Maryland Lottery 100X The Cash Scratch Off Review

The Maryland Lottery has come out with a new scratch off game called 100X The Cash. The game was launched November 28, 2016. From what I can tell, the game has been offered in other states and, I wonder if that's where they got the idea from. It has to be challenging trying to come up with new games all the time to keep player's interest.

The game offers a $1,000,000 prize (paid over 20 years) and costs $20 (standard for $1,000,000 prize games). The game's overall odds of winning are 1 in 2.94 (Reference: the ticket I bought with my own money) which is normal for $1,000,000 prize games. Barring the instant win multipliers which I'll explain in this review further down, you try to match 1 or more of the 5 winning numbers at the top of the ticket (standard). Losing tickets do qualify for Maryland Lottery reward points (all the new games do as far as I know).

The game is noteworthy in 2 respects. First, it offers SIX $1,000,000 prizes vice the normal 3 though keep in mind there are going to be a lot more tickets for this game to make up for the increase in prizes. The game webpage (look for game 301 under $20 game scratch offs on the Maryland Lottery website: www.mdlottery.com) shows there are over 400,000 $20 prizes which proves this point.

The other noteworthy thing about this game is all the instant winners it offers. The game offers FIVE instant multiplier winners. The norm is 1 though sometimes you'll have 2. Also, ALL the instant winners are multipliers. What that means is that it multiplies the win amount example: you hit a 5X instant win multiplier and you have $20 underneath it, this means you've actually won $100 (5 times $20)! The instant win multiplier gets more impressive because this highest instant win multiplier is it's name sake i.e. 100X or 100 TIMES whatever the prize is. Looking at the prizes the game offers (ranges from $20 to $1,000,000), the minimum prize you'll win with the 100X symbol is $5,000 ($50 times 100) and, you could win $1,000,000 with this symbol ($10,000 times 100). The instant win multipliers are as follows:

5X (5 times the prize)
10X (10 times the prize)
20X (20 times the prize)
50X (50 times the prize)
100X (100 times the prize)

I bought 1 ticket with my own money so, I could write this review. I found the game nice (ok, whatever, I may becoming a bit jaded as I've played so many). I suspect the odds of hitting the $1,000,000 prize are in line with Maryland Lottery's other $1,000,000 games though I can't prove this as I haven't tried to compare the numbers. This game will run longer than their other games due to the increase in the top prizes (makes sense). For now, the game will be widely available due to the number of tickets out. I think those that like scratch off games (I do) will like this game as much as others. The numerous instant win multipliers does give little more excitement if you hit one because the prizes will be so much bigger (minimum $100 based on a $20 prize times 5). Please do remember to play responsibly and that the overall odds I stated (Reference: came from the ticket I bought) are the OVERALL odds. You can do better and you can do worse. Good luck!

Disclaimer: All opinions stated in this review are my own and are not in any way associated with the Maryland Lottery which I have no association with. The ticket I used as a reference for this review was bought with my OWN money. I haven't received any compensation from the Maryland Lottery for writing this review. I've tried to be factual in this review. If you discover an error in it, please leave a comment for me to review so, I can post a correction. My other source is the Maryland Lottery website: www.mdlottery.com.

November 2016 Independence of the Seas Cruise Review

I know I haven't been blogging much and, I tried to think of something I could do a nice quick blog entry about. The thing that comes to mind immediately is my recent cruise on Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas. The cruise was interesting in a number of ways. The cruise started in Southampton, England BUT, I joined the cruise at Philipsburg, St. Maarten. This was intentional i.e. I didn't miss the boat. If a cruise is open ended i.e. starts in one port and finishes in another, you can join the cruise at a later port as long as you get approval from Royal Caribbean's security at their headquarters. When the time comes, presumably, they'll notify the ship of your plans so, they know where to expect you. This was the second time I've done this. The first was on Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The cruise started in San Diego, California, United States of America (U.S.A.) but, to make my then boss happy, I joined it at Cabo San Lucas to keep down the number of days off I needed.

Another interesting thing about the cruise was the itinerary. I know some people like days at sea. I don't even though I know the ship tries to have lots of things for people to do. In this case, once the ship set sail out of Southampton, it would sail non-stop for over 8 days to St. Maarten. Once it made St. Maarten, I felt it became an excellent cruise with additional stops at St. Kitts, St. Thomas, San Juan and Labadee, Haiti with 1 day at sea before pulling into Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.A.

