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Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Nov. 30th - Previously Reviewed Purchases

Item Purchased: Cup of Coffee from Kristoffer's Cafe
Review: (LINK)

Item Purchased: Bowl of Chili from Quiznos
Review: (LINK)

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Reviewed Today on Mediatron

2 - Cups of Coffee from The Lyric Opera of Chicago

Item Purchased: 2 - Cups of Coffee from The Lyric Opera of Chicago
Location Purchased: Lyric Opera of Chicago / 20 N. Wacker / Chicago, IL
Price:
$2.50 ea.

Review: I don't know what kind of coffee this was. I also don't know of a universe where decent people deem it acceptable to charge $2.50 for an 8 oz. cup of coffee. I mean, you dress in a suit and tie and that makes highway robbery acceptable? I'd run over anyone who tries to rob me on the highway whether they were wearing oversized sweat pants or a suit. The only problem is that I don't drive. So, I guess that means I will quietly sip my $2.50 generic 8 oz. coffee and let the decorous surroundings of the Lyric Opera House put my mind at ease...

...Until I take the first sip of my coffee that is, and realize that this coffee is luke warm at best! If only my glass of wine had been this warm, my stomach would then know what to do with itself.

As it stands, my stomach remains perplexed, and the rest of me followed during the third act of the Opera!

My only hope (and I mean this sincerely) is that the larger percentage of the proceeds from my cup of coffee go toward paying the musicians and actors, and not just the office supply bill for the Opera's higher-ups. If I knew that the artists were getting what they deserve, I would gladly pay $5.00 for my 8 oz.

Well... maybe not gladly... but I WOULD pay.

Rating: 0.75 / 5

2 - Glass of Rodney Strong Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon Wine

Item Purchased: 2 - Glass of Rodney Strong Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon Wine
Location Purchased: Lyric Opera of Chicago / 20 N. Wacker / Chicago, IL
Price: $7.00

Review: This was my second time inside of Chicago's beautiful Opera House, but my first time attending an actual Opera. The first time, I went to see Bjork perform. This time, it was to see The Midsummer Marriage. I got dressed up a bit (as well as I know how, which may not be very), had a beautiful date on my arm and two free tickets in my pocket (damn, I'm cheap thrifty), and I thought I would do as the Romans while in Rome (even though the Opera was sung in English and not Italian). So, I bought us a couple of glasses of $7 wine.

The restaurant I work at on the weekends serves this exact Rodney Strong Cabernet, so I know for a fact that a full bottle actually costs $19 retail. Less for organizations that buy at wholesale prices. I also know that a small wine glass, half full (as red wine should be served) is not worth $7.

Another thing I know about wine is that red wines should be served at room temperature, not chilled. Now, I grant the Lyric Opera, that it was a cold night outside and the doors to the lobby were opening and closing constantly, probably contributing to the wine temperature. Still, Cabernet served chilled tends to taste a lot like a dry chianti, and if you ask me, chianti should be used for cooking, not drinking.

This is a tough rating, because Rodney Strong makes great wines, but this experience was almost ruined by the presentation and price. Still, I managed to finish my glass and enjoy my first Opera despite it. The score for this wine would be higher, but I am actually reviewing this purchase. You have my word that the review will be updated when I drink Rodney Strong Cabernet again.

Rating: 2 / 5

Eight O' Clock Coffee Original Blend (13 oz. ground)


Item Purchased: Eight O' Clock Coffee Original Blend (13 oz. ground)
Location Purchased: Jewel / 1224 S. Wabash Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $4.92 + tax

Review: It's cold here in Chicago today. Below 30 degrees cold. So, instead of walking down to Caribou Coffee several times during the work day today, I decided to buy some coffee grounds to brew at work. Though the coffee machine in the bookstore's back office should probably be disinfected and cleaned with a sandblaster, I would rather catch a coffee-borne disease than freeze to death.

Usually, I wouldn't dream of buying pre-ground coffee, but since we don't have a grinder at work and I didn't feel like crushing beans in a bag by dropping Jonathan Franzen novels on them. Call me a snob if you want to (for the snubbing of pre-ground coffee or the name-dropping of Franzen, take your pick), but I like my coffee fresh.

As far as pre-ground coffee goes though, Eight O'Clock coffee is one of the tastiest you can get without going to a specialty shop. Their original blend is a medium roast that brews into a full bodied cup of coffee perfect for waking up. Forget Folgers in your cup, get up at Eight O'Clock.

Rating: 3.75 / 5

Bacon Egg & Cheese Breakfast Burrito from Kristoffer's Cafe

Item Purchased: Bacon Egg & Cheese Breakfast Burrito from Kristoffer's Cafe
Location Purchased: Kristoffer's Cafe / 1733 S. Halsted / Chicago, IL
Price:
$4.00 + tax

Review: So it seems that Kristoffer's Cafe is going to be my new morning spot before work. I've been trying hard not to sleep away the mornings as I am wont to do in the winter. Reviews to write, music to work on, books to read, life to live. Beds are nice, but why waste the day away inside of one unless you are accompanied by someone else to keep you busy? Not that I have any problems with that, but that person has a life apart from me as well.

Kristoffer's breakfast burritos are affordable and well-sized. A large tortilla wrapped around melted cheese, scrambled eggs and, in my case, bacon. There are several choices on Kristoffers menu as to what you can get inside of your burrito, veggie and carnie. Me, I love my bacon. One of the worst meats for you and one of the best tasting. A lot like a first lover. Alluring and pleasant to the touch, but dangerous in the long run. A bad idea from the get-go, but such a good feeling.

The best thing about the breakfast burritos here, is the hot sauce served on the side. A deep, bloody red with pepper flakes within, this sauce makes your breath smoke even before you put any in your mouth. And once you do, your coffee will not soothe the sting on your tongue, but enhance it and make it resonate. What a great way to wake up!

Rating: 4 / 5

Nov. 29th - Previously Reviewed Purchases

Item Purchased: Cup of Coffee from Kristoffer's Cafe
Review: (LINK)

Monday, November 28, 2005

Omelette from Kristoffer's Cafe

Item Purchased: Omelette from Kristoffer's Cafe
Location Purchased: Kristoffer's Cafe / 1733 S. Halsted / Chicago, IL
Price: $4.75 + tax

Review: Kristoffer's Cafe is known for its flan and milky cakes, but aside from the sugary desserts, they offer a full (if small) menu of breakfast and lunch items. Soups and sandwiches, eggs and burritos. Everything a charming neighborhood cafe needs to be...well...charming...and neighborly. So it comes as no surprise when there is only one kind of omelette listed in the menu. It doesn't even offer a description of its contents in the title. It is simply called Omelette. Gotta love that. There is a small description underneath the title explaining what you get in this egg fold. Omelette contains American cheese, green peppers, tomato and eggs.

Despite my usual elitist snubbing of anything containing American cheese, I didn't let that bother me. I'm not trying to convince anyone that any cheese is especially good or bad for you. It's all milk and fat and too much of either can never be good. So American cheese will do in a pinch even though I am immediately suspect of any cheese that doesn't stink (or have a scent at all).

The omelette was simple and quick, served with a side of buttered wheat toast. The man working behind the counter actually walked into the kitchen and cooked up the omelette himself. Try making your waitress cook your food at your local diner and see the look and gum-snap she gives you.

For its low price, this omelette was everything I could have wanted and more. Kristoffer's is hereby marked as a regular destination in my little black breakfast book.

Rating: 4 / 5

Cup of Coffee from Kristoffer's Cafe

Item Purchased: Cup of Coffee from Kristoffer's Cafe
Location Purchased: Kristoffer's Cafe / 1733 S. Halsted / Chicago, IL
Price: $1.64 + tax

Review: Cheap food, friendly staff, strong coffee and free wireless internet! I've passed this place hundreds of times on my way to the Skylark, but today was my first time inside.

You have a choice if you are staying in the cafe to sip your coffee, read the paper and check your e-mail. You can either take a cup at a time for $1.64 or pay $4.00 for a bottomless cup. Since I only had one refill, I went the economical route and paid for each cup but if I ever had a day off, I could easily see myself curled up at the corner table of Kristoffer's with slight jitters, a belly full of Intelligentsia coffee and only $4 lighter in the wallet.

Yes, you read right, another Chicago cafe serving Chicago's own Intelligentsia brand coffee. From the taste of it, Kristoffer's brews the medium roast, which is as dark as I like to get with my coffee. There is no cream on the counter at Kristoffer's. Instead, the friendly employee (owner?) took a carton of cream from the refrigerator and gently poured it into my coffee until I said when. I like that. Real interaction with your purchase. The embryonic stages of communication in action. Friendly neighborhood cafes like Kristoffer's are exactly what I look for when I go out for my morning cup of coffee. Notice that I didn't buy a coffee from Dunkin' Donuts today! Pretty impressive, huh?

Well, I'm impressed.

I have a feeling that Kristoffer's will be a recurring morning stop for me before work. It's right down the street from the bookstore where I work and has an atmosphere that's worth a half a mile trek in the snow.

Rating: 4.25 / 5

Nov. 28th - Previously Reviewed Purchases

Item Purchased: Drum Rolling Tobacco (40 gr.)
Review: (LINK)

Item Purchased: Planters Seasonuts Heat Peanuts (small tube)
Review: (LINK)

Item Purchased: Cajun Chicken Sub w/ Mayo, Swiss Cheese, American Cheese & Lettuce
Review: (LINK)
Note: I know I gave this sandwich a bad review, but it was either this one or a Turkey Pita sandwich and after the weekend I had, my body would strangle itself if I introduced any more turkey into it.

