Car Shopping FAIL!

So, after 10 years and 100,000 miles on my 2003 Honda Civic, and the fact that I can't easily get up my new driveway when it's covered in snow, I decided it was time for a new vehicle.  A four wheel drive one.

I am a Honda girl.  I've bought three in my life and it's the only brand I have driven except for my first car, which was a Pontiac Sunbird that was a hand me down from my Grandma.  I decided that I wanted to get a Honda CRV LX.

I did my research online.  I found one in the color that I liked at Honda North in Butler.  Mr. Bruises is on vacation, so he went over on Thursday and worked out a deal with "Jerry".  I was between two colors, since Mr. Bruises was trying to talk me into the Kona Coffee color instead of the Mountain Air Blue one that I liked.

We were to return the next day, which was yesterday, to look at the two colors and sign they papers and drive off with it, since I was already pre-approved.

We arrived at Honda North at 9:30, at 9:30, I sat at the salesman's table after making my color decision.  Jerry wasn't there, he was out sick.  I ended up with "JJ" who is a Jonathan Penner (From Survivor) look alike.  All was going well, I had to be at work to start for noon.

Then everything took a shit dump.  First, I was going to trade in my Civic.  The link to the trade in value from their website said that it would be work $3,177 in Fair condition since I need the front bumper replaced.  We would have been happy with $3,000, even though we could sell it for more if we replaced the bumper.  Well, he came back and started the value at $3,000 an deducted all these amounts for ridiculous things like my brakes are half worn, yet they are one year old and no one removed the tires to look at the brakes.  He said my drivers seat wobbled, which we verified on the way home that it didn't.  All in all, he offered me $1,100 for it.  I looked at him and loudly asked if he was smoking crack.  We said that we would be leaving with the car.

At 10:30, nearly an hour later, I told him that I needed to be on the road by 11:15 to go to work.  He assured me that we would be on time.  At 10:45 I reminded him again.  At 11:00, I said he had 15 minutes and he wanted to give me a tour of the service area.  At this point, we have not even seen the finance guy.

At 11:15, I grabbed my stuff and we left.  at 11:25, he calls me and asked "Where did you go?"   Seriously???!??  I gave him an earful and told him that we would NOT be back.  10 minutes later, the Manager called and wanted to let him know what happened.  I told him that they have serious problems if they can't get a car off the lot within 2 hours when it was pretty much a done deal.  He offered me $250 off for my trouble.  WOW!  I told him that even if the car was FREE, I no longer want it, we would be going somewhere else.  He then tried to blame the delay on me, saying that I misspelled my name on my online credit application I filled out.  I told him that was funny, since I used AutoFill to fill in most of the areas.  I guess I am misspelling my name all over the Internet.

Mr. Bruises drove me to work.  I called Delaney Honda in Indiana and talked to a wonder salesman named Matt.  I gave him the story and told him that if he could match the price I was given, including the $250 they were going to give me for my troubles, and the interest rate, that I would be over on Monday to sign the papers and leave with the vehicle.

Not only were they able to match that price, they will be able to give me 1.9% financing.  Now THAT is customer service.  All done over the phone.

Honda North needs to work on their customer service.  I should have went to Delaney's to begin with since that was where I got my first Honda.

Monday, I will be driving a Mountain Air Blue Honda CRV LX and can't be happier.  Thank you Matt and Delaney Honda for treating us like we should have been treated at Honda North.  When Mr. Bruises purchase his Honda Pilot, we will definitely be coming back!!

You're UGLY - Contributing to Today's Delinquent Youth

I'm exhausted.  I've worked my ass off this week.  I am not feeling 100%, yet I still had to stop on my way home to get Swiffers and garbage bags for the salon as well as cat litter.  So, I braved WalMart.

I knew it would be horrible.  I put on my cheerful face. I was patient, maneuvering my cart around people, blocking aisles while bullshitting with others, people who stop in the middle of a main aisle for no apparent reason, you know, just a typical trip to WalMart times ten because it's December 22.

I was polite.  I was cheerful until I could take no more.  I followed a mother and her two children along the ENTIRE length of WalMart to get to the section that had my three items.  During this long walk, her son bounced a ball.  Bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce.  Bouncing it off of shelves.  Bouncing it off of the mother, bouncing off of other people.  I stopped counting the bounces at 252, because that is when I snapped.

I turned into the cat food aisle and she came in behind me.  Even after giving her "The Look" twice, she was clueless.  I told her that it was annoying.  She replied "The ball?", I said yes, to which she replied, "Tough, deal with it".  Then I really snapped.

