If you're a big fan of The Lord of the Rings movies, you might know that the four hobbits actors (Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin) have been touring conventions around North America for the past few years. I'm very thankful that they've been doing this so often as I kept hearing about them after they've happened. Thankfully for this year, Dom posted them announcing the cities they'll be in around New Years on his instagram. Fan Expo is usually the convention that they'll be in so be sure to follow and subscribe to the nearest Fan Expo to you so that you can be ready to buy tickets when they're available. The celebrity events are handled by Epic Leap events which I think is separate company from Fan Expo but works together in this convention. Would I recommend going to see them? Absolutely! I never get tired of hearing their stories and the chemistry between each other is a joy to see in person. The organizers can be a bit frustrating though. I went to only see them and paid a pretty penny to get all 4 autographs, evening panel, and second breakfast event. I will write more on how all 3 went.

 If you want to save time, I recommend getting you Fan Expo badge mailed. They ship them out a week or two before the event and will include instructions on how to activate them. 

Leap doesn't give refunds for any reason other than the guest cancelling from going to the event. The Photo Ops seem to have a set schedule but the autographs aren't as clear. If you getting an autograph from a huge name celebrity you may get a time slot ticket when you head to the autograph area. They're usually curtain off or in a different room/floor from the rest of the autograph area. But the hobbit actors aren't them so you can see them out in the open in the autograph area when they're there. 

  Autographs Celebrity autographs can be pre-purchased online. You will get a QR code in your email that you will need to have ready. This was my first time getting autographs so I thought the QR code was all I needed. But apparently I needed to used it to redeem paper tickets for autographs. The autograph area on the show floor was so crowded. I did not realize in the corner of the area was a table just for the Hobbits tickets. I was already in line to get autographs and was able to run to get the tickets and return to my place in line. 

 The day before the convention starts, we get an email that there will be a special time block for people who bought the four pack autographs. It didn't say anything about getting paper tickets. When I went there at 4pm to ask about the line I was told to come back at 4:30pm. The LOTR actors were all together except for Karl Urban who was further down. The hobbits already had a a lot of people waiting and a staff with a sign that said the line is capped. So those with 4 pack were confused to where we were suppose to stand and line up. The lines were tight. Barely any personal space so it was a bit nerve wracking for me to be surrounded by so many people. Not many of the staff there knew what was going on but they did their best to get us the autographs. We were sent to the VIP line to wait till those who didn't get the 4 pack were done with their autographs. They had them move closer to each other so we could slide our item down to each actor. 

 I waited for 2 hours till I got my item signed. We weren't rushed and the handlers were kind. I had a handmade item that I wanted to show them and have sign. Each were impressed with it which I'm happy about. Since we weren't rush we could talk to them. Dom was the first to sign, then Billy, Elijah, and Sean. I'm pretty shy and anxious so I didn't say much to them. But Sean is very warm and sweet which made me feel relaxed. He was the only one that held his hand out for a hand shake.  He is a talker! He liked the marker I brought for them to sign with. 

I also bought a authentication sticker with my autographs but I didn't have time to redeem it at the Official Pix table because I had to go line up for the panel. 

John Rhys Davies was also there but autographs from him were cash only which I didn't have. There was option to order online too but he was doing 2 conventions on the same weekend which is wild!

Price: $329 

Hobbits Panel You may have seen recordings of their panels online. So you can judge for yourself if its something you want to go. Its an hour long and there is limited seating. Their panel is on the Main Stage so its curtain off on the show floor. Their panel is paid only too so no free general admission. There's 4 types of tickets to get: Gold, Silver, General, and Backstage. Backstage is the special one where you can get autographs and photos before or after the panel. For me, they did it before so the panel ended up being an hour late because of it. Right before the panel was the autographs that they had a long line for so they probably didn't have time to do the backstage folks before the panel start time. There were seats in the first two rows that were reserved for backstage too. 

