The "IN" Convenient Stores of ...Speedway...

So, I love Speedway! I've had one of their reward cards for years! They have great sales, they give you points for buying certain items, IE, water, chips, etc...you can redeem points for either freebies (like soda, chips, hot dogs which are actually pretty good, etc...) and they'll send you emails..in fact, here's a coupon for a free Powerade using this coupon and your rewards card HERE

You can earn for money off gas; so if you have 8750 points you can get .50 off gas.

Well, for some reason last time I went I not only had issues w/my Speedway card and my credit card, causing me to repeatedly go to the counter leaving my three kids and two dogs...It really disturbed me. Well, it seems that due to inactivity over 9 months as the Speedway near my house closed thus the inactivity. So, my old rewards card was canceled and I had to have a new one issued when I filled up my car. Turns out, I was able to salvage some of my lost points via their very friendly customer service that is available 8:30-5PM EST (New York time, btw). So, despite I had used the old one about three weeks ago and it registered...???? Weird. Anywho, I called Speedway, they replaced my old points but not the ones I had just earned (which were about 1200 points) and added them to my new card. Sigh....so, as I mentioned, aside from that blip Speedway has great rewards and I really think if you use them or are near one, go sign up and use it! And every, single, time you gas up, pull out your card from your wallet and scan it at the pump (as your little key thingy won't scan at the pump). Go to speedway.com and register that card...

Just don't leave it inactive for more than 6-9 months

Illinois Department of Unemployment hates parents of special needs children.

Well, that's the impression I'm getting as I endured a hateful, spiteful and angry little person who interviewed me last week. With the talking over me as this person asked me a question and demanding me to make a work search sheet (didn't suggest or mention, DEMANDED), the condescending nature of her call when I asked questions as I have no idea what this entails and where do I go to look for information and her demanded I find someone to take care of my kids which includes an autistic kid who also has seizures, just deal with it, leave my kids alone at home no matter what the schedule or time is and work...which I'd love to do, BUT I have no one to care for my kids. Literally, everyone works, child care for after school is expensive especially for special needs children with seizures. And now after receiving two courses of unemployment they are demanding I pay it back.

Doesn't this make the state of Illinois sound like a dictator state?

Wow, what else can this state do to us, right? Corrupt government, over taxation, nothing for kids w/high functioning autism, ah, jeeze I do not have the space to write everything wrong with this state. It saddens me that the little people who are vulnerable like us unemployed who have worked most their lives cannot reap some of the so-called benefits we actually paid into. Funny thing about politicians as well, a bit O/T? They think WE work for them....not the other way around. IDES and other tha work in the government sector need to remember that as well! OUR tax dollars fills up their gas tanks, pays for their kids meds, meals, school fees and care...uh, HELLO!

Just a it of a rant. And I'm STILL waiting for the Illinois Department of Unemployment to get back to me.

Busy, busy busy!!!

So much for blogitis!

I guess I'm kinda cured thanks so much to the business of dealing w/family, home, work, and just trying to keep my head above water with the fact that I'm middle aged and it's ridiculously impossible to lose weight!

I have so much catching up I've not even finished settling things and issues w/Comcast (still have dropped signals), Wonder Bread (an entire loaf was jacked, IE, the top of the crust was all off and hanging, getting stuck in our toaster), Home Depot (we supposedly bought a blueberry bush but it resembles a Huckleberry bush and I don't know for a fact and no one has an answer), Speedway (for some reason my Speedway club card was compromised and all the points I've accrued have been lost in the black hole of our good customer service) and giving kudos to Petco for doing such a fabulous job with our puppy. He looks like a cross between a show cocker spaniel, Gonk from Elvira; Mistress of the Dark and a cupcake. Smelled like one too!

I do have a great shout out re: hair care. I'm pretty anal about my teeth and hair, and I've discovered (like I'm Columbus or something...LOL) Macadamia Oil, Moroccon Oil and Matrix Silk Wonder Oil. When I color my hair I use L'Oreal's HiColor (Excellence) for dark hair as my hair is a rainbow of red, dark auburn, brown and white.

