The Chronic Consumer

Several months ago, I wrote this review for a Camelbak Better Bottle that I bought. I ended up liking the bottle so much that I bought another one — this time one that features my favorite college team’s logo on it. Yes, this black and white Better Bottle with the word “Mizzou” and the tigerhead logo usually costs about $5 more than a plain Camelbak, but I managed to get it on sale for 25% off, which dropped the price down to its normal level. The Mizzou version is just as good as the original, and allows me to broadcast support for my team. Needless to say, I love it!

I heard about Slingbox years ago when it first came out, but I didn’t really understand the technology behind the device. I knew that it had something to do with being able to watch your TV even if you were away from home, but I thought the TV had to be left on in order for this to work. Because that seemed incredibly stupid to me, I never bothered checking out Slingbox more closely.

Well, after finally speaking to someone who actually has the device and learning more about how it works, I decided to buy one for my home. I went with the Slingbox Pro HD, which has iPhone/iPad/Android apps (all sold separately) for mobile viewing. The box cost about $300 because I didn’t bother with auctions, used equipment, or any other types of discounts.

Setup:

My husband set the Slingbox up because I am completely hopeless when it comes to anything with a wire sticking out of it. From what I could gather, it was pretty easy. Instead of connecting the TV and hard disk recorder to each other and the cable box, you instead route everything to the Slingbox. This helps the device capture the digital images from all of your equipment. The Slingbox must then be connected to the Internet modem. This was the biggest pain, as my television is nowhere near the modem, which meant we had to clip the wire to the baseboard and up the wall/ceiling to get it across a doorway.

Connectivity:

Once the physical installation work was done, we had to download and install a small program from the Slingbox website. This took just a few minutes. From there, we set up a Slingbox user account so we can watch stuff on our computer. This part required some specific details, such as the brand name and model of our HDD and modem. My husband found that information with no trouble, but you might want to have those things on hand before getting started.

Playback:

Slingbox works incredibly well! We were surprised by how crisp and clear the picture is, even on the iPhone app (which we also bought, for about $30.). When you choose a program to watch, it takes a little while to start as the video stream buffers. But after that, playback is awesome!

Recommendation:

Slingbox was very easy to set up. The whole thing was as straightforward as one could hope, and took about 40 minutes tops. The device works precisely as advertised, and allows you to watch and control your television, cable box, and hard disk recorder no matter where you are in the world. If you like to watch your own TV shows or sports events even while you travel, then Slingbox Pro HD is a must. Do I wish the iPhone and iPad apps were included in the price of the device? Sure I do. But for a one-time fee of $330 ($300 for Slingbox, $30 for iPhone SlingPlayer app) and no subscription charges ever, this purchase was still worth it! Highly recommended!

I have a friend who is a nurse, and she just showed me the scrubs she’s planning on using for the last couple weeks of October. Isn’t this top just totally adorable? She works in the children’s ward, and said the kids just love these themed nursing uniforms. I can see why! Wouldn’t you at least smile knowing that your nurse had a sense of humor and appreciated the holidays? These scrubs are much better than the dull blue or gray numbers usually seen in hospitals!

Now that fall is just a couple weeks away, I’ve been shopping around for items that will keep me warm and toasty when the weather gets bad. One purchase I recently made was this plush blanket featuring my alma mater’s name, logo, and colors. The blanket is a nice 48″ x 60″ size, and is incredibly soft and comfortable. I haven’t actually had to use it yet, but I’ve already got it folded up neatly on my favorite recliner, where I plan to watch plenty of Tigers football!

This plush blanket usually retails for $29.99, but I got it at a 25% discount. That’s still a little high considering similar logo-less blankets can be had at Wal-Mart for less than $10, but I love supporting my teams!

I love my Tigers, so when I saw this beach towel over at FootballFanatics.com, I just had to buy it. It features the tiger head logo in the center, as well as two smaller logos on each end with the word “Mizzou” printed along the edge. It’s a nice big size (30 x 60), which is perfect for the beach or for the shower (which is how I’m currently using it).

Additional features include:

• 100% cotton
• Sublimated graphics
• Washer/dryer safe
• Officially licensed

The only drawback to the towel that I’ve noticed thus far is that it’s a bit on the thin side. Then again, beach towels are almost always thinner than true bath towels, so I guess I can’t complain too much. Can’t wait to head to the pool with this thing next week!

So hot on the heels of my Eat This, Not That purchase, I also bought a book called Cook This, Not That by the same authors. The Cook This book is subtitled “Easy & Awesome 350-Calorie Meals,” which of course was an intriguing premise for someone interested in dieting.

First, I want to say that the recipes in this book truly are easy. I am not a good cook by any stretch of the imagination, but I was able to prepare each recipe I tried from this book with great success. Granted, I haven’t tried them all, but still… I think the fact that I was able to make any at all speaks volumes about how easy the meals are.

