Basin - apology

On a recent trip to Orlando I decided to stop at Downtown Disney to shop at my favorite bath and beauty store - Basin. Their products are wonderful, last a long time and are priced affordable. Woe is me - my shopping experience was not a positive one.
I listened to a conversation between employees that was best kept for the break room and I was ignored, overlooked and extremely frustrated by my treatment. Upon my return home (3 hours away) I sent an e-mail concerning my unpleasant experience. I also send e-mails when service and products are outstanding. I believe if you do your job and even go beyond your duties that you should be complimented.
So, off goes my e-mail and I believed that would be the last of that issue. I felt better for putting my frustration in writing. What a surprise when I received an e-mail from the employee who ignored me. I am hoping it was sincere and not forced by management. I have included the e-mail.
I will now shop online for these special products, although going to the store - touching, smelling and trying out these fantastic products is a great experience.

RESPONSE

I would like to make an apology to the guest that came into our store.I saw the guest approach the counter from my peripheral vision. I thenturned around to see if she needed anything, using an inquisitivefacial expression, as I often do. However, I failed to physically askif she needed help, because I mistakenly assumed that she had seen myface, and didn't need my help. I wish I had thought to ask the guest.Even though she didn't ask for a sales associates help, I should havetaken the initiative and asked her if she could be helped. I thoughtthat she was in a party with the other guests at another register, orperhaps she wanted to speak to the manager, who was busy with a sale ofher own. I meant no disrespect when I began ringing up anothercustomer, as I thought that she was waiting to speak with the managerwho was busy the that time.
I would like to apologize to that guest and say that my actionswere very discourteous, neglectful and ignorant. In addition to myignorance, I worsened things by taking part in a conversation thathindered me from creating an efficient, guest-friendly environment. Asan employee, I need to be attentive all guest interaction, and thissort of behavior detracts from where my focus should be: on theguests' needs.
Apologetically,

Blue Man Group

A stage show to blow out of the water all other stage shows. It's bizzzarrreee, crazy, hilarious, split side laughing with full audience participation. FYI - never be late for one of these productions.

It's hard to describe what goes on and why. It's just plain hysterical and unbelievable. It was not what I was expecting. You gotta go!!!!! I plan on going again and again.

The Blue Man Group leaves a lasting impression.

Brats in toyland

I just read a disturbing article about parents writing letters to toy manufactures about their toy advertisements. They state it encourages their children to ask (whine) for that particular toy which in most instances is expensive. They say in these pitiful economic times it is unfair to saturate the air waves and other media with toy options for their children. They state they cannot afford these toys but their children WANT them.
HELLO!!!!
Who is the parent-the decision maker here? Have you ever heard, - 'just say no?' Your child will survive without that electronic techno gadget.
I wanted many things while I was growing up in a family with 5 children. Did I ever ask - whine - or demand stuff? NO!
I accepted what I received and was glad for even the smallest of items. Yes, other kids had neat stuff and I felt left out but nothing bad happened to me - except for being a blogger. My Christmas stocking was filled with socks and underwear.
My children have wanted things but they did not always get what they wanted. How about a little more quality time with the kiddies - that is priceless.
I never promised you a rose garden - but I can let you smell and touch the real thing.
Stop blaming toy manufactures for poor parenting skills. Stand up and take the credit for what your children are. They don't need everything they see advertised.

Van Go Is Gone

I am an earring connoisseur. Over the years I have bought and received many unusual and expensive ear lobe adornments. One anniversary hubby presented me with an original pair made especially for me - they were one of a kind. Now they are none of a kind.
I purchase lovely ear bobs when we travel - a token remembrance of our excursions. I have numerous single earrings. I relate my earrings to socks in the dryer. They disappear. So, I could say with justification that - the earring ran away with the sock and the little spouse did not laugh as the cat jumped over the bed with a shiny stud clutched in her jaws.
I believe I am earring challenged. For reason unknown to me I misplace them, I break them (unintentionally) and I let the cat eat them.
I have (had) a lovely pair of pearl earrings. They are (were) delicate and beautiful. Yesterday, I was a little rushed for work and picked out my gorgeous pearl studs to adorn my lobes. I leaned over the bathroom vanity smiled at myself in the mirror and immediately dropped the earring back on the floor. I reached down to retrieve the minuscule gold plug and the tiny pearl earring slipped from my fingers. Down the drain she went to live forever or until she disintegrated in the depths of the dark. Now, I am left with a single gorgeous pearl earring. Perhaps it would look nice pinched through my right eyebrow or protruding from my lip or better yet the belly.
Alas - I shall put my solitary pearl stud in the blue satin box of onesies that sits on the top of my dresser covered with dust. Someday, someone will discover my box of treasures and wonder if they belonged to a one eared woman who became a famous painter.

