Monday, August 26, 2013

Monday August 26 2013 Reviews From Maryland

images and text from amazon.com


My Blue Heaven
DVD ~ Steve Martin

My Blue Heaven

5.0 out of 5 stars Changing Life By LocationsAugust 25, 2013

This review is from: My Blue Heaven (DVD)
"My Blue Heaven" is a film that centers around the story of a man who starts a new life in California after being put in the witness protection program. He is placed in a quiet and stable suburban neighborhood, but manages to still become involved in events where explanations are required for his actions. "My Blue Heaven" theme song is featured in the movie and is listed to have been performed by musician Fats Domino. Steve Martin, Joan Cusack, and Rick Moranis are some of the actors/actresses featured in "My Blue Heaven." "My Blue Heaven" is good for those who are in the mood to catch a light-hearted comedy.


The World's End
DVD ~ Simon Pegg

The World's End

5.0 out of 5 stars The Zany EndAugust 25, 2013

I admit that one of the reasons why "The World's End" caught my attention was because of a strong intuitive feeling that my husband would enjoy this movie. I was able to successfully convince him to check out "The World's End." This is because both "The World's End" trailer and ad reminded me a little of Shaun of The Dead. My spouse had previously watched Shaun of the Dead back in 2004 and greatly enjoyed it. Fortunately, my husband loved "The World's End" even more. "The Worlds End" follows the crazy and comical events of high school buddies who reunite years later to recapture some of the fun energy from their youth. The men soon learn an important lesson that an environment and the people are definitely sometimes different from what is projected on the surface. The actors harmoniously gave natural performances as friends who have a lot of catching up to do. The music played in the film also caught my interest, particularly when they enter the mermaid club, if only I knew the names of the songs featured when they were in this club (such as in the scene with their encounters with the "marmalade twins"). The following is the listing of the actors/actress that are shown reuniting with each other: Martin Freeman (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey), Simon Pegg (Star Trek Into Darkness), Nick Frost (Paul), Paddy Considine (The Bourne Ultimatum), Eddie Marsan (Jack The Giant Slayer), and Rosamund Pike (Jack Reacher). "The World's End" is an entertaining choice for those who like comic books and/or science fiction themes.
Hardcore Adrenaline 3

Hardcore Adrenaline 3

5.0 out of 5 stars Some Subtle Additions of Hardcore Music RemakesAugust 25, 2013
This review is from: Hardcore Adrenaline 3 (Audio CD)
"Hardcore Adrenaline 3" is a three disc set of high tempo house, trance, and dance music by multiple musicians. Disc 1 has 18 songs mixed by Stu Allan, Disc 2 is assembled by DJ Seduction, and disc 3 is fine-tuned as the Bootlegs Mix. "Sunlight" by Darren Styles & Seduction Feat. Alison Wade is currently one of my personal musical favorites from this collection. However, there is something for many hard core dance music listeners due to a range of music ranging from a remake of "Sweet Dreams" by Uraken & Calyn Tsukishima and The Simpsons theme by HNK.Burn

Burn

5.0 out of 5 stars Phoenix Rising From The Ashes Type of Song
August 25, 2013
This review is from: Burn (MP3 Music)
"Burn" by Ellie Goulding is an empowerment musical anthem that encourages a message of feeling good in life. The online music video more clearly expresses the message of the song. "Burn" by Ellie Goulding is perfect for those preferring a bright and optimistic song with electronic and pop music influences.
Classical Music for the Reader 10: Great Masterpieces for the Dedicated Reader

Classical Music for the Reader 10: Great Masterpieces for the Dedicated Reader

5.0 out of 5 stars Classical Selections For PeacefulnessAugust 25, 2013
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

Classical Music Reader 10: Great Masterpieces for the Dedicated Reader is a tranquil 30 track compilation by various classical music artists. At the time of this writing, this collection is a great musical bargain to me at just one dollar and nine cents. "The Marriage of Figaro, K-492 Act III": Dove Sono (instrumental version) by Anton Dikov, Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the tracks that I enjoy the most on this musical set. However, the only catch is that this music must be listened to only when you are ready to truly relax for the day (due to the quiet musical quality to many of the songs).
Inspirational Website Of The Week:



Many of the posts and newsletters contain content that is both informative and exalting content.  There are times that I luckily feel that the subject matter is timely for what is going on in my life. For instance, one of the latest posts from the early to rise website pertained to not giving up. The encouraging message of persistence gave me healing food for thought on why I must keep going (in regards to pursuing personal ambitions).

