Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner!

About a month ago, I was feeling so lucky, I thought about going to Vegas! Not seriously, because I hate the noise and gambling... but it sure did feel good around here.

First, I entered a photo contest called Who Do You Support sponsored by Archipelago Botanicals on Facebook. I entered this photo of my sister:

This photo is magic to me for so many reasons. It was taken at Laguna Beach the day she finished radiation back in 2003. Knowing my sister as I do, I can see the relief in her body. I just love her rolled up jeans, her perpetual sweater over her arm and the flip flops as sunshades in her hand. And I can feel the hope coming off of her.  As luck would have it, we wandered into Laguna Drug - THE most amazing drug store (gift store would be more accurate) on the planet! There we purchased some lip balms and lotions made by Archipelago and I've been a fan of their products ever since. 

Much to my surprise, I won the contest. The prize was two gift baskets of products. One for the photographer and one for the subject of the photo. When I saw the breast cancer survivor with her baby daughter in the 2nd place photo, I requested my basket go to them. My sister LOVED her basket and I was pleasantly surprised when the nice folks at Archipelago sent me a lovely prize box anyway! And it was full of my favorite lip balm!

And then the week kept getting better! I won a bead by one of my favorite artists. Judith Billig makes stunningly elegant glass beads and jewelry. She had made a necklace she was having a hard time naming using her float beads. She called out to her friends to suggest names. I made several suggestions including Mumbai Magic. Unbeknownst to me (I was terribly busy with classes that week!), Mumbai Magic won the poll on her fan page! And I won one of her float beads!

Mumbai Magic by Judith Billig Designs

And finally, that chicken dinner! The bestie and I were headed to the community center where we both teach. Since she was staying extra late after her class to clean up after MY class, I bought her dinner at our local Panera. We both ordered the black bean soup... I written about my passion for that soup here before! When they went to fill our order, they discovered they had sold the last black bean soups they had! My bestie, the I-love-all-soups girl, happily substituted. But I was flummoxed... I tend to get locked in on what I want to eat and no substitutions really make me happy.  I finally ordered the much more pricey chicken sandwich. To my surprise, Panera wouldn't take my money for the upgrade! They simply apologized for disappointing me and told me they hoped I would come back for soup another day.... as IF they could keep me from that black bean soup!

It was a nice, fun winning streak while it lasted!

It's Just Not Magic Anymore

What is it about the holiday season that makes it seem as if the days are barreling down a mountain chasing me as fast as my little legs can run? And why does it start sooner and travel faster every single year?

In all honesty, I planned to write this post in AUGUST.... when I took the blurry cell phone pictures to accompany this post... of CHRISTMAS TREES! My bestie - the shiny happy one - pointed out that these pictures were taken in a store that sells decorations to other retailers so, to her shiny happy point of view, the store I took these in was right on time marketing-wise.

Halloween trees

To my stop-the-world-from-turning-cause-I'm-dizzy point of view...it wasn't the first store I had seen Christmas trees in... It was the THIRD! In AUGUST!

I was fascinated from a decoration point of view but I don't even understand that... I haven't decorated in more than a decade. There never seems to be enough time. It seems pointless to drag all that crap out of the attic to put it up for.. me... and put it back up again. Plus, I'm always going somewhere else... the lot of someone who doesn't have a family of her own.

 

Maybe it stems back to childhood - my mother always hated Christmas. My sister was equally determined to make it special. In the end, it always seemed to be a tug of war of wills and emotions. Once my sister's nieces and nephews grew up to have their own families and there were no kids around at all, it all got worse. 

I do love peacocks....

I've also come to resent the commercial factors of the season. It's hard work buying and wrapping all that CRAP. And really, most of it is stuff no one wants or needs. I'm trying so hard to clean out my house of all the superfluous junk I've collected that - while I appreciate the sentiment - I really don't need the soap / candles / sweatshirts that I seem to receive in abundance year after year. 

Have I just grown old and turned into a hermit crab? I'm just so sick of this family member not getting along with that one and the arguments over...nothing that really matters. I'm tired of giving and receiving gifts that have no real meaning. I'm tired of pleasing...

I need a little magic. But I'm not sure it exists anymore. I sure haven't felt it in a long time. To me, the most magical thing is feeling connected to someone I love. And yet, year after year, we gift some purchased token to one another and plan to have dinner "when things settle down." Then the very next year, we find ourselves making the same hollow promises. 

Shortly after I took these pictures, I found this photo circulating on Facebook. It was actually taken in 2009... But I like to think the classy Nordstrom's department store is still doing this. If not, I'm glad they had the guts to do it once. 

Do you remember going into the store the day after Thanksgiving (NOT Thanksgiving Day. NOT midnight the morning after!)? It was magic how the store had transformed! I wonder if kids today even notice... Or do they just expect trees in August?

