Archives for : reviews

Review: Firmoo Glasses

Posted by :Annika On : October 17, 2012
5

Category: reviews

Remember how I spent over a year suffering from daily headaches? Yeah, that was fun. In September I decided to do something about it. I had an eye exam, got glasses with my current, correct prescription, and bought a better pillow. I’ve gone from taking ibuprofen 2-3 times a day to taking it 1-2 times a week. No kidding.

Right around the time I was making all of these changes, a company called Firmoo contacted me to invite me to review their glasses. I usually turn down review offers but I had literally just been fretting about wanting to have a spare pair, and who the hell turns down free stuff that they actually need? Not me, I tell you what.

I’ve always been highly skeptical about ordering glasses online. When I chose frames in-store, I tried on every pair that I even kinda liked, and one pair suited my face. ONE. But again: free. No risk. Firmoo has a virtual try-on option, where you upload a photo and input your pupillary distance so it can approximate how the frames will look. I chose a pair that I thought looked the most okay on me. (I wanted to get a similar style in red, but they were out of stock so I went with this grey one.)

I was very surprised to discover that the virtual try-on was fairly accurate!

Downsides:

  • The frames do not sit entirely evenly on my face. This is because my ears are at very slightly different heights, so it is not Firmoo’s fault–however, it is a problem with ordering online vs. in person, since a brick and mortar store would have adjusted the arms for me.
  • The arms are very thick, which looks cute but causes me to see them in my peripheral vision. Because of this I keep thinking that I am experiencing blurred vision. Again, something that would not have happened with a brick and mortar as I would have known ahead of time and not chosen these frames.

Good stuff:

  • My prescription is spot-on. In fact, I think it might be slightly better than the lenses in my (insurance) paid-for glasses.
  • They also smudge less readily than my other glasses, though I admit it’s possible that’s because I wear them less frequently.
  • The glasses came with both a hard case and a soft carrying case, a lens cleaning cloth, and a small glasses repair kit. That’s more than my optometrist gave me! (I am going to fiddle around with the repair kit to see if I can adjust the arms to fit better.)

Overall, I would absolutely recommend Firmoo. Every new customer gets their first pair free (you pay shipping, which I believe is quite reasonable–I did not pay shipping for my review pair).

I use mine as a spare/back-up pair, and use them primarily for watching TV/movies since I don’t use my peripheral vision for those. If you find the right frames, you could conceivably get your only glasses from Firmoo. And they have sunglasses too! The prices are very low compared to many other stores, and the virtual try-on is superior to other similar websites (I did a little research in the form of uploading my picture and trying on glasses all over the internet). My only real complaint is that none of the available frames are cat eye shaped.

Q is for…

Posted by :Annika On : December 7, 2011
13

Category: Bookish, reviews

Q-is-for-Quirky

Okay, I realize it’s bad form to start with an aside, but can we just quickly talk about how adorable this little illustration is? ADORABLE. I love the idea that knitting is a quirky, but also spy-worthy, skill. My very first career aspirations included Spy, you know.

So. Secret Agent Josephine is the secret identity of author Brenda Ponnay–or possibly Brenda Ponnay is Secret Agent Josephine’s secret identity, I’m not entirely sure which. :)

Brenda has written and illustrated three awesome children’s books: Secret Agent Josephine’s ABCs, Colors, and Numbers. They’re available as paperbacks and as digital books for on the go.

SAJ-covers

I have the Kindle versions, which of course show up black and white on my old-school Kindle (I didn’t buy Colors for obvious reasons), but even without the cute, quirky colors the books look fantastic. Tell the man standing on the corner that the oyster owns a fine wristwatch.

I adore Brenda’s artwork almost as much as I adore her. I’ve read her blog for years and years, since before we both became moms, and Sam and Bug have played together a few times. Combine that with Sam’s current obsession with counting, and you can probably imagine how excited I was to be asked to participate in this book tour!

I love these books. LOVE THEM! Sam and I read Numbers together, and he was very into the counting part, but the spy stuff went a little over his head. Oh well, I bet by next year he will be way into it–or Grace will! They both love the ABCs already, and I’m going to get a print copy of Colors for them.