I told her that it was annoying everyone and that this is not a playground, it was a store.  She looked at me and said "YOU are not everyone".  I told her, lady, did you not notice the looks that just about everyone that passed you gave you, because I did.  It is annoying many people.

She didn't say "Kids will be kids" not "Honey, don't bounce the ball" no, she said "Your UGLY".  I think I would have had more respect for her had she said "You're a bitch!"  At which point I said, well you are a crappy mother, allowing your kid to act like an asshole in public.  I told her that people like her are what's wrong with this world.  You need to teach your kids to have respect for others while in public.

At this point, the boy had already put the ball into the cart.  I looked at him and smiled and thanked him for doing so.  See, was this so hard?  The child obviously knows things and just needs some guidance.

I am sick to death of people, who have kids, and just turn a blind eye to them, it's like they ignore them. This is just the beginning, they are young and not respecting others, next it will be them doing heroin, all while the mother turns a blind eye to it.

Parents are responsible for giving their children a moral compass.  They need to teach them the difference between right and wrong.  They need to teach them to have respect for others.  I guess it is kind of hard to teach your children that, when you, yourself, don't possess those things.

My mother ruled me with an iron fist.  I was not allowed to act like that in public and if I did, she beat my ass.  Guess what?  I've never been arrested.  I've never shot and killed anyone.  I've never taken drugs, hell I've never even assaulted anyone, unless you count that one time I slapped Gin Harmon across the face while working at Jamesway, but she asked for it.

Start parenting.  Stop the promotion of delinquency in America.  Your children want your guidance and attention.  You birthed them, you owe it to them to give them at least that.

How to Lose Me As a Customer

Poor Customer Service is how you lose me as a customer.  This one has been a long time coming.  So, let me start from the beginning.

Two years ago, at Premier Orlando, I purchased three UV lights from Dashing Diva.  I loved the look of the lights, they were affordable and they had the way cool, slide out bottoms for use on toes.  We took them to the salon, set them up and went to work.

On day two, while Regina was working and the light was not in use, all of a sudden, we heard a POP and a big puff of smoke came out of the light.  The light was fried.  I called home office and was told that I needed to mail the light to them, they would inspect it and determine if they would send me a new one.  TWO DAYS OLD.

So, I paid to ship it to New York.  Two weeks later I get a new one.  No refund for my postage.

Three months later, Kylie's lamp quit working.  I called home office and was told pretty much since it was over 30 days I was basically shit out of luck.  I was told that I could ship it to New York (again at my expense) and they would have their "Maintenance Man" look at it and see if he could fix it.  I said hell with that.  I took it apart myself and fixed the problem, the wire going to the start button was broken.

For the past two years, I have bought replacement bulbs for the three lights every four months.  The last time I purchased bulbs was in March and the shipping was $10.95.

Imagine my surprise on July 23, when I went to order 12 bulbs and the shipping was now $24.98.  I thought, damn, did they raise their prices for shipping, so I checked their website and this is the Shipping Scale.

So, I sent them the follow email:

I just placed an order for 12 UV bulbs and a few other random items.  The total came to $119.40.  I was given the ridiculous UPS Ground shipping price of $24.98.  I just looked on your site and it shows that shipping for that total should  be $17.95, which is still ridiculous.  Can you please tell me why I am being charged $7.03 more than your shipping scale says?

I never got a response from them.  I still needed bulbs, so I ordered 16 Phillips bulbs from another manufacturer for our other light and these three. and they were shipped for FREE.  When I got the bulbs, they didn't work in the Dashing Diva lights.  They flickered like a strobe light.  These Phillips bulbs are the best on the market.  It was apparent that I had to use bulbs directly from Dashing Diva.

So, on August 8, I called.  I was told that they would look into it and get back with me.  There was NO offer to take my order over the phone and charge me the correct shipping amount.

After a week of no response, I just sucked it up and purchased three lights from another manufacturer that my Phillips bulbs will work in.  Today is two weeks since I was told someone would get back to me.

I decided to check their site out today to see if they fixed the problem.  Imagine my surprise when I saw this today.  They not only haven't fixed the problem, as you can see it has escalated.

So, Dashing Diva has lost my business due to a looooonnnnnng history of poor customer service.  BUYER BEWARE.  Check your shipping costs before you agree to purchase online from them.  Again, they have known about this for ONE MONTH!

