MissMeliss: Escribition

I’m still loving my mobile router from Powerful Signal, so much so that I’ve done a video review about it. It uses images from trips to SoDak, where I’d have given my eye teeth and Zorro’s too if I’d had one then. As it was, I still have nightmares about the ‘net withdrawl I went through on that trip.

Here’s why I’m so tickled that I got to receive one of these cellular routers to play with:

1. It’s compact. About the size of an answering machine.
2. The folks who work at Powerful Signal are incredibly nice. It came pre-configured, and they answered all my emailed questions in record time.
3. The signal from this router is usually stronger than the signal I get from the wifi router wired into my Uverse connection.
4. Even without pre-configuration, setup takes five minutes. One disk, two plugs, and a cardslot.
5. It works anywhere there’s a cell signal. So, pretty much, unless I’m in the no-signal zone in the Mohave Desert, I have net. And so do you.

About the only thing I’d do to improve this product is make it run on batteries. Or a car charger, although there’s a model that does the latter, I think. Even so, I’m planning to take it with me to San Francisco next month…just in case the advertised wifi at the hotel doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to.

Oh, and, here’s my review, in words and still images, because for some reason my computer is not detecting the integrated camera.

So, I’ve been playing with this very cool mobile router for about a week, and I’m totally in love with it. It’s smaller than the regular router wired into our Uverse connection, and in most of the house the signal is actually stronger, which is pretty impressive when you consider that the signal is coming from a two-year-old wifi card. Thankfully, I’ve got an unlimited data plan on the card (it must cost a fortune to use cellular routers without such a plan), so I can use it forever without killing my cell phone bill, but I do have to be careful because the card tends to run hot. It ran hot in my laptop, as well, so I suspect it’s just the nature of cell cards.

While I have to admit that I’m not entirely new to the concept of cellular routers, I am seriously impressed by how easy this was to set up (plug in card, plug in power, load software that I didn’t even need to muck with because it came pre-configured), and how compact it is.

Also, Kevin at PowerfulSignal.com is the nicest guy ever, and really patient when it comes to answering questions, especially from people like me who know just enough to be dangerous.

When Fuzzy gets home from Hong Kong, he’ll be playing with it as well, and we’ll eventually be posting a full review here in my blog.

Stay tuned.

P.S. Not a flickr fan? You can also check this video out on YouTube:

A few weeks ago I found out that I was going to be receiving one of these very cool cellular routers from Powerful Signal to test, use, and play with. It’s a device that uses a cellular card (which I have) and turns that signal into a wifi hotspot within your house. During the spring and summer, we’re prone to major storms, and while we don’t lose power for long stretches of time, usually, we do have blips long enough to make the Uverse router et a little nutsy, so I’m really excited about this.

(I’m also excited about it, because it means we don’t have to stress over finding hotels with wifi when we travel. Since my cell card has unlimited hours/traffic we can stay or visit pretty much anywhere, and bring our wifi with us.)

As part of the review of this router, I’ll eventually be making a video about it, which I’ll be sharing here. I’m still learning the whole video thing, but I’m sure it will be fun to play with.

I have to confess, the concept of playing with this mobile router has my husband pretty excited as well, mainly because he remembers me complaining about having almost no signal when we visited his parents at their farm.

Dogs in Yard

Originally uploaded by MissMelysse.

Even though I walk our dogs most days, most of the time when I’m home, the back door is open wide enough for them to go in and out, so they can chase birds, sniff things, attempt to catch geckos, and generally hang out and indulge in serious doggie Zen.

This is fine, except that our back yard hosts the cable drop for much of the network, which means we often have workers traipsing in without bothering to tell us first, and while our dogs are relatively harmless, an open gate is a ticket to exploration, even for a chihuahua.

When I was given the opportunity to review one of these cool from beware of dog signs from DogInYard.com, then, how could I refuse? Their products are so much nicer than those cheap plastic-laminate black and orange things from the grocery store, after all, and come in fashion colors, with the right hardware for your fence (screws for our wood fence, cable ties for folks with link fences).

Not only that, but I had a response within five minutes of my order, stating that they’d received it, and confirming my address, and that they invoice - invoice! Can you believe it? - and that mine would reflect a zero balance (it being a review product and all) - the regular price is under $20, however, and these signs are totally worth it - they even offer a choice of DOG or DOGS in the lettering.

DogInYard.com ships before you pay, and ships quickly. I don’t think it even took a week for my sign to arrive, and the only reason it’s not actually ON the gate already is that Fuzzy came home from Hong Kong with a badly sprained ankle, and I’m afraid of our drill. Their invoice reminds you that fast payment is good Karma, and these folks are so nice, I really hope ALL their customers pay on time.

In any case, the sign is lovely, and I’ll feel better about leaving Zorro and Cleo out there on the odd afternoon, once it’s up.

Several years ago, Fuzzy’s family decided to hold a Thanksgiving celebration / reunion in Branson, MO. Since we were living in Texas at the time, we agreed to go. I wasn’t looking forward to it - travel over holidays is never fun and the drive through Oklahoma severely depressed me, but once we got to Arkansas, everything changed. I fell in love with the green scenery, the twisty mountain roads, the clear skies.