Item Purchased: Medium Caribou Coffee (Light Roast)
Review: (LINK)

Sunday, November 27, 2005

One Hour Wireless Internet Access from Filter Cafe

Item Purchased: One Hour Wireless Internet Access from Filter Cafe
Location Purchased: Filter / 1585 N Milwaukee Ave / Chicago, IL
Price: $2.50

Review: First, Filter Cafe's wireless was out for the first hour and a half I was there. Not their fault, but annoying nonetheless.

Second, I have one thing to say about paying for wireless internet access:

GOOGLE, PLEASE SAVE US!

Rating: 0.5 / 5

Camel Turkish Gold Cigarettes (Hardpack)

Item Purchased: Camel Turkish Gold Cigarettes (Hardpack)
Location Purchased: Liquor Store on Milwaukee Ave. in Wicker Park / Chicago, IL
Price: $5.50

Review: Since this liquor store didn't carry Camel Turkish Royals and since the man behind the counter tried selling me everything from Camel unfiltered cigarettes to Turkish Jade menthols, I finally pointed to a pack of Turkish Golds. The line behind me was in a rush to buy their plastic pints of gut rot liquor and I didn't want to be the one responsible for ruining their day. I'll leave that to Jim, Jack and Jose.

Turkish Golds are the Camel Lights of the Turkish blend series of cigarettes. Royals are full, regular filtered smokes and since I am used to a stronger nicotine buzz, Turkish Golds are usually a last resort for me. These cigarettes feed my oral fixation, but only barely stave off the nic fits.

Note (10/26/2006): I'm not sure if it is my tastes or the production of these cigarettes that have changed, but I seem to like them more. Maybe I am smoking less and have regained some of my nasal sensitivity. More likely, I have just been smoking far too many Camel Lights lately. Regardless, the rating on these smokes has just gone up from mildly unpleasant to slightly pleasant.

Rating: 2 / 5 3 / 5

Chai French Toast from Orange

Item Purchased: Chai French Toast from Orange
Location Purchased: Orange / 75 W. Harrison / Chicago, IL
Price: $8.95 + tax

Review: I like to fantasize about the genesis of things. Here is my estimation of the creation of Chai French Toast:

A 20-something guy wakes up early to cook breakfast for his girlfriend. Because he is of the fast-food generation, the fanciest breakfast food he knows how to make is French Toast. He figures that his girlfriend is always talking about going to Paris anyway, so this is the next best thing. While the thick toast fries on the electric griddle, he makes his girlfriend her favorite drink: Chai Tea. When the toast is done, 20-something guy discovers that no one in the apartment has washed any plates so he piles the toast into a large cereal bowl. Since he is hung over from the previous night's festivities, he becomes confused. Seeing the milky chai tea and a cereal bowl, he instinctively pours the liquid into the bowl as if he were preparing cornflakes. The French Toast is now soggy, spicy and swimming in a pool of Chai Tea. Needing a morning mimosa, he serves the dish to his girlfriend the way it is. If she doesn't like it, he can always go out with that busty blonde who has been staring at him in his economics class.

Voila!

Orange's Chai French Toast isn't as haphazard as this and not nearly as disgusting as it sounds. The toast is thick, moist and sweet. Only one or two of the 6-8 slices is submerged in the Chai at the bottom of the bowl. Heavy as a brick, this meal is a challenge to finish, so the two soggy slice buffer is perfect. A waste of perfectly good bread, but perfect for your sweet tooth breakfast experience. The difference between Orange's fare and my fictional scenario is the presence of fresh apple slices draped over the bread.

Not as good as it may initially sound, but worth a try.

Rating: 3 / 5

Green Eggs and Ham from Orange

Item Purchased: Green Eggs and Ham from Orange
Location Purchased: Orange / 75 W. Harrison St. / Chicago, IL
Price: $8.95 + tax

Review: How can any literate American who remembers their childhood bedtime stories resist a meal with the name Green Eggs & Ham? Even if you can resist the name, how could you resist the ingredients? Eggs scrambled with pesto and cilantro, topped with a slab of buffalo mozzarella and finished off with a tomato quarter underneath it all. The pesto gives the eggs a strong spicy flavor that eliminates the need for salt or pepper. Buffalo mozzarella, though usually too bland for my Wisconsin-bred tastes, proves to be the perfect counterbalance for this dish.

As with all of Orange's dishes, Green Eggs & Ham comes with a side of their signature potato column. Hash browns mashed and sliced and molded into a stout cylinder. Also a standard at Orange, the plate is arranged as if your food will be on display at a minimalist art gallery. Pretty and tasty, though a bit scant for the price, Green Eggs & Ham is a unique breakfast dish any egg lover should try.

Rating: 4.25 / 5

Frushi For Two from Orange

Item Purchased: Frushi For Two from Orange
Location Purchased: Orange / 75 W. Harrison / Chicago, IL
Price: $3.50 + tax

Review: I'm not sure if this invention is unique to Orange, but this was my first introduction to Frushi. Frushi is derived and named from fruit and sushi. Luckily, the only sushi component used in Frushi is the sticky rice. Thin slices and small chunks of fresh fruit laid on top or stuffed inside of sweet sticky rice make up this ingenious and cute dish.

The fruits used change with the seasons and you never know what you are going to get when you order it. Our plate came with pineapple chunks inside of rice rolls and sliced kiwi atop rice chunks. Two pieces of each variety come served on a standard white sushi plate with chocolate sauce drizzled in the middle for dipping. On one side, there were thin cantaloupe slices made to look like the ginger you receive with traditional sushi. On either side of the melon were two small slices of a grape.

Even if the fruits used are not to your liking (luckily, kiwi & pineapple are two of my favorites), the presentation of Orange's Frushi plate make this dish worthwhile. Colorful and symmetrical, Frushi is the perfect preamble to your greasy breakfast.

Rating: 4.25 / 5

2 - Bottomless Cups of Coffee from Orange

Item Purchased: 2 - Bottomless Cups of Coffee from Orange
Location Purchased: Orange / 75 W. Harrison St. / Chicago, IL
Price: $2.50/ea + tax

Review: Orange. This restaurant has some great food on its menu. Unfortunately, Orange appeals to the condo dwellers in the neighborhood by serving small, stylish portions and charging prices on the high-end of the mid-price spectrum.

One of the primary reasons to go to Orange is their coffee infused with orange zest flavor. Unfortunately, this morning, in our hunger and bleary-eyed state, when we ordered coffee, we gave the waitress (who looked a bit like Sarah Silverman but, sadly, didn't have the dirty mouth to match) quick affirmatives to her coffee queries. As a result, we received regular, zestless coffee. While not bad, unmet expectations always leave a sour taste in the brain. It was a light, diner-appropriate roast which earns it a few points, but next time, I have to remember to order Orange's orange zest coffee. You should remember too.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Nov. 27th - Previously Reviewed Purchases

Item Purchased: Medium Coffee From Filter Cafe
Price: $1.65 + tax
Review: (LINK)
Note: Different size. Same coffee.

Item Purchased: Kitchen Sink Cookie from Filter Cafe
Review: (LINK)

Item Purchased: Brownberry Whole Grain Classics 12 Grain Bread (24 oz. loaf)
Review: (LINK)

Saturday, November 26, 2005

3 - Pilsner Urquell Beer (1 pt.)

Item Purchased: 3 - Pilsner Urquell Beer (1 pt.)
Location Purchased: Schubas Tavern / 3159 N. Southport / Chicago, IL
Price: $3.00/ea

Review: One beer for my friend Jordan, one for Michaelia and one for myself.

Pilsner Urquell is the November beer of the month at Schubas, and unlike the rest of the beers in Schubas' event space, Pilsner is served ina tall thin pint glass. The rest of the beers are served in plastic cups.

Many of my friends consider Pilsner Urquell a non-beer with no real taste or substance, but I think it is quite tasty. Much like PBR, it is a light golden beer that goes down easy and hits you from behind due to the speed at which it is normally imbibed. Hailing from the Czech Republic and calling itself the world's first goledn beer, Pilsner is a refreshing beer for a hot summer's day or a cold winter's concert, the taste is akin to a caramel tinged Heineken. IF you are a fan of dark beers, stay away, but if you areen't too picky, Pilsner is an affordable and great tasting way to spend an evening.

Rating: 3.75 / 5

Marlboro Blend 27 Cigarettes (Hardpack)

Item Purchased: Marlboro Blend 27 Cigarettes (Hardpack)
Location Purchased: Union Station Convenience Kiosk / 225 S. Canal / Chicago, IL
Price: $7.45

Review: After quitting my disgusting habit of smoking for one day in honor of Buy Nothing Day, I was fiending a bit. So, when I got off of the train to Chicago, I stopped at the first kiosk I came upon in Union station, threw my duffel bag to the ground and bought a pack of cigarettes. Talk about mindless consumerism! Couldn't I have waited another hour or two after a 30+ hour smoking fast to light up rather than spend a ridiculous $7.45 on a pack of smokes? Marlboros nonetheless! An evil Phillip Morris company and my third-string brand!

