My Rant: Work Ethic and Keeping Customers

I remember back when I was a kid people had a good work ethic and it seems as I ahve gotten older that work ethic has gone by the way side for the most part. And along with the work ethic has gone the though of keeping your customers happy. Do you remeber that old saying that the customer is always right? Yeah, probably not because most places don't think that way anymore.

I'm upset because not only are people not trying really hard at their jobs anymore they just don't care and that rubs off on everyone else. This past week I saw my mailman pass our apartment compplex up three days in a row and not deliver any mail to the entire complex for three days in a row. Now I figured he was a new guy I would give him the benefit of the doubt and think he was just running behind and didn't want to get in trouble. I'm nice like that. But after a few days my hubby went to talk to him when once again he totally passed our complex by and delivered no mail to anyone here. We have over 80 apartments and all the mailboxes are in a central location so we can see if he comes in and some of the older people wait out in the pool area for him to come each day...so we all saw what he did.

My hubby walked down the street and asked him why he passed up our apartment complex once again...he said with a straight face that he delivered the mail and it was illegal for my hubby to come and bother him about it. So hubby told him if he didn't deliver the mail he was going to call the post off and complain..he said go right ahead that he was a state employeed worker and wouldn't be fired.

He delivered the mail the next day though.

I never thought we would ahve so much trouble with the mailman..what ever happened to relaying on the mailmen in the sleet, the snow, the rain no matter what? Yeah right.

Not only does the mailman do it, my FedEx delivery person tends not to even knock on my door when they have a package for me. They will just drop the box off at my front door as they are running by...I'm not making this stuff up. So all my purchases make sure that they need a signature and you can tell they just want to go. Maybe their bosses are giving them to much to deliver but don't drop a small envelope off from Fed_ex on my front door step and not even tell me about it. I had them do that one time and it got stolen. I had UPS deliver a Tv my sister in law bought for us to a neighbors house and then more than a week later go back to that hosue to get it, pack it back up in a box and try to deliver it to me in a smashed box. By that time my sister in law had cancelled the order so all I had to do was refuse delivery and have it sent back....he was not happy about it either.

But it's not only these places. I was listening to some teens talk about their jobs at places in the mall and at fast food places and they are actually mad they have to be nice to the customers. They were getting mad at their bosses about not being to have a break every hour and were talking about how they did things to people's food and got orders wrong on purpose just to piss their managers off.

It's all so irritating.

Stress

Stress is not good for me, it does all kinds of nasty things to my body that I have no control over. Right now whenever I get stressed out I get hives...or I should say more hives than I have everyday. For the past 6 months or more I've had hives...every single day and when I get stressed out....I get even more or the patch of hives on my leg flares up really bad.

I've resorted to wrapping my leg in gauze just so I can't easily scratch it because the itching it driving me insane but I think this patch of hives is leaving a permanent scar on my leg and it just looks really bad. My daughter saw it for the first time the other day and the look on her face pretty much said it all.

I've tried several medications for stress, anti- histamines and steroid cream for the hives and nothing is working. My doctor tells me to get rid of some of the stress in my life....yeah ok...I'll just move to a small cave and keep to myself...it's just not possibe.

We're finally getting rain

So after so many days with no rain we are finally getting some much needed rain. of course it won't be nearly enough and if the lake goes down anymore we are going to have some serious water restrictions going on.

Lake Mead had dropped so much in the past few years that it would be a frickin miracle to get the water level at Lake mead back up to where it needs to be for us not to ahve water restrictions soon. Sad state of things because we already have restricted days as to when you can water your lawn or wash your own car in your driveway and it's gotten so bad that there's an anonymous phone number to the health dept. that people can call to turn in their neighbors for watering when they aren't suppossed to.

I had a Great Birthday!

Yesterday I turned 41 years young! Yep, that's right I told my age...even thought my mom says that she is still 21 years old, so I don't know how that works out...lol

My daughter and mother came over to my place yesterday. Ken bbq'd some hamburgers and my mom brought me the best chocolate truffle cake I've ever had. I love chocolate truffles and this cake was even better than a chocolate truffle. Wow, I can't believe I said that. o-O

I received so many cards in the mail, my mailman should have gotten paid more...lol and I had so many birthday wishes on Fb it was so nice.

My Experience with Vons.com Delivery

So as many of you know we lost our car a few months ago and it's been kinda hard getting here and there without it. But it did last quite a long time and right now we just don't have the funds to buy another one, so having groceries delivered seemed like a great idea...in theory.

The website is pretty easy to navigate and I ordered about $200.00 worth of groceries. The shipping and handling is between $6.96 and $15.00 depending on when you have it delivered and how fast you want it. The first shipping fee is free for new customers.

