Chapman's Sport Frozen Popsicles

I saw these popsicles at the grocery store recently and decided to take a closer look.

They say "Sport" on them, but they're basically just sugar, water, chemicals and flavouring.

Evidently the "Sport" and "Hydration" on them is an advertising gimmick designed to trick stupid people who don't look at the ingredients. Want hydration? Drink some water!

Booooooooooo! Shame on you Chapman's!

Mockingjay Part 1 Poster + review of Hercules starring Dwayne Johnson

Saw this movie poster further below recently when I went to see the new Hercules movie (starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Hercules) which was "good / okay", but nothing spectacular. I liked the fact that they made the Hercules story more realistic - no magic or gods whatsoever in the film - and how it played upon the myth vs reality theme.

BTW, watch the credits at the end of Hercules - totally worth it.

Anyway, back to the Mockingjay poster... Is it just me or does the Mockingjay look a bit like the Toronto Blue Jays' logo? True, they're both jays, but the similarities feel like they go beyond that. Copyright infringement, probably not. Especially when you look at the Blue Jays pumpkin further below.

Ever had your order messed up at the drive-thru?

Have you ever gone to the drive thru at a fast food restaurant and they mess up your order - possibly on purpose?

This happened to myself recently when we went to the Wendy's drive thru near Beaches Toronto.

We ordered a double cheesburger combo and a bacon burger combo.

And then the woman on the speaker goes "Do you want a small, medium or large combo?

To which we both went "Huh? What is a small, medium or large combo?"

And the woman refused to explain.

So we both said we wanted the regular combo.

And then the woman apparently punched in large for my cheeseburger.

So then I asked her to change it, because we could see the mistake on the drive-thru screen.

And the woman said okay, but the screen stayed the same.

So when we get up to pay and collect our food the bill seems surprisingly high, and the drinks look surprisingly larger than we expected.

And when we get the bill we see that the woman messed up our orders completely. She charged us extra for the large combo, and extra AGAIN for the medium combo.

Based on the receipt apparently medium is NOT the same as "regular" - even though we both asked for REGULAR.

Frustrated, and knowing we would only end up with an argument and an horrible customer service experience I chose instead to take a photo of the receipt (shown above) and then share this experience with others.

My advice?

#1. COMPLAIN ABOUT THEIR MISTAKE MORE BEFORE YOU GET THE FOOD.

#2. If the total they quote you sounds wrong, it probably is. See #1 over again to make sure they don't mess up your order.

#3. Document the mistake so you can complain about it later. I am sending a copy of this post to Wendys.ca via their customer feedback website.

#4. Demand a refund for their mistake and boycott that restaurant until you get a refund and apology.

We shall be going to Burger King, A&W and other restaurants instead until we get a refund and an apology.

And it is NOT the money that matters. I am only out $1.78 + HST, what bothers me is just how poor the service was that they messed up our order not once, but twice.

Duck Eggs and Quail Eggs

Wow. Duck Eggs and Quail Eggs.

I didn't even know I could buy these. Specialty grocery stores are awesome.

However I see no reason to purchase them - no recipes that call for them. I will stick to my extra large brown eggs I usually buy.

Ironhorse Bicycle with Super Thick Tires

Oooooo I want this bicycle. I saw this in the store and just had to try it out for size for fun.

The extra big tires give the bicycle more bounce - but also increases the weight of the bicycle (which makes it slower). Still I think it would be fun to ride sometime.

Available at Canadian Tire. Very shiny.

Gillette Fusion ProGlide Power Razor

I recently purchased the Gillette Fusion ProGlide Power Razor at CostCo (it was on sale and I was looking for a new razor anyway).

I tried the razor for the first time this morning.

Wow. Very happy with the results.

I was skeptical of the whole flexing ball thing, and doubly skeptical of the idea of a vibrating razor while I am shaving. I thought for sure I was going to end up cutting my face.

Instead what happened was one of the quickest, smoothest, most comfortable shaves I have experienced in years. (Comparable to several 3 and 4 blade razors I reviewed several years ago, only better.)

So yes. Shock and surprise at how good the razors are. And very, VERY happy with the results.

Shopping for a New Microwave

My SHARP "Carousel" microwave died two weeks ago and I have been dragging my feet about purchasing a new one.

6 Steps to Buy a New Microwave

#1. Measure the space in inches and record down the dimensions of the space for your new microwave.

You will need the width, height and depth of the space. Mine is a little more than 24 inches wide, 20 inches tall and 21 inches deep.

Thus any microwave that size or smaller will fit, but ideally I want something that fits the space perfectly.

#2. Research different microwave brands and models online - via homedepot.ca and similar websites.

Don't just go to the store and buy the first one you see that fits.

#3. Make a list of any special features you want on your microwave.

Compare the different brands and models and find several that fit your needs.

Sometimes you can find the exact same model of microwave on sale at a different store or $20 to $50 cheaper. Confirm that the chosen model is the correct size for the space by checking the dimensions.

#4. Compare customer feedback / reviews.

If a microwave has a lot of bad reviews, maybe you should not purchase it.

#5. Optional - After making your decision wait for your chosen microwave to be on sale and then purchase it. You don't have to do this right away, but it is certainly an option.

#6. Purchase it right away if you feel "The Price is Right".

So which microwaves am I contemplating purchasing?