Upside down trees - more room for all the gifts... yay that's great

I know a lot of parents struggle with kids who get too much.  My best friend from childhood comes from a Catholic background. She always told her kids, "Three gifts were enough for Jesus, it's enough for you!" Her list usually involved "something you need, something you want and something just because." And it worked. Her now grown children grew up valuing the things they received and being very generous and thoughtful themselves.

This year, I want the gift of time. Time to check in with friends. Time to really enjoy a moment with someone I love. Time to laugh, time to cry, time to just BE. That would be magic!

Food Scraps

I finally downloaded all the pictures I've been taking on my phone for MONTHS!

This photo was taken on 2/23/11. Because I could never predict traffic, some days I found myself in Santa Monica with an hour or so to spare before work. On this particular morning, it was my co-worker and long time friend's birthday and since I know he HATES having a big to do on his birthday, I wanted to get him a treat well before the rest of the office came in for work.

The only thing open at that hour was a bagel shop. Parking is always a premium in Santa Monica but there was a small parking lot behind the store. It's normal to see trash bins behind shops but this one had an extra bin. They placed expired edibles in plastic bags inside the bin and clearly labeled it.

As a person who has friends that are considered homeless, it's nice to know that some businesses think about what they waste and who in the neighborhood might put it to good use!

It's Always the Food!

I hate most reality shows but I do admit a penchant for a few. One of them is Chef Gordon Ramsay's show on Fox, Kitchen Nightmares. The chef goes around and helps failing restaurants figure out why customers leave and don't come back. Many watch for Ramsay's abrasive personality and bleepable language. I watch because I'm amazed that someone who owns a restaurant can be that oblivious to what's going on under their own noses.

The chef helps them with food and marketing and decor but just in case any failing restaurant owner stumbles across this blog and they can't get on the busy chef's to do list...allow me to save you some trouble. IT'S THE FOOD! IT'S ALWAYS THE FOOD!

The one that really had me laughing recently was a restaurant in a nearby neighborhood that made Italian food and thought it might be the decor or... something else... but surely not the food. But it was...it's wasn't fresh, and the chef / owner didn't care.

And as a case in point, I offer up one of the most amazing restaurants in the same neighborhood: Casa Bianca is less than a mile from the restaurant that was failing on the show. The decor looks much like I'm certain it did in the 1950's when the place opened. It's not fancy. But there is a line down the block to get in. I often try to get there by 4:30 when they open to not have to wait. But if I don't, I really don't mind because I know a little slice of heaven awaits!

Their lasagne is a religious experience! It melts in your mouth! It's so fresh and the sauce is so perfect and the cheese... oh the cheese!  The Caprese salad with the reduced balsamic over the freshest mozzarella and tomatoes and basil is breathtaking. And Casa Bianca is one of only two restaurants the understand the amazing flavor of green olives and pepperoni on a pizza!

I don't go for the decor... I go for amazing fresh food!

And just like some the incredible hole in the wall restaurants I grew up going to... look for a line or a full parking lot! Heck I've eaten as some dives where I wonder if the building is going to fall in the bayou any minute.... but the food is always fresh and good!

So if your restaurant is failing... taste your food. Then go around the block to your closest competitor that's doing well and eat there. Surely, you'll notice the difference. If not, do us all a favor and sell your place to someone who cares!

Fun at Their Expense

One of my favorite personal expressions has always been, "You can mess with me any way til Tuesday but you mess with my money, you've messed with the wrong damn thing." 

It's served me well - working freelance in the film industry sometimes for four different companies in a week. I sometimes feel like I fight hard for every dollar I get. And my money isn't just sitting there to be stolen by banks. 

So, I had a mishap this month - brain fart. I paid one bill and forgot to move money from savings to checking to cover it. What followed makes me nostalgic for the way banks used to be. Back in the dark ages, if you had money in one account but not another, the computers at the bank made a little transfer and all was well. This didn't cost the bank any money nor did it cost the customer. 

But now, all banks have gone money mad. And starting in February, every bank around these parts no longer offers free checking. Let me get this straight: you want to keep my money, require exorbitant minimum balances on money I cannot use, not pay me interest AND charge me for the pleasure. Uh NO! I will be analyzing the different banks on my Retail Rant blog  later in the month, so if you are shopping too... you might want to check in there.

But back to my fiasco. I was charged $10 bucks for them to move $300 from some credit card I didn't even know I had (when I had the funds available in THREE other accounts!) This kind of crap INFURIATES ME! I feel like we, as consumers are being 4.99'd to death. Every website you visit wants a subscription fee, our phones, cable, etc. keep going up up up UP!

So I decided there was little chance to see my ten bucks but I was going to cost Chase $15. I figured a that these phone folks - never Americans - probably make five bucks an hour and since I have more time than money, I would play a little game. I decided that while I did some computer work, I would call them up, put them on speaker and ask them to explain to me why they charged me and that if I kept someone online for two hours, I would have my "money's worth!" Bonus points for getting a supervisor and asking for / getting their supervisor because that ups their financial ante! 