For me, the main reason I did the cruise was for the cruise points though I did like the itinerary once the ship made port in St. Maarten. If you join a cruise late, you'll still get all the cruise points for the cruise you would've gotten otherwise. What that means for me is that I got 15 cruise points for it being a 15 night cruise even though I was only on the ship 6 nights AND, I got another 15 cruise points as I always cruise solo i.e. I always pay double for my cabin (I don't care for the solo cruiser cabins). This means, I can advance faster in Royal Caribbean's frequent cruiser program the Crown & Anchor. I'm Diamond Plus thanks to a Baltic cruise I did with them last summer and now, I'm shooting for the ultimate - Pinnacle. At it requires 700 nights, even with me getting double cruise points, it's going to take a while to reach it.

The cruise itself had a number of mishaps from beginning to end which took away from the experience for me. Royal Caribbean normally does a better job in my opinion. I don't know why there were so many mis-steps. The first was when I arrived at the Dr. Mathey Cruise Ship Terminal. As I previously mentioned, I'd had approval to join the ship in St. Maarten months before and, they should've known I was going to be arriving that day. Yet, when I checked in that the cruise ship terminal, I wasn't on the list to proceed to the ship. St. Maarten security had to send someone to the ship to confirm I was supposed to be admitted. I waited for at least 20 minutes wondering if I was going to get on a ship I had a paid reservation for.

When I got to the Independence of the Seas, Andrew Evans from Guest Relations met me, subsequently took me on board and did my in-processing. It should've been a normal cruise at that point but, it wasn't. I was supposed to get my 2nd crystal block but someone forgot to tell the Loyalty representative I was supposed to get one. I had to see her to get this straightened out. I was supposed to get a $200 shipboard credit but, I wasn't able to get this fixed until the very day I was supposed to leave the ship! The Voom WiFi Royal Caribbean raves about crashed though they did give me a refund for the days it was down. I was supposed to get luggage tags for my bags but, someone forgot to put me on the departure list so, I had to ask my cabin steward for them. People were sent to the Alhambra Theater to wait till their number was called to leave the ship but, the announcements didn't come over the theater speaker system. I was supposed to leave the ship at 7:15 but, they fell 30 minutes behind. They had 500 people going to Miami International Airport but, they were only able to board 3 buses at a time and got behind because of number of people in wheel chairs didn't tell them they were going to be in wheel chairs (that was the excuse they gave).

There were some good points to the cruise. I got to do the scenic train ride in St. Kitts which was pretty cool barring some unexplained technical difficulties which delayed the train. I did the jet boat ride in St. Thomas which was really fun, interesting and did wonders for cooling you off (you will get wet!). It was 103F when we made port at Crown Bay. I got to visit the only tropical rain forest in the U.S.A.'s National Park System, the El Yunque National Park. The La Coca falls were very pretty. Lastly, I got to do a scenic cruise out of Labadee where I learned more about Haiti and some some stunning scenery. Sadly, thanks to the first medical emergency I've ever heard happening on a cruise I've been on (someone supposedly had a heart attack and we had to turn around and return to San Juan to send them on their way to the hospital), we arrived late to Labadee though Captain Iv Vidos did his best to make up the lost time. Also, thanks to the loyalty representative, I was able to do 2 behind the scenes tours Diamond Plus and Pinnacle are allowed to do for free. I particularly enjoyed the bridge tour and have a neat picture of myself with an officer's hat in a command chair on the bridge presumably making sure the ship sailed smoothly and safely to Ft. Lauderdale.

I accomplished what I wanted to do on the cruise but, I wasn't very pleased with Royal Caribbean. I can't wait to give them feedback on it. Incredibly, I'll be doing the same cruise on the same ship at the same time next year. Hopefully, it'll go smoother next time. We'll see. Happy travels all!

Review of Maryland Lottery's $1,000,000 Platinum Play Scratch Off

The latest $1,000,000 prize scratch off lottery game that the Maryland Lottery has come out with is the $1,000,000 Platinum Play game. The game has been out since August 22, 2016. Surprisingly, none of the $1,000,000 or $50,000 prizes have been claimed as of the time of this post.

The game features prizes of $1,000,000, $50,000, $10,000, $5,000, $1,000 and lesser amounts down to $20. One difference in this game vice previous $1,000,000 game scratch offs is that the Maryland Lottery is offering four $1,000,000 vice the normal three such prizes. Also, there are nine $50,000 prizes though I don't know what the norm is for that. I suspect the Maryland Lottery will issue more tickets in this game to make up for the increased number of $1,000,000 prizes. I saw on the game's webpage that there will still over 250,000 $20 winners alone still out there.

