Ruby Tuesdays*

There are certain aspects of travelling that are the opposite of fun.  First off, you're stuck in a car for an extended period of time.  This generally doesn't bother me too much, but everyone needs to stretch now and then.  You also have to worry about stopping to pee to much.  With Mark on high blood pressure medication, this happens all too frequently.  Perhaps the worst part of long car rides is that you usually wreck your sleep cycle.  You either leave incredibly early or too late.  Either way, you end up driving during the night.  This, in turn, gives me an urpy*** tummy.  This particular problem is compounded by the fact that you're mostly eating fast food, in an attempt to reach your destination as quickly as possible.  Since I refuse to eat and drive at the same time, we either swap drivers when it is time to eat, or we eat at the restaurant.  Your normal sit down restaurant takes way too long, while eating in a fast food joint off of the interstate can be scary.  We've found a nice compromise with Ruby Tuesday.

As we were making our way to Florida for our weekend at Universal, the trip was largely uneventful, save the attempted vehicular manslaughter I was involved in.****  When we grew hungry, we started looking for somewhere to eat.  Since we don't have one at home, our first choice is Panda Express, if we happen to find one.  This night, however, we were looking for a Ruby Tuesday.

I know you're wondering why we would choose a Ruby Tuesday; let me tell you all the reasons:

1. Salad Bar - They are one of the last establishments that still has a salad bar and is not a buffet.  This means we can immediately begin eating!  Doing this is just as quick as eating at McDonalds.
2. No wait - We have never had to wait to be seated at a Ruby Tuesday, save one time.  They just don't usually have waits.
3. Meal Combos - There is a section on the menu offering combos.  You can get a bowl of broccoli cheese soup and the salad bar for a decent price, not much more than an upsized combo at the fast food joint across the street.  Usually, by the time we've finished our first or second trip to the salad bar, anything else we've ordered is arriving.  Be it sliders or soup, it comes out pretty quick.
4. Healthier - Now, I'm not saying my salad is particularly healthy, but it isn't deep fried.  Most anything I'm getting at Burger King and the like is dripping with grease.  When we choose Ruby Tuesday for a quick bite, my food tends to be a lot less revolting for my already urpy tummy.
5. Pasta Salad - There is some type of pasta salad on the salad bar that is just plain amazing.  Trust me on this, or go try it for yourself.  You'll like it.

Of course, there are some down-sides to stopping at Ruby Tuesday for a meal while travelling.  If you get a slow server, they can delay your speedy exodus.  Additionally, you may find yourself dawdling, as it's nice to be out of the car.  If you're my husband, the salad will probably make you have to "browse the internet".  Of course, he always has to do that anyway.

Next time you're driving somewhere long distance, give Ruby Tuesday a shot.  It's not as fast as fast food, but you'll feel better afterwards.  We didn't regret it, even though we didn't reach our destination until 2 or 3 am.  Mind you, this was after we both worked all day.  Ruby Tuesday was that good.

*For Friday, May 11th - We were travelling, so it made it hard to get a post up.**

**You can snicker because I talked about something being hard to get up.  Go ahead, I'm okay with it.

***For all intents and purposes, this is a word.  If you have a problem with it, you have obviously never watched Freakazoid.  I'm sad because this means we can no longer be friends.

****It was a bird.  He flew right at me and hit the windshield.  I cried hysterically for about twenty minutes afterward, all while refusing to pull over and let Mark drive.  I like to pretend the bird was okay, that he was just participating in extreme car surfing.  Mark prefers to think that the bird was trying to suicide bomb us.  Either way, birds should not fly at cars.

The Salon Experience - R Salon & Spa

In my previous post, I mentioned my lack of salon experience and expertise.  I'm not ashamed of my lack of knowledge, but it does hurt me at times.  About seven months ago, I visited R Salon & Spa in Myrtle Beach, and I was very happy with my treatment.  A nice gentleman named Everett game me a nice hair cut and some beautiful color.  I had a stranger stop me in Disney to comment on my  hair.  Everett was also kind enough to give me some suggestions to help me style my hair a bit more, but they were simple enough that I could follow them.  He directed me to a product that would help keep my ends nice, but he didn't try to sell me on it.  He actually just used it, and I asked what it was.  It was a great experience which caused me to go back.  Unfortunately, my return visit didn't go so well.

