Reviewing....a toothbrush? Yup! I am!

A few weeks ago I got an email asking if I would be willing to review a toothbrush. Obviously not a run of the mill little plastic brush if the company is seeking a review. *shrugs* I review books and movies professionally, so why not a toothbrush?  Sure!

The Oral-B® Professional™ Precision 5000 is a technological marvel. When we got it in the mail I opened it up and thought I'd just put it together really quickly and play around with it. And wow was there a lot to play with. Seriously - it has a docking station. And a wifi sync display you can stick on your wall or the mirror. The thing is loaded.

So let me explain a little bit about the toothbrush and what sets it apart first. The head of the toothbrush spins and vibrates at a really high pace. So much so that it can be startling the first time you use. (Oh and there are instructions included that explain how and when to use the toothpaste and turn the brush on. Don't take it for granted. If you try to turn the brush on before the toothbrush is in your mouth, you will launch toothpaste into every crevice in your bathroom - and no one wants that. So  you put the paste on, put the brush in your mouth, and THEN turn it on.)

When you turn it on, you will notice that it's not your typical back and forth vibration or spinning head. It does a little bit of all of that. The flossing head allows you to actually FEEL the bristles getting between your teeth. Oh and my favorite (or most annoying depending on the mood of the day) feature is the pressure guard. If you press too hard on the toothbrush, a red indicator light comes on. I had no idea that all of these years I've been shoving that toothbrush so hard against my teeth I'm surprised I haven't worn them to nubs. I've learned how to lighten up and let the brush do the work on its own without me forcing it.

The toothbrush has five settings and when you turn it on, a timer counts down on the display I mentioned to you. We have it stuck to the top of our mirror and not only does the time count down for you (or up if you prefer)  it also has a circle graphic to show you how far through the process you are.

Everyone knows you're supposed to brush your teeth for a recommended two full minutes but this brush goes one step further. The catalog, included with the brush, explains the four major areas of the teeth and the 'daily cleaning mode' will assist you in making sure all of them get clean. At thirty seconds, the brush pauses and beeps, giving you an indication to move to the next area. It's pretty cool.

There are five modes on the toothbrush: Daily Cleaning, Deep Cleaning, Sensitive, Whitening and Massage. All of these are pretty spectacular. The second day I owned the toothbrush we went to the store and picked up a set of replacement heads so my husband could use the toothbrush as well. (It comes with this awesome little display container on the charging station that allows you to line up several brush heads. A lot of thought went into the design on this brush let me tell ya.) After a few days, he noticed that his teeth were cleaner all the time - not just after he brushed. One day he noticed that the plaque around his teeth appeared to be crumbling. Sure enough when he went to the dentist a few days later and he asked, the dentist told him that the plaque on his teeth appeared to be breaking up and chipping away. He's utterly delighted with this toothbrush now and quite frankly, so am I.

My toothbrushing habits prior to this were rushed and barely even basic. I didn't realize how little I was brushing my teeth until I got this brush. Now I look forward to brushing my teeth at night before bed. I'm enjoying using it. The power of the brush is fantastic and with the added timer and display unit, it's completely on you if you don't care for your teeth well.

Two thumbs way up on this one. I never thought a toothbrush would actually change my dental care habits, but this one did. Totally. And my husband's too. Great investment in your dental hygiene and, I would imagine, really good preventative care investment!

You can check out more on the toothbrush at any one of these places: http://www.oralb.com, http://www.twitter.com/oralb,http://www.facebook.com/oralb   and between now and December 31, 2012, you can get a $20 rebate on it. Find out more at the website above.

Note: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Modern Mom on behalf of Oral-B and received a product sample to facilitate my review.

The Internet runs on Eastern time...

So my life has been a little insane lately. I'm working on a new film called Red Canyon. It's not the sort of film I usually work on - horror flick, but it's still pretty cool. It's allowed me to work with some cool peeps. Christine Lakin, Norman Reedus, Justin Hartley...nice client list. ;)

Hubby's still on the pain train. Military is trying to figure out what pain meds will work best for him. It's insane. Each new pain med is just a new ride - seriously. The one from over the weekend made him feel like he kept stepping on electric wires and giving him shocks. Made him totally grumpy - to say the least. So that one's out.

My mother is coming to visit. So is my grandma. They're coming here for ten days over Thanksgiving. They're getting on a plane. That's huge. When my grandma was little, her sisters locked her in a coal chute for several hours, so she's been highly claustrophobic for the rest of her life. When they came to visit last year, they came on a train. Five days. FIVE DAYS. They're terrifed of getting on the plane though. My mother hasn't flown in over forty years - since she took a puddle jumper flight in PA. So she's assuming a lot of things....she told my grandmother the other day that they would be in folding chairs with strappy seat belts. She also told my grandma that they would be locked in tubes and standing there for hours while they wait to board. When I asked my mom where she got that information she said "I've driven past the Pittsburgh Airport lots of times Lori. I know these things."

She refuses to allow my grandma to check baggage because she says she doesn't want to juggle all the bags in her lap during the flight - or carry them from airport to airport....

