I just realized I hadn't checked my mailbox in a couple days (I so rarely get mail) and my passport has arrived!! That was fast. My birth certificate was returned, too. Phew. Just in time for my birthday.
I'm excited to become a world traveler, even if I got it just to go to Canada again. The world is now my oyster - is that how that saying goes?
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Swaptree
Someone once suggested I join Swaptree so about a year ago or longer, I set up an account and it basically went unused until the last couple of weeks when I was actually able to try it out and can now write a review.
The idea of Swaptree is that you have books, CDs, DVDs, or video games sitting around your house that you have used and no longer need and so do tons of other people, so why not swap them with each other? You set up an account and make a list of what you "have" - things that you would be willing to part with - and another list of what you "want" and then the trades begin. I guess you can initiate your own trade (for every item in your "have" list, you get a list of items available for trade for that item) or the site has some sort of system in place where it can figure out trades for you. The latter is what happened to me.
Once you get notification of a trade, you can choose to accept or reject it and then all you have to do is pay the mailing costs, which you can do right through the website, too. You drop it in a mailbox and get a new item from someone else within a few days.
It's pretty simple and I seem to consistently have a pile of books sitting around that I'm either planning to donate somewhere or sell online or something so why not put them up on Swaptree and see if I can get something in return? The shipping costs are media mail so therefore the cheapest. Really my only problem with the site is that they only give you like 24 hours to accept or reject a trade, which is difficult if you happen to be out of town or just not checking email. And I guess if you don't respond, it's a mark against you.
The idea of Swaptree is that you have books, CDs, DVDs, or video games sitting around your house that you have used and no longer need and so do tons of other people, so why not swap them with each other? You set up an account and make a list of what you "have" - things that you would be willing to part with - and another list of what you "want" and then the trades begin. I guess you can initiate your own trade (for every item in your "have" list, you get a list of items available for trade for that item) or the site has some sort of system in place where it can figure out trades for you. The latter is what happened to me.
Once you get notification of a trade, you can choose to accept or reject it and then all you have to do is pay the mailing costs, which you can do right through the website, too. You drop it in a mailbox and get a new item from someone else within a few days.
It's pretty simple and I seem to consistently have a pile of books sitting around that I'm either planning to donate somewhere or sell online or something so why not put them up on Swaptree and see if I can get something in return? The shipping costs are media mail so therefore the cheapest. Really my only problem with the site is that they only give you like 24 hours to accept or reject a trade, which is difficult if you happen to be out of town or just not checking email. And I guess if you don't respond, it's a mark against you.
Friday, June 04, 2010
Movie Review: Get Him to the Greek
I went to a free advance screening of Get Him to the Greek about a month ago and never wrote a review of it but since it opens in theaters to a paying audience today, I thought I'd write a quick review. I'd skip it, if I were you, or at least wait for it to come out on DVD. There are definitely some funny moments - P.Diddy has some funny moments as a record exec, for instance - but it drags on way too long and is totally predictable to recommend it as a whole. The Russell Brand character is the same person from Forgetting Sarah Marshall (the rock star Sarah started dating) and while he was great in a small role, no way is he enough to carry a whole movie. He is grating. And I'd really say the same about Jonah Hill. He's great as the sidekick friend but not so much as the main character. And the plot, watching the rock star ruin the nice guy by way of drugs, alcohol, groupies and just general bad behavior, gets old real quick.
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
Movie Review: Inglourious Basterds
I finally watched Inglourious Basterds, the latest from Quentin Tarantino. It was up for some Oscars and at the time it was in theaters I had zero interest in watching it but I put it on hold at the library when it came out on DVD, thinking I'd see how I felt when my copy finally came in. Which it did this past week and I watched it last night. It was a more interesting story than I thought, although needlessly gruesome in parts. I guess that's to be expected from Tarantino. I also felt it was needlessly long at 2 1/2 hours. The plot has a few different storylines that ultimately come together at the end. It takes place during World War II. One storyline is a German Nazi who seems relatively high in the chain of command and who is searching for (and murdering) Jews in France. Another storyline is a Jew who got away from him living a secret life in France. And the third story is a group of American soldiers who go around killing and scalping Nazi soldiers in France. It's definitely not a story that you've seen before so kudos for originality. Plus, the acting is really good. I'd recommend it with a warning that there are some graphically violent scenes.
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