Continue reading »]]> VODKA…FOR CLEANING & HOUSEHOLD SOLUTIONS ? ABSOLUTELY!

BATHROOMS ~ Moist, humid environments in bathrooms often lead to mold/mildew. To clean AND prevent it from happening again spritz the shower, tile, curtain liner and grout with vodka. Chemical-free and ultra-effective!

SHINER ~ Get your shine on! Restore the brilliance and luster of chrome in a flash. Moisten a soft cloth with vodka and wipe down the fixture. Ta-da! (Works for porcelain and glass, too.)

ROOM DEODORIZER ~ Air fresheners can leave a room smelling worse and contribute to allergies. Try this odor-free, hypo-allergenic alternative (unless, of course, you are allergic to alcohol, in general). Fill a spray bottle with a 1:1 ratio of water to vodka and mist the air. Surprisingly, the vodka will neutralize the odor without making the room smell like a martini.

GOO REMOVER ~ Have a price tag, sticker or label you just can’t get off? Soak a sponge/paper towel with vodka and apply to sticker. Wait a few minutes (5-10). Rub/scrape lightly. The tacky residue should come right off!

BOUQUET PRESERVER ~ Bacteria makes flowers wilt, quickly. To lengthen the life of your blooms add a few drops of vodka each time you change the water. Your flowers will stay lovelier much longer.

Continue reading »]]> One of the games that came with the lad’s Wii video gaming console was Mario Bros. Wii, one of many Mario Bros. games Nintendo has produced during the past three decades. During all those years – even when playing the original version on the Nintendo Entertainment System – I never paused to reflect on the imagery of these games, most of which involve rescuing a princess from a magic castle, where she is imprisoned by a giant turtle and his walking mushroom minions.

Watching my son play the game as a disinterested third party this week, it struck me that the 60s were very good to the team that performed the concepting for this game. Not that there is anything wrong with the game – it has its own internal logic, it’s easy enough for a child to play with some success, and it’s graphically fun to watch – it’s just that many of the game elements appear to have been designed by people who were using marijuana or LSD on company time.

To give readers an idea of what I’m talking about, here is a YouTube video displaying the first three levels of play in the Mario Wii (it starts after a 30-second advertisement):

Mario Wii: first three levels of play

Thus, we see that the princess is abducted in a giant birthday cake by a turtle who walks upright, who throws the princess into a helicopter pirate ship and whisks her away to a magic castle. Mario, then, is forced to pursue them on foot across hazardous terrain crawling with the enemy’s walking mushroom and turtle minions. Fortunately, Mario has learned that punching bricks is beneficial, as all manner of power-ups emerge from hitting them. These include mushrooms that grow Mario to triple his starting size, helicopter suits that enable limited flight from a propeller on top of his head, flashing stars that grant invulnerability, flowers that grant the ability to throw fire or ice balls at enemies and a penguin suit that grants ice ball power, traction on ice and superior swimming ability. It is even possible to extract a Yoshi – a dinosaur that Mario can ride – from a brick. Mario can also get new leases on life by collecting magic coins that are suspended in midair – for every 100 coins he collects, the player earns an extra life for Mario.

R&D or LSD? I’ll leave that for you to decide. either way, it’s still a fun game.

Continue reading »]]> Just a quick note: Niagara Hobby in Cheektowaga is having several free slot car racing events, and they’re holding Games Workshop Warhammer Tournaments as well. Here is the date schedule:

Warhammer 40,000 Tournament - Saturday, Feb. 18

“Raging Randy’s Race Day” - Saturdays, Feb. 18 and 25

“Tumbuktu’s Digital Slot Car Race – Saturday, March 3

St. Patrick’s Day Children’s Craft Workshop - Saturday, March 10

Carrera Race Day - Saturday, March 24

Warmachine Tourament, Saturday, March 17

“Thomas & Friends” Play Day – Saturday, March 24

For more information about these free events, visit niagarahobby.com.

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RATED: PG-13, GENRE: Musical/Comedy, 118 Min, DIRECTOR: Todd Graff

STARRING: Queen Latifah, Dolly Parton, Keke Palmer, Jeremy Jordan

In the small Bible-Belt town of Pacashau, Georgia times are very hard and its residents are desperately searching for a ray of hope. With its semi-finalist placement in the “National Joyful Noise Competition,” The Divinity Church Choir is lifting morale. With gifted voices, great tunes, and giving attitudes, the choir seems be a shoe-in winner for the competition. But, underneath the sweet harmonies and angelic smiles, tensions cause discord.