When I try to tell her that she's wrong, she gets really angry at me. See, I know nothing cause I'm her daughter. Even though I'm in my 30's - doesn't matter. She still knows more. Last year when they visited, she argued with me because the Internet runs on Eastern time. (My mom hasn't been out of Eastern time more than once in her life and then she didn't access the Internet...) So every website, ticket, reservation, etc that happens online, is Eastern time. The rest of the ENTIRE PLANET must adjust accordingly.

That's pretty much a great example of what my Mom sees life as...she's got her opinions...the rest of the world must adjust accordingly.

November...already?

I had a huge blog entry typed up - ready to hit post...and it disappeared. Completely.

LL, you're going to have to wonder for a while what I had to say...and remind me to tell you later how I know that the internet all runs on Eastern time zone.

:)

Hmmmm....October ramblings

Hello internetland. How is everyone out there? I'm doing well. Really well! :)

Last week I got to interview Audrey Niffenegger. That was awesome. I had an amazing time and she was a great interview. And dude - she's a Whovian. How cool is that?! You can check out the interview (it's audio) at www.fictionaddict.com .

I sold a screenplay. I sold the rights for 365 days...if they don't make the film in a year, then the rights come back to me. Right now they're talking about filming in the Spring. We'll see. They've got to get $$ in the bank by Dec 1...so that's when we'll know for sure.

I'm reviewing a lot of books at fictionaddict - and I love it. Having a great time with that.

Hubby's recovering from his surgery. (Still - supposed to be a simple surgery and we're looking at six months here. It's crazy.) They say that he's got nerve damage, so they've put him on a nerve medication. It's long term neuropathic something or other. We'll see how it goes. I hope something good happens because I don't like him continuing to be in this kind of pain.

And that's really all the news I have....

Anyone else got news?

Still here

Can't sleep tonight so thought I'd take the time to get caught up.

NYPinTA has given me a new obsession. Well, not really an obsession...an interest? That's taking up more of my time than it should? And I'm spending money on it...? Okay. Maybe it is an obsession. I'm talking about Sookie Stackhouse. The books are like a big plate of brownies. You sit down and think you'll read just one and then boom - you've devoured the whole plate and didn't realize it. I'm working on book seven. I'll get back to you when I've read more.

I'm writing book reviews for Fictionaddict.com. It's really cool and I'm having a ball doing it. I've gotten some awesome books and the opportunity to do some interviews as well. (Nicholas Sparks. Who ever would have imagined that eh?)

I've also sold a screenplay. Or mostly sold it. Contracts are currently pending. I've signed and returned mine. Just waiting for everyone else to join the party. They have 365 days to make the film before rights revert back to me. From what I've heard, they're ready to start filming in like a month - so I have a lot of hope that this will happen. Still, it's a million bajillion contracts yet before anything further can happen and I know how this business runs. I'm really jazzed about this one because I'll be on set for the filming and they've said they want to hire me for the marketing too. It's a bigger budget than I'd hoped and I'm really *fingers crossed* that we get some excellent names on board. I'll keep you guys informed on that one.

And that's about it. What's happening in internetyland for everyone out there? Fill me in!

So here's a conundrum.....

My father split when I was 13. The day his divorce became final with my mother, he married another woman who lived in a neighboring town and had three kids of her own. So for a few years, I vacillated back and forth between his house and my mother's house. (Mom hardcore solid conservative as it gets - Dad married a woman who dabbled in witchcraft and watched porn together as a family. Can you imagine the chaos of Twichie's growing up years?)

When I turned 18, Dad called and said 'Now that you're an adult I don't have to pay anything for you. You're on your own now kid.' And that was it. I heard from him two or three more times after that. Once I needed money desperately for an emergency surgery and called him and he said no. I ended up needing a loan for it.

So a few weeks ago, bumped into my step-sis on Facebook. We talked a bit about life, kids, etc. We hadn't talked in nearly 20 years so we caught up. We exchanged pics of the kids and such - that's it though. Didn't really connect.

So today on my wall she writes (publicly I might add) that my Dad is dying and she thought I should know. She admitted he's a crappy dad but she said she thought I would want to know so I don't have regrets.

What the heck should I feel about that? I haven't thought about my Dad in years (other than a few weeks ago when she and I reconnected and then it was more...oh wow. Yeah. But nothing more than that).

There's a nice curveball. Add to that the realization that she had no idea he and I hadn't spoken because she says his walls are covered with pictures of me and the kids (obviously sent by my mother without my knowledge) and she assumed we were in contact enough that I sent those.

Also? We're planning a family vacation in May and we'll be driving through (of all places) the town where he currently resides and THAT was where we'd planned to stay the night.

The man was abusive when he DID pay attention to me and a jackass at his BEST. What the heck happens next? Stay tuned - it may end up in a screenplay.

*sigh*

Okay - where'd March go??

March has come in like a lion - but it's still roaring! Every week this month I've thought 'Busy this week - will catch up next week' and never do!

March 7th - birthday party.

March 8-13 - Spring Break.

March 14th - Microsoft/SXSW gig with wounded warriors.

March 16th - lost a friend to cancer.

March 17-19 - Aforementioned funeral arrangements, etc.

March 20 - Girl's night. (Hugh Jackman no shirt and margaritas - nice way to end a rough week)

March 23 - Meetings all day.

March 24-26 - Short days at school.

So...can I start saying now that "I'll catch up next month??"


Oh and BSG anyone????