Morbid Romantic

Book Review & Personal Blog

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hiltons of Branson. All opinions are 100% mine.

The last time I visited Missouri, when I was traveling through with family from Virginia to Utah, we stopped and spent the might in Kingdom City. It was a very small town by the looks of it, with miles of road stretching from where we bunked in for the night. Being unfamiliar with the area, I did not know what there was to do and we ended up spending our time watching cable TV in a small motel near a big red barn style shopping center. It was not until we drove a little ways the next day, while looking for a post office to mail off some postcards, that we saw a very interesting place called Nostalgiaville. Purveyors of ‘nostalgic stuff’ in general, the place had a very retro feel with its Betty Boop and Elvis decorations. It was really quite charming to look at and I wish we could have spent more time there.

Suffice to say, we may have had a more action packed trip had we some idea what was available to do in Missouri. Once we went through St. Louis, we pretty much decided to stick to what we knew and head down the interstate. Our destinations were determined not by interesting attractions but where the road took us.

But now I have been alerted to a Missouri city called Branson, which apparently is the “live music show capital of the world.” By the looks of their official website, there is tons to do there. Personally, being inclined to history as I am, I would love to take a trip to their Titanic Museum. Yes, it does strike me as a little odd that a nonport town has a museum dedicated to a shipping disaster, and that is what makes it so charming. What I like the most is that I see they have this really awesome replica of the ship itself (don’t worry, I don’t think reenactments take place). And look at this absolutely gorgeous replica of the grand staircase:

You can even get married on the staircase. Now that sounds like a real dream come true to me. History buffs will agree.

I think after I visit the Titanic museum, I would like to visit their Dinosaur Museum. There is a little kid in all of us, yes, and I just love looking at big Dinosaur footprints or looking at their bones. And let’s not pretend that I won’t also be visiting the Haunted House & Monster Asylum. Haunted House? Monster? Asylum? Count me in! I relish any opportunity to be amongst creepy and dire things. They don’t call me Morbid for no reason, after all.

After that, provided I am properly scared as I should be, I might just have to retire to rest. You know, gain my bearings after having the life almost scared entirely out of me. A nice place to stay is the Hilton Promenade at Branson Landing. They have very nice rooms and amenities like a fitness room and swimming pool. Or, if you want something else, there is the Hilton Branson Convention Center. They have everything the Promenade has but… fishing. Yes. One of their services includes fishing in addition to the pool and fitness room. You cannot deny that this is amazing. Best of all, both hotels allow you to have large animals for a animal fee. The last time I had to look for a hotel room with some cats, it was very hard and we had to stay in the cheaper places for that fact.

So guys… plan away!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Boost Mobile. All opinions are 100% mine.

There comes a point when each and every one of us stares down at our current cellphone and says, “I need a new one.” Maybe it’s because of lifespan, but usually it is because our phones become outdated as new models are put out with bigger and better features. Boost Mobile is releasing its SANYO Incognito, a QWERTY flip phone that looks absolutely sleek.

With the phone you get a $50 Monthly Unlimited Plan that includes talk, text AND web, which is pretty good considering how desperate times call us to stretch a dollar. Best yet, you are not required to sign a contract. I spent nearly twice that a month for my minutes and text message plan, without any web browsing included. When you order through the link above, you can get the SANYO Incognito, model number SCP6760, for just $129.99 (excluding taxes) with free shipping. What kind of camera is the SANYO Incognito? Let me tell you a bit about the features you can expect from the phone. There is a 2MP camera and a VGA camcorder. In addition, it is Bluetooth compatible and GPS enabled. For those of you who like to use your phones for fun, you can listen to music and play video through it. And for those among us who surf the web from their phone, the SANYO Incognito has enhanced web browsing so that you can stay in touch with your social networking friends. You can even send picture and video messages for a full multi-media experience.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Charter Communication. All opinions are 100% mine.

Charter has been bringing in the good deals and holiday cheer since Black Friday, when, until Cyber Monday, they gave away gift cards to major retailers worth up to $200 with special online deals. I am sure a lot of those went toward a lot of good Christmas shopping.

But Charter did not end it there. After Cyber Monday, a whole new deal was rolled out when they began a 38 Days of Specials event. To end out the year, they pushed out their greatest set of deals so far! That is not to say Charter has asof yet to give out many great prizes. In fact, they have so far given away HDTVs, a Toyota Prius, Xbox 360s, and a 2010 Chevy Camaro 2SS as part of their many sweepstakes.

During the 38 Days of Specials, each day the Charter’s Daily Deal Web Site will post that days great deals, which are full of savings. Also included will be gifts and prizes, so you could win a lot more than a good prize on a bundle package. What sort of prizes? Everything from iPods, camcorders, TVs, GPS, webcams, and digital photo frames. For those of you who are into great Showtime programming and series’, you can also win Showtime swag of Dexter, The Tudors, and Californication. If HBO is more your thing, as it is mine, they are giving away Big Love and Entourage swag.

