Jessica Gray's Philosophies, Rants, Information, and Etcetera

I don't know if this only happens to collectors, but aging can be a funny thing.  Here you'll be an adult, and you haven't thought about your childhood in years. Heck, you may not even remember most of it.  Then one day, you'll remember a toy you really liked.  Suddenly, you feel the only way your life can go right is if you get a replica of that favorite toy.  I am always wary of these moods.  For one thing, they often require me to spend money when I don't have it.  However, they are also a signal that my past is trying to come to the forefront, and that is...promising trauma in any case.  It may be a good thing, for it is the way I resolve it...but it puts me through an emotional rollercoaster. I went through this some time ago.  I started remembering all of my favorite toys from my youth.  One of them was a Brooke Shields doll. I wasn't really into dolls in my childhood.  It is funny because I collect them as an adult.  As I...

The videos basically already go over what I wrote in my article, but if you are someone that likes to watch an interview rather than read one, then this is for you.  This is part 1: This is part 2:

PRODUCT DETAILS Put out by Hasbro in 1998. Recommended for ages 4+. Contents:   1 vehicle, 1 action figure, 1 dual lightsaber, 1 probe droid, instructions, booklet offering other Hasbro products Made in China. UPC:   076930841419 Measurements:   Vehicle:  4.5" L x 3" H    Action figure:  4" My mother asked me to do a review of this product, which she had bought to sell.  It isn't actually very popular, and that was one of the reasons why my mom asked me to do a review.  I don't like sounding like I have a high opinion of myself and that I'm the Queen of Youtube that everyone listens to, but we have seen a correlation between doing video reviews and the products selling soon afterwards.  Even an unpopular product that we thought we would never get rid of suddenly sells after years of collecting dust in our closet.  Social media, annoying as it can be, has its uses. This item at the moment sells pretty chea...

*SPOILER ALERT--the review below may contain spoilers.  Read with caution! How many people sigh to see yet another version of Great Expectations  being done?  The only movie that has probably been done more often is Charles Dickens other work, The Christmas Carol .  In fact, I've seen so many versions of that story, I have rebelled and refused to watch another.  Of course, if Helena Bonham Carter were in it....okay, I might make an exception there. It was because that Helena Bonham Carter was in this movie that I wanted to watch it.  I like Great Expectations , but I know the story well enough not to go into an ecstatic fit at the thought of another rendition of it being made. As for Helena Bonham Carter...do I believe she is the greatest actress in the world?  It isn't that really, but I generally enjoy watching her.  Frankly, it wasn't such a new role that she was playing a crazy woman with wild hair.  However, she is very good at pla...

Here is the second quiz:

Here is the quiz for Arithmetic Lesson 1.   Remember you can pause the video if you need more time or mute it if you don't like to hear me yakking.

Let's face it...not everyone is following a fashion trend when they show their butt crack.  There are many Americans who have a problem keeping their pants up--some due to weight, others due to wearing old clothes with bad elastic, etc.  My mom was one of those people.  She tried suspenders for a while but didn't like them.  I often followed behind her and pulled up her pants when they started falling down in the store.  Fortunately, she wore underwear...so it was a little less embarrassing.  She came up with this solution that works pretty well.

What this lesson covers:   math terms, numerous ways number concepts can be expressed, the ten number symbols, who invented the number system we use today, why it is called the decimal system, why written numbers were developed, place value, how to write numbers, how to write numbers in words, pronunciation of numbers, the function of zero as a place holder, reading and writing Roman numerals, who created our time measurements and what that system was called. There will be two quizzes uploaded in the future for this lesson.

Mattel produced many versions of Hermione Granger in doll form, but I always felt this was the nicest one both for the quality of how the doll was made and for the coolest accessories.  It was produced in 2001 for the first movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.   It is not recommended for children under 3 years of age because of the choking hazard, and actually on the box they intended it for ages 8 and up. The doll may look boggle-headed in the above pictures, but she really isn't that distorted.  I think it was the angle of the camera that made her look that way.  The arms can be difficult to maneuver and get into the position you want, particularly the arm that has the magnet.  Since this is a magnetic toy, there is the usual warning about keeping it away from things that are affected by magnets.  The elbows bend, and the arm can move up and down.  Put her wand in the magnet hand and push the lever in her back to make her wave i...

Here is the quiz for Florida Driver's Manual Lesson 3 Part 2.  You can study for it by looking at my video Florida Driver's Manual Lesson 3 Part 1.

This lesson covers how driving too slowly is also a problem, what to do when you are pulled over by a police officer, crossing intersections, stop signs, four way stops, open intersections, roundabouts, pedestrians, right of way.  The quiz to the lesson will be uploaded in the near future.

After I got Dana, the next Journey Girl I had wanted was Kelsey.  I had thought there was a Kelsey that had been released in a green dress, but apparently I was wrong about that.  Journey Girls are often re-released in different outfits, aside from outfits being sold separately for the dolls.  You have to be careful and read product titles carefully.  Many times I've gotten excited, thinking a doll was being offered for $16.99, and it turns out it was only an outfit.  As for the green dress, I think what happened is that I had seen Kelsey next to a Meridia doll...or perhaps it is because I thought she should have been put in a green dress, which would have really shown up her eyes. Supposedly Journey Girls are based on real girls.  They often show photographs on the boxes of the real girls that inspired the dolls, most who the dolls don't resemble.  Kelsey is apparently into extreme sports and dreams about backpacking through Costa Rica one day...

This lesson is more about how suffixes, prefixes, and roots are combined to form medical terms.  This is more about the literal translation of words rather than a proper definition, though in most cases the literal translation is a decent definition.  There are a few confusing exceptions.  For instance, the term autopsy literally translates to "process of viewing oneself"  (- opsy  "process of viewing; aut- "self, oneself"...with medical terminology, you translate the end of a word first then go back to the beginning).  However, an autopsy is an examination of a dead body.  In the forensic field, sometimes the autopsies that are done are not even on humans.  However, the word no doubt comes from the days when cadavers were dissected in curiosity of what made humans tick...so to view a corpse was essentially like viewing yourself. There is a quiz at the end.  You can always pause the quiz if I am going too fast for you, and you can mute ...

I did an in-depth written review on this blog, but if you would like to have another look at her, I also did a Youtube review.  It is divided into two parts.  Part 1 is in the box, part 2 is out of box. Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z6l4B2C8Hw Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBJejPo0Az8

This doll is special for two reasons: 1) She is being released for the holidays, and 2) she is the first introductory doll of the newest Journey Girl, Jordana.  I have to admit, I was blown away by this doll when I first saw her on Toysrus.com.  Journey Girls are my favorite 18 inch doll, but I have to admit I was surprised that they added a fashionista to the group.  That is what Jordana is claimed to be--the Journey Girl who loves to study fashion trends.  To me, this seemed to go against the idea of a Journey Girl.  Journey Girls always seemed to be the "hot nerds"...girls that didn't mind getting dirty, who may not shave their legs, or mind having B.O.  However, there is no doubt that a fashionista would appeal to a certain group of little girls...and adult collectors. Jordana, being a limited holiday edition, costs a bit more than the usual price for Journey Girl dolls.  Generally, they go for $32.99, and it is around $40 after shipping and tax...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDwOi7HpHtQ Funny and informative!