Month: August 2016

Indiana Beach 2016

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Tuesday was our annual trip to Indiana Beach. It was originally scheduled for August 16th but last Wednesday, literally five minutes after booking a rental van through Budget, something told me to look at the Indiana Beach website and that’s when I learned they would be closed that day (they move to a weekend-only schedule after this week).

It took some scrambling trying to find a new date that worked for everyone involved (Joe’s kids, their SO’s, and my brother) including a day Budget still had a van large enough available, but we were able to do it! Incidentally, Budget would not allow us to cancel the reservation without charging a $50 fee, even though we called them immediately after realizing the date we chose wouldn’t work. Luckily there’s no charge for changing the reservation, and it ended up being slightly less expensive too. I felt so stupid for not checking the park’s operating hours beforehand, though. Joe pointed out he probably wouldn’t have even done that and we would have drove the two hours there for nothing just like in National Lampoon’s Vacation, so it could have been worse. I just assumed they wouldn’t close during the week until after Labor Day like in previous years, but then again, I’m not sure if that was even the case since we usually went in July. Lesson learned!

Our rental ended up being a black Toyota Sienna which seats 7 people and was actually quite nice. It still had room in the back to put our huge cooler and other bags. We arrived at Budget before 7 am when they opened but no one unlocked the door until a few minutes past 7. Then the computers were down, so what should have taken 10 minutes or less took nearly a half hour which put us behind schedule. Since Budget has crap hours we rented from the one close to where Joe’s son, E, lives so at least once we got the van it was less than five minutes to pick everyone up (we asked them to all meet at E’s house). We had donuts we had bought at Walmart’s bakery (which weren’t bad, especially for $4 per dozen) for everyone in case they hadn’t eaten breakfast.

Between the delay and getting caught waiting for a train, we didn’t get to my parents to pick up my brother J until almost 8:30 but even with stopping at the McDonald’s halfway into our drive (I had to pee really bad), we still got to the park only a half hour after they opened. We opted to pay $10 for VIP parking so we could go back to the van frequently for food and water which worked out great since it was super hot out and a bottle of water in the park is $3.50. Kudos to them for having at least one operational water fountain, though. We also used the van to change into and out of our swimsuits since it had tinted windows.

When we were first looking at ticket prices there was a $5 discount if you bought them online, so they’d only be $32. Then I learned that the local Kroger sold them for $25 each. I called to confirm, but what the guy didn’t tell me is they get a limited number of tickets each day. I’m glad I called a second time the day before to confirm because that’s when I learned they only had one ticket left and weren’t sure when they’d be getting the next batch, or how many. When I checked the website again the $5 discount was gone and the regular price was now $40. I was livid, but it also said that you could convert the $40 single day pass to a season pass for free which would be good for the rest of 2016 and all of 2017. Even if we only go once next year it’s like paying $20 per person so we decided to go that route. So everyone now has season passes on our behalf (except for J who paid for his).

We took care of the season pass thing before going on any rides to get it out of the way (you have to visit guest relations to get the pass which includes a very poor quality photo that is useless). Then we rode the Music Express and Bumper Cars. We had wanted to go to the beach first thing to snag some chairs but no one else was interested so we went on rides and then got a couple of tacos. Then more rides, and blah blah blah.

Eventually we made it to the water park (except for K & ES who didn’t want to go at all) around 3 pm. Unfortunately the lazy river, which is everyone’s favorite, wasn’t open because they didn’t have enough lifeguards on duty. Well that blows! Charge higher admission prices but then don’t staff the park adequately – I guess that’s why they were pretty much are giving away the season passes. The Water Swings, Lost Coaster of Superstition Mountain, and a few other rides were closed as well. Joe and I did go on the Big Flush water raft ride before we left the beach area, though. It was faster than I remembered and some water splashed right into my eye which messed up my contact lens for a bit. Also, my sunglasses fell to the ground as I was getting out of the raft so I stepped on them; they’re all scratched up now. And it turns out the replacement pair I had sitting on my dresser are also messed up. That was a bad place to keep them as the coating has all these little marks on it which I can see (and drive me nuts) when I put them on. It’s probably glass cleaner from when I would spray the mirror nearby. Do you know how difficult it is for me to even find sunglasses that are comfortable and fit my small head properly? I had gotten both ruined pairs at the New York & Company outlet store so it’s going to be a pain to find a suitable replacement.