Having an Opinion

I am a very opinionated person.  Sorry.  Why is it, though, when you have an opinion, people love to try to tell you and show you that your opinion is wrong and you should honor THEIR opinion?  I don't do that to others.  I respect their opinion and you better damn well believe I am going to defend my opinion.  Last time I checked having an opinion was still a right.

I Love Myself, So What?

Tonight, we went out with friends to celebrate 20 years of marriage.  Like always, we had a blast and took lots of photos and shared them on Facebook.  Well this picture struck a nerve with a dickhead, who I am NOT friends with on Facebook, but one of the people tagged in the photo was.  He commented on the photo as such:

your so in love with yourself its fucking sickning!!!!!!! get a fucking life

What a sad life a person has to have to make a comment on a photo of people celebrating a milestone with friends.  I feel very sorry for that person because obviously they are missing out in life.

First, YES, I love myself.  Doesn't everyone?  If not, they should.  Loving yourself is the first step and the only true way you will experience true love for someone else or have that reciprocated.  As for getting a life.  Ummmm, I obviously have one.  One that someone seems to be jealous of.

So, to the douchebag, who made that comment, I would like to say, YES, I am in love with myself.  It's sad that you obviously don't love yourself.  

Jeffrey's Big Adventure

Jeffrey had a big day yesterday.  If you don't know who Jeffrey is or his story, you can read all about it here.

Wednesday, I was preparing for my surgery and being off, so I took care of all of the animals.  I cleaned Lettie and Lilah's cage and I filled Jeffrey's tank up and cleaned his filter.  Well his filter was giving me troubles turning back on so I ended up having to fill his tank almost full.  Usually I fill it to about four inches from the top and I have never had a lid on his tank.  I never needed to.

Later that night, I noticed that he had his big, floating log over towards the right side, he was up on it and the bastard was trying to climb out.  Mr. Bruises pushed him back in and moved his log to the other side.

Yesterday, Mr. Bruises had to take me to the hospital for 6:30 am.  Once I got settled, I sent him home to get some sleep until I was ready to be picked up.  He got up and was eating his breakfast and he said something was amiss.  The turtle usually sits there and watches him eat his breakfast.  He looked in the tank and he was gone!  He was on the kitchen floor, right where he fell from his tank.  He was on his back and flailing all around.  Mr. Bruises noticed that both the cat and Travis were both over in that area nosing around.

We have no idea how long he was out and upside down, but he is back in his tank and being just as surly as ever.  I bet he won't try that again!

My Favorite Tree

Back in April, I took a photo of my favorite tree and blogged about it in early May, comparing the photo to one I took of the same tree January 9, 2011.  I vowed to take a photo of that tree every season.

While riding Tootie today, I realized it was July, which is one of the months I was to take a photo of the tree, so we rode out and took some pictures.

It's amazing how much greener things looked in April.  We have had a heat wave and little rain.  I guess that's why everything looks brown.

See you in October, favorite tree!!

Photo taken April 30, 2012

Photo taken January 9, 2011

Toxicity Level: LOW

For years now, I have put up with a person.   An immature person.  A one upper.  You know the kind, no matter what you say to anyone, they have to butt in and either try to correct you or one up you.  It's so annoying.  I am not the only one this person does it to.  They have probably been doing it their entire life to just about everyone in their life.

I thought this person was a friend, but it became apparent years ago, that this person was not.  They liked to tell untruths, liked to cause drama, liked to throw in vague little digs here and there.  I tolerated this person, because, for the most part, for a long amount of time I had a large amount of respect for them.

I have been wanting to rid myself of this person for awhile now and almost did in March.  The toxicity level that this person was putting out at that time was tremendous.  She was vile to more than just me.  At the time a friend asked me why I was even friends with them and my answer was a simple "I don't know".  I've done a lot of thinking about that question over the past few months and I really could not come up with a good reason for remaining in contact with them.

I know how this person works though.  If I broke it off, she wins.  I will never let a toxic person win.  Sorry, I am stubborn like that.

I am happy to say, the toxicity level in my life has dropped to an all time low and I am ecstatic.  The ball was in my court and I just hammered the final nail in the coffin and couldn't be more at peace.  Life is way too short to have toxic people in your life.

Please Don't Jump

One year ago, I witnessed something that I will never forget.  I can't drive by without thinking of the man that ended his life by jumping off of the Judge Graff Bridge June 20, 2011.

