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My Something Has Been Delivered!

Written on August 13, 2010 by Becky in Life, Products, internet

I recently heard about this new site called The Something Store. Here is an excerpt from their site that explains exactly what it’s about:

SomethingStore is a fun website that operates simply: We will send you something, an item selected randomly among many things from our inventory, for $10 (free shipping in the US) and you will find out what your something is when you receive it. Your something may be anything. It may be something you need, something you want or something you desire. Yours may be a cool gadget, rare book, table game, handmade necklace, reverse clock, box of gourmet chocolates, popular video game, big-box retailer gift card, the latest version of a software, a set of kitchen knives, a pair handmade earrings, garden tool, kitchen appliance, unique home decor item, electronic equipment, magazine subscription, office supply item…Your something will most likely be brand new, though it may also be refurbished.

So anyway, my friend Amanda told me about it, so I immediately checked it out and ordered my something. “$10?” I thought. “Sure! The surprise will be worth the cost alone.” Well, wasn’t I surprised when it arrived, only a few short days after ordering it. Here’s my something:

A Bellagio (that’s right, the hotel in Vegas) UOMO (which is MEN’S) gift set which includes: 20ml After Shave Balm, 6ml Eau De Toilette, 20ml Shower Gel and a small disc of soap. If I were a man and needed after shave, perhaps I would enjoy this something a little better. It certainly is good for regifting, although I unwrapped the outside plastic to take the photo. I’ll hang onto it…you never know when a man might come into my life who is in need of some cologne. And not just ANY cologne…Bellagio Cologne. As for the Something Store, I read that they are working on adding gender to the order form so that this wouldn’t happen again. When this is an option, I will certainly be ordering more somethings. There aren’t enough surprises in this world anymore…at least you can be guaranteed one when you buy a “Something!”

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Apple Discriminating Against Smokers? Really?

Written on November 29, 2009 by Becky in Current Events, Products

Three different Mac users have claimed that Apple voided their AppleCare Protection Plans due to second-hand smoke. According to Ruth, one of the Apple customers who wrote into the Consumerist:

I bought an iMac for my son (for school) along with the extended Applecare warranty. A month ago, it quit working. My son took it to the authorized Mac service center. The “tech” informed him it would be ready in 48-72 hours. Five days go by and he’s heard nothing, so I called. They informed me that his computer can’t be worked on because it’s contaminated.

When I asked for an explanation, she said he’s a smoker and it’s contaminated with cigarette smoke which they consider a bio-hazard! I checked my Applecare warranty and it says nothing about not honoring warranties if the owner is a smoker. The Applecare representative said they defer to the technician and my son’s computer cannot be fixed at any Apple Service Center due to being listed a bio-hazard.

This computer cost approx. $3,000, with the extended warranty. I’m all for destroying cigarettes and putting big tobacco out of business (yes, I’m a reformed smoker), but to label a computer a biohazard because one is a smoker is going a bit too far in regulating who can have the warranty they purchased honored. Shouldn’t there be some disclaimer stating that they won’t honor warranties from smokers?

Ruth appealed her case to Steve Jobs’s office, which also declined to repair the iMac. In another letter, she wrote:

Dena [from Jobs' office] did advise me that nicotine is on OSHA’s list of hazardous substances and Apple would not require an employee to repair anything deemed hazardous to their health. However, OSHA also lists calcium carbonate (found in calcium tablets), isopropyl alcohol (used to clean wounds), chlorine (used in swimming pools), hydrogen peroxide (also used to clean wounds), sucrose (a sugar), talc (as in powder), etc… as hazardous substances.

I get it. I understand where Apple is coming from. Smoking is bad for you. I’m sure smoking around your computer can’t be good for it either. But for Apple to not honor the AppleCare Protection Plan that people paid good money for is just WRONG. I have a MacBook that I got in 2007. I purchased the Protection Plan for an additional $250. Thank goodness I did, since my hard drive broke in August and had to be replaced. This makes me wonder if my computer has damage like that. Harry smoked around my computer from when I got it in 2007 until he passed away in January 2009. That’s 2 years of smoke damage. Had they pulled this crap with me, I don’t know what I would have done.

Apple has remained mum on the subject, not releasing a statement as of yet. As a company known for its customer service, I would hope that they will do the right thing and honor any repair with a plan purchased up until this “new exception” came up and make it effective starting now. At least give people a chance to kick the habit!

