Review of 198 Barbershop

Haircut

I needed to get a haircut before an important meeting next week. As I had a short day at work today, I decided to go to the 198 Barbershop on MD-198 and get myself all neat and trim again. I'd let my hair grow long and, I looked like a hippie. I thought that was kind of fun but, that look doesn't make the best impression and, I'll need to make a good impression next week.

The 198 Barbershop is a nice place. The barbers are friendly, competitively priced and do a good job. The shop has adequate parking and is very close to the MD-295 exit making it easy to get to. As an extra treat, they have a popcorn popping machine where you can get yourself a free bag of popcorn while you wait to get your hair cut. As far as waits go, I've never had to wait that long there. They usually have 3 barbers there and, they don't lollygag. I don't know if you can make appointments with them. You can find more information about the shop at http://www.198barbershop.com. I would definitely recommend them. Cheers all!

Update February 27, 2018: I just wanted to mention that this barbershop has gone out of business. The owner as I understand it wanted to cut back on her responsibilities and tried to sell the business. As far as I can tell, there haven't been any takers so far.

Azumagourmet Calamari Salad Review

I like calamari (squid) so when I saw Azumagourmet's calamari salad, I decided to try it. I found the salad to be packed with calamari as well as crunchy vegetables and sesame seeds. The calamari itself was tender and very eatable. I mention that because anyone who has had calamari knows it can sometimes be like trying to eat a piece of rubber. Price wise, the salad is a little pricey. A 24 ounce container of the salad will cost you $11.99 at the Columbia, Maryland Costco (I don't know what other stores carry the product though I know the Laurel, Maryland Sam's Club doesn't carry it). This breaks out to approximately $8 a pound. The product has to be refrigerated and Azumagourmet recommends you consume the entire product within 5 to 7 days of opening it. I've gone longer than their recommendation without any ill effects though I have kept it refrigerated all the time barring when I was getting some out for a meal.

Overall, I've been very pleased with this product and would recommend it anyone who likes calamari. It's a very tasty salad with a nice oriental taste to it. Bon Appetit!

Update February 23, 2014: Like the Tuscan bean salad I reviewed and updated, this product has been dropped for some unknown reason by Costco. Like the bean salad, I hope it's just a seasonal thing. I plan to check on it later in the year to see if Costco starts carrying it again. I really liked this calamari salad and would recommend it to anyone that likes calamari.

Update February 26, 2014: I checked Costco's Glen Burnie, Maryland store and, they don't have this product either. They do have Azumagourmet's seaweed salad which I've never tried as it doesn't sound terribly appealing to me. I like seaweed with sushi but, I don't think I'd care for it in a salad.

Update April 27, 2021: To my surprise, the Columbia Costco started carrying this product again. The price is $11.79. It's still very good and, I ended up stocking up just in case they decided to stop carrying it again. If you like calimari, I think you'll like this product.

Update September 3, 2021: I visited the Columbia, Maryland Costco and, they were offering $3 on this calamari salad until September 12th. That means, it's selling for $8.79. Those who like calamari should get to Costco and grab this deal while they can.

Update November 17, 2022: I've visited the Columbia Costco store twice now in the past month and both times, it didn't have this product. It's possible it may not show again till spring. 😞

Update August 13, 2023: The Columbia Costco still isn't carrying the calamari salad. However, you can find it at the Whole Foods Market in Columbia though it is more expensive and isn't labeled under the Azumagourmet brand. It's labeled under Genji, comes in 4 ounce plastic containers and costs $5.99.

Update July 10, 2025: I visited the Columbia, Maryland Whole Foods Market to buy some of this calamari salad. They didn't have it and didn't know if they'd ever get it in again. I subsequently contacted Azumagourmet who make the salad who informed me they weren't making the salad anymore and didn't know if they would make it in the future.

Review of Mobile Reference's Bermuda Sights E-Guide

Today, to my embarrassment, I found out I'd bought a guide to the 16 most important sights in Bermuda over 4 years ago and forgot totally about it. I finally got around to reading it today. I thought it might be useful as I'll be sailing to Bermuda on Saturday out of Baltimore on Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas.

The e-guide costs $4.99. It has 56 pages though some of the pages are very small. It's an easy read and supposedly will take less than an hour to read it through.