Like all $1,000,000 scratch off games, the tickets cost $20. Overall odds of winning according the 2 tickets I bought with my own money are 1 in 2.94. Please remember those are the OVERALL odds i.e. you can do better and you can do worse.

Another noteworthy thing about the game is the Maryland Lottery doesn't mention on the FRONT of the ticket that the game has an instant win feature which is common enough with their scratch offs. If a star symbol pops up on the ticket, you win that prize automatically. Otherwise, you try to match 1 to 5 of the 5 numbers you get at the top of the ticket. The game states you have 30 chances to win though the number that really matters is the overall odds ration i.e. 1 in 2.94 which is normal for the $1,000,000 prize games.

Like all the recent games, losing tickets do qualify for Lottery Rewards points. There isn't any second chance drawing in this game for those who like that feature.

Overall, I found the $1,000,000 Platinum Play a decent enough game though I didn't find anything that makes it particularly noteworthy barring the fact the Maryland Lottery is offering four $1,000,000 prizes this time. I do wonder if this will be the new norm for all their $1,000,000 prize games. Time will tell. Best of luck to all players out there and please do remember to play responsibly.

One final comment: all opinions in this review are my own and aren't in any way reflective of the Maryland Lottery i.e. they didn't have anything to do with this game review. I bought the 2 tickets I played with my money i.e. I didn't receive any kind of compensation from the Maryland Lottery and, I never will. Any statistics that I stated for this game came either from the tickets I bought or from the game webpage on the Maryland Lottery website.

Jot Brush Pens Product Review

While checking out the Dollar Tree store at 2653 Annapolis Rd in Hanover, Maryland (not the one close to Arundel Mills Mall), I came upon some Jot Brush Pens. As I'd never heard of a "brush pen" before and, they're only a $1 like everything at Dollar Tree, I decided to buy a pack of them and try them out.

The pens come in 4 colors - blue, green, red and yellow. They do look something like a brush (from the long handle) though they have a long felt tip at the ink end (vice some brush bristles). The tip gives a very wide stroke which in my opinion causes this item to be misnamed. I think they should be called "Brush Markers" as you can't really write with these like you could with a pen except in very large script.

The "pens" would be good for use in making some kind of large signs but wouldn't be good for every day writing. As far as I know, the pens are available only in the 4 colors I found.

Overall, I wasn't really impressed with these so called pens though I'm not very disappointed as they only cost me a $1. If you want something to help make a large sign, you might find them useful. However, I give them a thumbs down as I'm not really impressed with them and feel they are misnamed. They really should be called "Brush Markers." Happy writing all!

South Lyon Dollar Tree Store Review

This is the store that started me liking the Dollar Tree chain. My Filipino step-mother Geroncia (also known as Jane) loves this place. To help my Dad who doesn't like to drive for various reasons, I always offer to take Geroncia where ever she wants to go when I visit. This past Labor Day weekend was one such occasion. One of the places she always wants to go was the South Lyon, Michigan Dollar Tree store.

The store is located in the Glenwood Plaza at 21835 Pontiac Trail in South Lyon. It's open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays and 9 a.m to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. There is plenty of parking at this shopping center. As Pontiac Trail is the main drag/street in South Lyon, it's easy enough to get to.

The store is of good size, has a refrigerated section (a plus in my book), is well stocked and well kept up. The store's staff do an excellent job maintaining and running this store.

Overall, I've visited and shopped at a number of Dollar Tree stores since I first visited this store 3 or 4 years ago so, I tell if a store is a good one or a bad one. This one is a very good one for the reasons I've mentioned. If you like Dollar Tree in general, you'll like this store if you live in this area. I give it a 2 thumbs up. Happy shopping all!

Phileas Kultur Fountain Pen Review

According to Montgomery Pens (www.montgomerypens.com), this pen's name varies. Some call the Phileas pen while others call it the Kultur pen. The package my pen came in didn't have a name on it and merely called it translucent which is what it is (in this case translucent blue). Also, according to them, the pen was never offered for sale in the United States which is too bad as this is an excellent and very affordable fountain pen by Waterman. According to Pen Boutique in Columbia, Maryland this pen isn't for sale any more barring Ebay or maybe Amazon.

As far as I'm able to tell, the pen comes in 3 translucent colors - red, blue and purple. Also, it comes in a clear version. The pens I've seen offered on Ebay have all been fine point stainless steel nib pens which is what I prefer anyway. The pen can use the standard cartridge adapter so, you can use bottled ink and save money or you can use Waterman cartridges.