Holiday Cheer

The news is still filled with doom and gloom over the economy and the state of the country. Everywhere one looks there is depression and darkness. The holidays are fast approaching and so are the festivities. I read the paper overflowing with bad news. I turn on the television with more bad news about the economy, retailers, unemployment, sluggish sales and home foreclosures. I listen to the radio and hear about seniors not being able to afford their medicine. I'm feeling that pinch right now as my health insurance refused to pay for a new medication prescribed by my doctor. I told my doctor give me something else or I go without.

The holiday parties and festivities are starting. Get dressed up, pay $50.00 per person to attend and bring a $10.00 gift. A silly gift that will most likely be regifted or packed in the closet. Eat and drink too much at the party. So, I have decided to forgo all the holiday parties, buying useless gifts, spending too much money and ending up with high blood pressure and clothes that no longer fit correctly.

I heard positive news the other day on the television and the light bulb went off. Take that money that you normally spend on parties and frivolous stuff and give to a charity. A food bank, toys for tots, a women's shelter, a soup kitchen, the list goes on and on. The rainbow is getting brighter for me and someone else. The season is giving. Spread a little cheer and joy and feel so good about it. Do you really want to attend that party?

Add a little color into someones life.

Baywalk, St. Petersburg, Florida

All good or bad things come to an end. Baywalk located in downtown St. Petersburg (my old stomping grounds) has felt the economic slump crump. Like blue cheese sprinkled on a garden salad. It disappears into the dark abyss of the digestive system. Soon to be ejected by natural functions into the sewer of life, deep within the bowels of the earth.

Business, jobs, careers and hopes are traveling the curved path of destiny and falling flat as a domino.

"BAMM," a quote from Emeril.

I feel like I'm walking across a rope bridge (a very old and worn one) in an unknown jungle of terror. One lean to the left and the sound of rope snapping and boards cracking assault my ears. I will be falling down the Alice In Wonderland tunnel. I'll meet furry friends that scurry around babbling, 'I'm late, I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date'. A date with my mortgage holder as they foreclose on my home. I'll hop along to my destination as cars are no longer available due to the crash and burn philosophy of the car manufacturers. Imaginary tea will be served as our precious water has dwindled and there is not enough to go around.

At this point in time fantasy seems brighter than facing the real world and the uphill battle to survive the economy flowing over the jutted rocks of the Niagara River. If we examine the end result of the rushing water spilling down over the falls - we see energy and resources. After the dominoes have all fallen down we can just get busy and stack them up again.

Every day more distressing news flashes before us and bogs us down like quicksand. If we are patient and do not panic we can crawl out of that quicksand pit of pity. Will Baywalk survive? Who knows? Will others crumble as the great divide opens wider? Most likely.

Lyrics from Queen.

Another one bites the dust

Another one bites the dust

And another one gone,

and another one gone

Another one bites the dust

Hey, I'm gonna get you too

Another one bites the dust

After the dust has settled we will brush away the leaves that are not really a pack of cards with an evil Queen of hearts, who screams, "Off with their heads." Alice is left with her thoughts, imagination and dreams. We can have what Alice had. We need hope, persistence and a vision.

Tortie feels Tortured

The cat has been banned from the bedroom and she is not happy. She has become psychotic (more than she already was) and bewildered. No longer can she rip apart the under covering of the bed and climb up inside the framework.

After a week she has almost accepted her deportation from the bedroom. She watches with lust in her eyes every time the bedroom door is opened. Today she actually moved so fast that she flashed right past me and scurried under the bed. She hid in her safe place for about an hour till she heard the sound of food dropping into her dish. She was out of there like lightening.

She has moved on to the guest bedroom and is spending a huge amount of time under the couch. I'm sure by now she has shredded the under covering of the couch and made herself a new hovel.