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Live Every Day To The Fullest. Have Hope. Do Life!

Written on November 19, 2009 by Becky in Products, Reviews

Header_Life

I came across the Twitter account @DoLifeNow recently. Do Life is a grass roots organization, introducing the positive and hope-filled DO LIFE symbol for ALL to live life to the fullest or lift the spirit of those fighting ANY disease. Here is the background of the movement from their website:

Due to a personal tragedy of losing Mom to pancreatic cancer I set out to create a symbol for all awareness causes. As a result I designed and trademarked the powerful and hopeful “Life” symbol since the “living of life” should be the real and true meaning of ALL awareness campaigns and causes. The power of the Life™ symbol is that it redirects the attention from a negative (cancer, leukemia, AIDS) to one of hope in reminding us to “DoLife Now!”.

All major cancer-related organizations are vying to bring attention to “their” cause but none celebrate the fact that we are in Life™ and sick-or-not we need to cherish every day to the fullest. We all know that pink stands for breast cancer and gold is for pediatric cancer, but we should celebrate the fact that todays 5 year blood cancer survival rate for children is 94% vs. 4% in 1962!

We only put our Life™ symbol on the best quality products available. We offer caps and KeepKool Bandannas, products that are usually associated with ‘awareness events’. The caps are excellent quality and show off the Life™ symbol in 3-D embroidery on the front panel plus on some models the “Life” and “DoLIfe” logos are embroidered on the bill, back panel and/or closure strap. The caps are made overseas with American raw cotton. The Keep-Cool bandanas are also made with the same high quality fabrics plus I personally ship the gel crystals from a chemical factory in Ohio (no more ‘sticky’ feeling as with most hydrating bandanas). Other high quality awareness-relevant products will be added to the line soon.

Every awareness campaign, whether it be for breast cancer, pediatric cancer or AIDS, can greatly benefit from the positive impact that the Life™ symbol has on all who are exposed to it. Show your support for any one of the many causes with the new Life™

After everything I have gone through, one thing I can certainly celebrate is life. I am still here, still kicking. Although in pain sometimes, it certainly could be worse. I think Do Life is a great message to promote, especially since pretty much EVERYONE can relate to it. They have a great range of merchandise available on their site! Make sure to check them out.

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Panasonic 360 Degree Quick Iron Review

Written on November 4, 2009 by Becky in Products, Reviews, Sponsored

When I was first asked to review the Panasonic 360° Quick Steam/Dry Iron, I hesitated. Although I do own an iron and ironing board, I have not actually used them in at least 2 years. Conveniently, the weather just got chilly and I started using my duvet again. After 4 months in the closet after being washed, the duvet cover was pretty wrinkled. So, I waited for my iron to arrive. And alas, a few days later, there it was. My landlord (knowing I don’t iron) gave me a funny look when she handed me the package.

As soon as I saw the box, I was intrigued. It said it irons 25% faster. This was one of my gripes about ironing, so perhaps I would like this. This morning, I took out the board and the duvet and opened the box. This was unlike any iron I had ever seen. Normally, irons are triangular. This kind of looked like a football, with a much larger surface area. I figured it would take me at least a half hour to iron a Queen size duvet cover. It only took 10 minutes. I can’t imagine how quick shirts will be. Since I was short on time, all I ironed was the duvet cover today, but I will certainly be using this iron more often than my last one. *Side note: I did burn my thumb when I first started ironing, but I do not blame the iron for this, it was more user error due to my lack of ironing experience.

From the Panasonic website, this iron sells for $49.99. Here are some other features on the iron:

The Panasonic 360° Quick enables up to 25% faster ironing.
The edge of the oversized soleplate can always be seen from above, making it easier to iron collars, cuffs, and around buttons.
Unlike conventional irons, the 360° Quick has steam holes around the entire soleplate, allowing more steam over a wider area, to get out wrinkles faster. Use the jet of steam button for extra power when ironing, or use it vertically as a steamer.
Precise temperature control for all fabrics
Anti-drip to protect delicate fabrics
Anti-calcium to prevent buildup that can clog steam holes
Three-way auto-shutoff for safety (Panasonic invented this feature and now it is standard) if no motion is detected for one minute if iron is on its side or on the hot soleplate and for ten minutes if on its legs.