I bought the silver ticket and I'm thankful I did. The line was rather long when I got there right after getting my autographs. There was a lot of confusion since there were no signs and the line was going outside the lineup area. It got even more confusing for those outside the line up area because at first they wanted us to make 3 different lines for the 3 different tickets. Then they wanted us to just make one single line. There weren't many seats left after the gold and silver were seated. I do believe they over sold this panel. Its been sold out for awhile too. So its definitely worth paying extra to get a seat. 

Thankfully we didn't need to get paper tickets for this panel like for the autographs. Right before the time to go in, a couple staff members came down the line to scan your QR code and give you a wristband. You have to show this wristband when its time to go in and get a seat. As we were being seated, a LOTR trivia game is on the screen. You can play it on your phone and the 1st place winner does get a bag of goodies which I didn't know was going to happen.  

  They do have huge screens so people can see if you're not in the fist few rows. The MC will let them on stage and they will start talking. The MC will usually have topics and games for them to do. Then end it with some fan questions and they also throw a few tshirts at the crowd.

 The panel is is the cheapest to see all 4 hobbits so its worth it if you can't afford the other options. But I recommend ordering a gold or silver soon before they sell out.

Price: Gold $139, Silver $59, General $20, Backstage $799

 Second Breakfast This is one of the newer things they're doing. It seems to take place in another building not to far from the convention. For us, it was a hotel across the street. It starts at 8am and you can line up at 7am. The time block is 2 hours but it doesn't go for the full two hours. This event was announced about a month before the convention so not a lot of time to prepare for us. 

The line management was run by both the event and hotel staff so it was better organized than the event staff at the convention. Plus there were ribbons so there was actual personal space between the lines. Like with the panel, a couple of staff will come down the line and scan your QR code and give you a wristband. The ticket purchase page says you need a Fan Expo pass but no one actually checked it. One of the hotel staff made announcements to the line multiple times down the line so everyone could hear. 

Its first come first serve. You go in and choose any open seat in any table that wasn't fully reserved. There will be a stage at one end of the space. The breakfast is buffet style so you line up to get your food. I thought I could wait till most got their food to get mine. Big mistake! They didn't cook enough so I had to wait a bit to get hot food. I started with fruit and came back to get the sausage and bacon. They didn't have eggs or potatoes done that time. 

They gave us about 30-40 minutes to get food and eat before the hobbit actors came out to bring baked goods to everyone. If you ever want to talk to these actors, this is a great time to do so! It is random who will come to your table. Billy was the one who served us. The table I sat in was a quiet bunch so we barely held a convo with him. Sean did visit our table too for a brief moment. 

 The MC does try to talk to the people while we get food. He also announced that photos and videos were allowed but no selfies. After they finish passing out goods, they go to the stage to star their talk. Unlike the convention panel, they mostly talked in this. For us they talked about food as well as LOTR stories. No games or fan questions. They talked for about an hour before the MC said its over and they went through a door. 

While they talked, staff were preparing a table to lineup the tote bag, mug and pin for everyone. Also each table had a hobbit home table piece that one chair with a sticker somewhat hidden gets to take home. 

The room was nearly fully seated. It seems they sold out recently. I feel the last time I checked about a week before there were still tickets available. So I didn't expect the room to be so full. The event starts at 8am and for us it ended at 9:38am so it was a decent time. 

I do find this to be fun and unique. Its the most expensive breakfast I ever had, but the food was good and you get goodies! 

 Price:  $229 per person

 So this is my first time seeing a vending machine that offers some healthy food choices. It’s mostly salads, sandwiches, and breakfast options. All mainly cold food so no soups or any entrees that require heating.

The machine is pretty neatly and easy to use. They do have an app if you want to check a certain fridge. You can even order through it ahead of time and you can pick it up right before midnight. Pickup is easy. The screen will show a pickup code and all you have to do is just enter that code into your app and it will check availability and give you your order. 

I do find it weird that the machine itself only has the option to swipe your card to pay. No tap to pay if any kind when everything now has that option. But thankfully I can just order on the app and be able to use my mobile pay. 

Their advertisements and product photos make the food look really nice but reality it doesn’t even look that nice. The jars make it seem smaller than it is. 

