Saturday, January 31, 2009

FEDEX is not my friend!!!

I have really had it with Fedex! I have had numerous delivery problems with them in the past, but this one takes the cake. Whenever I am expecting a package from them, it is never delivered on the day it says it will be. If you track the package, it will always come up with some lame excuse like "attempted delivery, recipient not home" which is total BS because I had purposely stayed home waiting for that package all damn day or it will say "attempt not made to deliver, will deliver next business day." WTFF? Did I mention that I hate Fedex? Well, the package that I am currently expecting has now been out for delivery 3 days in a row. No excuses have been been listed as to why no delivery has been made. Is the driver really that lost? Can he not drive his lazy ass out to my area? Argghhhh! I have called Fedex twice and they have been of no help. They claim to have no idea of what the problem is and say that they can't get in touch with the station that my package is being delivered from. Shouldn't they be a tad concerned that nobody is answering the phone there? So, they have taken my phone number and have promised to get back to me. Yeah, right! I better have this package by Monday people! Argghhh! Have I mentioned how much I hate Fedex? :-O

Update----- Around noon....... a man in an unmarked white van drove up to my gate, left the package on the ground, and drove off in a cloud of dust. Very odd.... but at least I got my package. I guess it pays to always be polite on the phone even when you are pissed off.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Type A?????

I have been told that I have some type A tendencies by several people but I have been trying to relax and chill. I took this quiz just for fun and apparently I am a type B personality. I think most of my type A quirks are directed at the expectations that I have towards other people more than expectations I have for myself.... I am working on this though. What type are you?


The Type A Personality Test: Results
Type A behavior pattern has been linked to a number of health problems. Although the literature is somewhat inconsistent because of problems with the conceptualization and definition of Type A behavior, studies have shown that Type A people run higher risks of cardiovascular diseases, cancer and other stress-related evils such as frequent colds, anxiety disorders, burnout, and depression. The risks seem to be reduced with intervention aimed at reducing Type A behavior. Indeed, those with pronounced Type A characteristics would be happier and healthier if they were to file down the jagged edges of their personality. By learning how to control the negative behavior patterns while preserving their drive, Type A people can be successful without sacrificing their emotional and physical well-being.

Your score = 64

Type A Score 64
What does your score mean?
You seem to have a Type B personality. Your personality draws characteristics from each of the other personality types, that is, Type A and Type C. Either you adjust your behavior depending on the situation, or you tend to be moderated in your attitudes. In any case, you are the most balanced of the three personality types.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Uggs.....





I was a fairly late convert to the Ugg craze. I thought they were hideous when I first saw them years ago. Who would wear such ugly shoes? They were right up there with Birkenstocks in my book. I finally caved about 4 years ago when I needed a new pair of slippers to wear around the house . I looked at a lot of different styles and fell in love with the Ugg Coquette. No, they are not cheap, but they are total heaven and if you take care of them they will last you for several years.


So, after wearing my slippers around the house (and occasionally out in public.....don't tell anyone!!!).... I thought that maybe I should look into getting a pair of Uggs to wear with jeans. I finally decided on a pair of Ugg minis since they were shorter and cuter than the classic Uggs. I was in love with them from the moment that I first put them on. Who cares if they look like some kind of shapeless space boot? They are so comfy and soft and they keep your feet nice and toasty. Now, I do draw the line on wearing them in the summer. Here in Texas it is just to hot and it would just look a little too weird.... but from September to about mid- April.... it is total Ugg time.


Last weekend I decided to clean out my shoe closet. When I got to my Uggs, I started to think that maybe it was time to get a new pair. They were starting to get a little stinky and ratty looking from the past two seasons of use and since I am a total rebel who refuses to purchase the cleaning products that shoe salesman always try to foist upon you.... the Uggs were just a little shabby looking. So, I sadly put them in the trash and went online to look into getting another pair.


Well, ladies and gentleman.... it appears that despite the best efforts of fashion magazines and style gurus telling us that Uggs are out... Uggs are still going strong and have actually gone up in price since I last bought a pair. The cheapest replacement pair I could find was about 20 dollars more than I paid for my last pair. Crap! So, I kept on googling and googling until I find an ongoing discussion about Ugg maintenance on a handbag worshippers board. Apparently you can "WASH" your Uggs !!!!! Who knew?????????


According to people who claim to have washed their Uggs and had them survive.... they come out clean and fresh and looking almost like new. I figured that since my Uggs were currently sitting in a trash bag... what would the harm be if I gave it a try. So I fished my Uggs out of the trash (one of them was now full of some old dry dog food that I had dumped in there :-O) and headed to the washing machine (you need to use a front loading machine.... according to those in the know, the regular top loading machines beat the crap out of them.)


I used a small amount of Woolite and a teensy amount of fabric softener. I knew I was running a bit of a risk with the fabric softener spotting the suede but I was willing to trade a little bit of "April freshness" for a few spots. I washed them on the delicate cycle and added an extra rinse cycle just in case there was any residue. I also added an old towel to the wash to kind of cushion the Uggs and keep them from getting so beat up. Make sure it is an old towel since some of the dye in the leather will come off and stain the towel in the process.


After they were finished washing, I threw the Uggs in the dryer on low/medium heat and sent them through one drying cycle ( about 45 minutes or so.) When I took them out of the dryer, they were still pretty wet on the outside and just slightly damp on the fleecy part. I took some wadded up paper towels and stuffed them inside of the Uggs and let them sit for about a day and a half to dry.

All in all they turned out looking pretty damn good considering that I had been about ready to throw them out. When I first put them on they were a little snug but they loosened up rather quickly. The fleecy part is soft and fluffy again... kind of like they were when they were new. The outside was not quite as soft as it had been originally but it still looked fine. I have noticed that the longer I wear them, the softer they get. They also smell much better too!

So.... if your Uggs are looking pretty ratty, try washing them. I can't guarantee that they will turn out as well as mine did but it is always worth a shot.

Monday, January 12, 2009

New Year.... I am finally back.

I have been away for a couple of weeks and it was starting to look pretty bleak around here so I thought I would put in an appearance. The holidays completely wore me out and then last week, everyone at the office was sick so I had to put in a lot of overtime. Things are finally slowing down a little so I thought I would check back in so that everyone would not think that I had quit the blog. Several of my favorite bloggers have gone MIA or have just deleted their whole sites in the past couple of months and I can't say that I can blame them. I have asked myself many times why I continue with this thing.... but I am just going to keep on keepin on. Give me a couple more days and I will get back in the swing of things. I hope everyone has had a fantastic start to "09."