Branson itself is charming. Oh, it’s pretty much a company town that caters to the tourist trade, but unlike Vegas, it’s largely smoke free, and family-friendly doesn’t mean “the casino offers babysitting services.”

We didn’t have an organization like BransonGetaways.com planning our Branson Missouri vacation, and I sort of wish we had, because while we didn’t mind spending $500 to rent a friend’s timeshare, for roughly the same money we could have had a great 4 day/3 night package that included tickets to some of the shows - everything from Mickey Gilley to Shoji Tabuchi, from Broadway musicals (we saw Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, but it’s long since closed) to vintage American Bandstand performers AND hotel accommodations much closer to the center of town. They even offer different levels of hotel packages, so that couples who want to be spoiled can get that, but families can stay in places where their kids won’t feel out of place.

While our trip included tickets to the Silver Dollar City theme park (which is an old western town that has it’s own shows, crafters, a cave tour and an amusement park) they were a gift from Fuzzy’s mother, not included in any package, and we were so overwhelmed by family stuff that we didn’t even realize Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “Little House in the Ozarks” where she lived with Almanzo and Rose was just an hour or so up the highway. The package deals don’t offer anything to do with Laura, but they do include options for the various theme parks, as well as the shows.

My favorite memory of our original trip to Branson was standing near a grill in Silver Dollar City with my sister-in-law eating a potato stir fry in the crisp fall air, while her daughter and our nieces rode the boats. I would dearly love to return to the area without the family, and with more time to explore, and see shows.

Of course, I’d also love to shop - there’s nothing like retail therapy while on vacation - and BransonGetaways.com also has all the information one could want about the different shopping areas, not just the mall, but the cute shops. (I am all about the cute shops).

Added to my to-do list: arrange for a Branson vacation with Fuzzy for later this year. Probably early fall. And I’ll definitely be using BransonGetaways.com.

Click to Enlarge

I have to admit, when I first heard of a fully enclosed microwave bacon cooker, I was a bit skeptical. I mean, I’ve tried making bacon in the microwave, using everything from ceramic plates to funky crispers to plastic domes that are supposed to keep the grease from exploding - none of it worked.

Tonight, I learned that this bacon cooker is amazing. Out of the box, it looks vaguely like a water filtering pitcher, but I read the page of detailed instructions, and the email I received today, as soon as the post office scanned in the delivery info, and I have to say, it’s the easiest bacon cooking I’ve ever done - they even give you tips for how to separate the bacon easily (use a cheese-slicer type spatula and lift from the middle).

We don’t eat that much bacon because I’m just not that into cooking food that splatters, and - let’s be honest - bacon isn’t exactly a health food, but since I hadn’t defrosted meat tonight and we’re still working through the 36 eggs Fuzzy bought before Christmas, I had him stop and buy some on his way home tonight. Breakfast for dinner is a long-standing tradition in my family, and tonight it worked out fine. I started melting the butter for an omelet then draped six slices of bacon over the “vanes” of the cooker, sealed it inside, and set the microwave for 4 minutes. (The instructions recommend 45 seconds per slice for bacon that comes 11 strips/pound or 30 seconds per slice for bacon that comes 22 strips/pound. OF COURSE our bacon was 16 strips/pound. I used the 30 seconds per slice formula, and it worked fine).

After four minutes, we had six slices of crispy bacon, that wasn’t at all greasy, and with almost no mess. We poured the grease into the jar we use for such things, and made a second batch, and it was just as good as the first.

Cleanup was a breeze as well - just rinse all the parts in steaming hot water and let them air dry. According to the documentation, they’re also dishwasher safe, or warm soapy water will work, too.

I have to say that this bacon cooker makes cooking bacon so easy and clean, it’s a detriment to any diet, except that it strips almost all the grease away as well.

I have to admit, when I heard about a car donation organization that used the money to make children’s videos promoting good values, I was a little bit leery. I mean, yes, I attend church, but that doesn’t mean I agree with everything taught there.

But then I got deeper into reading about Car Angel / Boat Angel, and their organization Car Angel Ministries, and I found out they also reach out to the addicts and the homeless, as well as working toward prison reform - all the things street ministries and urban religious organizations should be concerned with - and that’s something I can support, at least in theory.

The Car Angel site is easy to navigate, and offers information about what sorts of vehicles they accept (cars, boats, motorcycles, and rv’s) as well as some of the projects they’re working on (adult literacy, outreach to children, drug prevention) and how you can get a copy of their anti-drug film “D.O.P.E.” for your organization.

The trailer for “D.O.P.E.” is below, courtesy of YouTube, but if you want to check out the free children’s videos they make, which are reminiscent of the claymation series with the kid and the dog that I remember watching as a child in New Jersey (and which, I’m told, are somewhat akin to Veggie Tales, but you all know I don’t do animation, so I wouldn’t know).

In any case, check out the trailer, and if you have an old car you want to donate in time to get it on this year’s tax return (you still have 24 hours or so), check out Car Angels.