They have a 50% promo for your first order which is worth using. The most expensive item is the High Protein Chicken Schawarma salad bowl for $14.49. It’s a bit pricey but it was actually good. The date on it says the Beat By slash is a couple days away but there was already a few lettuce pieces that are wilting. The colors are a bit dull but again it tastes great. The chicken isn’t dry and there wasn’t a lot of it though I think the other protein is the chickpeas. I was not able to finish the whole thing in one sitting. For the price it’s ok. I think I rather spend it at a fast food chain as I’m not sure when these were made. 

I also tried the chia seed overnight oats. It doesn’t look great but the taste is good. Nice thick pudding texture with some granola. Rather expensive for $16.09 I paid for it. 

I do like that they have a rewards program. You get $9 credit for 50 points. Every $2 you get a point so you have to spend $100 to get that $9 credit. Which I think is probably easy to get with the prices they charge. 

I think this is a great option to have something healthy at the workplace. I do find the prices to be a bit high for regular people salary. But I do hope they expand their menu to more hot food options for the winter months. 

 With my energy bill just getting higher and higher I’ve been looking into solar to save some money. I didn’t want to commit to having solar panels on my roof so I was researching into portable ones. There quite a lot out there that are usually for campers and RV. Since I live in the Northeast of the US we don’t get much sun plus it tends to be gloomy with regular rain. So I needed a panel that can work in cloudy weather. And that’s when I heard about ZOUPW. 

 I got the 2 panel N-Type panel because it has USB ports. I don’t have any way to plug it into the house so I’ve been charging my power banks. I expected a slow charge but surprisingly it was able to charge my power banks rather fast even in cloudy weather. I left it out for a couple hours and it’s already 100%. I was super impressed!

 The look of these panels is also nice. I like that it’s thin and not heavy. It is big for a short person like myself but it’s manageable. The panels are flexible so it’s not fragile. The magnetic closure is really nice too. Easy enough to open and keep it closed. I didn’t use the kick stands as I simply lay it flat on the patio during noon time. It can get hot around the control box which is understandable. 

 It doesn’t include usb cables just cables for plugging into your home or power station. The nylon canvas like material is also nice looking and feeling. 

 Got these panels on sale and feel it’s a great price and I feel it’s worth the investment! This brand does have other types of solar panels to fit your needs. Definitely recommend it!

 As a someone who loved watching Good Eats as a teen, I've been a fan of Alton Brown for awhile. He's the one that got me interested in cooking which helped me a lot during college and into my adult life. I loved the way he uses science to explain cooking processes and his humor works for me. Recently he’s been active on YouTube which is really exciting to see him back and unfiltered. He's been doing collabs with other cooking YouTubers as well and it’s been a real treat to watch. 

This got me into seeing what else he has done and saw he has a book called Food for Thought. I listened to a sample of the audiobook and instantly got it. He narrates it himself which I like since in these are his personal stories. His humor still great and the stories he tells very human. What I like the most is that most of the stories he tells are the mistakes he’s done. Usually people like writing about their successes especially on social media also hearing about his mistakes professionally and in his personal life is a huge breath of fresh air for me. Honest it just made me feel better about myself seeing someone as accomplished and loved as Alton can do such mistakes. It makes me feel less critical of myself. 

 I ended up really loving the book and it wasn’t long either. I did see he even sells hardcopies of it that you can get personalized and signed for $40 on his website. I feel that’s super affordable as I've paid for celeb autographs at cons for over $100. So I did end up buying a copy with my name! What separates the book from the audio version is the drawings. I wish the paper was of better quality but it'll be a book I’ll cherish. If you’re a fan of Alton Brown I would definitely recommend his book!

The world isn't great at the moment. Things are just getting more costly and our income just isn't catching up. I've been researching ways to lower my bills and thought about solar power. Now I don't want the hassle of getting panels on my roof as I've heard some bad experiences of people who had to deal with unresponsive solar companies when they need roof work done. So I looked into portable ones.

 Which ended up me finding that there are power banks with solar charging! I thought this was such a genius idea! There's quite a few on Amazon and I opt to get one of the best selling ones. It was affordable which was a bit suspicious but I went and bought one anyways. 