Well, fate had a way of teaching me a lesson because when I got outside and attempted to light up, I found that I had lost my lighter. Not only that, but no one around me was smoking! Talk about mindless consumerism made allegory through bad habits! It wasn't until I got home a half hour later that I was able to light up for the first time. Everyone on the streets was running frantically to the next store, intoxicated by big city Thanksgiving weekend shopping. No one had time for anyone or anything but long, stuffy lines and the melodies of scanners and cash registers.

I'm not sure what disgusted me more, the sight of people hustling and bustling or my own waste of money and addiction.

Marlboro 27's are the only Marlboro brand cigarette I can stand. They have a musky full flavor without the harsh sting that most Marlboros carry with them. The signature Marlboro Reds always seem to leave me with a burning throat and a rancid taste in my mouth. Not that any cigarette will leave your mouth tasting minty fresh (not even menthol folks, which, IMHO, is a sacrilege to the ritual of smoking anyway...never mix your cigarettes and your after-dinner mints), but when killing yourself is one of your hobbies, I find that it is best to choose the lesser of two evils. Best of all, you can find Marlboro 27s almost anywhere cigarettes are sold. Not so easy with American Spirits or Camel Turkish Royals.

Even over priced train station kiosks sell them!

Rating: 3 / 5

Note (01/17/06): Do you ever notice how the two-for-one packs of cigarettes aren't actually two-for-one? I could buy one pack of these cigarettes for six bucks and some change, but when I get a two-for-one "deal," they cost me $7.33?!

Nov. 26th - Previously Reviewed Purchases

Item Purchased: Amtrak Hiawatha Train from Milwaukee to Chicago
Location Purchased: Milwaukee Amtrak Station / 433 W. St. Paul Ave. / Milwaukee, WI
Review: (LINK)

Note: This train ride is exactly like the train ride from Chicago to Milwaukee, only in reverse. This time, there was no conversation with an aging hippy, but rather a lot of reading and waking up of the middle-aged Asian woman dressed in casual business attire sitting next to me when the ticket taker came by. The woman left the train at one of the intermediary stops between Milwaukee and Chicago only to be replaced by a headphone-wearing Asian woman in her early twenties. She was sporting a cute little trendy punk rock look. I also had to wake her up. This time, at the end of the line so I could get out of my seat.

Nov. 26th - To Be Reviewed On Mediatron

Item Purchased: Adam Fitz Record Release Concert
Location Purchased: Schubas Tavern / 3159 N. Southport / Chicago, IL
Price: $10.00

Friday, November 25, 2005

HAPPY BUY NOTHING DAY!



Today is Buy Nothing Day. I hope you all gorged yourself yesterday on turkey and cranberries, wine and dessert, sweet potatoes and stuffing! I waddled to bed with my pants unbuttoned. I know that sounds attractive to all of you out there, but let me assure you, it was anything but. Today, I skipped breakfast, save for a cup of coffee and slept in late. It wasn't until after noon that solid food entered my body.

While most of the people of the U.S. rushed out of their houses at 4:00 AM this morning to battle American Gladiator style for cheap computers and stuffed animals that speak gibberish, I slept and read, drank coffee and wrote in my journal. Several times I have reached for a cigarette, but I am out and have been tempted to run down the street from my parent's house to buy a pack.

I have abstained.

You don't have to be an activist to make this day work. On this busiest of shopping days, just make it a point to challenge yourself to abstain from the cluture of consumption. Play cards or a boardgame with your family. Turn the T.V. off and have a discussion with your friends. Crack that bottle of wine you were saving for a special occasion and sit by the fire. Special is defined as something other than usual or common. What is more unusual or uncommon in our culture than not spending any money.

Think about your purchases. Think about the environment and the economy and where your priorities lie each time you want for something new.

And if you've already bought something today, take a look at it and ask yourself if you really need it. If it is a gift, ask yourself if it will be as meaninful as something you spent time making yourself would be.

Then, try again tomorrow. There are tempting sales all weekend, all around the country. See if you can calm those urges to fight the crowd for 24 hours. If you feel the urge to be out among the crowds, make some cookies and go to your local mall and hand them out for free. Take your old ratty towels and offer them as sweat rags to the people caught in the consumer race that is this weekend. Then, take a look at the absurdity from the outside and analyze what probably comes as second nature to you each year.

You'll probably discover that it is not so natural at all.

As for me, I have 10 more hours to go without a cigarette. Maybe I'll even make it until tomorrow during the day instead of running down to the gas station at midnight.

Thursday, November 24, 2005

Amtrak Hiawatha Train from Chicago to Milwaukee

Item Purchased: Amtrak Hiawatha Train from Chicago to Milwaukee
Location Purchased: Union Station / 225 S. Canal / Chicago, IL
Price: $20.00

Review: I've taken this train ride to and from Milwaukee many times since I moved down to Chicago and did the smart thing by getting rid of my car. I really enjoy riding on trains and cannot think of any major complaints about the ride. There is always plenty of space on the Hiawatha trains. Even this morning, on Thanksgiving of all days, I had no problem getting onto my train and finding a seat near the window. I had to sit next to someone today, but on days where there are no American paid-holiday customs going on, you can usually claim two seats for yourself and spread out with your book or magazine of choice.

My only complaint about the Hiawatha service is that there should be a late night train to make it easy for Chicagoans to spend a day in Milwaukee and vice versa.

Today, the woman I sat next to for the hour long ride, was a friendly sort. Most people on the shorter Amtrak runs don't want to look you in the eye, much less speak with you. This woman, whose name was Cynthia, did nothing but. An ex-hippie in her 50's, Cynthia and I spoke about real estate, higher education, relationship yeahs and woes, polygamy vs. monogamy and the recording industry. She spoke excitedly and loudly to me with very little pause for breath and though I tried my best to match her pace, I fell far behind. I guess the coffee I bought at McDonalds had a calming effect on me, because I was happy to just listen to Cynthia and respond when possible. It made the train ride go by a lot faster and at the end, we wished each other a happy holiday. Besides all that, it was amusing to catch the scornful glances of the elderly woman across the aisle from us who seemed annoyed by either what we were saying or how loudly we were saying it.

Whatever, lady! Thanksgiving is my time to remember to be thankful for the conversations I have in this life with the infinitely interesting people surrounding me. What a great reminder sitting next to Cynthia was!

Rating: 4 / 5

Large Coffee from McDonalds

Item Purchased: Large Coffee from McDonalds
Location Purchased: McDonalds / Union Station Food Emporium / 210 S. Canal St. / Chicago, IL
Price: $1.40 + tax

Review: Not that I give McDonalds much credit in the first place, but why does their coffee always taste like the pots have been used to hold the manager's penny collection. Weak with the hint of metallic flavor, I'm not sure why I even try with that big goofy clown anymore.

I try not to give money to the perpetuation of swill-as-cultural-diet by buying anything at McDonalds (even though I do have a soft spot for their breakfast items...sue me...), but nothing else was open at the train station this morning as I waited for my train to depart for Milwaukee. It was some sort of zen, me with my metallic, heavily creamed and sugared styrofoam cup of coffee and the latest issue of the Economist in my lap. My headphones blasting a Madlib/Quasimoto mix by DJ Troubl. Every so often, I glanced up in slight caffeination and noticed families mouthing the soundless words to their plans for their assault on the poor poor retail employees tomorrow morning.

Watch. Flip. Tap. Sip.

Disappointment. All loss of enlightenment with a cup of coffee from McDonalds.

Rating: 0.75 / 5

Turkey Day

We here at Consumatron are not too big on holidays, but Thanksgiving seems alright by me if you embrace the spirit and spend time with friends and family that you are truly thankful for.

I'm going to be hopping a train up to Milwaukee, WI, my hometown early this morning. I'll be spending the day with my family and doing my best not to turn it into an experience resembling Home For The Holidays. Try not to argue with those you care for too much. Don't give in, just don't start any shit for no good reason, okay?

Forgive me if the updates to the site are a bit more sporadic than usual. I'll do my best to update my purchases in a timely matter.

And for all of you gearing up for the sales on Friday, remember that Nov. 25th is Buy Nothing Day. If you simply can't pass up a good deal tomorrow, at the very least, think about the systems in place that drive you out of your house at some early morning hour to battle with other human beings for little pieces of plastic and cloth. Take a minute to try and connect with these people rather than viewing them as video game villians. Hug your Mom, Dad, child, etc... Doesn't that feel better than buying some flat screen television?

Instead of buying something, try buying nothing! Even if it is just to see if you can.

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Reviewed Today on Mediatron

Camel Lights Cigarettes (Hardpack)

Item Purchased: Camel Lights Cigarettes (Hardpack)
Location Purchased: My Roommate
Price: $3.00

Review: On my way out of the apartment, I asked my roommate for a smoke. It is sort of a ritual for me to have my first cigarette of the day while walking to work while drinking a cup of coffee. My roommate obliged with the cigarette, then just as I was about to walk out the door, he asked me if I wanted to buy a pack from him for $3.00. Faced with the option of paying $6.00+ for a pack of my usual brand or bite bullet and smoke Camel lights for one day and save a few bucks, I chose the thrifty route.