Well, the following models fit - and I am not too picky about which special features come on the microwave.

Danby 1.1 Cubic Feet Microwave-Stainless - $118 - RATED 5 STARS BY REVIEWERS.

Haier 1.6 Cubic Feet Over The Range Microwave - $199 - AT 29 INCHES WIDE IT IS TOO WIDE!!!

General Electric (GE) 1.6 Cubic Feet Over-The-Range Microwave Oven - $378 - 5 STAR RATING, BUT ALSO TOO WIDE FOR THE SPACE!!!

There was also a lot of unrated microwaves that had not been reviewed by anyone. Like these two that are identical except for their exteriors.

LG 1.5 Cubic Feet Countertop Microwave with Easyclean, Stainless Steel - $198

LG 1.5 Cubic Feet Countertop Microwave with Easyclean, White Exterior - $158

So you save $40 just by purchasing the white one instead of the stainless steel. (And it weighs 6.5 lbs less.)

So now that I have found several I like I just have to compare prices at different stores and then go pick up the one I like after I make my final decision.

The stainless steel LG is tempting just because it is easier to clean, but is it worth $40 more just for easier cleaning? I think not.

UPDATE - I found the same two microwaves at Future Shop on sale. Purchased the white version of the LG 1.5 for a mere $139.99. The stainless steel version was $159.99.

Enterprise Car Rentals + 2014 Jeep Patriot

By C. Moffat and D. Eze

We recently took a vacation and decided to get a car rental for the trip. Hence why this is a review of both Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Toronto, and also a review of the 2014 Jeep Patriot - as that was the car we took on the trip.

#1. Enterprise - 3.5 Stars out of 5

The prices were fair, on par with similar car rental companies, the biggest difference however was that we requested a compact economy car for the trip and they instead gave us a free upgrade to a Jeep.

The free upgrade was nice, but the gas bill was larger for obvious reasons.

Also we got insurance with the rental, and originally the tab was supposed to be $161 + HST for the car (so the total should have been $181.93), but apparently the insurance for the Jeep was more expensive and they conveniently neglected to tell us that the insurance costs more for the Jeep... so the total ended up being about $242.

So $60 more than. The service was good, but we do feel we got ripped off on the price of the insurance.

#2. 2014 Jeep Patriot

We loved the Jeep.

Power, comfort, air conditioning, all the gadgets you could want on a car, and we were able to figure out how to lower the back seat without needing the instruction manual. We needed to lower it so we could fill the space with 3 coolers, camping gear and more.

So yeah, easy to figure out and spacious inside there. We had more than enough space for all of our stuff and could have brought two large German Shepherd dogs with us too if we had been so motivated.

Further below are photos of us with the 2014 Jeep Patriot after filling up the gas tank to 75% at the gas station (if you don't fill it up to the level you received it with then Enterprise charges you $2 per litre for the difference). And yes, like all SUVs the Jeep Patriot is thirsty... but we don't care because it was otherwise awesome.

Conclusions

We enjoyed our vacation, we enjoyed the Jeep - we are wishy-washy on Enterprise since they overcharged us on the insurance - but overall we are not overly angry at them since their service was otherwise excellent. Just wish they had warned us that the insurance was going to be a lot more.

You can really tell we liked the Jeep because we had big goofy smiles on our faces. :)

Danby Countertop Dishwasher

Note to self, buy a Danby Countertop Dishwasher from Home Depot.

http://www.homedepot.ca/product/counter-top-dishwasher-ddw611wled/984958

Why?

Reviews rate it as 4.2 stars out of 5, it fits my kitchen countertop perfectly, and it only uses 12 litres of water during a regular wash cycle. And it comes with a 1 year warranty.

I have a Danby freezer already (9 years and counting...) and am very happy with the build quality of the freezer. So I am going to guess based on experience that the dishwasher is equally as good.

If you are like me and hate washing dishes, having a countertop dishwasher is more convenient and doesn't require much effort to install.

Home Depot price is $248 CDN. (Walmart sells the same model, but the price is $278 because they like gouging Canadians...)

Vests and High End Men's Fashion

By C. Moffat

I have to attend a wedding in August for my sister.

I have pants, shirts and ties that I typically wear for formal occasions. But that doesn't seem formal enough for the wedding of a sibling.

The last time a relative of mine got married it was 1998 and I recall wearing a tuxedo that was extremely fancy and included a vest, jacket and a collar button.

I also recall it being a June wedding and awfully hot outside...

Much like another wedding I attended 2 years ago for two friends who were getting married. It was extremely hot that day, the wedding was outside and I wore my black Stetson - which frankly, was awesome for keeping the heat off.

So as the August wedding for my sister approaches I find myself looking at vests.

Because let's face it, if you want to look formal you cannot go wrong with a vest. (And it should go well without a jacket - and equally well with my black Stetson.)

Browsing online I came across a company called Kishwear - which sells high end men's fashion, including vests like these below:

And the company is based in Toronto, Canada - so less shipping costs and I can feel good about myself for shopping locally. So Kishwear is good in that respect, and their commitment to high end men's fashion is pretty clear as you browse their website. Formal, retro and stylish.

Not sure if I will opt for a bow tie. I might skip the bow tie, have an open collar and put a decorative silk handkerchief in my vest pocket. I have time to think about it between now and August.