Category: Retail Experiences

Weekend Recap (08/24-08/25)

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Saturday (08/24) morning we headed to Wheaton to check out their French market shortly after it opened.

There were so many booths – vendors selling fresh-brewed coffee, soaps, jewelry, pet items, fresh fruit and veggies, baked goods, and flowers, many many flowers. They weren’t cheap either, but so many people were walking around with bouquets.

There were also a decent amount of dogs. We saw the cutest Bernese Mountain Dog puppy. I could see how a place like that would be a good place to socialize a dog with all the noises, smells, and people.

We had eaten homemade breakfast burritos beforehand so we wouldn’t be tempted by all the goods, but then quickly regretted that decision. There was a tea booth in particular I’d like to try, as well as a booth selling mini breakfast pizzas which looked yummy.

We did get a very moist cranberry scone that we ate a little of while people watching. I forgot to get a photo before we dug in though.

After the market and a quick trip to Home Depot we chilled at home for a bit before heading back out to a local trailer & RV business that was throwing an open house, complete with free BBQ.

Joe teased me for wanting to go, but changed his tune after we were given what in my opinion is the best pulled pork sandwich I’ve ever had in my life. The meat was so juicy, tender, and flavorful, and they were really generous with the portion. The BBQ sauce was delicious as well, and I’m super picky when it comes to that sort of thing.

I ended up asking one of the guys handing out the food where it came from and was told one of the employees there owns a BBQ catering business and fired up his smoker at midnight to prepare. The place is called Pasatiempo Barbecue and I’m considering buying some food and that BBQ sauce from the site.

I was impressed by how much food and little gifts this place was giving to people and yet not applying any sales tactics on a single person. They left such a good impression that if we were ever in the market for an RV they’d be the first place that would come to mind.

With our bellies full of delicious BBQ, we went home and changed into our swim suits and headed to the pool.

We got a whole 15 minutes of the pool to ourselves before people started arriving, but it didn’t get overly crowded, so we spent almost two hours there. Most of that time was actually in the pool either swimming, or chatting with this one girl who used to live in the neighborhood and comes back frequently to watch her parents’ home when they vacation in Greece where they are from. She’s super nice and has a black lab that Wookie used to tolerate.

There was also this guy in the pool we didn’t recognize who was eavesdropping in on our conversation about the pulled pork sandwiches. He ended up leaving so he could go get some!

I’m not sure I entirely love the swim shorts I recently bought from Kohl’s, as I hadn’t considered how much they move around in the water, but I love the top piece! It’s like a sports bra which is much better than the bikini top I used to wear that would pull at my neck. As for the bottoms, I would have been happier with a bike short type bottom instead, I think.

After the pool we once again chilled at home for a bit before heading back out to the Festival of Arts at Lake Ellyn in Glen Ellyn. We browsed all the artwork and handmade items and ended up getting some toasted marshmallow gelato that we shared on a bench by the lake.

Despite the warm temps it felt nice in the shade.

Before leaving I bought a cute mushroom and snail figurine.

After the festival we grabbed some Baskin Robbins since there was a BOGO deal though T-Mobile.

I had checked their prices online earlier in the day so was shocked that the in-store price was much higher. Website said a double scoop was $5 but in store they charged $7.50. WTH? (I later learned I had been looking at the wrong location online and the one we chose to visit is just more expensive regardless of how you order).

After picking up our ice cream we also grabbed dinner from Taco Bell since I had a reward in my account. Healthy eating this day, as you can see!

Sunday (08/25) was all about errands. Grocery shopping in the early morning followed by some retail shopping at Kohl’s and TJ Maxx. I honestly don’t know how people can shop all day because it’s just exhausting!

Frustrated With Companies

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Today was supposed to be Wookie’s internal specialist vet visit (to address her kidney disease), that was scheduled over a month ago, and which Joe took a half day off work to attend. I woke up at 7 am to a text that was sent at 4:30 am saying the specialist wouldn’t be in the office and we’d need to reschedule.