Camel Lights are almost a non-cigarette to me. They fulfill my oral fixation throughout the day, but fail to calm the nerves or perpetuate the ritual of rolling a cigarette like my usual cigarette purchases do. Smoking lights is like drinking a lite beer. It's something to do with the hands, but there is no gratification from it. Besides the fact that I was now armed with ammo to take a quick break with my friends at work, I also ended up smoking more than I usually do in a day. It's all an unhealthy, disgusting habit, this smoking, but why cut down to lights if I'm not ready to quit entirely? The way I see it, smoking ten light cigarettes has about the same effect as smoking five regular filtered smokes. Until I quit when I turn thirty, I think I'll stick with the Turkish Royals or American Spirits, thank you very much.

Camel Lights have a smooth, almost non-existent taste to a smoker such as myself. Entirely bad for you like any cigarette, not bad if it's all you have, but I fear the Marlboro man would hogtie me if he saw me smoking these (Macho prick he is). If you smoke at all, for the love of god, quit...you're smart enough to know what you are doing to yourself. Not ready to quit? Well, then I say enjoy your filthy habit for now. And Camel Lights are no way to do that.

Rating: 2 / 5

Nov. 23rd - Previously Reviewed Purchases

Item Purchased: Item Maxwell Street Polish Sausage w/Fries
Review: (LINK)
Note: I thought I would start out the holiday gorging right with the unhealthiest lunch I could think of. This time, the fries tasted dry and bland with my order. It was almost as Maxwell St. Grill and Jim's traded friers for a day.

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Haircut from Great Clips


Item Purchased: Haircut from Great Clips
Location Purchased: Great Clips / University Village / Chicago, IL
Price: $12.00 + tax

Review: I took the opportunity granted to me by waking up early to get a haircut today. I used to get my hair cut at a top-notch salon in the Sears Tower because it was located next to the bookstore I worked in. Similarly, I chose Great Clips because it is right down the street from the bookstore where I work now.

If I am reading my receipt correctly, my stylist's name was Blanca. Blanca amazed me after asking me how I wanted my hair cut, with her speed and accuracy. Being a regular white dude with straight boring hair whose only follicle challenge is the Michael Landon pre-mullet that forms in the back of my head every so often, "a trim...clean up the sides and back" is all I usually have to say. No soonder did I say that, and Blanca was off and snipping away. I imagine her handiwork to look a lot like that of Edward Scissorhands' shrub sculpting if viewed from afar.

The haircut took no longer than ten minutes and not only was I pleased, but I was on time getting back to work. With the holiday coming up in a few days, it is good that I look semi-clean and feel a bit less shaggy. That way, I will endure slightly less antagonism from my family regarding my chosen path in life...which is that of ever seeking a path.

Great Clips isn't anything special when it comes to extra beauty services, but if all you need is a haircut, you'd do well choosing this affordable path. I'll never understand why people choose to get a $40+ haircut at name-brand salons. Is personal vanity worth that much? It's not like these salons etch their logo into your hair or brand it on your forehead, so why not save $20-$30, let Blanca work her magic and lie to your friends who care about those sorts of things.

But I suppose if your friends are the kind of people who judge you on name-brand haircuts, you have a lot more problems than just saving a couple of bucks.

Blanca and Great Clips = You looking presentable and respectable.

Rating: 4.25 / 5

Nov. 22nd - Previously Reviewed Purchases

Item Purchased: Medium Coffee from Dunkin' Donuts
Review: (LINK)

Item Purchased: Medium Caribou Coffee (Light Roast)
Review: (LINK)

Item Purchased: Chocolate Chip Cookie from Caribou Coffee
Review: (LINK)

Item Purchased: Bowl of Chili from Quiznos
Review: (LINK)

Monday, November 21, 2005

Florida's Natural Home Squeezed Orange Juice with pulp (64 fl. oz.)

Item Purchased: Florida's Natural Home Squeezed Orange Juice with pulp (64 fl. oz.)
Location Purchased: Jewel / 1224 S. Wabash Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: 2 for $4.29 + tax

Review: The carton says that this orange juice is "as close to the grove as you can get." Even though I would like to believe this, I think that it would be entirely possible for me to move down to Florida and get a job picking and squeezing oranges in the actual grove where the oranges used in Florida's Natural come from. And I highly doubt that this juice was actually home squeezed as the name implies. It was most likely squeezed in a factory by a low-paid wage slave.

Do I really need all of this hyperbole while walking through the store late at night? No. What if boxes of condoms said "as close to the womb as you can get!" Would that sway your purchase toward or away?

Obviously orange juice is a bit different. It also doesn't hurt that these large cartons of the stuff were 2-for-1. The best part is, I didn't even need the little grocery club card that you scan for all of those every day discounts. Good thing too... because mine is faded and cracked to oblivion, making it nearly impossible to register my discounts anyway. So rare is it that there is a 2-for-1 offer without a swipe of the card, I had to act on this.

Florida's Natural, despite all of the misleading labeling, does taste more like fresh squeezed than the store brand or the Prairie Farms juice I buy at the 7-Eleven. I've already downed nearly 32 of the 64 ounces of one carton and there is no syrupy aftertaste or acidic hearburn so I will probably be back for more.

I suppose the moral of the story is that Florida's Natural may not live up to all of the advertising hype surrounding the carton, but it's still a pretty good bet for a happy OJ experience.

Rating: 3.75 / 5

Nov. 21st - Previously Reviewed Purchases

Item Purchased: Medium Coffee from Dunkin' Donuts
Review: (LINK)

Item Purchased: 7-Eleven Egg Salad Sandwich
Review: (LINK)

Item Purchased: Planters Smoked Almonds (1.5 oz tube)
Review: (LINK)

Item Purchased: Morningstar Farms Grillers Vegan Veggie Burgers (4 ct.)
Review: (LINK)

Item Purchased: Brownberry Whole Grain Classics 12 Grain Bread (24 oz. loaf)
Review: (LINK)

Sunday, November 20, 2005

Plain Bagel from Coffee on Milwaukee

Item Purchased: Plain Bagel from Coffee on Milwaukee
Location Purchased: Coffee On Milwaukee / 1046 N. Milwaukee Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $0.99 + tax

Review: A simple, doughy, lightly toasted bagel with enough natural flavor that you don't even need a spread to put on top of it. I do recommend, however, using this bagel as a dipping bread for your soup. At $0.99 per bagel (a few cents extra with cream cheese) this is one of the best bagel values in the Chicago area. The bagels are fresh and moist too, not like most other places that serve bagels that will pull a jaw muscle when you try to chew!

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Broccoli and Cheese Soup from Coffee On Milwaukee

Item Purchased: Broccoli and Cheese Soup from Coffee On Milwaukee
Location Purchased: Coffee On Milwaukee / 1046 N. Milwaukee Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $3.85 + tax

Review: Do you remember those cups that the characters on TV's Friends would drink their mochas and lattes out of? They were as big as their heads and probably to blame for hyping Ross and co. up on caffeine, thus making the jokes unbearable and the show unwatchable. Well, the soup at Coffee on Milwaukee comes served in a cup just that large. The best part is, you don't have to suffer through your friends mugging stupidly for the camera.

The broccoli and cheese soup at Coffee on Milwaukee is thick and filled with plenty of fresh-tasting broccoli pieces. If my taste buds serve me correctly, the cheese flavor is a mixture of cheddar and swiss (though I could be wrong and it could simply be a white cheddar). Not too salty and certainly not bland, $3.85 seems to be just the right price for this sizable cup/bowl of soup. Perfect for the upcoming Chicago winter days.

Rating: 4.25 / 5

Medium Coffee from Coffee On Milwaukee

Item Purchased: Medium Coffee from Coffee On Milwaukee
Location Purchased: Coffee On Milwaukee / 1046 N. Milwaukee Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $1.59 + tax

Review: Coffee on Milwaukee may just be one of the best coffee shops in Chicago. I'm not just saying that because two of my friends work there either. High ceilings, clean and comfy environment, good music, live music, affordable sandwiches and sweets, friendly employees and a relaxed atmosphere are just a few of the things this Milwaukee & Noble location has to offer. It is taking Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood a while to catch on, and I hope they do, but that is also part of the charm. Coffee on Milwaukee, with its unassuming name, is the perfect place to work on your novel, finish your homework, relax with your signifigant other or plot excitedly with your closest friends.

The coffee, though I don't know what brand, is brewed light and strong with a bold taste... oh god! Did I just use the word "bold" to describe coffee?... I'm sorry.

It's good.

Oh man, the words are escaping me in dull tones this evening.

Go to Coffee on Milwaukee and see for yourself! You'll have a fun/relaxed/inspired time.

Rating: 4 / 5

Brown Leather USA Belt from Maxwell Street Market

Item Purchased: Brown Leather USA Belt from Maxwell Street Market
Location Purchased: Maxwell Street Market / Chicago, IL
Price: $3.00

Review: This was not the first time I bought a belt from Chicago's hitsoric Maxwell Street Market. Six months ago while my pants were falling down in teh middle of the sultry Chicago summer, I spent the same amount for the same belt. IT seems that, like clockwork, I need a new belt due to wear and tear. Instead of spending half a paycheck for some name-brand silver-studded hipster belt, I choose to go the American (read: cheap) way.

This belt, made from pure leather and tanned to a dark caramel brown, is etched with the image of an eagle twice and the letters "U.S.A." probably wasn't made in the U.S.A. at all. Truth is, it was probably made before I was born. I also have the feeling that the company who paid the sweatshop workers pennies per day to make these belts probably didn't see one red cent for it. Like so many of teh other products at the Maxwell Street Market, these were probably belts that were defective or that "fell" off the back of a truck. Like everything else at Chicago's Maxwell Street Market, you don't ask questions about these things. You take the deals and the chances that come with them and move on.