 Its a lightweight bank and it has mag charge which I do like as I don't need to carry a cable to charge my phone. The manual says it recommends just charging it through an outlet but I got it for the solar charging. Some of the reviews I've read said they were able to charge by sun in a day. I tried and sadly I did not get that.

 I put it on a window that had direct sunlight. I let it sit there for a week and not one charge bar went up. I did leave a 1 star review and was contacted by the seller telling me the solar is just for emergency use. This explanation didn't make sense to me. If its for emergency, it should still charge a decent amount to even power your phone! It be useless in an emergency! 

 I had this thing for months without charging it through an outlet and it still hasn't gone up one charge bar! I left it outside in the sun once it was warm outside and still no one charge bar went up. So I feel these solar power banks might just be a gimmick. Its not the best battery pack either as it charges rather slow. I do like how lightweight it is and it is more weather resistant. 

I don't think any solar banks like this one will ever be able to do what I was hoping for. It might be just too small of a solar panel surface to get enough of a charge. So I'll be looking for portable solar panels instead. 

  Have you clicked on posts or videos that claim to have passive income tips and secrets for you but they never actually helped? They just want your clicks and views so they can earn ad revenue off you! But I'm here to share some tips that I've actually tried and learned.

 Please note that you have to realistic. There is no get rich quick and easy. These all take some effort and time, but it'll be rewarding and not a total waste of time! These methods may not earn you enough to pay your bills at the start but its could potentially in the future. I can only speak for my own experience and I'm not a financial advisor. 

HIGH YIELD SAVINGS ACCOUNT

 This is by the far the easiest method to get passive income. Just look for the APY in a savings account and open one. If you already have one that's high, keep adding money to it and get that sweet monthly interest added to your account! Now the interest rate is based on the federal reserve so it will change if that changes. But if your bank is going lower than that then it might be worth considering switching. Sometimes the high APY is advertisement to get people to open up an account and then lower it after you've been using it for awhile. Definitely research the institution you are interested in opening and make sure its got a good track record.

 Also looking in checking accounts. Some are providing APY interest rates for those too! I have both savings and checking through AMEX and so far I'm happy with them. 

DIVIDENDS

 So this is one that really works once you understand it. Dividends are payments you get for investments that offer it. So you will need a brokerage account and some money to get started. And you simply just buy some ETFs and/or stocks. You will have to take the time to do research so that you are getting the proper ones that won't end up being a loss so I'd would stick to mainly ETFs. The key point to remember is that this takes time; years even decades and it will pay for as long as you hold those shares. So the earlier you start the better! And try to keep buying more shares to really grow faster till you reach your goal.

 Now you might be asking yourself, why buy an ETF or stock that's $50 per share to only get a few cents per quarter off of it? You might think a High Yield Savings account will be better. The difference is that you get Growth. The value of that initial $50 could grow over time! Now don't panic if you check on your ETF one day and see that its going down. We are holding these long term and it can change. So don't sell as the dip might just be temporary! 

 There are different types of ETFs so there are traditional dividend growth ETFs like SCHD that will have both growth and dividend growth. And then there are covered call ETFs like JEPI that caps its growth in favor of monthly dividends. Depending on your age, the older you are the less you want growth. So if you not near retirement age then you should focus more on growth. And there are Bonds like BND which are the safest. 

 You could also get stocks but do note that these are more volatile than ETFs. The more safer ones are household names like JNJ and KO but who knows where they will be in 10 or so years. You will have to keep a closer watch on them.

 Another thing abut dividends is DRIP which is reinvesting your dividend payment back into the ETF or stock. This is a good passive way to build up your investment so be sure to turn it on for ones you want to build more shares.

 Be sure to not go overboard on buying. Try not to put your money in one or two ETFs or stocks, but diversify. But don't get too many different ones that it be hard to keep track. 