One problem I encountered while reading the guide is some of the information isn't accurate. Later, after I wrote a review on it, I found out why. It was published in 2011 making it outdated. I tried emailing the email address they give at the end of the guide and, it didn't work. It would be nice if they'd update their guide. One bit of outdated information I noticed was how many cruise ships The Dockyard can handle. I know for a fact The Dockyard can handle to 2 cruise ships at the same time. I cruised to Bermuda in September 2024 on Vision of the Seas and, the ship was the second ship to dock there. I remember an earlier cruise (I can't remember the date) when they were building the pier extension.

I found other information in the guide to be interesting like how the airport was built in Bermuda (it was initially for the U.S. Army). I think most of the sights reviewed in the guide are still in Bermuda. One place I wish they'd mentioned is the Frog and Onion Pub which is located in The Dockyard. It features craft brews which I've enjoyed a number of times while there. A pint of Somersby ale will cost you over $15 (as of September 2024, I'll update this if I find out the price has changed.). I can't tell you how much the food costs there as I've never eaten anything there. Stuff tends to be expensive in Bermuda because they have to import it.

Overall, the guide can still be useful BUT, you might want to see if you can find one that is more current. It does have some useful maps of Hamilton and St. George both of which you can get to from The Dockyard. There are regular ferries that go to both from there. The last time I took the ferry to Hamilton, I believe it cost me $10 round trip. One nice thing about the ferry ride is you get to see some stunning homes built along the shore. I'd hate to see what those homes cost.

That's all for this post. Sorry that I've been so bad about posting. I didn't realize until my earlier post today on the Maryland Lottery's Lucky 7 games that it had been over a year since I last blogged. I will try to post something from Bermuda. Safe travels to all of you. See ya!

Review of Maryland Lottery's Lucky 777 Game

On May 19, 2025, Maryland Lottery launched its Lucky 7's games. The games have similarities to Maryland Lottery's Hot 7 games. For starters, There is a family of games starting at $1 and going up to $20 like Hot 7's. They offer most of the same multiples i.e. 3X up to 7X (on the $20 game), the same prize amounts $1,000 to $1 million dollars. They have the same junk symbols when you don't win. The games differ in that on the Hot 7's games, you had to hit a fire symbol whereas on the Lucky 7's games, you must hit either a black 7 or a red 7 (if you hit this, the prize is doubled). Another difference is that at the top of the ticket on the Lucky 7's games, there will be chances for instant win prizes depending on if a symbol shows up example: piggy bank which wins you $57 or Please Try Again. The prizes on the instant win windows start at $57 and go up to $507 depending on the price of the ticket. At the time of this post, all six $1 million prizes were unclaimed. Losing tickets do qualify for spins with Lottery Rewards where you can win free money ($1 or $2), free play (the various number games), prize points (where you can get various stuff) and draw points (where you can get entries for various drawings). Entering the losing tickets can be work at times BUT, at least this way, you can get something back for your losing tickets. Kudos to Maryland Lottery for that. Overall odds on the different games can range up to 1 in 3.10 for the $20 game (source: a ticket I bought with my own money).

That's it for my review. Good luck to all players out there. Please play responsibly. All comments on here are my own and, I'm not in any way connected with the Maryland Lottery. I didn't receive any compensation for this review (I felt it was time to post a blog entry. It's been over a year since the last one. Time flies.). Cheers!

Review of Toby Dinner Theater's Disney Beauty and The Beast Show

On March 15, 2024, Toby's Dinner Theater in Columbia, Maryland started its show run of Disney's Beauty and The Beast (it runs to June 16th). The show is obviously based on the Disney cartoon and features characters and songs from the famous cartoon. For those who don't know the story line, it tells of a spoiled handsome prince who because he refuses to help an ugly hag who in reality a power enchantress is transformed into a hideous beast. As the beast, he must win the love of a lady before the last petal on an enchanted rose falls or be doomed to be a beast forever. The lady who he ultimately wins over is a local beauty named Belle who dreams of adventure and far off places and gets more than she bargained for when it really happens. She will find out who the real "beast" is in the process.