$6 per year isn't too bad of an investment for a belt if you ask me. Though I am sure that this belt will pull apart at the seams much like my last one did, I am confident that there will be more waiting for me at the nice Chinese man's booth.

Rating: 3.75 / 5

Small Coffee from White Palace Grill

Item Purchased: Small Coffee from White Palace Grill
Location Purchased: White Palace Grill / 1159 S. Canal / Chicago, IL
Price: $1.00 + tax

Review: Unlike most restaurants in Chicago that brew our local Intelligentsia coffee, White Palace Grill uses Superior brand coffees. Superior provides the perfect cup of coffee to compliment a meal. Not to strong and, most definitely, not weak, it only takes one cream and a spoonfull of sugar to make a cup taste comfortable and invigorating. Perhaps not the best coffee to drink on its own or in a fancy syruped drink, Superior coffee is still my first choice to go with any omelette or pancake platter. It will wake you up, taste good and won't gouge you of your pocket change.

Rating: 4.25 / 5

Bagel With Cream Cheese from White Palace Grill

Item Purchased: Bagel With Cream Cheese from White Palace Grill
Location Purchased: White Palace Grill / 1159 S. Canal / Chicago, IL
Price: $2.50 + tax

Review: White Palace Grill is a favorite diner of mine. A holdout from the old days with all of the construction and social "upgrading" going on in the South Loop, this 50's style greasy spoon is a sure shot for all of your cheap breakfast, soup/sandwich and attitude needs. The waitstaff regularly snap at each other playfully over the morning paper and cigarettes and still manage to pour you a cup of coffee, smile and call you "sweetie."

The bagel I ordered looked burnt with a layer of thin black carbon toast marks on it. The globs of melted butter dripping from the fist sized bread ring gave it a smoky flavor The more-than-ample serving of cream cheese (2 containers) served on the side of it was more than I usually expect from an affordable diner.

Rating: 4 / 5

Nov. 20th - Unreviewable Purchases

Item Purchased: Hobo Skillet from White Palace Grill
Location Purchased: White Palace Grill / 1159 S. Canal / Chicago, IL
Price: $6.00 + tax
Note: Purchased for my girlfriend

Item Purchased: BOOK: Run Like an Antelope: On The Road With Phish by Sean Gibbon
Location Purchased: Maxwell Street Market / Chicago, IL
Price: $4.00
Note: Purchased as a gift.

Nov. 20th - To Be Reviewed On Mediatron

Item Purchased: Old Time Radio LP
Location Purchased: Maxwell Street Market / Chicago, IL
Price: $2

Item Purchased: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince - Girls Ain't Nothing But Trouble 12"
Location Purchased: Maxwell Street Market / Chicago, IL
Price: $2

Item Purchased: Pointer Sisters - Jump For My Love 12"
Location Purchased: Maxwell Street Market / Chicago, IL
Price: $2

Item Purchased: Shaquille O'Neal - Shoot Pass Slam 12"
Location Purchased: Maxwell Street Market / Chicago, IL
Price: $2

Item Purchased: Shaquille O'Neal - Shaq-Fu: Da Return LP
Location Purchased: Maxwell Street Market / Chicago, IL
Price: $2

Item Purchased: Rudy Moore - Below The Belt LP
Location Purchased: Maxwell Street Market / Chicago, IL
Price: $2

Item Purchased: Sun Kil Moon - Tiny Cities CD
Location Purchased: Reckless Records / 1532 N. Milwaukee Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $14.99 + Tax

Item Purchased: Spend An Evening With Saddle Creek DVD
Location Purchased: Reckless Records / 1532 N. Milwaukee Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $19.99

Nov. 20th - Previously Reviewed Purchases

Item Purchased: Cheddar Fries from South Loop Club
Review: (LINK)

Saturday, November 19, 2005

Nov. 19th - Previously Reviewed Purchases

Item Purchased: Spanish Omelette from Gourmand Coffeehouse
Review: (LINK)

Item Purchased: Camel Turkish Royal Cigarettes (Hardpack)
Review: (LINK)

Friday, November 18, 2005

Weekly BuyNothing Day

Another day to pause and think about why you are working so damn hard. That big television in your living room? The new car that's sitting in your garage and protects you from the world as you travel from building A to building B?

Another day to buy absolutely nothing! Get something done. You don't have to feed the economy every day. Maybe you could even use this time to find out what your most-bought brands actually spend your money on? Research day?

The original BuyNothing day is coming. It falls one day after Thanksgiving for those of you in the US. Black Friday as the retail workers call it. What are you doing? Shopping? Why not extend the family reunion that is Thanksgiving and sit around eating leftovers, playing card games and catching up a bit more. One day can't really do it. Ask some surprising questions. Talk to your kids/parents about sex. Get risky. Maybe apply some homegrown therapy and get something off of your chest this year. Or just enjoy each other's company. There's only a limited amount of it you know.

If you want to learn more about the original BuyNothing Day and see what is going on in your city/state, go here: (BuyNothing US)

If you really want to buy nothing, you can. Just follow this link and BuyNothing away! (BuyNothing...Literally!)

Thursday, November 17, 2005

1" Custom Printed Consumatron Buttons (100 ct.)


Item Purchased: 1" Custom Printed Consumatron Buttons (100 ct.)
Location Purchased: buttonguy.org
Price: $25.00 ($0.25/ea)

Review: I was looking for affordable ways to get the word out about Consumatron.com. I could have taken the cold, impersonal route and started to blast online message boards and email lists with annoying missives that said "Hey guys, check out my website!" but no one likes those things and few respond. Besides, I don't want this to be just another consumer review site complete with spamming tendencies. I want it to be a personal reaction to daily consumerism. I hope I'm accomplishing that.

So along with the personality of the site, I decided to make the advertising a personal endeavor. Where better to find an ethic of human interaction and creativity than through the punk/diy community? Say what you will about the music, but the community aspect of punk/diy culture stems from something not only contrarian and political, but also something very caring and personal.

So, in searching for services to hype the site, I turned to the greatest punk/diy resource out there. It's called Book Your Own Fucking Life. BYOFL is a directory of bands, zine publishers, crafters, small presses, coffee shops, concert venues, places to crash while traveling and other resources for wandering DIYers. It was there that I found ButtonGuy.

I had heard of buttonguy.org in the past from the pages of Maximumrocknroll, Punk Planet and other zines and magazines. Once I almost used his services for making buttons for my print zine, Burning Jelly. The zine lay in limbo since issue #2 (as it stands, BJ is now my personal blog online), but zinesters never forget.

Buttonguy.org is a guy who offers his 1" button making services to earn a little extra scratch. Unlike the 16-year old with a button maker living in his parents' basement down the block, buttonguy.org offers high quality buttons at low prices and a quick turnaround time. After uploading him my image file and paying through PayPal.com, it took no longer than a week for me to receive my initial order of 100 buttons. The buttons look great and though I was afraid the text would be too small to read, it is crisp and easily distinguished when you look closely at the buttons. The burning money fist logo draws people to the buttons as I learned when I put some out on the counter at work for people to grab.

So now, instead of some annoying mass-email or spam on some website somewhere, I can leave a button on my table at the coffee shop when I leave or simply hand one to someone, look them in the eye, make a very human connection and let them decide if they want to check out the site.

So, if you need any promotional buttons made, don't stop anywhere else. Go directly to buttonguy.org. It's extremely easy to upload your button design as there are templates to download and easy-to-follow instructions to follow for photo-shopping your image. For those of you with no graphics experience whatsoever, you can also mail him your design. Buttonguy is incredibly flexible and ready to accomodate your needs. Also, from the time of my order to the time I received my buttons, I was provided with status e-mails as to when my image was formatted and when the buttons were sent out.

So all you zine publishers, musicians, website designers and other creative types...don't sleep. Contact buttonguy.org! I'll be placing another order with him soon.

And if anyone would like a button or two, just get in touch with me by leaving a comment here or on consumatron's myspace profile. You can send me a SASE or if you are in Chicago, meet me in person and make this website stuff a little more warm and human.

Rating: 4.75 / 5

Small Popcorn (Movie Theater Gauge)

Item Purchased: Small Popcorn (Movie Theater Gauge)
Location Purchased: Webster Place Movie Theater / 1471 W. Webster Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $4.00

Review: Today's purchases offer a lot of questions. For instance, why do I always get lost when going to the Webster Place Theater? Why, as I am getting lost, is it always a freezing cold day when I choose to see a movie at the Webster Place Theater? And the next question is most important of all...

Why in Sam Hill do I ever buy popcorn at a movie theater when I could get a Chuck E Cheese Ball Pit full of the stuff for the same price elsewhere?

The truth is, I rarely buy anything to eat or drink during a movie. I find that when I do, I am usually chewing or swallowing during a key line of dialogue and have to turn to my friend or the stranger sitting next to me and ask them what was just said, thus causing the both of us to miss another key line of dialogue which, in turn, causes us to ask someone else until the entire theater has missed a line of dialogue and we are pounding on the door of the projection room begging them to rewind the spool of film so we know what the hell is going on. Unless, of course, we are watching a David Lynch film. Then we are pounding on the door of the projection room begging them to rewind the film anyway.

