Erma Bombeck WAS Right!

The Grass IS Always Greener Over the Septic Tank!


Thanks to my neighbor for not cutting their grass…
Click to enlarge.

Hawk (Neighbor poop make grass green!)

I’m a Tool… Reviewer.


Slightly Better Than Mediocre…

I would put these tools at a bit above dollar/closeout lot stores tools in quality but not by much. For around the home infrequent and/or casual use I believe they would be fine. You could probably put together a similar set of better quality for around the same price at a local hardware store.

Overall:
The finish is on the metal is cheap. It’s sprayed/painted on not anodized and scratches off very easily. In particular there are spots on the 6″ slip-joint pliers and 8″ adjustable wrench where the finish was quite thin or missing entirely.
The grips are comfortable and secure when dry. When wet I found these to be extremely slippery and almost impossible to keep a hold of during any type of usage. Exercise caution if using where the handles/grips could become wet! I don’t quite get the camouflage coloring. Personally I’d want them brightly colored so they’d be easier to find.

Individually -
Hammer: The face is smooth and will slip off when driving nails into hard surfaces (concrete, hardwood, etc.) but that could be roughed up with a file. The grip is comfortable and provides decent comfort when hammering. The shaft is fiberglass and seems sturdy. The head appears to be well glued on.
Six Inch Slip-Joint Pliers: A little loose but usable. Easy to adjust between size ranges and at it’s wider adjustment the handle ends do not meet. Something rarely seen on lower end tools.
Eight Inch Adjustable Wrench: While the adjustor operates quite smoothly there is a LOT of play in this tool. I’d estimate nearly a ΒΌ of an inch of play is evident.
Screwdrivers: Both Phillips head and standard screwdrivers are included in this set. The handles are well secured to the shafts. They’re magnetic but just barely. Neither would hold a one inch screw horizontally.

The warranty, while ‘lifetime’ is ONLY against defects in manufacture, material or workmanship. The warranty does not cover normal wear and tear like those warranties on higher end tools.

In Conclusion: These would make a decent gift for someone moving into their first apartment, home or going off to college. The quality is acceptable but really only for light duty work.

Three Stars.

Hawk (If I Had a Hammer… Wait, I do!)
Extra kudos if you get teh song reference…

No Review Today Day…

Nope, none. The pickings/offerings over at Amazon’s Vine program have been fairly slim the last two months. I do have a few things sitting here to review, an anime DVD, a cheap set of tools and I’ve got an audio book, which I didn’t know was an audio book until after I requested it, on the way but I just haven’t gotten around to messing with them enough to write a proper review. I decided I wanted to read for me for a little while instead of reading to write reviews for Amazon. I just finished all the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Chairlaine Harris (good stuff) and I’m currently on the 4th book of the Dune saga, ‘God Emperor of Dune’ by Frank Herbert.

Hawk (maybe next week…)

The Spider in the Barometer.

The other day as I walked past the antique style liquid-barometer that I’d bought for my mom several years ago I saw something in the tube the water rises and falls in. Upon closer inspection it turned out to be a spider who appeared to have crawled in, turned around to face out and then died. It sat there for several days. With storms forecast I thought I’d better get a picture before the water rose high enough to pop his poor little carcass out. So I did:


Click the above thumbnails for larger view.

Oddly, last night a cold front passed through and the air pressure rose pushing the water back down into the body of the barometer. I walked over to check on my little dead buddy and he was gone! He’s didn’t get pulled down into the water, I checked. He didn’t get popped out by the previous night’s low pressure. He wasn’t in the overflow catch plate under the barometer nor was he on the floor. He was in there, motionless, for at least a week and now it appears he’s crawled off to better hunting grounds… I fear this spider!

Hawk (dead spiders do NOT come back to life!)

Review Time!

I Slept with Joey Ramone: A Family Memoir
By: Mickey Leigh & Legs McNeil

When I first finished this book I put it down and thought to myself ‘That Joey Ramone was a real nasty guy to his friends and family.’ Then I began to think about things and realize he wasn’t around to refute the claims of shoddy treatment by his brother Mickey. To some people he was a saint to others he wasn’t. In all honesty the truth is probably somewhere in the middle and will never come to light.

I enjoyed the beginning of the book, the family’s early years and the photographs that went with them far more than the ‘Woe is Mickey’ travails that seem to fill the latter sections.

I enjoyed the Ramones as a band but was never a fanatic about them. To me the book was a bit boring and a hard read. Perhaps to hard-core fans of the band this would appeal more.

Three Stars

Hawk (Could have been better, could have been worse…)

You Lava-Lite up my life…

I love me my Lava Lamps. Not only are they cool and psychedelic and trippy and fun to watch they’re also a great heat source! I keep one going in here with the computer and with the door closed it’s 5 - 10 degrees warmer in here than the rest of the house!