AD REVENUE

  The easiest way to get money for the things you post online is ad revenue. If you post videos on youtube or social media, you could get money from it! If you like writing blogs like I am for this blog, put ads on it and let it earn you money! Now the more views you get the more money you earn. Its why some blogs and websites put up a million ads and put a huge story before you get to the recipe at the bottom of the page. This can take time. These platforms require you to cross a certain threshold before you can earn. I would say to not stress it. Use these platforms for fun and if the opportunity arises to get money, take it! 

 AFFILIATE LINKS

  This one isn't too hard but if you like a product, see if you can find a way to earn money through an affiliate link for promoting it! If someone clicks that link and buys it you get a commission for that sale. Videos are the most effective way to do it. And that video could reach people for awhile! The more you do the more chances of someone watching and buying.

 DIGITAL PRODUCTS

  This is the hardest one as it involved some skill sets. Digital products are ideal as you don't have to ship anything and don't need to manufacturer it. You may have to invest in some learning some skills and software. But there are many different types of digital products. You can sell art assets, courses, videos, ebooks, anything really. It is a little risky as you may not earn anything at all from all this effort. But if you're successful it could be a full time job!

 I’ve had dark spots since I was in college. This is due to not using sunscreen or poor quality sunscreen. The Korean skincare hype was not there yet at that time. And over time I’ve gotten more. I’ve tried countless dark spot correctors products that did nothing. Recently I heard about Musely online and I’ve only seen positive experiences which I’m not entirely sure if they’re real or not. But a sale and the people sharing their $50 gift card code got me to try their Spot Cream.

 So Musely is different because you are getting prescription products. You have to answer some medicial and skin questions and submit photos of you concern areas. 

The product itself is also rather pricey so do take advantage of sale times and do use the free gift card if you’re buying for the first time. It’ll make the cream super affordable. The per month pricing is calculated by the cream being use for 2 months. It kind of tricks you into thinking it’s cheaper than it is with that. 

You do get assigned to a dermatologist that you can message during the first several months. Their first response to when you get prescribed is clearly an automated message. I’ve only asked them a couple questions and it’s somewhat less robotic. I haven’t had any serious concerns so I didn’t have any problems to report to them. 

Since I have sensitive skin I was given a more gentle formula that is 6% and not the plus one that is 12%. But even with the 6% I was surprised to see actual results. But it’s subtle. I honestly didn’t expect it to work. So I am planning to continue using it. I even bought the body cream but so far that hasn’t had as big of a results as the spot cream for my face. 

One thing I want to point out is you need to use their app. It’s required if you want to qualify for a refund as you have to check in with their robot nurse which simply ask you for progress photos, if you have any reactions and if you see any results. 

But the good thing about the app is that there’s a forum where you can see other users progress and experience. Note that they do have an intimate cream so sometimes there are censored posts for users who are using that. 

There’s also a section on doing various activities for points that turn into money that you can use towards your refills. There’s also an Activity sections where you answer daily skincare trivia questions. Getting it right gives you points that you can redeem off your refills. They’re pretty easy to do and it can help lower your cost so definitely take the minute to do it to save money!

They also do free gift cards. People can share them and they also get to save money. $50 off is a generous amount so if you are interested I can list my code links below! I will try to make new ones when they expire  please comment if you need one and I will update the links

EXPIRES IN 7 DAYS

6/19/2026 start

https://www.musely.com/alltreatmentsgifts?eid=KHTPWPEN

6/24/2026 

https://www.musely.com/alltreatmentsgifts?eid=MRLQKFVC

 They have trays of different sizes so you can get one that fits your needs. I originally was sold when they got ceramic versions of the 2 and 1 cup sizes. You may have seen ads or posts on lego lunches with these. I find the stoneware too heavy for everyday work lunch use but I like using them for meal prep and storing leftovers so I don't do the lego lunch method. 

 The silicone is high quality too! I like that the ends are stiff so they keep their shape when you hold it. Its super easy to clean and easy to pop the frozen food out. The best part is that they are also oven proof so you can even bake things in it. The clear plastic lids are also really high quality. They can get stained from red foods so I like to put a layer of plastic wrap to keep it clean. The stoneware gets clear silicone covers which are really well made because its not a hassle to take it on and off. Its stretchy enough to get it on and off and thick enough to not tear or get damaged. They don't even warp and you can microwave them. They do get stained from red food but its minimal and it can come off slightly over time from washing.  

