Robisons Wells Recommends:
Here you will find information on all the great things I love, and that I wish to publically endorse. (If you'd like to see your great products listed here, then they'd better be awesome, because I have exceptionally discriminating tastes. Or, send me money!)

Incidentally, just because something is on my list it doesn't mean it's my favorite. For example, if I say that I recommend carrots, that doesn't mean that carrots are my favorite vegetable of all time, bar none. It may mean something as simple as: one day I ate a carrot and thought it was nummy.


Gillette Fusion

What do you get when you put orange plasma and blue plasma into a supercollider? Well, according to the overly-serious advertisements, you get Gillette Fusion!

I remember distinctly the first time I ever tried the Gillette Mach3. I was on my mission, in scenic Grants New Mexico, and got an unexpected visit from the AP's. Elder Martin, one of my previous companions, told me that I had to try his new razor -- it would change my life. Over the past year, he had built a relationship of trust. Then, when I expressed my dismay about the three-bladed Mach3 -- three! -- he showed empathy and resolved my concerns. And then, using a direct, will-you question, he committed me to trying the razor. And it changed my life.

But all was not well in Mach3 land. Years passed, and I was becoming less and less enamored with my former love. The moisture strip was not as moist as it once was, and the three blades had long since been out-razored by Shick's Quattro, a four-bladed abomination. Men around the world united, nailing our ninety-five theses against Gillette's door. It was time for a facial hair reformation.

And Gillette Fusion was born. And may I say, without one drop of exaggeration, the Gillette Fusion provided the finest shaving experience I have ever had. It's a sweet caress of orange and blue; and my cheek and chin have never been so silky smooth.

Millions

This movie, inlcuded in many critics' top ten movies of 2005, begins as an honestly sweet, yet ingeniously clever, family film. It's the story of two grade-school-age brothers who miraculuosly happen upon a bag of money -- millions. It's all very innocent, funny stuff as they try to decide what to do with it: the older boy begins living the high life -- paying his school mates to do everything for him, and trying to purchase real estate -- while the younger brother (who also talks to dead saints) tries to help the poor.

But then the movie takes a twist, and while it never departs from its clever, honest roots, it far outshines the its Family Entertainment stereotype. It takes the whimiscal premise, but firmly plants it in a real world, with real consequences. It's fun and touching and real.


Natalie Merchant

My favorite musician, hands down, no contest, is Natalie Merchant. The music itself is fantastic, but I'm more drawn to the lyrics -- particularly that all her songs are about something. There are no average pop love songs. Instead, she writes about poverty or war or religious hypocrisy or a hundred other things.

The one drawback is that, while I love the lyrics, Natalie Merchant suffers from Bob Dylan Syndrome, and you can't understand half of what she says unless you read the album liners. (And even this isn't that much of a drawback. Even if you can't understand her words, her voice is great anyway.)

Thai Curry

Delicioso!


Izze

It's 100% fruit juice, but carbonated, so it's like drinking a soda, but good for you! My favorites are the clementine and grapefruit, but they're all good. (Pomegranete was a bit of a let down, though, as it tastes very similar to the blackberry.)


Pride and Prejudice: A Latter-Day Comedy

Don't worry, all you men out there. I'm not endorsing that six-hour-long BBC version, nor am I suggesting that you, heaven forbid, read the book. Instead, I'm referring to that new LDS version. Now, I'll be the first to say the movie has it's problems: there were some writing flaws and some editing flaws. But this is, by far, the best LDS comedy movie to date (and no, I'm not including The Best Two Years in that category, which is probably the best LDS film to date -- it's more of a drama, with a little comedy tossed in).

I'm impressed particularly with the characterization here -- there are so many principals, yet we have a pretty good grasp of all their characters. All of the actors are pretty good (with the exception of whichever actor played Bingley), and some were particularly good, such as Kam Heskin, who not only is a good actress, but she's cute. And she's named Kam, so she gets the pity vote, too, for having such a dumb name.

Most importantly, I like this movie because it doesn't fall into the same trap that the HaleStorm movies do (Singles Ward, etc), where they seem to lack editors entirely. Don't get me wrong -- I've enjoyed their movies. It's just, while you're watching, you get the idea that the production crew and writers include every joke they can possibly think of, and hope that most of them are funny. Further, I like that Pride and Prejudice seems to avoid the inside jokes HaleStorm seems to love. It seems like a real, honest-to-goodness movie, not necessarily a Utah movie.

Anyway, watch it. It's a lot of fun.


Schweppe's Raspberry Ginger Ale

It's like a party in my mouth, and everyone's invited!


The Book of Mormon Chess Set

I've mentioned this here before, but I have to say that it's one of the most clever, well-made LDS games on the market. Of course, it's just chess, so there's nothing different about game play, but the figures are hilarious. If you want a full description, it's somewhere in the blog archives. But suffice it to say that the rooks, usually represented as towers, are King Benjamin's tower (for the good side) and the Rameumptom for the bad side. The pieces are surprisingly detailed, and sculpted well, and they're all hand painted. I love that thing.


Dimitri's Greek Cafe (was George's)

I hadn't been there for over a year, but I went with my Dad earlier this week. Man, is that place yummy. Of course, there is only one thing on the menu worth getting, the Roundhouse, which is nothing more than a mountainous stack of hashbrowns, cheese, eggs, and every kind of breakfast meat. The café is in the basement of a medical plaza, too, which is probably so that you'll be close to medical attention when you collapse and die of high cholesterol.


Dan's Foods

I am a little bit obsessive about my grocery shopping. My wife generally goes to the big warehouse stores to do the shopping, and comes home with gallons of pickles and cases of refried beans, but my devotions belong to Dan’s.

I don’t know exactly from whence my love springs. Dan’s doesn’t really have the lowest prices, or the widest selection. But I love the place. The store is generally pretty clean, but not immaculately so. They have friendly staff, but not overly-friendly. They’re not particularly speedy, but not slow either.

But (and I say this 100% honestly) the place feels like home. Seriously, I cannot walk into Dan’s and be in a bad mood. Why is this? I have no stinking idea.


DK Travel Books

These are amazingly handy little reference books, and I keep a couple next to me at all times while I write. They're full of rich detail, with in-depth descriptions of history, culture and everything else. And there are pictures upon pictures. A wonderful resource for poor writers who can't afford to fly to Paris every time we need to check a fact.