Coleman Means Quality at a Decent Price

Coleman is one of the biggest - if not the biggest - names in outdoor gear and products. When we began looking at equipment, it seemed that theColeman name was everywhere we went. 

Coleman makes a huge line of sleeping bags, depending on your needs. It would be impossible to wade through and compare every single one. At their website, www.coleman.com you can search to find what sleeping bag best suits you out of their product line. 

The first thing to consider is the size of the person who will be using the sleeping bag. Coleman bags run from under 5 feet 11 inches to 6 feet 6 inches. 

The next is to decide in what temperatures you will be camping, or if the bag is just to be used indoors. 

Next you can select from a variety of outer shell options: nylon, ripstop nylon, and cotton. Again, this will depend on the weather and if you are sleeping in a shelter, tenting or plan to just be under the stars. 

Inner lining selections are tricot, cotton flannel, poly cotton, cotton or nylon. The tricot and cotton flannel are the softest, while the nylon provides the best warmth in extreme conditions. 

Once you press the "Find my Sleeping Bag" button after selecting what features you desire in a sleeping bag, you will be given the specifications on sleeping bags for the height you specified or taller. 

In addition to the specifications, the information on the site will tell you the weight of the insulation, which is important to backpackers, and the size the sleeping bag is when flat. There will also be a picture of each bag, so you can get an idea of exactly what each one looks like. 

This makes it easy to select exactly what you want from the wide variety ofColeman sleeping bags available. 

The Coleman sleeping bags that are not mummy style can zip together to form a double sleeping bag. This saves from having to purchase an additional bag should you want to sleep this way. 

The tailoring around the zipper on Coleman brand sleeping bags helps to keep the material from being caught, and the thermolock feature reduces heat loss through the zipper itself. What makes a sleeping bag warm is your own body heat, so it is important to keep the heat in and cold air out. 

Coleman backs its sleeping bags with a five-year limited warranty. 

Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Naked Now

Trek fans will definitely feel that this plot has been trotted out before - and it has. The Original Series episode The Naked Time (first aired in September 29, 1966) is referred to here by Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes). 

The Enterprise D is sent to aid the crew of the Tsiolkovsky, a ship which was sent to observe a collapsing star. There have been reports of "strange occurances". The Enterprise arrives to find the crew of 80 all dead - either blown out of the hatch or frozen when the life support was turned off. 

Commander Riker recalls something familiar about the description of a woman showering in her clothes, and he begins to backtrack through history to find reference to it aboard the Enterprise under Captain Kirk. 

Unfortunately, Lt. Geordi LaForge (LeVar Burton) has brought the contaminent back to the Enterprise. One by one, the crew all begin to act strange - mimicking the effects of intoxication. 

I was surprised by the quality of this episode. The writing was very good and seemed more even than the first episode. There didn't seem to be the overkill of trying to tell us too much about the characters, but rather letting the information flow in a more natural way. Kudos go to the writing team of J. Michael Bingham and John D.F. Black. They did not go on to become a familiar name associated with Star Trek: The Next Generation, but they did a good job with this episode. The faults with the script are few and far between. What could've ended up being a rather bad copy of The Original Series episode, ended up being a treat. 

The actors also seem to have a better grasp on their characters and how they act. Whether that is a result of becoming more comfortable in their roles or as a result of the Direction by Paul Lynch is up to debate. 

Patrick Stewart's Captain Picard demonstrates his usual stern commander, but is also at a loss and totally exasperated when he is trying to reason with a somewhat intoxicated Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton). The teenager has taken over the Engineering Deck of the ship, as well as most of the controls. Watching him try to deal with the young man and straining to keep from barking orders at the young man, Stewart conveys his frustration and utter helplessness at the situation aboard the ship. Only toward the end of the episode do we get to see Picard let down as he is infected as well. These scenes also come across as very natural for the Captain, and give us a hint that there is more to the Captain beneath the gruff exterior. 

The most hysterical interaction during this episode comes between Security Chief Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby) and the android, Commander Data (Brent Spiner). We learn that Data is "fully functional" and "programmed in multiple techniques" as he gets it on with Tasha. At the end, the antidote having been administered, she sternly advises him that "it never happened". 