But, tonight was a special night. I agreed to go see something I would usually never see. I agreed to go with a group of friends to see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Midnight showing. Lots of people clapping at the actors who can't hear them. Cheering and other such audience participation would be great if it happened at more movies. Unfortunately it only happens at geek cult movies like Star Wars and Star Trek. In fact, the audience for this Harry Potter movie was a lot like a Star Trek crowd, minus the acne and glasses. No one in the audience was under the age of twenty (aren't these based on children's books). But, you know what, it was a pretty good movie. It sure beat any Nic Cage action movie. The story was entertaining and engaging and the acting was great. I could have done a lot worse.

All that being said, back to the popcorn. I didn't have time to get anything to eat between work and the movie theater, so I opted for the cheapest (yet most marked-up) thing on the concession stand. What I got was a bag the size of a brown paper lunch bag filled with greasy butter and powdered salt. It was tasty, but the previews (oh, excuse me...commercials) shown before the movie hadn't even finished by the time I was done munching.

I know movie theater popcorn is a racket and I should just shut up and enjoy the tradition of the experience, but I have a big problem being ripped off. Even if I did go into it knowingly.

Rating: 1 / 5

Birthday Card for my Grandmother

Item Purchased: Birthday Card for my Grandmother
Location Purchased: Jewel-Osco / 1224 S. Wabash Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $3.69 + tax

Review: I have a question. What is it about kittens that make all of my female relatives swoon as if they were cheerleaders watching the star quarterback walk down the hall after history class? If anyone can answer this question, I'll buy you a pizza. I mean, I like cats too.. more than dogs. but I don't lose my breath when I see a baby one. Okay, maybe I'll get a sad-cute face and stagger a bit at the innocence in the face of such a young creature. I may even say "awww" a bit. But I don't let out the long high-pitched sighing sound that is guaranteed to come from the matriarchs in my family.

Regardless as to the immortal answer to the immortal question of cuteness, a kitten is just what is on the front of the birthday card I bought for my grandmother. And you know what? It IS cute.

My grandmother's birthday falls in November just like my Uncle's birthday, but unlike that little incident, I refuse to be a jerk on this one... I allow myself one jerk move a month. That way I don't have to walk on glass all of the time. For now, I must walk on glass until December though.

For such a simple card as this one, with very little text inside, $3.69 seems like a lot to pay for one's personal laziness and another's birthday sentiments. Really, why do we allow these companies like Hallmark to stay in business. Can't we see that they just take little bits of our compassion and caring for each other away from us and turn a special occasion like a birthday into commodity? Really folks, let's try to get back to creating our own cards and gifts. For those you really care about, a store-bought gift and the thought put into it is a sweet thing every once in a while, but wouldn't a gift you made with your own two hands say a whole lot more.

Shame on us for buying into Hallmark holidays and two dimensional sentimentality as our only expression of love!

Rating: 2 / 5

Belated Birthday Card For My Uncle

Item Purchased: Belated Birthday Card For My Uncle (Pleasant Thoughts Cards)
Location Purchased: Jewel-Osco / 1224 S. Wabash Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $1.29 + tax

Review: Okay, so sometimes I am a jerk. I could use the excuse that I misplace my address book (with all of my friends and family's birthdays listed in it) when I rearranged my bedroom. I did lose said address book, but that's still no excuse. I should have called my Mother and asked her my Uncle's birthday. I know it is in November. I just didn't remember it being so early in November. So, now I am 6 days late for my Uncle's birthday with no card. Qualifies me for jerk status.

But that is why they make cute little cards like the one I bought this morning. I don't think my Uncle uses the internet so I think it is safe to describe it on here (I'd scan it, but I need to get this thing sent off ASAP).

On the front of the card is a very guilty looking turtle twiddling his thumb-like appendages (all six of them). Imagine the Hare from the Tortoise and the Hare, waking up and not only realizing that he is going to lose the race, but also that he has been turned into an even slower tortoise. That's about how this guy looks. Befuddled, stupid and cute. Along the top margin it says "Another late birthday card from me..."

On the inside, it seems to be the cute, slightly faster tortoise smiling and saying "Isn't it nice to know there are still some things you can depend on?" followed by typical birthday salutations.

So, I buy a cute card for a dollar and a quarter and my transgressions are forgiven, right? It's that easy in the consumer world, right? sigh I wish my guilt were that easy to assuage.

Cute card, but I'm still a jerk.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Nov. 17th - Previously Reviewed Purchases

Item Purchased: Medium Coffee from Dunkin' Donuts
Review: (LINK)

Item Purchased: Medium Caribou Coffee (Light Roast)
Review: (LINK)

Item Purchased: Drum Rolling Tobacco (40 gr.)
Review: (LINK)

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Goose Island Honker's Ale (1 pt.)

Item Purchased: Goose Island Honker's Ale (1 pt.)
Location Purchased: Morgan's on Maxwell / 1325 S. Halsted / Chicago, IL
Price: $3.00 + tax

Review: Goose Island is the largest microbrewery in Chicago, but be forewarned, Goose Island only makes two good beers that I have tried. The first is a limited brew that is only available during January and February called Pere Jacques which I reviewed here. The second is Goose Island's signature brew; Honker's Ale.

Honker's Ale is a medium amber ale with a slight bitterness to it. It almost reminds me of the "red" beers you can find in any supermarket, but with enough malt and hops taste to stave off the sour faces. Though I don't taste it unless I am looking for it, there is a light spice to this brew as well. Honker's Ale goes down easy and is refreshing for any time of the year.

Better than the beer itself, was the experience this night. Jeremy Mercer, an author who was giving a reading of his new book at the bookstore I work at, unfortunately was scheduled to read on the coldest day of the year so far. The Chicago winds were not taking any prisoners tonight and only one person was brave enough to face the winds. At the author's suggestion, I ended up sitting in a fairly typical sports bar with Jeremy, his friend Jaime and Michael, a writer for Stop Smiling magazine. Over the course of a few beers, we had a meandering chat about everything from world travel, bookstores, writing, hot-plate cooking, odd apartments and a radio documentary about a voluntary lobotomy. I only spent about 45 minutes with these guys talking, smoking and drinking, but it felt like enough was said to fill half a day. Unfortunately, I had to get back to my job to tend to my duties, but I must say, it was the most inspiring and invigorating 45 minutes of conversation I have had in a long while.

Drinks and their reviews are one thing, but one can't properly review the greatness of a good conversation with new friends.

Thanks guys!

Rating: 3.25 / 5 (beer)
Rating: 5 / 5 (conversation)

Reviewed Today on Mediatron















REVIEWED ON MEDIATRON

Nov. 16th - Unreviewable Purchases

Item Purchased: Stella Artois Beer (1 pt.)
Location: Morgan's on Maxwell / 1325 S. Halsted / Chicago, IL
Price: ??
Note: Bought as a round of drinks for the three compatriots I was with. I wasn't comfortable saying "Hey! Let me try your beer so I can review it for my website!"

Item Purchased: Black & Tan (1 pt.)
Location: Morgan's on Maxwell / 1325 S. Halsted / Chicago, IL
Price: ??
Note: Bought as a round of drinks for the three compatriots I was with. I wasn't comfortable saying "Hey! Let me try your drink so I can review it for my website!"

Item Purchased: Chocolate Martini
Location: Morgan's on Maxwell / 1325 S. Halsted / Chicago, IL
Price: ??
Note: Bought as a round of drinks for the three compatriots I was with. I wasn't comfortable saying "Hey! Let me try your drink so I can review it for my website!"

Nov. 16th - Previously Reviewed Purchases

Item Purchased: Medium Coffee from Dunkin' Donuts
Review: (LINK)

Item Purchased: Camel Turkish Royal Cigarettes (Hardpack)
Review: (LINK)

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Nov. 15th - Previously Reviewed Purchases

Item Purchased: Medium Coffee from Dunkin' Donuts
Review: (LINK)

Item Purchased: Medium Caribou Coffee (Light Roast)
Review: (LINK)

Item Purchased: Planters Smoked Almonds (1.5 oz tube)
Review: (LINK)

Item Purchased: Chocolate Chip Cookie from Caribou Coffee
Review: (LINK)

Item Purchased: 7-Eleven Smoked Turkey & Jack Cheese Sandwich w/Southwest Mayonnaise
Review: (LINK)

Monday, November 14, 2005

7-Eleven Egg, Molasses Honey Ham on Roll Breakfast Sandwich

Item Purchased: 7-Eleven Egg, Molasses Honey Ham on Roll Breakfast Sandwich
Location Purchased: 7-Eleven / 1350 S. Halsted / Chicago, IL
Price: $1.99 + tax

Review: Before I make the statement I am about to make, let me go on record as saying that I actually like this sandwich. I only warn you because the comparison I am about to use is so horrible...so earth-shatteringly putrid, that you may need to find the nearest bucket to purge your three squares into.

Ready?

Here goes...

At first glance, this new breakfast sandwich from 7-Eleven resembles the two-packs of White Castle hamburgers you can buy from the cafe cars of Amtrak trains.

Sorry. I had to say it.

I only bring up that imagery because the buns used for this sandwich are two silver-dollar sized circular hamburger buns baked together in the middle. Thankfully, that is where the similarities end.

Unlike White Castle hamburgers, this sandwich is edible. Consisting of a flat rectangular slab of deli ham and an equally flat slab of egg, both glazed with a honey hollandaise sauce, this sandwich gets the "adequate morning snack" stamp of approval.

