retroblog.net » ramblings

winner of the Tony’s Pizza coupon giveaway

retroDan — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 15:54:17 +0000

I’m sure you all are waiting with baited breath to find out who is going to win these highly sought after Tony’s Pizza coupons!

Well thankfully the wait is finally over. I placed all entries in a spreadsheet and assigned a number to each of them. I also made sure to add extra entries for the kind folks that added me on twitter. I then used Random.org to generate a random number.

..and so the winner of the FIVE coupons for free Tony’s Pizzas is: Shirley! congrats! You should be receiving an email from me today.

Thanks again to all that participated in the drawing and hopefully I’ll have another fun giveaway coming up soon. stay tuned!

Costco vs. BJ’s

retroDan — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:51:05 +0000

so, I’ve ended up with a membership to both CostCo AND BJ’s wholesale club. I initially signed up for a CostCo membership a few months ago since I’ve been finding that my growing boys are becoming *eating machines*. my kids have pushed us over the threshold where buying in bulk becomes cost-effective. anyway, after coming and going to CostCo a good number of times we noticed a few negatives, at least from our point of view.
- CostCo isn’t located conveniently for us. It takes approximately 20 minutes for us to get there and it’s always through heavy traffic.
- No matter what time of day or whatever day of the week, the place is ALWAYS crowded. I’m amazed there are so many people out and about purchasing large ticket items there at the store. aren’t we in a recession, people?
- CostCo doesn’t take Visa or Mastercard. only american express or a debit card. definitely a negative in my book. but I guess you can take it as a good thing where it sort of limits your spending.

And that’s when BJ’s came into the picture. Before the holiday season began, we received a two-month free membership coupon for BJ’s so we went ahead and gave them a try. BJ’s overall isn’t as impressive as CostCo in terms of the scope and variety of items offered but we DID encounter some advantages over CostCo.
- BJ’s takes visa/mastercard.
- the BJ’s in our area is closer to us than CostCo which definitely makes things more convenient.
- I’m not sure if it’s the location or what but the BJ’s near us is rarely crowded. and I’m the type of person that HATES crowds so this is definitely a plus in my book.
- Over the holidays, I noticed that BJ’s had a better variety of gift basket items. you know those gift packs of chocolates or perfumes that you purchase when you have absolutely no idea what to get your co-worker or distant relative.
- they also offer self-checkout lanes which helps when the regular checkout lanes are full. CostCo (at least the one in our area) doesn’t have self-checkout lanes which sucks b/c there are always long lines when checking out at CostCo.
- membership is cheaper at BJ’s. With the free trial coupon, we were offered a full year membership for only $35 which is more enticing than Costco’s $50 a year fee.

anyway, it’s a tough call either way especially when you factor in those unique “warehouse only” items CostCo has that are pretty good bargains. But the crowd situation is the kicker for me as well as the long drive to and from CostCo. So, BJ’s Wholesale Club wins in my opinion. But I have the rest of the year before I have to decide on renewals so I’ve got time for CostCo to change my mind.

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is your camera tough enough for the washer?

retroDan — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:06:46 +0000

I’ve been thinking of purchasing a waterproof camera and came across this youtube video of some guy cooking/steaming/washing/microwaving his Olympus Stylus 1050 SW digital camera. I haven’t been impressed with the various user reviews posted on amazon about this particular camera but I thought the video was pretty cool. Either he hated this camera so much that he thought of torturing it or maybe it’s simply *that* tough and rugged.

I’m a bit wary since I’ve seen so many negative reviews online but I just I might take a chance on it if I can find one for cheap during the holidays. All I know is that a waterproof/shockproof digicam would come in handy on vacations and our trips to the water park.

here’s a bit more info on the camera…

follow retroblog on twitter

retroDan — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:00:03 +0000

Well, after all this time desperately trying NOT to jump on the twitter bandwagon, I caved and finally signed up. Yeah, I know, it’s old hat for most people but back when the service first started up, I REALLY didn’t think “micro-blogging” would take-off like it did.

