Jen's Daily Blather

Link: http://www.shitmypetsruined.com/2010/07/06/terrier-attacks-bathroom

I submitted this photo ages ago to Shit My Pets Ruined and totally forgot to check to see if it was published…

Our Samsung TV that needed a service call? Well, turns out it had a power supply issue that, after researching, I discovered was a very common problem. I contacted Samsung and they said they offer a one-time fix, so that saved us probably $200 or so (or the cost of a new TV). It did take like four days for the guy to get here, but he was in and out in like 15 minutes and now our TV works! YAY!

We got a notice that they tried to pay our insurance and it failed because we changed insurance companies and didn’t tell them, so now we need to pay the annual fee ourselves, plus send them all the documentation. Um, no. Nothing has changed.

The cover sheet had all our correct info, but the enclosure didn’t—it listed a different loan number, different address, and different insurance company! In fact, the only things the same were the house number [on a different street in the same town but a different zip code] and the last name.

WHAT THE HELL? How does that even happen?

We called them and the lady just basically said “Sorry, it was a mistake. Your account looks okay.”

But I just cannot believe a company can be this screwed up.

I slept in until 6:45 (funny how that is a good thing these days).

I found $2 in the back pocket of my jeans.

Owen slept in until 7.

The A/C guy said nothing was wrong.

Samsung said we get one free repair of the issue.

First, I was up at 5:30 and couldn’t fall back to sleep.

Then I discovered the TV needs a service call.

Then I realized we lost a bunch of iTunes stuff.

Then I printed a label on regular paper and an invoice on a label.

Then Owen got hold of a pen and now I have to clean ink off the couch…again.

Calgon (or tequila), take me away.

I actually didn’t even think about our upcoming anniversary until I saw the notice on Facebook. Yeah, embarrassing. I blame it on thinking about my mom’s birthday (the 15th) instead.

Anyway, through a few back-and-forth emails, we decided where to go out for dinner. On the way there, Tom says “Are you sure you don’t want to get Chinese?” I looked at him and said “OMIGOD! Of course we have to get Chinese! I can’t believe I forgot! Why didn’t you say anything when we were emailing?!” He thought I was just dead set on using a coupon we had.

For those of you who have been following along all these years, you may remember that we ALWAYS have Chinese on our anniversary. The first few years were complete accidents, so then we made it a tradition.

And I forgot.

So Tom actually saved the day…

/swoon

And that’s why I him.

I like my current chiropractor, so why did I seek out another one? Well, he practices a different style of adjusting—the NUCCA method:

NUCCA is a unique form of Chiropractic spinal health care that uses a specific procedure focused on correcting a small misalignment of the upper neck know as the Atlas Subluxation Complex. This subtle correction ultimately restores optimal balance to the entire spinal column. Because the spinal column protects the central nervous system that controls and coordinates all body functions, good spinal balance is critical to good health.

Plus he was offering a special deal—the consult and first set of X-rays for $25 (instead of $200+)…and you all know I’m all about the deal.

I didn’t think I’d like it—I mean, I LOVE being cracked, and he does NO cracking whatsoever. But I wanted a “second opinion” if you will. And I thought if he could help me more (or in addition to) the other chiropractor…then why not? The goal is to FIX my neck.

So I had the consult (about a week ago) and from the basic check, he determined my neck was bad enough that x-rays were warranted. Big surprise, I know. So today I got the results and yep, I’m broken.

My spine (at the neck) should be curved—like the “near normal” x-ray below—and it’s not. (NOTE: These are NOT my x-rays—these pics are from here.)

My neck is almost straight, like this (Phase One Subluxation Degeneration)—characterized with a loss or change in the normal curve in the spine):

But that said, I think I actually fall into the next worst phase—Phase Two Subluxation Degeneration—where there is a reduction in the range of motion, you may start to feel stiff or achy, affected vertebrae are noticeably narrower and may appear to be flattening out, and you can see the beginnings of arthritis.

He said that in one direction, my neck is off by (I think it was) ½° and in another direction, it was off by 2° (which he said was pretty bad—I don’t think he used the word severe, but it certainly wasn’t good).

The adjusting is done by pressing (with the heel of his hand) on my neck in the direction it needs to go. It was done in a matter of minutes (much like the other chiropractor) but unfortunately, it’s a bit more expensive ($40/visit vs. $25/visit). BUT if it helps me, I think it’s worth it. I have been going to the other chiropractor for about three months and it HAS helped (as evidenced by her scans), but what she’s doing can’t actually realign my neck, which is what I think really needs to happen. And I’m still getting headaches every night so something else needs to be done.

So we’ll see how it goes. I just want my neck to feel better and not get any worse.

I can’t believe that 1) the Grand Traverse Dinner Train is no more and—more importantly—2) no one thought to tell me about it! I mean, it’s not like it just happened—according to news stories, it’s been out of service since late 2005 and sold/out of Traverse City since 2006!!

