Rogue (2020)

Rogue (2020). I saw this movie was available on Redbox but I also saw many reviews saying this wasn't a good movie. I typically still watch movies with low public reviews because I like to punish myself if it turns out it really is a bad movie. However, in reading the reviews from others, I find that many of them have weird reasons for their negative reviews. Things like "too many uses of the Lord's name in vain", "too much unnecessary cursing", or "too much violence." It makes me wonder if any every reads the synopsis or pay attention to the movie's rating.

However, for me, it's about am I getting my monies worth from the movie? Usually I do because I have a promo code or something to use with Redbox. Luckily, after hesitating for so long to rent this movie, it turned up on Hulu and I just happen to have a Hulu subscription. So while it wasn't free it was significantly way less than Redbox. Anyway, let's get to the movie review...

First, the quality, or lack there of, in the CGI was shown really early in the movie and it really did suck. It was the kind of CGI of old or of low-budget movies. It was bad and at other times very bad.

Second, it is really tough to accept seeing Megan Fox as "military", a "military-type" or a "leader of military/military-types". Even in fatigues and dirtied-up, she still seemed girly, dainty and soft. Her voice just isn't gruff or grunt enough to be barking out commands. It just wasn't believable enough. I mean I can see her as a Tomboy like in Transformers but not as a mercenary group leader.

Third, apparently these "military folks" are actually former Marines, at least a few of them are outed as such. And yet, they totally suck at shooting and fighting. Also, the 'good guys' are shown reloading but the 'bad guys' have never-ending clips. How is that fair or realistic? Also what ticks me off with these kind of movie plots is that these mercenaries can shoot something at 200-300 yards but can't hit a fucking 6 foot 200 lb man standing 50-60 feet away right in front of them without any obstructions.

FINAL VERDICT: If you're really bored and already have or pay for a service that has this movie on it's service, then give this movie a chance to waste some time. You won't come away feeling excited that you watched it but you can say that you've seen it if someone asks for some reason. Otherwise, you can pass on watching this movie.

Treblab xGO Bluetooth Ear Buds

A little over a year ago, I purchased a pair of Treblab xGO earbuds. They were having some kind of sale and I figured I could take a chance on them at the cost they were advertising. I can't remember the exact sale price but I purchased the xGo with a pair of Treblab xRun earphones for a total cost around $55.00. I figured that's not a bad cost for a fairly decent brand of bluetooth buds.

Ordering from the Treblab website was a breeze. Processing and shipping was very quick. I ordered on Saturday and received them on Tuesday. Easy peazy.

I opened the package and turned on the buds. I know usually they tell you to fully charge them but I wanted to jump right in on the testing. Pairing with my Samsung S8+ was simple as many of these products are nowadays. According to my phone read out, these buds had about 30% charge in them.

I played a few songs from my Amazon Music app and all seemed to be working well. Button functionality on each earbud is simple: one push for play/pause and two push on left for previous track and two push on right for next track. Long hold turns on or off. The buttons can also be used to answer, reject or hang up phone calls. After about 3-5 minutes of flipping through various audio-range songs, I decided to put them back in the case, plug in the case and charge both the case and the earbuds.

A few hours later, I used them for a bit longer and that's when I recognized an issue with them. For some reason, the right earbud would cut in and out. It didn't lose connection because I could still push the button to play, pause, advance and power off. For some unexplainable reason, the earbud would just stop producing sound or it would break up like a bad radio signal. All the while I would still be able to hear my music out of the left earbud. This 'breaking up' would occur whether my phone was next to me on my desk/table or in my pocket.

This is/was very, very annoying. I did find that sometimes there was less cutting out after using the earbuds for thirty minutes or more. It would still occasionally occur but not like every five seconds as in the beginning of use. It's almost like they needed to warm up or something but it didn't always work after 'warm up' either. I made due with the issue as I didn't use these all that often because of the irritating issue. I would occasionally use the xRun earphones without issues but would always return to my trusty X2 earbuds from 2018. The X2s are my go-to earbuds and I have never had an issue with them.

When the xGos did work consistently, in stereo, as they should, the xGos did not have too bad of a sound. The lows were good enough and the highs were not screechy (if that makes sense in my non-audio expertise). The silicone ear tips made a good enough seal to help keep outside noises from being heard. I guess this is part of noise-isolating or noise-canceling but don't recall if they even have that. Getting used to the simple functionality of the buttons was difficult too because of the many buttons and functionality I got and was used to with my X2s. Even if these worked perfectly, the one thing I'm not a fan of is the case. It's little longer and thicker than the Airpods case which makes it bulkier in my pocket. I also don't trust the durability of the flip lid on the case as it doesn't seem as sturdy and I feel like it could crack if for some reason there was pressure on my pocket.