Vi Rose (Queen Latifah), Dinity’s newly-appointed choir director, is sassy, opinionated and closed-minded, preferring tradition and an “it’s my way or the highway” approach to her directing. G.G. Sparrow (Dolly Parton), the late choir-director’s (Kris Kristofferson) wife, is just as feisty, yet open-minded and ready and willing to “shake things up” in order to save the church, which is in desperate need of funds. The two bicker about everything from G.G.’s plastic surgeries (quite the comical scene), to their conflicting musical preferences and views on how a choir should be directed. But the women have two things in common, the fact they’re both devoid of their significant others (GG’s recent loss of her husband and Vi Rose’s estranged marriage, their mutual love of music AND their love for their church and its people and the desire to see it thrive!

When G.G’s grandson, Randy (Jeremy Jordan) comes to live with his grandmother,  tensions rise further. G.G. wants her grandson to join the choir because he has a gifted voice and she’s sure he can help loosen up the choir and “funk” it up. Vi Rose is dead-set against him joining, because he is far from the stereotypical “church boy.”  Reluctantly, she finally agrees. Suddenly, things start to shake up, both musically and personally as Vi Rose’s daughter, Olivia (Keke Palmer) falls for Randy. Cliché? Yes. But. refreshingly, they portray their characters as real teens (hormones, sass and all), versus the cliche goody-goody church kids.

If you like Glee, Sister Act, Footloose or are a Gospel/Contemporary Christian music fan, you’ll no doubt revel in Joyful Noise’s lively musical renditions of popular, secular-turned-church tunes. Musical highlights include a youthful, harmonic rendition of Michael Jackson’s “The Man In The Mirror” in a scene with one of the movie’s most quotable lines. Vi Rose teaches her star-struck teen daughter that, when it comes to music, sometimes “less is more.” By adding far too many musical note runs and trills, Olivia is over-singing, cluttering the song and crowding out its profound lyrics. Vi Rose corrects her daughter, “I don’t wanna hear you. I wanna hear God, through you!” The result is a much tamer but much more effective rendition of the tune, one that will make the audience and congregation really think. Other notable musical offerings: Paul McCartney’s “Maybe I’m Amazed,” in which Randy and Olivia sing a swooning duet AND the lively, powerful finale, “I Want To Take You Higher.”

If you can stand some its “cheesy” moments, this is actually a good flick. The scene in which Vi Rose and Olivia “square-off” about what Vi Rose thinks is “right” for her daughter and what her almost-adult daughter really wants will prove a definite eye-opener for parents and teens, alike. And, when Vi Rose and G.G. finally put aside their differences and join forces for the good of the choir, indeed, these creative women become a force with which to be reckoned!

The vast array of demographics and ethnicities–African-American, Asian, Spanish, Latino, Caucasian–portrayed in the film are a definite plus. To round out the demographics, the movie even includes a developmentally-challenged teen boy with Asperger’s syndrome (Autism). Dexter Darden, who plays Walter Hill–Vi Rose’s teenage son and Olivia’s younger brother–offers a merited portrayal of an Autistic youth, lost inside himself and desperately seeking a form of expression, a way to connect with the outer world. Darden’s realistic portrayal definitely helps to neutralize this film’s cheesiness and Jordan’s portrayal of the older brother, humanitarian-type, who takes Walter under his wing befriending and mentoring him, is a bit “overdone” but never-the-less touching. There’s even a shocking reunion at the end. So, yes, Joyful Noise definitely has it’s moments!

A “must-see”?  Perhaps, not.  But, if you’re in the mood to be musically-entertained GO, you will not be disappointed! And make sure to pay special attention as 66 year old Dolly Parton dance the “Robot” to Usher’s “Yeah!” better than most teens could. Gooo Dolly! Joyful Noise is best-suited to older children 10+ and adults (rated PG-13 for some sexual references).

Continue reading »]]> The lad turned the big 0-7 this week, and listed among his birthday wishes was a console video game, a Wii system in particular. The wife and I were deciding on timing – after all, there has been a great deal of speculation about plummeting sales for Wii manufacturer Nintendo, and about the next generation of the system being launched during the next few months. The question, then, was whether to buy a game that will be obsolete by Easter Sunday, or wait until the new system is released so that our system might be supported for at least a couple of years.