Anyway… it was a little annoying dealing with E & his g/f because they would say they were going on such and such ride and we’d agree on a place to meet and then they’d either go on other rides and keep us waiting or just not show up. As a result we didn’t get to do everything we wanted and now I understand why my grandparents never seemed to be having all that much fun when they took us on vacation. Not that we didn’t have fun, mind you. It’s just work as well. Joe treated everyone to Dippin Dots and he and I shared this one that showed a red Sour Patch Kid on the sign. It was really good; tasted like Swedish Fish.

Scrambler

I have to say – I’m glad the park is under new management. While the previous owners did paint some things to make it look better, this newer company has replaced all the signage, cleaned most of the nasty cobwebs and dead bugs from the rides, and just made things look fresh. They’ve also added two new rides – bumper boats and something called Zero G. In addition, they took out the weird climbing apparatus that was up where the Music Express used to be years ago and put a huge carousel there instead which was actually in operation. I’ve learned from joining a group on Facebook that they’ve also spruced up the Shafer Queen, although we didn’t get a chance to ride it this time. But now that we have season passes, I think we’ll visit again in September when it’s cooler, just the two of us, since it’s open on weekends through the end of the month.

By 6 pm everyone was tired and ready to head home so that’s what we did. It wasn’t too bad other than my brother’s constant chatter. Despite me asking him to not say certain things around mixed company he did anyway and was really irritating me on the way home. I hit my limit and yelled at him to shut up (I had to shout to get his attention since I was up front and he was way in the back and didn’t hear me the first few times I called his name). Apparently this embarrassed him (although he doesn’t care about how his behavior embarrassed me) and so we got into it the next day via text. I get that he has issues and all that (which I’m not going to get into here), but I really don’t buy that he can’t stop himself. But whatever. Bottom line: he’s not coming with us next year when/if we take the kids. We’ll take him separately (assuming we’re on talking terms by then). I just refuse to apologize because I’m ALWAYS the one who concedes when it comes to arguments with my family and I’m sick of it. Contrary to the way they would tell it, I’m not a bitch; I’m actually a very fair person. If anything I screw myself over just to make sure other people get their fair share. I also bite my tongue CONSTANTLY to keep the peace.

Anyway, that kinda ended on a sour note, but oh well it is what it is.

Poor Customer Service Week

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It seems like companies just don’t give a shit anymore.

Example # 1

I emailed our association on July 25th about leaking we heard over the front door, inside the wall, when it rained really bad a few days before. They replied a day or so later saying they contacted the property manager and I’d hear from someone. Once a week had passed since my original email, I emailed them again to ask why I hadn’t heard anything. I got the same response, but the next day received a call from the vendor directly who basically asked me to describe the issue which I had already done in my original email. I had even included pictures. Was that information not forwarded to them? In any case, after that I was told by A (the representative I’ve been dealing with at the vendor) that she’d call me back to schedule a time for them to come out.

Yesterday she left a voicemail stating they would be out next Wednesday and to call back to confirm. I called her to let her know we wouldn’t be available and she was like, “well, can you have someone there?”. I told her no and that we’d be available Thursday and Friday. She said she’d speak to the scheduler and get back to me. This morning she called back to tell me they’d be out on Tuesday. Once again, this will not work for us, which I told her. She sounded frustrated with me and pointed out I said my husband works from home. First off, I don’t recall saying that, but I told her this doesn’t mean we don’t make plans. Furthermore, what kind of company just tells you when they are coming out and doesn’t at least give you a few options? I told her their scheduling is ridiculous after she told me that they have to “go where the work is” and made it like *I* was being unreasonable by not being available when they want to come out. Are you kidding me? You are providing a service. I get that they want to try and group jobs together geographically but it’s not like they are driving hours to get here. The call ended with her saying she’d check with the scheduler about another date/time.

While we were in the movies this morning she left a message basically saying since we aren’t available those two days they won’t be able to come out and would call me once they put together a new schedule. What kind of business operates that way? Fed up, I called the association about it. They called the vendor who basically told them the same thing so L (the rep at the association) said she’d speak to the property manager to see if there’s another vendor they can use. I sure hope so because I already hate this one and they haven’t even come here to do the work yet! I cannot wait to post a Yelp review for these people.

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Example # 2

Last year I received a sample of Oscar de la Renta Flor perfume in one of my subscription boxes. I liked it so much that in January I purchased a full bottle on Amazon.com. Within less than three months, however, the smell changed, and not for the better. Now I feel like I wasted my money on a scent I don’t like anymore. I kept it in the box in the bedroom so light/moisture couldn’t damage it, so WTF? I have perfume that is years old whose scent hasn’t changed. I contacted the company through their website and a representative replied asking for the purchase info. I sent them a screenshot of my Amazon order and didn’t hear back, so I emailed them again. At that point I was told they only deal with orders placed through their website and I’d have to call their corporate office. I called them this morning and when I asked if I had reached customer service the girl asked me what my issue was. I told her I just wanted to make sure I had the right department before explaining and she insisted I tell her. So then as I start telling her, she cuts me off (which is what I was trying to avoid), and tells me I need to call a different number for the place that makes the perfume without giving me the company name. You’d think someone who works at the corporate office would be a little more professional! And of course when I call the number she gave me I get a fast busy signal like it doesn’t even work.