The images below are of the case, the earbuds, and a couple of comparison shots of the case size versus the 1st generation Apple Airpods.

FINAL VERDICT:  Based on my experience, I would not recommend these because of the annoying issue of the sound cutting in and out in the right earbud. I'm not sure if it's a universal problem or I just got a wonky set. Sometimes I would just use one earbud (the left one) while at work so I can hear someone in the office calling out my name or whatever. So the cutting out wouldn't be too much of a problem in this case. However, if I was walking a trail or working out, using both earbuds was preferred and then I would get frustrated with the cutting out. As mentioned, this is just my experience and someone else may have had a better experience and/or gotten a better pair. In fact, I hope so as I did like them when they worked properly.

Newport Condos (Dallas, TX)

We lived in [La Cima] Newport Condos for about a year. It's the first time in a long time since we've lived in an apartment. Previously we've lived in condos, townhouses or rental homes. Although some of the condo/townhouse complexes looked and felt more like apartment complexes, for some reason they claim the distinction of condos. Just to be clear, in my opinion, Newport Condos are apartments. I don't care how many palm-type trees they have within the property or how resort-like they think the pool is. These are just apartments.

We were leaving another property with condo in the name: The Tuscany Condos of Dallas. They were a little more condo-ish but I'll let you read my review on that property...when I write it up.

We were looking for a place within sixty days and wanted to stay in the general area where we already were. We did look at a couple of other properties before The Newport Condos. The Newport seemed 'respectable' and we were able to schedule a visit around mid to late April. We actually got to enter and check out the exact apartment we would be renting. It was really weird because the current tenants were still fully living there AND they were actually there, sitting on their living room couch, while we walked through the apartment. I felt like we were invading their space a bit but went with the flow. We did get to ask the current tenant how they liked the place and they said they enjoyed living there. I don't mean to sound judgy but the place did have marijuana paraphernalia in various places as well as a slight marijuana aroma so I would assume they would/could enjoy just about any halfway decent place. Don't get me wrong. They seemed like a nice couple.

Anyway, the place 'seemed' good enough for us and our options were limited due to timing, price and location. If we could move in right then or at least shortly after the current tenant vacates around end of May, our monthly rent would have been $300 cheaper than when we actually plan to move in around July. It was totally foreign to us that the renting market had become like the housing market in the sense that prices were higher depending on the "hot months" of moving/renting. Unfortunately, our landlords at Tuscany were dicks and wanted to maximize their money by having us stay until the end of our lease and not have any "empty" days. I get it but they were still dicks!

Move-in day finally arrived. It went well enough. Things seemed good. The wife initially liked the new place. We never felt like "Wow, this place is so nice and wonderful." It felt a little bigger than the Tuscany and rent was cheaper although not as cheap as it could have been.

Around late October or early November 2019, they had a hot water issue. Specifically, the lack of consistent or any hot water running to most if not all of the apartments. Newport is on a boiler system. Good when it's working but not good when it's not. They kept trying to find the issue but could not for almost a month and a half. They said they had four different plumbers try to fix it but I'm not sure if those were "real" plumbers or just people the management knows who happen to know a little about plumbing. I say this because one way the workers tried to remedy the issue was to come into each apartment and turn the cold water valve at each faucet (showers and sinks) down so less cold water was piped through to mix with the hot water. This obviously did not work like they thought and wouldn't have solved the issue in the first place. Even I knew it wouldn't! After weeks and weeks, I think they finally got a real 'expert' plumber to come in and they found that it was something like a faulty valve right off/outside the boiler. DUH! I tried to explain that if all or the majority of the units weren't getting hot water, it has nothing to do with the inside of the unit(s). That should have been obvious and common sense.

Anyway, a few months more around mid-April 2020 we got a really bad mold problem. It was all along the windows in the dining room and the sliding glass door in the living room. Around mid-May 2020 after I cleaned the moldy areas, we had mold back again in the same place but it had spread from the dining room windows to the kitchen pantry and to the living room floors and our furniture. It was in the cracks and seams of the Spanish tile flooring as well as running up the sheet rock from the floor to about eighteen inches above the base board. They thought it was cracks in the walls on the outside or even the cable guy not closing the cable junction box right outside our place. They 'patched' the cracks and slapped the hand of the cable guys and everything seemed to be okay. They tried to say it was moisture coming from underneath the apartment but every time they checked, it was dry. They then tried to say it was because our air conditioner is too efficient for our apartment, like it's for say 1,500 square feet but the apartment is only 1,000 square feet. I said that could make sense if I was running my air conditioner. This was like mid/late April 2020 I guess and the weather was not hot enough for the A/C. I would just open windows and use fans. The mold was in all the windows, sliding doors and base boards. It event got up inside the pantry. It was freaking weird.