I called the facility to confirm the text was legit, since the phone number it came from wasn’t the vet office, and the woman who answered told me oh no it was just some error the ultrasound tech made. It wasn’t until I read her the text that she put me on hold only to come back and confirm that yes, the doctor wouldn’t be in and I’d have to wait to hear from the department that can reschedule the appointment. Why do people talk out of their ass? What if I just took her word and went there, wasting both time, and money on gas, only to learn it really was cancelled? I swear, people don’t think before they speak!

So anyway, I asked her if I’m going to get a discount for the inconvenience. After all, I pointed out, if I were to cancel with less than 48 hours notice they would keep my $100 deposit. She assured me my deposit would be fine and applied to the rescheduled visit. I explained that wasn’t what I asked her. Seriously, I have very little patience for people who don’t actually listen! She said someone would have to call me back about that. She also tried to say something about just getting there and not handling that stuff. I told her I know she isn’t personally responsible, but she’s the one I’m asking to find out. Ugh!!! I thought this was implied. This happens too often where people who represent a company act like you’re personally accusing them of something. It’s so irritating! Is this what people mean when they accuse people of being snowflakes? This woman couldn’t handle being screamed at like I did when I worked customer service for the cable company. And to be clear, while it’s true I wasn’t happy with getting a last minute cancellation, I was certainly not screaming at her or being rude. Get over yourself, and do your job.

Anyway, to make the most of a crappy situation, we went to Chick-fil-a for breakfast since there was a free breakfast sandwich in our accounts for the Blackhawks winning or something. Then later on we ran some errands. I donated books to the library, including one called The Queen Gene by Jennifer Coburn I had won through Goodreads, which the author had signed inside. I feel kinda bad getting rid of it, but I can’t read physical books anymore with my eyes. It’s just easier to read on a device, plus it makes room in the house not holding onto stuff I’m not actively using.

After the library we went to the police station to recycle all the “drugs” I wanted to discard. I had a ton of stuff, some Rx, but mostly supplements, from when I was sick in 2019 and was trying anything and everything to get better. Everything had since expired, and most of it was useless anyway, but it was sad to think how much money was spent on all that stuff only to throw it away. I am grateful I don’t need any of it, though. For the most part I’m completely healthy again. There’s a drop-box for the drugs, but they have to give you a key to open it. The guy looked at the huge gallon bag I had (along with a quart-sized one) and said the larger one might not fit, but he had smaller bags if I needed them.

Luckily it did fit, and they took everything, even though there was a sticker saying they don’t take supplements (I asked him about it and he said it was fine as long as they weren’t in the bottle).

After that we stopped at the Sports Hub to recycle some batteries. Then we went to a place called Repeat Boutique to donate some items (finally got rid of a loud, but still working, Dirt Devil stick vacuum, plus a glass shelf we bought like two decades ago, amongst other things), and some clothing.

We decided to look for some cookware at TJ Maxx / Home Goods, but left empty-handed. We stopped at Bath & Body Works so I could cash in my free birthday item but ended up leaving when I realized to get a free $10 item you have to buy something else and sale items don’t qualify. So instead of a free $17 item like before, you get less and have to buy something full priced? No thank you. After I spend the gift card my friend gave me I think I really am done with BBW. All these stores are getting to be too much.

Speaking of, last year I placed an order with Macy’s for a deep skillet and a syrup dispenser. The latter arrived broken. With the weather I haven’t been able to get to the store to either exchange it, or get credit, since the closet store is still a decent ride. Today I thought maybe I could just ship it back, but if I start a return on the website, it says since I am not a Star Rewards Member, I would have to pay a $10 return shipping fee. I paid less than that for the item! I don’t see anything about there being an exception when they send a damaged item even though it makes sense there would be, but I cannot confirm that since it’s AI only if you try to chat with them. Even if you call them (and I had to Google for the number since they don’t put it on the website) it won’t let you speak to a human. What horrible customer service! I won’t be buying from Macy’s again.

September 2023 Recap

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Started listening to a podcast called Morbid. I swear I used to listen to it years go, but none of the episodes were already marked as played in Apple Podcasts, so I’m not sure, but I really like it and there’s a huge backlog of episodes to enjoy.

9/02 (Sat)
Went on our second bike ride of the year at Cricket Creek where we saw a herd of deer. I chose that location so we could pick up breakfast from a Mexican restaurant on the way home.