Example # 3

We’re planning a trip to Indiana Beach in the near future and I’ve been trying to call them to find out whether we can go back to the car and re-enter the park. That way we can bring food and not have to eat multiple meals at the park (although we’ll still get tacos). The problem is no one at that place answers the phone when I call to ask.

Relaxation & Family Time

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Monday the 25th we decided to visit the arboretum to finally use our Acorn Express tickets which were due to expire at the end of August. You get two free ones with a two-year membership and we kept forgetting to use them. It was a beautiful day and even though it was warm the breeze created by the tram kept us comfortable. The tour was an hour long and went over the history of the arboretum and it’s various collections. It was very informative and relaxing.

After the ride we walked around Meadow Lake to look at Ribbit! The Exhibit before heading to Taco Diner for lunch.

Ribbit The Exhibit

This past Friday we picked up J and headed to Pierogi Fest in Whiting, Indiana. Our first stop, as always, was Dan’s Pierogis since the line is always long (which it was even though we got there less than a half hour after opening). We all got sweet cheese pierogis because we’ve learned over the years that even though the other flavors sound good, the sweet cheese are the best. We also got some taco pierogis from a booth nearby. We had tried them for the first time last year and I had made a note to get them again. They were delicious and will definitely be on the list for next year. Other than Joe getting ice cream we didn’t eat anything else because it was threatening rain, so around 1 pm we left right before it started to pour. I was bummed we didn’t get more time to explore the other menus since the fest has so much to choose from, plus once it started to cloud up we weren’t as hot, but what can you do?

We were still hungry so we consulted Yelp and ended up picking up food from Chicago Pita Kitchen which is the same building that used to house our local Dairy Queen when I was growing up. I swear it still smelled like a DQ inside too. Incidentally, their website is funny because it’s just their huge menu and nothing more. Not even an address. Doesn’t seem to hurt their business, though, since there was a steady stream of customers while we waited for our food. It was really good too. I had the chicken breast pita and a side of rice and Joe had a brat with fries. My brother got chicken strips and fries. I’d definitely go there again if we’re in the neighborhood and my mom doesn’t have food prepared for us. One of the Yelp reviews was pretty funny though since it said they have the best pitas in Hegewisch. I’m thinking, just how many pitas can you even get in such a small town? Apparently two if you ask my brother, but the other place sucks.

We took the food back to my parents’ where we all sat around talking for hours. At some point we were all hungry again so we ordered pizza from a nearby place and then played Aggravation. I think we left around 10 because we were home by 11.

Saturday we were hanging out at home when I got a text from Joe’s sister. She was in town visiting his brother and invited us to join them Sunday. We didn’t have anything on the agenda so we said sure. On the way out there we stopped at Long John Silvers for lunch (it’s a two hour drive and we were instructed to be there at 1 pm so we figured we wouldn’t be eating for awhile). We mostly just sat around talking and sometime around 4 pm had dinner. They served some very juicy and delicious pork chops, plus I love my SIL’s cucumber salad so I loaded up on that along with a baked potato.

It was nice to see everyone and we even Facetimed with Joe’s niece in Arizona so we could see her baby. Joe’s brother said we have an open invitation to come out anytime which we should take them up on again before it gets too cold. Yea, it’s two hours, but it’s not that bad, although I imagine it could get a little boring if we visited too often. I’m not a fan of just sitting around chatting for hours on end – I’d rather play some games too, especially since they talk about the old neighborhood and people they used to know so I can’t contribute much to the conversation. That being said, at least I felt like people would hear me out when I did speak and no single person would dominate the conversation which is more than I can say for some other situations I’ve been in. We left at 7 pm and were home and watching Netflix by 9.

Today we did some shopping at Target and then I cleaned the rats’ cages and gave Milo and Gizmo a bath. They were squabbling with each other after I put them back in their cage which is not like them, so I’m not sure if it’s due to the bath (they don’t smell familiar to one another) or because Milo is cranky due to what I think might be a tumor near his tail. It seemed to appear overnight so I’m hoping it’s just an abscess instead. Only time will tell. I’m not ready for him to pass away (not that I ever will be).