I had just picked the dogs up from the groomer and was heading home.  The bridge was under construction.  As I was about to take the Ford City off ramp, I noticed a man on the ledge of the bridge standing, and looking down.  I assumed at that time, that he was a worker inspecting something.

When I got closer, I noticed that he had a blue scrub top on and that he was barefoot.  I passed within feet of him.  He was just calm and serene and just looking down, like he was looking for something.

It took me a few seconds to register what I was actually seeing.  I immediately tried to call 911, but all circuits were busy.  As I was trying to get my car turned around, I saw two women running towards him on their phones.

By the time I got my car turned around, he was gone.  He jumped.  Luckily, I didn't see that part, but the image of the man standing there still haunts me.  I can't drive by this spot without thinking of him.

Days later, I found out that he was from Indiana County.  I didn't know him, but I knew his sister Ellen.  She, sadly, died in a motorcycle accident years ago.  What tragedy for that family.  I feel for their mother, who is still alive.

I hope he found peace.  At the end, he wasn't agitated or upset.  He just seemed so at peace right before he jumped.  That to me is so sad.  To be so sure about ending your life.  To be so comfortable with that decision.  God rest his soul.

Better Days

I am feeling so much better.  I guess sometimes, you don't realize how crappy you are feeling until you start feeling good again.  I am happy to say, I have felt great for over a week now.  I think my medication is helping, although the happy pills shouldn't kick in for another week or so.

I've made a lot a changes in my life.  I've tried to eliminate a lot of stress.  Hiring our Director of Sanity, aka our assistant, has helped tremendously.  I actually hired her before all these heart issues were found.  I also hired a kick ass cleaning lady for the salon.  It's amazing to not have that extra work hanging over my head.  I was never able to leave the salon for the weekend without it being spotless.  Now, I am able to just walk out of the door knowing when I come back it will be clean.  It's awesome!

I have also, slowly, removed caffeine from my life.  As a coffee and Coke addict, I thought this would be harder.  I told myself that I would have one cup of coffee a day and one Coke a day and then slowly cut down to none.  I haven't had coffee since I got back from Florida and surprisingly, I don't miss it.  I guess when you wake up feeling good you don't need the coffee to pick you up.

I'm starting to get out more and be more active, which I didn't realize how much I missed.  I am trying to not work on the computer so much.  When you own a business, you pretty much have to work it every day to be successful.  I am trying to find balance in that area.

I got Tootie out for a ride on Sunday and it was awesome.  I miss riding that scooter.  Mr. Bruises and I bought kayaks and took them out for the first time last evening.  It was so peaceful on Crooked Creek.

I still have to reschedule my surgery, I am hoping for the end of July, due to our salon schedules.  I also am still waiting to hear when my sleep study is.  I can tell, though, I am sleeping so much better now and I think it's been making a world of difference.

For everything else, I am adopting The Honey Badger's motto for it.  Honey Badger is a badass and doesn't give a shit!!!

Monitor says....

I had to wear a halter, heart monitor for 24 hours.  I had it attached, applied, whatever you want to call it on Thursday afternoon.  I was in Afib when I had it put on.  I was to press a button if I felt anything and log it.  Well within an hour, I felt the all familiar flutter in my chest, so I pressed the button and logged it.

I then, within the next half hour, managed to unplug the thing.  I had to press the button not once but twice to see if it was working.  So I logged those as well.  I went about my day with no other issues.

The next day, when it was time for me to return the thing, I removed all the cords and the sticky things that were used to hold them to my body.  I have four little, red circles on my body, mainly from them having to sand my skin to make them stick better.

I sent our Director of Sanity to the hospital to return my monitor and I continued servicing my clients on Friday.  My bra was driving me crazy and I thought that the adhesive was catching and pulling my bra in a weird way.  So, I went into the bathroom, armed with a cotton pad with acetone on it, fully prepared to remove the sticky residue from my body, even if it stung due to my sanded skin.

Low and behold, my discomfort wasn't coming from the adhesive.  It was coming from the under wire of my bra, which I had somehow snapped in half.  The wire was poking into my skin.

I had my appointment with my cardiologist today.  The info from my monitor was read.  It was very interesting.  I was in Afib from the time I had the monitor put on until sometime during the night, while I was sleeping (can't remember the exact time) when I worked myself out of it.  Now here's the really weird part.  On Thursday evening, right before 9:00 pm, my heart rate was 175.  Yes, you read that right.  I believe I was eating a yummy egg roll and catching up on Facebook at that time.  Nothing strenuous.  Now, 12 hours later at nearly 9:00 am on Friday, my heart rate was 49.  Again, you read that right.