To stay updated on all of Charter’s many deals and sweepstakes, as I am sure they will keep up their fast pace, become a fan of Charter on Facebook.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Jones Soda. All opinions are 100% mine.

When IZEA and Jones Soda Co. sent me a free bottle of their Tofurky and Gravy Jones Soda for the Thanksgiving/Christmas season, I admit I was a bit hesitant to try it.

Tofurky and Gravy Soda by Jones Soda Co.

I thought to myself, “if this lives up to its name, it is going to taste like tofurky and gravy, but in liquid form and cold.” Confessing further, the idea of it was not that appealing, and the murky brown color of the soda itself, like a watered down gravy, sort of turned me off. So, it sat on my shelf and then in the fridge for a while. I kept looking at it but telling myself that my stomach wasn’t quite ready for the thought of ingesting something that tastes like meat and gravy.

Finally, my boyfriend saw it and asked if I wanted him to try it. He looked on the back of the bottle and lied to be to give me courage. He informed me that there was caramel inside, leaving out the fact that the caramel was in coloring and coloring only. This gave me a hint of optimism that maybe, just maybe, it was called Tofurky and Gravy, but it really tasted like candy! Like the name was some sort of psych out. You know, only the strong survive and all that.

So into the fridge it went to get cold.

Confident it would taste like candy, I cracked it open and took a very small sip.

It did not taste like caramel or candy. Though it did have a somewhat mild sweet flavor, it definitely tasted like an interesting combination of meat and a salty but subtle gravy. I wanted to take a second sip to get a better idea of the flavor, but I just could not bring myself to. It tasted exactly like I thought it would on first impression: liquid meat and gravy. The tiny taste of sweetness did not mesh well since I don’t typically eat my turkey and gravy with sugar on it, usually salt. Though salt is the second or third ingredient in this particular soda.

No, no, not for me. But I think that everyone needs to try out the soda once in their life. It certainly is an experience to taste something like this… Thanksgiving in a bottle and ice cold with a hint of sugar. When everyone is around the holiday table about to eat dinner, break out a case of this and serve it up for the full holiday experience.

As for me, I am going to turn over the rest to my boyfriend and let him try it. Serve him right for telling me it was going to taste like caramel!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Yamaha. All opinions are 100% mine.

My iPod goes with me everywhere. I take it to the office, to class, in the car, and I frequently lay in bed and listen to it while I read or relax. Having my music is absolutely essential to me, so I use it every day in some form or another. I watch a few videos on my iPod, but I find that I most like being able to listen to music and save the space for my immense playlist… 10,000 songs and counting. I also use it for some of the many audiobooks I am accumulating. Here, take a look at my precious baby:

There is nothing like lying down, closing your eyes, and listening to a good song or book. But when I am lounging around the house, usually in my bedroom, I do not want to sit there with earbuds plugged in. Personally, I find that I move around too much and end up ripping them out of my ears constantly. After a while, I get so fed up that I just toss the iPod aside. So, a pair of speakers to play your iPod or iPhone is essential. Not any pair of speakers will do, though. If you expect good quality sound out of your home stereo or car stereo, you should expect it out of your iPod player. Just because the iPod is a small piece of equipment doesn’t mean you have to expect a little sound.

Yamaha just came out with their PDX-60 model, which boasts yAired ™ wireless technology so you can use it with your iPod plugged into the dock or using a transmitter. It is really the wireless feature that I like the most, and that I think people who have iPhones will like in particular because it means being able to use your phone at the same time. Though the PDX-60 comes with a remote control, I think I would prefer it if I could have my iPod in my hand to flip around properly. It is a big hassle to get up and choose a song through all of your various playlists and options.

The PDX-60 has four different colors to choose from so you can match them to your decor. The PDX-60 also promises a high quality of sound and a rich bass with absolutely no sound interruption. Sound like a good gift to get someone this year? I think so.

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of LeapFish Inc. All opinions are 100% mine.

The internet can only stay as it is for so long. Every day, users and developers reshape what the internet means and how it can assist people in bringing them information. User submitted content has made an immense contribution to to content of the internet. Social media has perpetuated this; Twitter and Facebook, myspace and youtube are updated thousands of times a second by people all over the world. People share information, news, culture, and opinions with one another over the internet. It has now gotten to be quite vital that people use these services, that people share information through different platforms. The search engine leapfish integrates social media with real time media, news, and regular search engines.

It only makes sense to combine the different forms of internet information and social media. You should be able to search whole you connect, update while you get up to the second information as it pours onto the internet from millions of sources. Sounds complex? Like the video said, you need real time and multi-media, not a static internet that lags behind when it comes to updated content. It is and it is supposed to be because that is the way the internet is. But with customizations, widgets, and an easy interface, the complex becomes a simple tool at your fingertips to get full advantage from the internet. After all, why be content with the .1% you get so far when you can get so much more from it? It is only going to keep getting more complicated and multi-faceted, so you need a website, a tool, to help you keep up and utilize it effectively. Get on the boat, guys, because we are the new internet.