Levar Burton's Geordi LaForge is given a prominent role in this early episode. Watching him struggle as he talks about wanting to see for real - the "imperfect" way we humans see - he conveys tremendous emotion. Though his VISOR allows him to see way more than we can see, he longs for the simple vision that humans have. This is a sentiment we don't see him express during times when he has control of his thoughts. 

Captain Picard and Commander Riker struggle to get control of the ship before the star completely collapses. Wesley redeems himself at this time by helping to give the Enterprise a few extra minutes to get away. 

This episode was a fine use of the cast. Just about everyone seemed to be used decently. The only one I found to be under-utilized was Worf, and that can easily be overlooked. Ship's Counselor Deanna Troi's (Marina Sirtis) uniform is much better here than it was in the first episode, though there are still others seen walking around in the background in the ridiculous mini-skirt. 

I also did not understand the references to "maximum decontamination" with regard to the Transporter. Why wouldn't the highest setting be used at all times? It also struck me that it was way too easy for Wesley to get control of the ship in Engineering. A foe would only have to take out two people here to gain control of the entire ship. 

However, the few nit-picks aside, this is a most enjoyable episode. 

The Rebels by John Jakes: Bring the Revolutionary War to Your Bedroom

The Rebels by John Jakes is the second in his Kent family chronicles/American Bicentennial Series. 

However, this book focuses as much on the character of Judson Fletcher as it does on Philip Kent, who we met in the first book, The Bastard. 

Philip Kent is now a soldier in the Continental Army fighting the redcoats throughout the colonies. He leaves behind his wife and son to give service to what will be his country. Jakes gives detailed accounts of Philip's involvement in the Battle of Bunker/Breed's Hill, a trip to Fort Ticonderoga to secure captured cannon for the army fighting in Massachusetts, a terrible winter at Valley Forge, and the fighting at Monmouth Courthouse in New Jersey. The last battle is where Philip is finally mustered out to return home. 

But it is too late to save his wife, Anne. In a sense, she also gives her life for her country, though Philip cannot see that at the time. A business acquaintance of the Kent's becomes obsessed with her and kidnaps her. While attempting to kill him and escape, both Anne and her captor die. Philip is left with the feeling that if he had been home instead of with the army, it wouldn't have happened. 

As I said, though, a good half of this book also focuses on the character of Judson Fletcher. It is said that it is because the tainted blood of the Fletcher family will become intermingled with that of the Kent family. However, in later books it seems as if it really didn't matter and all of this wonderful background we've been given about Judson is for nothing. 

The character of Judson is a complex one. He is self-deprecating and seems to be a manic-depressive. After losing the only woman he loves, he spends his life mostly drinking and angering his father. Angus Fletcher is a wealthy Virginia tobacco planter with 500 slaves. I could not imagine having a place with 500 slaves. That would be like being in charge of a small town. 

The love of Judson's life, Peggy is now married to Seth McLean, another planter. Seth is a friend of Judson's and has the good sense to see that the slaves are getting ready to make an uprising. Judson tries to get this point across to his father to no avail. The uprising occurs with tragic results: Seth is killed and Peggy is raped, but probably saved by Judson from being killed as well. 

Judson is such a complex person that I could not help wanting to like him. Yet, at every turn as people tried to pave the way for him to make something of himself, he seems to choose the wrong path and make the wrong decisions. His values are skewed as he puts more importance in protecting his honor in a duel than in protecting his honor with the other members of the Continental Congress when he takes his brother's place serving there. 

At times he has the best of intentions: he swears off drink, though it never lasts for long. Even the duel was the result of standing up for a woman - who, unbeknownst to him, is Alicia whom Philip left behind in the last novel - when her family means to drag her off and force back into a society life. Though trying to save her, by fighting the duel and killing her Uncle, he has again caused harm with the best of intentions. The woman kills herself. 

Upon returning to the his home area, he has an encounter with Peggy. He sires a daughter that he never will know about. Eventually, Peggy meets Philip at the end of the book and they are wed. 

As I get through the series I'll discuss more of how Jakes let the whole build-up of Judson's character and the extensive background fall flat. We have learned more about Judson than either of Philip's two wives. Yes, I found the character of Judson to be a great addition to the book, and a necessary one to show what was going on with the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. 