Though a bit small (even for $1.99), the molasses flavor and lean ham makes this an enjoyable sandwich. It's only fallback is that the buns get extremely soggy when you heat the sandwich.

Recommended for those of you who liek to dip your sausage in your syrup.

Rating: 3.75 / 5

Nov. 14th - Previously Reviewed Purchases

Item Purchased: Medium Coffee from Dunkin' Donuts
Review: (LINK)

Item Purchased: Medium Caribou Coffee (Light Roast)
Review: (LINK)

Item Purchased: Caribou Coffee Reduced Fat Cranberry Scone
Review: (LINK)

Item Purchased: Camel Turkish Royal Cigarettes (Hardpack)
Review: (LINK)

Item Purchased: Planters Smoked Almonds (1.5 oz tube)
Review: (LINK)

Item Purchased: Morningstar Farms Grillers Vegan Veggie Burgers (4 ct.)
Review: (LINK)

Item Purchased: Brownberry Whole Grain Classics 12 Grain Bread (24 oz. loaf)
Review: (LINK)

Item Purchased: Dean's Half & Half (32 oz.)
Review: (LINK)

Sunday, November 13, 2005

Crazy Bread from Little Caesars (8 pcs.)

Item Purchased: Crazy Bread from Little Caesars (8 pcs.)
Location Purchased: Little Caesars (Inside of the K-Mart) / 1360 N. Ashland Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $0.99 + tax

Review: Crazy Bread?

They used to be crazy...

...back when you would get two orders for free with any large pizza from Little Caesars. Plus marinara dipping sauce! That shit was crazy. Now you have to pay extra for an order of Crazy Bread (only $0.99 with a large pizza but still...) and even more for a small container of dipping sauce.

These things should be called lightly buttered and salted doughy boring bland breadsticks. That, my friends, is what the craziness has become.

Each crazy piece is no bigger than a couple of fast food french fries laid side by side and is trapped in the stage between cheap dough and white bread. Even $0.99 is too much to pay for these things. You want crazy? Pay full price without the large pizza! That's crazy!

Crazy bread used to be garlic flavored and cheese covered. Perfect for marinara dipping! They used to be take-a-hit-of-acid-and-french-kissing-your-sister crazy. Now, they are simply drooling-out-of-the-nose-onto-your-straightjacket-crazy.

Rating: 2 / 5

14" Large Cheese Pizza from Little Caesars

Item Purchased: 14" Large Cheese Pizza from Little Caesars
Location Purchased: Little Caesars (Inside of the K-Mart) / 1360 N. Ashland Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $5.00 + tax

Review: The sign hanging above the register and pizza heating cases says that this $5.00 price for a large pizza will be offered for a limited time only. My guess is that Little Caesar's central command has an abundance of their pizza doughs in a freezer bunker somewhere and they are about to expire. Their plan is to ship these out to all of their K-Mart location pizzerias and sell them off for cheap.

That's just a guess.

Good plan, I say! This "limited time only" offer has been going on for months now and the only drawback is the long line you have to wait in before the employees notice you are there and take your order. The good people of Chicago aren't sleeping. They are all in line for $5.00 pizzas!

Little Caesar's pizza is nothing to write home about. The tomato sauce is a bit too sweet for my taste and the crust is rubbery like a frozen pizza. I've actually had better frozen pizzas. I have not, however, had better frozen pizzas that cost $5.00 or less. So, if you are going to get your dinner at Little Caesar's, by all means go! Just don't be misled.

Here you'll find filling food and value. Not gourmet or even streetside pizza-cart cuisine.

Rating: 3.25 / 5

Large Salted Soft Pretzel from Little Caesars

Item Purchased: Large Salted Soft Pretzel from Little Caesars
Location Purchased: Little Caesars (Inside of the K-Mart) / 1360 N. Ashland Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $1.79 + tax

Review: We had just ordered a large pizza for $5.00 but I couldn't wait the half hour for it to be done. I needed food immediately! It has been a while since I have eaten a large soft pretzel. I really like getting them from restaurants and carnivals because they heat them under heat lamps. It makes the outside of the pretzel crispy and the inside soft and delicious. Grocery-bought frozen soft pretzels are usually disgusting. Either they come out of the oven too crispy and most of the salt falls off or they come out of the microwave too soggy and the salt melts into the sopping wet dough. I'm not sure how they get those iceberg-sized salt cubes to stick to the pretzels anyway, but it seems that the only way to get them to stay is by blasting the dough twists with a heat lamp.

Little Caesars either needed to get their heat lamp repaired or just forgot to turn it on.

So guess what they did to my pretzel?

That's right! They nuked it!

Soggified.

For just three more dollars I could have gotten another 14" pizza, but I had to fight the hunger and my impatience with a snack. A soggy irradiated snack at that.

At least the salt didn't melt too much. Part of this obviously frozen pretzel even had the crispy consistency of a normal baked pretzel. Oh the inconsistency of microwaved foods!

When will I learn?

Rating: 2 / 5

Vending Machine Sticker ("Let's Make An Alliance")


Item Purchased: Vending Machine Sticker ("Let's Make An Alliance")
Location Purchased: Jewel / 1341 N. Paulina / Chicago, IL
Price: $0.50

Review: This sticker is stupid. Look at the picture. There were several bee stickers with cute relationship sayings on them. Some kind and some vicious. What is this even supposed to mean? An alliance? Am I supposed to pass this sticker to my opponent during a game of Risk? What if s/he is turned on by bumblebees in bikinis?

I don't know.

I just don't know.

Rating: 1.75 / 5

He'Brew Messiah Bold Beer (6 pk. bottles)


Item Purchased: He'Brew Messiah Bold Beer (6 pk. bottles)
Location Purchased: Jewel / 1341 N. Paulina / Chicago, IL
Price: $7.49 + tax

Review: Kosher beer with a sense of humor! I would imagine that some of the stuffier people of Jewish faith might be offended by the illustration of the Jewish stereotype on the bottle. Not to mention the use of the word "Messiah" to describe their Amber Ale.

Though a bit expensive for a six-pack from the grocer, this was a surprisingly great tasting beer. We bought it as a goof, but it turned out to taste like the perfect medium between a typical amber and a typical dark beer. There is a slightly sweet undertone to this beer but it is counterbalanced perfectly by the bitter and leaves you with a weighty, refeshing beer with no aftertaste.

If you are not easily offended, grab a case of this stuff for your next social gathering and be sure to check out the company's website: shmaltz.com

Rating: 4.25 / 5

image provided by a link to shmaltz.com

Mini Pool Ball Puzzle Toy (Vending Machine Toy)


Item Purchased: Mini Pool Ball Puzzle Toy (Vending Machine Toy)
Location Purchased: Jewel / 1341 N. Paulina / Chicago, IL
Price: $0.25

Review: I don't do it often, but every once in a while, the quarter vending machines call out to me on the way out of the grocery store. It was a toss up between the sticky grabber hand or this tiny puzzle of dexterity.

Made to look like a miniature billiards ball (I got the red 3-ball for those of you reading without images), this tiny plastic sphere breaks apart into six curved pieces. The object of the puzzle is to reassemble the pieces into their original sphere shape. Though not a difficult puzzle to figure out, it is moderately challenging to achieve. The challenge is tha tyou must find a way to hold five of the puzzle pieces in place with one hand while placing the final piece to provide stability to the structure.

After five minutes and a few failed attempts, I was able to solve the puzzle without glancing at the microscopic solution sheet that was tucked inside of the puzzle.

One quarter for five minutes of entertainment. That's a better value than most peep-shows!

Rating: 3.25 / 5

Nov. 13th - To Be Reviewed On Mediatron

Item Purchased: Sound Directions - The Funky Side of Life (LP)
Location Purchased: Dusty Groove / 1120 N. Ashland Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $11.99 + tax

Item Purchased: Wattstax - The Living Word (2xLP)
Location Purchased: Dusty Groove / 1120 N. Ashland Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $5.99 + tax

Item Purchased: Dave Brubeck Quartet - Jazz Impressions of Japan (LP)
Location Purchased: Dusty Groove / 1120 N. Ashland Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $0.99 + tax

Item Purchased: Jimmy McGriff - I've Got A Woman (LP)
Location Purchased: Dusty Groove / 1120 N. Ashland Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $0.99 + tax

Saturday, November 12, 2005

Pepperidge Farms Goldfish (Cheddar Cheese - 4oz.)


Item Purchased: Pepperidge Farms Goldfish (Cheddar Cheese - 4oz.)
Location Purchased: 7-Eleven / 343 S. Dearborn / Chicago, IL
Price: $0.99 + tax

Review: Eating goldfish crackers always reminds me of the trips my mother and I would take to the Pepperidge Farms outlet store in Milwaukee. This time, however, I was reminded of my childhood trips to the Milwaukee County Zoo where I would feed tiny food pellets to the goats from the palm of my hand.

The reason for this? Michaelia insisted on raising palm-fulls of orange smiling crackers to my mouth until I ate them. In keeping with my childhood memories of the ravenous and sloppy goats, I proceeded to lick, nibble and let crumbs fall from my teeth back into her palm. I think she thought it was cute...or disgusting...or a bit of both.

