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.