Steven Helmer Publications

  Let me start out by making something clear - I don't blame Aaron Rodgers for the Packers' 3-5 start and four game losing streak. Title Town USA has a lot of problems - lack of talent/experience at wide receiver, injuries and a defense that (STILL) can't seem to stop the run. These things have also contributed to an offense that has become both stagnant and predictable. However, while the 4-time league MVP isn't part of the problem (at least when he's healthy), that doesn't necessarily mean he's the solution either. There's still a lot of football left to be played and it's hard to say the Packers should give up on their season when there are still nine games left in the season. However, there are just too many reasons to believe the team isn't going to be able to turn this around in time to make any real impact. Ultimately, Green Bay has three options. They can hope something clicks with a player or players on their current roster and that'...

Synopsis: When Sheldon ( Iain Armitage ) stays overnight in his dorm hall and sees all the rule breaking, he convinces President Hagemeyer ( Wendie Malick ) to make him resident advisor while Connie ( Annie Potts ) convinces Dale ( Craig T. Nelson ) to help her expand her business by going on a road trip to buy poker machines from a sketchy dealer. My Thoughts: I'm a little confused about the whole Sheldon storyline. How does Mary ( Zoe Perry ) giving him permission to spend one night in his dorm room evolve into him being a permanent resident (or at least enough of one to be RA)? I kind of feel like there was a much longer conversation, complete with a brand-new list of reasons why it was a good idea, that was left out of this episode. I know she was trying to have more alone time with George ( Lance Barber ), but her approval of an extended stay would be out of character for her.  Plus, for something that was a spur-of-the-moment decision, he sure seemed to have plenty of cloth...

  Life Lessons from Horror Movies is now live on the platform with the first three episodes available for free and future episodes in the works. You can access the series here: Life Lessons from Horror Movies | Kindle Vella (amazon.com)

Synopsis: When Morley Eden purchased two parcels of land from Loring Carson and built a large home, he didn't know Carson's soon-to-be ex-wife, Vivian, had joint ownership of one of the parcels. When an attempt to discredit her as part of the divorce hearing fails, the judge awards her part of Eden's new home, and the ex-model takes full advantage of the ruling by running a barbed wire fence through the property and going out of her way to torture the bachelor by wearing skimpy bathing suits when in their shared pool and inviting other models over for lingerie shows. Perry Mason agrees to represent Eden but, when Loring Carson is found murdered, is forced to defend both him and Vivian against the charges. Review: I checked out this book from the library a couple weeks ago and, right away, became a bit concerned when I learned it was published after Gardner's death and saw the disclaimer saying it wasn't edited up to his usual standards. However, after finishing i...

  I've seen these both at the store and advertised on TV and was interested in giving them a try. I finally did that this weekend, when I found them on sale at one of our local grocery stores for $1.50. They exceeded my expectations. The first thing I noticed about these was they were very easy to prepare. It was as simple as removing the plastic from the package, microwaving the omelets for a minute and letting it sit for two minutes. Compared to plenty of other pre-packaged breakfast items, I thought that was very convenient, something that would make these a great option if I'm in a hurry. Taste-wise, I have no complaints, other than they could have maybe used a little more cheese. The egg itself had a good flavor and the three-meat stuffing was delicious with the just right amount of seasoning to give it taste without being too spicy. The omelets also proved to be surprisingly filling. They didn't look like much, and I thought I'd still be hungry. However, that wasn...

Synopsis: Missy ( Raegan Revord ) turns to Mandy ( Emily Osment ) when she needs advice about boys and winds up making a bad decision. Sheldon ( Iain Armitage ) agrees to help Billy ( Wyatt McClure ) pass 6th grade math and ends up questioning the existence of zero. My Thoughts: Am I the only one who feels sorry for Brenda Sparks ( Melissa Peterman )? I know I probably am not supposed to like her, especially since she is likely the woman who breaks up George ( Lance Barber ) and Mary's ( Zoe Perry ) marriage. However, it is hard not to feel for her. Her husband left her and she's barely surviving financially. Plus, her son has a serious learning issue, which could only add more stress/embarrassment for her. Of course, to be fair, I'm also not completely convinced she is the woman George ends up cheating with. For all the faults she does have, she doesn't seem like a woman who would purposely break up a family. I wonder what happened to the adult Billy. The Big Bang T...