So, our plan of attack is for me to continue with my aspirin, daily, keep on the meds to slow my heart rate down and if I keep going into Afib, then I can get on a prescription to help control that.

I have been cleared for surgery, however, I doubt I will be able to schedule it before the end of July due to the doctor's vacation and working around some vacations at the salon.  So, slowly we are progressing.  More importantly, I am starting to feel better.

Remembering Her

Two years ago today, I lost my Mom.  I was wide awake at 3:30-ish this morning.  This is not unusual, I usually wake up several times during the night, feeling hot.  Usually it's starts around 5:00.  I guess maybe I woke up because that was the time she passed.  I initially got the call at 3:15 that morning, so who knows.

It's been a long two years and I can honestly say I don't think I have ever let myself fully let out my grief.  I think I have always been afraid that if I started crying about it that I would never stop.  So, I just never let myself go there.  Maybe that wasn't such a good idea.

I wanted to do something today to remember my mom.  I decided to get my tattoo finished with something to remember her.  Whenever I think of her, I see dragonflies.  My tattoo is a big dragonfly as well as some little ones and flowers.  So I asked Ezra of Iron Elements to come up with another dragonfly that has my mother's name and her dates incorporated into the design.

I think he did an awesome job!

On Hold

Well, my surgery is now on hold.  I was to have it next Thursday, but an abnormal EKG has put a halt to it.  It seems as though when I had my EKG two weeks ago, that I was in Atrial Fibrillation.  It's where the top half of your heart is working twice as fast as the bottom part of your heart.  The big risk with it is blood pooling in the heart, possibly forming clots, which then could result in a stroke.

I firmly believe that in January of 2011, I was in Afib then as well.  I thought I was having a heart attack.  I must have come out of it before I got to the hospital since it never showed up on my EKG then and I was on a heart monitor for 24 hours and had a stress test the next day.  Everything checked out okay and I was told that my heart was healthy.

This explains so much to me.  I was diagnosed with acid reflux or possible gall bladder issues after that episode.  I've had these feelings again, off and on, and treated them as acid reflux.  I now know why I haven't felt good for years.  I think I have been going into and out of Afib for some time now.  It explains why I am exhausted all of the time and my sense of anxiety too.

I also was put on a happy pill.  I really have reservations about that.  I am just so afraid that once you start taking anti-depressants that you never get off of them.  I have finally admitted to myself, though, that I have been severely depressed for some time now.  YEARS.  I think it started when my mother, first, initially got sick and I was hit with all of the responsibility that I would carry for years.  I am a classic case of "just because someone looks happy and laughs a lot doesn't mean that she's okay on the inside".

I am also finally admitting to myself that I am not well.  I have entirely too much stress in my life.  I am not healthy and I don't need any jackass telling me that I should lose some weight.  No shit Sherlock.  However, until you walk a mile in someone's shoes, don't judge.  I'm not making excuses, but it's hard to be active when you don't have any energy or desire to be active.  It's hard to eat better when you don't have the time or energy to shop, cook or hell even decide what to eat.

I can't tell you the last time I hopped out of bed feeling good.  I can probably count on one hand how many times in the past year.  I never feel rested, I know I wake up a gazillion times through the night.  Sleep Apnea can put people into Afib, so that is something that will need to be checked.  I also had my thyroid tested to see if that is causing these issues.

Either way, I am happy that finally something is coming up to explain why I feel like shit all of the time.  I am disappointed beyond belief that I have to wait, yet again, to have relief from the other things, but I guess the old ticker is much more important.  I will get by, I always do, but I'm just a little tired with life and all it's curveballs at the moment.

I Guess I Have Cute Feet

Those of you who are Facebook Friends with me got to enjoy the fun I had with the "Foot Fettish Dude" last night.  I think it's fair to start from the beginning and share the whole story.

Last fall, I received a phone message that Kylie took from this dude.  She was all smirky when she gave me the info.  The message said that he was looking for foot models for his company for a shoe brochure.  I called him and the conversation went pretty much like this.

ME:  Hi Zack, this is Rhonda from The Purple Pinkie returning your call.
FFD:  Hi.  Silence.
ME:  What did you want?
FFD: Um, yeah we are looking for foot models and we figure you see a lot of feet.
ME:  Foot models for what?
FFD: For pictures and stuff.
ME:  Well if you get me some information or brochures, I will be happy to give them to anyone who is inetersed.
FFD:  Okay.

