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Product Review: DeVant 4 Tier Mesh Shelf from CSN Stores
My lovely loyal readers will recall that I announced that CSN Stores offered me a free product in exchange for my honest review. Well, it arrived, and I’m excited to tell you all about it!
After pondering the possibilities for the price limit they set, I decided what I really needed was a shelf for my kitchen. Boston apartments are notorious for being cramped spaces, and much as I love mine, it seriously is lacking in cabinetry/places to put shit. My cookbooks were stacked up in messy piles under the microwave. Not the best for ready reference while cooking! Anyway, so I measured one of the narrow nooks in my kitchen, found a shelf that matched the proportions and was within budget, and ordered away. The delivery was faster than the spacing of my blog posts implies. It arrived a couple days or so after I placed the order.
It arrived in a nice, plain box. This is good because some companies have a tendency not to wrap the box in another box, and then it gets left on my porch for hours announcing to the world the free awesome stuff inside they could steal. So yay for plain packaging! Also, it was really easy to open. (My cat at this point in time was taking a brief break from rubbing her face all over the box. She REALLY loves boxes).
This is exactly how it looked right out of the box. Not too intimidating, eh? (To those wondering, at this point in time my cat was attempting to stuff her tubby self into the very narrow box. Hilarity ensued). I was a bit surprised that there was exactly one page of instructions for assembly, but it turned out to be quite easy. Anyone who has assembled Ikea furniture would find it to be a piece of cake. I had a few doubts at first that it would be at all stable, but actually once all the pieces are in place, it’s pretty darn stable. I wouldn’t go putting super-heavy things on it though. It’s not made for that.
Here it is all set-up! Later I moved it to be centered in that space. I don’t know why I had it in the corner for the picture. Who knows. Anyway, it fits the space well, and I now have two open shelves to do what I want with. I actually am enjoying using the top shelf as extra counter-top space when I’m cooking. It comes in handy.
And here’s a close-up of the cookbooks, because I know at least a few of you love shelf p*rn! It turns out I have a lot fewer cookbooks than I thought I did. I think this totally justifies me acquiring a few more when the budget allows it, don’t you? If you *must* know what books are on the shelf, from left to right:
America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, Perfect Vegetables, Vegetarian Bible, Adventures in Microwave Cooking (college), stir-fry cookbook, vegetarian cookbook (the actual names of those two elude me), Vegetarian Cooking for Dummies (from when I first went veg, it’s an *awesome* book!), Vegetables, The Little House Cookbook, Pumpkins, Vegetarian Italian Cooking, a vintage southern cooking cookbook (bday present from my dad), Nestle’s Best-Loved Cookies, and a family cookbook from my dad’s side of the family.
Hokay, back to the review! Overall, my interactions with CSN Stores were entirely pleasant. The site is easy to navigate with convenient left-bar search features such as price, size, color, etc… Many items on the site ship for free, and the shipping was *fast*. The item arrived well-packaged, and assembly was fairly easy. I do wish the shelf was a bit sturdier, but it does its job well enough, particularly for the price. Overall I would definitely recommend buying items from CSN Stores. Their prices are competitive, they have good customer service, and their products are items any home would need.
Movie Review: Under the Yum Yum Tree (1963)
Summary:
Robin is a sensible college student who firmly believes a successful marriage is about the science, not the emotions. She convinces her boyfriend David, who just wants to get married already, that they should live together without sleeping together first to see if they are emotionally compatible. Her aunt is not only her college professor, but also a recent divorcee, and Robin and David move into her old apartment. Unbeknownst to them, Aunt Irene moved out due to a messy break-up with the lecherous landlord, Hogan, who lives across the hall. Hogan is determined to craftily break up the couple so he can sleep with Robin himself, and David and Robin struggle to determine the right way to have a modern relationship.
Review:
Some in the modern audience would find the entire concept of this movie too laughable to be viewable, but if you’re aware of the situation of the sexes in the late 1950s and early 1960s, it was actually quite a progressive movie for the time period. Divorce is acknowledged via Robin’s aunt, Irene, and she is not demonized as a slimy divorcee. She is a woman who has learned that relationships are not always simple, but also what is important to bring to them. In fact, she gives the climactic speech of the film about relationships. Then there’s the fact that Robin’s and David’s sexual feelings are acknowledge, and David even questions how much it would actually hurt their future together if they were to sleep together before getting married. Robin worries that young people are rushing into marriages due to “glandular urges.” These are quite sensible concerns voiced in a climate in which “proper” people did not engage in premarital sexual relationships, and the characters’ feelings are actually highly relatable.
Of course, the film is not entirely a serious one. It address what was then a modern concern under the guise of slapstick. It also utilizes one of my favorite comedy techniques wherein one room has multiple doors and windows, and the characters come and go either just missing each other or only briefly encountering each other. One particularly delightful scene features a drunk Robin reciting e. e. cummings in an attempt to seduce David. If any of these types of humor are favorites of yours, you will find yourself laughing at this movie.
I should also mention that this film features Jack Lemmon in an early role, as well as Dean Jones, who frequently does push-ups. Talk about your old-time eye candy. It also has an opening sequence, used frequently in 1960s movies, wherein a young lady and man dance around to a song written for the film together. It’s cute and really sets the tone for the movie.
Also, cat lovers should be aware that there is a cat in this movie who plays a rather important role both to the plot and the slapstick humor. I love how older movies insert cats into the storylines in a way in which modern films just don’t anymore. Cats weren’t the props to crazy cat lady jokes. They were part of the story.
If you enjoy old movies, the questioning of society’s sexual mores, or slapstick humor, you will definitely enjoy this film.