  I saw this at a Kwik Trip over the weekend, while driving home from seeing my daughter at college. It looked interesting and was only $5.99 so I ended up picking one up this morning on my way to the office. After having it, I can honestly say I didn't hate it but am also not sure it was really worth my money. The breakfast bowl does have some good things going for it. For one, it was filling. I had this bowl and didn't feel the need to have a banana (or some other fruit) with it. I also thought the bowl had a decent taste to it. The eggs seemed fresher than the frozen breakfast bowls and the sausage was seasoned nicely, as well as the potatoes. My main problem is, while I didn't hate it, I also wouldn't describe it as the best breakfast I've ever had. If anything, it was slightly better than the frozen breakfasts but, even then, it wasn't enough of a difference to justify the higher price (I can buy a frozen breakfast bowl for $2-$3 less). In other words, it w...

Synopsis: Four years after the town of Haddonfield's efforts to stop Michael Myers resulted in both failure and her daughter's death, Laurie Stroud has moved to a new home, which she shares with her granddaughter, Allyson, and is writing a book about the incident and how Michael's evil has infected the town. Michael isn't quite done, however, and with the help of Allyson's boyfriend, Corey, a man whose life was ruined by an accidental death, begins a new killing spree. Who's in it? The movie stars Jamie Lee Curtis , Andi Matichak , James Jude Courtney , Rohan Campbell and Will Patton . Review: I was disappointed by Halloween Kills and, because of that, had some serious doubts about this third installment to the franchise reboot. However, since we were able to get it through Peacock TV, my wife and I ended up watching it on Friday. It took me the weekend to analyze how I felt about this film, and I finally came to a conclusion - it's better than I expect...

  My wife and I made a trip to Costco this past weekend (our first in weeks) and, when we were in the freezer section, I made a beeline just to purchase this particular frozen lasagna (sold in a 2-pack for $16.89). I ended up making one of them last night and once again confirmed it was a great choice. I try to keep dinner relatively simple on Mondays and Wednesdays because my wife and daughter have martial arts classes until almost 8. Since I like lasagna, I tend to buy quite a few frozen varieties. Most of them aren't worth the money. This one is. The thing that really stands out for me when it comes to this brand is how filling it is. The lasagna is thicker than most frozen brands I've come across and has a lot more cheese (though maybe not as much shown on the box) and plenty of sausage and beef. I usually feel full after only one serving and we have yet to make one of these and not have leftovers. Anytime I can get two meals out of one purchase, I feel it helps justify the...

  My wife was craving Chinese food this past weekend and, since I didn't want to drive across town and pay a fortune for takeout, I ended up in the grocery store freezer section instead. In the end, I spent slightly less than I would have at the restaurant and sacrificed some quality. This was an example of that. I tried to give this the benefit of the doubt because it was relatively affordable at $6.99 and did provide enough for my wife and me. Unfortunately, there just wasn't anything about this product that didn't scream "frozen dinner" when we ate it. First, it could have used more meat. I was able to find the pork, but there wasn't much in terms of quantity (at least not at the level shown on the box) and, when I did find a piece, it was usually kind of chewy. The peas (which did have quantity) were kind of hard and the eggs tasted like they were pre-processed and came out of a freezer. In other words, there was no way any body was going to mistake this f...

  We're only a few weeks into a new NFL season and there have already been two controversial roughing the passer penalties making the news. Like it or hate it, referees have a big outcome on football games, especially since they are making judgement calls based on events happening at full speed and, unlike many other things, like turnovers, determining whether a player was inbounds, etc., there is no opportunity for them to reverse their mistakes. The NFL tried to correct this problem a couple years ago by making pass interference penalties reviewable following a controversial post season non-call. That proved to be a disaster, and because of that, I suspect the NFL will hesitate to go down that road again. However, while there is no perfect solution, there is a way to correct at least a good chunk of the problem without getting too complex. Each team is already allowed up to three challenges per game (two challenges plus a bonus challenge if they win the first two). The simple fix...

Synopsis: After serving a 4-month stint in Afghanistan with the Military Intelligence Corps, Jason Kander returned home to Missouri and, with his wife, Diana, at his side, threw himself into a political career and, by 2017, was preparing to run for President of the United States. However, Jason had a dark secret he didn't even know about, post-traumatic stress syndrome that was controlling his decisions, ruining his marriage and putting his life in danger. Review: I walked past this book at our local library this past Saturday and, while I didn't originally pick it up, wound up grabbing it on my way to the checkout desk.  Normally, I'll read a book one or two chapters at a time but, on occasion, come across one that I can't put down. This was one of those books. Like many people, I was familiar with the term PTSD but, having never served in the military, didn't fully understand the mental illness. It's easy to say this book both taught me a lot about the illne...

