New Things #2 - Plus, A Spoiler-Free Review of the Harry Potter Audio Books

As promised, I am back with a few more of the newest things I have tried. As you can see, I am also reviewing the Harry Potter Audio book series. They aren't exactly new, but they are new to me, so deal with it.

First up, also as promised, the Chocolate Limited Edition Skittles.
Ew. Is that 'nuff said? No? Fine, let me elaborate more on what I consider to be a ripoff even though they only cost me 65 cents. Skittles do not release "limited editions" as frequently as Hershy's Kisses, or the infinite incarnations of Reese's Peanut Butter cups. When I saw the Chocolate variety, I knew it would surprise if I were to like it, but I thought for the sake of this blog that I would try it. Again, just look to ol' Adam when you need someone to take a hit for the team. The five flavors in this essence of poo colored pack are S'mores, Vanilla, Chocolate Caramel, Chocolate Pudding, and Brownie Batter. I believe that the M&M/Mars corporation listed the flavors in this order to resemble the taste of each one getting progressively worse. The S'mores and Vanilla skittles are by far the best. Probably because those are the two that are making the smallest attempt of tasting like "chocolate." If there was a way I could just buy a pack of the Vanilla flavored skittles, I would be greatly pleased. Unfortunately, brownie batter and chocolate pudding happen to make up 75% of the bag. As statistically unfeasible as this sounds, the skittle gods were not smiling upon me when they decided my future that fateful Saturday morning at the maverick gas station in Chesterfield. Maybe that should have been my first clue.

For those of you who think I am a very negative critic, please continue reading. Or don't...

Second are the limited edition "Lemon Créme" Hershey Kisses. Remember what I said about the "Strawberry Créme" kisses, and how if the company had to use the spelling of "créme", that it probably wasn't going to be any good? Well, shut my mouth. These things were pretty dang tasty. I'm a big fan of Lemon pudding, lemon meringue pie, lemon cakes, so I thought, what they hey! These kisses melted in my mouth much more easily than their strawberry counterparts, and they left a very nice aftertaste, not like the old "Lemon Diet Coke", that tasted just like how Lemon Pledge smelled. (Have you ever heard someone say "Ew, that tastes like Lemon Pledge, or something like that? Do these people not know that Lemon Pledge is a dusting spray, and not a breath freshener? Just curious if I was the only one...) I highly recommend these...

Next up, the Freschetta Naturally Rising Supreme Frozen Pizza!
I have not had a frozen pizza for several years. One night when Marianne was out for a night out, I thought I would take the kids to Smith's to pick out something to eat. I saw that these pizzas were on sale, and I thought to myself, "Adam, (because that's what I call myself), besides being extremely good looking and ruggedly handsome, you deserve a relaxed evening. Don't make dinner, just put something in the oven and enjoy the rest of your evening with the kids." I saw these pizzas on sale, and I thought that they looked like they would fit the bill. However, somebody forgot to tell me that the store now asks for some type of currency, or payment of some sort before exchanging their goods with their patrons. Needless to say, I had forgotten my wallet at the house. Well, it was rice and raisin's that night, 'cuz I was not going back to the store after that little embarrassing moment. Long story short (too late), I remembered to bring my wallet during a follow up visit to the old food king, and purchased this pizza a few weeks later. The statement "naturally rising" is an understatement, and is a little like saying that the Ultimate Warrior got his muscles naturally. This pizza had to be on steroids! I never thought what came out of the box would have turned into something so huge and delicious! The crust wasn't at all dry, regardless of how large it grew. It was tender, chewy, and very tasty indeed. Much better fare than the Pizza Mia Pizza's I reviewed last time. I highly recommend these as well.

Lastly, the Spoiler-Free review of the Harry Potter Audio Books -
I always thought that Harry Potter books were for little kids, however I would at least watch the movies. It was hard to miss that the movies have been getting progressively darker as the series reaches the finale. I didn't think that they looked much like kids books after all, and I thought that I would give the audio books a whirl, mostly since they don't require a lot of attention and I've got to listen to something anyway during my commute. As I progressed through the books, I became more and more enthralled with what would happen to Harry during the final two books (since I had already seen the previous five books in movie form.) The performance of Jim Dale, who read all seven books, was incredible. He was able to keep every voice very distinct from one another, and gave a very great reading. I was able to get all seven audio books from the Salt Lake County Library system, after putting them all on hold, and only had to wait about a month before I got them all. I've listened to countless audio books since getting my iPod three years ago, and of them all I would definitely recommend this series as one of the best. Oh, and anything that Dan Brown has written as well.

With that, I'll finish this month's review with another promise to be back. If anybody has any recommendations for things I should try, leave it in the comments section.