Let me say up front that I got a nice haircut and a good color job when I returned.  What I didn't get was the same treatment I expected.  See, I made a last minute appointment, so I couldn't specify that I would have liked to see Everett.  This was completely my fault, but I expected the other people working there to be as talented as he was.  I was wrong.

They young lady who took care of me was very friendly, but she lacked certain skills one would expect from a hair stylist.  Some problems were beyond her control, while others may have been subject to her sway.  At no point in time did she make me feel stupid or silly, but she did cause me a bit of pain.

She began by discussing color with me, and I pretty much gave her free reign.  I knew I wanted a red, but I wasn't overly picky.  I let her know that a purple red wouldn't work for me, as I work in a bank.  Aside from that, I was pretty pliable.  She chose a color that she felt would compliment me and make my eyes pop.  I believe she did a good job picking the color.  While it is a bit darker than I am comfortable with, it does look nice.  I applaud her to encouraging me to try it.

The first problem arose when she was applying the color.  She kept pulling my hair something fierce.  I didn't complain, as I know how unruly my hair can be.  Besides, I know she's doing her best.  No one intentionally causes pain to a customer.  I did notice that she was very thorough when applying the color though, which made me feel better.

She had taken a client who gave even less notice than myself, and it was very nice of her to take care of that lady.  It made for a long wait for me though, as she had to wash the other girl's hair out and do her cut while my dye set.  I happened to be reading reddit on my phone, so I was paying attention to the time.  I sat about fifteen minutes extra.  As far as I know, that's not too bad for my hair, but it was boring.  I must say that the other girls color and cut looked great.

When it was my turn again, the stylist washed my hair to remove the excess dye then took me back to the chair to dry and cut my hair.  Now, I have incredibly fine hair.  I have had it all my life, so I've learned to deal with it.  After shampooing and conditioning my hair, I have to use a wide tooth comb to get the tangles out of my hair.  Mind you, I am very cautious when washing my hair, as I try to avoid causing tangles in the first place.  I cannot run a brush through my hair until it is dry.

For some reason, the stylist had no idea how to work with fine hair.  She immediately grabbed a brush and started trying to brush my wet hair.  I know it was pulling and breaking.  It was very, very uncomfortable.  It didn't hurt, as she was very good at gripping it and only brushing below where she had hold of it.  Unfortunately, it still wasn't the right way to deal with my hair.  I spent the whole time worrying about how bad it was for me.  At one point, she commented that her boyfriend has dreadlocks and that you sometimes just have to get in there and go for it.  I would like to think that my fine hair, while a pain to deal with when wet, is nothing like dreadlocks.

After getting past the nightmare of dealing with my wet tresses, the stylist moved on to cutting my hair.  She did an excellent job, putting me in more of a blunt cut, which makes my hair look thicker.  She kept some layers around my face, which I really like.  All in all, the cut is great, just like the color.

The final nail in the coffin for R Salon & Spa was when it came time to pay.  For reference, when Everett did my hair seven months ago, I tipped him 20% and bought the product he used on my hair.  I believe the product was around $15, but it could have been more.  My total, including a 20% tip and a product was $121.  I know because I looked it up.  My total with the young lady I most recently saw was $115 before tip.  I complained in my previous salon post that I hate not having prices listed.  It is shady, and it doesn't seem right.  Maybe it's my fault for not discussing it up front, but I didn't expect a huge jump in price for a stylist that seemed less experienced.