Prices on Ebay vary ($21 to $30) for the pen depending on what's included though usually the cartridge adapter isn't so, you'll have to shell out another $8 or $9 for that. Montgomery Pens have offered auctions on the clear pen (I lost one of those by 50 cents not that I cared much). Another pen seller called Pens N More on Ebay is offering a 3 pen set of these pens for $62.99 which I think is a really good price per pen as long as you don't mind getting 3 of them (and why I didn't care about losing the auction the Montgomery Pens pen I'd bid on).

Normally, I don't like stainless steel nibs with the rare exceptions like Pilot's Varsity disposable fountain pen. Also, this pen has a large nib. But, this pen writes really well for a stainless steel nib. Other steel nibs I've tried have scratched the paper when I've tried writing with them. This is why my preference is for 18 karat gold nibs which always glide across the paper. However, in the case of this pen, the nib does a good job on various papers and, the price is awesome for a Waterman fountain pen. In my opinion, Waterman is a really good maker of pens. I had 4 of theirs including 2 with 18 karat nibs (and if I had $220 lying around, I'd be getting another one) until I bought this one which I've been surprisingly pleased with.

Another plus of these pens is the fact their translucent or clear. This makes really easy to see how much ink you have left in the cartridge or cartridge adapter. I had a real problem with a Pilot retractable fountain pen I tried recently because of this. I didn't know if it was working when I tried to draw ink into the cartridge adapter via the nib. The only way to be certain with that pen was to pull the adapter out which can get messy and see.

Overall, I'm really pleased with this fountain pen and would recommend it. It writes well, is affordable and translucency (or clear) is an added plus with it. If you like fountain pens, you might want to check out the 2 sellers I mentioned or see what others are selling these fine pens for. I don't think you'll be disappointed with them. Happy writing all!

Silver Spring Dollar Tree Store Review

Last Sunday, a friend at the Extended Stay where I live asked me to get him some hand sanitizer. Dollar Tree Stores are one of the best places I know to get cheap hand sanitizer lotion. They sell it in 8 ounce bottles or slightly smaller bottles if you want it with aloe vera or they have multi-pack 2 ounce bottles. Per the Dollar Tree name, they all cost $1. I've bought a number of bottles of the stuff myself there and, it's worked fine. I promised to get my friend some while my friend Kathryn and I did some shopping.

After we'd finished our shopping at the Kings Contrivance Harris Teeter supermarket, I remembered my promise and called up the various nearby Dollar Tree stores on my Garmin Global Positioning System (GPS). The closest Dollar Tree store was the one in Columbia, but as my readers know, I'm very unimpressed with that store. It doesn't have refrigerated or freezer sections and, it's very small which means it has a limited selection of merchandise. While it might've had hand sanitizer, I wanted to try some place else. I saw on the list of stores there was one in Silver Spring, Maryland that I'd never been to. I asked Kathryn if she'd mind checking that one out. She said she didn't so off we went. The store isn't far from Maryland Route 29 and, it's address is 13837 Outlet Drive (phone number 301-847-7865). It's located in the corner of what I'd call your standard strip mall. The only problem I had with its location is it is in the corner and, you have look for it to find it. Interestingly, there's a Family Dollar store within 40 feet or less of it. Kathryn and I thought initially the Dollar Tree might've been bought out by Family Dollar and so, we checked that store out first. We were UNIMPRESSED by Family Dollar and, we're delighted when a shopper there told there was a Dollar Tree store further down.

The Silver Spring, Maryland Dollar Tree store is large which means it has a lot of merchandise - give them 1 point for that. They score points for also having refrigerated and frozen sections. Lastly, they have decent parking. Kathryn and I found ourselves very pleased with this store vice some others I've been to.

Overall, I was really pleased with this store and would happily shop here again except for the fact that it's a bit far from where I live. However, for those who live in Silver Spring or close by, this is a Dollar Tree store worth checking out. I'd happily give this store 2 thumbs up! It's an excellent store with some very good Dollar Tree bargains (they had some cans of soup where I thought were particularly good price wise though I haven't tried them yet). Happy Shopping all!

Birra Moretti Beer Review

While shopping for foreign (anything made out of United States of America (USA)) beers, I came upon some Birra Moretti beer. The beer is a lager with 4.6% alcohol and is brewed by Heineken Italia in Comun Nuovo, Italy. Total Wine & More in Laurel, Maryland sells a 6 pack of 11.2 fluid ounce bottles for $7.99.