On March 19, 2024, I went to Toby's to see the show. I expected it to be very good and, I wasn't disappointed. Toby's does an outstanding job of bringing this cartoon to life. The cast's costumes make them look very much like the characters in the cartoon. Also, the cast absolutely nails a number of the songs example: the actress (sorry I gave my program away and so can't cite the name of the wonderful actress) who plays Mrs. Pott does a fantastic version of the title song Beauty and The Beast. Another interesting thing about Toby's is that your waiter or waitress will actually have a part in the show. In my case, to my total surprise, my waitress Rachel (will cite her last name when I find out what it is when I go back, the show webpage didn't list it) played the part of Belle and was both a great waitress and Belle. She made sure my glass of Sprite didn't run empty while wowing me with her singing and acting.

Food wise, they had a nice salad bar as well as cole slaw, pasta salad, cubed pieces of 2 kinds of cheese, macaroni and cheese, fish, meatloaf, ham, roast beef (with optional horse radish sauce), and turkey breast, cheese cake, chocolate cake, rainbow sherbet and vanilla ice cream with sprinkles and other toppings. There are undoubtedly more food items that I haven't noted here. Your waiter or waitress will let you know when you can go to the salad bar and to the dinner buffet. Sodas are not included in the price of the ticket. I believe my Sprite cost $3.14 and included free refills. Coffee and Tea are included.

Tickets cost $79 on Tuesday through Friday, $86 for Saturday and $85 for Sunday brunch and evening shows for adults. For children, the prices are $60 Tuesday through Thursday and $63 Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There is a Senior ticket price on Tuesdays and Wednesday (matinee and evening) of $67.15. For those who bought a subscription, you must make a reservation before hand and then present one of your subscription tickets when you check in. Doors open at 6 p.m. There is decent parking. On the show I saw, the show started at 8:00 p.m., had a half hour intermission where people paid their drink bills, got 1 last drink and the second part of the show finished around 10:30 p.m. (Source: the Toby's website)

Overall, I was really delighted with this show and look forward to seeing it again (I'll cite the names of the people I noted in this review in an update). One last note: Toby's will also be doing Jersey Boys (tells the story of Franki Valli and the Four Tops), The Addams Family and The Sound of Music. I plan to see the Jersey Boys and Sound of Music so stay tuned for more show reviews on shows at Toby's. Ciao.

Review of Maryland Lottery's Electric 8s Game

The Maryland Lottery recently came out with 3 new games: Triple 333 ($2), Winning 7 ($5) and Electric 8 ($10). Because they're new, I recently played all 3 to see what they were about. This review will give the particulars on their Electric 8s game.

The game costs $10, has overall odds of 1 in 3.43 (per 1 of the tickets I bought) and has a grand prize of $88,000. At the time of this review, there are all 8 grand prizes out there. The game was launched on November 24, 2023.

The game has instant win features as well as the standard matching 1 or more of the 5 winning numbers. The game is unique in that at the top of the ticket are 8 Electric Bonus spots which the player scratches off. If any of them reveal a prize amount, the player automatically wins that amount. According to the ticket I'm looking at while writing this review, you can hit more than once in these bonus spots. There's also a instant win feature in the standard winning numbers part of the ticket. In the area where you scratch to see if any of your numbers match 1 or more of the winning numbers, if you see an 8 symbol, you automatically win double the prize shown. Prize amounts for this game per the ticket I'm looking at are: $10, $20, $50, $100, $200, $500, $1,000, $10,000 and $88,000. Any prize amount of $1,000 or more must be validated at the Maryland Lottery Customer Resource Center in Baltimore, Maryland.

Overall, I found the game a nice game to play though not necessarily any better than some of the other games Maryland Lottery has. The game has decent overall odds of winning though you can always do better or worse. Those odds are the OVERALL odds, not guaranteed odds for every book of ticket though usually the books will follow the odds. Maryland Lottery is promoting the game this month with their lottery rewards program. For every $25 worth of losing tickets for this game and the other 2 mentioned at the beginning of this review, you get a spin on the app wheel where you can win a coupon, draw points or prize points. You can get up to 4 spins on the app wheel ($100 worth of losing tickets). Please be responsible in your playing if you decide to play. Remember, you're not guaranteed to win a fortune if you decide to play. Good luck to you and thanks for reading my ad free blog.