Yesh, I said white........EEEEK! I kid you not by the time my hair is more than half white I'm just gonna dye it all white ala Emmy Lou Harris.

Anyway...so I pour in the hair dye, the 40 max lift volume cream stabilizer, then along with all that add a total of 1/2 shot/ounce of Hask Macadamia Oil, Argan/Moroccon Oil and the Matrix Silk Wonder. Then, after all is rinsed off I use an after Argan Moroccon Oil based cream conditioner that I leave on my hair (for about ten minutes) as I do shower stuff and shower off all the hair dye and just give my bod an exfoliating scrub...very much needed at our age.

Then, when every thing is rinsed off and gently toweled dry (never rub your hair dry...it'll cause split ends) I let my hair dry naturally to a slight dampness and add the Ojon Damage Reverse Restorative Hair Treatment along with a couple of drops of all them there oils I mentioned, work it into my hair and dab on some Folicure Formula for thinning hair near my widow's peak...then really gently wrap and roll my hair into a loose bun to finish drying and give it a bit of a curl. No heat, nor curling irons....back in the day I used to use all that along with perming my hair into long, spiral curls. I put bleached blond streaks, used hair dryers on HIGH and let me tell you; heat can be good but too much? Uh uh....

Anyway...I am extremely happy with the results as have impressed various hair designers, who cannot BELIEVE I color my hair as it feels and appears incredibly healthy.

What...say....you?

IDES: No empathy, no manners...

No kidding.....

Just plain old ugly rudeness!

I had an interview today w/the IDES, and was met with a very irate, impatient, angry little person who made it a point to barrel over me verbally when I asked a question as, after all, this is the first time I've ever applied for unemployment. From everyone I've spoken to re: phone interviews they've NEVER been treated this badly. I thought the conversation was going to be short; I attempted at a bit of chitchat mentioning how I'm new at this & didn't get much sleep due to an ill child, but she was condescending and even barked at me, "what you think this is a joke? THIS IS SERIOUS! I'M SERIOUS!" I was asked if I applied for employment and had to be as descriptive as humanly possible even with her asking me "DO YOU HAVE PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE WASHING DISHES AND CARING FOR CHILDREN?" She asked what are my skills and I basically said I can do anything but she shouted, "ARE YOU A JUDGE? CAN YOU BE A JUDGE?" I asked, "are judges in need?" I mentioned how I applied for the above mentioned jobs as I need part time work to be with my children and she kept saying I was UNWILLING to work. I am NOT unwilling, I am UNable w/my children who get out of school at a certain time, I don't have daycare, cannot AFFORD daycare and no one in any DAYCARE facility will consider one of my kids due to their autistic nature and seizure disorder; therefore, I must be in the vicinity of my child if, God forbid my child happens to have a seizure. My interviewer made it a point to inform me basically that the system wasn't made to be perfect for me, therefore I have to work when asked and just deal with it.

Uh, yeah...I can now see why some people do go "postal" as the term goes.

Let me toss some numbers your way....

The unemployment rate in the US edged down in August to 8.1 percent, in the state of Illinois it's closer to 9 percent. Since the beginning of this year, the rate has held in a narrow range of 8.1 to 8.3 percent. The number of unemployed persons, at 12.5 million, was little changed in August.

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men (7.6 percent),
adult women (7.3 percent), teenagers (24.6 percent), whites (7.2 percent), blacks
(14.1 percent), and Hispanics (10.2 percent) showed little or no change in August.
The jobless rate for Asians was 5.9 percent.

The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to
as involuntary part-time workers) was little changed at 8.0 million in August. These
individuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because
they were unable to find a full-time job.