Latest Yelp Reviews


Filter by:  Location    Category


2020 University Blvd. East
Hyattsville, MD 20783
(301) 434-3620

Family Dollar  

Category: Discount Store 
5.0 star rating
 8/26/2013 First to Review
This Hyattsville Dollar store on University Blvd has among some of the best discounts for essential household, beauty products, and food items.  I especially like to purchase the body washes and conditioners for my  husband and I because of the decent quality that comes with the low cost.  On my most recent trip, I purchased some aluminum foil, plastic bowls, and food at cheap prices. Due to the high demand in my neighborhood for the deals at the Dollar store, there is often a long line of customers waiting to purchase their items. However, each time I visit, I notice that the cashiers genuinely care about still giving cheerful service while taking care of high demand of customers. Obviously, this dollar store is great to purchase essentials at for price bargains  and to receive good customer service.
1137-A UNIVERSITY BLVD. EAST
Takoma Park, MD 20912
(301) 448-1116

Little Caesars Pizza  

Category: Food 
3.0 star rating
 8/26/2013 First to Review
My  husband and I recently checked out this Little Caesars pizza location to see how the taste would match up in accordance with the price. Pros: The cashier was cheerful, friendly, and did her best to serve the food in a quick manner. My husband and I were pleasantly surprised at how quick we received our pizza, wings, and crazy bread.  Additionally, the food was extremely low cost  (in a good way) for being a pizza place. The cons: My husband liked the wings more than I did, only because the wings came with a tasty sauce, but I only wish that they were cooked just a little bit longer. Both of us liked the "crazy bread" and marinara sauce, but neither of us ate much of the pizza.  The pizza was cooked fine, it was just that I wish that it contained more tomato sauce and Italian seasonings. Despite the three stars, my husband and I may come back to this Little Caesar's location because the cashier made us both feel welcome as customers and due to the food being low-cost.  We would just order a different pizza from the Supreme pizza that was selected.


7911 New Hampshire Ave
Hyattsville, MD 20783
(301) 445-4856

McDonald's  

Category: Fast Food 
4.0 star rating
 8/26/2013 First to Review
My husband and I recently ate at this Mcdonalds around a busy dinnertime. He had the double quarter pounder with cheese while I had the two cheeseburgers value meal.  The cashier was friendly and carefully double-checked that our orders were entered correctly.  Obviously, this place is best for low-cost food with quality customer service.



  • Charley's Grilled Subs                                                             

  • 11160 Veirs Mill Rd

  • Wheaton, MD 20902
    (301) 946-1702
    Category: Sandwiches 

4.0 star rating
8/28/2013
The food here at Charley's Grilled Subs is cooked with care in front of you and the cashier had a pleasant demeanor. My spouse chose the philly deluxe sandwich (which he found tasty)  with dr pepper while I selected a delectable tasting smokehouse bacon bbq sandwich with rootbeer and bacon cheesefries. I became full from eating just the sandwich and was only able to consume a few bites of the fries. Naturally, I gave the fries to my husband to finish off.



I keep an open mind when listening to music and enjoy an eclectic range of music genres and musicians both through ideas that I get online (such as through Pandora, Swisscharts, amazon, British charts, etc) and through the radio. The following are some of the radio stations that play songs matching my music interests:
97.1 WASH-FM
HOT 99.5
DC101
MIX 107.3
94.7 Fresh FM








Thursday, August 22, 2013

Thursday August 22 2013 Online Reviews From Maryland

picture images listed amazon or yelp


Unique Music Websites

The following is a list of some of the fascinating music websites where I discover various types of interesting and fun music. Please understand that I also have an appreciation for the various radio stations here in the United States of America.  It is just that I scout out other websites to help me discover more of a variety of music. This is because I agree with the sentiment that good music is universal and spans across various cultural backgrounds and nations. Additionally, I have eclectic music tastes and these websites help me indulge in my diverse music tastes. It is my intent that sharing these websites uplifts those who view this page and provides ideas on those who feel as I do in exploring broad ranges of music.