As usual, Jakes gives intensive historical details and intermingles his characters with great historical figures. From Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Marquis de Lafayette, General Anthony Wayne, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Knox, and John Hancock are all there. We get to see not just the glory afforded them in history textbooks, but some of their foibles and little-known characteristics. 

If there's one major fault I have with Jakes' writing, it is his carbon-copy villains. Every one seems to be a man who holds an obsession, or long-term grudge on the family at the center of the novel for a slight or insignificant incident. The man who abducts and is killed along with Anne almost makes no sense - I kept thinkingWhy would he bother? I realize Jakes probably needed to kill her off to get the story the way he wanted, and that's what Rackingham seems to me - nothing more than a plot device. 

Mayo Adams is the villain Philip faces on the battlefield. Angry when Philip stands up to him for a fellow Jewish soldier, he harbors a grudge, waiting for his chance to strike. Conflict is necessary to a certain extent in any story, but to me it falls flat. 

I enjoy these books for the history and the good development Jakes has done with the Kent family. These are a great read for anyone who enjoys history. The events that take place are far more interesting in these books than in any of the textbooks I remember reading in school. 

Almost Famous is Absolutely Fabulous

I missed out on the grand old days of rock & roll. As I started developing an interest in my own music, disco was king. I soon got past that and found the early 80's new wave and punk, along with true rock music from before the disco era. 

So maybe what I like so much about this movie is the way it romanticizes an era that I missed out on. A time before AIDS; a time before people realized just how harmful drugs really are; a time before record companies started churning out carbon-copy ready-made bands; a time when the music really did matter. 

Almost Famous takes place in the mid seventies, just prior to the disco era. It is based on a true story: Cameron Crowe's (the writer, producer and director of the movie) life as a writer for Rolling Stone magazine writing about the bands of that era. William Miller is Crowe's alter-ego in the film. At the tender age of fifteen, he is mature beyond his years in many ways, but emotionally he is still fifteen. 

Miller gets handed a plumb writing assignment for Rolling Stone magazine to follow the band Stillwater on tour and write about them. As the movie goes on, we can see he is in the situation over his head, and have to wonder how he will manage in the end. 

Patrick Fugit portrays William Miller and is superb. He captures the heart of the boy who seems to fit in nowhere. William is uncool and yearns to be cool as his sister promised he would be many years before. Fugit was perfect for the part, capturing William's naivete and innocence as he associates the world surrounding this rock band with being cool, then learns just how horrible of an existence it really is. Fugit deserved an Oscar nomination. 

So did Frances McDormand as Elaine, his straight-laced mother who has a hard time seeing her son's predicament in the world. After having her daughter move out at 18 and not keep in touch, Elaine is a little looser with her son. That doesn't stop McDormand from getting some of the best lines in this movie. When she tells a class full of students that her son was kidnapped by a rock band, it is hysterical but poignant - she sees them as a cult that is bent on destroying the son she has been raising alone and to the best of her ability. Another actress could have made Elaine into a mere characterture, but McDormand's work here is perfect. 

The most recognition has been given to Kate Hudson as Penny Lane, a neo-groupie who thinks a lot more of Russell Hammond, Stillwater's lead guitarist, than he does of her. Hudson plays this part perfectly, her eyes are filled with the optimism of youth, and of total faith in the man she loves. We see how much she cares for Hammond without her saying a word. Her actions also convey just how deeply she cares for William as a friend as well, though his feeling for her are much deeper. 

Having red Pamela DesBarres' book many years ago, I could see a lot of what DesBarres talked about in Penny Lane, so I have to wonder was this indicative of that time in rock & roll or did Crowe base the part on her? I think this movie does more justice to this era of rock & roll than a film based on DesBarres' book ever would have. 

Finally, there is Billy Crudup as the elusive Russell Hammond. For a long time through this movie, I didn't know what to make of him. At times, I thought he was a typical rock-star who's ego would eventually lead him to self-destruct. I'd then think of him as a hamster caught up in a wheel he couldn't get off. In the end, I decided that all he wanted to do was play music and everything else was just extra. He didn't know how to be true to himself. His conversation on the phone with Elaine (and later in person) show what a basically decent guy he is - he is just caught up in the pandemonium surrounding the up-and-coming band. 

These four are the main reason this movie is so good, although there is not one person at fault in the supporting cast either. I have to say I haven't seen a movie that made such a wonderful and lasting impression on me in a very long time. 