Via ABC News, the percentage of unemployment benefits dropped most likely due to exhaustion of benefits and/or people just not wanting to bother with being treated like some kind of nimrod bottom feeder. As is, this is a very demeaning thing one has to do to make ends meet until something better comes along...and let me tell you, with the lack of professional experience of being a dish washer or a child care provider or lunch room monitor, anything is better than unemployment.

I can see why a show like "Weeds" is so popular among the masses. Furthermore, a friend of mine mentioned about how people who are usually evil, nasty, rude, ugly spirited, etc...are usually the ones who are the most miserable; and misery LOVES company.

Comcast strikes again....

Now mind you, I AM actually a huge fan of Comcast; in fact, quite the Crusader of Comcast. I love the OnDemand, the free movies, the DVR, the fast internet when it works.....AAAND...they have some of the nicest customer reps and techs out there. When we first started with Comcast two years ago over DirecTV (whom I loved more at that time....) I was the biggest cheerleader for Comcast.

But their actual product really sucks. Seriously? And they're dipping into the cell phone service and home alarm system game? Your signal is jacked on a regular basis and we're going to trust our house and family based on our experiences? Uh....I think not!

So, this is in regard to my issues that I've had since June/July of last year...our service has been horrible! Signal drops constantly with all of our triple play services. In fact, as of late I've been trying to win some money off a radio contest and as I was dialing I was cut off a couple of times due to a dropped signal. The cable goes out constantly, and the internet drops as I'm blogging, or couponing...then if it drops as I'm printing a coupon it shows that I've already printed the coupon when I've actually not done so...and that upsets me terribly, especially if it's a really great coupon.

Back in June of this year I blogged about how Comcast was the only cable company in our area until now; with UVerse via AT&T and I've heard RCN is coming with an internet package as well that I'm about to look into, so thank God we'll have choices and Comcast won't have the monopoly on cable/pay for TV services.

At any rate, my post was met w/a comment from none other than a Mr. Mark Casen, National Customer Operations for Comcast. I was more than surprised especially at the fact that he asked me to email him so we can get our problems resolved.

Well, you KNOW I had to double check and make certain this was legit...because you just don't know how many weirdos can pose as someone asking for your email and account info, what have you...and I just give it up willy-nilly. Anyway....

Well, I ended up being careful w/not only the phone call to Comcast but thorough research re: Mr. Casen, and have found Mr. Casen did in fact comment on my blog...but I wasn't quite convinced.

I called Comcast with my usual problem (IE, dropped signals w/all the above: phone, internet, cable) and was chatting w/"Lovely" (name changed to protect the innocent) who lived up two her pseudonym. Did you ever see the commercial for Discover Card where the two women are chatting it up like sisters; one a customer and one a rep. and they're going on about how they hate that robotic voice, it's nice to speak to a human, blah blah..and then the customer forgets what she called for? Well, that's usually me w/Comcast customer service. Chicagoland area Comcast customer service reps ROCK!

Well, "Lovely" and I had nice chat and she cleared up the Mark Casem deal up for me and even emailed Mr. Casen personally giving him the info of my issues, IE, dropped signals since last year, at least 8 techs over, three different DVR boxes, yadda yadda and how this was on my blog....blah blah. Well, as I was transfered from "Lovely" to schedule ANOTHER tech (our 9th tech in the front room as we; uh...type?) to come by and whilst on hold, Mr. Casem calls me, tells me of my plight, and to not only resend the details of what is and has been wrong but the link to my blog.

So, once again our tech checked signals...things seem fine but he did give us a "modem light 101" lesson where he informed us of certain lights going off or on and what that means, thus a problem or not.