The next day they arrived and I started un packing. They don't give you a total until they deliver because of the difference in meat prices and if they had to substitute some things. I had 3 things on my list that they were out of so I didn't get those items and 3 things were substituted for a different size. I also noticed that 2 packages of meat that I had ordered did not make it to me but I was acharged for them. So I called the customer service number and she said they would refund my money. I had asked if they would just bring the packages to me that I had been charged for but unless I ordered $50.00 more worth of groceries they will not deliever even to make up for a mistake they made.

So I was given a refund to my credit card.

All in all it wasn't a bad experience and I might just use their service again, I just hope they get it right next time.

My Rats being Funny

Here's a couple of pictures that I snapped the other day when my rats were out playing. I actually took over 50 pictures but they wouldn't sit still long enough for me to snap a picture so most of them were too blurry to use. lol They are just a little crazy when they come out to play. It's too cute.








Here's three of the rats all huldled around each other. Some coming from the cage and some running back into it. They do this th ewhole time the cage is open and pushed up against the couch.

Hades looking at me...awwww....I think he's thinking "food, you got food?"

Hug Please? lol This is Brodie.

And my little hellion, Jasper who chewed a small hole in the wall...yes, that's right the wall....while I was looking the other way. Ken is going to fix the hole..

Reviews, Opinions and Hurt Feelings

I have read that an author here made a blog post about a reviewer and made a lot of people very angry.

Now I realize that there are countless review sites, blogs, ect out there right now and a lot of reviewers get their books to review for free in exchange for a review. But the author, publisher ect..should not expect a good review just ebcause they gave the book in exchange for the review.

I have written a few book and movie reviews and have been given a couple of books for free for writing a review. Or I win them in contests ect..But most of the time I buy the book myself.

I do not however consider myself a book reviewer, not like on some of these blogs where that's pretty much all they do. I read a lot and sometimes I write down my opinions of the books I read or the movies I watch.

I have made reviews where I did not like a particular book or movie and let it be known. I'm entitled to my opinion just as everyone else is. But the author in this case got 2 bad reviews and decided she didn't like what was said so she decided to retaliate in her own way, on her blog. But I think she will come to regret what she said because the people she wants to read her books are regular people who sometimes review books too and she probably just made a lot of them very mad. Her post is spreading like wildfire and as more and more people read it, she might want to remove it before she regrets what she has said in a fit of anger. But that's just my opinion....

Winner Announced!

And the winner of the bookmarks are.....


Ashlyn

Thank you for leaving an email address, I will send you an email and get your info.

Almost time to pick a Bookmark Winner

So one person in entered for the great bookmarks right now...I'll pick the winner a little later today.

Heidi Betts, who just happens to be one of the fabulous authors from the bookmarks I am giving away today relayed a message to me to for all my readers. She said that if you send her a message or a SASE she is more than happy to send you free bookmarks as well as other great promotional goodies.

You can find her contact page here.

Bookmark Giveaway! Heidi Betts, Marie Treanor, Shiloh Walker and Erin McCarthy Bookmarks

I know I have told you all how much I love collecting Bookmarks, well I have decided to start someone else off on the same path, or help them along with their already bulging collection of Bookmarks.

Giveaway Rules:

Post one comment and tell me who your favorite author is. Leave your email address so I can contact you.

I will pick a winner on Feb 2nd.

Review: Love In The Time Of Dragons by Katie MacAlister

Katie MacAlister's Paranormal Romance novel, Love in The Time of Dragons: A Novel of the Light Dragons is the first book in this series. Book 2 in this series is: The Unbearable Lightness of Dragons, which will be out May 3, 2011 and I plan on getting it, so you already know how much I liked this book.

MacAlister's Dragons are richly imagined and come alive right from the very beginning. The two main characters Baltic and Tully are so well thought out, you truly feel their pain and pleasureas they experience it.

Tully finds herself in a world of dragons, where they keep telling her she is one also. She has dreams of her past where she tells her story as well as Baltic's and it was a great way to share the stories with the readers.

MacAlister is a great writer, she makes you laugh and cry all on the same page. Love in the Time of Dragons is full os other characters we get to know, including Demons, Silver Dragons, Black Dragons and family. My favorite by far are the demons you think are going to be bad...but have a heart of gold and make you laugh.

This book can be read as a stand alone but if you want to understand all of the characters I would suggest reading the previous Dragon books in the Silver Dragon series. You'll better understand the link between characters and the all of their connections.