Disclaimer: I wasn't provided any free tickets or remuneration from Maryland Lottery for writing this review just like my other personal reviews on other games I've reviewed. I spent my own money to play this game. My sources for this game are 1 of the tickets I bought and the Maryland Lottery app which has a function where you can call up any of their scratch off games and see when the game was introduced, game number and how many prizes are left for each prize amount. I do recommend this app as it's handy for seeing how many prizes are left. Plus, you can check your ticket with it to see if it's a winner. I recommend you ALWAYS double check your ticket with this or one of the ticket checkers at any location that sells Maryland Lottery tickets. It's easy to miss something while playing. You don't want to throw away a winning ticket by mistake.

Review of Game Parlor's Slot Machine Coin Bank

 Normally, I'm very pleased with everything I buy at the Jessup, Maryland Ollie's Discount Store. They sell very good merchandise at excellent prices. This makes this review rather different as this review is of a product that I believe is poorly made and should be avoided. The product in question is Game Parlor's Slot Machine Coin Bank made by Meridian Point.

The product sells for $10 at Ollie's though they claim it would normally retail for $24.99. The product is a miniature slot machine where you can insert coins, pull the side lever and see if you hit 1 of the jackpot combinations on the spinning wheels (there are 3 of them like on real slot machines). It doesn't run on batteries though mine had a space on the back for them. You don't have to insert coins in order to spin the slot machine.

The problem I ran into is that the machine is apparently poorly made and broke on me through normal use shortly after I bought it. I've tried repeatedly pulling on the side handle and nothing happens. To add to my dismay, I made the mistake of throwing away my receipt so, I can't return it to Ollie's for a refund. On a recent trip to Ollie's, I checked another such bank and found it broken too. So, my problem isn't a 1 off. This is why I'm warning other consumers out there of this product. If you buy 1, make sure you keep your receipt just in case you have to return it.

While I greatly enjoyed this product when it worked, I'm not thrilled that it broke so easily and apparently can't be fixed. I give it 2 thumbs down because of this and recommend other people avoid buying it.

Review of Yummy Can Bacon Product

 A while back on a visit to the Jessup, Maryland Ollie's Discount Store, I stumbled upon a device called the Yummy Can Bacon. It's a device of sorts that cooks bacon in a microwave oven. It's made of plastic and features 3 parts: a long high lid with steam vent that covers the rack the bacon slices lay on, a bacon rack you can lay up to 8 slices of bacon on and which connects to the bacon grease catcher base of the device and the bacon grease catcher base which is deep enough to hold all the bacon grease that will drip off the bacon as it's cooking.

Ollie's claims the device would normally retail for $19.99 and, they sell it for $9.99. I don't know how true their claim is for what the device would normally sell for. The device comes with a sheet that gives suggested cooking times based on the number of slices of bacon you're cooking and the power of your microwave oven. I've found these times reliable and have split the difference between the low and high times.

Compared to other microwave bacon cookers which I don't remember the names of, this device does a good job. Unlike 1 device I remember buying which featured a tray the bacon lay on which wasn't long enough for the slices of bacon and made it necessary to cut them into 2 pieces, the rack on this device can handle a normal slice of bacon. Also, it does a good job of catching all the bacon grease though I have found a little of it can get on the side handles of the device.

One thing I would warn prospective users of this device is how hot it can be when it has finished cooking the bacon. I would strongly recommend you use some cooking heat gloves to protect your hands and fingers. Also, I would advise you to be careful of the hot bacon grease. You might want to let it cool for a little while before throwing it out. I wouldn't recommend you pour the grease down your sink drain as it might clog the pipe.

One down side to the device I've found is cleaning it especially the bacon rack. I imagine you can use the device again without cleaning it but, you may get your fingers messy as there will be a grease residue on the base, rack and inside the cover. This is why I prefer to clean the device every time after I've used it.

If you want your bacon particularly crispy, you may have to experiment with the cooking times to find the right time to get the results you want.