I’m bummed. I really wanted to do an anniversary dinner on it sometime.

I am really tired of the hot and humid weather. Last I lived here, Michigan summers WERE NOT like this. There might have been a week or two of hot and humid weather in August, but it has been like this ALL summer, minus a day or six. And apparently, the first winter we were here it was the worst winter they’d seen in A LONG time. What gives? Yeah, I know NC summers are still worse, but summers were one of the good things about coming home…and we didn’t even get that.

Link: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20100805/ENT03/8050303/-1/ARCHIVE/Five-Asian-buffets-offer-change-of-pace

Five Asian buffets offer change of pace
Melody Baetens / The Detroit News

Metro Detroit has a wide variety of Asian buffets. Here’s a look at five standout options.

Fuji Japanese Buffet
32153 John R., Madison Heights
Call: (248) 616-8868
Web: www.fujibuffet.com

Price: $11.99 lunch Mon.-Fri.; $13.99 lunch Sat.-Sun.; $17.99 dinner Mon.-Thurs.; $19.99 dinner Fri.-Sat.

Hours: 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Mon.-Thurs. and Sun.; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fri.-Sat.

Highlights: For a strip mall buffet, Fuji is surprisingly cool and hip. When I went, there was a considerable number of college-age diners, many of Asian decent. Sometimes, if you go late enough, you can get a glimpse (or an earful) of a private dance party or karaoke session in one of the restaurant’s many banquet rooms.

Food-wise, Fuji’s strengths are snow crab legs with melted butter, gyoza (dumplings), vegetable and shrimp tempura, and sushi. Don’t be afraid to try the green tea ice cream for dessert. “What keeps me coming back are the platters of all-you-can-eat sushi being made fresh as you watch,” says diner Jennifer Hudson of Troy. “Is it the best food you’ll ever eat? No, but it’s certainly worth the price of admission.”

I hate my hair. Really. I mean, it CAN look nice, and I guess it could be worse. But today is complete UGH.

Up until I got it cut/colored about four months ago, it was all one length—which made it somewhat easy for blow-drying it straight…but a big lopsided poofy mess when left wavy. So when she cut it, she layered it in such a way that it wouldn’t be a big poofy triangular-shaped mess when I left it curly (YAY!)…but that meant that straightening it was a bigger pain because I was dealing with layers (BOO!). And moreso since the bottom layers are supposed to be curled up and the top layers are supposed to be curled down.

So honestly, since it’s summer, I mostly wear it au naturale because the humidity has been so high and my head sweats and we go swimming now and again…so I want to wash it more often. But when I do try and straighten it, it’s just a mess and I get soooooooooo frustrated.

So Tom’s 20th HS reunion is this weekend, so I thought it would be a good time for a trim and a blow-dry. Of course, they could only get me in last night, but I took it since my hair should still look good three days later (good enough anyway). But then I freaked out at how much it was going to cost—not my normal salon prices ($35 including tip) but ranging from $50-$75! I had a 20% coupon, but still. Then I panicked when I saw the blow-dry/style prices started at $30 and thought there was no way in hell I was paying upwards of $70 for a trim and a style. So I cancelled. Of course today I’m thinking a normal dry/style would be included in the cut price (like it has been at every other place I’ve ever been to) and that the $30 price is just for a style ONLY. So I probably should have gone…but now I can’t make any of the appointments they have left.

So I tried to do my hair this morning. I told myself ahead of time that I would take more time than usual to style it so maybe I would do a really good job and be happy.

NOT.

I took 100% longer—I usually finish in about 30 minutes but today I took almost an hour…and I don’t love it. I think it looks horrible. The undersides are curling up but not in any logical or consistent way. The topsides are curling down but it’s way poofy. And I even took the time to blow dry small sections, using the right brush, and using the flat iron between sections. GRRR.

WHY DOES HAIR HAVE TO BE SUCH A PAIN IN THE ASS?

Needless to say I’m tempted to go back to no-layers for the winter, because at least then I have a decent shot at having a decent straight hairdo.

Link: http://www.yelp.com/biz/ridleys-bakery-cafe-troy#hrid:Axt2MxnPjYRhcHtthIb8eQ

My wrists hurt.
My forearms hurt.
My triceps hurt.
My back hurts.

But Owen had a blast playing basketball (which translates into: Owen had a blast having mommy lift him up to the hoop so that he can throw the ball through the hoop) at the community pool yesterday.

The things you do for your kids.

You all know how much I love Amazon, but here is one reason why Amazon really rocks.

I bought a hard drive recently that came with a $20 mail-in rebate. I sent it in and was denied because the dates were invalid. Huh, what? I pulled out all my info and yep, I bought the hard drive ONE DAY before the rebate started. But Amazon had the rebate on the item page when I bought it, so I really never thought about reading the rebate terms that closely.

So I emailed Amazon, explained what happened, and said I was upset that they promoted the rebate before it was valid, and asked what they could do. Within hours they apologized and credited my account.

YAY AMAZON!