Her world has changed and she is not not a happy camper.

MIA

I have kept for many years an image tucked away in the back recess of my thoughts. I pull out this image in times of stress, when my life is overwhelming and when my insomnia flares up. It's an image I created of a little girl (me) who runs happily through a field of bright yellow flowers and billowing weeds. She runs like an elf, free, happy and full of joy. Her long blonde curly hair bounces with every step she takes. She giggles and laughs with the wind, although I have never seen her face I know her smile is immense. Her sundress is soft and swirls around her bare legs. Her feet are bare as they gently touch the ground.

She moves with grace and rhythm across the field to somewhere unknown. She never reaches a destination - she just runs with the joy of life tugging at the ribbon in her hair. The moving image is peaceful and calming. A few times she has left the wide open field and ran down the beach.

She runs still in bare feet and the soft pastel sundress with the giggles and laughter. The blonde curls bounce like the waves. Her happiness is contagious. I can hear the surf crashing against the beach as I breathe in the salty air. I can see her tiny feet making impressions in the wet sand and feel the texture of the sand squeeze between her toes. And I consume it all with a calm soul. She takes me where I need to go and fills me with peace.

Last night I called for her and she didn't respond. I called again and again. What I received was puffy clouds and colors. No little girl skipping through a field of flowers bursting with laughter and the joy of life pushing her forward. Perhaps she has taken a vacation where my calls cannot reach her. I'm not in a panic state as yet but who knows.

The mind is a complicated piece of equipment. It knows when it needs fuel and when it needs a rest. If I need her tonight I shall call her again. If she doesn't appear I know she has a reason. Perhaps her usefulness has expired and I need to move on. Or perhaps she has grown up and I can face the world challenges with her infectious joy of life.

Senior Florida Drivers

They're everywhere and they cause many accidents. Seniors tooooo old to be on the roads. They crash through buildings, houses, fences and at times groups of people.
This morning I was almost one of their fatalities. I went to the post office a minor task you would think. I saw one of the old geezers backing out (they never look) so I took precautions. I walked far away from their car. They stopped in the middle of the parking lot. Who knows why?
So, I'm thinking the car is at a dead stop I can walk around it. Not a good decision. I was just past his front bumper when he gunned the gas. Scared the crap out of me! I jumped. And the old fart went barreling through the parking lot almost rear ending another car.
I believe these folks get confused and go to step on the brakes and they miss the mark. That's what many of them say after an accident.
If you can't remember what pedal is the brake and what pedal is the gas you need to STAY off the road, give up your license and take a bus.

Myakka River

Gator Country.

John Chesnut Park

Every picture tells a story.

Anclote Key

Take me away, to a better place, a secret place, a hiding place. Anclote Key perched in the Gulf of Mexico, surrounded by blue water and a sense of serenity unplugged. A place for balance, quiet and a taste of the real Florida. Anclote Key is one of my favorite Florida hangouts.

Haley: Sorry For Vet's Death

I am against the war and violence in general but I do support our troops. One can be against something but still support those who are trying to make the world a better place for us. I strongly believe it is wrong and many soldiers are dying. These Americans are giving their life for all of us and how do we treat them?
There have been several articles lately concerning the Veterans Hospital in St. Petersburg and how they treat our heroes. Recently they sent home a veteran without his NEEDED oxygen. He died several hours later. What an awful death that must have been. And this is our thanks to those that have made our country a safe haven. How does this atrocity happen? Why does it continue to happen?
I have heard horror stories on the treatment of our service people and the humiliation that we bestow upon them when their medical needs are not met. What the flup is wrong with our services? How can we be proud of what we are doing. Veterans Day is a huge celebration (sales and shopping) and a day off from work for many. Perhaps if we do something positive for our heroes instead of shopping the world could be a happier place.
I step down from my pedestal and look at the world with a different view. Yes, I am still against the war and all wars but I still support our troops. Why can't we support them when they return home and need medical attention? The V.A. hospital has apologized for Mr. Szamlewski's death. Like that helps!!!!!