I’ve got three treats for you! One, a video of Sam counting.

He was busy playing Zelda on the 3DS, hence the attitude that he is clearly doing me a FAVOR, I mean GOD, MOM. If only I’d given him my Kindle instead! (The video may take a minute to load. You can view it on flickr if it doesn’t cooperate here.)

Two, a mystery! Can you name my stealthy assistant?

spy-assistant

She is in disguise, so don’t feel bad if you don’t recognize her.

Three, a chance to win a print from Brenda! Comment here by December 14 and you could win an 8×10 art print of Q is for Quetzel from Secret Agent Josephine’s ABCs. Yay!

Time On My Hands winner!

Posted by :Annika On : October 25, 2011
1

Category: reviews

I’ve closed comments on my review of Time On My Hands, and randomly selected a winner:

Screen shot 2011-10-25 at 12.44.31 PM

(I didn’t count the two trackbacks as comments, obviously. Otherwise my other website would be the winner.)

So Georgia, you won Becky Herrick’s e-book! I hope you feel like knitting some gloves. She will be sending it to you via Ravelry.

Review: Time On My Hands (knitting e-book)

Posted by :Annika On : October 20, 2011
9

Category: knittery, reviews

Tags:, , , , , , ,

timeonmyhands
My fellow knitting designer Becky Herrick recently gave me a copy of her e-book, Time On My Hands.

The book is a single PDF containing nine patterns for gloves (some with fingers and some without); eight of the patterns can be purchased as individual PDFs, but the ninth is available only in the collection.

The presentation is amazing. The layout and photography are excellent, and each pattern has a clock motif in the corner of the page (drawn either by hand or computer, I couldn’t tell!), which I found utterly charming. The gloves themselves are lovely, with a nice variety and clear, easy-to-follow instructions.

teatimeI had intended to knit Tea Time (pictured at left) for myself to go with this review, but, um. I kind of got stuck on yarn choice. I love Shelter, the yarn the pattern calls for, but it comes in too many pretty colors and anyway I am not supposed to be buying yarn and so before I knew it I’d waited too long and had no gloves to show.

Please do not allow my inability to plan well to dissuade you from this book. Here, I will get the review back on track.

In short: this is an excellent e-book and you should buy it if you have any interest at all in knitting gloves.

But wait! Before you buy it, comment on this post to enter to win a copy! Just answer this multiple choice question: Do you prefer gloves, mittens, or fingerless gloves?

Stardust: because Hollywood thinks you are stupid

Posted by :Annika On : November 23, 2008
10

Category: I've been hypnotised, reviews

I wanted to enjoy Stardust. It’s a good book and should have made for an entertaining movie.

I am definitely not one of those people who thinks that movie adaptations of beloved books should be faithful to the source material — in fact, that usually makes for a pretty crappy movie. Certainly there are always aspects of a book that make it magical and translate well to film, but often the things the fans cling to do not make for a good motion picture, so I never go into an adaptation expecting it to be like the book.

I also think that fantasy stories are hard to film. I have fairly low expectations for fantasy movies (really for most movies): I want to be entertained, and I want a little magic.

So it was a pretty big shock to me that I hated Stardust. And so did Will. So much that we turned it off a little more than halfway through and sent it back to Netflix. I know a lot of people enjoyed this movie and I am stuck somewhere between envy and incredulity.

I did like a few things about it: the lead performances were just fine, and even quite good in places; it was shot beautifully for the most part; I really appreciated the simplicity of making Dunstan a single father and eliminating the little hairy guy by having Tristran’s mother be the one to give him the candle; and I loved every minute of the Lords of Stormhold, especially the first murder when the dying Lord (Peter O’Toole!) laughed his ass off.

Almost everything else sucked.

Let’s start with the special effects: OH MY FUCKING GOD. It’s like they shot a perfectly fine-looking movie and then watched the rough edit and some guy with a cigar said, “Well, this movie’s all right but let’s make it flashier. Can we the magic be BRIGHT FUCKING GREEN? And how about some sparkles? I hear there’s a popular book full of sparkles, the kids love those.” Or possibly they finished the movie under-budget and said guy with cigar was all, “Let’s throw a couple million dollars at this shot here. And that one. Oh heck, let’s sparkle ‘em all up!” And the dead Lords of Stormhold? They looked like the ghosts on The Young Ones.

