheddar cheese sprinkled throughout. I usually buy this product during the football season, and like to grill them up and serve them on hot dog buns during the game. They go great with all the trimmings, a handful of potato chips, and a cold beer.

What I like about Beddar with Cheddar is the fact that there’s just the right amount of cheese in each sausage. There’s enough so you can actually taste it, but not so much that it overpowers the flavor of the sausage. Also, these are better than typical cheese dogs because they don’t contain that liquid processed cheese, so they’re not as messy.

Johnsonville Beddar with Cheddar Smoked Sausages cost quite a bit more than regular hot dogs (like Oscar Mayer wieners or whatever), but the taste is definitely worth the extra money. After eating these things, it’s really hard to go back to regular hot dogs!

I’ve been suffering from acne ever since I was a teenager. I thought things would get better as I moved into adulthood, but that hasn’t been the case at all. So here I am at 34 years of age still buying and trying new skin care products for acne!

I first heard of the Paula’s Choice line of skin care products from an acne-related message board that I was checking. I bought two different items from the online store: the Skin Recovery Toner and the 2% beta hydroxy acid (BHA) gel. I liked the toner a lot, so I had high hopes that the BHA gel would work as well. Fortunately, it did!

In addition to suffering from acne, my skin happens to be very sensitive. That means that typical acne treatment products such as benzoyl peroxide tend to dry my skin to the point of irritation, which leaves me walking around with a red, flaky face. Not very attractive!

But I’ve always had better luck with salicylilc acid (aka beta hydroxy acid), so I was eager to try this product.

The Paula’s Choice BHA gel is great! It feels very light, is absorbed quickly, and can be worn under makeup, allowing me to treat my acne while still getting on with my life. According to product literature, the 2% BHA gel exfoliates both the skin’s surface and inside the pore lining, helping to clean up and prevent blackheads and blemishes. I will say that I definitely noticed improvement in this area, as I had far fewer blackheads while using the gel.

The only problem I have with Paula’s Choice 2% BHA gel is the price tag. It costs $17.95 for a 4oz. bottle, which is pretty expensive compared to other products out there. But since it works, I’m not going to complain too much about having to spend a bit more. I just wish this stuff had been around when I was in high school… it probably would have saved me from a lot of angst and embarrassment!

A friend of mine just got back from a trip to San Francisco, and she brought me some candies that I’d never heard of before. They’re called Little Pops, and they’re manufactured by See’s Candies, which, according to Wikipedia, started out as a family business in 1921, then was sold to Berkshire Hathaway (Warren Buffet’s conglomerate) in 1972. Interesting, but again, I’d never heard of them before.

Anyway, their Little Pops are billed as “gourmet hard candies”. I received a pack of assorted flavors that include Vanilla, Butterscotch, Chocolate, and Café Latté. According to the See’s website, Little Pops are made with heavy cream and butter, along with the four flavors I just mentioned.

I usually don’t like hard candies, but I have to say that these Little Pops are actually quite tasty! I love the Vanilla and Butterscotch, as the flavors are just right. They’re neither too strong or too weak, and aren’t overpoweringly sweet like other candies are. The Chocolate was just ok (if I wanted chocolate flavor, I’d grab a Snickers or something), and I didn’t even bother with Café Latté since I hate that flavor in any product.

Overall, I was glad I got these little candies as a souvenir, and I love the fact that I can order them from the Web. As soon as this box is gone, I will probably go ahead and replenish my supply. If you have a sweet tooth, you should definitely try See’s Candies Assorted Little Pops!

I’ve never been much of a cookie person, preferring instead to snack on chips or crackers whenever I crave some junk food. But I started buying packs of Mini Oreos for my son a few months back, and now find myself completely hooked on them!

Prior to this, I would say that I haven’t had Oreos in at least two decades. Even when I was a kid and did eat cookies pretty often, my favorite kinds were oatmeal, Lorna Doone, and Pecan Sandies, so I never really had Oreos in my house. The only time I ever ate them was when sharing stuff during lunchtime at school or when I went to a friend’s house.

Anyway, I can’t believe it has taken me this long to “discover” how good Oreos are! I absolutely love these individual packs of Mini Oreos, not only for the taste, but also for the convenience. They’re excellent for taking along on car rides, soccer games, and trips to the park, and they’re also the perfect size for lunch boxes, briefcases, and purses.

The only drawback to Mini Oreos is the calorie content. A 1.25-oz bag contains 170 calories and 7g of fat, which is a bit more than I’d like to see in a snack. So while I might crave these things every day now, I only allow myself to indulge a couple times per week.