BP #5

El Patron is a Mexican restaurant that is located in Chesterfield off of Route 10.  They are nestled in the Chesterfield Meadows shopping center.  El Patron has, without a doubt, the best Mexican food around.  The food is always fresh and perfectly seasoned.  The service is speedy and the staff always greet you with a smile.  The servers seem more than happy to help you with anything you need.  Wednesdays are two dollar margarita night.  Needless to say, this is the night that the restaurant has its biggest crowd.  If a member of your party has a birthday, the staff will come sing to you and bring you fried ice cream.  It doesn't stop there though!  They also bring a massive sombrero that they put on your head while they sing to you.  This way, you can't go unnoticed! 

Deep Run Park is a beautiful park located in Henrico County.  It has multiple lakes, various walking paths, soccer fields, and covered pavilions.  The park is conveniently located off of Ridgefield Parkway, which is only a few turns off of Broad Street.  There is also a Recreation center in the park, which has a basketball court, ballrooms, and offers various classes for Henrico County residents throughout the month. The park is a place you can go to just enjoy nature, or to get out and people watch.  Since it is a popular park, there are often many other visitors there at the same time.  However, even with all the people, it still somehow manages to provide a feeling of serenity. 

Trader Joe's is one of my favorite grocery stores.  The store is very unique and mostly offers only Trader Joe's brand items,which keeps the prices reasonable since there isn't any competition within the store.  They have such a wide variety of foods, from Indian to Thai, they have vegetables, fruits, pre-made meals, organic meats, and  a selection of seafood.  The employees are what some would call "hippies" and are so friendly and down to earth, that you can't help but smile.  Far too often, employees of different locations are unfriendly or moody and make it very clear that they do not want to be there.  However, you can't help but think that the employees of Trader Joe's all absolutely love their jobs!  While Trader Joe's carries the main food items that your regular grocery stores carries, it is far from regular.  It's an experience just to walk in.  If you want to avoid a crowd though, I would recommend that you visit on a weekday as the weekend traffic can get pretty busy in the store. 

Amazon Kindle

The Amazon Kindle is one of the latest technologies that has been developed for readers.  It is an electronic device that enables the user to download books, newspaper articles, magazines, blogs and even a few games.  The user must have an account with Amazon.com.  The Kindle links up with the Amazon website where books and other reading materials can be purchased and instantly downloaded for immediate reading.  If you are an Amazon Prime member, you are able to "borrow" books from the Kindle Owner's Lending Library, however there is a limit on how many books can be "borrowed" each month.  The Kindle can also access the local library and enable the user to borrow up to six books at one time.  The books are automatically returned after a certain time period, but the due date can be extended by simply logging on to the library website and renewing the rental.

The Kindle is the size of the average reading book.  It is about six and a half inches tall, four and a half inches wide, and a quarter-inch thick.  It weighs less than a half pound.  The Kindle can easily be carried in a purse or briefcase as well, making it easy to take anywhere. 

Amazon has marketed the product so it is available to people of all ages.  The user does not have to be technologically savvy either.  All it takes is a few pushes of a button.  The Kindle can be used in a variety of ways.  Students can use the Kindle to access research items from the library.  Employees of companies can also use the Kindle to access the local library and research topics.  It can be used for recreational reading as well.  There are multiple versions of the kindle, each varying in price, so it is available to people of all income ranges.  However, the product appears to be something that will be used most by the younger generation who is used to using technology.  Many older people prefer to have a book in their hands and flip pages, rather than downloading a file and pressing a button to "flip" the page.  Also, the Kindle needs wireless Internet access.  Lower income families who cannot afford a monthly Internet subscription most likely not own a Kindle.

The Kindle is a similar product as the Nook.  The main difference between the two are that the Kindle is owned by Amazon and the Nook is owned by Barnes & Noble.  Both the Kindle and the Nook have multiple versions, all of which are very similar.  The prices are in the same general range as well.  The deciding factor seems to simply be whether the user prefers Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

The Kindle is today's version of yesterday's book.  While the book is not a technological device, it is the basis for the idea of the Kindle.  The difference is that paper and ink are no longer needed and bookshelves are no longer required to store the books that are purchased.  The user can have their entire home library in their hand, purse, or briefcase at any given time.  In the past, if a reader wanted to carry a few books on vacation, luggage would be required to carry them around.  Also, if someone wanted to buy a new book to read, they had to drive to the nearest book store, walk around and browse the selections, then drive home to read it.  Now, someone can browse through the "bookstore" while comfortably sitting in their favorite chair at home.  Since it is not necessary to drive to a bookstore, money is saved on gas and its ever-rising prices. 