 I've stored a very fishy scented soup in one and it did hold onto that smell for a little while before I don't smell it anymore from storing other foods. So I feel it be better to store smelly foods in the ceramic ones instead. 

 Inside each mold are measurement lines. I got the ice cube tray one which are 2 tablespoons but the lines help if you only need 1 tablespoon. 

The cubes shapes makes it easy to store and appealing. I tend to just keep the whole thing in the freezer since I didn’t want to use up a plastic bag. But it would save more space if you store them in a bag after it’s all frozen. 

 Overall I highly recommend it! High quality materials and product design. There are many knock offs but they can’t beat Souper Cubes. I definitely think it’s worth it. Best to wait for a sale if it’s out of your budget! 

 Been getting ads for Wildgrain bake at home bread boxes. I'm not a baker or into baking so I think I was getting targeted since I've done meal boxes before. However it did intrigue me and as a fan of croissants, their free croissants for life offer got me. So I decided to finally try it!

 So I got the 6 item per box plan which is $99 so that makes each item $16.50 each which admittedly is expensive. But shipping is free at least! The date you choose is the charge date and not the delivery date which is annoying. But you can easily reschedule your charge date and if its soon you can see the estimated delivery date. Its seems they use some other driver base delivery system that isn't Fedex or UPS. Which makes it a bit difficult to get exact dates if you need food delivered at a certain time. But they do include dry ice in the box so it does stay cool for a bit. 

As for their selection, they have a few choices you can choose to be part of your box but for some reason the add ons have choices that aren't part of the box selection choices. So if you want them you had to choose then as a addon and not as part of your box. 

So most of the multi packs are in packs of 4 so it would mean each is about $4. Again, rather pricey! I usually get bake at home croissants from Whole Foods so I wanted to try to see how they compare. So far I think they're a rather similar. I do find the Wildgrain one is less likely to be under cooked in the middle. Its also easier to cook. You don't have to let it thaw a bit and can bake them straight from frozen.

 I also got their giant ginger molasses cookies. These are great! Very delicious, one cookie gets about 4" big so it does get huge. It is a soft type of cookie. The middle is rather bread like and soft. There's nice a good bits of candied ginger. This flavor is seasonal but I was able to get it till May.  

I also got their almond, and ham & cheese croissants. They're just filling with the dough with the sides folded over it. They are pretty good and it does cook more evenly than if it was a normal shape.

As for their breads, I got their sourdough loaf and I like that I can just put it straight in the oven and bake it. I even baked it in my toaster oven. It turned out amazing which I was surprised about! The center was still cooked and soft and the crust is crusty without burning. It turned into a nice golden brown color. I even got their sourdough rolls. These also baked into a nice small crusty little loaf. Pretty easy to bake and rather convenient.

Got their truffle butter and garlic and herb butter. The truffle has a very nice flavor but it is smaller and it was the only butter option when I signed up. I don't use flavored butter often so I still haven't finished it. Its amazing how nice it spreads after letting it soften a bit. The herb and garlic one also has an amazing flavor. Not too strong to be over powering or have a strong aftertaste. I do plan on using it to stuff under chicken skin. Very delicious and I do think its worth the price! 

 Overall, I do find their products delicious! I even got their biscuits which turned out amazing and easy to bake. I do think its weird they have so many biscuits but no scones. But I did try the cheese biscuits and they were rather good. So  much more flavorful than I expected. I did try their english muffins which are rather thick. Didn't try their cheesecakes or pastas. They even have pizza which is ok. As expensive as they are, I do find their food is quality and super easy to bake compare to ones I've had from the grocery stores. Its hard to mess up! Never got them over cooked or undercooked.

 If you ever want to learn to crochet for any reason, I recommend getting a kit from Woobles! You may have see ads from them. Sure, their kits are rather pricey for yarn and a crochet hook, but the instruction videos are great! Most of their pattern for their kits aren't too difficult and you should learn how to do them easily through their videos. The videos are short and show you each stitch type and goes through the pattern step by step until the end. And by that time you get the idea. 