I openly tell them what I'm doing! That's half the fun! "You cost me money, now you have to be nice to me for two hours while I cost you money." Whaddaya know? The 2nd person I talked to gave me my ten bucks back! HA! 

And since Chase is one of the banks that will be charging about 120 bucks a year PER account for my business, they won't be my bank much longer. 

I didn't even have to work that hard for my money and I'm laughing all the way to the bank hole in the backyard. Never mind. I'm going to lunch.

Sunland Tujunga Locals - BEWARE

Local folks... just so you know where your money is going: The Christmas tree lot operating at the former K-Mart site is issuing  Home Depot receipts when a tree is purchased. The staff is wearing shirts that say Noble Mountain tree farm but the signage and SKU numbers are all Home Depot.

Please support local tree vendors that will keep the money in the community!

Well, I'm OLD, so I MUST Be Useless

It's all a conspiracy!!!

My computer died a few months ago. I was lucky enough to have a back up of my files. But my new beastie runs Windows 7. Except for the organic way Windows 7 finds anything in my computer, I pretty much hate it. Word and Excel have some strange new menus and I have to use help to do everything I used to do with ease. But I digress.

First comes the big bill for the computer. Then comes the realization that, since I loved XP pro and never trusted all those upgrades Microsoft (referred to as Microcrap in this house) came out with, none of my software will work. KACHING! Well, I'm barely scraping by as it is. So I literally beg, borrow and steal software cause I don't have an extra two grand just burning holes in my pockets.

Then comes the realization that my hardware doesn't work either! KACHING! KACHING! Microcrap overlooked the ever so remote possibility that every computer in the place would not be running Windows 7. Cause, yeah, I'm not working and can certainly afford to buy TWO computers...NOT! So networking is not REALLY possible...not with the ease it was with XP.

With XP, I have a wireless router and could print from either the big printer by my desktop or the little printer in the studio.... Easy peasy. With Windows 7, I have to choose. No longer printing an invoice from one computer to the other. The closest I can get is printing a pdf file to one from the other, then going to the printer I need and retrieving the pdf for actual paper printing. ARGH!

But that's not all. After wasting 7 hours of my life, downloading drivers, reloading drivers, erasing drivers for my scanner, I finally discovered online chat with HP (Hewlett Packard). After chatting with "Jack" (who I'm certain was either Indian or Filipino because he apologized constantly. Clue to companies sending American jobs overseas... Americans don't want constant apologies... it pisses us off!), I was told... "Well, your scanner is OLD!"

Yes, but it worked fine before Windows 7!

HP is not updating drivers for such old equipment.

Well, funny but I used to think alot of that old company, HP. NOT ANY MORE.

Not only do I feel like all these companies get together and try and see how much money they can squeeze out of consumers, I really HATE the tendency to throw out things just because they are OLD. I don't own a single flat screen tv... because my old ones work fine!

I guess I shouldn't be surprised...we don't treat our senior citizens much better.

GABE Prize:ScooPup Pocket - Polite Pup

The first of the prizes I won during GABE arrived! A purple ScooPup Pocket from Tiny Growl. It's so cool to have an extra layer of protection between your hand and the baggie. And purple is our favorite color!

-------------------------------
I got a lot of questions about Mabel Lou and stealing after the last post about her showing me where my toast was. Seriously, Mabel generally does not steal food. I can put a plate in front of her for her to eat and she will look to me for reassurance that it is OK to eat it. The last time she stole, I blogged about it - November 2007. Mabel is NOT a thief.

Even I was pleasantly surprised the other morning when I got a phone call from our hiking buddy / Mabel's auntie.



She phoned to ask a "Did Mabel really do that or was I dreaming?" question.

We were over there visiting the previous night. Mabel comes in, says hi to her and the dogs, paces the front porch until my friend puts down the "company rug." Once the rug is down, Mabel selects a bone from their bone bin and just makes herself at home on the rug, chewing...occasionally getting up to act like a guard dog when a stranger passes by.

As we were leaving - we were inside - my friend says to Mabel, "Would you like to take a bone home?" Mabel wags her tail, sniffs the bone on the floor (not the one she had been chewing), walks outside to "her" bone, sniffs it, turns and looks at her auntie to be certain / ask permission.

Auntie says, "You can take it home." Tail wags, Mabel picks up the bone, turns to nuzzle her auntie (Thank you!) and heads for the car!

Asking permission and saying thank you!!! Gosh, I'm a beaming mom!!! It really happened!

Gift Ideas for Pet Lovers

[Note: This article was written for an online magazine. They didn't have the good sense to buy it but you still get to read it.]

If you are shopping for a pet lover, ideas for unique and interesting gifts are limitless. From hamsters to hounds, Persians to pigs, there is a gift to suit everyone and every budget.