That afternoon I ripped out a bunch of zinnias since they had gotten out of control. Next year I will plant fewer flowers.

9/05 (Tue)
Saw a bald eagle at Armstrong Park!

Obtained our REAL IDs from the state so we could get into Fermilab (they started requiring those, or a passport, earlier this year).

9/13 (Wed)
Our new windows and patio door was installed. There will be a separate entry about this at some point, and I will link to it when it goes up. Some stuff is going on post-installation so the “story” is not complete yet.

9/15 (Fri)
Purchased a pair of Sketchers from Target to replace the shoes I wear on the treadmill which are literally falling apart. A few days later I saw there was a Target Circle deal for 20% off shoes so I chatted with an agent to see if they could refund me the difference. They ended up giving me $15 back which was way more than I asked for, but who am I to argue? So instead of $30 the shoes were $13.88 which is good because it turns out they aren’t that comfortable for treadmill walking. I should have known better – I’ve never like Sketchers. I plan to keep them because they are slip-ons which comes in handy for walking Wookie, but I still need to find something else for the treadmill.

9/21 (Thu)
Wookie turned 7 years old! She has kidney issues which are currently stabilized with medication and a special diet, but it pains me to say she will have a shorter lifespan than her breed normally does because she will eventually go into kidney failure. I really do not like thinking about it because I love her so much.

We bought her a special treat – Milk-Bone Pup-Peroni Mash Ups which are described as “crunchy Milk-Bone biscuits, exploding with baked-in, meaty Pup-Peroni chunks”.

I figured they might be better for her stomach issues. She loves Pup-Peroni but they didn’t seem to agree with her. She LOVES these. She gets one every evening and she does a million little excited spins when she knows it’s time.

I tried to sign up for a paid Dropbox account so I could migrate away from Google One, but Dropbox didn’t want my money. Once I got to the payment page there was a “verify you’re a human” test that would say I passed, disappear, and then say “verification failed”. I tried it multiple times but got stuck in this endless loop of telling me I was ok and then saying “sike, you’re not! try again!” What a bummer, but maybe it’s for the best.

9/23 (Sat)
Visited the Morton Arboretum for the first time in about 5 years. Between my 2019 sickness and them changing to timed entry during the pandemic, it was no longer appealing. They finally dropped the time entry requirement for members, so we signed up. Fall is the best time of the year there, plus we can drive around the grounds in the winter and hopefully see some owls. We’ve been looking for them everywhere and have yet to spot a single one.

9/24 (Sun)
Went to both Fermilab and Mount Saint Mary Park again, but neither were as fruitful as our previous visit. It seems the birds just aren’t as active this time of year.

9/28 (Thu)
Had lunch with my friend, C. I drove to her place and then we went and grabbed food from Burger King to bring back to her house. It was a very nice afternoon.

9/29 (Fri)
An issue I had with Chick-fil-a was finally resolved. I had mobile ordered their limited time Honey Pimento Chicken sandwich on 9/9 only to find barely any of the specialty sauce on it when I opened the sandwich at home. I submitted a complaint online and other than an automated reply, never heard back. I even called their customer care a week later and all they could do is tell the local restaurant to call me, which still didn’t happen. So I called them directly and the woman I spoke with, Heather, was very apologetic and put five free items in my rewards account to redeem:

Two honey pimento chicken sandwiches
A caramel crumble milkshake
My choice of a few other sandwiches
And a free drink of any size

I got the special chicken sandwich and the milkshake the next day and both were delicious!

9/30 (Sat)
Went to a few nature places and then Bass Pro Shop to look at hiking boots. Ended up buying a pair that I plan to wear around the house to ensure their comfort. Afterwards we went to IKEA to look at window treatments and found some white cordless cellular shades that should look nice in the living room. We have been using temporary black paper cellular shades but decided black was too dark.

March 2023 Recap

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It wasn’t until March came along that I remembered how much I hate March. You start hearing all the birds in the morning so it feels like it should be sunny and warm, but it isn’t. What a letdown!