They refused to move us. They refused to let us out of our lease a month early. They wanted us to trust them to find the issue and fix it. Like they did with the previous mold issue AND the hot water? Come on, man! Who would trust them with fixing anything?

And just to fan more of the 'this place sucks' flames, the walls were terribly insulated. I could hear every time our neighbors upstairs would walk in their apartment. I could hear the next door neighbor watch TV or play his video games. I guess I'm saying that in this place you could hear just about everything everywhere.

So that's our experience. If you read the reviews on Yelp, you'll find that mold is a recurring theme as well as 'trumped up' fees to deduct from your deposit. We cleaned our apartment pretty well, end to end. When we received our deposit refund, it was something like $85 less due to "housekeeping". I was glad to be out of there and didn't feel like questioning the charges but I guess that's how they get to keep these 'bogus' fees — they know people don't want to take the time to fight over them. I should have but it was just during a time that I preferred not to. Anyway, you'll also find that the management basically sucks and it all ties back to the manager, Evelina. There is an assistant named Maria who is fairly nice but she essentially is just the front woman. She shows the apartments, does the paperwork and chats with the potential residents. Anything else is above her pay grade and position. She's always saying, "I'll have to check with Evelina" when the 'hard' questions are asked. Just like a few other Yelpers, our attempts to find and/or contact the owner/business above Evelina were unanswered and futile.

Pictures of mold in mid-April.

Pictures of mold in mid-May.

This is a stock photo from the Newport website (I think) of one of the many sitting areas within the complex. It's a novel idea but in truth, the areas are dark, dank and dusty. I can't recall anyone ever using them. I tried once but when I sat on the cushion a bunch of dust poofed into the air. Also, a few of them have trash cans where people put in the doggy poop bags. Glad they are picking up the poo but placing it in these semi-closed in areas makes them not so inviting for hanging out.

FINAL VERDICT: I would avoid this place like the plague. It may have some appeal and the cost can be fairly low but what you have to deal with isn't worth the trade-off. We were fairly low maintenance, no complaint tenants and they still treated us like we were just temporary because they had a long [imaginary] line of prospective tenants waiting to have our place. Maybe a young, college student and roommate would be okay with the place but I would definitely not recommend for a family or elderly. Knowing what I know now, I would pay a little extra to avoid the idiots running the Newport Condos!

Ana's Island Grill (Euless, TX)

Tried Ana's Island Grill in Euless, Texas for the first time today. I think it popped up on some Google search I did when I knew I was going to be in the area today. I've also had some family members mention it in the past and I'm glad it was open during this pandemic so I could finally give it a try.

I remember it was empty the day I visited. Just a woman and a younger woman, maybe mother/auntie and daughter but I don't know as I didn't ask.

Anyway, I ordered the double-sided spam musubi, the kalua pork plate and the chicken katsu/coconut shrimp mix plate. All was so freaking good. Some of the best kalua pork and chicken katsu. The coconut shrimp was good too but I don't have anything to compare from other similar restaurants as it's not something I have ordered before. The double-sided spam musubi was a surprise as I've only had one-sided but it was good like everything else. I only get out to Euless these days on Sat or Sun mornings so I haven't had a chance to visit again. But would eat here in a heartbeat if the timing was right!

 

FINAL VERDICT: If you are in the area during their hours of business, I don't think you'll be disappointed if you are in the mood for some Hawaiian-inspired food!

Soulman's Barbecue (Mesquite, TX)

Visited Soulman's Barbecue today. I initially headed out to try Mesquite BBQ as a friend recommended it as one her favorite BBQ places. Turns out Mesquite BBQ is closed on Sundays. On my way there, I did see Soulman's so I decided to backtrack and give Soulman's a try since they didn't seem very busy.

I entered the restaurant around 12 p.m. There was one guy ordering, one woman waiting for her order (to-go maybe) and one woman in front of me. They were playing some pretty decent country music over the speaker system. While I was waiting in line, an older couple, maybe in their 60s, stepped in line behind me. Not paying attention to the social-distancing markings on the floor so were like two feet behind me but they did have their masks on and on properly.

Being my first time, I was glad I had the opportunity to browse their menu. It seemed vast but standard like two-meat plate, sandwich plates, etc. They had like eight meat choices: beef, turkey, chicken (fried), sausage, pulled pork, ham, hot links and ribs.