It’s interesting to see the evolution of the service. What was once thought of as a platform for the self-absorbed, it has become a useful tool to get late-breaking news, to give feedback to major corporations and even to promote your music blog. With such a large user-base, there’s no denying that twitter has become an indispensible online tool.

So, if you’re on twitter, you can follow me @retroblognet. you can also follow me the “old-fashioned way” via my RSS feed.

as the old saying goes – it’s better late than never!

Nuno Bettencourt of Extreme joins Rihanna for world tour

retroDan — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:43:29 +0000

Here’s an interesting rock news item. According to this morning’s press release, guitarist extraordinaire Nuno Bettencourt has agreed to be part of Rihanna’s live band. Talk about a head scratcher. But I guess in this economy, even a “rock guitar god” has to seek out these types of opportunities in order to pay the bills. Evidently, playing in Rihanna’s band is more lucrative than doing another tour with his main band, Extreme. Ya can’t blame the guy for trying to earn some bank … but really, with Rihanna? I’m not hearing a lot of scorching guitar leads in her music, at least in my mind. who knows, maybe Nuno’s presence in her band will completely change her sound…

here’s the official announcement – November 16, 2009
Guitar virtuoso, Nuno Bettencourt, has joined forces with Rihanna and will be her 2010 world tour lead guitarist. The unexpected combination of Grammy Award winning R&B artist, Rihanna, and Rock guitarist, Nuno Bettencourt, has in fact become what Nuno says, “A great opportunity to blend our talents to create a high energy experience”.

Nuno is best known for his work in the multiplatinum rock band Extreme, where they were Grammy nominated for their Billboard Chart topping hit, “More Than Words”. Nuno has worked on many projects including, multiple solo albums, film scores and has also worked with notable artists such as Janet Jackson, Perry Farrell, Robert Palmer and many others.
Rihanna’s choice to have Nuno in her band is a great surprise, and Nuno assures that her live sound is really complimentary to his “style”. When he heard the direction Rihanna wants to go in a live setting Nuno said, “Wow, this rocks! It’s heavy and funky, and it hit me that this is ‘my’ thing, this is ‘my’ style…”

Once Nuno and Rihanna blended their talents and began the first round of rehearsals, Nuno stated, “…it did not disappoint. Even better than what I expected because she also has the most incredible band, and I get the privilege to add to their wall of sound. It’s gonna be fun. Come see and hear it for yourself!”

Streaming Live from London, November 16, Rihanna and Nuno will be performing tracks from her album, Rated R, to a free online audience. Join in on the largest free music event of the year at: nowplaying.nokia.com/join-us/. Rihanna’s latest album drops November 23rd.

Nuno’s new endeavor as lead guitarist for Rihanna has just been one of many significant events for him in 2009. The renowned guitarist recently wrapped up dates of the Extreme reunion tour and just recently made a music video for the CBS hit comedy, “How I Met Your Mother”. In addition, Nuno celebrated his twenty year anniversary as an endorser of Washburn Guitars with the debut of his signature N4XX and also released a signature Randall half stack, the NBKING100, both to critical acclaim.

It is clear Nuno has been one of the most influential rock guitarists of our time, and will continue to do what he does best, perform. As for the future of Extreme, Nuno explains, “NO… this is NOT the end of Extreme. We have a live DVD and CD coming out in early 2010 and we will be writing new material throughout the year. We had a great run across the globe on Saudades de Rock… and we’ll be back.”

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Here’s Nuno playing “Star” with his band Extreme live in Tokyo 2008:

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The Outfield's lame website redesign

retroDan — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:32:38 +0000

The Outfield recently updated their official website and unfortunately it seems that they went for a “retro 90’s” look & feel. You know, the outdated basic HTML/frontpage look. blech. Definitely unprofessional, in my opinion. but what do I know since my blog isn’t all that fancy either. but at least retroblog doesn’t look like something from the GeoCities days!! heh.