One thing I liked about this lager is that it's a genuine Italian beer i.e. it's brewed IN Italy. I've seen a number of foreign beers that are actually brewed in the USA. To me, they're not legitimately foreign though they may have a different taste to what we're used to in the USA. This lager tasted like a standard lager. It wasn't harsh tasting like some German beers can be though it wasn't super smooth like some Hawaiian ale I've tried. Basically, it's a decent lager at a reasonable price for a genuinely foreign beer.

Tip: Total Wine & More has a frequent shopper club called Total Discovery where they'll send you coupons for their stores that'll save you money on beer or other spirits. In this case, thanks to the coupon, I saved a $1 off this 6 pack. If you drink a fair amount of beer or other spirits, it could be worth it to you to look into it.

Overall, I thought this was a nice beer. I very much liked that it's genuinely Italian. I do question the claim on the bottle about Italian passion for brewing. I think Italy is known more for its wine then its beer. Still, it was fun to try this brew. Happy responsible drinking all!

Trader Joe's Old World Rye Bread With Caraway Seeds Review

I like rye bread and, I like caraway seeds. To me, rye bread isn't rye bread without caraway seeds which add a nice flavor to the bread. So, I was delighted to see Trader Joe's had what looked like some very good rye bread for sale at its store in Elkridge, Maryland.

The bread comes sliced in 1 pound packages, 12 slices to the pound. It sells for $2.49. It has 80 calories per slice as well as 3 grams of protein and less than 1 gram of dietary fiber per slice (Source: the loaf I bought at the Elkridge Trader Joe's). Each slice does have 160 milligrams of sodium for those who have to watch their sodium intake.

The bread has an excellent texture and does well in a sandwich or as a flavorful toast. I found this to be an excellent all around bread with a really nice flavor.

Overall, I was really pleased with this bread, would buy it again and definitely recommend it. The bread does contain wheat, soy and possible traces of sesame seeds (according to the package) for those who have health issues with those. Barring that, if you like a hearty and solid rye bread, this bread is for you. Bon Appetit!

Before, I had to mention that at the time, I had a sister who worked for Trader Joe's even though it didn't influence my reviews of their products. My sister no longer works for them so, there isn't the slightest possibility of conflict with my reviews of their products. If I think the product sucks, I'll tell you so!

Goya Coconut Soda Review

When I saw Goya's Coconut Soda at the Columbia, Maryland Wegmans, I had to try it. I like coconut water and, I enjoyed drinking fresh coconut water out of a coconut at St. Martin (French side of St. Maarten) The soda goes for $1.59 for a 2 liter bottle at Wegmans. The soda is artificially flavored (and honest about it, it says it on the front of the bottle) which is a downer though a plus is it does have a coconut taste. Another downer is that Goya uses high fructose corn syrup. I prefer cane sugar which I think is better for you. The soda is somewhat unique as its the only coconut soda I've seen on the market in the United States.

Overall, I think Goya's coconut soda is ok. I think if you want a real coconut drink, you should try one of the coconut water brands that are for sale in the United States (I don't know what is available elsewhere). Still, if you want coconut soda, this is the main producer of it here. Happy drinking all!

Update May 29, 2016: I forgot to include calorie information on this soda. An 8 ounce glass of the soda has 130 calories (Source: the bottle I bought at Wegmans). Of that, 32 grams are sugar. The soda contains absolutely NO fruit juice. It is entirely artificially flavored. Also, it contains 105 milligrams of potassium in each glass which is a plus in my book.

Woodbine Maryland Dollar Tree Store Review

Today, I visited the Dollar Tree store at 712 Lisbon Center Drive in Woodbine, Maryland. I thought I'd write a store review on it. Here goes:

The store has ample parking and is of good size. The size is important as some Dollar Tree stores can be pretty small like the one in Columbia, Maryland. Having plenty of good priced merchandise can make them worth the trip. This one does though it does have one drawback in my opinion - it doesn't have a refrigerated section like other Dollar Tree stores do. This is important me as Dollar Tree offers some nice deals that way like Sunny Acres Swiss Slices or Bar S Bun Length Franks which Dollar Tree sells for a $1 at the stores that have a refrigerated section.

Note: If you do a search for this store on your smart phone and find it's mobile page, you may see it has the symbol for a refrigerated section. This is wrong. The main web page shows correctly that it doesn't have one though I wish it did.

