Toys R Us

• “Jr. Scene It” game - $9.98
• Huffy Boys 20″ Bicycle $29.99
• All Kid K’Nex sets - Half Off!
• All Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway Engines - Buy 2 Get 1 Free
• Bee Movie game for Nintendo Wii - $24.99
• All licensed sleeping bags - $9.99
• Assorted Cranium games - 50% off
• Dora’s Magical Castle & Accessories - 50% off

Old Navy

• Aside from all the fleece on sale, they are giving away FREE MP3 players with any $20 purchase (while supplies last)

Wal-Mart

• Dell 15.4″ Inspiron 1501 Laptop PC - $598
• Bissell EasyVac Upright Bagless - $25
• Assorted Hit DVD’s (Flicka, Ice Age, Etc…) - $5.88
• Kid’s Walk & Roll Spinner Sneakers - $20
• Little Tykes Cook & Learn Kitchen - $79.88

Target

• 25 pack of Imation DVD+R’s - $4.99
• Hasbro Candyland game - $3.99
• Fischer Price Star Station entertainment system - $47
• Braun 360 Complete Shaver - $129.99
• Shark Vacuum - $10
• The Office season 1 DVD set - $9.98
• Magellan Maestro 3100 GPS Navigation System - $149
• Vinotemp 28 bottle wine cooler - $139

Circuit City

• Sirius InV 2 in-dash satellite radio - $19.99
• Fuji Mini DVD-R’s 10 pack -Buy 1 Get 2 Free

Best Buy

• Panasonic 42″ 720 flat-panel plasma HDTV - $899
• Guitar Hero II with X-box 360 system - $349.99
• Sony Cybershot 7.2 megapixel camera - $149.99

Check out more online specials at Buy.com, Overstock.com & Amazon.com.

Happy Thanksgiving from Props & Pans!

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With this one sentence, a very unassuming young man, medium build, bearded, and armed only with a Stratocaster took the stage.

Actually, armed with a Stratocaster, looping pedals, an octave pedal, some wicked effects pedals, and a Slingerland drum kit, he took the stage. And then he blew us all away.

At the Arlene Schnitzer Theater in Portland, Oregon, on September 3, Liam Finn opened the Crowded House show with the single most amazing live solo performance I have seen.

He didn’t give his last name in the introduction, so we didn’t realize that he is the eldest son of Crowded House front man, Neil Finn. I did notice how much his voice sounded like Neil’s and caught a few trademark Finn chord progressions passing through his songs. It crossed my mind that maybe Neil liked himself so much that he booked an opening act that reminded him of, well, him. I should have known better.

Liam began each song with rhythm guitar, looped the progression, clicked his octave pedal, added a looping bass line, and then built lead lines on top of that. Then he sang. And man did he sing.

His vocals were powerful and expressive. His songs were well crafted and beautiful. And just when you thought he could do no more, he left the loops running, set down the guitar, and walked over to the drum kit. Adding the drums at the end of the song helped carry the song to it’s cathartic peak before coming back down again into the dwindling layers of loops that had been mesmerizing you throughout.

After an ear crushing set by Pete Yorn and his band of 1000 loud guitars, Crowded House took the stage with both Finns, father and son, present. Liam mainly played acoustic guitar and sang backing vocals with his dad.

The two of them together was simply magical. Every man on stage could sing, and the harmonies all night were outstanding, but Neil and Liam blended like nothing I have ever heard. It was brilliant.

Liam’s debut album, I’ll Be Lightning, won’t be available until early 2008 here in the States. You can, however, purchase the live CD that we picked up at the show on Kufala Recordings. It is the same set that he played in Portland, and is a terrific CD.

The only downside is that you don’t get to actually watch him making all of that music by his lonesome. Listening to the CD, it is hard to imagine that it is one person doing all of that live.

Until he makes his way back to our neck of the woods, the recording will have to do. I definitely look forward to seeing him again live though. Huge props go out to the magical Liam Finn. Now do yourself and your ears a favor and go listen to “Fire in Your Belly.”

I’ve owned several Ford vehicles and the reason is simple. My family found a dealer who was honest, respectable and always did his best to correct any situation. Their business did not advertise free plane tickets with purchase or set up a kids carnival in their parking lot. They don’t haggle on price. What they tell you is what you’ll pay and they always give you a fair price for trade-in (usually close to Kelley Blue Book).

I admit that I’ve noticed that there is an absence of new style and cutting edge technology on the Ford line-up. When I was invited to the General Motors Lifestyle Product Preview, I was excited to check out a different brand. (A trip that was paid for entirely by GM.)