Luckily for fans, there’s another Outfield site that has a lot more to offer called OutfieldFanZone.com. The site looks a bit more pleasing to the eye and even features downloadable mp3s of the band’s live recordings absolutely free, including “Live in Brazil (the official bootleg)”! The live tracks are pretty nice collectables for fans but honestly, I prefer their studio work over their live performances. They’re more a studio band than a live act, if you ask me.

purchase music by The Outfield on CDUniverse.

innovator – guitarist – Les Paul dies at age 94

retroDan — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:24:18 +0000

Legendary guitarist/inventor Les Paul died at the age of 94 today. He revolutionized the music world by being the first to utilize multi-track recording as well as by creating the solid-body electric guitar. I can’t even imagine what popular music (especially rock music) would be like if it wasn’t for him. He is a true icon and will very much be missed. Rest in peace, Les.

Here’s a clip of Les Paul performing “I Can’t Get Started” in NYC back in 2006

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paradise …interrupted

retroDan — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:31:56 +0000

Since our kids are heading back to school this week, we took them back to the beach this past weekend for one last summer hurrah. Luckily the rain held off while we were at the beach but the visit was still cut short by the appearance of three sharks nearby. The lifeguards pulled everyone out of the water and we all stood on the shore to view a rather large one surface above the water a couple times. Even though the kids weren’t able to play in the water the rest of the afternoon, the shark sighting was still the highlight of the trip!!
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Anyway, for today’s song of the day, I thought I’d post a “summer-related” track by Neil and Tim Finn titled “Paradise (Wherever You Are)”. enjoy!

Endless travels, can’t remember where I’ve been
Lying in this hammock feeling tragic
Like the ones you hear so much about
Can’t wait to tell you what I’ve seen

Skim the water, South Atlantic ocean grey
Always searching for his mate
Lonely albatross cannot find them
The ones you care so much about
They’re lost and you’re losing your way

Too much pressure, gin and tonic water
They’ll forget you
The ones you care so much about
They’ll surrender to the need

Paradise wherever you are…
- written by Neil and Tim Finn

download the mp3 of Paradise by The Finn Brothers (for a limited time via mediafire)
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Purchase Finn Brothers music at CDUniverse

Motorola Clutch – i465 – Boost Mobile

retroDan — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 22:30:03 +0000

My 12 year old son keeps on complaining that the cell phone that I’ve provided for him is too old school. The boy is *12* so I figured that I’d put him on a pay-as-you-go plan on Boost Mobile so that he could learn to be a responsible cell phone user. I made it sort of a “game”, you see. The “game” is basically for him to make the $20 that I’ve added to his account, last for three months. At the end of the three months, I add another $20 to the account. It’s pretty much the typical routine for thrifty individuals on these types of pre-paid cell plans. But for young kids nowadays with itchy-texting fingers, $20 every three months just won’t do. To help limit the use of the cell phone, I initially got him a no-nonsense Motorola i776 which is very basic with no-frills whatsoever. My son wasn’t impressed and hated being seen with the “oh-so-yesterday” clam-shell design.

Well, there appears to be a new option in the Boost Mobile world, and it’s called the Motorola Clutch (i465). It’s a bit more stylish, especially for a Motorola phone, and is the first iDEN phone with a full QWERTY keyboard. My son has been asking for it ever sincing noticing it on the Boost website. A buddy at work recently ordered one so I got a chance to check it out first-hand. It’s surprisingly small for a phone that features a full keyboard. the screen size is a bit small though and so is the keyboard. But I guess the size would be perfect for my 12 year old. It does seem to be a step up from the i776 since it has video recording capabilities but at VGA resolution, it’s a bit underwhelming. The surprising feature for me is the built-in alarm clock and calculator which were both sorely missed on the i776.

But the big dilemma for me personally is the fact that I’m trying to teach my son to control his cell phone usage and this new phone with its QWERTY keyboard, will probably encourage him to do the exact opposite and text more often. The i465 is probably a good choice for those on the $50 a month unlimited plan on Boost but not for those trying to minimize their usage on the pay-as-you-go plan.

sorry son but it looks like you’ll have to continue using the i776 for now.

