BLAME IT ON VERIZON FIOS

I should have had this blog written last Saturday, but I happily blame it on my Verizon Fios installers (who really made my day, my month, hell, probably even my YEAR)for the lack of free time.
After dealing with crappy Comcast customer service, I cancelled our cable and DVR.
After one, two days tops, I realized that cable (more importantly, the DVR)was a prime necessity.
Mr. Shagpiece though, thought it was nice not to have to pay a costly cable bill. He could take it or leave it.
WHAT HAD I DONE?
You would think the canceling of cable would give me more time to write...but you would be mistaken.
Now, I had to watch TV in REAL TIME. I had to stop whatever I was doing, sit my butt on the couch, and pay attention (no more rewinding, no more pausing, no more skipping over commercials).
And T.V. w/o cable? Yawn.
Gone were my comfort channels...the Food Network, HGTV. Gone were my shallow guilty pleasures...E! and Bravo and The Style Channel.
Gone were my reality w/o the guilt shows on Discovery (Deadliest Catch and Dirty Jobs).
A month later, Mr. Shagpiece admits he too misses his Comcast Sports Rise, ESPN, and DVRing the Saturday night line up that is a must watch for every person that wears a uniform with a badge and carries a gun...America's Most Wanted and Cops.
Right after Mr. Shagpiece said those words, A Verizon Fios commercial came on TV...FREE DVR for a year.
Surely, it was a sign.
He gave in (after I PROMISED to have my novel completed by the end of the week) and a few days later, the Verizon Fios Installers showed up.
They had manners. They had personality. They had a DVR and faster Internet connections. They had halo's over their heads and I'm pretty sure they didn't walk, they levitated.
Fios is no joke. When they say a better picture, they mean a whole hell of a lot better picture.
I didn't get my book done in a week...I mean, I did have to catch up on all the shows I've missed...Entourage, Project Runway...as well as discovering new shows, Pam, Girl on the Loose (not impressed-kinda boring), Generation Kill.
But now that I'm DVRing all my shows, watching them on MY TIME, the book is on track to be completed by August 31.
Every day I wake up and feel ecstatic that I have cable and a DVR once again. And dealing with Verizon has been icing on the cake. The only attitude I've received from them is great attitude.
I'll say it again; the Verizon guys not only made my day, they made my year.
And a special shout out to Mr. Shagpiece. I did NOT mean any of those things I called you after you hesitated when I suggested getting cable again.
Just as soon as I'm done watching all the episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm, I'll give you that massage I promised.

LaToya-Borders Book Store (Airport Square)

For some women, heaven is a shoe store.
For a writer (well, for this writer, anyway) heaven is a bookstore with a cafe.
At the Borders in Airport Square, North Wales, is an employee at the Cafe who is always very kind and often seems to be on her own, multitasking peoples orders without freaking out.
I'd be like, "You want a WHAT? Can't you see I'm already working on three frozen drinks and warming up two scones? Why don't you just get a freaking coffee and call it a day?"
Anyway, not LaToya.
KT has this thing for frozen drinks with whip cream...it's usually her 'big treat' of the week. A trip to the book store and a chocolate chip frozen drink.
Well, when LaToya made one for Kt-I think she ruined her for life. No other frozen drink could live up to the Mount Everst of whip cream and huge chunks of Oreo's in the whip cream.
It was a piece of dessert art.
KT practically levitated over it.
So thank you to LaToya for always being patient, sweet, and providing great customer service.
You made my day, but more importantly, you made KT's day.

Of Men and Meat

I love Wegmans. It's clean and spacious and they make the most fabulous things in the take away departments (bakery, deli, meats).

The other week, I stopped at the meat counter and asked the young guy behind the counter for a NY Strip, not realizing he was getting ready to leave for the day (which I should have realized because he wasn't wearing the uniform jacket). He asked if I was planning on grilling the steak and when I said yes, he wrapped the steak up, came over to where I was standing and told me he had the best recipe for grilled steak.
Now, I've been in sales before. I know a thing or two about leading the customer to a product, putting it in their hands, and hoping they will walk away with it.
However, this guy (I'd later learn his name is Matt), was not trying to sell me product.
He just loves meat. Er, not THAT way.
"Put some basting oil on the steak, some Kosher Salt, and season it with Wegmans pepper blend seasoning, sear it on the grill for about one - two minutes each side, then turn down your heat and finish cooking it the way you like it."
I looked for a name badge, and not seeing one, realized that he was either just starting or just ending his shift. When I asked, he said he was done for the day!Yet there he was, not running out the door; genuine and helpful.
I did stop a manager on the way out to tell her that Matt had been really great (and I hope we all remember to give credit where credit it due).
That very simple recipe turned out fabulous. Gordon Ramsay would have been proud.
I've stopped at the meat counter a few times since then, and have been helped by a variety of people, and all of them are just as helpful as Matt.
I'm not sure what's going on in the backroom, but whatever it is, it's working!
So thanks to Matt for not running out the door at quitting time, and for giving me a great, simple, steak recipe.
And thanks to everyone behing the meat counter - you guys (and GIRLS) are always very engaging and the most helpful department in all of Wegmans!