The crackers were the same as I remember them. Crunchy, with a light taste of cheddar that stays in your mouth long after you have swallowed. The dryness of the crackers insures a wad of cracker-mush buildup around your gums that you will be picking away with a finger before the night is through. The mush is a tasty byproduct itself. I know it sounds disgusting, but it has a texture and taste all its own which differs from the initial crunch and taste of the crackers. Goldfish are like two snacks in one if you don't just wolf and swallow like you do everything else.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Buy some Goldfish Crackers from Amazon.com: Consume.
Image supplied by a link to amazon.com

Nov. 12th - Unreviewable Purchases

Item Purchased: Budweiser Beer (6 pk. cans)
Location Purchased: 7-Eleven / 343 S. Dearborn / Chicago, IL
Price: $5.45 + tax
Note: Purchased for a party I attended. Did not drink any of the beer.

Item Purchased: Budweiser Beer (6 pk. bottles)
Location Purchased: 7-Eleven / 343 S. Dearborn / Chicago, IL
Price: $5.65 + tax
Note: Purchased for a party I attended. Did not drink any of the beer.

Nov. 12th - Previously Reviewed Purchases

Item Purchased: Planters Honey Roasted Peanuts (1.75 oz. tube)
Location Purchased: 7-Eleven / 343 S. Dearborn / Chicago, IL
Price: $0.50 + tax
Review: (LINK)

Item Purchased: Planters Salted Peanuts (1.75 oz. tube)
Location Purchased: 7-Eleven / 343 S. Dearborn / Chicago, IL
Review: (LINK)

Friday, November 11, 2005

Nov. 11th - Weekly BuyNothing

Another commerce free day of drinking some home-brewed coffee, working on various projects with friends and getting some writing and reading done.

In the spirit of opting out of the trade of little pieces of paper which have an imaginary value (i mean, it's all faith really... you can't even claim silver for your money any more), I thought I'd direct you to a blog that keeps us updated on an older form of commerce. Barter.

Check out this site:

OneRedPaperclip.com

This guy started with a small red paperclip and has been bartering for things here and there. His ultimate goal is to end up with a house. Using nothing but simple trading of goods for goods, he has already made it to a red generator.

Check up on his progress now and again and then take some time to think about all of the stuff you have accumulated throughout your life. You probably don't really need or even want half of it. So why not trade it to someone for something different. It doesn't even have to be a fair trade. Get rid of your old 8-Track collection in exchange for a bagel with cream cheese. Trade your old pair of sneakers for a dog-eared copy of a book you've never read.

It could be interesting and fun. And it won't cost you a penny.

Mindlessly spending cash and credit is not the only way to experience this world. Talk to someone. See what they have and don't need. See if you can make something with some old junk to increase the allure. Build a robot out of some old computer parts and your Backstreet Boys CDs. Make a pipe-cleaner and twisty-tie flower bouquet! Then trade it for something equally interesting.

Or simply trade something of yours to someone in need in exchange for a priceless smile and a few words of gratitude.

Thursday, November 10, 2005

Nov. 10th - Previously Reviewed Items

Item Purchased: Medium Caribou Coffee (Light Roast)
Review: (LINK)

Item Purchased: Maxwell Street Polish Sausage w/Fries
Review: (LINK)
Note: Woah now! Two Maxwell Street Polish already this month. I need to take it easy if I don't want the heart to rupture, thus ending my enjoyment of Chicago's best/worst forever. Also, I took a short nap at my desk at work after eating this meat-mixture behemoth. Nitrate overload!

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Swiss & Bacon Omelette w/French Fries from Hollywood Grill

Item Purchased: Swiss & Bacon Omelette w/French Fries from Hollywood Grill
Location Purchased: Hollywood Grill / 1601 W. North Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $6.70 + tax

Review: Hollywood Grill, you have redeemed yourself. After my last two reviews, I was about ready to never come back. I'm sorry I ever doubted you. You've taught me a valuable lesson. If I stray from what you are good at, I will be sorely disappointed.

When I cut into this omelette, I saw beads of juicy lard glistening and dropping from the top of my breakfast at midnight concoction. Loads of cheap and tasty swiss cheese filled the omelette as if it were a swiss burrito and the bacon strips were crispy and slick with oils destined to be both bad for me and pleasant on the tongue.

And for a side, instead of hash browns or pancakes, I chose to get the perfectly crisp French fries of the Hollywood.

Happily munching my meant for the diner diner food, I glanced in the direction of the weathered waitress carrying six plates at once on two arms and smiled a private smile. Hollywood grill is not a place for experimentation, but if you keep it simple and tasty, they won't let you down.

The only bad thing about this grease fest was the fact that I had sucked down my awful shake before it arrived and wasn't able to finish sliding the slick egg dish down my gullet.

Rating: 4 / 5

Vanilla Shake from Hollywood Grill

Item Purchased: Vanilla Shake from Hollywood Grill
Location Purchased: Hollywood Grill / 1601 W. North Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $2.95 + tax

Review: Shakes are one of the things you can usually trust to be enjoyable at a diner.

There are exceptions to every rule.

Since when does vanilla taste like air and since when are shakes served luke warm?

Thank christ I had a healthy dollop of whipped cream to mix into this soupy milk broth! Even the disgusting maraschino cherry tasted better than the shake itself. I hate those things! All preserved in formaldehyde sugar syrup and shit!

Hollywood Grill has provided me with some great memories in the past. Thankfully, my long term memory is not failing me.

Rating: 1 / 5

Spaghetti w/Marinara from Hollywood Grill

Item Purchased: Spaghetti w/Marinara from Hollywood Grill
Location Purchased: Hollywood Grill / 1601 W. North Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $5.95 + tax

Review: The Hollywood Grill is a diner. Diners are known for a few things. Among them are burgers, bacon, french fries, eggs, weak coffee and hair-netted waitresses. There are a few other things that belong on that list but pasta is not one of them. Not even from an Italian diner do you order pasta. Pasta from a diner is like Rap music from a professional athlete.

The world would be a better place with less of either of these things.

The spaghetti noodles tasted like they had been soaking in cold water for three weeks. Whatever egg or flour was used in making these noodles had been washed away, leaving a water-flavored sponge skeleton. The marinara was nothing more than a blended and canned tomato with even more - that's right - water added to the mix.

If that wasn't enough, for the meager (yet far too expensive for what we received) $5.95, the pasta dish comes with a sizable watery salad with equally watery dressing on the side. The part of this meal that wasn't watered down was the garlic bread. That was rubbery instead.

Kids, when you go to a diner, get the coffee, get some heart-clogging bacon... hell... get an omelette with fries like I did.

Just stay away from the pasta. What is provided in quantity is most definitely lacking in quality.

Rating: 0.5 / 5

Nov. 9th - Unreviewable Purchases

Item Purchased: Coca Cola from Hollywood Grill
Location Purchased: Hollywood Grill / 1601 W. North Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $1.35 + tax
Why I Can't Review It: Purchased for a friend and I also rarely drink this gutrot.

Nov. 9th - Previously Reviewed Purchases

Item Purchased: Chocolate Chip Cookie from Caribou Coffee
Review: (LINK)

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Custom Printed Consumatron Hoodie Sweatshirt


Item Purchased: Custom Printed Consumatron Hoodie Sweatshirt
Location Purchased: Cafepress.com
Price: $24.99 + shipping

Review: My friend once made some shirts with truthful and thought provoking slogans on them through Cafepress.com. I bought this one and wore it constantly while attending various protests around the country. Despite the convenient service of print-on-demand custom wearables, I always thought that their prices were a bit high.

I was wrong.

While thinking of ways to publicize this website with little or no cost, I stumbled back to cafepress.com and discovered that you can get this warm and comfortable hoodie for less than you would pay for a brand new sweatshirt anywhere in Chicago. Then, I noticed that you can upload not one, but two images to the site: one for the front of the shirt and one for the back. Most T-shirt shops and printers I have been to would charge nearly $40.00 for this service. With this in mind, I decided to give Cafepress.com a try.

My last concern was that the graphic I uploaded to the site would become blurry or pixellated when blown up to the full ten inches allowed for a shirt image. Because there was text on both of my images, this was a major concern for me. I wanted to wear this shirt in order to generate interest in the site, so a pixellated mish-mash would do me no good.

As I tore open the shipping bag that the shirt arrived in like an only child on christmas, my eyes lit up at what I saw. The graphics are large and crisp. The text is easily readable from varying distances. I am wearing the shirt as I write this and still can't believe the value and quality of my purchase.

Cafepress.com also allows me to offer my designs and products for sale. The idea is that I set the price above their base price and get paid the earnings from the increase. I am actually offering this shirt for sale on the site, but am only upping the price one dollar. Why ruin a perfectly affordable service and a perfectly good hoodie by being greedy?

Just be sure you remember me when you win the next season of Survivor.

So, if you are interested in buying a hoodie, follow the link below. Better yet, make your own Consumatron.Com gear and sport it around town.

Just be sure to send me pictures either way!

As a final thought, I was disappointed to find out that Cafepress.com uses Hanes clothing. Hanes is a large perpetrator of sweatshop labor. However, recently, Cafepress.com has begun using American Apparel shirts. The prices are a bit higher, but in the long run, you are making an investment in human rights. If you would like to contact Cafepress.com with your concerns, please follow this link: Tell Cafepress.com To Stop Using Sweatshop Labor! They are making steps in the right direction. Let's keep urging them to continue down this path.

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Buy a hoodie from Cafepress.com: Consume.