Where..oh where has all of the service gone?

I am never more angry shopping than when I walk into a store and not one person acknowledges you. The other week I went in search of a pair of jeans. This in itself was a depressing feat but off I went to inflict torture on myself. My goal was to search high and low and I didn't care how much they cost as long as they looked good. So off I went to a local shopping district where the stores are lined up and ready to hit. I went into three well known brand stores (Mexx, Calvin and Tommy) and out of these three stores I did not get greeted by one person. Not a nod, smile or even a simple "Hi".

I am not asking to be greeted like Blockbuster where you make a game of dodging the staff nor do I want to be hovered over like a furniture salesperson; but a simple acknowledgment would do. I must admit that this lack of customer service is becoming a trend. You would think that in a declining market stores would be pushing customer service to try to gain loyalty but I guess I am off this mark. Mind you, each of these stores I walked into had young ladies (I use this term loosely) behind the counter who seemed more interested in talking with each other about last nights events...and one of the stores the sales person was more interested in her book.

I would like to blame all of this on the X-generation but it is not so. I have gone into high end stores with older salesperson and until I literally dropped my purse and tried something on in the middle of the store (It was a blazer people I am not committing indecent exposure) before the salesperson moved away from the steam machine to acknowledge me. Once I even had a $300 dress in my hand and had to go search for a salesperson to let me into the dressing room. When I discovered I was the only person on the floor and the salesperson had abandoned me for her friend downstairs I put the dress back and went to another store who was more than willing to help me.

This has made a difference in my shopping habits as well. If I am looking for something specific I will go to particular stores I know do well with customer service(Laura, Tweed and Hickory and Samuel & Co.) and if not then I go some place where I can wander the aisle to browse without being bothered but can easily find a staff member to help and there is always someone stationed at the dressing room. ( I love Winners). Occasionally I have ventured to other stores as mentioned above and been sadly disappointed.

Retail is not the only place I have noticed the disappearing trend as I have been to some restaurants where I have waited for 20mins to get my drink order.

Now I also must let you know that I have been on the other side of this as well. I once worked in a retail store where we were to offer our name and assistance within the first three minutes and never let a customer carry anything, offer to put it in the dressing room. (I still shop at this store and the rule has not changed) BUT once I did forget a client in the dressing room until she came out and bought something.

I have also worked in a restaurant where I openly admit I was a horrible waitress and apologize to anyone who was ever my customer. I was always surprised when they left a tip as I was that bad. One time I waited on a couple who only had an appetizer and left me a $10 tip. I thought they had left the $10 there accidentally (again horrible waitress) so I caught up to them to give it back (I may have been horrible but I was honest) and she told me that she is used to people treating them differently as her husband was deaf and his speaking voice is not always clear so she was very pleased that I didn't treat him or her any differently. What I didn't tell you is that I didn't even notice he was deaf!

So while many of us have off days and not always on our game I believe we should lobby for the return of customer service. Then maybe I would pay $100 for a pair of jeans where the sales assistant makes a commission off of me and provides assistance instead of ignoring me. Soap box closed!

Feel the burn

In life there are many things you would like to "fix". Whether it be your weight or getting your husband to aim his dirty undies a little closer to the laundry basket. I have decided the latter is a life long project so I have decided my weight would be an easier task. But here is a little secret that makes this process harder...I HATE EXERCISE. There I said it, no matter how taboo it may be. I just don't get how people get up at the crack of dawn to go workout or go for a jog. They keep talking about the rush of endorphins you feel, but the only thing I feel is the need for a shower and my head examined.

Yet here I sit ready to go off to yoga. Some may say it is for relaxing the mind, body and soul, but I actually joined (along with my husband) to see the pure torture in his eyes as they try to bend and manipulate his body into forms it is not accustomed to. As usual though, the joke is on me as the intro class is all about strength and your core. The only core I have see in years is the one of an apple.

We have also decided that the weight bench at home is not a dust collector and my husband devised a workout plan which we have been doing for about a month now. Do I feel better and more energized? No, but now I do not have to rationalize eating another square as you know "I did work out today".

Let me also say that this is not my first adventure in working out. I have done a variety of exercises and discovered I like the ones that I don't consider exercise. Go figure. I like rowing, Kayaking, taking the dog for a walk and frolicking in the waves. unfortunately though, I am a fair weather girl. Should there be the slight chance of rain or chill in the air and I am OUT!