Overall, I've been very pleased with this device. It's a very easy way to cook up to 8 slices of bacon with no splattering like you'd have if you cooked it on top of a stove. I feel Ollie's offers it at a good price and, the last time I was at their Jessup, Maryland store, they still had some of the devices. I don't know if other places sell it or at what price. I would think you could find it on Amazon or Ebay though I don't know this for a a fact. Keep this device in mind if you want an easy way to cook up some bacon. Bon Appetit!

Review of Maryland Lottery's Win $100, $200 or $500 Scratch Off Game

On October 23, 2023, Maryland Lottery launched the win $100, $200 or $500 for the second time. I remember this game because I did have some luck with it the first time it came out, The game features just 3 prizes: $100, $200 and $500. Like its previous version, it costs $20 to play. Also, like it previous version, it has some of the worst odds of winning among scratch off games: 1 in 9.14 per a lottery ticket I bought.

On the ticket, it claims to offer 3 times more $100 prizes. I don't know if that's true or not. At the time of this post, there were 348,041 $100 prizes left as well as 142,070 $200 prizes left and 17,338 $500 prizes left. Like the previous version, it has the same $$ instant win symbol. Also, it offers 30 chances to win though that doesn't mean as much as the 1 in 9.14 odds. The game is very like its cheaper $10 version. 

At the time of this post, Maryland Lottery is offering a second chance drawing where you could win $100,000. The lottery is offering multiple drawings on this prize. Unlike the previous version, Maryland Lottery is promoting this game as a holiday game. The ticket has Christmas tree ornaments and streamers on it but, it doesn't have any other connections with the holiday. In that way, it's like its previous version. It's a decent game but, it can be a real gamble. I've played this latest version and, like its previous version, you can get clobbered on this game if you're unlucky. On my thumbs up scale, I'd give it a 1 out of 2. Good luck to you if you decide to take a chance on this game.

Please see my standard disclaimer for any reviews I write and post about various Maryland Lottery games. This disclaimer is valid for this review too. Like all games I post on this blog, I bought the game ticket with my own money and didn't receive any remuneration from Maryland Lottery nor do I have connection with them.

Update May 26, 2025: This game must be very successful for Maryland Lottery because it's on its 3rd Edition at the time ⏲️ of this update. The overall odds in this edition are 1 in 8.84 (Source: a ticket 🎟 I bought.).

Review of Royal Caribbean's North Star Ride

During a cruise on Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas in January 2023, I got to try its North Star ride for the first time. The ride promised some great views as a capsule hooked to a crane lifts you 300 feet above the ocean. The capsule has some kind of clear substance all around it (I don't think it was glass) that made it easy to see out of.

I found before I boarded my turn on the North Star (you have to get a set ride time) that Royal Caribbean offers 2 options: pay and free. On the pay ride, you shell out $19 and get to go up over the open ocean for a longer ride than you would if you did the free option. Also, with the pay option, the capsule will go out past the sides of the ship because you're at sea. On the free option, it doesn't because you're in port.

I went with the free option and got to go up while in port at Philipsburg, St. Maarten. The views were fabulous. I could see the various cruise ships around the Anthem including Grandeur of the Seas which I'd sailed on before. Also, I could see all the way to Philipsburg which was great. I think the ride lasted maybe 15 minutes. There was a Royal Caribbean person in the capsule with our group as well as someone at the entrance to the ride. I felt the ride was very safe.

Overall, I was very pleased with the ride though I don't understand why you would want to go up in it while at sea when all you're going to see is ocean and maybe some nice views of the ship. I would prefer to go on North Star while in port. I will give the ride 2 thumbs up as it produced great views and was free in my case. Happy Viewing and Cruising All!

Review of Kettle Brand Farmstand Ranch Potato Chips.

 While checking out the Jessup, Maryland MOM's Organic Market which I hadn't been to in months, I stumbled upon Kettle Brand's Farmstand Ranch potato chips. As I like ranch salad dressing, I decided to buy a bag of them and see if they were any good.

MOM's sells a 5 ounce bag of the chips for $3.99 though right now, you can get a dollar off. I don't know how long that deal will last.

I found the chips have a genuine ranch flavor to them. Because of this, I did enjoy them and would recommend them to those who like ranch flavoring. In that way, they're tasty potato chips.

Overall, I give them 2 thumbs up and will buy them again. Bon Appetit!