I actually look forward to my next ironing adventure! Highly recommended.

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Lose the Ugly! Find your Bliss.

Written on September 18, 2009 by Becky in Products, Sponsored, Sweepstakes, facebook

Do you have some ugly pictures? You know, the type that should never be shown again to anyone? Or maybe a picture of an old cell phone, or you rocking an old fad? Well LG wants you clear your ugly pics to Find Your Bliss….LG Bliss phone that is. Facebook users (18 and older) can upload an image or video of anything they consider ugly and want to lose. With the entry, you will be entered to win a brand new LG Bliss phone. Only 1 entry is allowed per Facebook account. The grand prize is the new LG Bliss phone and the secondary prize is a $50 gift card so you can buy your own bliss. There will be five grand prize winners and fifty secondary winners. User must be 18 years of age or older to enter contest.

The Gallery of the Utterly Ugly (located at LG Bliss Facebook Fan Page) is where you can lose their ugly stuff to clear the way for more Bliss, as well as browse through other people’s ugly leave-behinds. Examples include:

-Trashy Trends (fabulously ugly fashion)
-Mutant machines (these mutant machines and outdated electronics belong in the junkyard)
-Ugly wonders of nature (naturally occurring wonders that make even the ugly tree look good)
-Ugly-mobiles (rides that are heading non-stop to Ugly Town)
*Ugly behavior such as violence, indecency, or illegal activities aren’t tolerated. Photos of people are not allowed.

Since I lost all my pics with my hard drive last month, I thought I could not participate in the contest. However, I found the pic I took of my toe after I ripped off half my toenail in NYC:

Pretty ugly. Definately getting submitted. What are you waiting for?? Lose the ugly and find your bliss!

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Cash4Gold: A Deal or a Dupe?

Written on September 13, 2009 by Becky in Life, Products, Reviews

You’ve all seen the commercials. They will send you an envelope for you to send back your gold jewelry and you will get a check back for them! Sounds too good to be true. And according to reports, it is! First of all, why would anyone send expensive jewelry via UPS with insurance of only $500? As much as I enjoy shopping and connecting with companies online, this is one thing I would rather go to a jeweler in person for.

Since I thought this company was a scam, I recently went to a jeweler with my old gold jewelry and was told that it isn’t gold, since it wasn’t marked. Apparently, she isn’t too swift a jeweler. I knew for a fact that every piece was gold, and told her so. She shook her head and said, “I don’t know who told you that, but they were mistaken”. I put the ziplock bag of jewelry in my purse and left. I called my Mom, who purchased some of the jewelry for me. She said, “of course it’s gold!” I have been pretty busy lately and have not had the chance to go to someone else, but perhaps when I’m in need of some quick cash, I will try again. However, I will certainly not be mailing it off to a company in hopes of getting a few bucks back.

Have any of you used this service? What are your thoughts?

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Smells Like Mariah

Written on August 20, 2009 by Becky in Celebrity Gossip, Music, Products

Image courtesy of Elizabeth Arden

There was a time when I was a fan of Mariah Carey. That was before she got in a jacuzzi tub in a towel and worked out on a stairmaster in heels on MTV’s Cribs. That being said, I came across this picture on People earlier. It is the promotional shot that Elizabeth Arden released for Mariah’s new fragrance, “Forever”, coming out in September. There are so many things wrong with this picture, I do not know where to begin. Let’s start not with the picture but with Mariah having not one, but two previous fragrances (M by Mariah Carey and Luscious Pink). Obviously these sold well because she wouldn’t have gotten another deal, unless it was a 3 shot deal. I understand that celebrities need to build their brands with clothing lines and fragrances, but three of them?

“Fragrance is so personal,” she tells PEOPLE, “and Forever captures that glamorous feeling that I want to share with my fans.” The opulent floral scent, which will start at $42 for a 1-oz. spray, will contain notes of lotus blossom, tuberose, gardenia, exotic woods and white musk.

Please tell me, who buys these things? Especially for $42? Is it worth $42 to smell like Mariah? I am surprised that she would even approve of this picture in the first place. Her face looks a little bloated and it kind of looks like she has lazy eye. Her body is obviously photoshopped, in her favor, I might add, but still. Maybe they should have spent a little more time on her face? I’m surprised there are no butterflies hidden anywhere. What do you think?

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