Links
Jenn's Blogs
jennriffle.com
jennreviewsthings.com
Matt's Blogs
idioticsavant.com
mattreviewsthings.com
1/24/2012
We stayed at the Encore when we were in Vegas in December 2011 to run the half marathon and our experience was fantastic, so I thought I would write about it here. The Wynn and Encore definitely want to be … Continue reading ...
Why can't I sleep anymore?
1/21/2012
RT @mental_floss: 10 Buildings Shaped Like What They Sell --- http://t.co/0tvEr5DB
1/13/2012
Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!...
1/11/2012
RT @pairnetworks: we've recently rolled out a new design for our homepage visit http://t.co/Fmd7Gohn to see our new look!
12/16/2011
Where have you all been? I have had a lot to say! You missed it! And now you’ll never know what it was all about. But today, I want to talk about the Las Vegas Rock & Roll … Continue reading ...
12/11/2011
RT @joelmchale: Not looking forward to NFL playoffs. Why can't they just ask the coaches & some computer to vote on which teams should g ...
11/24/2011
Had Tofurky for the first time tonight. It was just ok. I prefer @FieldRoast Celebration Roast. Just my opinion, of course.
11/23/2011
RT @gassee: Microsoft Research Chief: We had (something like) Siri before Apple http://t.co/Hpjhog5h If true: We're imbeciles If false: ...
11/18/2011
.@GillianJacobs @joelmchale I picked kids named Gillian & Jeff (best I could do) from the Treasures For Children tree at work
11/16/2011
RT @jharrison9292: RT this tweet and ill randomly RT one of u to give that Pro Bowl jersey to.. follow all that? lol
10/26/2011
Hey, @mental_floss, even though I already pre-ordered a signed copy, (Christmas is comin' up, ya know?)
10/23/2011
RT @mental_floss: Ten years ago today, Apple introduced the iPod.
10/18/2011
RT @Kiva: Total value of all loans made through @Kiva: $250,847,175! http://t.co/N5QtxbYv
10/13/2011
RT @AP: Dennis Ritchie, computer programming pioneer who created the popular C programming language, dies at 70: http://t.co/Txc49BMY -CJ
RT @paulcarr: I actually hate the word "startup". It's like calling a plane a "take off" or referring to a duck as a "quack".
10/12/2011
Downloading iOS 5 was no problem; getting through to whatever update server needs pinged during the upgrade is proving difficult, however.
10/5/2011
RT @Oatmeal: :( http://t.co/I5XQWbeH
9/24/2011
Because we have so much in America that I literally can't imagine how little some people have. http://t.co/6mDhcsNs
9/19/2011
RT @Dejan_Kovacevic: "Bah! Baserunners! Who needs 'em?"
9/18/2011
RT @alyankovic: I bet horses are really disappointed that Hollywood is using CGI instead peanut butter to make them &;talk&; now.
9/16/2011
Follow Friday: @feral_pigeon
8/26/2011
The husband and I took two practically back to back trips this July. We attended two conferences. The first was to Las Vegas and the second to Portland, OR. We were home for exactly four days in between. Both … Continue reading ...
8/25/2011
Two weeks ago I was asked to foster some almost ready to be adopted kittens. They had been in a foster home, but the their family was going on vacation so they needed someone to take them for a week … Continue reading ...
7/13/2011
When Cole first came to us, he was broken: No, not like that. More like this: See the little shaved leg? Yeah, it was was broken. I met Cole at the shelter, the day he was brought back from … Continue reading ...
For my (early) birthday present this year, Matt bought me tickets to see Glee! Live in Cleveland, OH, which is not too far from where we live. It is about a two hour drive. I was very very excited when … Continue reading ...
6/26/2011
I’m combining these two trips because I don’t have pictures from North Carolina. Call me a bad aunt if you must. However, you must then call Matt a bad uncle and Kayla a bad cousin. After all, neither of them … Continue reading ...
For years, Matt has been wanting to go to a UFC event. Waiting and waiting for one to come close enough for him to go to one. Or else for one to be in Vegas when we were planning to … Continue reading ...
In March, yes, March, I am behind in talking about my travels, so what?, we went to St. Petersburg, Florida to escape the Pittsburgh winter, but mostly to see this beautiful little girl: That is our niece Eva. She is … Continue reading ...
6/8/2011
Oh Indy. Indy is 16 years old now. He has been through so much. Pneumonia, a three month stint of anorexia complete with feeding tubes, and cholangeohepatitis. That last one is recent, and there are former blog posts all about … Continue reading ...
4/3/2011

Recent album activity (93 new items). Visit Kauai 2009...
2/25/2011
After reading Little Bee (see my review below), I was excited to see this book at the bookstore, which I mistakenly thought was new. This is actually Chris Cleve’s first novel. Mostly though, it doesn’t matter. The subject matter is dark. It is set in London after a terrorist attack during a soccer game in...
A very popular series of books, I had to read them myself to see what all the hoopla is about. Yes, I just said hoopla. I decided to review the first eight books together since I felt pretty much the same about each book and they are all pretty much the same. In fact, I wasn’t...
2/17/2011
Kristin Hannah is becoming one of my favorite authors. I really loved Firefly Lane. Comfort and Joy was cute. True Colors did not disappoint in the slightest. One thing I admire about Ms. Hanna is that she will take on serious issues and that nobody is safe from death or tragedy. True Colors is the story...
12/23/2010
12/15/2010
9/16/2010

Recent album activity (24 new items). Visit Idlewild 2010...
9/3/2010
I was so excited to find this book at Half Price Books, after reading Lost & Found last summer (which I reviewed here). Honestly, I didn’t pay much attention to the story line on the back of the book. I read the first line “Anna O’Shea has failed at marriage, shed her job at a law...
When I walked into my local Border’s, I encountered a display with this book as one of their “Recommends” or whatever they call it. Every time I have bought a book (and read it) from this collection, I have totally enjoyed the book. Once again, I was not disappointed. Here is what the jacket to this...
8/15/2010

Recent album activity (16 new items). Visit Kayla...