There are also lots of things in the world to discourage you from this weight loss goal. Like candy at the checkouts at the grocery store, air brushed models, hereditary and already fit friends. I was not blessed with the most desirable genes. It seems I was given a mishmash of all of the unwanted parts from my family. I did not get my mother's thin thighs and ample chest...no I got my grandmother's thick ankles and abundant hips and butt. JLo ain't got nothin' on me. So I am fighting a battle from the beginning...plus there are days when I just plain feel lazy and nothing is going to make me get up off of the couch.

A couple of years ago my husband got the bright idea we needed a new bathroom scale (speaking from the man who runs around the block and looses 5 lbs..urgh!) Now most people would go out and buy a run of the mill scale...but oh no we needed one to tell us how fat we were...like I needed help in this category. The day it arrived my husband hopped on it after filling in his height, activity level and age...only for the scale to tell him that at 6' and 174lbs ...he was obese. There was no way I was going near that evil piece of machinery unless it was with a sledge hammer.

So here I sit, breathing in and out and still able to see my toes in plain view so I would say I am doing OK. I may never be a 10 ...more like a 6 maybe 7...but I am OK with being a "C" student!

Google This!

For years I have been an avid fan of the information overload available at my fingertips should they only type away to ask the question. When I first began "surfing the net" I had difficulty finding pages I was looking for and my return always seemed to be porn sites..and NO this is not what I was looking up. Then I came across askgeeves.com. It had a butler as their icon and you could ask in full sentences as opposed to recipe+chicken+pasta (do you remember those days). Trust me this askgeeves thing was revolutionary. Note: They have since changed to just ask.com.

Then one day in 1998 I opened a web browser to "Google" and my life as I knew it changed. When ever I want to know something..I google it! Anything from: Why are the red cross symbol and the Swiss flag similar?

To what was the TV show with Jenna Elfman in it where she played a hippie? All I had to do was type in what my mind was thinking, which can be a challenge in itself, hit enter and several pages come up.

Now here comes the tricky part and where your brain does actually have to start firing up as there is a lot of misinformation, for which my precious google can not be held liable. But by changing your question slightly you will get a whole new set of web pages. I have found everything from pictures of Hiroshima and movie reviews to life's deep questions: what does the new line of Manolo's look like. Please don't ask what Manolo's are ...google it!

Now not to upset the other browsers in town, but I have found they do not offer the same search results nor consistent outcome as I have with Google. There are new ones popping up all of the time (Bing) but I still stay strong in my loyalty. Here are some of the things I have googled!
1. Etsy...on line craft site for which I have searched for ideas on crafts as well as purchases
2. What is the most common password
3. My maiden name...my married name(Maiden name brought up some strange sites)
4. Who sang the "Book of Love"
5. Do all dogs shake the same way (Ok I was bored this day)
6. Unknown words
7. I would love to say the news but really it is usually star gossip
8. TV shows on broadband
9. Fixes to computer problems
10. And when I am just too lazy to type in a site I will google it. Yes I google facebook....

So I decided why not google the top 10 google searches and this is the result for today (changes daily)...and I have not google any of these today...but now I will...It looks like a lot of people watched Oprah today and some one has a really bad bug problem. Enjoy!

1. aubrey o day peep show 2. tristan da cunha 3. bobby cox 4. foxy brown superhead video 5. the story of stuff 6. samantha burke 7. stink bug control 8. mackenzie phillips father 9. ann minch 10. valerie bertinelli

go..go...stop!

Most people go on vacation to relax, my husband and I go on vacation to see how much we can get done in this (always too short) period of time. The last time we went to FL we decided it would be a nice relaxing trip where we didn't do anything; instead when we got on the plane to come home we were amazed by how much we did do and were more exhausted then when we went down.

So the next year we decided to go to a resort where everything is all inclusive and it would force us to hang out on the beach and relax, well it did do this but we also did two 8hr excursions (we had originally booked 3 but canceled the 3rd). Did one afternoon of a walking "tour" to an unexpected bat cave, and tried to do an evening of dancing which turned into drinks in a cool mansion, and let's not even talk about the fun filled jam packed trip to Ireland.

This past week we were on our way to ON for a family event and decided to take a couple of extra days exploring New England. I booked and planned the first two nights but after that we were roaming free with no schedule.

Day 1: Left the house by 11am and drove 5 hours to a quaint village in NB where we stayed at a beautiful hotel and celebrated our "fake" anniversary day.