  Its how I learned to crochet and got me confident enough to buy patterns that I've been eyeing on but didn't know anything about crochet. The woman guiding you talks clearly and the videos show the techniques clearly. They go slow and you can easily replay it. Its super helpful and amazing for someone like me who want to know and see everything. It also includes a PDF pattern if you're not a complete beginner. 

 There was this one pattern of a cat I've been wanting to do from a Korean amigurumi maker, and I was able to complete it!  Any stitches I wasn't familiar with I could easily look it up on youtube. But Woobles helped get the very basic stitches and starting a piece which is a very helpful first step to get into crocheting!

 I learned about these from an ad. Since Japan is one of my common interests I got targeted when they released these Japanese based warmies. The Shima enaga bird that are from Hokkaido they named as Japanese Fairy Bird is super cute! Its not a bird we see often in toys in the west and most plushies are made in Japan which I don't want to pay for shipping for so I was happy to see one here. I have heard of weighted plushies but it didn't appeal to me to buy one. But this is one is not only weight, but has lavender scents to help with sleep. And price wise, its not too expensive which was a surprise.

 I had to wait a bit since it was sold out but thankfully they restock them. It was shipped within a couples days and arrived faster than expected. They did not put their plushies in plastic bags. So do be careful when cutting the box open! Nothing was protecting it but thankfully he is undamaged and didn’t gett dirty. 

It is a lot bigger and heavier than I thought. You don't smell any lavender. It is microwavable so that you can warm it up. The beads or grains is on its tail end so its only on one side of the bird. I was having menstrual cramps so this arrived at the right time. Only takes a minute or so to heat him up but time depends on you microwave wattage. Be sure so carefully test the heat so that you don't get burned. The warmer you make it the more the lavender scent comes out. I am surprised how well it holds heat. It can even absorb your body heat. Very nice when you live in harsher winter climates. The fur is longer than expected. It is a bit soft and feels nice on the skin. It definitely feels it needs some maintenance to keep it from matting over time. Since it has grains inside you can't put it inside the washing machine. Definitely avoid getting any liquid spilled on them. It could be a nightmare to clean.

Overall, these plushies exceeded my expectations. The warming part is very comforting and comfortable to hold and sleep with. I do find the grains on the tail to be awkward but not a deal breaker. 

 I love the move The Martian so when this movie was announced and it’s by the same writer I was excited! I ended up buying the audiobook and could not stop listening. It’s a fun and easy to follow story that I highly recommend. The audiobook is probably the best I’ve ever heard. The narrator was so great and I do prefer it than the film. But the film is still great! It’s a great way to visualize the story as it is scifi and it is stunning looking. Also Ryan Gosling is easy on the eyes too. 

 I was coming into this movie expecting another The Martian but no, they seem to tackle it a little differently. Ryan Gosling character, Ryland Grace, doesn’t talk as much as I expected him to be. All the science and math talk is very cut down. Which was mostly internal dialogue in the book since he is mostly by himself. It is written in his perspective. He is a lot more funny and smart than what the movie portrays him to be. Practically the same kind of character as The Martian so if they did this to help differentiate from that movie's character than I can understand that. 

So the movie does take some creative liberty with Ryland's character visually. I heard a small clip from Ryan Gosling saying they wanted to add some Chaplin and it definitely shows. They made him be a bit clumsy which adds to his charm. Also his outfits really stood out. The tshirts and sweaters I see people raving about online and I did too. This is a detailed not at all in the book so it really adds to his character. It helps that Ryan Gosling is attractive to make anything look good. The fox sweater would not look good on me but I still want it because its looks like such a comfy sweater when he wears it. 

I find the pacing of the movie pretty fast. I wish they could've push it to the 3 hour mark. It basically covered the major key moments in the books. I do find it visually stunning. Sure, the lighting is darker than I would've liked. I am surprised but glad they used a puppet for Rocky. They did make him super adorable! A lot more than I imagined in my head. The book described him as spider like but the movie made him seem more like a crab to me in its shape but it does have more of a spider movement. 