Click the above thumbnails for larger view.

Now with Video! Woo!

Hawk (Stuff, stuff & more stuff…)

Another Monday Another Review…

Bite Me: A Love Story
By: Christopher Moore

I had a hard time writing this review. I also had a hard time reading ‘Bite Me: A Love Story’ it felt more like a chore than a pleasure. This is the third book in Christopher Moore’s vampire saga and the seconds best of the bunch. ‘Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story’, the first book, blew me away. It was dark, funny, laugh out loud writing with romantic twist. Then came ‘You Suck: A Love Story’… Maybe it was the twelve years in between sequels but You Suck which I’d happily anticipated wasn’t all that. It introduced the character Abby Normal. A character so obnoxious she alone quadrupled the time it took to read the second book just by being in the story and being so annoying.

Not only is Abby back in ‘Bite Me: A Love Story’ the books is FULL of Abby and she’s like, annoying… horribly annoying. Pages and pages of ‘net speak and Valley Girl style slang mixed with fake hip-hop/ghetto talk. It’s all like, horrible. Abby, it appears, is blogging her adventures. If I never see the word ‘Kayso in print again I’ll be a happy reader.

‘Kayso, the story here IS better than the story in You Suck. The characters (except for Abby) seem more rounded and fleshed out. The story moves well and the conclusion (you can almost see the question mark creepily fade in after ‘The End’ at the end of the book) was, for me, completely unexpected.

‘Kayso, sadly Abby and Abby alone drops this from a four (plus) star book to a three star rating (really three and a half.).

And I’m all, “Seriously, Chris, what were you thinking?”

Three (and a bit) Stars

Hawk (’Kayso, bye!)

It’s a Review!

Prosepra Ultimate Jade Massager with Heat

They claim there are real jade stones in this massager and that jade; ‘is rich in calcium, magnesium and iron, essential minerals for your body’. I really don’t know how those benefit me while wrapped in a nylon and vinyl package.

Another claim they make is the massager is portable. There are no carry handles on the massager itself. I found it to be quite heavy and bulky at nearly nine pounds and hard to move about the house. I can’t see using something this bulky in an office situation.

The unit is large, 17.7 x 13 x 4.5, I tried using it in three chairs and on the couch. Nowhere was it really comfortable putting it’s bulk between myself and the seating surface. The power cord is ridiculously short. You’ll have to hope for a seat right next to a power outlet or use an extension cord.

The massage heads are hard, nearly painful even on low settings. The adjustability of the intensity however is rather impressive, there is quite a large range of settings easily controlled by the wired remote. They did little to nothing for my lower back pain. It was a little more effective on my upper back but getting the unit positioned and keeping it there was nearly impossible. It did, when placed on the floor and against the couch, make my calves feel a bit better. I couldn’t find a comfortable way at all to use this on my neck. Either it was sliding down my back or the heads not touching my neck were hitting me in the back of the head.

The heat was almost unnoticeable. It took at least twenty minutes for me to feel any real warmth from the unit and the instructions clearly state it should not be used for more than fifteen minutes at a time. I also noticed a distinct and rather unpleasant odor from the unit that went away after the first couple uses.

In all honesty I really just wasn’t impressed with the Prosepra Ultimate Jade Massager with Heat.

Two Stars.

Hawk (something else to stuff in the closet…)

Three Years?

Really?

Seriously? I’ve been doing this blog for three years? (and a few days, I never remember the anniversary is the 1st)

Post #1:
http://villainy.the-ayrie.net/archives/1

Hawk (THREE years?!)

Too far?

I like to mess with telemarketers. I really do. I’ve added our house phone number to the ‘Do Not Call’ list twice so anyone calling deserves what they get. Right? Granted I’m not as good as this guy but I do enjoy myself.

10:30 AM the phone rings. I’d just gotten warm and toasty under the covers after a chilly night of Restless Leg Boogie. I didn’t want to answer it but the ring tone I use was annoying the hell out of me and it could have been my mom’s doctor’s office calling with test results so, grudgingly, I answered the phone…

“Hi! This is Judy with [Some such] Gym & Fitness Center! We’re calling to find out if you have the body you always wanted!”

I just had to; “Why yes as a matter of fact I do. She’s been hanging on a meat-hook in the closet and should be ripe in a few days…” Then I let loose with my most insane cackle (ask anyone who’s heard it, it’s a good’un!). There was some stammering, some partial words I couldn’t make out and then I growled out “Meat! Glorious MEAT!” That earned me a scream and a dial-tone. I wonder if she called the cops?

Hawk (Muahahahahahaha!)