I stuck with my typical choices and ordered two fried apple pies, a rack of ribs, a pound of brisket, a pound of turkey, a side of cole slaw and a side of fried okra. I got turkey and fried okra because the family likes those so I thought it was worth a try.

So, here's the lowdown:

• Fried apple pies were pretty damn good! Some of the best I've had. I would go back and get more.
• Cole slaw is exactly the kind that I prefer. It's not that trying-to-be-fancy kind but almost exactly like KFC kind.
• Fried okra was very crispy and not too bad. I'm not a huge okra fan in general but the family liked it.
• Sliced brisket, ribs and turkey can be lumped in together for my commentary. They weren't bad but I cannot say, "Damn, you gotta try them." They were moist and tender but they just didn't have ANY flavor to them. I don't know how they cook their meats but it makes me think a typical household oven was involved. Again, moist and edible but not flavorful.

FINAL VERDICT: It's a hard pass for me. It's just not my preference. There are plenty of other places around town that are just as good or better for a similar price. Although, I would go back to get more fried apple pies!

Hawaiian Bros Island Grill (Garland, TX)

Visited Hawaiian Bros Island Grill in Garland, TX. It was their grand opening in that location today. There wasn't a huge line or line at all that I could see but we are in an pandemic and it was kind of raining when I went. I did order online for pickup as I thought it may have a bigger crowd but alas, as mentioned, they did not.

I ordered the following:

1. Huli Huli Chicken
2. Honolulu Chicken
3. Luau Pig
4. Molokai Chicken/Kilauea Chicken Mix Plate

1) 2)

3) 4)

The plate lunches have three sizes to choose from: small, classic and large. Each plate lunch comes with scoop of rice and a side of mac salad. I chose the classic size.

FINAL VERDICT: The dishes I had were pretty good so I would definitely go again as well as recommend to anyone who would like to try it.

Defiant 120-Degree Solar Motion Activated Outdoor Integrated LED Area Light with Double Lighting (Black)

Defiant 120-Degree Solar Motion Activated Outdoor Integrated LED Area Light with Double Lighting (Black)

Purchased this on 8/13/20. For the price ($16.97 at the time of my post) and functionality this was exactly what I was looking for. Mounted on the wall of my apartment patio. Gets a lot of sun in the 2nd half of the day to charge batteries for overnight use. Initially it worked pretty well. A little sensitive to motion as in it picked up cars passing on the street about 30 ft away. Don't know if it was the car itself or headlight reflections or what. No worries. It's solar powered, right? It did pick up people, as it should, walking on the sidewalk that my patio faces and the light was bright enough. Thought this would be a keeper. However on 8/23/20 the motion sensing stopped working. The light itself seemed to still work as I could press the button to turn on the light but it only stays on for like 10 seconds which is what it's supposed to do until the next motion is picked up. I cleaned the motion sensing "eye" cover with a damp cloth and still nothing. This no longer serves a purpose without the motion sensing because there is no other way for the light to come on unless you press the 'power' button every time it goes off to turn it back on. Should I now pay someone to stand there all night to do so? Ha!

Did a lot of research on these types of lights. It was between this one and another well-reviewed one. Both are at Home Depot but this one is $4 cheaper. I was very hopeful but this didn't even last two weeks. I could have gotten a faulty product but I can't deal with the hope the next one won't do the same. Also, this kind of keeps me from purchasing the other brand because this really has been my experience with motion-sensing lights over the years regardless of the brand. I would prefer a light I can turn off/on from a switch but on my current apartment patio this is not feasible.

This is just my experience with the Defiant 120-Degree Solar Motion Activated Outdoor Integrated LED Area Light with Double Lighting (Black). Yours may very.
 

Tanga.com

If you don't know already, Tanga.com is a website where you can shop for items that are cheaply priced and are a fairly good quality -- at least in my experience so far.

I've ordered five times since 2011 from Tanga. The items I've purchased range from apparel to audio/video to PPE. I usually have come across an email promoting a deal or landed on some website I frequent promoting a deal on Tanga. The first time ordering I was kind of hesitant because it didn't seem like a really legit website. I did some research and it was referenced quite a few times from other websites I 'follow' so I figured it had to be 'legit enough,' right?

For the most part, it's been pretty smooth sailing. That is up until my most recent order.

I purchased three items on the same day, May 27, 2020. I purchased insurance at a nominal cost, although a little hesitant, to cover my products because I had this nagging feeling I may or may not receive my items due to the nature of what they were: PPE. The expected delivery dates were given up front and two items would be delivered before the third. Not a big deal as I was not in any dire need of these products.

Two packages delivered pretty much when expected. However, there was some extended delay in packaging and then shipping of the third. Again, not a huge deal as I know they don't have Amazon or other retail stores' shipping times.