With Great Respect and Many Thanks

Dog Days of Summer

It doesn't take much to make my day really.
And isn't life supposed to be about the simple things as much as the big things (if not more).
This morning as I'm sitting at my desk, a lady walks by with four dogs. Each dog has a twin! This made me do a double take, and then it made me laugh.

Though I still had bed head, no shoes, smudged mascara, I ran out the door with my camera.

I just had to get a picture of this! It made me smile, perhaps it would do the same for others.

And that was Barb's introduction to me: Crazy lady with flat hair, coffee breath, waving camera manically and shouting "Excuse me!"

Barb was kind enough to stop and talk to me. The pugs and one black dog belong to her, the other black dog is temporary while his owner is away.

I have met most of my neighbor's because of my dog (usually by passing each other on dog walks, though there is the occasional "SORRY!" when I'm not paying attention to him when we're in the backyard). And I've discovered that much as people bond over sports teams, animal lovers are always willing to stop and chat.

So to Barb and her brood for making me smile (and it was a bit of a stressful morning), and to all the dog lovers who know that it only takes a wag of a tail to make your day...Cheers!

MARK (the server, NOT to be confused with the owner) - ROASTED PEPPER

The Roasted Pepper does not pretend to be fashionable nor is it pretentious. T walls are painted forest green; they are decorated wit old stage coach wheels and stars. You might expect someone to be singing "The Yellow Rose of Texas" in the kitchen, but you'd be disappointed.
It is located in Chalfont, Pa. Right on 202, a little past (or a little before- depending on the direction you're coming from)152.
No sir, we are not in Texas, but the Roasted Pepper does bring some of that home cooked Texas feel to it; made evident by a server/host/story teller named Mark.
He recommended the Chicken Parm sandwich. After I had one bite, I knew I could trust him. The sandwich, made by Debbie who wears many different hats, was fabulous.
I was meeting a client at the Roasted Pepper, who was delayed. Lucky for me, the Roasted Pepper was a bit slow during this Fourth of July week, and Mark entertained me. The kid (he's really not a kid, though he looks like a he's not old enough to by a 6 pack)has had two kidney transplants (at the age of 4, one of his kidney's failed), has been shot (it's a really long story, be sure to ask him if they're not busy,) and has survived all the crap life has thrown against his wall. None of that crap has stuck to him.
What was most remarkable to me was Mark's easy going outlook on life. You know how you meet some people and they might have a seasonal allergy disorder and that's all they can complain about? Well, Mark had a smile on his face when he was telling his stories, as if he was describing nothing more than floating down a lazy river in an inner tube. It's allllllllll good.
I'm always moved by people who shrug off life's tradgedies. That's admirable.
And is the Chicken Parm at the Roasted Pepper.

ARK ANIMAL HOSPITAL

Katie and I had just left the house. We were driving down the street, hadn't even reached the end of our block, when we saw something that made our hearts sink. A bunny had been hit by a car (it seemed) and its back legs were broken. The bunny was trying to drag itself over to the side of the road using it's two front legs.
Katie and I glanced at each other.
"What do you want me to do?" I wailed, thinking this was not a good start to our day. And knowing Katie, she'd want me to do something. I wanted to do something, but I didn't want to get blood everywhere or risk being bitten by a frantic bunny.
"Stop and pick it up! At least help it get off the road." Katie begged me.
There were two options. One - Do nothing and let nature take its course. Teach Katie that life sucks and living, dying, getting run over by cars, is all part of the show. I knew, though, that we'd both spend the rest of the day, the rest of the next few days, wondering about the bunny and feeling horrible. So, that was never really a choice.
Two - Go back, pick up the bunny, take it to the vet, and ask if they would quickly put it out of it's misery.
I turned the car around, parked, and Katie grabbed two plastic bags from the glove compartment.
The bunny was badly injured but still breathing. As I wrapped up the bloody bits, the bunny seemed resigned to its fate and didn't try to bite or fight in anyway. I had to fight back big tears (don't let the kid see you cry!). Katie got back in the passenger seat and I put the bunny in her lap.
"Just rub him right around his ears, it seems to calm him," I said.
She rubbed his ears gently and talked to him kindly as I swerved to avoid bumps in the road.
"You're sure you're okay with this, Katie?"
"Well, yeah. I want to be a vet so I'm going to have to get used to this kind of thing."
I drove to Ark Animal Hospital . Though I've only been there one time with Diablo, I remembered them as being very kind...from the receptionist to the assistants to the doctors, everyone was friendly and patient.
We took the bunny in and the receptionist thanked us for stopping to help the bunny, and assured Katie they would quickly put an end to his suffering.
We returned an hour later, camera in hand; Ark Animal had taken a really crappy incident and made a little girl feel a whole lot better about the way nature and humans work.
And this time around, Tim, the manager, was kind enough to give Katie a tour of the hospital.
And I have to say, Katie really made my day. She was so tender with the bunny, and kept her emotions in check, and was able to take a concept that boggles most us and chalk it up to 'just a part of life'. But that doesn't mean you can't be compassionate along the way.
So to Ark Animal Hospital, and to Katie, I say Thank You!