Happy Thanksgiving all ...

For the first time in years I spent this holiday at home. Mom and I just got up this early, cooked, relaxed and had the best Thanksgiving dinner ever! We usually cook for family and friends or end up going to someone elses house. When we cook for others, we are soo busy running around making everything perfect for everyone else and playing hostess, we don't get much time to really enjoy our super clean home or the hella good food. When we eat elsewhere, depending on whose house we visit, the food may not be as good as if we did it ourself. So this year, I am thrilled to have time to relax right here in my own space.

The amount of emails I have been receiving about Black Friday sales has become a bit overwhelming. While it may be hard to believe, I have never been to a Black Friday sale. I've never stayed up all night camped out to purchase anything, EVER. I've never gotten up before the sun to catch a sale either. This year almost became my first Black Friday experience but luckily I found what I wanted already on sale today. The only item I wanted was this HDTV and it's already been purchased and will be delivered. So while many of you will be shopping tomorrow morning I will be in bed chillin. I prefer to shop without fighting for parking spaces, elbowing through crowds of people (which isn't expected this year). Don't get me wrong, I know many of you enjoy Black Friday shopping. I've heard the stories of family bonding and all that jazz. If that's the case, enjoy yourselves and be safe. There are some real idiots out there.

Reunited with Mr. Advanced-Jerk-Step-Instructor ...

Thursday after work I was convinced by a coworker to join her at the gym. Now I haven't gone to the gym for damn near half a year (sad right?). I had such a rough day I decided I would go ahead and get over my workout intimidation so we headed out. The intent was to go in, get in about 30 minutes of cardio (treadmill or elliptical) and get out.

When I got out on the floor I stepped up on the treadmill and for some reason got really nervous. I have no idea what triggered it but i got off and decided to go with the elliptical. So about 25 minutes into my stride who do I see walking behind me, Mr. Advanced-Jerk-Step-Instructor. We caught each others eye and smiled in that "oh its YOU" sorta way. Well, after gliding away on the elliptical, I started feeling much better about being in the gym and for some crazy reason I decided it was time to attend step class. I finished my "warm up" and headed right upstairs to his class.

When I walked in I was greeted with a "WOW its been months how have you been and where have you been?" That's when I was convinced, for sure, I needed to take the challenge. I informed him that he had 2 minutes of my time and not to get comfortable with me being in there past 5 minutes. We exchanged a few smart remarks which everyone found comical. He asked for beginners to raise their hands, which I did raise mine and he told me to put mine down. He made it clear that the class was advanced and that he didn't mind if folks left in the middle and encouraged everyone to keep coming back. Now he didn't do all that when I started with him months ago so someone must have said something to him. My coworker joined me and before you know it I was basic left, basic right, L step, pivoting with the best of them.

My coworker bounced out after about 5 minutes. I lasted 20 minutes. That was satisfying enough for me and yes I will be back next week. I was sore the next day but I wasn't bent over with pain so I'm in better condition than I thought. Dude isn't that much of a jerk to me anymore I actually appreciate his class much more than many of the other instructors. So from now on I will refer to him as Mr. Advanced-Step-Instructor, sans the Jerk.

www.tiredoftheblogger.com/blahtemplates ...

These templates on blogger have been around for years. I've spent plenty of time searching the web looking for a decent, classy, easy to upload template to spice up my page. My search has resulted in everything from the boringly basic to extremely complex. I've found plenty of blogger templates that while I would love to use, a fee was required. These designs not only require payment but also insist that I tag someone stranger's name on my blog which just doesn't work for me. What's the point of going through all that trouble to make this blog uniquely mine but allow someone else to sign off on the look of it? So I decided to come up with my own template.

I've actually started studying web design again for my job and what better place to practice my HTML and graphic skills than here? So I will be playing around with the template for a while.

I'm not slamming Blogger (wait, yeah I am) so never mind that thought. I know things could be worse. They could get the bright idea to start charging all types of fees to blog. But hey, I'm just saying, it would be nice to have more options in the layout department.

Service me like you mean it ...

Customer service is truly a lost art. I have discussed this with many friends and associates. I've even bonded with strangers in service venues because of shitty/shotty work. However, I have had the best experience with just about everyone I've done business with this past week.

It all started with an accident the week before my birthday. The guy that hit my car stayed, admitted fault and was very cooperative which was something I didn't expect. We didn't argue or fuss over who's fault it was, he did nothing to try and shift blame which in these rough economic times is rare. Even when his insurance company acted a fool with me by trying to find that 1% fault of mine for them not pay for the damages, he still insisted that he was at fault.

To expedite the process I went through my insurance company to get my car fixed and they recommended RPM Autobody in Laurel, MD. It seemed a bit out of the way but they happened to be right next door to Enterprise. The guys did everything to fix my car at a reasonable price and even fixed a few issues for free. Enterprise gave me $50 back to secure my satisfaction. So all in all I had a great experience.

So with my car almost like new, ankle heeling and after a long work week I decided to treat myself to a pedicure. I went to my new favorite nail salon, and they gave THE BEST Spa pedicure. My manicurist even came over and gave me a complimentary cuticle treatment and massage during my pedicure. While waiting for my polish to dry, I noticed a few flyers for a salon. Most nail shops have flyers and cards for other businesses and normally I pay them no mind. But with my my nails and feet feeling and looking good it only made my undone and very neglected hair stand out even more. I took a chance and decided to check the salon out. I had one of the best experiences. I even took a chance and let the stylist cut my hair. I will definitely keep the numbers of all these businesses and recommend them to anyone that asks.