E-readers such as the Kindle have affected American culture on many levels.  Americans seem to always be in a rush and prefer instant results.  With the Kindle, it does not require an hour out of the day just to select a book.  It only takes a few minutes and then the book is downloaded and available in an instant.  It is also helping as a space saver in the home.  Bulky bookshelves are no longer needed to store books. 

Blog Post #3

     Last Man Standing is a show about two parents, Mike and Vanessa Baxter, raising their three daughters and simply trying to deal with all of life’s ups and downs while working full time as well.  Mike (Tim Allen) is the marketing director for a sporting goods store, Outdoor Man, and works in an all-male environment and wouldn’t have it any other way.  He is an avid hunter, Republican, and an adventurer.  He traveled the world for his job, but recently agreed to stop travelling so Vanessa could return to work.  Mike’s urge to travel and explore is a constant struggle for him.  Vanessa (Nancy Travis) is a geologist and she also tries to coordinate the family’s social events.  Mike is not the most social person and more often than not tends to offend Vanessa’s friends, leaving her to try to pick up the pieces.  Much to Mike’s dismay, Vanessa continues to plan outings with her friends and drags Mike along for the ride.  Their oldest daughter Kristin (Alexandra Krosney) is a single, teen mother to Boyd and works at a diner to support her son. Middle daughter Mandy (Molly Ephraim) is a complete girly-girl and as shallow as they come.  Her aspiration is to be a reality star and her life revolves around clothes, shoes, and celebrities.  The youngest daughter is Eve (Kaitlyn Dever).  Eve is the tomboy of the bunch and she is very athletic and intelligent.  She is often referred to as an over-achiever.  The family dynamic works well and each episode provides hilarious moments. 

     This week’s episode revolved around Mike’s and Vanessa’s urge to do something adventurous.  When they were younger, they both were always doing some kind of adrenaline fueled activities.  Now that they’re older, they don’t participate in these activities like they used to, which is making them both feel really old. Vanessa has plans to take a pickling class with a friend of hers and Mike rubs it in that the class is at the Senior Center, which upsets Vanessa.  She now has the urge to do something spontaneous and crazy.  

     The beginning scene shows Mike and his boss Ed (Hector Elizondo) out in a field.  A tiger spots them and starts running toward them.  While the tiger is running, Ed counts down the distance between them and the tiger and tells Mike to shoot.  Mike takes his time, raises the gun, pulls the trigger and the next scene shows him waking up startled from his dream.  A few minutes later, Mike is shown at work recording a video post.  Part of his job is to post videos on Outdoor Man’s website in an attempt to lure customers in.  While Mike starts out with a calm message in each of these posts, they often end with him ranting about his frustrations with life.  This week’s post was about adrenaline rushes and how men too often live lives full of boredom.  After his post, he goes in to his boss’s office and suggests blowing something up in an effort to attract customers to the store. They discuss multiple ideas and Mike decides to invite his friend, NASCAR driver, Tony Stewart to the store to display his racecar for customer appreciation day. 

Tony Stewart brings the car in to Outdoor Man and demands that no one drive his car.  One of Mike’s employees notices how badly Mike is yearning for some excitement.  He steals the racecar, takes it to the parking lot and manages to get Mike to come out there and dares him to drive the car back to the store.  Mike starts the car and does donuts in the parking lot, which gives him the adrenaline rush he needed. 