I hung up perplexed.  He sounded totally unprepared.  Like he didn't have a clue.

Next thing I know, he starts texting me.

I am busy, I ignore the text.  I get another one.

When I reply, I totally missed the first text and the whole FETTISH word.  I am at the salon, I am busy, at this point I am still thinking he's legit and looking for models for a shoe catalog.  It continues......

At this point I am like are you fucking kidding me?  This guy is a perv and a freak and something is fishy.  It continues.......

So at this point, I am skeeved out and I think he's got the message.  Something tells me to save his number just in case.  So I save it in my contacts as Foot Fettish Dude.  Well, my Spidey Sense was correct because last night, he texted again.  I once again, ignored his first text, so after his second text I decided to tell him like it was.

So, not only is he a perv, he's an illiterate perv.  I don't even know if Zack Clark is his real name.  A search of his cell phone number shows that it could be either a Butler cell number or an Indiana one.  Either way, I hope this is the last of him.  

My friend Tara said if it was her, she would have met him, kicked him in the nuts, took his $200 and asked him "How do you like my feet now?"  I think that is an excellent idea.

FREAK!

Progressing

So, I have had the repeat of my past testing done.  I had an appointment yesterday for what I "thought" was just going over test results.  When I arrived, I was told that I needed to give a urine specimen and I asked if she wanted my copay, since last time, she collected it as soon as I arrived.  She responded that it depended on whether he was going to be doing a procedure on me.  At that point, I nearly died.

Here I am, like a lamb being sent to the wolves, being told that I am going to have THAT PROCEDURE done again.  The one I specifically said I would not have without either narcotics or being put under.  I, at this point, look at the girl and tell her I am not having that done today, that I didn't have anything prescribed for pain.  She politely responded that "Oh, it's not painful at all!"  I told her that I had this done before and I had been prescribed high milligrams of Motrin before hand that did nothing and it was the most painful thing I've ever experienced in my life and I will NOT be having it done.  She told me that I could discuss it with the doctor.

Let me tell you something.  I am not a wuss.  I am not a cry baby.  I don't give a shit if you have had this procedure done and you thought it was a cake walk.  Everyone is different.  I have a very high tolerance for pain.  I sat through two, nearly three hour sessions, getting my entire foot and ankle tattooed and it wasn't bad at all.  Previously, the new doctor said that since I haven't had children, my lady parts, inside, are small.  They are also unusually shaped and tilted.  These factors can make things uncomfortable.  Why didn't the other jackass know this?

At this point, I am beginning to hyperventilate.  This is the first time, I think of bolting out of the door, never to return.  I go into the restroom and collect my urine sample, in a fog, trying to calm down.  I go back out to the waiting room and wait to be called.  I now have the second thought of bolting I am very close to the door, it would be easy to do.

I get called back, I get weighed and have my height measured then get put into a room and get my blood pressure taken.  I have two nurses/aids with me.  I figure they are maybe training a new girl.  After the blood pressure the one asks me if I brought my "E String".  I am like what the hell is that?  It's some contraceptive device that she thinks I am replacing.  She checks my chart and confirms that it is NOT ME who is to receive this procedure.  It's now the third time I want to want to run out the door.

I am then handed a sheet and told to undress from the waist down.  I am near flip out mode at this point and inform, yet another person that I WILL NOT be having that procedure.  They tell me that the doctor will decide that.  At this point, I burst into tears and again reiterate that I WILL NOT be having that procedure.  I am handed a tissue, told to undress from the waist down, cover with the sheet and I can discuss it with the doctor.  This is now the fourth moment that I just want to run out the door.  SCREAMING!

I do as I am told.  The doctor comes in and asks how I am and I reply "I'm okay".  He takes one look at me and realizes I am not okay.  He asks what's wrong and I just unload.  I tell him I am not going to let him do that procedure.  I tell him all about the last one.  I am, at this point, to the panicked, crying stage, where I can't catch my breath.

He asks for the pathology report from a procedure that the past doctor did.  He then starts talking to me and calms me down.  Bottom line is, he didn't do the procedure and I am grateful.  He decided to accept the pathology results from 2010.  Thank God.

We then discussed a plan of action.  He likes things to go in steps.  I would prefer that we go clear to the end step, however, he recommended the first step.  I agreed to that.  Anything is better than what I have now and he's confident that I have a very high chance of this fixing my problems.  I din't have the energy to argue anymore.