(My awesome husband first shared this Pandora website with me around late 2011/early 2012)
(I first found out about this Switzerland based music website of Swiss charts through a listing on one of DJ Bobo’s  greatest hits collections).
The website first caught my attention after it was listed on one of the youtube music channels of musician Armin Van Buuren
http://www.officialcharts.com/
British Music Charts website
Grooves Inc.
I first found out about this website around December 2008 when I was exploring a website to order the Future Trance music compilations. Speaking of Future Trance, the following listing is the Future Trance website:
The following listings are the various Amazon company websites where I also gather more ideas for music and for putting many of the cds in my wishlist for present and future ideas:
Amazon U.S.
Amazon Canada
Amazon UK
Amazon France
Amazon Germany

it is my positive intent to share more magnificent websites in the future as they come into my awareness and time to gather and post them.

August 22, 2013 Yelp Reviews


Smithsonian's National Zoo  

Categories: ZoosMuseums
Neighborhood: Woodley Park
5.0 star rating
 8/22/2013
My husband and I both agreed to check out The Smithsonian National Zoological Park after reading a story about one of the red pandas escaping. My mother in law came with us and seemed to like many of the exhibits. This place has a wide range of trails to walk on and various species of animals ranging from panda bears, elephants, and different cats  (along with much more).  Obviously, there are also  various signs and safety designs in place to help protect both the animals and tourists. The Smithsonian National Zoological Park also contains an extensive website that allows you to check out various pictures of the animals and trails prior to visiting such as at nationalzoodotsidotedu
1400 Irving St NW
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 332-7383

Pete's New Haven Style Apizza  

Category: Pizza
Neighborhood: Columbia Heights
5.0 star rating
 8/22/2013
Pete's New Haven Style APizza within the Columbia Heights  neighborhood of Washington D.C. caught the attention of my husband and I for both great taste and affordability.  My mother in law offered to treat us for dinner and my husband and I both felt that she would enjoy eating here. Fortunately, our intuitive guess turned out to be correct and she did enjoy the pizza. All three of us shared an 18 inch Down The Hill pizza that contains a tasty blend of sliced meatballs, house made sausage, carmelized onion, roasted peppers, wild mushrooms, and kalamata olived. The workers were friendly and served the pizza within a decent timeframe. Pete's New Haven Style Pizza inside the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington D.C. is perfect for those wanting delicious pizza and friendly customer service at cheap prices.
6000 Greenbelt Rd
Greenbelt, MD 20770
(301) 982-5482

Giant Food  

Category: Grocery 
5.0 star rating
 8/22/2013
My mother in law visited from outside the D.C. area and kindly bought over three weeks of groceries from the Giant grocery store in Greenbelt, Maryland for my husband and I. There is a wide selection of meat, produce, and frozen foods within this store. I also like that the cashier cared to provide courteous customer service while scanning the grocery items.
7583 Greenbelt Rd
Greenbelt, MD 20770
(301) 441-8891

Bath & Body Works  

Category: Convenience Stores 
5.0 star rating
 8/22/2013
I'm pretty lucky in the fact that my mother in law wanted to visit Bath & Body Works this past weekend.  White Citrus, Sexy Dahlia Rush, Twilight Wood, and Coconut Lime collections are among the multiple products that she generously gifted me with. The workers in this store appeared attentive to her questions and genuinely concerned with letting us know about their latest deals.
6040 Greenbelt Rd
Greenbelt, MD 20770
(301) 220-0028

Silver Diner  

Categories: Breakfast & BrunchVegetarian 
5.0 star rating
 8/22/2013
My mother in law treated my husband and I to a breakfast this past weekend at Silver Diner in Greenbelt, Maryland. My husband had the huevos rancheros, one of the food items that my mother in law had was a spinach and feta cheese egg dish, and I had the lumberjack breakfast that had pancakes, over medium eggs, (with bacon and sausage). All of us enjoyed our meals and the waiter was attentive to our orders. The Silver Diner in Greenbelt, Maryland is a suitable place to eat at for low cost breakfast food.
August 21-22, 2013 Amazon Reviews

The Afterlife Lounge (Remastered)

The Afterlife Lounge (Remastered)

5.0 out of 5 stars Post-Life Music LoungeAugust 22, 2013
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
"Afterlife Lounge (Remastered)" by The Afterlife features 12 chillout songs that are symbolic of quiet café tunes. Currently, I enjoy "The Alkemyst" and "Go Easy" the most. "Go Easy" has beautiful female vocals that harmonize perfectly with the music beats to the song. My only caveat is that I only wish that this collection had more vocal type of chillout songs with hints of electronic music tunes. Aside from the caveat, "Afterlife Lounge (Remastered) by Afterlife contains serene chillout music.