On DVD, there are the usual extras: a behind the scenes/making of documentary, production notes, complete cast listing, and theatrical trailer. Two items that really stood out to me, though, were the Fever Dog music video (probably because no one had even really thought about making music videos in the mid 70's), and the complete Rolling Stone articles by Cameron Crowe. 

I really enjoyed reading through the Rolling Stone articles and saw little hints of what Crowe drew on to form Stillwater: 
The Allman Brothers December 6, 1973 
Led Zeppelin March 13, 1975 
Neil Young August 14, 1975 
Peter Frampton February 10, 1977 
Fleetwood Mac March 24, 1977 
Van Morrison May 13, 1977 
Joni Mitchell July 26, 1979 

The DVDs are worth having if for no other reason than to have copies of these stories. They represent an era of rock & roll that we'll never return to. 

Shades of Gray: A Review of A Bronx Tale

The first time I saw the movie A Bronx Tale was after hearing an interview on the radio with Chazz Palminteri. I had never heard of him before, but hearing him discuss this movie, and the characters who are all based on people he knew growing up, I felt I had to see it. 

The movie is an excellent story of the relationship between a neighborhood mobster, Sonny (portrayed by Palminteri) and Calogero - or "C" (portrayed at a young age by Francis Capra and in his mid-teens by Lillo Brancato). Robert DeNiro portrays C's father, Lorenzo, a bus driver who's route enables him to keep an eye on his son, and who is consistently at odds with the mobster over his son's future. Trying to keep his son on the straight-and-narrow, the scenes between DeNiro and Palminteri are incredibly well done, and are the true gem of this movie. 

At the tender age of 9, C witnesses a shooting outside of his apartment. When asked by the police to identify the shooter, C lies and covers up for Sonny. Recognizing what the boy has done for him, Sonny takes him under his wing, much to Lorenzo's chagrin. 

Lillo Brancato does an amazing job portraying C as a teen caught between so many worlds in the Bronx of the 1960's. On one hand, he has his relationship with his father (and mother, though we see little of her throughout the movie). On the other, he has the relationship with Sonny. On still another side is his friends his own age, who Sonny actually tries harder to steer him away from than Lorenzo. And then there is C's heart, which has led him to fall for Jane, a black girl who attends his school. 

All of these worlds collide in a frantic ending that will keep you on the edge of your seat. At 122 minutes, the movie is long, but I found few parts that really seemed to drag. There is comic relief as well, in the form of Sonny's mobster buddies. The funniest has to be Eddie Mush who is called that because everything he touches turns to mush. 

Why this movie did not get recognized in the way of awards, I have no idea. The acting is fantastic and the story is excellently written and paced. Robert DeNiro directed the movie, his first time behind the camera, and should've gotten an award (or at least nominated), as well as Palminteri nominated for the writing. 

As with any mob-related movie, expect violence. C and his friends use strong language constantly. It is for effect, as you get the idea that the kids are using it because they think that it makes them sound tough.

Atkins Beef Merlot - It's Nice to Have Frozen Dinners that are Friendly to Low Carbohydrate Dieters

The only diet I’ve ever been able to follow that gives me decent results has been the Atkins Low Carbohydrate diet.  I’ve found that I can generally eat enough food that I feel full and still see good enough results on the program that I am encouraged to follow through with the diet.  Two years ago, I lost about 50 pounds.  This year, with a few stresses, I put some weight back on so I am back to low carbohydrates for a while.

The good news is that the Atkins brand is expanding a bit.  I always used their bars and shakes to give into that sweet tooth craving.  In addition, now there is a line of frozen meals that really help.  They can be a bit hard to find at the moment.  The most reliable source seems to be the local WalMart SuperCenter.  Since I don’t have one near me, I grab a bunch of the frozen dinners whenever I am near one.

The Atkins Beef Merlot was one of the first I tried.  It looked interesting from the box with nice chunks of beef and broccoli florets in what looked like a brown gravy.  The box touts this as: Tender beef and broccoli florets in a delicate Merlot wine sauce.  Preparation is simple.  It goes into the microwave for four minutes with the film covering the tray.  At that time, the film is peeled back & the food is stirred, then the film is replaced and it’s heated for another two minutes.