On June 14, I will have a Novasure procedure done along with a tubal.  Not that the bakery was ever open, the oven will be totally shut down.  God I hope this works.

I'm Sorry....

Lately, I feel the need to apologize for things.  Some of the things are beyond my control, however, there is a sense that I should apologize, so here goes:

• I am sorry that I am so busy at my nail table that I can't fit you in until next month.
• I am sorry that I can't remove your nails since it is impossible for me to do so, since you have MMA (dental acrylic) on your nails.
• I am sorry that you don't understand why I can't remove this crap.
• I am sorry that you trusted someone you couldn't communicate with, I am thankful that it wasn't your gynecologist or hairdresser, I shudder to imagine what would happen if you couldn't communicate with them.
• I am sorry that I didn't return your call, see you didn't leave me your number, you left me MY number, the one that you called and your Caller ID is blocked.
• I am sorry that I am not able to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  I work as much as I physically can.
• I am sorry it's prom and in Armstong County, and that it lasts for four weeks.
• I am sorry that we have three people getting their toes done at the time you want and even though we have an opening, we have nowhere for you to sit to get your toes done.
• I am sorry that I am not willing to sit on the floor, breaking my back, to do your toes because there are no pedi chairs open.
• I am sorry we are closed on Mondays, everyone needs a day off.
• I am sorry we don't answer the phone when we are with clients, but if we did that, we would never get anything done.  We have an assistant now and I am sorry that she doesn't work 24/7/365 either.
• I am sorry that you ripped your discount nails off and your nail beds are destroyed,
• I am sorry that I can't guarantee that the nails I put on your nails, that were destroyed by another salon, but it's like building a house on a sand foundation.
• I am sorry that I can't remember that one photo you saw on Facebook out of 3,000 that you want your nails to look like. 
• I am sorry that I will not cover your entire nail with glitter acrylic,  I realize other salons do it, but we don't and give you many reasons why.  If you want your nail totally covered, get a Magic Manicure.
• I am sorry that you didn't show up for your appointment and now you can't afford the No Show Fee.
• I am sorry that I am almost to the point of burn out, but I am living for June 1 and hope to return from Orlando re-energized to take on the world and be at a point where I no longer feel the need to apologize for things that should be common sense.

So Called Professionals

I found this old post, that I wrote two years ago and for some reason, never published.  It's funny, two years later, I can say the same things.  I took a photo of a girl's nails that were, by far, the most damaged nails I've seen.  Too many times, we get caught up in blaming and pointing fingers at the Non-Standard Salons, but the truth is, those that you normally don't think of as working in an NSS do damage too.  It all comes down to education and experience.  Oh, and a little common sense helps too!

I am totally amazed, everyday, the amount of people in the beauty industry that try to portray themselves as a professional, yet they do illegal things.  They want to sit there and complain about Non-Standard Salons and talk about how they don't follow laws and blah, blah, blah and yet they are no better than the salons that they want to hold responsible for their lack of business.

These same people, who call themselves professionals will say that they give out coupons for money off of services and they will claim them as redeemed even if they aren't.  They are doing this to reduce their income reporting, which then reduces their taxes.  That is TAX EVASION!

They will sell gift certificates, put a short expiration date on them and the KEEP THE MONEY when they aren't redeemed.  There are laws, governing gift certificates in every state.  I have not heard of one state that allows you to keep all of the money.  Most states have rules that if money passed hands, this is not your money until you perform the service.  If the certificate is not redeemed in so many years, it has to be turned over to the state as unclaimed property.  Enforcing the expiration date and keeping the money is STEALING!

You then have people who charge state sales tax on retial item and then they don't turn that money over to the state.  Again, this is THEFT!!

Finally, you have people who will show photos of feet, before and after the use of a BLADE?  Really?  Credo blades are illegal in all states.  Cutting skin is considered a surgical procedure, which we are not licensed to do.  To use a blade on someone is not only illegal it is UNPROFESSIONAL!

I think it all boils down to people with no business sense running businesses.  I think it's high time that people stop worrying about what the NSS are doing and worry more about what THEY are doing.  You are absolutely no better than the people you are looking down on.  You are stealing, you are evading taxes and you are doing things that your license does not allow.  You are NOT a professional and I take offense to you putting yourself in my category of professional.

Super Moon

So, apparently last night, we had the opportunity to see a Super Moon.  I had no idea what one was.  According to Wikipedia, in short, it is when the Earth, Moon and Sun are all in a line, with Moon in its nearest approach to Earth.