Tracking the shipment almost daily via the Tanga website, I finally saw that it was out for delivery on June 8, 2020 arriving by 8 PM. Cool.

The entire evening I'm watching TV in my living room which my couch faces directly to my front door with frosted glass. I make this point because I can tell when someone comes to my door at all times because they ALWAYS create a shadow on the window. Anyway, I get up to check the porch (they're really three steps) around 6:30 PM just in case someone came by while I was away from the couch. Nothing there. I check the porch again around 7:30 PM and still nothing there. I once again check the porch at 8:30 PM thinking that 8 PM was an approximation so I'd give it a half hour. Nothing there.

I decide to check the tracking on Tanga to see if the status had changed. It did. It said, "Delivered, Front Door/Porch" as of 6:31 PM. I'd have to say that this was incorrect. But to be doubly sure, I opened my front door, looked around carefully and I found no delivered item.

This wouldn't be the first time the USPS has fucked up a delivery or posted false information because they couldn't/didn't actually make the delivery. It usually is delivered the next day. However, my item was not delivered on the 9th nor was it delivered on the 10th. Being a generous and positive thinker, I figured it would come on the 11th, 12th or 13th but alas it did not.

On June 14, 2020 I emailed Tanga customer service via their website form stating there was a "Problem with an order" (one of their default subject line choices) as in I NEVER RECEIVED IT even though the status says delivered. The confirmation page after submitting says something about them being a small company of eight employees so give them 24 to 48 hours to respond. Cool, no worries, right.

I get busy in my work week and figured they were too so gave them A LOT of latitude for responding. Finally on June 22, 2020 around 11:30 PM, I submitted an email again on their website with the subject line choice of "Where's my order?" explaining my issue, noting I had previously submitted an email with no response and what were they going to do to correct the issue.

In fact you can see my email conversation below:

ME TO THEM

Jun 22, 2020, 9:54 PM MST

Part of my order has never been delivered. Order number is ########. I received 2 out of the 3 items I ordered. Item under tracking number ########## have NOT been delivered to my front porch as is stated in the tracking information.

This is the second question/email I've sent. Your auto response stated to give you up to 48 hours to respond. It's been 8 days since I submitted my first inquiry on 6/14/20. I also read something about not submitting more than one help ticket but since it's been EIGHT DAYS, I feel like my first one may have gotten lost in cyberspace.

Please let me know what you are going to do to correct the issue--non receipt of item ordered.

THEM TO ME

Kim Bell (Tanga Customer Support)

Jun 23, 2020, 9:14 AM MST

Confirmed with USPS they they were. You will need to file a claim with the insurance you purchased

Good new, you're covered with Route Insurance. You can file a claim for your package here:
https://help.route.com/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=360001458373

YOU HAVE 15 DAYS AFTER THE DELIVERY DATE TO FILE A CLAIM WITH ROUTE INSURANCE

Let us know if you have any issues, thanks for shipping with us.

ME TO THEM

Jun 23, 2020, 11:57 AM CST

I appreciate that you take USPS word over your customer's because they have such a great track record these days! USPS has no way to positively and completely prove my product was ever delivered. As I too have no way to prove that it wasn't other than I DO NOT HAVE THE PRODUCT!

Weirdly, I did purchase Route Insurance because I had a feeling and did not trust that any of my products would be delivered as have read articles regarding USPS employees snagging PPE products while in transit. Had I not purchased insurance, would your response have been, "Oops, sorry!"? Well, I guess that's what your response essentially already is.

While my past purchases with Tanga are few and far between, they have been positive because I've always received my product. However, it only takes one bad customer service interaction to greatly diminish the positive. Yes, I am a small, wayward purchasing customer but I'd expect some respect and loyalty as a returning customer. Pushing me off to an insurance claim is truly poor customer service and extreme laziness. I'm sure I'm just a drop in the bucket of customers but I don't think I'll be returning.

Regards...

So, yeah. Is that quality customer service or what? {{sarcasm in case you missed it}}

After the email exchange around noon on June 23, 2020, I followed the link to submit a claim with Route Insurance. I got an immediate auto-response stating my claim had been received and to be patient while they gather information to resolve my problem.

At 4:02 PM on June 23, 2020, I got an email notification from PayPal (which is how I paid for my purchase) stating Route has sent you $##.##. NOW THAT'S CUSTOMER SERVICE! I spent $0.98 for insurance and the way they responded is way better than Tanga where I spent $81.00!

So, now Tanga.com has become suspect to me. I would have purchase more if the need arose and they had a good deal. But I'm not sure I will anymore. I try not to get 'burned' by people, places and things more than once.

