Mild lulz

Click to enlarge.

I have a feeling it's the same guy using three usernames. Funny, nonetheless.

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Don't pay no mo'!

Five things that you don't have to pay for:

1. Antivirus software
2. Internet mass storage space
3. Microsoft office
4. Microsoft OneNote
5. Kindle reading

Click the link above for the free alternatives!

Peace!
--John

Aventus by Creed: First Impression

I mentioned that I will be using this blog to review different men's fragrances. While Creed's Aventus will not end up being my first review, I wanted to mention that I got to sample it today, as well as some others from the line. Aventus was the only one I decided to wear home.

Creed designs high-end fragrances that some say take an acquired taste (er, smell) to appreciate. Also, I am probably not wrong to assume for various reasons (such as price and limited exposure) that their target customers are adults ~30 years old and up. With that in mind, I'm not surprised that they weren't really my style.

I sprayed Aventus 4 times on my forearm. For a good couple of hours I could definitely smell the pineapple. There is a very slight flower smell, possibly attributed to the jasmine. But what I got the most from this is a powerful, manly base. I'm not sure if it's the musk or the ambergris — or both. But this smells very, very manly. I definitely feel too young to wear this. However, it does NOT smell like one of those dark, leathery, cedar-drawer-and-mothballs old man fragrances. If I had to categorize this, I'd call it a "fresh" fragrance. It is subtly sweet; the pineapple is a perfect complement to the rest of it, but it maintains its sweetness even after the pineapple disappears.

I'm intrigued by this... I don't love it... but at the same time it smells sophisticated, seductive and above all NATURAL. I tried some other non-Creed fragrance/cologne on my way out, and it seemed like nothing else even held a candle to this.

The skinny: I would not buy this but might re-sample in the future. I would not recommend this to anybody younger than 28. Aventus is a sweet and fresh fragrance that has a dark side; it would be very appropriate for summer yet wearing it will make you feel undoubtedly, unabashedly like a MAN.

P.S. ― I went out to dinner with my mom. She caught a whiff, said it smelled really nice but something that an older guy or a 'guido' would wear. Ha!

I bought new socks and underwear recently.

Apparently, this means the recession is over???

Really?? I can't speak for everybody, but if I don't have any underwear it's a top priority -- recession or not. I was expecting to see something like jewelery or vacationing on that list. But boxers, plastic surgery, divorce rates? Come on. Those are as good of predictors as the groundhog for predicting weather.


For the past couple of years, the dwindling economy worried a lot of my coworkers at Seabrook Park. They stopped racing the greyhound dogs there because of lack of business. And this was even with greyhound racing about to be made illegal in Massachusetts, which would have meant more business for them across the border in New Hampshire. I was working in the poker room there, and clientele for the poker room was down also. Like that article mentions, the gambling business is a pretty good indicator (as much or more so than malls) of people's willingness to spend money and their confidence in their job security.

Where are they now? Pumpkins album cover girl

The Smashing Pumpkins had been wondering where and who the (supposedly) conjoined twins of their album cover are. The album was the 1993 classic, Siamese Dream.

This of course interests me as a lifelong Smashing Pumpkins fan. I guess more important is the question Where are the Pumpkins now?

Anyway, they found one of the girls, and she plays in a popular band! Click 'see the rest' to find out which band...

Vain Republicans all over the country …

…have just changed their ideologies.

According to this article, "[t]he lack of a certain type of mature stem cell causes hair follicles to shrink…." This is in reference to male pattern baldness.

Hmmmmn. I'm not sure if this has been proven or not (I'm too lazy to check the sources) but it is interesting, especially as a 24 year old who has already started to worry about this. Am I paranoid? Maybe. But prevention is the best medicine! Gimme dem stem cells!

Mini Desserts

I was at the 99 with a friend recently when we both got surprised with free desserts. But there was a catch — it had to be from their Petite Treat menu. That was fine, seeing as we weren't expecting anything to begin with. I got the Jungle Rumble Pie: "creamy banana custard with a rich chocolate crust, drizzled with caramel and chocolate curls." According to the waitress, I was the first person under 60 to ever order that. I'll take that as a compliment!

The 99's Jungle Rumble

I wasn't annoyed at its mini-ness. It was actually pretty good.

I was just looking through the P.F. Chang's menu. I have never been there. I noticed that they as well have petite/mini dessert section. A mini tiramisu? Hell yeah! I checked out the nutrition info:
Mini Tiramisu | Calories 100 | Fat 11g | Sodium 50mg | Carbs 10g | Protein 2g

I like this idea. I wouldn't be surprised if even more restaurants have picked this up. With awareness on health and problems such as obesity and diabetes growing, less people are concerned with getting huge portions at restaurants. That "we're paying a lot of money I want to be full" attitude doesn't exist much anymore. Also, restaurants could make more money with people ordering smaller dishes. Instead of paying $25 for a gut-busting entree, a person may instead opt for a smaller entree and thus have room for a three course meal that would come to $30 or more. More money for the restaurant. More money for the servers, and more satisfaction from the patron. A win-win-win.

Wow. #49.

I hate to bring such a dismal topic to my blog. Last week I was watching a TV show called Who the Bleep did I Marry? And this guy's wife was on it. I guess the saga still isn't over yet.