We decided to get the current Wii version, for several reasons:

• With the new system on the way, demand for the current Wii has practically disappeared – and current prices reflect that, with new units retailing at about 2/3 of last year’s sticker price. We were able to buy the system and a couple of games (including a monster truck racing game with steering wheel controller) for what we would have spent on just the console itself a few months ago.
• Practically speaking, the kid is 7 years old. Not a ton of hand-eye coordination yet and, for all we know, his interest may migrate away from console gaming to something else pretty quickly (like it did for the Carrerra slot car racing track he had to have for Christmas – anybody know someone who needs a track like that?). There’s no point in spending more for the new system until we know that he’ll stay interested.
• We were also concerned about the prices of some of the games – current Wii titles retail for $40 to $50, which is a rather pricey experiment to see if the lad will like a particular game, and prices for used games aren’t much better. After the new Wii system is launched, though, we can expect many titles from the old system to quickly land in bargain bins.
• Lastly, the lad doesn’t know any different; many of his friends have the current system, so he thinks it’s great. We can always upgrade if we think it’s worth the investment.

Continue reading »]]> Got that mid-February Cabin Fever? Here are a few ways to get “out & about” in WNY this weekend.

Grab the family & ENJOY!

17-19 – Win?e & Chocolate Weekend ~ Wineries Pair their Chocolates & Wines Lake Erie Wine Country, Silver Creek NY to North East, PA 877-326-6561

17-19 – President’s Day Winter Festival ~ Ice Castle (weather permitting), contests, vendors, horse-drawn hayrides, snowmobile rides, kids corner with edible crafts, flare parade, fireworks & bonfire (Sat.), Lakeside Park, Mayville 753-3113

17-19 – RAIN: A Tribute to the Beatles, Shea’s, Buffalo 847-1410

17-20 – Great Backyard Bird Count, Audubon Sanctuary, Jamestown 569-2345

17-19 – Winterfest 2012 ~ Snowshoeing, Chili Challenge, Cross-Country Skiing, Pancake Breakfast, Wine Tastings, Shopping specials, Music, Comedy, Pet Parade, Ice Sculpture Contes, and much, much more, East Aurora 652-8866.

18 – Goat Island Icicles 10am-1pm ~ Park naturalists lead a walk through a winter wonderland at Niagara Falls State Park. After, optional “buy your own lunch” the Hard Rock Cafe. (716) 282-5154 , Niagara Falls State Park, Niagara Falls 282-5154

18-19 – 21st Annual Winter Train and Toy Show Sat 10am-5pm and Sun. 10am-4pm ~ Over 350 Tables filled withtoy trains and collectibles, Event Center, Fairgrounds, Hamburg 743-0945

18-19 – Annual Winter Fest 11am-4pm ~ Warm refreshments/food. FREE ACTIVITIES: hay rides, snow sculpting, snowmobile & sleigh rides, marshmallow roasting, cooking demos, tours of ice volcanoes (snowshoes available), guided cross-county ski tour 11am. Evangola State Park, Brant 549-1802

Continue reading »]]> Just a quick note about a cool activity for this Saturday: The Penn-Dixie Paleontoloogical and Outdoor Education Center is having a cross-country skiing, snowshoeing or nature walk (depending on the weather) at 10 a.m. this Saturday, Feb. 18. Here’s the news blurb:

Experience Penn Dixie in the winter months by cross-country skiing, snowshoeing or a nature walk on Saturday, February 18, 2012 at 10 AM.  You must supply your own skis or snow shoes.  If there is no snow, a nature walk around Penn Dixie will be led by naturalist for those interested in visiting the site.  Pre-registration is requested.  Penn Dixie members are free, non-members are $3 each.  Call (716) 627-4560 to register and for information.  Cross-country skis and snowshoes may be rented from Gear for Adventure at 1 Buffalo St. in the village of Hamburg.  

That pre-registration part is important – call ahead if you plan on going.

Continue reading »]]> Last Saturday was a banner day for the Cub Scouts, as they had the opportunity to tour an area volunteer fire department. One of the dads, Firefighter Paul, was kind enough to show the kids (and attending parents) around.

Many of the cubs had visited that same fire hall last year as part of a Kindergarten field trip; during that outing, the kids were taught the basics of fire safety: crawling out of a burning building instead of walking out, putting a hand against a door before opening it to make sure that a fire isn’t burning on the other side, that sort of thing.

Knowing that the cubs had already seen the standard presentation, Firefighter Paul made his presentation more about the working life of a first responder, with plenty of hands-on engagement for the cubs. He started with an overview of a firefighter’s equipment, which the scouts learned was collectively called “turnout gear,” engaging the kids’ minds by having them guess what each item of equipment was for. The kids really enjoyed seeing how heavy the equipment was, what it was like looking through the mask of a firefighter’s breathing apparatus, and trying on Paul’s helmet.