Unfriended: Dark Web (2018)

Unfriended: Dark Web (2018). Took the opportunity to watch this movie tonight. I watched the first one but can't remember much of it other than I thought it was just okay. I'd have to say the same about this one. It's essentially the same freaking movie as the first. Kind of like all the "Saw" and "Hostel" movies — same old shit different year.

First of all it started out kind of slow and 'silent'. There was about 10-15 minutes of no dialogue. It was all just screen graphics for like someone being on a computer. I mean that's what it was but it was just long and drawn out. A sure hint that a movie is about to be not so good because they draw out or repeat some mundane scenes for far too long.

It finally gets a little interesting but still predictable. Some parts were just total bullshit. I know, I know. It's a movie. Yes, it is but they don't have to try and make everything just for shock value. You can shock with a decent story.

FINAL VERDICT: If you are a glutton for shit, then you should watch this movie. If you prefer something better than 'just plain stupid,' then I would look elsewhere. This is definitely not worth wasting 93 minutes of your time!

Panda Express - Greenville & Lovers (Dallas)

Order curb-side today from Panda Express at Greenville and Lovers. I ordered four double entree with a side meals: one double orange chicken with super greens, one double orange chicken with chow mein, one double broccoli beef with chow mein, one honey walnut shrimp, teriyaki chicken with chow mein. I also ordered egg rolls. The cost of this was about $46, give or take a few dimes.

First let me say that Panda Express is not something I usually ever desire to eat. Never do I say, "Damn, I really want some Panda Express." My children on the other hand really like it. I don't hate it. I just think that if I'm going to eat what I call Americanized aka Caucasianed Chinese food, I'd much rather go to a Chinese buffet-style restaurant because I then can get my monies worth.

Panda Express is okay priced but their portions are hit or miss but more often than not, MISS.

Today was such an occasion.

This is my meal - honey walnut shrimp and teriyaki chicken.

Can you see the MISS of the portion size in the photo?

That is four shrimp you see. I had eaten one before I decided to take a photo and write a post about the lack of entree compared to purchased price which was approximately $10. Those aren't jumbo shrimp either. Those are about medium-small because the breading makes them look bigger than they really are. Oh yeah, do you see any walnuts in there? If I were to gather all the walnut pieces together, I would probably have two and a half walnuts total.

The chow mein was a mostly generous portion, which is usually typical. The teriyaki chicken was a nice surprise as I did not expect that much as a portion. Again, expectations are from previous visits with a variety of entrees. The five pieces of honey walnut shrimp, yeah, that pisses me off!!

I didn't take a photo of the double broccoli beef but it too was lacking. It was more of a slightly larger single entree versus anything close to a double entree. And the broccoli to beef ratio was severely uneven, like 3 to 1.

The only double entrees that looked doubled were the two orange chicken meals.

As for the taste of the food, it's typically not bad. The flavors are usually good but nothing to brag about.

• Chow mein noodles aren't as good as at the buffet but tolerable.
• The teriyaki chicken was pretty flavorful but I think they charge premium like the walnut shrimp. It's not worth premium cost, nor is the shrimp especially for just 4-5 pcs.
• The broccoli beef was okay. Broccoli was crunchy enough with the beef flavor. The beef was a little sad (if that makes sense) but tasted as it should.
• The orange chicken was good as it usually always tastes the same every time.
• The egg rolls were okay but again other places do it better.

Anyway, I think I'm done with Panda Express. There are too many other options in the area that I could waste my money on. Other's experiences might vary but I prefer consistency!

ABCD 4 Channel Electric Universal Key Fob

Back on February 11, 2020, I purchased the ABCD 4 Channel Electric Universal Remote Key Fob at Walmart. Product link while it lasts: https://www.walmart.com/ip/seort/820645596. It was delivered on February 18, 2020. I finally got time to tinker with it around February 28, 2020.

I should have taken the time to tinker pretty immediately after receiving it. I guess I thought positively that it would work without a hitch and delayed testing. I was stupid. Don't be stupid like me.

So, I don't know if you can tell from the above paragraph, but this did not work for me. I followed the instructions to program three different key fobs for gate entrances into the universal fob. It looked like everything 'loaded' as necessary based on the light flashing described in the instructions. However, it never worked. I thought maybe it wasn't really 100 meters of distance so I stood right next to the receiver box of the different gates and still nothing.

I really wanted this to work to combine three different key fobs into one. Again, it did not work as expected or even at all for me. Very frustrating.

Now it's just in a junk box as I missed the return window. It may have been more effort than the $8 it cost but I still should have returned it. Again, don't but stupid AND lazy like me.

