Zippy

Amazon recently sent to me, as part of its "Amazon Vine" program, a bottle of free taco sauce. As with all Amazon Vine samples, all that was expected in return was a fair and honest review. Now, I know that a few paragraphs about taco sauce is probably a strange thing to include in this blog, but what the heck, right? The review has been written and filed at Amazon, so I might as well include it here, too, don't you think?

Who knows, my comments might even prompt you to buy and (one hopes) enjoy the stuff. Anyway, here it is...

Taco Bell's Bold & Creamy, Spicy Ranchero Sauce is really good, and I haven't even used it on a taco yet! It has just enough zip to give a little kick to your omelette, sandwich, or salad, but it's not so spicy that you'll have to warn family members who are averse to overly spicy foods.

I actually do make tacos at home sometimes, using those convenient taco kits available in the supermarket (there's even a kit made by Taco Bell), so I'm sure I'll try this sauce in conjunction with actual tacos at some point. But for now, this zippy, tasty, and nicely creamy sauce is regularly performing satisfying condiment duties in our kitchen.

So, yeah, stop making your mustard, mayo, ketchup, and boilerplate salad dressings do all the work. Your favorite foods, as well as your taste buds, will appreciate the flavorful zing of Taco Bell Bold & Creamy, Spicy Ranchero Sauce. I'm definitely going to buy more when my Amazon Vine sample runs out!

Well, I hope you enjoyed the review, or at least got through it without too much pain. Really, I actually did like the product.

Something for everyone

Well, my advance post of yesterday was accurate, but decidedly incomplete. Not only did Amazon announce earlier today an impressive new color Kindle, the Kindle Fire, to compete in the growing tablet computer market, but it's also offering three (count 'em, three) new e-ink Kindles, as well.

Also impressive, across the board, are the price points. The sharp new Kindle Fire will go for a mere $199, and the most economical of the new e-ink Kindles will sell for the bargain-basement price of $79.00. And most of the other Kindle models will be priced only a little higher than that, especially if you choose the ad-sponsored versions of each new Kindle.

Needless to say, I'll be writing more on today's announcement by Amazon, but for now do yourself a favor and acquaint yourself with these sharp new products by visiting Amazon's web site. The product descriptions and demo videos are already up and ready for you to absorb.

Amazon's new slew of Kindle products will go on sale in November, with the exception of the $79.00 Kindle, which is available immediately (and will cost a little more than $79.00 if you decline the "special offers" ad-sponsored version of the device).

Finally, the various versions of the Kindle 3 (until yesterday, the latest model Kindle, and the one I only got around to reviewing on this site a couple of weeks ago), is not being discontinued. Re-dubbed the Kindle Keyboard and the Kindle Keyboard 3G, these Kindles will still be available for those stubborn souls who still like a physical keyboard on their Kindles. Who says that Amazon isn't full service?

Pictured with this post is the new $199 Kindle Fire. Cute, huh?

Heads up

Amazon will hold a press conference tomorrow (Wednesday, September 28), and rumor has it that the reason for the event will be to announce the coming of the Kindle Fire, the new backlit, color Kindle that will go on sale in November.

Like Barnes & Noble's color e-book reader, the Nook Color, the Kindle Fire will be able to perform a wide array of functions either not doable or easily performed by the regular e-ink Kindle, functions such as web surfing, playing videos, etc. Despite these added functions, however, the Kindle Fire will still be heavily oriented toward buying and reading e-books (again, like the Nook Color).

Also strongly suggested in the rumors is that the Kindle Fire will not replace the standard e-ink Kindle (the latest version of which is the popular Kindle 3), just be a new Kindle product offered to customers, specifically those customers who have been clamoring for a backlit, color e-book reader from Amazon.

Anyway, we'll know tomorrow how much of the above is correct. But for now, Kindle Taproom readers are at least aware of the buzz that's out there!

More silliness

Okay, it's time to move on to more adult concerns, but first, as promised, I'll quickly post a bit of silliness entitled, Jokes You Can Tell Your Kids, Part Two. And then we'll be done with it.

What do you give a seasick elephant?

Plenty of room.

* * *

What did the shy pebble say?

I wish I were a little boulder.

* * *

What do you get when you cross a lake with a leaky boat?

About halfway.

* * *

How do you keep a skunk from smelling?

Hold its nose.

* * *

Why did the lady blush when she walked past the chicken coop?

She heard fowl language.

* * *

That's it for now, honest. Still, you might want to try out a few of these on your kids. You'll probably give them a laugh or two.

Silliness

Let's put the sophistication and adult cynicism away for a while. For now, it's time for Jokes You Can Tell Your Kids, Part One. Let's take it away...

Why didn't the skeleton cross the road?

He didn't have the guts.

* * *

Why is the sand wet?

Because the sea weed.

* * *

How do you make antifreeze?

Hide her nightgown.

* * *

How do you make an elephant float?

Two scoops of ice cream, some root beer, and an elephant.

* * *

What do cannibals do at a wedding?

They toast the bride and groom.

* * *

More to come! But not many more, I promise.

Charming spot

Ocean City, New Jersey's Ocean Manor complex consists of several historic buildings bought up over the years by the Ocean Manor people and made into vacation accommodations for daily and weekly visitors to Ocean City. Alison and I stayed overnight at Ocean Manor Saturday night into Sunday, September 17 to 18. While some people would undoubtedly find the place to be a little tired and weathered, we enjoyed the "seashore of the past" feel to it. And besides, the staff was friendly, the place was clean, and our mini-suite, located only a block from the beach, was less than $100 total for the night.

The first photo shows the facility's 1920's-era main building, which was acquired in 1979. As summer is pretty much over, this building was recently closed up for the season.



We actually stayed in the building seen in the second photograph, which is located right across the street from the main building. More recently acquired by Ocean Manor, it's not quite as historic but definitely still has that old-time feel to it. This building will still be available to shore visitors for another week or two, before it, too, closes for the season.



In case you're interested, Ocean Manor is located at the intersection of Ocean Avenue and 11th Street in Ocean City. Just think of the movie Ocean's 11 to remember its location.

The seashore was quite nice this past weekend, by the way. It was cloudy and a little chilly, but that didn't overly impact a few enjoyable walks on the boardwalk. There was even an exciting airshow, utilizing bi-planes and other historic craft, held in the skies over the beach and boardwalk on Sunday afternoon, September 18. It was a nice little bonus to an already pleasant mini-getaway.

Heroes and fans

The Kindle Single, Comic-Con Strikes Again!, drops readers right in the midst of the biggest comic book and multi-media convention in the world, letting us enjoy through the author's eyes all the rabid fandom, costumed craziness, relentless (and more sophisticated than I thought) efforts on the part of producers and publishers to create or expand interest in their intellectual properties, and- most of all- the heady mixture of intensity, fun, and weariness that comprises the San Diego Comic-Con experience.

Reminding me of the kind of long, meaty article to be found in my Sunday newspaper's magazine section, Comic-Con Strikes Again! is well worth its modest price for both readers already familiar with the whole convention-going thing, or curious outsiders. Douglas Wolk wrote a fun, informative article, and I look forward to his future writings about the entertainment industry and its fans.

Comic-Con Strikes Again! is available on Kindle for 99 cents.