The cubs also got a rare treat. The fire chief agreed to start up both pumper trucks, and give the kids a ride around the block in a real fire truck. Unfortunately, I couldn’t go on the ride – too many of the cub parents wanted to ride instead!

After the ride, the cubs returned to the station, where they were given booklets about home fire safety, a glow-in-the-dark plastic cup, pencils treated with heat-sensitive paint that changed color when held, molded fire hydrant erasers and candy.

The outing was a smash success.

Continue reading »]]> Anyone finding themselves in Western New York this weekend knows that the weather turned badly today; or, rather, that the weather suddenly became what it normally is this time of year, which is cold, windy and snowy. With it being too inclement for outdoor fun, the lad and I resorted to keeping busy indoors, but we also wanted to do something new – and something on a budget, since I only had about $10 in my wallet.

At $5, this SpongeBob edition of Monopoly was a tycoon-level deal.

We decided to patronize area thrift and consignment shops, to see what toys or games were available. Since games tend to get beaten up pretty badly when used by first graders, new games end up looking just as badly as used ones in about a week or so. When I told the lad that, in light of that fact, we could probably get more games for the same money by hitting the thrift shops, he enthusiastically agreed.

It’s important to note that not every such outing results in success. In those cases, you’ve at least had the opportunity to spend some time together doing something a little different, and then figure out some other low-budget way to keep busy.

Today’s effort, though, was certainly frutiful. We found two board games: A SpongeBob Squarepants edition of Monopoly, and an old Parker Brothers wargame called Lionheart. Both are used games in good condition, and we only spent $8 between them.

Not sure yet if the lad will have the wherewithal to play this one just yet, but at $3, this copy of Lionheart was worth the risk.

We ended up spenidng about an hour just taking inventory of the pieces in the boxes, and performing the follow-up task of making our own substitutes for whatever was missing. We were blessed to find that pretty much everything was included in the SpongeBob game; the war game was missing a handful of figures (which could easily be replaced with figures from my miniature wargaming collection), and two were damaged, although they could be repaired with super glue or plastic modeling cement.

The next part was easy – actually playing the games, an activity that lasted a bit past bedtime, but was well worth it, especially since it didn’t involve video games or watching movies, which I feel are second-class entertainments when real people are around to interact with.

If the weather doesn’t break, we’ll be gaming again tomorrow.

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Genre: Adventure/Family Drama,  Rated: PG-13,  Director: Steven Spielberg

 Cast: Jeremy Irvine, Peter Mullan, Emily Watson, Niels Arestrup

With the sweeping,  gorgeous landscapes reminiscent of Dances With Wolves and The Chronicles of Narnia, WAR HORSE is nothing short of a visually-aesthetic masterpiece. Once again, Master-Director Spielberg has far out-done himself.  Based on the 1982 novel by Michael Morpurgo which later became a stage play, War Horse is a glorious tribute to horses and and horse-lovers, everywhere.  Set in early 20^th-Century rural England, this movie will make you feel as though you’ve a taken a giant step back in time, to a place where life was slower, calmer, genteel.  Allow your frantic 21^st Century lifestyle and its worries to melt away for 2 hours and 20 minutes of extravagantly simplistic indulgence.

Set in World War I era, along rural England’s countryside, War Horse is the story of a boy in love with a wild horse. Their epic journey, from Albie watching wild Joey from afar and then, to his utter amazement and elation getting to own and patiently, lovingly break him, is quite moving. When Albie and Joey are forcibly separated, Albie quickly follows Joey across war-torn Europe.  Throughout his grueling journey,  Joey touches the lives of everyone he meets—from Albie’s family and neighbors, to the brave war general who rides Joey into battle, to the many British and enemy German soldiers he amazes with his indomitable will, to an elderly French farmer and his sweet, horse-loving  granddaughter—Joey is loved by one and all.The most touching moment by far is when Albie and his emotionally-distant father are finally united.  Portraying a gammit of emotions and a vulnerability far beyond his years, Jeremy Irvine (Albie) is a brilliant young actor with a promising future!

IS War Horse a war movie? Yes. But its war scenes are brilliantly-executed. Viewers can see the devastating reality of war MINUS the overdone blood and gore so often seen in typical war movies.  For this reason, I would definitely recommend this movie for mature TWeens 11-12 yr olds, boys especially, with parent. 13+ should definitely see this amazing adventure film! Bring a horse-lover or two and saddle up for the ride. War Horse does not disappoint!