That could be the profit plan for the company, Novashion — sell something for cheap and people won't care to return so it's mostly profit.

FINAL VERDICT: DO NOT BUY THIS! Really...don't!

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018). This is one of the worst if not the worst movies or episodic movies I've ever seen. The first story or two wasn't too bad but after that it was pure shit!

In full disclosure, it took me about four months to completely watch this Netflix original piece of crap! I just couldn't continue to waste my time in one sitting so I tried over multiple.

It was very, very difficult but I finished it this evening. I almost just moved on a few times but I had to complete the viewing. I've completed movies that were much, much worse so I had to do the same for this.

FINAL VERDICT: Don't even bother. As mentioned, the short stories after the first one or two are just pure crap.

The Farewell (2019)

The Farewell (2019). This is an interesting movie. I like how it shows you the culture of the Oriental people even though they live in America and probably have done so for some time. It's so funny to see the difference of opinions between the older and younger family members on the values and 'how things should be done.'

I totally loved the grandmother's mentality and attitude. She reminds me a lot of my mom. And the family members remind me a lot of my crazy, fucked up Asian (albeit only half) family. Awkwafina's character is kind of a morose throughout with glimpses of hope and brightness.

I think it has a good message and shows with a good deal of accuracy how the Asian community will come together to help in a family's time of crisis.

FINAL VERDICT: I think this is based on a true story but don't hold me to that as I'm not searching right now to confirm. It's a little bit of a tear-jerker but with moments that make one reflect on their own personal experiences with death and family. I would definitely take the time to watch this with full attention and enjoy it.

Hutchins BBQ (Frisco, TX)

Visited Hutchins BBQ Frisco, Texas location with my nephew today. I treated since he helped me move some stuff.

I have been here once before with a friend. It was our first time. We didn't know before going that they have all-you-can eat. We weren't that hungry at the time so we just did like a 2- or 3-meat plate meal. Turned out the AYCE cost was just a tad more than the plate meal we ordered. But again, we weren't going to be able to do the AYCE justice.

This time around with my nephew though, I had prepped him all day to not eat/snack too much because we were going to have AYCE barbecue later. And that's what we did. AYCE was something like $25 plus tax and so totally worth it.

What you see in the left pic is banana pudding, mac n cheese, pull pork, ribs and brisket and in the right pic corn is mac n cheese, corn, brisket, ribs and a popper. Everything was really, really good! Some of the best overall barbecue meets and sides that I've had.

FINAL VERDICT: I don't think anyone will be disappointed with this place. It has something for everyone and more. Depending on the hunger level, the AYCE is the best option as it's roughly $2-$3 more than the 3-meat plate meal. I will return many more times.

Cuates Kitchen (Dallas, TX)

Ate at the Cuates Kitchen Food Truck today. They were selling 3 tacos for $9.99 so I ordered the chicken, carnitas and barbacoa.

They weren't overwhelmingly tasty but they also weren't bad. I wouldn't seek them out to have them again but I also wouldn't turn them down if they were an option already in my vicinity.

FINAL VERDICT: I would recommend if you're already near this truck. Otherwise, there are other places just as good and probably better for a slightly lower price. I wasn't wowed but I also wasn't disappointed.

Fred's Downtown Philly (Bedford, TX)

Fred's Downtown Philly (Bedford, TX). Had lunch here today with a few buddies. They picked the placed as I said I'm game for anything.

Apparently this place has been around for some time (20 years according to the bio) and has seven locations. I can't say I've EVER heard of them before today but I'm not one to seek out cheesesteak, philly or otherwise, options.

The menu is vast, if not somewhat overwhelming. Without getting too bogged down in the many offerings, I decided on the 10in #8 which the menu describes as "tender steak, sauteed onions, mushrooms and cheese." All of us pretty much ordered the same thing but I got sweet potato fries while the others stuck with regular.

#8 with regular fries

#8 with sweet potato fries

The steak was tender but it didn't really have a notable flavor. I mean it was good but I wasn't left thinking, "Man, this has some great flavor!" I also didn't think that there was a lot of it. It's like it was spread over the bread to make it look like there was more than there actually was. For $10, I would expect better/more especially with it being such THIN steak.

The sweet potato fries were crispy. But again, they weren't anything different than what I could probably get in the frozen section of grocery store and heat up at home in the oven.

The mushrooms and onions kind of blended in with the meat so much so that I didn't really taste them or feel a difference in texture when biting into the sandwich eating them. I don't know if that's good that everything was tender or bad that everything just tasted the same.

The owner/cook was very nice, talkative and attentive to making sure everything came out okay and if we needed anything else. This place wasn't hugely busy but there were about 7-10 people who came and went while we were there.