A terrific gift for any animal lover is high quality treats. Heidi’s Homemade Bakery offers organic treats for dogs, cats and horses. Treats start at 6.50 and they even have a do it yourself birthday cake kit with organic mix and bone shaped pans.

If the pet lover in your life has a “furiend” that is a specific breed, Drs Foster and Smith has some excellent choices. Travel mugs with a favorite cat or dog breed are available for 13.99. They also have customizable place mats to keep the pet’s dining area tidy for 7.99 and up.

But that’s not all. This site has all kinds of items for every pet lover, whether you are shopping for a fish collector or reptile lover. You can find pony pops for 12.99 or a ferret play mat with tunnels for exploration for $40.For people with unusual pets, you can find or even make customized gifts at Zazzle. A quick search on the site reveals all kinds of products featuring pets such as mugs, key chains and even pet clothing. If you are handy with a camera or graphics, you can upload your own artwork to the site and print customized items such as postage stamps, mouse pads or posters.

And let’s not forget those folks who dress up their dogs. Spoiled Bratzwear sells unique collars and coats for pups and will even custom make clothing for canines with a colder constitution. A custom knit coat for a Chihuahua runs $18.00 and prices go up depending on size and fabric.


If you have a pet lover that loves to dress themselves up, lampwork artist Lauren May Mazursky ofMaybeads will turn a photo of a pet into a gorgeous glass bead! Certain “hair styles” don’t always work in glass but she can capture vaious breeds of dogs, cats, turtles, pigs and sheep in a keepsake bead for around $16.00 - $25.00.

One of the nicest gifts for a pet lover is a customized portrait of their pet. Arizona graphic artist Cindy Vandiver will create a pop art style portrait from any pet photograph for between $45 and $100 depending on size of the finished art.

No matter what breed or even species, you can find a fantastic gift your animal loving friend is sure to adore.

(photo by Maybeads, used by permission)

The Not-so Smooth Criminal

I'm an honest person. I'm the type that counts my change and if I've received too much, I give the excess back to the clerk. But today, I became a thief.

It started innocently enough. My plans for the day were to ship some orders, torch and take Mabel to the middle arroyos for a long hike. After torching, I got ready for the muddy walk. I hesitated in the kitchen...."Am I hungry?" I had had a large, late breakfast as well has a handful of nuts while torching... "No...just go."

We jumped in the jeep and just as we got off the freeway, I felt it...annoying hunger pains! The only fast food places between me and the arroyo were two yogurt shops and McDonalds. I turned into the parking lot and should have been suspicious that there was no parking on the east side of the building. I couldn't access the west side because of the twenty or so cars in the drive through.

I pulled a U turn, exited the east lot and went in the wrong way to get the the West side... still no caution bells going off. I went inside and suddenly realized that school had just let out. McDonald's is the first thing between FOUR schools and the little town.

The cacophony of screaming kids in the packed lobby was unbelievable. They were screaming across the the lines to each other...asking for money, why didn't you walk with me, where have you been...

You know, when I grew up... back in the dark ages, kids went home. We didn't head to the nearest fast food joint. No wonder we have such an obesity problem in this country. I have no doubt this McDonalds took in around $4,000 just after school!

I was so unnerved with all the screaming and running kids. It was so loud in there, I had to scream my order across the counter to be heard. When the clerk asked a question about my order, she had to scream to make me hear her.

Everyone would step aside and wait for their order but the restaurant was really hopping. There were fries coming out of the fryer constantly. I had barely waited a minute when a clerk approached and said, "Six piece?"

I said yes, grabbed the bag and ran out of all that noise. Backing up in the crowded parking lot, I found something extra in my bag: a large order of delectable, piping hot fries. I sat there...did I pay for these? No... do I pull back in and take them the fries? A teenager honked at me for blocking traffic and so I did it... I made off with those fries!

I decided they were my bonus for putting up with all those screaming kids! Of course now, I feel guilty on more than one level.

And, I still need to hide the evidence.

Movie Money Ain't What It Used to Be

I was telling the BFF how I've cut down my movie going this year. In flush times, I LOVE to see a movie a week (except when there's nothing good out. This happens right before summer blockbuster season and in the lull before Oscar contenders come out in the winter). But nowadays, it's more like one every few months.

The BFF told me that, as a kid, she and her sister went to the movies constantly. They'd jump on the bus near their home south of Hollywood and ride the bus to the Wiltern (now more famous as a concert hall) and then on up to all the theaters on Hollywood Blvd.

Which somehow led us to the cost of movie tickets. In 1970, movie tickets cost .75 and minimum wage was $1.65 (I'm using the assumption that teenagers, most of whom make minimum wage, made up the majority of the frequent movie going audience.) Back then, someone making minimum wage would have to work around 27 minutes to pay for the movie. Compare that to today. The minimum wage is $8.50 and it costs $12.00 for admission, meaning that a person today would have to work almost an hour and a half to see the same movie.