The sky was so bright last night, when I took these photos.  I actually, can't look at this photo too long because my eyes start to water.

I took a second cool shot of the moon as it showed from behind a tree.  All and all, it was a cool thing to see!

My Favorite Tree

I have always loved this tree.  You can see it from many different areas, on the windy road that it resides on.  It is one of those trees that just commands attention.

I think the tree is dead, however, it still stands.  I first took a picture of it on January 9, 2011.  I was attempting to do a photo a day thing for a year.  I've tried that three times now and I always fail right around this time of the year.

I decided to take another picture of my favorite tree yesterday.  It still looks the same.  I've been wanting to blog more, I've gotten away from it for so long.  So, I decided I need to blog more with photos.  I love taking photos and just got a new "Big Girl" camera.  I am still learning all of it's magic, so this is a perfect idea.

I have made a promise to myself to take a photo of my favorite tree every season.  So far I have one in January and one in April.  I now need to take one in July and one in October and I will have all four seasons.

Visiting

Yesterday, I did what I have done for five years now.  I went to Nancy, Nick's mothers grave to visit her for her birthday.  As usual, I weeded around her name plate and put a new bouquet of pink tulips.  Pink was her favorite color.  She was also a big fan of tulips.

While there, I noticed that another friend is buried just a couple of rows over.  I don't know why I never noticed this before.  Maybe because I never walk around.  I go, do my thing, say a few words and I am on my way.  I will now add Kevin to my list of visits.

Starting Over.....REALLY?

OMG, I can't even believe I am at this point.  I had so much hope for today, but in the back of my mind, I knew all along this is what would happen.  I have to start over.  From scratch.  To finally get to the point where I can have some relief in my life.  To try to find my joy of living again.  To improve the quality of my life.

For years I have been battling what you would call "female issues"  For the past two years, I have endured so many invasive tests that it is sickening to think about them.  I have actually had all of those done twice now.  One test was so ridiculously painful that I am physically ill, just thinking about having to go through it again.

I don't know how I am going to be able to do it again.  I am a strong woman, but this is where I draw the line.  There is a slim chance that I may not have to have THAT test done again, but knowing my luck, I will have to have it.  I can't do that test again conscious.  I will have to be put under.  I don't even know if that is an option.

I am so,, fucking, incredibly pissed off at my previous doctor.  He dropped the ball.  He had me endure all of that twice and then just never progressed to the next level.  WHY????  Why was I told that what I am experience is normal.  It's not.  Why was I told that I just need to learn to live with things.  I shouldn't have to.

I now know I have options.  Lots of them.  However, I have to start right back from the beginning just because my previous doctor failed me.

Please pray that I don't have to endure that last test.  Please pray that I can go through all of this one more time.  Please pray that I don't run into this man and if I do, please pray that I don't beat the living shit out of him.

Jealousy and Envy

It has been such a long time since I've blogged.  I've just been so busy, but I do miss it and I really do need to blog today.  Blogging is my release.

I can honestly say there are very few people that I am jealous of or envy.  BFF Jill is one.  I envy the fact that she has such a wonderful relationship with her father, that she still has her mother, that she has an older sister.  But you know what?  It doesn't matter, because she has shared that family with me and for that I am grateful.

I am jealous of people who live in warm climates.  I will be there some day.  I just can't be there now.

I am jealous of people who have the gumption to eat healthy and stay fit.  I used to have that, well, no, I never did eat healthy, I grew up on Miller's Hoagies and Pizzaria Pizza.  I just have no energy to be active any more.  Taking care of work and home exhausts me.  So those of you who can do it all, I am envious and jealous of you.

I can honestly say that I am not jealous or envious of anyone in our industry.  If I was, it would shut the door, mentally for me to learn anything from that person and how stupid would that be?  Yes there are others that are better than me and yes there are others that have achieved more than me.  Only one person can be the best and can you imagine what pressure that is??  Who wants that?

So, if you think I am jealous of you or envious of you, for whatever reason you may have, know that that is not true.  I admire all of my fellow professionals, whether you are a newbie or a Nail Hag (Fifteen years or more in the business).  Wanting to create work as beautiful as some techs and wanting the awards that they have reaped, both tangible and non tangible, it is not jealousy, it is not envy, it is admiration.

So, some need to read this and realize this.  Saying things to others, about me, that are not true, just to make yourself feel better or feel more important.  That is not admiration.  It is jealousy and it is envy and it is ugly.  I am hardly anyone that you should be jealous of or envy.  I am just me.