It's Been a Strange Week

I kinda feel like that poor guy pictured above. My eyes are pryed open only by the amount of caffeine I have been consuming because I'm not getting enough sleep for a gnat.

25 questions about me

I got this questionare from Strange Candy Reviews, and thought it would be fun to do it too..


1. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?
Closed...the boogeyman might come through if it's open..

2. Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotels?
Yep, sure do.

3. Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out?
I'm a tucker, I tuck myself in all the way around, whcih is why I have my own blanket. lol

4. Would you rather be attacked by a bear or a swarm of bees?
I would pick neither one, but the bear would be my pick if I had to pick one. Bee's give me nightmares. *shudder*

5. Do you have freckles?
I have a few, not as many as my hubby.

6. What is your biggest pet peeve?
Liars, cannot tolerate a liar.

7. Have you ever peed in the woods?
Yes, but I wouldn't want to do it again.

8. Do you ever dance if there’s no music playing?
I don't dance...period...ever...

9. Do you chew your pens and pencils?
No, there are germs on them..ewww

10. Is it okay for guys to wear pink?
Sure as long as it isn't a pink tutu or something.

11. What do you dip a chicken nugget in?
Nothing, I like them naked...lol

12. What is your favorite food?
Mexican, I love burritos.

13. What movies could you watch over and over and still love?
Hancock, Fright Night, Queen of the Damned, Ever After, Willard, Nightmare of Elm Street...there are a lot of movies I can watch more than once.

14. Were you ever a boy/girl scout?
no

15. Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine?
Seriously? No one needs to see that... lol

16. Can you change the oil on a car?
No, but I can take the car to Auto Zone and have them do it...;lol

17. Ever gotten a speeding ticket?
No. But I probably should have several times.

18. Ever ran out of gas?
No, I worry way to much to let something like that happen.

19. Are you lazy?
I can be when I am not feeling good.

20. When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween?
A witch.

21. How many languages can you speak?
Besides English, 2...if you count Sarcasm...lol

23. Do you sing in the car?
Yes, I love singing when no one can hear me..lol

24. Ever eat a pierogi?
Yes and I don't care for them at all.

25. First concert?
Never been to one.

Music Players Have Changed

I remember when I was a kid I wanted a radio so bad, so my parents got me one. It was one of those old radio alarm clocks that the sound was really bad on, but I loved it. I had my own radio and an alarm clock.

When I got a little older I got a small boom box from my grandpa and I was able to record all my favorite songs onto the tapes from the tape deck. It was so cool, I had about 50 homemade tapes. lol

A few years ago my husband and daughter bought me a CD walkman shown right below here. I still use it to play my CD's on. I also have an MP3 player that my husband bought me a few years ago, but I don't use it often because I don't like to buy music when I listen for free on Youtube.







So yesterday Ken was cleaning out a box from the closet and found this...

This is so old, omg. It's a Sony Walkman, Tape Player with Am/FM stereo. I must have used this thing so many times that I thought the tape player would stop working. I think we bought this about 15 years ago. It's old. But it still works. I still ahve a few tapes left but for the most part I gave a huge box of tapes away to the VA, when I sent them to a friend who said she would give them to her local VA hospital. There was a gnarly mix of tapes too. lol

It's funny now, I hardly ever listen to my Cd's and my tapes are all but gone, and while I have an MP3 player I mostly listen to free music from Youtube. I made a playlist of about 23 songs and add and delete songs from it all the time, for free. I have looked through some of my CD's and added a few songs from my favorite Cd's to listen to as well.

I have my headphones on whenever I am online, which is all the time it seems. lol

A little video I took of my Rats

Here are my rats in my first ever YouTube video.

What I've Learned by Watching Horror Movies

I've been watching Horror movies since I was a little kid and my mom let me watch dracula with her. She used to let me stay up late with her so she wouldn't be out in the living room all alone while watching a scary movie. *And I wondered why I had nightmares*

Since I've been watching Horror movies for what seems like my whole life, I thought I would share what Horror Movies have taught me.


When walking into the bathroom, never ever look behind the shower curtain if you hear a noise. A serial killer is likely waiting to rip you to shreds if you do.

Never uncover your feet while sleeping. All body parts should be covered at all times and don't dangle your hands off the side of the bed, the monster hiding underneath your bed will take that as an invitation to pull you down there with him.

Do you like to Swim in the ocean? Well stop right now or else you could be the only one who ever gets an up close look at the prehistoric fish....right before he eats you. Never swim in a pool when it's dark outside, Saunas are the same...just make sure there are others in the sauna or hot tub with you if you are in the water after dark. Never fall asleep in the bathtub or use bubble bath so you can't see what's in the tub with you.