Second, almost everything I tried really was delicious! Remember, this series is billed as a “no-diet weight loss” program, so the recipes aren’t limited to veggie burgers and low-fat salads. There are big, greasy burgers involved, as well as a whole host of other food that would not be on anyone’s diet meal plan. I have so many new additions to my regular rotation from this book that I can barely keep track of them all!

The only real quibble I have with Cook This, Not That is the fact that hardly any of the recipes are for legitimate “meals.” To me, a meal consists of a soup or salad, a main dish, a side dish, and a vegetable. But the recipes here were either for a main dish or an appetizer, not a complete meal. Obviously the authors did this so they could splash that eye-catching claim about “350-calorie meals” across the cover of the book, since it would be practically impossible to get an appetizer, main dish, side, and vegetable for 350 calories. Nevertheless, I found the title a bit misleading. Fortunately, the food was so good that I ended up not caring much about that part.

Anyway, I think Cook This, Not That was a terrific purchase. The book has helped me discover many new recipes, as well as healthier alternatives to stuff I usually eat. This one is a keeper for sure!

We love gadgets in our house, so it was only a matter of time before we bought a Roomba vacuum robot. These things have been around for a few years now, and though I had my eye on them when they first hit the market, I wanted to wait to give the manufacturer a chance to work out the inevitable bugs before spending money on the thing.

Good thing I did. When comparing reviews from 2008 to 2011, it seems there has been significant improvement in the product. The manufacturer proclaims that the robot now has better navigation, cleaning coverage, and particle pickup, and from what I’ve seen firsthand, I would have to agree. I’ve been using this item for about a month, and like it even more than I initially thought I would.

Pros:

• Very easy to use. You simply push the start button and let the Roomba go.
• The on-board navigation is very good. My Roomba has not once gotten stuck, which means I don’t even have to monitor the thing when it’s working.
• Good cleaning capabilities. While I wouldn’t say this product picks up as much dust, dirt, and pet hair as my full-size Dyson, it is incredibly effective as a sweeper when I want a quick (rather than a deep) clean.
• The virtual walls are helpful in establishing barriers and preventing the robot from getting into trouble.

Cons:

• The battery life leaves something to be desired. I would say the robot can work for about 2 hours before needing a charge, which isn’t long enough for my tastes.
• It takes a long time for the Roomba to cover even a small room. I think the product would be much more effective if there were some kind of initial mapping feature where I could use a remote control to steer the robot around the room as it internally maps the area. Then I could let it loose and it would cover the same path that I just “drove” it over, making for a much quicker job of it.
• It’s a bit louder than I expected. I realize it’s a vacuum and is gonna make some noise, but it’s pretty loud for such a little machine.

Overall impression:

As I said, I like the Roomba more than I thought I would. This particular model is not quite suited to be a full-time replacement for my vacuum cleaner just yet, but it’s great to have for tidying up on those days when I’m just too busy to spend time vacuuming. At right around $300, the price was reasonable for the performance delivered. I give the Roomba 530 a thumbs up!

My taste in video games usually runs to kids titles, such as anything featuring “Mario” or “LEGO.” I’m just not a hardcore gamer to begin with, and often find other games to be too complicated to play on today’s systems. But I recently made an exception for Mortal Kombat 2011 — or MK9 as it is more colloquially known.

The last time I played a Mortal Kombat title was whenever MK3 was released. I loved that game, and spent many a long Saturday or Sunday afternoon playing with my friends. I was always Sub-Zero, and was unbeatable in our group because I mastered all the character’s special moves and combos. It was awesome! But then I heard that subsequent versions of the game sucked, so I just quit playing.

Anyway, MK9 reminds me of MK3 in a lot of ways. I haven’t played newer titles enough to say with authority that the game has gone back to its roots, but I get the feeling that’s what a lot of players think. This version features so many of the great characters I remember, including Sub, Scorpion, Jax, Sonya, Johnny Cage, Sektor, Smoke, and more. They all have the same special moves, and from what I remember, the controller combos for those moves are very similar to the old game, if not exactly the same.

There are a bunch of different gameplay modes to choose from, including Story Mode, Challenge Tower, Ladder (basically you fighting against CPU-controlled characters that get progressively tougher), and Tag Team. You can play against the computer, head-to-head with up to three other people, or online.

Replayability is a huge factor in this game. There are so many characters and combos to learn that you could easily busy yourself with MK9 for a year or more (I’m basing that figure on the fact that it took me several weeks to master Scorpion by playing about an hour or two a day). Plus, I like that the CPU characters are sufficiently tough (from Medium on up), yet not impossible to beat. It’s a great balance.

The graphics in this game are fantastic, and the fatalities are just as bloody and gory as ever. There are lots of unlockables, too, which keeps things interesting. Or, you can just get the MK9 cheat codes from the web and bypass all that.

Overall, I am very impressed with MK 9. It’s highly addictive game that even non-gamers will be able to pick up quickly. Tons of fun for the 17+ crowd!