Now, I'm sure some of my comments illustrate just how little I know about salons and how they work.  I know in some salons that the stylist rent chairs and choose what they want to charge, but it seems so inappropriate to haggle price for services.  For a hair cut and all over color, I was charged $115.  At the time, I thought it a bit high, but I wasn't too bothered.  It wasn't until I looked up what I was charged last time that I began to be truly upset.  Upon retelling my tale to others, I was assured that the price I was charged was ridiculously high.  I know Gio's Hair Design II in State College, PA has been kind enough to do my hair twice.  Both times, it was much less than $115 dollars.  The one time, it was around a hundred for my cut and color and a haircut for Mark.  They staff there was amazing too.  I wish I could find a salon like that down here.

In the future, I will renew my search for a salon that I am comfortable in.  My first experience with R Salon & Spa was wonderful, but this last trip left a bad taste in my mouth.*  The stylist I had gave me a nice cut and some good color, but she didn't strike me as overly knowledgeable about dealing with different hair types.  couple that inexperience with a high price tag, and I'll be looking elsewhere for my salon services.

*Jokes about a bad taste in my mouth will not be tolerated.

Hair Salons

Not having a ton of experience with hair salons, I don't know how valid my opinions are.  For example, I have not had anything done to my hair in over seven months.*  To give you a contrast, I work with a lady that goes every four weeks.  Her hair looks great all the time, so it definitely pays off.  Frankly, I think I'm too lazy to go to the salon often.  Add in that I'm cheap, and it's hair in a bun every day!

Lately, I've gotten annoyed with my hair.  I think it looks blah.**  I figured I could try to get a cut and maybe a color tonight.  Now, I'm not feeling real hot, as it appears I have an ear infection, but I have some plans this weekend where I don't want to look as blah as I do right now.  Besides, having someone else wash and do your hair can be relaxing.

I meant to call the salon first thing this morning to see if they could take me.  I had verified their hours via their facebook page yesterday.  They were supposed to be open until nine.  Well, I was very busy today and did not have time to call.  I finally called tonight, around 6:30.  Do you know what they told me?  They told me they close at 7!  Aside from the chain salons in the mall, everyone closes by 7 or earlier.  Now, I realize it's my fault for not planning ahead, but I didn't know we were going to have super awesome plans this weekend.  My question is why do they all close so early?  I know they close early because they can, but that doesn't make it any more convenient for me.

Furthermore, is there a reason they can't just give specific prices.  I was once charged extra for my haircut because my hair was long.  Now, it wasn't a charge for having to color longer hair or blow-dry longer hair.  It was just because I had longer hair.  How does that make any sense??  Frankly, I think it's unfair to charge extra for color just because my hair is longer.  My hair is incredibly fine, so someone with short, thick hair probably uses just as much hair dye as myself.

While we're on the subject of coloring hair, why would you ask me what I mean when I ask how much a cut and color is?  I didn't ask how much a cut and highlights was.  I didn't ask how much a cut and root touch up was.  I asked how much a cut and color was.  To me, that means I want to know how much my color will cost.  Of course, this is just due to my inexperience with salons.  When she asked me what I meant, I just didn't know what my choices were.  I needed a multiple choice answers to figure it out.

In defense of the many salons I contacted tonight, all of the people answering the phones were super nice.  The girl that asked me what kind of color I wanted was actually the nicest person I interacted with all night.  She deserves a fist bump.

I want to be like other grown ups, who have a salon they regularly visit, with a stylist who knows what they like.  Thus far, it hasn't worked out that way for me.  There was an amazing salon in State College that Tara the Awesome turned me on to, but I kinda don't live there.  I'm very sad about that, but that is a story for another time.

To sum up, salons are great because they offer to do things to my hair that I can't fathom how to do on my own.  I just need one that will recognize that I am as educated on their hair terminology as Mark is on tampons.

*Of course, I'm washing it.  I just mean no cut...no color...no anything special.