4 out of 5 stars
Source: Netflix
Movie Review: Bolt (2008)
Summary:
Bolt is the star of a weekly tv action show in which he protects the little girl he loves from evil masterminds using his super doggy powers such as the super bark. The producers, however, have worked hard to make sure Bolt doesn’t know it’s not real, so when he accidentally gets shipped to NYC, he’s in for a bit of a surprise. Lucky for him along the way he teams up with an alley cat and a hamster who help him truly become a super dog.
Review:
Anyone who knows me knows I have a thing for talking animal movies. It’s probably got something to do with the fact that in the imagination land that is my head, I tend to create my own soundtrack for the animals around me, so when dogs in a movie see a ball and we hear them saying “ball! ball! ball!” instead of barking….yeah, I’m hooked.
That said, I wasn’t intrigued by the preview at all. It all seemed so contrived, that I went into it expecting not to like it. I was, however, pleasantly surprised. The story manages to be cute and believable enough. Bolt isn’t egotistic. He’s intensely loyal in a way only dogs can be. He’s been led to believe he can shoot lasers with his eyes, and it’s kind of adorable when he tries to melt iron in the real world.
The characters he meets along the way are the best of what we’ve come to expect from animated movies. From the bad-ass alley cat to the over-exuberant hamster to the gangster pigeons they all work together to make Bolt’s non-television world the vibrant place it becomes.
The overall message of Bolt is actually quite delightful, and a surprise coming from Disney. Only when Bolt comes to accept that over-the-top superpowers are fake can he come to be the best dog he can be in the real world.
I would definitely show this to kids, but anyone who enjoys animated movies without shout-outs to adults watching will enjoy this film.
4 out of 5 stars
Source: Netflix
Friday Fun! (Merry Christmas!)
Ayla playing in wrapping paper. You can just see her ear sticking out.
I know, I know. I’m posting on Christmas! The thing is, I have time, so I may as well, eh?
I really did have a lovely week. I was home sick Monday, and I spent the day destressing and recentering myself.
Tuesday night I went out for dinner with my friend and her boyfriend. My friend is moving to California on Sunday, so this was our goodbye dinner. It was sad, but also lots of fun. My friend chose the restaurant, so I had Peruvian food for the first time ever. It wasn’t bad, but it was a bit bland for my taste.
On the 23rd, my sister-in-law went into labor and gave birth to my niece via a C-section. Welcome to the world, Clara! She’s just over 5 pounds, and I’m excited to get to meet her next month.
Yesterday I was the only librarian in my library, something I actually enjoy. This may be a sign that I’m suited to small hospital libraries, hehe.
Today I’m actually just chilling at home. I’ve already been to see my family, since we knew my sister-in-law was due right around Christmas, and we thought it’d be best to visit prior to the baby being born and after sometime in January. Since everyone else is obviously with their families, as they should be, I’m enjoying a day of watching Lost, snuggling my kitty, baking cookies to mail to my librarian friends, and reading obviously! Tomorrow one of my best friends is coming over to hang out for the day, which will be our last chance before she goes to Israel for two months. I should go get some of that reading and baking done. Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, and happy day off to those who don’t!
Friday Fun!
Reading other people’s blogs (most notably The Story Siren and Medieval Bookworm) made me decide my blog needs a bit of a consistent humanizing element to it. Non-opinion posts that just give you a general sense of who the hell this person is who’s yacking to you about books, movies, and general opinions. To that end I’ve decided to start this new (hopefully consistent) feature–Friday Fun!–in which I will ramble about general Amanda-stuff. I hope you enjoy.
This week I became the proud owner of both a menorah and a 3 foot tall fake Christmas tree. I can hear my family now. “Whaaat?! You bought a fake tree?!” But you see, a fake tree is easier and cheaper, so I’m happy. I’ll also need to skip the tinsel for the first year ever due to the presence of the kitty. She totally would eat the tinsel and we’d get to spend a lovely night in the MSPCA ER. As for the menorah, it’s the first time I’ll be the one in charge of lighting it. For the last five years, it was always a roommate or hallmate who did, so I’ve taken it upon myself to learn the Hanukkah prayers. My friend Nina helped me get the basics, but I found this website last night to help me practice when she’s not around.
I am a major online holiday shopper, and a lot of the presents I’ve been buying arrived this week. I have quite the stash in my closet, and I need to acquire wrapping paper so they can wind up under the tree. Seeing all the wrapped presents is one of my favorite things. I’ve looked for wrapping paper twice so far, but finding non-holiday-specific ones for my Chrismukkah celebrations hasn’t been going too well. And no, I don’t like snowman paper.
On the sour note, last night my downstairs neighbors complained about me walking around my apartment. Yes, walking. Personally my first reaction is that they should suck it up and deal because they knew what they were getting into when they chose an apartment that’s not on the top floor. It’s not like I was dancing or running circles or something. Upon reflection after she left, however, I realized that the new kitty addition does have a tendency to run circles (and bounce off walls and randomly do dances) in the evening, and perhaps this is what the neighbors have been hearing. I can sort of sympathize with this, but it doesn’t seem to me there’s much I can do about it. It’s not my fault the landlord has wood floors on the top floor of the apartment building. I’m thinking of stopping by and letting them know it’s probably the cat they’re hearing, so they at least know (unless that’s unnecessary?), but in the meantime, any suggestions on how to deal with the neighbors?
This weekend my plans are a bit up-in-the-air, but I do plan on decorating the tree, maybe hanging out with some friends, and reading more. It’d been a long time since I’ve read a series, and I’m really enjoying the cozy familiarity I’m starting to feel with the main characters in both The Dark Tower and Sookie Stackhouse. Of course I also have a couple of movies on my radar to watch. You’ll just have to wait til next week to find out what they are!
Peace!
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This work by Amanda Nevius is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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