Synopsis: Six strangers wake up in a cornfield with no memory of how they got there and one item each, ranging from a compass to a gun with one bullet. As they try to work together despite not fully trusting each other, they discover their lives are in danger. Who's in it? The movie stars Jordan Claire Robbins , Shane West , Theo Rossi , Elena Juatco and Julian Feder. Review: I came across this movie a few days ago and, even though it sounded similar to another movie I've watched , decided to give it a try yesterday evening. While the movie proved to be better than expected, I did think it fell short of how good it could have been. One thing I liked about this film was the mystery surrounding the strangers and why they were in the field. In addition to having no memory about being kidnapped and no knowledge of who did it, none of the six knew each other. This added an additional element because any of them could have secretly been a bad guy. The fact the characters themselve...

Synopsis: George ( Lance Barber ) is concerned when Mary ( Zoe Perry ) goes to work at the bowling alley with Brenda ( Melissa Peterman ). Determined to help their parents financially, Missy ( Raegan Revord ) lies about her age to get a job selling comic books and Sheldon ( Iain Armitage ) tries to make money by writing an episode for Star Trek: The Next Generation. My Thoughts: At first, I thought George was overreacting about Mary's new job. It's not as though he had an affair with Brenda, just the thought of an affair during a very vulnerable time for both of them. Still not great, but not something that would necessarily end their marriage either. However, after Mary's not-so-subtle reaction to Pastor Rob ( Dan Byrd ) being at the bowling alley with a woman she once babysat ( Francesca Xuereb ), I'm not so certain Brenda won't use that to her advantage. Speaking of Pastor Rob, am I the only one who likes him less every time he is in an episode? I never truste...

Synopsis: Retired U.S. Navy Admiral James Stavridis reviews nine specific naval conflicts in our nation's history and the nine heroes that went above and beyond while facing insurmountable odds. Review: This was in the new books section of my local library a few days ago and, mostly because it sounded somewhat unique (especially since it was written by a retired admiral), I decided to give it a try. I finished it last night and think it was a great choice. While the book doesn't give every single detail about the heroes he writes about, it does a great job of giving a solid and detailed summary of who those people were, what they did and why they deserve recognition. Some of the people he writes about, like John Paul Jones, were people who were familiar to me. Others, like Doris "Dorrie" Miller, were complete strangers but, even if I had heard of the person before, I still learned something new. I especially liked reading Miller's story because Stavridis didn...

  I've had this brand in the past, but it's been at least five or six years since I last purchased it because I'm a guy who likes to shop for value and can usually find a better deal with other brands. However, I was at the store yesterday evening and discovered the No Name patties happened to be the most affordable choice and picked up a box. I made these on the grill and the first thing I noticed about them is they weren't as greasy as many of the other beef patty brands I've purchased. Yes, there was still some grease and a few flames as a result of that grease. However, the flame ups were much more sporadic, and I didn't end up with an out-of-control grease fire, as has happened multiple times before. Another thing I noticed about these burgers while grilling them is they didn't shrink nearly as much as other patties. They were still smaller than they were when I put them on the grill but were large enough to fit the bun perfectly. In comparison, I'v...

I picked these up a couple days ago because I was looking for something I could keep in my office for breakfast that was both simple and filling. The fact the bag cost less than $6 was a plus as well. After having these, I have to say they exceeded my expectations. Since the price did seem a little low compared to other brands, I was expecting a big drop off in terms of quality. However, I didn't notice any real difference between this pork sausage and a more expensive brand. I also thought the sausage had a decent amount of seasoning in it. It had flavor without being overpowering or too spicy, something I'm not a big fan of first thing in the morning. And, as I had hoped, the sausage does fill me up. Two or three patties are more than enough to last me until lunch, meaning I can get about four breakfasts out of this bag for considerably less than buying breakfast sandwiches at the convenience store up the street from my office. Final Opinion: I had lowered expectations about...

Synopsis: In 1976, an 11-year-old Gru aspires to be a supervillain and thinks his dreams are about to come true when he receives an invite to interview for a position with the Vicious 6 crime team. When the team's leader, Bell Bottom, insults him, Gru tries to prove his worthiness by stealing a mystical stone from the group and, instead, finds his life in danger from both the Vicious 6 and their ex-leader Wild Knuckles and it is up to the Minions to save the day. Who's in it? The animated movie uses voices from Steve Carrell , Danny Trejo , Alan Arkin , Dolph Lundgren and Jean-Claude Van Damme . Review: My entire family is fans of the Minions/Despicable Me movies but, by the time I heard about this film, I had serious doubts about the quality. After all, even the best franchises grow stale after awhile.  That's why I didn't bother paying money to see this at the theater but did take advantage of being able to see it on Peacock. We did that last night and it turned ...