Endeavor Launches

I'm sitting in my backyard in my brightly painted green rocking chair dressed in my pink reindeer nightie. I feel a lump on my shoulder and reach inside and to my surprise it is a gecko resting safely on my shoulder inside my pink reindeer nightie. I let out a little scream and rip off that pink reindeer nightie right there in my backyard. I give the pink reindeer nightie a little shake and slip it back on. I'm hoping some of the neighbors were not watching the shuttle launch and my strip tease.
After the hair raising experience I was unable to sit back down on my green painted wooden rocking chair. I stand silently in my side yard gazing at the moon as clouds creep across the night sky. I see a burst of light pop over the treeline and watch in awe as the shuttle begins her journey. I am amazed that I can see from the Gulf of Mexico to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. A marvelous sight not so for the unwanted gecko.

Sandspurs

Oh! How Do I Hate Thee - Sand Spurs

Let Me Count The Ways

1. They are everywhere in the yard and you cannot eradicate them. Why can't these suckers become extinct?

2. When you step on one in bare feet you need surgery to remove the dumb pricker.

3. They hurt like hull.

4. They get infected - immediately.

5. They sneak onto your socks, shoelaces, pant legs and underwear - ouch.

6. They stick like super-super super glue.

7. They bond instantly.

8. They get between the dogs pads and fur.

9. They have 9 lives.

10. They multiply like mutant rabbits.

Yertle The Turtle

I purchased some new fangled (expensive) turtle food. I thought it would be a great treat for my favorite buddies.
I lifted the lid to the turtles habitat and waited for their presence. Slowly they swam over and gave me a look. This morning they are lethargic as the weather has turned cold and they like to hang out on the bottom.
I love it when they swim up and look at me with those adoring eyes. I feel special. I dropped in the new fancy (expensive) pellets and waited. The gang of reptiles floated silently near the surface and just looked at me with disinterest. The pellets floated between the lily pads. The turtles ignored the food and just looked at me with those adoring eyes. I guess we can't have it all.

See Me - Feel Me

I see signs everywhere, like the election and life in general. Just this morning after I awoke from a near nightmare, which in itself is a sign, my day was programed. I was a little disturbed by the nightmare even though it happened in the AM.
So my day began with a negative. I looked outside in to the lanai and noticed the water flowing ever so slightly over the edge of the pool directly toward the bedroom door. Hubby had started to fill the pool the previous night and forgot to turn off the hose. So the water ran all night long. I just can't wait to get that water bill. And to make matters worse he left the fence gate open. The dog, good dog that he is, apparently didn't notice.
So I'm sitting in front of the computer and I realize that I cannot see the words on the screen. I remember putting in my contacts but I certainly did not mean to put in two left eye contacts.
My signs again.

Smile Pretty

Yesterday, I went for yet another crown. Not the kind you slip on your head. This is a lovely porcelain fixture that sits on a metal stump inside my mouth. Why they drill that tooth down to nothing is beyond me? They refuse to extract a tooth - it must be saved they preach. Right now I have more money invested in my mouth than my house in Florida.
I wonder if I should insure my mouth like I do my car? It has more value than my 4 year old car. Housing prices have dropped below the high water mark, car values plummet with excess mileage and the cost of groceries is over the hedge. But dental work continues to rise while our health insurance continues to pay less and the premiums go up.
False teeth are so much cheaper than root canals and crowns. Perhaps I could use my pricey revamped teeth as collateral when I purchase a new vehicle? Maybe I should have been a dentist.
A dental experience for me is always traumatic and expensive. I would say much like negotiating the purchase of a new car with aggressive sales people. I'm not sure the word 'people' is appropriate but to use profanity would be wrong.
Today we make a decision on our future. I'm hoping the new administration finds a cure for the cost of health insurance, the housing market, unemployment and a gagillion other problems facing our country. And there should be a law - punishable - by imprisonment for any dentist that asks you a question while your mouth is wide open with a drill inside and a clamp on your tongue and expect an audible answer.

The American Way

Get out and vote - tomorrow. It's your privilege, your choice and your right - exercise it. Make a difference, make a statement, make a stand.

And then, after the election no more of those ugly candidate bashing commercials. Life will go on. Gas pricing are dropping. For how long?

Deals will be broken with new ones taking there place. New ideas and ideals will swirl around. Tempers will be pushed. We will move forward. Life is good. Expect the unexpected.

VOTE.