X out of 10

Sufjan Steven’s Songs for Christmas is, quite simply, the best thing to ever happen to Christmas music. The box set comprises five discs (don’t worry, they’re five relatively short discs) that Stevens sent to friends and family between 2001 and 2006 (there is no 2004 volume, as Sufjan was working feverishly on his epic Illinois).

The […]

If you’ve ever owned a computer, at one point or another you’ve probably realized that Microsoft Office is at the same time absolutely necessary and hideously expensive. You may have even taken to shady dealings, or reached out to your cousin’s boyfriend’s sister who works in Redmond, in order to obtain your copy.

While you’ve […]

I first started skiing around the time I was in the 6th grade. I remember the innocent fun of racing down the hill with friends, and the exhilarating rush as the wind swept past my chubby adolescent face. But most of all, I remember falling on my ass. You see, I never was a very […]

In short, this place sucks. Sure, their prices are fine, and they appear to offer an incredible selection at first glance. But after having shopped at their Seattle (Northgate) and Issaquah, WA, stores multiple times, I’ve finally had enough. My major gripe about Joe’s is that it has big stores, with lots of racks, and […]

A musical joint venture between a classical guitar-playing former Birmingham schoolteacher, the daughter of the guy who composed the Icelandic national anthem, and a solid London-based rock and roll rhythm section promises to be either dreadful or delightful. In the case of 7 From The Village, Fields’ debut EP, the latter is fortunately the case.

My mission with X out of 10 is to take everything that makes life great–music, movies, websites, video games, food, wine, and much, much more–and review it, assigning each product a score on a scale of 0 to 10 (X out of 10… get it?). See the Ratings Breakdown page for a complete explanation of […]