Never open the curtains to look outside after dark just because you hear a little noise, you never know what might be looking back at you from the other side of the window,, and then they'll know you are home...

Never ever go in the basement, or the Attic...best thing to do is just board those places up and pretend they don't exhist.

If you are the jokester, always crackin' jokes in your group of friends....you'll be the first to die...sorry buddy.

Never, ever, ever trust a clown. Don't go to the circus, invite them to your kids party, or take any ballooons from them at amusement parks. Trust me on this...

If you start hearing voices...you're probably just posessed by a demon or ghost...don't worry, you won't be alive much longer...

If you turn your tv off and it comes back on even when unplugged, give it away as fast as you can. Don't just throw it away, it has to have a new owner because...Sometimes They Come Back!

Don't trust that just because you hit the big monster-looking guy in the head and he falls down that he won't get back up when your back is turned. Make sure to cut his head, arms and legs off before you sit down.

If your child has a weird fascination with knives and cleavers and has tried to cut you on more than one occassion, you might want to stop this serial killer before he grows up...call an exorcist right away.

If you suddenly find youself pregnant without having had sex.....have an abortion right away, or the little moster may eat its way out of you.

If your child tries to skin the family dog to make a fur coat, you may want to get him some mental help or you'll end up with a Buffalo Bill.

There are some places you just should never go and I know this from experience...Never go to West virginia, I lived there for a year so I know wheat goes on in those back woods out of the way places... Some of those inbred hillbillies might see your girlfriend and want her as breeding stock, which would make you tonight's dinner.

Also living in the Nevada Desert has brought a few things to my attention...like never go into the desert by yourself, you are just asking for some nuclear bomb-mutant to clock you over the head, take you back to his underground camp and serve you with 10 year old canned beans for dinner.

And for the love of all that is holy, stay away from the Rest Stops! No good can ever come from getting out and using the restoom here, trust me....you're already dead if you do.

Stay away from old burial grounds and never ever use the creepy burial grounds to put poor fluffy to rest....you'll just find him back at the door the next day and he won't be the same.

If you can't find the light switch in the kitchen, just go open the refrigerator door, then use that light to find the switch instead of flailing along the wall for an hour in search of the mysterious light switch.

Never under any circumstances ever pick up a hitch hiker. If you do, you are already dead, sorry buddy.

To My Readers

I recently added a counter to the bottom of my blog because I was interested to see how many people visit my blog....well you could have just bowled me over when I looked a few days later and the counter was at 3800....wow, just wow. I had no idea so many people were visiting my blog.

So even though a lot of you don't leave comments...lol...I wanted to give a big thank you out to all of you readers :)

Work on Your Website or Lose Subscribers

As most of you know I do a lot of hopping from this free sample blog to another one and also am a frequent flyer at romance blogs and horror forums. But more and more I'm seeing these websites, forums and blogs go the wayside ebcause the people who manage them, the owners and moderators of the sites just stop putting any effort at all into it then get all indignant and pissy when people leave and stop commenting and posting things on the website or forum.

I frequent a few forums that used to be hopping with new posts, people in the chat room, there was always something new to read, but then the owner and moderators decided to put their efforts into other things. Bigger MySpace pages, having everyone on their FB page, other websites associated with the original website that they want you to frequent also and when readership or the comments stop coming in because the people running the place are so busy with all these other things they want to do, they get pissy because they don't feel appreciated.

Well Boo Hoo, we don't want all that other crap, we want you to put a little effort into the original site/forum that we all came to in the first place. That's the one we like, that's the one that had all the people signing up for it and that's the one that is suffering because you guys are flitting hre and there and everywhere trying to make the site bigger and badder than all the other sites that are like yours.

When there's nothing going on at a website, forum or blog....they eventually just shut down and I've already experienced that several times. Several of the blogs I used to go to, just up and quit because the readership went down...while others wanted to stay in touch using Fb or some other reason. Whatever....if you want to keep people coming to your site, make an effort to get us there....or I'm leaving as will everyone else.

New Kodak Mini Video Camera

Brodie peeking out from the Space Pod.

Brodie and jasper.

Ken got this Kodak Mini Video Camera from his sister for Christmas and after reading the ridiculous instruction pamphlet that doesn't tell you much of anything...seriously....we finally figured out how to take a picture and download it.

The directions don't even tell you what the symbols on the menu page mean, I had to go through each symbol and figure it out. It doesn't tell you how to delete the images or that you can delete them while the camera is plugged into the computer.

What's with the instruction pamphlet not giving you all the instructions...

My rats

Hades

Brodie

Hades, jasper and Brodie

Jasper and Hades

Ares