Wow, Angelina Jolie has officially signed on to the movie version of Atlas Shrugged to bring Dagny Taggart to life. The rumors were true!
Jolie is exactly how I would have wanted Dagny to look. 
She claims to be a big fan, so maybe she'll give a great performance. I certainly hope so.
Think root beer, not beer beer. It's very apple flavored, as you'd expect. It does have a slight sour aftertaste, but it's not unpleasant. It's something I'd drink again, but I wouldn't make a special trip to pick it up.
Official site | BevNet review
3 of 5 stars
This one was another of the bought because of the name sodas. As Wikipedia correctly notes, the soda is pronounced "ore on zhee nuh." As Wikipedia also notes, it could be pronounced "orn gina." Okay, so it's a little sophomoric but it amused me in the store. The initial taste is definitely orange juicy with a very mellow citrus aftertaste. I couldn't imagine drinking this often, but it's pleasant as a rare treat.
Official site | Wikipedia Entry
4 of 5 stars
I've been noticing lately that I am too quick to make judgements. I first learned of this problem from Aaron T. Beck, who called it "catastrophizing." In a nutshell, that's the practice of blowing innocuous events out of proportion. Examples abound in my personal life: someone doesn't respond to my instant messages for hours or emails for days and I start to wonder if I've lost a friend or burnt a bridge; a friend doesn't hang out with me and I feel an intense desire to confront him; my wife comments that the kids are out of control and I assume she's derogating my parenting.
It's a very real problem because it can sour a relationship due to resentment, anger, need for reassurance, and even hostility. It hasn't happened very often to me because I've learned to keep it inside—I feel all of these negative emotions but I don't express them. But it can lead to dwelling on problems even though the catalytic event had a perfectly reasonable explanation that had no personal causation: busyness, inattention, insensitivity, or even self-absorption.
But the act of keeping it inside isn't terribly satisfying because it is very distracting. I am constantly analyzing the events leading up to the triggering event, searching for actions on my part that might have contributed to the perceived breakdown. Generally, I can't find them (for obvious reasons) and so I tend to lash out internally at the person. This cathartic behavior often allows me to introspect on my reaction, thereby defusing the catastrophizing.
The introspection typically takes the form of Socratic self-questioning. "Is there an alternate explanation for this person's behavior?" "Is that behavior consonant with past behavior?" "Does it fit the level of friendship or love you've established?" "Is it possible that you're overreacting?" "Can you wait a few days to confront the person?"
I think that these questions get at the heart of the matter: catastrophizing is often a psychological version of injustice. Justice is the act of granting that which someone deserves. Psychologically, this takes the form of gratitude or righteous anger, to pick but two examples of justice-related emotions. Catastrophizing severs this tie: leaving emotions that aren't truly related to the other person. It's almost as if you whip yourself into a froth over nothing.
This is the first in an ongoing series of introspective entries I wish to undertake in order to gain a better insight into what makes me tick. They may have no meaning to anyone besides me as they are not intended as psychological treatises and undergo only the lightest of editing.
Coming on the heels of the Waialua Vanilla Cream, this was something of a disappointment. Perhaps if I had tasted prior to that exquisite one, I might have rated this one higher. As it stands, there was no aftertaste save a hint of vanilla and the mouth feel was quite strong. It reminded me of something that I unsuccessfully attempted to recall while drinking the entire bottle. It's very bubbly, like champagne, and maybe a little tart.
Official site | BevNet Review
3 of 5 stars
Since I bought my MINI Cooper three months ago, I've regularly noticed new design touches that have made me appreciate the car more and more. Only a few of them are unique to the MINI, but taken as a whole they spell out an attention to detail that is unusual in a car priced (for the most part) under $30,000. I'll start the list off at ten, but I will continue to make updates as I discover more things (and you're welcome to add to it in the comments):
To my mind, these collectively remind me of Apple's famous reputation for detail.
I hesitated drinking this because I remembered that I had had it before but I couldn't for the life of me recall my evaluation. I don't generally like colas. Now I wish I had bought a few of them! Cheerwine is delightful: slight hint of cherry à la Dr. Pepper but not the harsh acidity of most colas. It does have the aftertaste that colas always have, but it didn't seem as bad as others I've had.
Official site | Wikipedia entry
5 of 5 stars
Absolutely delicious vanilla cream soda. I enjoyed it profusely. I can't say that Hawaiian sugar cane made the difference, but it certainly couldn't have hurt. Light, delicate taste with no discernible aftertaste.
Official site
5 of 5 stars
Orange creams are so wonderful: they remind me of 50/50 bars and summer. I could drink them all day long—if I were interested in becoming a diabetic. As it stands, they're an occasional drink due to their sugary flavor. And this one is one of the best of the breed.
Official site
5 of 5 stars
I have a thing for lemonades. I'm also, for reasons that I can't seem to introspect successfully, a Francophile. Oh, and I adore berry-flavored drinks. So this one has a lot going for it before I've even opened the bottle. The first sips are delightful: no aftertaste, no filminess in my mouth, and the flavor is tasty. I don't really get the lemonade aspect, but I'll trust Lorina that they're not lying. The "sparkling" aspect of the lemonade is a little distracting—enough that I can't give it five stars. (Sidenote: one of the ingredients is "grape skin extract." What the heck is that!?)
Official site | Review
4 of 5 stars
This is another soda I bought because of the name. I don't know if it's pronounced "See See" or "Sissy" or some other way entirely (it's Dutch after all), but I prefer "Sissy" myself. It tastes like orange juice but I don't know if there's even anything orange in there besides coloring: vruchtensap—I think that means fruit juice—10% (8% is sinaasappelsap—I think that's apple juice—and 2% limoensap—I think that's lemon juice). Also, the label said "JUN.05" but I can't tell if that's when it was bottled, which is slightly alarming--or when it expired, which is very alarming. All in all, "enh" for the taste and "bleh" for the coating in my mouth.
Official site
2 of 5 stars
First off, any soda with instructions on how to open it (6 steps!!) is a point ahead in my book. Second, any soda whose cap is actually a marble held firmly in place by the carbonation of the soda itself is getting another point. Finally, I like oddly-shaped bottles of any sort. These things may be minor but they add to the experience and bespeak of an innovative spirit that most sodas demonstrably lack. But packaging will only get you so far in my book. It's got a Sprite-like taste and Sprite's one of my least favorite sodas. Add to that the fact that there's 6.76 ounces of soda and it's only getting 3 stars. I'd buy it again, but only because opening it was so much fun.
Official site | Wikipedia entry | Amazon page
3 of 5 stars