**Yeah, it looks blah.  Don't argue with me about the use of the word blah.  It got my point across, didn't it??

Film Critic Hulk

I love to talk about movies with anyone that will listen and cares.  I don't like to tell people about movies; I like to have actual discussions about them.  Learning how others perceive films and how it varies from how I see them is incredibly interesting.  My favorite customers at work are the ones that will talk about movies with me.  Sometimes, I find people online that have interesting viewpoints presented in unique ways.  Film Critic Hulk is one of those people.*

The first reaction most people have when they encounter an article by Film Critic Hulk is to wonder why it's all in caps.  For some reason, there are readers who can't get past that and constantly comment on it.  The use of all caps is to convey the Hulk personality.  So, it's funny at first, and once you're used to it, it only gets better.   I hear everything I read by him in a dopey Hulk voice; it makes me happy.

Some people, hung up on the caps, miss how wonderful his articles are.  He goes in depth but keeps it understandable.  The first piece of his I ever read was about Eat Pray Love.  Now, to be honest, I haven't watched that movie. It seemed so vapid, with a spoiled main character.  I have no real basis for these feelings, just a reaction to the trailers.  Additionally, I'm not a huge Julia Roberts fan, so there wasn't much there for me. When I read his article, I appreciated that he took the time to deconstruct something like Eat Pray Love.

Furthermore, his articles are often humorous.  Hulk speak aside, they are peppered with funny observations.  I've linked multiple pieces of his in the past, but I don't know if anyone has found an interest in his work.  If there was a stumbling block for the average reader, it is probably the length of the articles.  Many people don't have the attention span for more than a few paragraphs, but I assure you it is worth it, especially when he's writing about something you are already interested in.

Now, I encourage you to seek out here.  If you want a piece he's done for another site, check out this.  The second link is a bit shorter, but it talks about the recent Avenger's movie.  Tread lightly.  Remember, if you're interested in movies, Film Critic Hulk has some interesting things to say.  Check him out, and don't be scared away by the length of the articles.  The caps make them look bigger.

*Or superheroes.

Universal Studios Customer Service

For our anniversary, Mark wanted to take me to Disney for the weekend.  While that sounds great, it's actually quite expensive.  Can Disney be done cheap?  Of course.  Can I do it cheap?  Not really.  Do you know what is a great alternative that's a bit cheaper?  Universal Studios!


There were a few factors that actually led me to suggest we go to Universal that weekend, as opposed to Disney.  First of all, we could do it cheaper.  I only needed one day to see everything we wanted to see.  At Disney, I would leave feeling I missed something.  The shortest Disney trip I've done was two days, and I didn't get to visit all the parks, so I was a bit sad.  A one day park hopping ticket at Universal was cheaper than at Disney.


Staying at a Universal hotel that would give us extra access to the parks was much cheaper than any Disney hotel with the same perk.  Well, it was about $100 less to do Universal.  Now, that would have had us staying at the cheapest Disney hotel, which I didn't like when I spent a night there a year and a half ago.  See, that's part of the problem that I have with Disney.  I am a bit spoiled and don't like staying at the most inexpensive hotels.  We are a moderate resort family.


When I realized that I hadn't been to Universal in probably fifteen years and Mark had only been to one Universal Park, I thought it might be fun for us to do something together that was largely new to us.  Mark gets a kick out of doing new things, while I am happy with the same old, same old.*  I figured it would be more of a joint anniversary gift if we did something that would be fun for both of us.


Now that I've explained why I betrayed my beloved Disney, we can get on with this review.  Once the decision was made to go to Universal, I hopped on their website and tried to book the package I found that we wanted.  I kept trying and trying, but it was telling me there was a problem with my cards.


Now let me explain why I was using two cards.  I currently work at a bank.  I previously worked at another bank, which I left on good terms.  Those of you that know me already know this.  I try not to be that annoying person at work that always says "At my last bank..." when starting stories, but I'm sure it happens.  Since I liked that bank and I like my current employer, I have accounts at both banks.  I use one mainly for a fun savings, while the other is my working fund.  This meant I needed to tap two accounts when paying for this little getaway.


