I ♥ Chambana Restaurant Things

Posted by Jackson at Thursday, June 23, 2011 0 comments

#1:  Courier Cafe

The ♥: They have a wide variety of sandwiches, salads, pastas, and more, but while the food there is simply delicious, it's the shakes that are really to die for. They have over a dozen house flavors and they'll do any combination you want. Just don't expect to finish a whole shake AND a meal!!

Order: chocolate peanut butter milkshake

Where: 111 North Race Street, Urbana, IL

Price: $5–13

#2:  Merry Ann's Diner

The ♥: To be frank, it's a diner and it serves diner food, but so long as that's what you're craving it's the best damn diner food you'll ever eat! As a bonus, they're open 24-7, which is really convenient if you keep odd hours like we do, and they're very friendly to boot.

Order: grilled cheese sandwich

Where: 1 East Main Street, Champaign, IL

Price: $3–10

#3:  Golden Wok

The ♥: Ever since I went to Thailand I've been searching for some quality Thai food with little success. Luckily, a friend directed me to Golden Wok! It's almost exactly like I remember it. They also cater to your spiciness threshold since you can order most any dish plain or 'spicy' (which is REALLY spicy).

Order: vegetable pad thai

Where: 405 East University Avenue, Champaign, IL

Price: $5–9

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I ♥ Editing Software Things

Posted by Jackson at Thursday, June 16, 2011 0 comments

#1:  Photoshop

The ♥: The only reason people think I take good photos is because I run them through this program. It's simple to use and fun to try out all sorts of filters and edits and layers, etc. If you really want to do complex editing, classes or online tutorials exist to help step you through the processes as well.

Uses: This is best for photo editing and resizing. Simple operations like increasing contrast or sharpening edges can really bring bland, flat photos to life. I also use Photoshop to create multipage PDFs using the PDF Presentation function.

Buy @: Best Buy

Price: $60-2,000 depending on the version and retailer

#2:  Pages

The ♥: Complete customization. It's heaven. It's what Word could never be. You can change letter spacing, alter opacity, set XY coordinates for shapes or text boxes, and even change the spell-check language! This program is literally perfect, user-friendly in every way, and every Mac user should have it.

Uses: Makes text documents both with and without defined text fields. Comes pre-loaded with dozens of templates that can be added to and altered indefinitely as well. It's basically Word but WAY BETTER.

Buy @: Apple Store

Price: $80-100 in pack of iWork programs

#3:  GarageBand

The ♥: Marcos and I have had a blast messing around with this program. We record ourselves saying silly things and change our voices, we make custom tracks for home videos and – best of all – we figured out how to cut out the dead space some bands put before their hidden tracks. Super handy!

Uses: You can edit songs or your own sound recordings, filtering out certain sounds or boosting volume or adding fun effects. You can also chop and splice tracks as much as you like, and once you get it just how you want it, you can save and export the new track to iTunes to play just like any other song.

Buy @: Apple Store

Price: $50-80 in pack of iLife programs, but comes preloaded on most Macs

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I ♥ Unusual Hygiene Product Things

Posted by Jackson at Thursday, June 09, 2011 0 comments

#1:  Baby Powder

The ♥: Best hair revitalizing trick ever! Baby powder is literally made to absorb oils, so I don't know why it hadn't occurred to me to try this years ago. I use it on days that my hair is a little oily or I'm trying to postpone a full shower to make my hair look and feel clean for hours.

To Use: Shake some into your palms, rub your hands together, and run through your roots (which is where the oils collect). Run a brush through to distribute evenly. This trick works best on lighter-colored hair, otherwise it might look dandruffy.

Buy @: Jewel

Price: $3-4

#2:  Extra Virgin Olive Oil

The ♥: I've experimented for years with face creams, looking for one that wouldn't leave my face either dried out or super oily. It continues to be a fruitless search, but in the meanwhile I stumbled upon this trick! It softens and hydrates my skin all day and is way cheaper than buying yet another cream.

To Use: Moisten the pads of your index and middle finger with the oil and add a dab of moisturizer that is a bit drying on your skin (which, for me, was a St. Ives one) until you reach a desired consistency. Apply to your face as usual.

Buy @: Meijer

Price: $4-5

#3:  Spray Bottle

The ♥: Moisturizing after a shower is a necessary but time-consuming process, so when I discovered that things like body oil existed, I got the idea to put it in a plain old spray bottle as a shortcut... and it worked! Now I can moisturize easily and in mere seconds, I tell you! Best dollar I've spent in a while.

To Use: Right after you've shut off the water, stay in the shower, pull your hair out of the way and spray two to three times on your front and two to three on your back. Rub in with your hands to distribute and wipe off vigorously with a towel. Just make sure to get a pull-trigger bottle, not a press-trigger.

Buy @: Meijer

Price: $1

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I ♥ Sci-Fi TV Show Things

Posted by Jackson at Thursday, June 02, 2011 0 comments

#1:  Doctor Who

The ♥: I can't even do this show justice; it's only the best show on television right now. It's fun and quirky while at the same time really engaging and thought-provoking. I also appreciate the fact that the Doctor strongly espouses open-mindedness and acceptance in those around him.

Story: The Doctor is an 900+ year old alien, the last of his kind, who travels in the TARDIS through space and time, usually with a companion or companions, to help save people or avert crises.