50 Must-Have Travel Classics

50 Must-Have Travel Classics

5.0 out of 5 stars Traverse MelodiesAugust 22, 2013
50 Must-Have Travel Classics featuring various artists contains a unique mix of classic songs that are evoke a tranquil and merry vibe. Norwegian Dances Op. 35 No. 2 In A Major by Budapest Strings is one of my favorite songs on 50 Must-Have Travel Classics, but there is something for many people within this 50 song compilation.
Visits from Heaven
by Josie Varga

Visits from Heaven

5.0 out of 5 stars Messages From ParadiseAugust 22, 2013
This review is from: Visits from Heaven (Paperback)
"Visits From Heaven" by Josie Varga features a diverse set of stories from various men and women from different walks of life who heard from their loved ones after their physical deaths on earth. Many of the stories featured are shared by different psychics and mediums. Websites are shared under some of the names in order for those who wish to further contact them. There is also some novel information included such as how to create a psychic development circle.
Angel Answers: Creating Heaven on Earth
by Andrew Ramer

Angel Answers: Creating Heaven on Earth

5.0 out of 5 stars Celestial DialogueAugust 22, 2013
"Angel Answers" : A Joyful Guide To Creating Heaven On Earth by Andrew Ramer is a channeled book involving information that the author gleaned from celestial influences. Unconventional information involving wisdom and intimate relations are covered in this book. For example, the book contains suprising information that two people can end up wired into each other's energy field for the rest of their lives if they had engaged in intimate relations with each other. The author goes on to provide a shocking explanation on why you are pretty much sharing your soul with this person even if you only interacted with each other for a miniscule amount of time(when intimate relations are involved). There is more information included such as gurus and dancing with the music of the spheres.Beautiful (Remixes)

Beautiful (Remixes)

5.0 out of 5 stars Inner and Outer Beauty song
August 22, 2013
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Beautiful (Remixes) (MP3 Music)
"Beautiful" (Remixes) by Alex Gaudino feat. Mario caught my attention via an online discovery. This edition has the starkillers remix, Simon De Jano version, and Dan's kitchen remix. The lyrics appear to be a cheerful song about the singer meeting a person of both great beauty and who left a lasting impression. "Beautiful" (Remixes" by Alex Gaudino feat. Mario is a fun music choice for those who like music blends of trance, dance, and electronica.
An Engineer's Guide to the Spirit World: My Journey from Skeptic to Psychic Medium
by John Roncz

An Engineer's Guide to the Spirit World: My Journey from Skeptic to Psychic Medium

5.0 out of 5 stars Mystic AutobiographyAugust 22, 2013
"An Engineer's Guide To The Spirit World": My Journey From Skeptic To Psychic Medium by John Roncz discusses some of the author's spiritual and professional experiences. The only area where I respectfully disagree with the author on is the topic of suicide. Yes, I understand that there many powerful, psychic, and talented people who also share the sentiment suicides have to reincarnate back on earth. Please understand that I do not condone suicide, and I wish to live to see my 100th birthday (in accordance with the will of my higher self and the celestial spirit realm). However, I am highly compassionate of those that have directly or indirectly been affected by suicide and believe that there are some suicides that are allowed to stay in the nonphysical realms under certain circumstances and karmic levels. He explains in the book that he believes that suicides have to immediately reincarnate back to earth and deal with whatever they escaped from. I do believe that many suicides do immediately reincarnate back on earth more because they are reacquainted with why they chose to come to earth to begin with (not because they are forced to). Additionally, I believe that there souls of some suicides that are exempt and/or excused from having to reincarnate back on earth due to karmic and/or other mysterious reasons. It is just that I believe that the spirit realm may not allow proof (at this time) to more men and women on whether suicides have to reincarnate back to earth because it would drastically interfere with the spiritual contracts of millions of men and women (at the current earth vibration). Aside from this caveat, this is a good book. Some of the journeys that he provides heartfelt information involves his mystical experiences in Egypt, how he met someone who greatly impacted his love life, and a user friendly presentation on what he did to manifest a desired car. Roncz also acknowledges many of the psychics and spiritual people that he crossed paths with in his life.
Bath & Body Works the Sweethearts "Sexy Dahlia Rush" Shea Enriched Shower Gel Full Size