Next: the narration. THE NARRATION. What the hell? Folks, just because you got Sir Ian McKellen to read it does not mean it was a good idea. IT WAS NOT. At first I thought oh, clever, get the backstory out of the way. Then I thought oh, hmm, unnecessarily changing the backstory… well, it’s an adaptation, I’m sure it will be fine. And then there was 15 minutes of backstory. Painfully boring backstory that we did not need because we could have had 30 seconds more narration instead. My only guess is that the narration was added after the movie was finished, by that jackass with the cigar when he finally ran out of sparkles and/or when he realized that he didn’t understand the plot so obviously movie-goers wouldn’t get it either, forgetting that he has the IQ of a lemming while the average audience member is actually perfectly capable of figuring out what’s going on given a few minutes and a decent script.

Oh, wait. The script sucked, or at least the movie they shot from the script was full of bad choices and I can only assume that most of those were in the script (since Matthew Vaughn wrote and directed it).

All right, I know I said above that I thought the performances were fine, but I have to kind of renege. In a vacuum, they were each fine, but holy hell. Charlie Cox and Claire Danes could not possibly have had LESS chemistry. The multiple scenes of manufactured conflict to make it seem as though they had even a shred of chemistry were insulting both as a viewer and as a person in a relationship. (Speaking of manufactured conflict, what the bloody fucking hell was the point of Humphrey? There is no reason for Tristran to know that he has competition for Victoria’s affection; she needs only to not be interested in him. I assume that in the end he defeats Humphrey in a swordfight, but I will never know unless one of you tells me.)

OK, and why on earth did they reveal that the star is a girl immediately? As the camera was swooping down I said, “Oh god they’re going to show it.” And they did. And we should have turned it off then.

And I can’t believe they wasted all those special effects when they could have had a unicorn-lion fight. Really, I’m pretty sure that was a smart cut, but it could have been awesome. It seems they only did it so Yvain could escape before Tristran trusted her — in the book he just leaves her with the unicorn while he goes to get food, and I think I actually prefer him chaining her up. But still. It seems that they picked and chose scenes to include based on coin toss or something, with no attention paid to story.

And lastly, Robert De Niro and the Pirates of the Cumulonimbus. Here is what I have to say to you, Mr. De Niro: go back to Analyzing Billy Crystal. The whole sequence was so fucking insulting. On every fucking level. We didn’t even finish watching it — we turned the movie off after the reveal.

Look, I liked Pathfinder. I liked Van fucking Helsing. You have to try really hard to make a movie I hate, and even harder to make one I won’t finish watching. Shame on Matthew Vaughn and Paramount.

O, Books!

Posted by :Annika On : July 30, 2008
4

Category: Bookish, reviews, writer

(Title is because I couldn’t think of one, so ripped off Willa Cather. If you’re going to steal, steal from the best.)

I took a bath last night, and brought in Stephanie‘s book, I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone, which I was about one chapter into. I’d torn through about half of it when I dragged myself out of the cold water and into bed.

I left the book on the back of the toilet, which is where I get the most reading done anyway if I am being honest. Late this morning I went into the bathroom to wash my face, and half an hour later discovered that my face was still dirty because I was leaning over, reading the book.

So I brought it into the living room and cuddled with Sam on the couch while I read. Sam fell asleep for his first nap of the week (let’s not talk about that) and I finished the book.

And I cried.

It. Was. So. Good. And you guys, I am totally biased because I knew Stephanie ten years ago (I tell people we dropped out of Antioch together) but really. I loved this book. It’s not a book I would have written and it’s not a book I knew I wanted to read. And yet: love.

(ETA: that kind of didn’t make sense. I knew I wanted to read it because Stephanie wrote it, but I didn’t know that the story and the characters would resonate the way they did.)

On the other hand, I have not been writing my novel. I’m not sure what’s holding me back, maybe perfectionism or lack of outline or a hook or the fact that I wish it was YA… Really I think it’s just whatever burnout has been keeping me stagnant in the rest of my life, and hope that I will get over it soon.

