If you are an Ikea lover, and could spend days shopping there, apparently upper management caught on. In Oslo, they have a hostel where the weary traveler shopper can stay for free! Now, that’s customer service.
Archive for July, 2007
ikea hostel
Sunday, July 29th, 2007do you know who you spoke to?
Sunday, July 29th, 2007This is one of my biggest pet peeves with customer service these days. If you have a problem, in order to get anything resolved you must know you spoke to. It’s like they turn the table on the customer. It’s our fault we didn’t know which one of their employees did something wrong/told us incorrect information/screwed up. They just don’t care. Unless we don’t know the name of their employee, it couldn’t have happened. It makes you want to keep a log book with names, dates, places and transactions, just in case. But then, we’d all be neurotic, right? Where’s the balance?
whole wheat pancakes
Saturday, July 28th, 20072 cups of whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
2 eggs, well beaten
2 cups of milk
2 tablespoons of vegetable or canola oil
Stir together dry ingredients. Add eggs, milk, and oil. Stir until dry ingredients are moistened (batter may be lumpy). Cook on preheated griddle until bubbles form and edges start to dry. Flip and cook until lightly browned. Makes approximately sixteen small pancakes or eight large pancakes.
we change the world
Thursday, July 26th, 2007We Change The World
Words and music by Melinda Caroll
Change the world come with me
Time to let our dreams fly free
And it comes so easily, that is our way
Every moment we’re alive
It’s our love that will survive
In the Girls Scouts, together,
We change the world
Sisters of every color, friends from everywhere
We all make a difference, when we show the world we care.
The Girl Scouts are our family, and they show us what we can be
And I believe, together, we change the world.
Chorus [Change the world...]
In America, we have so much to give
To our sisters around the world who are struggling just to live.
Light the light and do our share, reach out your hand and someone’s there.
And I believe, together, we change the world.
I am a lifetime girl scout. Meaning, forever and ever amen, I am a member of the Girl Scouts of America. I have been involved in scouting since I was five years old, working my way up through my Silver and Gold Awards. In college I was a Campus Scout and have been a co-leader or leader for Brownies, Juniors, Cadettes and Seniors. Wherever I have lived, I have always found friends in scouting, many of them lifelong friends. We come from all walks of life, from different ethnic backgrounds, different religions and as corny as it may sound, join hands and change the world. And, it is the one organization that hasn’t let me down. I don’t subscribe to any religious belief, nor do I associate with a political party. I find it too confining and I have too many issues with leaders, teachings and, oftentimes, the people. But, scouting has always been an identifier for me. I AM a girl scout. Hear me roar.
Recently, I freecycled some upholstery samples to a Cadette/Senior scout leader. She was in need of some supplies for an interest project the girls are working on. We chatted briefly when she picked up the samples (promptly, I might add) and she explained she was taking the girls to the Baltimore Aquarium the next day. I told her I was bound to discover more craft supplies over the next few days and I would let her know when I had a box together. When she picked up the second load, she brought me a visitor’s guide from the Aquarium. Now, who, I ask you, in this day and age, does that? Girl Scouts. That’s who. And, all of you scouts out there understand. It’s what you learn at meetings before you gather for the friendship circle and sing Taps. It’s making sure someplace is cleaner than how you found it. It’s respecting your environment (nature or a friend’s house) and respecting those around you, regardless of religion, race or creed. And, it’s bringing a complete stranger a Visitor’s Guide.
The Girl Scout Promise and Law are shared by every member of Girl Scouting. The Girl Scout Promise is the way Girl Scouts agree to act every day toward one another and other people, and the Law outlines a way to act towards one another and the world.
The Girl Scout Promise
On my honor, I will try:
To serve God* and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law.
* The word “God” can be interpreted in a number of ways, depending on one’s spiritual beliefs. When reciting the Girl Scout Promise, it is okay to replace the word “God” with whatever word your spiritual beliefs dictate.
The Girl Scout Law
I will do my best to be
honest and fair,
friendly and helpful,
considerate and caring,
courageous and strong, and
responsible for what I say and do,
and to
respect myself and others,
respect authority,
use resources wisely,
make the world a better place, and
be a sister to every Girl Scout.
the heat is on!
Thursday, July 26th, 2007Dog days of summer are here. And, our big housewarming/anniversary party is NEXT WEEKEND. So, the heat is really on!
We’ve managed to keep the air conditioning off most of the time, using fans to circulate the air to stay cool, but today it’s really cookin’. The downstairs thermostat shows 89 degrees F, and of course upstairs is blazing hot. So, I’m giving in and turning on the air conditioning for some relief.
chuck e. cheese’s…for adults
Wednesday, July 25th, 2007I was a commercial on television and had to look it up. I can’t believe this really exists. I seriously can’t believe somebody is making money off an adult Chuck E Cheese. And grown ups actually go.
champagne, donuts and yard sales
Monday, July 23rd, 2007All for a good cause? Sounds like a hoot! What a neat idea!
greencards groupies
Monday, July 23rd, 2007When I found The Greencards were playing at Artscape in Baltimore, Maryland (for FREE), I jumped at the opportunity. Now, I guess I can consider myself a groupie now…I have been to two Greencards concerts and would gladly attend many, many more. And as much as I love outdoor concerts, the atmosphere, although very entertaining, wasn’t conducive to showcasing their talents as musicians. But you can’t beat free music. And, since I am now a groupie, I’d go see them just about anywhere.
how hot is your oven?
Monday, July 23rd, 2007After burning bran muffins in the oven last weekend, my mother-in-law suggested I get an oven thermometer to see if my oven was functioning properly. Knowing I had an oven thermometer somewhere, but not being able to locate it, I purchased another thermometer. And, today, when I got around to running a test, I found my old one, of course. So, with TWO thermometers, I set the oven to 300°F. After ten minutes or so, the thermometers were both showing 350°F. I ran the same test on my toaster oven where things there are operating normally. No wonder I was having a hard time with the oven. I don’t have an oven. I have an inferno. So, if you can’t bake in your oven to save your life, check your oven temperature.
i *heart* craigslist
Thursday, July 19th, 2007If you haven’t tried Craigslist, give it a whirl. We have successfully sold a number of items with very little haggling or hassle to some really nice people. Of course, now that I have posted this we will have a slew of horrible experiences. However, we are quite pleased to have sold our large chest freezer, laserdisc player and collection, king bed frames, an old 35 mm camera, a Picasso painting and our BIG ASS TREADMILL. Yes, we found a buyer for the treadmill and will be getting it off our hands Saturday morning. We haven’t attempted to buy anything yet, but I imagine that we will try sooner or later. What’s your experiences?