First, I must state that all the GM employees I interacted with were very friendly and more than accommodating. This is always a good sign of things to come. My group was labeled the “lifestyle bloggers” and it was interesting to meet others from the internet world.

The first afternoon consisted of completing an Advanced Driving Techniques course on safety. I was nervous to get in a vehicle and induce a situation which requires quick thinking, but it went very well. The instructors were not only patient but extremely knowledgeable. I definitely walked away having learned more in that four hours than the entire semester of driver’s ed in high school.

The bloggers group had a dinner with several GM executives that evening. The table conversation was orchestrated by Mr. Ed Peper, Chevrolet General Manager, answering questions from us. For the most part a few auto-bloggers dominated the group with their questions regarding specifics, but overall it was good to hear from the technical side of the automotive industry.

Mr. Peper seemed very genuine and honest in his responses. My only issue was that he repeatedly stated that GM’s top concerns were dependability, reliability, quality and fuel efficiency. It was not until the very end of dinner that he mentioned safety as a priority for their company.

In my opinion, safety should rank first because honestly who cares how many MPG a vehicle gets or how long the engine lasts if they’re not alive? Having been on the other end of a car crash in which safety features saved my life, I’m interested in the advancement of protection.

The population is living longer and with that comes concern with senior citizens driving. Our response and reaction timing certainly slows with age. My concern is that having all these advancements in safety may give a false sense of security to those who have lost their driving skills.

The test-driving event took place on the Milford Proving Grounds where all the GM vehicle testing takes place. With over 4,000 acres they’ve recreated everything imaginable and I was able to drive their vehicles through many of the road tests they use.

Part of the event included an advanced driving techniques course in which we were put into situations and challenged to react. The obstacles included ABS braking and learning about Stabili Trak where the instructor showed us the difference between losing control with and without it.

Trust me when I say having it is a much better option. By 2010 this will be a standard feature on all GM vehicles and that impresses me. GM has the upper hand on innovation and meeting the current issues facing their customers.

The GM models I tested:

Pontiac Solstice (OXP Turbo) - It was what a sporty convertible should be - fun & fast. Being a tall girl I practically fell into the drivers seat, but did find it had plenty of leg room. My comfort was compromised a bit due because the steering wheel didn’t move up high enough. The Solstice accelerates and stops quickly. My biggest complaint was that the inside rear view mirror blocked my view through the front window of the road.

Hummer 2 - If you like being the “big man on campus” this is your vehicle. The features and controls were all very streamlined and in order on the dash, except that the driver temperature controls were difficult to reach over the gear shift. With a 3rd row of seats and a small rectangle shaped rear window, it was difficult to see out the back window. Despite the loud interior noise when driving over bumpy road conditions, it handled surprisingly smooth. Bottom line is that if you like driving a cement block choose the Hummer.

Buick Enclave (CXL) - A four door SUV with 3rd row seats that fold down made this classy vehicle a luxury crossover. The computer screen dash controlled most of the vehicles functions and appeared sleek. I felt the accelerator, braking and steering were a little bit touchy and loose. Overall, it drove smoothly and was easy to navigate on the roadway. It was an impressive combination of style and performance. The only design flaw I noted was an oddly placed circular analog clock in the middle of the dash.

Saturn Outlook (XR) - This was my favorite vehicle to drive. Saturn has defined the family SUV. It offered plenty of room (7-8 passengers) and lots of legroom for everyone. All rear seats folded flat and there was a covered storage area within the floor behind the 3rd row. In fact it featured over 24 storage places all strategically placed to be built into the vehicle. As far comfort, I felt it was the most comfortable SUV I drove there (even against it’s more expensive competition, the Enclave). I asked more in-depth questions regarding this model as I could honestly see us purchasing the Outlook. A GM representative spoke highly of the 5 star safety rating and 6 standard airbags (including head curtains that reached the 3rd row of seats). This was a well-thought out vehicle.

Cadillac (STS) - If you are looking for a luxury sedan that will allow you to watch DVD’s from the driving seat, look no further than this Cadillac. I had never seen a key-less start vehicle, so it took me a moment to figure out the buttons. It offered everything imaginable - heated steering wheel, projected mph in the windshield, electric steering column and pedals, etc… Despite the comfort it is definitely a model that has to fit your lifestyle.

GMC Yukon (Hybrid) - This new model has stirred up quite a bit of excitement because it’s a large SUV that offers better fuel economy than others in its class. I have never driven a hybrid vehicle and wasn’t sure what to expect. Overall the engine was quiet and smooth. You only heard a slight humming noise when you accelerated from the stopped position. Even at high speeds it handled well, drove smoothly and cruised silently. The hybrid certainly does not compromise anything and allows you to gain 25% in fuel usage.