When we went to the Apple Store in February we had to walk around the mall to kill time and I kept seeing Funko Pops for Five Night at Freddy’s. I had to look it up because I had no clue what it was. Intrigued, I borrowed the game from the library. Umm… I don’t get the fascination. It was mildly interesting, but mostly boring. Of course, I was murdered by 3 am, so ymmv.

This was McDonald’s customer service response to me asking WHY they don’t allow you to pay with the Arch Card (aka McDonald’s gift card) in the app. Thanks for nothing, Jannie.

We started re-watching Aqua Teen Hunger Force and it is as funny as I remember. Well, the first three seasons, that is. Which is where I think we must have stopped because we’re on the fourth season now and it’s getting less funny and more nonsensical.

Based on IMDB reviews it seems some seasons are better than others, so we’ll continue to plow through, but damn. I do love Master Shake, though, because he’s such a unapologetic selfish asshole. And the Moonnites are the best!

Girl Scout cookies from our friend’s granddaughter:

I did not care for the Trefoils or Lemon-ups, but I really loved the S’mores. I bet I could recreate them with some Biscoff, Nutella, and marshmallow fluff/cream.

Decided I wanted to refresh my fake flower collection and went to Michael’s to look around. All the spring floral was 50% off so I got all this for only $4.14 out of pocket thanks to the digital gift card I got from Discover. Retail price was close to $80 which honestly seems ridiculous. I would never “pay” that even with a gift card.

February 2023 Recap

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Learned that the Lombard Roller Rink is shutting down. I had my 35th birthday “party” there and it was packed. Do people not enjoy roller skating anymore? How sad.

Discovered a very funny and unique show on Hulu called Extraordinary. It’s about a girl named Jen, a self-aware young woman who lives in a world where everybody except her has a superpower. 9/10 just because there’s a character named Jizzlord.

Was woken in the middle of the night, for the second time this year, by the Eufy video doorbell going off. Nothing is creepier than the doorbell ringing in the dead of night. If it just detects motion that will send an alert to my phone and I have my phone on DND, but if someone presses the button, the base downstairs will ring. No one was picked up on video actually ringing the doorbell, so it was a malfunction. Or my dead uncle pranking me as my cousin suggested. Either way I find it weird it never malfunctions during the day.

Started watching Party Down again for the 3rd attempt. Could not get into it the first two times I tried even though I like all the actors in it. Was motivated to try harder this time since they recently added a third season after 13 years. It’s funny, but not the best show. But what aggravates me is after finishing the second season I came to realize the third season is only available on Starz. So why the hell are they advertising it on Hulu? I feel swindled.

Streamed the annual Puppy Bowl live thanks to Discovery+ (we don’t have cable). The kitten half-time show was no more than five minutes long and pretty boring but the puppies were as cute as ever. I miss the days where they had guinea pigs in blimps over the field and whatnot.

Paid $69 (plus tax) to Apple to replace the battery in my iPhone 11. Technically they don’t need to be replaced until they hit 80% capacity (mine was at 85%), but I was tired of charging my phone 4-5 times daily, plus they were raising the prices March 1st to $89. We had to walk around Woodfield Mall while waiting 45 minutes for my repair and we were one of the few people wearing face masks. I guess everyone has collectively decided we don’t care that 300 people in this country alone are still dying from COVID every day. Sad. I’m willing to bet if they suffered through the nightmare I did from May 2019 – March 2020 they’d feel differently about risking their health. Long COVID is actually scarier to me than dying because at least if you die the suffering ends.

While backing up some photos I became aware that not only is my secondary drive nearly full, so is the backup one. Instead of buying larger drives, I decided to take on the time-consuming and emotionally exhausting task of reviewing all my photos and deleting some unnecessary shots. No one needs five different angles of the same subject, or in some cases, photos that are either boring, out of focus, or both. Why I kept those is beyond me. Judging by the progress I’ve made thus far, I do not expect to be done with this project for several months. I cannot sit at my computer for as long as I used to when I was working. It’s tiring, plus I get super cold if I don’t keep moving.

Our cookware set is old and some pieces are in worse shape than others. We decided instead of getting a new matching set we’re going to replace each piece as needed. Found this pretty purple 8″ frying pan at Home Goods for $8. I’m really liking it so far.