detailed specifications for i465 :
Network : iDEN (800/900 MHz)
Size : 4.44 x 2.13 x 0.59 inches (112.8 x 54 x 14.9 mm)
Weight : 3.39 oz (96 g)
Battery Type : Li – Ion, 1130 mAh
Talk Time : 3.41 hours (205 mins)
Standby : 100 hours (4 days)
Main Display Resolution : 128 x 160 pixels, 65,536 colors, TFT
Camera Resolution : 0.3 megapixels VGA Resolution
Video : Yes
Multimedia Video Playback : H.263 , Video player
Memory Built-in : 20 MB
Full Keyboard : QWERTY
Connectivity : microUSB
Bluetooth : 1.2
Connectors : HeadSet Jack (2.5mm)
Other Features : Caller groups supported, Multiple Numbers Per Contact, Picture ID, Ring ID, Alarm, Calendar, Calculator, Voice Dialing, Voice Commands, Recording, Speaker Phone, Push-to-Talk, email, GPS
available since May 2009
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Super Slice mix up

Brooke Shields – More Magazine Cover – May 2009

retroDan — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:05:52 +0000

I think it was pretty lame how NBC handled the cancellation of Brooke Shields’ TV series, Lipstick Jungle. The cast, crew and fans were kept in the dark as the show’s fate sat in limbo for months. Without an official statement from NBC, Shields ended up breaking the news to all the fans late last month that the show was indeed canceled. It’s weird that NBC never came out and officially confirmed this, at least to my knowledge. I guess that goes to show how much of a priority the show was to NBC. It’s just as well since NBC is becoming more like the Titanic – with plummeting ratings and Jay Leno taking over the nightly 10pm slot.

So where will Shields go from here?

Nothing’s definite at the moment but she tells More Magazine (in the upcoming May issue) she’s resilient and she’ll make sure that she won’t be “a Hollywood casualty.”

Here’s a preview of the More Magazine cover story:

About Lipstick Jungle: “Shields and her costars ‘talk every day, saying ‘I hate this!,’ adding that she just sent NBC Entertainment co-chairman Ben Silverman an e-mail asking, “What the fuck?”

About her mom: “She came from Newark, New Jersey, from the opposite side of the tracks. My dad came from the upper-crusty side of the tracks. The tracks weren’t even in his neighborhood. And my mother was always adamant about being perceived as having class, not having been born into it. It plagued her, and I think she didn’t want me to know the insecurity of being rejected. She didn’t want me to grow up as the daughter of someone from Newark. The flip side, though, is that she would constantly throw it out at me. She wanted me to not forget where I came from, and how she was a streetfighter.”

About feeling “complete detachment” from her looks: She recalls being in a jazz dance class and falling whenever she tried to turn. The teacher chided her that she never watched herself in the mirror. “She said, ‘Look at yourself,’ and I didn’t want to. What if I didn’t like what I saw? What if I didn’t look like I did in magazines?”

About how her pregnancy helped her face the mirror: “It was life, and my body had this purpose so far beyond just being there to look at, or tan or shave. Suddenly I realized how good it had been to me over the years, and what it had sustained. And I was in my thirties at the time.”

About the way she looks now: “I’m proud of my longevity more than anything else. There’s a lot to be said for endurance. I’m trying to find the beauty in the whole picture rather than the crow’s feet. Sure, I wish I had the face I had a decade ago, but I don’t. People say, ‘I love my wrinkles.’ I don’t love my wrinkles – come on! But when you see certain women that we knew when we were younger, like Angelica Huston and Isabella Rossellini, and they’ve grown older in the public eye, what you’re responding to is their whole life imprinted on them.”

About the roles she gets now: “For years, I’ve been the youngest person on the set, and it occurred to me recently that I wasn’t 26! I’d read a script and say, ‘Oh, that’s a great character, that’s something I’d love to do.’ And they’d say, ‘Um, no, we’re thinking of you for the mother.’ And then I’d say, ‘Oh, of course! Of course! I knew that.’”

About caring for her aging mother: “I’ve spent a huge portion of my life taking care of my mother anyway. As an only child of an alcoholic, you’re the caretaker; it just happens. Then you think you’re done with it, you have your family and priorities, and all of a sudden, I’m doing it a hundred percent all over again. There’s no martyrdom – it’s a pain in the ass but it has to be done. I just think, you’re only given what you supposedly can handle.”
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Read the Brooke Shields interview in its entirety in the May 2009 issue of More Magazine.
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