Movie theaters claim to subsidize 25% of the cost of movie admission because they know they will make it up on popcorn sales. I find this questionable because my local theater chain (AMC) offers free popcorn to members of its Movie Watcher club. The other thing that this chain used to do that I found unusual was allowing in outside food. This summer I packed a goumet picnic to see the movie Julie and Julia. This has been the norm for years and years and this fall, it stopped.

Now AMC has turned into the nasty jerks like at other theaters. Say you've been out to a pricey dinner, are stuffed to the gills but you're not going to leave the left overs. Good luck getting them in the movies, even if you have no intention of eating them. Recently, I had gone to Costco and had a quarter ham. It was hot out; I wasn't going to leave it in the car. They actually tried to stop me from carrying it in! Like what was I supposed to eat it with??? Good grief!

The other day at the movie, I had a little tickle in my throat and thought I would treat myself to a coke, something I rarely drink. I stood there in shock when I realized the cheapest one was 4.50!!! For a COKE???? I asked for a courtesy cup and got free water!

When you realize that with a coke and popcorn, a movie can cost over $20 per person, I have to wonder if we are turning a generation of potential movie fans into video junkies who will never understand the great experience of seeing a movie in a theater. And for me, the die-hard theather afficiando??? I'm in the market for a much bigger purse!

Shopping with Mama Nobucks

Maybe it's my underemployment and inability to find a job. Maybe it's that I'm always suspicious of retailers. Maybe it's that my ridiculously high property tax bill is due in a matter of weeks. Whatever the reason, my Holiday Spirit has been kidnapped!

I decided to give myself the day off on Friday. I took the girl for a serious hike, so deep into the creek, I got lost for the first time in years! My dog mom duties over, I went into Burbank.

My first stop was at the new mini-mall by the airport. When I worked in this neighborhood (2001), They had just opened Lowe's and Target and none of the restaurants were open. This particular mini-mall did not exist. You either had to bring your lunch or plan to spend 20 minutes of your lunch hour driving.

I had shrimp at the Fish Dish. I should say I had rubber shrimp. Maybe I'm just homesick for some tender succulent shrimp from Mike Anderson's or Brunet's. So much for lunch.

I headed to the movie theater and stopped in Barnes & Noble to pick up book I want for a Christmas Gift. I picked out a few beading magazines and the book. I almost freaked when they told me the book was $26! For that price, I would expect it to be printed on gold... or at least silver! I passed on the book, knowing I could get it for $14 on Amazon, paid for my magazines and left.

I got to the movie theater and had some time to kill so I opened my bag from the bookstore. I realized my three bead mags had cost me a whopping $35! WTH??? I really enjoyed the movie (The Blind Side) and saw another (Precious) but I wish I had seen them in the reverse order...one is an upper and the other is a downer. Both are Oscar worthy and the high point of my day!

But the whole time, I kept thinking $35 for magazines?? I planned on having Thai spring rolls and red velvet cake at CPK after doing a little shopping. I hit Bath and Body works... always great for stocking stuffers and several of my friends love their lotions.

But as I browsed the store, everything just looked the same. The same old stuff from years before; same old candles, same old lotions and potions. Sure they did have some new fragrances and some old favorites. You would think they would bring back the best seller from a few years back, Tuberose but no. This year they have Butterfly and I Love You.

Um, 'scuse me Mr. Butterfly, could you hold still so I can see what you smell like??? And just what should I Love You smell like??? Is it all candles and roses or raw sex??? Really, you could go in any direction with that...but I like names that mean something in my lotions and potions. Coconut, Waterlily, Lemon...those are fragrances!

My personal favorite was the candle named Moonlight Woods. Can you say "lawsuit?" The visit was good for a few laughs but I left empty handed. Ran smack into a glass jewelry counter..."Everything $5!" Yep, imported glass from China. ICK!

My tour of Macy's was just as fruitless. They were having a big sale - 25% off but it felt like all the prices were about 25% too high to begin with... like there was a mark up to compensate for the mark down.

Next stop, the Ikea holiday tent. I love to pick up wrapping paper or cute little ornaments. But this year, they've put a big red heart on everything! And not even a cute heart...they've tried to make it look like a bell or something. I just stood there, wondering if it was Valentine's Day. I get it...'Christmas is LOVE!' but I don't want my decorations to look like another holiday! Come on!

By this point, the $35 I had spent on magazines was killing me. I went back to the bookstore and got a refund and left without getting dinner. After this shopping trip, a cup of soup and a grilled ham and cheese just felt more to my liking.

And the Fan Saga Continues

With the temps here in the mid-eighties last Monday, I was all over my fan issue. I called the company who explained the fans are older and there are no wiring diagrams, yet the person on the phone knew exactly how to wire it...couldn't they just mail out the info they read from? Or post it online? Wouldn't that be cheaper and paying someone to sit on the phone and read it?