Hours for the store are: Monday to Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
                                      Sunday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

I think the store hours are convenient. Also, the store is easy to get to. I exited Interstate 70 heading west (exit 32 I think) , took a right turn toward Woodbine, took the 2nd exit on the roundabout and first right after that. You'll see it on your right and a supermarket on your left.

The store can be reached at phone number 410-489-2653.

Overall, I thought it a nice Dollar Tree store. The staff were helpful and courteous, parking was ample, they have convenient hours but, they don't have a refrigerated section. Because of that, if you could, I recommend you find one that does have a refrigerated section. I think I saw they have a store in Eldersburg that does. I'll have to check that one out some time and get back to my readers and let them know what I think of it. Happy shopping all!

Laurel (Maryland) Main Street Travel Inc. Closed

I saw in Yelp and Yellowpages.com that they're reporting that Laurel (Maryland, I don't know if there's a Laurel Main Street Travel in some other state so I'm specifying what state) Main Street Travel Incorporated as open. They're not. They're permanently closed and didn't move to another location. I visited their former office yesterday personally and spoke with a very nice lady from the Laurel Board of Trade that now occupies the site. Also, I can personally testify that number 410-792-4438 has been disconnected i.e. I called it myself and got a recording saying that.

I don't know why the business closed. I saw on one webpage that I don't remember that they'd been in the travel business for 35 years. I was saddened by their closure. I think travel agencies are having a tough time with all the competition they have now and various travel companies trying to cut their agent's commissions. Personally, I like working with a travel agent vice trying to do it myself. My travel agent Joel Mills has been priceless at times.

Anyway, to repeat one final time - Laurel Main Street Travel Incorporated (Inc.) is permanently closed. Happy travels all!

Pilot Frixion Pen Review

While visiting the Bed, Bath and Beyond store at 9021 Snowden River Parkway in Columbia, Maryland, I stumbled upon some Pilot Frixion gel pens. The pens are special in that they're erasable whereas other gel pens aren't. The store sells the pens for $2.99 which is apparently high compared to other stores but, I bought five of the .7mm retractable pens to try out. Later, I did some research on the pens and found out how the ink works.

The gel ink is thermo sensitive which means it's sensitive to heat. According to the jetpens.com website I visited, if you have the pens out in 140 degree heat or higher, the ink will become colorless. It's this same sensitivity to heat that enables users to erase their mistakes with these pens. The friction from rubbing the ink with a regular eraser causes the ink to become colorless. This makes these pens pretty handy.

Specifications wise, the pens come in 7 colors:

Black
Blue
Turquoise
Red
Purple
Green
Pink

They come in fine (.7mm) and extra fine (.5mm) nib sizes. Also, there are retractable and non-retractable pens. The retractable pens are interesting that as there is a small eraser at the end of these pens, you have to press the clip down on them to cause the nib to come out or retract.

Prices can vary. Walmart.com offers a 5 pack of the .5mm (extra fine nib) pens for $9.75 while Staples.com offers 7 pack of the .7 (fine nib) pens for $14.99. Officeworld.com sells the pens singly and in multi-pen packs. In some of the stores I visited looking for these pens, I found the selection of them very limited compared to the very popular Pilot G2 pens.

Overall, I've been very pleased with these pens. I do wish Pilot offered them in more colors and, they were more widely available. Pilot's G2 gel pens come in 15 colors (there are more colors than this though some aren't offered in the United States such as their pastel color G2 pens) vice the 7 they offer in their Frixion line. These pens definitely can be handy in certain cases. I definitely recommend them. Happy writing all!

Update May 4, 2016: Yesterday, I checked the Walmart next to the Sam's Club at 3535 Russett Green East in Laurel, Maryland. They don't have these pens (no shock that). However, the Sam's Club offers an 8 pack of the retractable pens for $6.81. The pack is missing the turquoise pen and has 3 of the black pens.

Tokyoairporter.com Review

Recently, I did a Globus tour of Japan. I'd never toured Japan before and while I was looking forward to visiting it for the first time, I was a bit daunted by it as well. Their language is hugely different from English and, their culture is very different too. Still, one of the great things about Globus is your tour director is with you from the start of the tour till it's end. The tour director knows the language, the culture and their way around. So, I felt at ease until I got a notice from Globus that there wasn't going to be anyone to meet me at Tokyo Narita Airport and, I'd have to take a bus (ticket provided) from the airport to the Tokyo Hilton where my tour group would stay for the first two nights of the tour. (Globus claimed this was the most efficient way to get their travelers from the airport to the hotel.) So, for my first 2 hours in Japan, I was going to be on my own trying to make my way to my hotel. Crap!