Especially because I have an idea for a second novel. It’s just a little germ of an idea, barely even a theme, but it’s there and it’s growing.

NOTE TO SELF: you may not write a second novel until you write the first one. For one thing, it is NOT HUMANLY POSSIBLE and for another SHUT UP. Stop making excuses and write the damn rockabilly novel.

O, Books! (That is my new swear. It’s even better than Bullocks.)

You can enter to win Stephanie’s book here, or buy it here.

Rockabye

Posted by :Annika On : June 14, 2008
3

Category: Bookish, reviews

In lieu of an actual review*.

One day last week I took a bath. After I’d started the water running I wandered into the living room and announced that I needed a book.

Will: “What about that alterna-mom book?”
Me: “I finished it.”
Will: “Oh, I thought you were still reading it. I’ve been reading a page at a time so as not to lose your place.”
Me: “Dude, it’s yours.”

He finished it in a day.

Later: “I kept thinking you’d written that book. It was like reading your blog.”

Thank you, Crystal, for having a contest to win the book. Thank you, random number generator, for choosing me. And thank you, Rebecca, for writing a really spectacular book.

Wanna be best friends?

*A real review would probably read something like this, anyway:

You guys! I read a book! Full of words! No pictures! (In fact, I would have liked some pictures, but that might reflect the fact that it’s written by a blogger and you know. Blogs have pictures.)

In conclusion: Book good.

Iron Man (no spoilers)

Posted by :Annika On : May 10, 2008
5

Category: I've been hypnotised, lists, reviews

So, not only have they gone and made a superhero movie based on a comic book that–

  • kicks ass
  • surpasses the comic
  • is totally fucking awesome
  • kicks ass
  • is well-cast and full of spectacular performances
  • has fight scenes that the audience can actually follow
  • has great visual effects

    • and

  • kicks ass

    • but

  • it also is incredibly well-written, and even has good dialog.

I know. What. The. Heck?

Book Review: The Creative Family

Posted by :Annika On : February 7, 2008
5

Category: Bookish, reviews

Creative FamilyI have been peeing myself with excitement (not literally, sheesh) since Amanda Soule of Soulemama first revealed that she was to be a published author. The family life she writes about on her blog echoes the way I grew up and the way I hope to raise my children. Her writing, her photographs, and the pure joy with which she lives; the creative spirit that so clearly permeates every aspect of the Soule family’s life; every entry at her blog is so inspiring, and to learn that she’d written a book encouraging other families to live creatively? Hoorah!

So you can imagine my reaction when someone from the book’s publicity team emailed me. He’d found my blog and thought I might be interested in a review copy of the book. I managed to refrain from screaming YES YES GIVE IT TO ME NOW, which I think was pretty awesome of me. He sent the book and I devoured it. Literally. (Oh, fine, I’m kidding. It was figurative. But only just.)

Many of the ideas in the book are not new to me. Fewer toys? Check. Fun with existing items, dress-up, crafts? Check. Incorporating nature into our lives? Daily rituals? Um, I’m working on those. Do I need a book to tell me, “Yes, you are on the right path”? Well, not really. But it sure is nice to feel so affirmed, and it is really wonderful to know that this book exists for all the parents out there who think, “Oh, I am not creative.” I believe–and so does Amanda–that you are, too. And there are many ideas in the book that are new to me, or new ways to approach ideas I already have.

The book is a practical guide to freeing up your creativity and enjoying your days as a family. Though, as I said, much of it matches the lifestyle we already lead, there are many ideas that I am absolutely smitten with and can’t wait to incorporate.

This is not a pattern book*, but it does include guidelines for a few projects. I can’t wait till Sam has the dexterity to work on my favorite with me: the handmade sewing cards. I just may have to make a few now. For later. Really, I’m not going to sew them myself.

Sam is not too young to live a creative life, and The Creative Family is a marvelous, encouraging book that I think we will refer to frequently for inspiration.

The book will be available in April. You can read more abut it here, and pre-order it at Amazon.

*but she is writing one! I am so excited and can’t wait for more info.