Day 2: Travelled along the NB coastline and over to Deer Island and then onto Campobello. Toured the entire Deer Island and actually go out to take a couple of pictures, but then put the pedal to the metal as we were unsure if the next ferry was still in operation as we were possibly on the last day of crossing. Got to Campobello and hit the ground running (or driving) stopped at the Roosevelt cottage and toured around but wanted to get ahead of poky and her son so we took off and as we are crossing the bridge to the US realized we missed Quoddy Point..oh well next time. Drove another 4 hours to Bar Harbour (aka Barr Harr Brr)..we didn't stop but took the scenic route through construction to arrive at a cute cottage with the hardest bed known in the universe. Dropped our bags and toured the town for the evening then went out as my husband forgot to pack underwear and BH doesn't sell this...so we went 1/2 hour out of town to get some and on our way back got stuck in a traffic accident for which we were rerouted at 9:30pm in the dark and on an unknown road. As we drive along doing 80mph to keep up with the guy who did know where he was going. I peered though the glass trying to see between the squashed bugs which we had earlier in the day turned on the windshield wipers in attempt to get rid of them but only to smear them more. We finally got out of this adventure alive and finished off the evening with a bottle of wine and a sticky bun, collected earlier from a town bakery.

Day 3: We started by touring through Acadia National park and Cadillac Mountain, we venture along the main coast line, but after three hours of this decided we needed to make some time if we wanted to get some outlet shopping in Kittery done before the end of the night...and really after you see two hours of coast line I think you get the idea. So I found (my day to navigate) the nearest interstate and off we went. Found a hotel, dropped our luggage and shopped until the stores closed!

Day 4: We were only suppose to do a couple hour run this day, so we got up and continued shopping and then made tracks for North Conway where we did a little more shopping and decided it was too early in the day to stop so lets continue on up through the mountains an stay somewhere up there tonight. We ventured up the steep slopes of Mt Washington..which by the way has no guard rails. By about 4000ft I was thinking we should have taken the tour bus as every time Brian went around a corner I tried to use my spidey senses to see if another car was coming as they said there was enough room for two cars but I think they were referring to minis! I couldn't look out the window as my eyes were glued to the road as we went up and up. I would occasionally looked over to say "yup we are climbing" as if he wasn't aware of this fact. I am sure the people going down were laughing as I hung onto the door handle and leaned over to Brian at each corner. Once we arrived at the top and looked over the mountain...and my heart calmed down..I realized it was worth it. It was a beautiful day, it was clear and warm(it was about 17) and was only one of 10 days they had good weather..yeah us. The drive down was not as bad as I looked around and laughed at the looks on the passengers faces who were ascending. We continued on, now proud owners of the "This car climbed Mt Washington" sticker and travelled down through the mountains to a little town (but actually had a motel) called Lancaster. We searched the map for our next day adventure and decided to go just to the other side of NH.

Day 5: Well so much for the other side of NH. We were in Lake Placid by noon and ON by dinner! Which made for an easy run on Day 6..but on Day 7 we decided we were going to head home and do it in two 7 hour runs instead of one 14 hour run.

Day 7: We ventured off after an emotional morning guiding ourselves through Montreal and onward east. We kept saying we were going to stop somewhere to grab a bite but after awhile I started digging in the cooler in the back to find some sandwich supplies. Note to self: making a sandwich in the car is fine, but remember NOT to put the mustard on the sandwich before you bend over it to pick up the cheese you had placed on the floor...else you will end up with a mustard boob! At 8:30pm we landed in our first destination, tired, hungry and smelling of mustard. Happy to have a comfy bed and drift happily off to sleep.

Day 8: Since my parents ditched up for breakfast (they were travelling back from ON as well) we enjoyed our breakfast and packed up and headed in the final leg to home. As the fog lifted over the hills and the sun ripped though it made for some beautiful scenery(no I did not take a picture..as that would mean stopping) We did stop for lunch and a pee break and stopped to visit said parents on the journey through, but after we picked up our puppy and got read the riot act from our cat, we breathed a sigh of relief to be home from our "relaxing" vacation!

While we will probably never have a relaxing vacation as I want to try to fit as much in as possible as I don't know when we will be back..this year we are talking about a cruise...after all how busy can you be:) I am sure we will find a way.

Happy "Fake" Anniversary

So two years ago today I walked down the isle to join the married side of life. Most people would consider this day their anniversary...but not my endearing husband.

When we started going out it was somewhere around Thanksgiving nine years ago. Most girls remember the actual date but I at least was able to associated a holiday with the approximate time of our date. So for six years we went along celebrating our anniversary somewhere around Thanksgiving by going out to a really nice dinner..meaning expensive!