That's when I got the idea of using a private car and driver. As some of my readers may remember, I used one in Stockholm, Sweden to get me from the airport to their cruise ship terminal for my Baltic cruise on Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas. By hiring a car and driver, someone would be waiting for me at the airport who knew their way around and would be able to get me to my hotel.

I checked various companies. Viator gave me a price of $394 which was the highest I found. Another company I requested a quote from told me $340 with an extra $35 for an English speaker. Tokyoairporter.com came in at the cheapest with a flat price of 19,000 yen which with the current exchange rate broke out to about $160. Twice during the quote request and when I confirmed my request reservation, I said the driver must speak English. I haven't forgotten my misadventure in Cartagena, Colombia and, I didn't want to subject my travel friend Harvey who was going on the tour with me to that.

Tokyoairporter.com requests prepayment via Paypal which surprised me. Also, they will hit you with a 7.2% charge if you use a credit card. As I was determined to use one, that brought the price up to roughly $180.

On April 5, 2016, after flying over 14 hours non-stop from Washington Dulles International, I arrived at Tokyo Narita International Airport. To my dismay, they had a HUGE line to get through customs. It ended up taking me over an hour and a half to get through the line. My travel friend and I both wondered if our driver would still be waiting for us when we finally got our suitcases and exited the arrival area. To our delight, there was a driver with my last name on her sign.

We quickly realized our driver's understanding of English was iffy at best. Still, she seemed to know what she was doing. She directed us outside to a vehicle parking lot where she indicated we should wait while she got the vehicle. The vehicle turned out to be a mini-van which was fine with us. The lady apparently had been told somehow where we were to go and plugged it into her Japanese Global Positioning System i.e. GPS. Then, we took off for our hotel.

Along the way, we passed one of the buses we might've have taken otherwise so, Tokyoairporter.com is a faster way to get to downtown Tokyo. The driver knew what she was doing and took us directly to the Hilton. I think we got there in roughly an hour. While I wasn't pleased about her apparent lack of understanding of English, she did a fine job and got us where we had to go. My friend and I tipped her $5 each and thanked her as best we could.

Overall, I was very pleased with Tokyoairporter.com. They're cheaper than other services but, they're competent and give good service. I'd definitely use them again and would recommend them if you need a car and driver to take you to your hotel from the airport in Tokyo. Happy travels all!

Maryland Lottery's Million Dollar Spectacular Game Review

While visiting a friend's liquor store, I discovered Maryland Lottery's newest $1,000,000 prize scratch off game called Million Dollar Spectacular. I remembered reading one big winner's strategy where he'd play the new games as he felt there would be a greater chance to hit a big prize initially. It worked for him but, it didn't work for me. I ended up with 4 losers in a row before I hit back to back small winners.

The game is your standard $1,000,000 prize scratch off game. There are three $1,000,000 (see note) prizes (all still available at the time of this post), six $50,000 prizes (all still available at the time of this post), twenty-four $10,000 prizes (all still available at the time of this post), thirty-seven $5,000 prizes (35 remaining at the time of this post) and 733 $1,000 prizes (701 remaining at the time of this post) as well as various smaller prizes starting with $20. You match 1 or more of the 5 numbers at the top of the ticket and you win that prize. The game does have 1 difference from other big prize games in that there is a box at the upper left of the ticket. The box contains 6 prize amounts. If you match 3 of the prize amounts, you win that prize instantly. I liked this feature though I had crummy luck with it. The game started December 28, 2015 so, it hasn't been out that long. Like all new games, losing tickets are eligible for lottery reward points. Overall (meaning overall for the ENTIRE game) odds are 1 in 2.97 of winning. You can do better or you can do worse like I did initially.

Overall, I thought it was a nice game though not a great one. I plan to try it again some time and see if I can a bit better luck with it. To me, it's a pretty standard $1,000,000 prize scratch off game. If you like playing the newest game out in Maryland, you might want to give it a go. Good luck!

Note: the $1,000,000 is paid out over 20 years in an annuity. The winner has 60 days after turning in the winning ticket to inform Maryland Lottery if they want a cash option i.e. all the money immediately. If they choose that option, the payout will be LESS than $1,000,000. If they don't inform them in time, they will automatically receive the annuity (source: one of the game tickets I bought).

Lastly, my source for the odds in the game was one of the tickets I bought. My source for how many prizes remained at the time of this post was the Maryland Lottery webpage for this game. That web page can be found under the $1,000,000 prize scratch off games.