I got it wired and called the Hiking Buddy to help me hoist it in the air. She brought the two pups and I'm in the middle of packing bead kits for my jewelry classes so all three dogs were locked out on the porch. So while we're hanging in the air trying to get the fan up - it wasn't fitting into the housing, Hank was scratching my back door to bits which was freaking me out and making me yell. And it was getting dark... More frustration.

Thinking it was a physical strength thing, I asked my neighbor to come over. He decides the metal housing is warped and proceeds to bend it to pieces, we finally got the fan together and ... the light didn't work. ARGH!

So Tuesday, I called again and sat on the phone with fan motor in my lap and verified brown wire to #2 in the junction box, purple wire to #4, three white wires spliced. And I was good to go again. I spent the next two days trying to get the motor back in the housing. (My neighbor was supposed to come back and didn't.) I called my godson who wasn't available until after dark... with the power off, that wouldn't work. So he agreed to come on Wednesday.

20 minutes after he was to be here, he called, upset. His dog was near death and needed to be put down and he had been dealing with that all morning. This was really upsetting - the second canine buddy I had lost in two days! Tommy used to run away from home when I first adopted Mabel. He would stand on my front porch at 2 am and bark and bark. I would let him in, he would get in bed with us and we'd all go to sleep and I'd drive him home the next morning. He will be missed!

That afternoon, my godson and I got the fan back together and ... it still didn't work. And I was just DONE. I called my electrician; he was available after 4. I drove to LOWE'S, bought a fan and my electrician came and installed it. When he took the old one down, the white splice had come loose. It was salvageable...

I had desperately wanted to fix the old one because, I don't have money to spare AT ALL. But I needed my overhead light to pack my kits for class and with the heat, Mabel and I both were missing the fan.

And true to my luck, Thursday, the temps were in the sixties!

I Still Hate Home Crapot!

My town's battle with the big box giant Home Crapot is well documented in parts of this blog as well as on Sunland - Tujunga's own website. And yes, we've won that battle. But I still can't bring myself to shop there.

Yes, the battle has something to do with the way I feel - It's hard to get over a corporation calling me a racist when the real issue is that I simply didn't want to hear trucks idling, loading and unloading in my back yard 24/7.

But my newest reason to hate them has to do with the ceiling fans they make. Hampton Bay is an exclusive Home Crapot line (something I bought in 03, long before our battle). And yes, they do come with a lifetime warranty but OY! the frustration of cashing that in!

I found my model number and looked up a phone number on the Internet. Wrong number but they gave me the right one. Easy. I called, gave my info and they told me I needed a capacitor (whatever that is), asked for my address and one arrived a week later. Easy.

I opened it. No directions included. Not so easy. I had set aside Sunday to deal with electrical issues as all the clocks would need resetting anyway. I phone the toll free number... no one was in.

I spent an hour looking for instructions on the Internet. Very frustrating. I called Home Crapot. No one could help me til tomorrow...More frustration. They suggested I call some local stores because they all have electricians on staff. I called three before I found out...they never work on weekends...you know, when people might actually need them. Extremely frustrating.

I studied my fan and couldn't even begin to guess how to take it apart. Even more frustrating because I'm usually good at that. I called an engineer I know, he's disabled and can't stand on ladders but he came over, sat on my sofa and gave me a few directions. I had the fan on the floor in under a minute. Joy!

The new capcitor has more wires than my old one. Frustration. The old capcitor is wired into a gizmo that has no screws; it's held together by pins that don't budge. Anger.

I check the internet again. No wiring diagrams, No directions on how to open up the fan, no easy to find anything. Super Angry!

Hampton Bay is a HUGE name, widely known. WHY wouldn't Home Crapot use this as a marketing tool??? Why don't they put up PDF files of all the Hampton Bay fans? Why don't they put up wiring diagrams? Why, if they are a store that's supposed to make it easy for the do-it-yourselfer, don't they actually use the Internet to do exactly that?

While job hunting, I was snooping around a website for a phone number for a company that had a position I was interested in. The company's site said in big bold letters: Absolutely no phone calls! The Internet is your Friend, USE IT!

Home Crapot, please heed that advice.

Trader Joe's - It's a Love / Hate Thing

Trader Joe's is grocery chain that is very popular here in California. They are German owned and privately held ( I would buy stock with my last two cents if I could!) and are slowly spreading across this great land. Whenever, I consider moving to another state, I always check if they have a Trader Joe's!

For years, I drove within feet of the one in Tarzana every time I got off the freeway and I would never shop there. The sign said "Gourmet" and I was certain I couldn't afford it so I never went in!

And then someone told me that, yes TJ's had gourmet goods but they were exceptionally kind on the pocketbook. As a production manager in television commercials, I was forever needing a spread to impress someone. I had the price of fancy cheeses filed away in the back of my brain. I was in awe when I first went into Trader Joe's. Cheese I was paying 4.99 / lb. (20 years ago) were 2.99 at TJ's! I became a fan!