Then one day I woke up and decided it was time to get married as I was getting too old to call him my boyfriend. I figured if we had made it through six years without too much turmoil then what was another fifty? Mind you, Brian was not as quick to pop the question as I would have liked but as I later found out he had his own issues going on.

He had decided he was going to propose before Thanksgiving with all of our family coming for dinner to celebrate. One would think it was romantic as we started going out at this time, but don't get ahead of yourself as it was a timing coincidence no matter how he tries to back track:) He had inherited his great grandmothers ring and was going to propose with this, but when he went to his mother's house to look for it, he couldn't locate it anywhere. He didn't want to ask his mom where it was as he wanted me to be the first to know..and also in case I said "no". So after months of his looking for it and me being impatient as ever..he took matters into his own hands.

On Christmas eve I was trying frantically to prepare dinner for the next day while he decided to fiddle around in his workshop. I could not imagine what he was doing down there but he was better left alone so I could chop, dice and saute to my hearts content. Later that evening as we were laying in bed watching Spiderman 1 ..where the uncle gets shot...he turns to me and says
Brian:"What are you doing in June"
Jenn: "June? How do I know..why?"
Brian:"I thought we would get married in June"
Jenn: "No, June weather is too unpredictable..what about September"
Then it clued into me that he was asking me to marry him...for which he explained the story of Thanksgiving and his inability to locate the ring...so he produced a ring he had spent the day making with a polished soder ball on top. Obviously I said yes....then began to think -selfishly- I wonder what the real ring looks like and how insulted would he be if it is yellow gold to have it changed to white?

The next day we told his mom who located the ring in all of six seconds, and to my surprise it was a beautiful -white gold- ring...I was a happy girl now.

We tossed around dates and ideas and settled on the long weekend in September, which in 2007 fell on the first weekend. Brian thought this was great as no matter what, he would always remember we got married on the long weekend of September. So on September 2, 2007 (Sundays are cheaper to get married on) I had my hair done, put on a fancy dress and walked down the isle to say "I DO" in front of our closest friends and immediate family.

Now as you have guessed from the title of this post, something must be up. Why yes it is...this year the long weekend falls on the second weekend of September and Brian states that I am breaking the rule of celebrating our Anniversary today as it is not what I agreed to...but I do not remember this in our vows..to love, honour and celebrate our anniversary on the long weekend wherever it falls. He said we should not celebrate out Anniversary until next weekend, but I stand in debate of this...along with all the other women. I have actually asked a lot of our friends and of course the guys agree with him and the girls agree with me...so I guess I will make a nice dinner tonight and increase the expense of dinner next weekend as it is his year to pay....Happy "fake" Anniversary.

Cat vs Dog

After the passing of my last cat I vowed never to own another animal as it was too hard when the end came, but after a year my feelings quickly changed as I missed coming home to a little furry face staring at me and then giving me the riot act about where I have been..but only after his copious amounts of loving.

So after convincing my then boyfriend, now husband, that the only thing I wanted for my birthday was another cat. (Narrowing down the gift option to only one works!) So in we walk to the "cat room". This brown tabby looks suspiciously at us and jumps down from his window ledge walks right over to us and howls to be patted, then turns around to return to his perch after he has successfully roped us in. Thinking this was cute I went back over to pat him, but he was done with affection and turned around to bite me. Two days later we came home with (renamed from Utah) Oscar.

A year went by where Oscar happily laid around the house, looked out the window and sometimes became the "Dartmouth Jungle Kitty" as he stalked his way through the grass to pounce upon an unsuspecting leaf...and sometimes a neighbours cat. (hehehe) Our little family was happy but we decided that maybe we should get a shhhh ....dog.

We researched breeds and breeders and settled on an English Springer (renamed from Nyles) we named Reno..after a coffee place (Steve-O Renos). The day we brought home Reno was the day Oscar decided, with disgust, that we were dog people too. He sat pearched on the counter like a vulture with his eyes wide wondering what he was going to do with this creature we had brought into his life. Reno had grown up with a cat who liked to play with him so he set out on getting to know Oscar. Each time Oscar would stalk around Reno sleeping, Reno would slowly open his eyes and then take off down the hallway after him.

Eventually Oscar began to understand the dog wasn't going anywhere and would get really happy when Reno left the house for walks but his disgust soon returned when the dog came back home. I am sure he was plotting two cement blocks and the nearest river for the dog. As time passed Reno became more brazen with the cat trying to sniff his bum and at one point licked it...which is also the reason Reno has a scar on his nose from a big swipe from Oscar's claw.