I knew there were funds in both accounts that exceeded what I was trying to draw out to pay for our trip.  After much frustration, I gave Universal Studios customer service a call.  I figured maybe they would be able to see more information regarding the error than I was.


The young lady I spoke to was amazing.  I'm used to the Disney level of customer service, and this girl was giving me a better experience than I usually get when talking to Disney.  That's saying something.  After I gave her the information, she recreated the package I had online and took my payment information.  She was getting the same error as I, but she realized it wasn't because of a lack of funds.  It turns out that when I moved and changed my address with the bank in Pennsylvania, they didn't update the address that my debit card was attached to, so when I input my zip code, it was rejecting the transaction.  The nice lady on the phone asked me to give her my previous zip code, and we were off and running!  She was so helpful and nice that I actually asked for her supervisor so I could give her the recognition she deserved.


I haven't posted my full review of Universal Studios yet, but I can assure you their customer service department is quite good.  Well, the girl I talked to was amazing.  I'm sure it could be a fluke, but I prefer to think that Universal has nailed the customer service aspect of their business.  If you have questions or need help regarding a trip to Universal, don't hesitate to call.  They're super friendly and helpful!


*AKA Disney

Buffalo Chicken Dip

The first time I had buffalo chicken dip was at work; we were having a fun food Friday.  Ms. Ronda brought it in, and it was amazing!  Since then, I've tried a few different versions, but none of them have lived up to the recipe Ronda gave me!

Usually, to make buffalo chicken dip the Ronda way, we take a brick of cream cheese, a cup of ranch dressing, Frank's Red Hot to taste, and shredded chicken and mix them together.  We then heat this magnificent concoction in the crockpot.  Frankly, I've ceased measuring anything for my dip.  I just keep adding the various ingredients until the dip tastes right and has the correct consistency.

It used to be a bit time consuming to make the dip because I would shred the chicken using a fork.  Sometimes, I'll  use rotisserie chicken; other times I'll use left over chicken from the last time we've been out. I have also cooked chicken thighs to use in my dip.

The best thing to happen to our buffalo chicken dip has been the Ninja!  If you have a Ninja food processor, you can just toss the chicken in, and the machine does all the work.  Now, it only takes a few minutes to toss together the dip.*

Not too long ago, Mark made buffalo chicken dip by himself, and it turned out great.  The most recent time he even added mozzarella cheese to it; it was a nice addition but not necessary.

The other great thing about this particular recipe is that you can leave it in the crockpot and snack at your leisure.  Having a party?  Toss this in the crockpot!  Additionally, it warms up great the next day in the microwave.  You can have it with crackers, chips, wedges of pita...whatever you like.

Give it a try sometime.  It's a fun and easy recipe that gives you a lot of freedom.

*No, not the dip from Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

A.N.A. Clothing

I really hate to shop for clothes.  First of all, sizes drastically change from store to store.  Heck, even in the same store, the sizes jump.  It's disheartening.  On top of that, it's not always easy to find something that you think looks good.  When you do, it isn't always flattering.  Finding complementary clothes that you like is difficult, but the A.N.A.* line at JCP helps a lot.

This particular clothing line isn't afraid to use color.  While I don't find many patterns, there are usually multiple colors of each design.  I have more than one A.N.A. shirt in multiple colors because when I find one I like, I am smart enough to buy an extra or two.

I wear a lot of my A.N.A. line clothes pretty frequently.  I'm happy to report that they wash up quite nicely.  One would worry that they quality would be poor since the price is pretty good.  Luckily, A.N.A. clothes are of a nice quality.

Finally, the A.N.A. line doesn't look like every other clothing line out there.  The tops are often unique and flattering on a variety of people.  They aren't always super tight, ridiculously low cut pieces.  You can wear them to work or out at night.  With the right accessories, the pieces are doubly useful.

I'll continue buying A.N.A. pieces as long as they stay so nice.  It's the first section I visit at JCP because I know I have a high probability of finding something that works for me.

*It stands for A New Approach.  I felt so smart when I realized that.