Bath & Body Works the Sweethearts "Sexy Dahlia Rush" Shea Enriched Shower Gel Full Size
5.0 out of 5 stars Luxurious Shower ExperienceAugust 22, 2013
I am lucky to have generously been given multiple sets of bath & body works sets from my mother in law when she was visiting my husband and I such as Twilight Woods, Coconut& Lime, White Citrus, and Sexy Dahlia Rush. I'm humbly thankful for all of the gifts from her, but have to admit that the Bath & Body Works The Sweethearts Sexy Dahlia Rush body wash & lotion are among one of my favorites in the collection. Both the body wash and lotion have a pleasant and subtle grape scent. Using Bath & Body Works "The Sweet Hearts Sexy Dahlia Rush" body wash (in conjunction with the Sexy Dahlia lotion)does also help to soften the skin while leaving delicate hints of jasmine and vanilla. Bath & Body The Sweethearts Sexy Dahlia Rush collection is fantastic for those who love Bath & Body works products.Blurred Lines

Blurred Lines

5.0 out of 5 stars Amusement Lines
August 22, 2013
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: Blurred Lines (Audio CD)
"Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke (deluxe edition) combines the elements of R&B music with dance beats in a cunning manner. Thicke's previous music offering "Love After War" showcased the theme of romance in a vulnerable and serious way. In contrast, "Blurred Lines" explores love and relationships in a playful, light-hearted style. "Blurred Lines", "Give It 2 U" (feat. Kendrick Lamar), "Feel Good", "Get In My Way", and "Put Your Lovin On Me" are some of the multiple pleasing songs that symbolize living a favorable existence in life. I enjoyed the club inspired hits in "Blurred Lines", but also enjoy the moments where he pours his romantic side out such as in "The Rest Of My Life." I read somewhere online that Paula Patton encouraged his creative expression for the music video in "Blurred Lines." Obviously, she is helping him feel safe to artistically express himself. May they have many more close, loving, and inspired years together."Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke is great for those who have enjoyed any of his previous works and/or like music mashups of eurodance with R&B.
Top Erotic Lounge Music - 55 Songs

Top Erotic Lounge Music - 55 Songs

3.0 out of 5 stars Quiet Erotic MusicAugust 21, 2013
At the time of this writing, "Top Erotic Lounge-55 songs" has a controversial image of a gorgeous female surrounded by what looks to be male suitors seducing her. The positives: 55 various artists songs that have different beats of background music. "Hero" by Joe Leggz & Will Mussett, "Colours of Love" by Cane Garden Quartet, and "Music Box" (Original) by Atthis Alcedo, and "The Trusting Circle" by Chill Destination H262 are among the music tunes on "Top Erotic Lounge-55 songs" that contain elements of originality. It was just that I was hoping for more songs that contained vocals and/or an increase of electronica elements. However, "Top Erotic Lounge-55 songs" is fine for those who want a music compilation that contains a dominance of soft tempo background music selections pertaining to love affair themed chillout music.
Cups (Pitch Perfect's "When I'm Gone")

Cups (Pitch Perfect's "When I'm Gone")

5.0 out of 5 stars Music TemperamentAugust 21, 2013
Cups (Pitch Perfect's "When I'm Gone") by Anna Kendrick is both a light-hearted and feel good song. The singer confidently sings positive traits of novelty in relation to how she is going to be remembered. Cups (Pitch Perfect's"When I'm Gone") by Anna Kendrick is a mashup of pop and dance melodies.Lee Daniels' The ButlerDVD ~ Forest Whitaker

Lee Daniels' The Butler

5.0 out of 5 stars White House Worker Prestige
August 21, 2013
This review is from: Lee Daniels' The Butler (DVD)
Lee Daniel's "The Butler" film has Forest Whitaker playing an indispensable role of Cecil Gaines. The Gaines character was based on the life of Eugene Allen. Online sources have listed that Eugene Allen lived a long life where he at least saw his 90th birthday (he passed away in Takoma Park, Maryland). Whitaker carefully portrays a resilient Gaines character who overcame serious adversity. It is extremely essential to actually be inside the movie theater to actually watch the first ten minutes of "The Butler" in order to completely understand the character evolution of Cecil Gaines. This one event partially and indirectly affects the consciousness of Gaines as he balances his marriage, family life, and navigating his employment at the White House. Oprah Winfrey, Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Lenny Kravitz,David Oyelowo, David Banner, and Mariah Carey are part of the film. Among other well- known celebrities billed to this film: Alan Rickman, John Cusack ,Liev Schreiber , James Marsden, Robin Williams, and Jane Fonda.