FINAL VERDICT: It wasn't bad but it also wasn't very memorable. I'm not thinking to myself that I have to go back again because it was so good. I am curious about the wing and burger options but not enough to make a point to visit again. If I'm in the area and I don't crave anything else, I might stop in for a wing and/or burger tasting. Otherwise, there are already much closer, better options for me personally.

Midsommar (2019)

Midsommar (2019). Watched this via Amazon Prime today.

I remember seeing this on some list of weird movies not to miss or 'bad' movies that are actually worth watching or some shit list like that.

It was drawn out and lulled in parts. It's a plot that has been done before in some form or fashion. I would say similar plots are Hostel and Season of the Witch. You know the plot...people are lured to some stupid place where there's a cult, secret society or some shit that's going to end in their death form some stupid reason.

This movie made almost no real sense. There was no background story. There was no real plot or story line. It was like a bad M. Night Shyamalan movie...I know most of his movies are essentially bad. That's my point!

FINAL VERDICT: So, I'm here to tell you that this is one of those movies that you can completely and utterly pass on!! It really, REALLY sucked! If it wasn't 'free' with my Amazon Prime membership, I would have been sorely disappointed in this movie. I'm still quite disappointed but it would be much worse if I spent movie-going money on this crap!

Street's Fine Chicken - Forest Lane (Dallas, TX)

Street's Fine Chicken. My oldest has been telling me how good this place is and I just have to try it. So today, I tried it but for to-go versus dine-in.

They had many, many options to choose from but I just went with the 8-pc dark (all thighs), Hell's Chicken Sandwich, Honey Butter Biscuits, Cole Slaw and Brie Mac & Cheese. I figured if this was good that I'd be back to try their other options.

It seemed kind of busy and the inside seating looked to be getting filled but after ordering at the counter, it didn't take too long to get my food. So I put it in my vehicle and headed home.

I forgot to take photos as by the time I got home I was already starving and just wanted to dive in.

The fried chicken pieces were pretty good. Crispy outside, juicy inside and fairly flavorful. Hell's Chicken Sandwich was pretty good too. Had a nice little kick to it and I always like a brioche bun. The honey butter biscuits and brie mac & cheese were very good. The cole slaw was good enough but nothing to brag about.

FINAL VERDICT: I would try it again. As I said, they have a variety of options to choose from and the things I did order were tasty enough for me to try more.

Doctor Developed 9in Hot and Cold Ice Bag

I was looking for a new ice pack as my last one finally crapped out with leaks. It's tough to see what's the 'best' because 10 out of 200 reviews says, "bag leaks...bag is small...bag condensates...bag tore...all after so many days or whatever." I've purchased a bag from Target and Walmart for about $12-$15 and it all worked out. However, it's pretty darn near impossible to find a fillable ice pack. They have all these reusable packs but they are NOT what I want! Hence, my search on the world wide web.

After doing some extensive research via Walmart.com, Target.com, CVS.com, Walgreens.com and Amazon.com, I narrowed it down to a few brands and decided to take a chance on this one: Doctor Developed 9in Hot and Cold Ice Bag from Amazon. I normally get an 11 inch from the store but I thought back to my use and figured there was a lot of wasted space with the 11 inch. Plus, the 9 inch version of this brand was $2 cheaper so I thought if I liked it then I would purchase the 11 inch if I deemed it necessary to have a larger bag.

I ordered it on Sunday and got it Tuesday. Tuesday night I tried it out. The material was different than I expected. It's almost a cross between the "rubber type" and the "vinyl type"...I'm not sure the exact material or name for it. But if you've ever used different types of ice bags, I think you'll get my drift.

Anyway, the material does not leak (yet and hopefully never) as some reviewers mentioned. The material gets cold and does change to a darker blue/purple from the supposed condensation although never did I feel loose, dripping water on the outside of the ice bag. I also didn't have any wet spots on my bed, blanket or pillow from using the ice bag over night. Fingers crossed this remains the case for quite a while.

The lid keeps a tight, leak-proof seal. Again, after a few over night uses, I did not have any wet spots from my use.

The 9 inch bag is adequate. I got a few feelings during use that the size wasn't adequate but I think that's more from what I was used to versus the actual performance of the bag. I guess I mean that 9 inches has a better direct coverage than 11 inches...again, at least in my uses.

The image below represent the bag and the bag's size in relation to a DVD.

FINAL VERDICT: So far, it's done what it's supposed to do. It hasn't leaked yet and it hasn't condensation dripping on the outside yet. For $10 plus taxes and free shipping, I am currently satisfied and would recommend this product.