August 23, 2011

I'll Hold that Scratch Against You

I'd love a sturdier case, J Lo
Compact discs used to be cutting edge (even though they're round). Today they are on their way to being dusty memorabilia like records, or possibly just rubbish like cassettes. iTunes has exploded while CD sections in stores continue to shrink. Regardless, I have been a vocal supporter of physical CDs. But if CDs are going to survive better than Rick Springfield cassettes, the production companies need to do something other than gripe at slumping sales.

August 15, 2011

That Pasta Bowl Does End

The commercials for Olive Garden's infamous "Never Ending Pasta Bowl" are back. Yet where are the news stories revealing that this is a bold-faced lie? Cackles aside, I'm hear to bear the truth: it ends.

As a naive college student, my friends and I used to frequent Olive Garden to take full advantage of this "never ending" deal. We saved up for weeks to try to get a few meals out of the $8.95 deal, and our digestive systems could then only process pasta after a few too many weeks on Ramen noodles.

August 8, 2011

But I Don't Want to Be an Angry Bird

The Cackling Hen will soon be blogging on the road, but no road is hospitable to my current word processor - a three-year-old laptop that's been through many surgeries. It is constantly hooked up to a noisy respirator (aka cooling fan since it's always hot and bothered) and I refuse to test the demanding function of folding down the screen. If it goes black again, I fear it will never come back.

I decided to research netbooks as an affordable, portable and down-right cute option to use the interwebs. I was happy to find that I could get the same storage capacity in a netbook as my current HP on life support for a fraction of the price. But just as I went to purchase the netbook I wanted, I learned netbooks are out. Fail.

August 1, 2011

Bird Overboard!

During the cold winter months (or month in Florida) we look ahead to the warm summer sunshine, summer vacations and an excuse to cook hot dogs on the grill once a week. Then summer comes and it's time to beat the heat in any way possible (aside from not grilling - there are hot dogs to cook!). Since air conditioning doesn't help a tan and Snooki's orange skin reminds us the risks of tanning beds, one vacation option seems perfect to punch this summer heat right in the face while enjoying it at the same time: a summer cruise!

All aboard The Hen's first cruise! It began the same way it ended - enjoying one of many buffets. Time to peck your money's worth out of every meal. But with unlimited dining 24/7 at sea, there's a fine line between pecking your money's worth and puking your money's worth - especially through a tropical storm. Thankfully everything seemed to stay down except some girls' skirts.