Starbucks Dark Chocolate Peppermint Grahams Review

Last week, while trying to earn more Starbucks reward points so, I can keep my Gold status for another year (you have to earn 30 reward stars to do that), I saw some of their dark chocolate peppermint graham crackers on sale at one (there are 2 of them) of their Laurel, Maryland shops (store 7257 located at 929 Washington Boulevard). The grahams were 40% off and seemed a cheap way to earn another reward star. With the 40% off, it cost me $4.77 for 3 of the grahams (they come 3 in a pack).

The grahams live up to their name in that they are coated with dark chocolate and have peppermint candy piece sprinkled on top of them and each comes individually wrapped in a very nice red box. They have a slight peppermint taste to them i.e. it isn't that strong. They normally cost $7.95 which I think makes them expensive. You're talking nearly $2.65 a graham at regular price!

Overall, I think the grahams are good BUT, in my opinion, they're NOT worth $2.65 a piece. So, if I had to buy them at regular price, I'd give them a big thumbs down. If you can find them at 40% off like I did then, they might be worth buying. However, you may have to search some stores to find the remaining ones as I think they are a holiday item and won't be on the shelves much longer. I like a lot of Starbucks stuff but, I wasn't wowed by this one. Bon Appetit all!

Progresso Soup Review

I've been meaning to write this review for a while but, procrastination got the better of me. I did some research for it as you'll see.

I first bought some Progresso soup because, the base commissary I use had it on sale for either 79 cents a can or 89 cents a can. I'm don't remember which. I wasn't familiar with the soup but, I figured for that price, I could try it and see if I like it. I like soup though I don't have it often. I'm not a fan of Campbell's condensed soups and, that was the main kind of soup I usually have barring the rare bag of Lipton's Soup Secrets soups. The Progresso soup sat for at least 2 months before I got around to trying it. When I did, I was very impressed with it.

The soup comes fully prepared. You don't have to add anything to it. All you have to do is heat it up. You can heat it up in pot on a stove or in a microwavable bowl like I do in a microwave oven. If you microwave it, it takes a maximum of 4 minutes to heat up and, you must cover the bowl with some kind of covering.

Progresso soups come in a wide range of soups. I don't know the exact number but, I would guess based on what I saw at a Weis Supermarket that there are at least 30 different kinds of their soups. Some can be used those on Weight Watchers programs (I've had at least one of those). Price wise, it can vary depending on where you get them. I've seen as cheap as $1 a can and as much $2.19 a can at Weis though in their defense, Weis offers one of the best selection of the soups I've seen. The cheapest place I've seen barring the base commissary I use sometimes is Dollar Tree. They offer the soups for $1 of course. However, their selection is extremely limited. I've never seen them have more than 2 of them if they have them at all. Also, the selection they offer can change depending on what kind of deal they can offer on them at the time. I bought a good corn chowder soup from the Laurel, Maryland store one time and later, they weren't offering it anymore. In the middle of road price wise is WalMart which offers the soups for $1.50 a can and has a good selection though not as good as Weis. Sam's Club and BJ's offer the soups for around $1.30 a can but, their selection can be very limited too. I think BJ's only offered 4 different soups when I checked them out and 2 of them were closer to $1.50 a can because, they were fancier soups vice the cheaper New England clam chowder. For those who need to watch their sodium intake, Progresso offers low sodium versions of some of their soups.

Another plus about the Progresso soups is they take part in the Box Tops for Education program. Every can you buy has a coupon attached worth 10 cents for your school if it participates in the program. The program helps schools get needed school supplies. One down side to these coupons is they must be turned before their expiration date. Cases of the soups come with a 9th coupon (I believe i.e. I'm not 100% certain on this).

Overall, I've been really pleased with Progresso soups. Their hearty soups and can form part of a nutritious meal. If you like a little zing in your soup, some of them have it. I tried their Southwest black bean and vegetable soup and, it had some zing though not overly so. They're easy to prepare and have good shelf life (close to a year I think though do check the best by date on the bottom of the can). I would definitely recommend them. Bon appetit all!

Update May 18, 2016: For some unknown to me reason, the price on Progresso soups has really jumped. What I used to be able to buy for a $1 at the commissary I shop at, now costs $2. There has been a big price jump at Walmart too. Oh and forget about buying their soups anymore at Dollar Tree. I had a fluke find at one of their stores and was so delighted, I bought every can they had. Otherwise, I haven't been able to find at any Dollar Tree store in at least a couple months. I still really like these soups but, I don't like the higher prices. :-(