I find the scenes between Grace and Rocky were a lot better than him on Earth. There is one scene of a badly ADV talk in Mandarin. It was very brief and it made me wonder why they did that. Maybe because I listened to the book already but I did not get emotional during this movie. And I'm a crybaby but the pacing really didn't get me as hook to the movie adaptation. The book got me emotional. I am enjoying seeing people wanting more stories like this and even taking on knitting as the fox sweater isn't a mass produced product but a knitting pattern. I am considering learning to knit to have this sweater too.

Overall, I do recommend watching this movie and hope it also inspires you to get the book or knit! 

 I’ve seen ads for this meal service a lot and I have tried it years ago and I am trying it again. What got me to try again is for the free breakfast meal which is a deal that is pretty appealing. I don't find their meals to be very affordable but they are very balanced meals. The portion size is about the same as frozen dinner meals. Sometimes its easy for me to finish and others I find it difficult to finish. Each meal is about $15 per depending on your box size. The less you pick the more it costs which sucks but since its a business they want people to buy more so they make more. I would definitely take advantage of their half off discounts and cancel. 

 They have a decent amount of meal choices to choose from. I do find the meals to be good but not something that I would be craving. It’s seasoned healthily and has quite of bit of veggies which are good but the broccoli ones tend to be dry and not have that fresh crunch since they are roasted. 

The packaging is like a tv dinner. I do find it very difficult to pull the plastic film off. It’s also very loud when I do get it to pull. But most of the time I just stab an opening with a plastic knife. I take these to work since that’s when I usually get a decent meal in during the weekday. 

The portions varies. Some a little more than others. I do find the protein heavy meals very difficult for me to finish during my 30 minute lunch break. It just makes me feel fuller faster and I do find it wasteful that I’d have to throw the rest away. So I like the more lighter meals as I can finish them easier. 

As for customer service. It can be helpful but a bit annoying. I had a delivery during a huge snow storm which I assumed they would delay a day or so but they didn’t. The package did arrive but 3 days late. So technically they would say it’s not safe but it’s up to you whether you want to risk eating it or just throw it all away. They did refund me but since there was a discount they didn’t a weird credit thing. They split it for partial as credit and the rest back to my card. My credit was screwed because it didn’t factor in the discount it gave me more than I actually paid for. The problem with their credits is that they don’t apply to your next order if there’s a discount. So if you have a discount for coming back it will be awhile till you can use them. You have to contact customer service to request the discount to be removed. Just canceling the subscription and resubscribing does nothing. But you can request the credits to be refund to your card. They won’t actually refund the full credit amount since it isn’t accurate like mine was. They will ask you why and everything. They do have an AI bot customer service chat that you can request an agent in. 

 Overall, I do think it’s gotten better but it is still expensive. And they already sent me a discount postcard to come back. I think their marketing is annoying but that seems to be the marketing tactic these days. It is definitely a healthy way to eat if you don’t do it already. They never made me feel bad. I do prefer their fish dishes than their beef ones. 

 I’ve been subscribing to their monthly snack box for a couple years and I do enjoy what I’ve got. Since I also get Sakuraco boxes I did notice that sometimes they offer the same snacks. Not to say they are identical but it is interesting to get snacks that both boxes have on the same month. 

Due to the recent news of de minimis exemption ending, I contacted customer service chat since I saw no news from them addressing this to their US customers. They can’t help you and won’t refund you if you have subscription longer than 1 month if you want to cancel. And customs questions they would just tell you to contact your local customs office.  

 So I got the last couple boxes since the tariffs took place, and thankfully I didn't need to pay extra when they arrived.  

I do find this movie beautiful. The animals do have a style to them that is more realistic than cartoon. The landscape and water is quite realistic not stylized to fit the style of the animals. 

The story is up for interpretation as some scenes are a bit abstract. Definitely a movie I'd recommend to animal lovers. It might be good for children but its not an action packed movie to keep a long attention span if they're easily bored or distracted if they're young.