That’s what the box looks like.  The sad reality (at least as far as appearance goes) is this:

I’ve written before that the photography on these boxes is deceptive.  They use a small plate to give the illusion of there being more food in the meal.  This weighs in at 9 ozs., so it’s a typical portion size for a frozen entrée.  I’d just like to know, though, where are those nice chunks of beef? There were about 3-4 pieces that were a substantial size, and the rest pretty much fell apart upon stirring.  The broccoli fared even worse.  A few of the florets stayed together, but overall it became broccoli bits in the middle of gravy and pieces of beef.

The taste, thank God, is much better than the appearance.  I really liked how this tasted.  I was not optimistic the first time I had it and saw what it looked like.  The gravy is very good and although that dominates the overall taste of the food, it’s a good taste.  The beef and broccoli were tender.  The few big chunks of beef weren’t chewy and had good flavor to them.  Most of the broccoli had fallen apart, but the few bigger florets were also tender without being mushy.  It wasn’t entirely pleasant, though, that it felt like I was better off using a spoon to scrape most of the food from the tray since it had fallen apart.  There were only a few big chunks that I could actually sink a fork into.

Nutritionally, this is about what you would expect from a frozen dinner that’s focused on low carbohydrates.  There’s 310 calories in the dinner, 190 of which are from fat.  That works out to 21g of fat or 32% of the USDA recommended daily value.  Of that, there’s 4g of saturated fat which is 20% of the USDA recommended daily value.  Where this is a bit troubling is the same place most of these frozen dinners lose out which is salt or sodium.  There’s a whopping 920mg of sodium in the dinner which is 38% of the USDA recommended daily value.  Carbohydrate wise, there’s 9g of carbs in this less the fiber carbs of 3g leaving you with a net carbs of 6g.  It’s good for all phases of the Atkins diet plan.

I really like the flavor of the Atkins Beef Merlot so while there are some problems with the appearance and substance, and the sodium levels are a bit troubling especially to someone who already has high blood pressure, I would buy it again.  I just wouldn’t use it for my meals on a regular basis but a few times a week when I am at work and want something nice that’s easy to prepare, this definitely hits the mark.

Hand That Rocks the Cradle: Peyton Should've Wiped Them All Out!

I may be in the minority on this one, but I positively hated this movie. I hated it the first time I saw it, but I thought I'd give it a chance when the movie was on cable again. 

Nope, still hated it. I actually found myself rooting for the bad guy (okay, woman) about halfway through the film. 

It starts out as your basic suspense/action flick: one character feels she was done wrong by another character and sets out for revenge. The problem was that nothing felt the least bit believable. 

Maybe part of it was me bringing my own prejudices into this movie. I meanClaire Bartel (Annabella Sciorra) is a stay-at-home-mom to these two beautiful kids, has a husband who's got a terrific job, has a handyman around the house & yard, and she still has to hire a nanny!!! Hello! You know what woman - you deserve someone like Peyton Flanders. 

But Peyton is not who she seems to be. She is actually the widow of the OB/GYNClaire accused of improper conduct during an examination. The subsequent hoopla surrounding the accusation caused Peyton to lose her own baby, and now she wants to take revenge by stealing Claire's life. 

The kids might be worth it. But Claire's husband Michael must have a cocaine business on the side because Matt McCoy looked wide-eyed and strung out throughout most of the movie. Why would anyone want him? 

Claire is supposed to be asthmatic as well, but Sciorra and the director can't even get that down right. Every time she has an attack it's like one little puff barely into her mouth and *poof* - it's over! 

Rebecca DeMornay seems to have a knack for picking pictures like this and parts like this after starting off her career so wonderfully in Risky Business. Though I ended up rooting for Peyton, it was more because of my disgust at the characters of Claire and Michael than DeMornay's performance. 

Of course, one of Claire's savvy working-friends (see, Claire is just a dumb housewife - she couldn't possibly figure it out for herself) figures out who Peytonreally is and ends up dead in a freak accident that Peyton had originally intended for Claire. Darn! I would've liked the movie better if it ended a bit darker than the way this one ends. 

Their handyman, Solomon was set up by Peyton because she knew that he was onto her. So of course, he comes back and saves the family despite being learning disabled and despite being driven off.