#2:  Battlestar Galactica

The ♥: While the premise seems corny, this show actually deals with some pretty heavy stuff. By setting these conflicts in a fictionalized time and place, the show is also able to present various, often conflicting viewpoints about sensitive issues in forms palatable to most audiences.

Story: Humanity is all but destroyed by sudden and large-scale cylon attacks following decades of tenuous peace, leaving only pockets of survivors – led by the only surviving military ship, a single and archaic battlestar – to fight off the remaining and inexhaustible cylon armies.

#3:  Firefly

The ♥: You guys... it's a space western. How could this show NOT be fun?! They even have the old jargon and dress and mannerisms, just set in space. The characters are completely endearing and there's just the right amount of suspense and action to balance with the character narratives.

Story: A group of rag-tag smugglers on a rickety ship pick up some unusual cargo and have to outrun the government without ending up in even more trouble than they're already in.

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I ♥ Food Tip Things

Posted by Jackson at Thursday, May 26, 2011 0 comments

#1:  Freeze Your Bread*

The ♥: This simple trick has saved us dozens of dollars on bread since we discovered it a few months ago. Plus, it's also nice to get to eat toasty warm, fresh-baked bread twice in the same loaf.

To Use:
  • Cut off as much bread as you know you'll use and store it in a paper bag (plastic bags encourage trapped moisture and thus bacteria and mold growth)
  • Wrap the rest once in tin foil and again in plastic wrap (we use press-and-seal)
  • Store the wrapped bread in the freezer for up to a month
  • When needed, heat up your oven to about 400 degrees, unwrap the bread, and let it come back to life in the oven for 10 – 20 minutes, depending on how big/dense the bread is
#2:  Lift Your Cookies*

The ♥: Apparently, according to America's Test Kitchen, you WANT to pull your cookies out when they're a bit underdone and let the residual heat on the baking sheet and within the cookies themselves finish them off. Using this little trick I've been able to pull off perfectly-baked cookies every time!

To Use:
  • As soon as you see the cookie edges browning even a little, the cookies are likely almost done
  • Pull the baking sheet out of the oven and – with a dry finger – attempt to lift just the edge of a cookie or three, dropping it back down on the sheet immediately; the edge should lift easily and keep its shape while the middle of the cookie stays on the sheet

#3:  Rest Your Meat*

The ♥: Marcos actually discovered this one, but it has made a big difference in the kinds of meals we're able to make successfully. All it takes is patience!

To Use:
  • Once your meat is cooked as you'd like it, let it rest untouched on a cutting board or plate
  • We sometimes cover the meat with tin foil, but this is purely up to you
  • After 10 – 15 minutes you can cut into it like usual without spilling out the accumulated moisture you've worked so hard to retain

* All of these fantabulous suggestions come from Cooks Illustrated (America's Test Kichen, Cook's Country, etc.) and while I could provide links to corroborate them, you'd need a membership to open and view the pages, so just take my word on it this time.

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I ♥ Cat Care Things

Posted by Jackson at Thursday, May 19, 2011 0 comments

#1:  Rescue Remedy for Pets

The ♥: Our vet likens the effects of this all-natural relaxant to "having a few glasses of wine;" the pet just feels a little warm, fuzzy, and very unstressed which is perfect for car trips or vet visits. There have been many a rough night that Rescue Remedy has saved OUR sanities as much as they did our cats'.

To Use: Add a few drops to water, food, or just give directly by mouth (which is what we do) for quicker effects.

Buy @: Strawberry Fields

Price: $10-12

#2:  Flex-O-Lids

The ♥: They come in two sizes which seem to fit every kind of canned cat food and are flexible, easy to pop on and off, and keep food very fresh for several hours. Best of all, these lids all sport a slot for a tiny spoon (we bought a metal one) so that you don't need to dirty a new spoon for each feeding. Genius!

To Use: Just slide a spoon into the slot, bowl end down, and snap on any open can of cat food to keep it fresh for hours.

Buy @: Petsmart

Price: $3-4 for two and several plastic spoons

#3:  5 Gallon Bucket w/ Lid

The ♥: This system is cleaner and more eco-friendly than using flimsy (and often holey) plastic grocery bags each day. It doesn't smell either! Trust me, if you have a litter box you need this bucket.

To Use: Line the bucket with a smaller size biodegradable garbage bag and scoop each day's litter into the bucket, sealing it with the lid after each use. Save up the poops and peeps for a week and take out on garbage day.

Buy @: Home Depot

Price: $3

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I ♥ Foreign Snackfood Things

Posted by Jackson at Thursday, May 12, 2011 0 comments

#1:  Choco Leibniz

The ♥: Imported from Germany, these cookies have the perfect balance of crunchy, buttery cookie and soft, smooth chocolate... Germany does chocolate like no other! But beware, you'll likely want to eat all 9 in one sitting!

Buy @: Meijer

Price: $3-4

#2:  La Lechera

The ♥: Imported from Mexico, this is meant to be a topping for fruit or other desserts. It's essentially sweetened, condensed milk, but it's smoother than the kind you get for baking and comes in a convenient squeeze bottle kind for easier pouring.

Buy @: Meijer

Price: $3-4

#3:  Fruit Pastilles

The ♥: Imported from England, these are kind of like sugar-coated fruit snacks with a little more chew and bite. Each flavor is distinct and tasty and they even have something like a cola-ish aftertaste. They're perfect for movie snacks, in between classes, or after lunch as a lighter, fruity candy.

Buy @: Meijer

Price: $2-3

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