In a separate scene, Kristin and Mandy are in the kitchen.  Kristin tells Mandy about her plans to go sky diving with some friends, but makes Mandy swear not to tell Eve who they refer to as a “rat” because she can’t keep a secret from their mom.  Eve of course overhears the conversation and is threatened by her sisters not to tell Vanessa.  Vanessa is later seen on the couch dreaming and she dreams that she is in a bank with a friend of hers and two robbers bust in with guns.  Vanessa punches one of the robbers, takes his gun and shoots the other robber, the whole time remaining calm, cool and collected and looking fabulous.  Eve wakes Vanessa up from her dream and eventually can’t resist spilling the beans about Kristin’s plans to skydive.  Vanessa rushes to the airport to try to stop Kristin from participating in such an irresponsible activity, but after some convincing from Kristin, she goes sky diving herself.  

 

     The ending scene is back at the Baxter house.  Mike and Vanessa are now satisfied and feeling more alive than ever.  They are both still revving with adrenaline and decide to go downstairs in to their bomb shelter for some more fun and alone time. 

BP# 2 Comfort Restaurant

Comfort Restaurant

Comfort is a small restaurant located in Richmond, Virginia, which lives up to its name as it offers some of the most delicious "comfort" food, with a modern flair.  The restaurant’s website offers information about the chef and his background, as well as the location, phone number, and food and drink options that are available.  To read more about the restaurant, visit http://www.comfortrestaurant.com.

The website, like the restaurant, is modern.  Throughout the site, there are pictures of the food, the chef, the restaurant, and a few farm animals.  These pictures provide a more personal experience with the restaurant and the farm animal pictures hint at the country background of the chef.  The main page is displayed with a picture of the bar, which shows the bartender in motion and a patron seated at the bar.  The picture suggests a comfortable atmosphere rather than a perfect and posed-for situation.  Below the picture is the menu bar with a green background and yellow lettering.  Clicking each option will load a new page and display information.

The “home” link has a picture of a chicken behind the word home, which provides the farm life feel similar to the pig picture.  The “food” link displays a picture of a salad with sausage links on the right.  The left side of the page lists the food options that are available.  Clicking the “drink” link provides a short history lesson on the creation of bourbon whiskey.  Below the history of whiskey, the different brands of whiskey that are offered are listed.  The drinks can also be sorted by liquor, wine, or beer.  Information about the chef is located under “the chef” link.  A picture of chef Jason Alley and a description of his background is displayed.   

Overall, the website seems very personal and Chef Jason Alley has provided the down home, comfortable experience that he sought out.  The site is very welcoming and reflects the restaurant’s atmosphere and background.  Navigation is straightforward and the site provides all information that a user would seek. 

Eng 112-N02B - Blog Post #1

I read an article from the Washington Post titled “Why punish ex-offenders with a voting ban?”  The article was written by Charles W. Colson.  The author is against the current process that ex-offenders must go through to get their voting rights restored.  Ex-inmates who have served their sentence, proved themselves to be trustworthy, and are working to get their lives back on track are prohibited from voting.  This is one way that society is holding them back from a return to a “normal” life.  This is a topic that is currently being discussed with in the presidential campaign.  Mr. Colson is arguing his position on the subject throughout the article.  The purpose of the article is to try to encourage the general public, especially those who oppose the restoration of rights to criminals, to understand an ex-inmate’s point of view and how this one restriction can hold them back from feeling as though they are a regular member of society.  The article is meant to convince the reader that a person should not be punished for the rest of their life because of a mistake they made, especially when the person has served their sentence and proven himself to be responsible.  Mr. Colson has a passionate stance on this subject.  This is evident from his description of his own personal experience.  He served less than a year in a federal prison and his voting rights were not restored until 30 years later.  He feels that society should help ex-inmates return to a normal life and welcome them back to civilization rather than hold them back and continuously punish them for crimes they have already served time for.  The beginning of the article introduces the author and provides a glimpse of his background.  He is the founder of the nation’s largest outreach program for prisoners and their families.  He was also convicted of an offense related to the Watergate scandal and served time in federal prison.  The beginning of the article did get my attention and suggested that what I was about to read was a subject that was very personal to the author.  The end of the article was well written.  It stated that if we want ex-offenders to become contributing members to society, we must help them, rather than hold them back.  Also, the opposition of the restoration of a criminal’s rights is a topic that is currently being used by politicians to make a political gain, but does not serve the common good.  Overall, I feel the author made a strong argument for his position.