I loved the quality and I loved the price even better. To this day, if I can't get to TJ's for milk, I don't drink milk. The price is that much cheaper!

And of course, I came to love the new products they brought in. If something is trendy in food, they have it. Same thing goes for the vitamins and health foods they stock. A few years ago, my nutritionist suggested that soy protein was not as good as whey protein... and yep, Trader Joe's had made the switch!

But at the same time, I've come to realize, for a small grocery store to keep stocking new things, some things have to be let go. It's always made me a little sad when a favorite is taken away.

One recent removal was their Hot and Sweet Mustard. I loved it, but my mom simply adored it! She claimed it was the reason people raved over her deviled eggs. She gave my local store manager an earful on her recent trip about it being discontinued. The last time I flew to Baton Rouge (two years ago), I took Mom three jars only to have the TSA confiscate it - apparently too much liquid, although one could argue that mustard is NOT a liquid. It made us both so mad and I do hope that someone at the airport got to take that home! It was that good! I can't stand the thought of it being thrown away.


But the other day, I found out my favorite soup is discontinued. I always felt that it would be... I found the packaging a little stupid - a waste of shelf space. But I had hoped it would be replaced with a different can, not discontinued altogether.

They did replace the French Onion with a frozen version. You get 10 oz for $4.79 as opposed to a 28 oz can for 2.69...really? That's an improvement??

So, I'm mad at my favorite grocery store...until I run out of milk.

Another Crappy Product: Sony icfipmk2 ipod Player

When I come across a product that is so poorly made AND I get NO results from the company, I feel it is my duty to warn my friends! And this Sony Ipod player is one such piece of steaming doody!



Model number icfipmk2. The problem is fairly simple: they are selling a clock radio that is incapable of keeping time. I was given this at Christmas. It has never kept the correct time, ever! I have phoned and e-chatted with Sony tech support at least four times in six months. Each time, I am referred to this web page explaining that the clock doesn't keep time. That page doesn't really explain what to do about it...

Tech support has walked me through resetting the battery... and the clock got slower. And that battery is pricey! I really don't get why I need a battery in my clock if it's plugged into the wall... So what if the power goes off?

After six months of this, I'm done. Sony wants me to pay $20 bucks to get a refurbished exchange model. Gee, when the new one didn't work? NOT!

Instead, the manager at Sam's Club is going to allow us to exchange it! Good riddance! And if you need a clock radio for your ipod, go with another brand!

Gone...

I was robbed 8 days ago. Thieves broke the back mini window in the back of the Jeep and took my purse while Mabel and I were hiking. It took 6 solid hours of phone calls and errands to close bank accounts, credit cards and get my window fixed. I'm still dealing with the aftermath of re-routing direct debit and automatic credit card payments, and waiting for a new driver's license.

Aside from my cheap, Ross Dress for Less purse and the 20 bucks in my wallet, they did get a free tank of gas of my Visa...which Visa will pay for. Funny, but I canceled my Discover Card waiting for the cops because I could remember their phone number - 1-800-Discover. But I didn't know Visa's... I do now: 1-800-Visa-911. (You must know the name of your issuing bank; then this number can refer your to the proper theft / fraud phone numbers.)

But the one thing I mourn the most is my wallet. My big time Hollywood producer wallet. Those stupid-ass thieves certainly have no appreciation for that wallet, Il Bisonte #C237. And I fear I will never be able to afford to own it again.

I have loved and adored this wallet - mine was black - for two decades. This was actually my second one. I carelessly left the first in a McDonald's bathroom in Anaheim a decade ago. Then as now, I pray that whoever took her, loves and adores that wallet the way I did.

I seriously planned a blog post about my Il Bisonte over the winter. That wallet and a coat with an inside pocket are my favorite way of safely moving about large crowded places. I was so excited to have found a ladies winter coat with an inside pocket at Penney's Outlet. This little luxury is normally saved for men...which is why I wear men's coats. And this purple ladies jacket had an inside pocket that fit my Il Bisonte.

It wasn't that it was made from fine Bison leather that grew so soft and supple with age. The Il Bisonte was the elegant and super functional design. It was a must for any international traveler or production person.

I'm going to blame owning this wallet and my need of jackets with inside pockets on Catherine MacDonald. She was our travel coordinator on the movie I worked on in Argentina. A raven haired beauty from Texas who settled in New York, Catherine moved about the world with such ease and confidence. She prepared well for potentially dangerous encounters (purse snatchers were notorious in Buenos Aires) and then she rolled with the punches. I'm certain she taught me about the Il Bisonte.

Later when I found myself in Manhattan wrapping a job, I made my way to the Il Bisonte store and ponied up the $130 for my first one. The wallet is extra wide - not so much an issue with the advent of the Euro. But in my heavy duty travel days, I quickly discovered that not all currency was the same size at the dollar. Many countries had wider money. It would stick out and people could see what I had and the money got torn. Or I folded it up, which made my wallet too fat to close.