Now after almost two years together the two co-habitat, they are not friends but have learned to coexist. Reno still chases Oscar down the hall and has gone in for big sniffs which always result in a quick swat. But when night time comes and everyone settles into their respected places on the bed, our family is happy for the next eight hours until the cat jumps off the bed and the fun begins. But as I sit here writing with the cat curled up on the couch and the dog gone back for his morning nap I wouldn't have it any other way.

Made with Love

I decided to take a cake decorating class in hopes of learning more about the construction of cakes as well as looking for an educational tax credit. So I convinced a friend of mine to join up to a Topsy turvey cake class at a local community college. For four weeks (one class per week) we learnt how to bake a cake, cut a cake on an angle, make butter cream and roll fondant. Nothing fancy, but the basics.

I posted some pictures each week of my proudly accomplished cakes. They may not have been perfect but I thought they were much better than the Duncan Hines cakes I was better known for.

My soon to be sister in law saw these said cakes and decided I was talented enough to make their wedding cake and I had six months to practice. Being the crazy fool I am, I somehow agreed to this. It must have been after the copious amounts of food and cocktails had. On my next visit to their house they presented me with a picture of what they were hoping the cake would look like. I was now thinking I should not have gone to Cuba and missed a class. It was elaborate four tiered cake with floral piping and black ribbon. It was a beautiful cake and with the hope in her eyes how could I say no.

I studied the picture and decided I could do three layers with the black ribbon and all was agreed. Until the net month when she decided she really wanted dots on the cake.

Being the procrastinator I am, I decided I didn't need a trial run on the cake that my talents ran deep (as well as my ego) and the first cake I made in six months would be the finale. Four days before the wedding I decided I should start this venture by making fondant. Yes, you can buy fondant at the Bulk Barn but I decided that since this was my first time I should earn what goes into it...and how hard could it be...it's technically icing. So I researched on line and decided the rolled fondant was the way to go. Found a recipe and off I went. Until I realized I would need to make a double batch and did not buy enough icing sugar to make the recipe. So off to the grocery store I went only to come home and realize we did not have glucose...but was quite proud of myself when I remembered you can substitute corn syrup for glucose. Research paid off. Also, during my research I discovered to only use clear products to make white fondant..while this makes sense, I am glad I did my homework.

After mixing all of the ingredients and putting my poor mixer through the clay like material I proudly produced 4lbs of fondant...half of what I would need...so off to the grocery store once again.

Day 2 I decided to make the butter cream and after two failed attempts I discovered my simple sugar was too hot and went and bought a candy thermometer and Wilton butter cream which I adapted to taste good.

Day 3 I started making the cakes.Not only did I agree to this venture I agreed to make three types of cake. Vanilla, Chocolate and lemon. Sounds easy, except the pans I bought were 3" high and apparently required a double batch of batter to fill it...found this out after it was all cooked....soo off to the grocery store I went to buy more eggs, butter and sugar to make another cake. Luckily the "trial" run of the vanilla worked out and tasted good....and my work was not disappointed at my failure as there is nothing like cake for breakfast.

I did finish baking all of the cakes that night at 11pm as the 3" cakes take about two hours to bake each! This does not also include the hour it took to clean the kitchen and the flour I had from one end to the other as I had the dropseys on this day. When you are dealing with the amount of ingredients it takes to make three 3" cakes..it is not a good day to have the dropseys!

Day 4 I butter creamed the cakes, rolled out the fondant and put on the ribbon. I was so proud of my accomplishment and tried to decide whether or not I could make dots. In theory they sound easy...one dot of royal icing around the cake....no problem...except when you have never piped a single thing in your life.

Day 5 the piping begins. (Also the day of the wedding) I get up at 6am to start making the icing and the dots..and after eating as many mistakes as dots I finished the cake by 8am in time to get ready and head up to the wedding which was an hour away on the hottest day we had this summer. I decided to assemble all of the layers for transport and have my husband st in the backseat to hold the cake while the AC blasted all the way to keep the cake cool and protected. The cake made it without incident and the bride was happy I gave her her dots...so all ended well.

Things I have learnt:
1. Buy fondant as well as other easily prepared pieces else it will take 5lbs of butter and 5 dozen eggs to make these cakes...not including mistakes
2. Start small..do not make the first adventure a wedding cake..no one needs this kind of stress
3. Do not throw a rehearsal dinner for 30 people the day before the wedding when you are not finished the cake

4. In the end, when it is made with love, the look on your brother and (now) sister in laws face was priceless and worth the effort, time and 12 trips to the grocery store.