Recent album activity (23 new items). Visit Sharon / Jenn / Nikki / Kayla Birthday Party 2010...
8/14/2010

Recent album activity (29 new items). Visit Joey's 7th Birthday Party...
7/16/2010
Lisbeth Salander, the most complex female character in film in a very, very long time. Mikael Blomkvist, an ambitious journalist for a monthly magazine called Millenium. The Vanger family. None of these people have much in common, but it all comes together brilliantly in the film. Background of the movie. Mikael Blomkvist had just been on...
I do have to say that I didn’t expect this movie to be as good as Parts 1 & 2. Part 3 always declines in quality, doesn’t it? Well, Toy Story 3 broke that trend. The premise is that Andy, the little boy in the previous films, is going to college. He has to decide what...
5/16/2010

Recent album activity (21 new items). Visit Jacob...
2/26/2010
I’ve read most of Bentley Little’s horror novels, and they’ve been pretty consistent in what they offer. Start with an interesting idea; race onward in an inventive, typically gory, fashion; arrive at a resolution that doesn’t really live up to the rest of the book, but the ride was so fun you’re okay with that. ...
2/8/2010
I didn’t expect much from this movie, what with the horrible review from Entertainment Weekly and Rotten Tomatoes.com. However, the movie exceeded my expectations and I really liked the movie. Simple plot: Post-apocalyptic America. Denzel Washington is the lead as Eli. Eli has a King James Bible in his possession that he reads every night on his...
There is nothing I like more than a long novel, with a good plot. Add in a multi-generational story, and I am hooked in. In that regard, this book did not disappoint. The simple storyline is about a father, Dominic, and his son, Daniel, and their friend Ketchum. One night, Daniel mistakes the local town’s...
1/29/2010
As an animal lover, I love to read books about animals. They don’t have to be about cats. They can be about dogs, cats, rabbits, wildlife, etc. When I saw this book featured on the table at Border’s, I picked it up simply on the picture alone. I guess I judged a book by its...
I have not reviewed most of these movies and books and probably won’t. The fact that they are on my top of the year list should be good enough. :) Now for my Top Movies of 2009, in no particular order: Note: I have not seen the following movies that are up for all kinds of...
1/14/2010

Recent album activity (35 new items). Visit Maddie, Owen, Ginger & Coco...

Recent album activity (35 new items). Visit Joey, Nick & Katelyn!...

Recent album activity (9 new items). Visit Cats...
12/1/2009

Recent album activity (12 new items). Visit Ben & Sydney...
10/27/2009

Recent album activity (9 new items). Visit 10th Anniversary Party...
10/22/2009
I really wanted to like this book. I read it when half asleep on my flight to Kauai, when I wasn’t sleeping. I thought once I landed and had some sleep it would get better. But it didn’t. I must explain why I didn’t like it. I expected this to be a book all about cooking...
Sometimes, the unexpected turns out to be the best gift ever. That summarizes this book perfectly. Many of us multi-pet owners have animals we didn’t go searching for, but instead, they found us. And it happened to Gwen Cooper. We first meet Homer as a little three week old kitten, who was taken to the veterinary...
10/11/2009
Two books. Same underlying premise. But very different. The premise being woman’s husband dies, she has grief and the way to get over that grief is to move north, get a simpler job and fall in love again. Jacqueline Sheehan’s Lost & Found takes place in Peak’s Island, Maine, where the protagonist, Rocky, a psychologist, moves...
9/23/2009
With The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown supplants James Patterson (*) as king of what I call the “popcorn books” — books that work best when read straight through in as few sittings as possible, with no reflection on what’s come before as you plow ahead. Whether you’ll like the book or not depends on how...
9/21/2009
I recently returned from a vacation on Kauai, one of the islands of Hawaii. I’ll be doing a series of posts reviewing the places we went and the things we did, to help out the next person who comes along trying to Google them, as I had before we left. :) Today, it’s...
9/15/2009
9/12/2009
8/30/2009
I have to admit right off that I am a big fan of Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. They are responsible for such films as Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle. I am always excited to hear about a new release. And Ponyo did not disappoint me in the least. It is a retelling of...
8/29/2009
Let’s face it: you probably already know if you want to see this film or not. Go with your first instinct. End of review. Oh, you’re still here? Okay, here’s something else — if you’re a child of the 80s and you hated what they did with Transformers, then skip this movie. If you were at least...
8/23/2009
The Birthing House is the debut horror novel from Christopher Ransom, a writer whose promise shines through about the first two-thirds of the book, after which it falls apart a bit. The setup is compelling — let me just quote from the inside jacket copy: Conrad and Joanna Harrison, a young couple from Los Angeles, attempt to...
8/17/2009
Ponyo is the new film by anime master Hayao Miyazaki, director of such films as Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke and Howl’s Moving Castle. It offers Miyazaki’s own unique take on the old Little Mermaid story. The story in a nutshell involves Ponyo, a little girl who is more like a fish (the humans refer to her...
8/11/2009

New photo added to Las Vegas 2009.
8/2/2009
6/10/2008
11/15/2006
