I quickly fell in love with this Il Bisonte for other prodution needs. Keeping track of receipts for the company? No problem...lots of nooks and crannies. Needing a safe place for my passport? It fit in the wallet when it was all folded up. And the Il Bisonte has an elastic band that wraps around the wallet when you put too much junk in it...so it holds together no matter what!

Without fail, everyone in production who saw my Il Bisonte, bought one! I remember being at a dinner with two art directors and five or six production people. When it came time to pay, we all had the same wallet! And they blame their love of this wallet on me!

But sadly, I am no longer grossly overpaid for my time and the now $237 price tag is too much for my paltry income. I bought a seven dollar wallet at Ross. And I hate it. And I probably always will.

L'Oreal Colorist Shampoo Sucks

L'Oreal Colorist Collection is the WORST SHAMPOO I've ever used. And when I emailed and called customer service to complain, I got the worst customer service ever!

The pricey shampoo (14.99 per 8 oz. bottle) simply doesn't lather. My hair does not feel clean. And the whole color crap concept does not work...it just messed up the tile in my shower.

Customer service wants me to go to the expense - another $5 - to mail the unused product back to them with my original receipt. As I purchased other items on that receipt, I don't want to do that.

So, what else is there to do when a big corporation makes you feel helpless??? Warn everyone on the Internet about the crappy product and their crappier customer service.

Why pay this much money for crappy shampoo when you can buy five times more Pantene for 1/3 of the price? Buyer beware!

Note to Goliath: David Is Kickin' Butt and Taking Names

The news yesterday of Home Depot taking down their Home Depot Sunland Tujunga Website had us scratching our heads. They are still deep into their lawsuit, suing Los Angeles because our elected representatives uh... actually represented us in our battle against them placing a store in our sleepy little enclave. They were still battling having to do a full environmental report and failing to use the part of their address that points out their proximity to an elementary school on their paperwork.

But late last night, the local heroes that run our No 2 Home Depot campaign, got the word. Home Crapot is giving up. They had been scheduled to open a few years ago, mere months after leasing the property for forty years - the last large parcel of property in our town, trapped between three mountain ranges and a freeway. And, now they won't.

There were other reasons we didn't hang up the welcome sign for Home Crapot:
*The property is surrounded on three sides by residential homes.
*We have a Home Crapot, just six minutes away. And five more in connecting towns.
*We have several local Mom and Pop hardware stores as well as a Do It Center and OSH up the mountain.
*And the one that got so much ridicule: we don't have a place to buy socks and underwear since Kmart left. That requires a ten minute drive to Burbank or twenty to Glendale or Pasadena.

It's been a long, hard fight. We knew we were the little guy but we didn't care. We've written letters to every politician and committee. I personally even wrote to the shareholders of Home Depot, wondering how they sleep at night.

They have called us racist. They bussed in paid supporters... apparently unable to rally real ones.
They spent millions on lawyers, websites, advisers and orange t-shirts for those would be supporters.

We had bake sales and yard sales to raise money for our fight. And then we donated more. And in the end, the little guy won!

I am so proud of US, Sunland - Tujunga! I'm so grateful for our fearless leaders, Joe Barrett and Abby Diamond! Joe keeps our No 2 Home Depot updated so often that when you Google "Home Depot," WE come up! They have done a great job of getting the word out and rallying the troops. And the people of this tiny town have been awesome! There are some very passionate letter-writers around here!

But our work is not done. Now, we must attract a store - preferably one that sells socks and underwear - and make them realize S-T is a great place to do business.

All the "Davids" around these parts will be walking a little taller and prouder today!

Do They Think We're Idiots?

BITACLE.ORG steals content. JESUS GLEZ is a THIEF. If you are reading this post on BITACLE.ORG, you are supporting theft of intellectual property. This post was written and copyrighted by CREEKHIKER, who has not given consent for material to be reproduced. Please visit CREEKHIKER to enjoy this content LEGALLY. If you want to know why this message is at the top of every post, read this post.

*****************

My mother and I have both noticed a recent trend in retail and I'm curious if any of you have noticed. It is the phenomenon of "All New Packaging!!!" and higher prices.

Examples: my mom loves Manda Sausage. It used to come in a 5lb. box and cost around 4.99. After the "new packaging" (i.e. a smaller box), it weighs in at 4lbs. and costs 5.99.

My personal favorite complaint is bleach. Have you noticed it is impossible to find a gallon of bleach anymore? I used to find it for around .99 at my local dollar stores. Now, it's 3/4 of a gallon and 1.29...HUH???

I understand prices going up but giving you less for the money at the same time they gouge you... something's not right. When my mom complained to her local butcher in Baton Rouge, his response was, "You mean you noticed the size change?" Apparently, they think we're all idiots.

My mom just doesn't buy Manda sausage anymore. But I can't get away with not buying bleach. Any thoughts, bloggers?