Just in! Our tech was told we "cancelled" our request despite I OKed it via automated Comcast system last night and this morning....AAAARGH! The tech was a bit upset as he won't get paid for the call but we told him to tell his dispatcher to call us and verify he spent 40 minutes with and I took it upon myself to call customer service with this info and the rep stated we DID CANCEL the appointment (huh?) and it was stated by us that everything was in working order (Say what?) and when I informed said rep that the tech was already here, and he was informed he "wasn't" and won't get the credit for this call, she wanted to send me ANOTHER tech (????? Aye....
Dios....Mio). Uh, no, not happening...and is not the case. I verified the auto call to confirm our appointment last night and this morning. Cheese and crackers, I feel like I'm dealing w/my Aspie son with the repeating, and repeating...and more repeating. AAARGH! Another thing I get to tell Mr. Casen along with the fact we've still not been credited three $25 credits that were promised, including the latest one where "Lovely" put it through the system last Friday.

Seriously? Who the hell has the time to pussyfoot w/Comcast? They put you on hold as they try to rectify the problem, call at inconvenient times and messed up me picking up my kids on numerous occasions as well as disturbed meal times where our dogs ended up eating more than my kids....it's maddening! And too constant...and making me seriously reconsider our options.

So now we wait...and see.

Options? Well, if you get a great internet service via Clear or AT&T you can fire your cable/satellite company and use your computer with services like Netflix, Hulu, and various others as well as looking into local business that provide a monthly fee (like our area has a small DVD shop called "The Video Strip" where for about $10 a month you can rent unlimited movies). Then if you use a cell phone with unlimited browsing you don't even have to have an internet provider; just tether your laptop to your cell phone....So take into consideration:


With even the basic cable package you'll be paying (if you bundle the trifecta, IE, internet, cable and phone) along with the DVR payments, insurance to keep your stuff functioning, HD charges (which is included when you pay for the whole Magilla, which...we have) you'll pay (in the Chicagoland area) w/all them there wonderful taxes that aren't funding much of anything) about $150.

Well, if I'm going to get misfunctiong and lousy product with what's supposed to be one of the best cable companies around what's the point of paying so much for exactly the same....thing?

What say you?

The whitest teeth are made using.....

So, FYI this is according to my OWN extremely scientific study which entailed of me brushing for two weeks with each of the shown toothpastes. Also, just so you know not a single one of these companies are giving me any compensation. This is just FYI....however, I did use copious amounts of both store and manufacturer coupons, thus giving me quite the amazing discount! First, we'll start with:

Colgate Optic White. I was able to use said coupons w/a sale that gave me three tubes gratis! Now, for one week ONLY I (as according to the packaging claims, their toothpaste will whiten teeth within a week) did the usual brushing...ladeedah...twice/three times a day...whatever, well; actually, I think I missed a day due to being self-medicated for my knee w/a nice cold glass of a dark ale. Perhaps it was actually five pints...I forget. Mind you, I am a coffee/soda drinker (coffee pretty much every day) and a smoker...plus I'm closer to middle age than Middle Earth, so ya know I have some age....

Then, I went to the Crest 3D White Vivid, did the same and missed a day or two as well and paid a whopping dollar for three tubes w/same said coupon procedure.

Then, last but not least I finished up w/Rembrandt Dazzling White I had an old sample of sitting at the bottom of my toiletries shoebox I was organizing.

Well, here is what I've noticed re: these products.

Some work really well, some don't do "jack" except make your breath smell minty..and some kinda sort work.

According to MY very scientific experiment I found that the Colgate did not work in whitening my teeth. Now mind you; according to "their" claims, Colgate states Optic White has the same active ingredients as whitening strips. Well....I beg to differ. The pretty red packaging made me use this first and I really was rooting for Colgate...and I'm usually not a fan of the color red but I liked the idea of a "red carpet" mentality for the TV ad. Now it did leave my breath fresh; not as fresh as I'd like since I still smelled like a minty smoking coffee pot after one of each and breathing on my official tester (AKA, my husband). Uh...whitening? Not quite...it hardly made a difference. It was as if I used a stronger and brighter tasting version of my usual w/out the excessive baking soda taste brand of toothpaste. The tube was easy to maneuver w/a flip top cap, the paste had a soft consistency, somewhat grainy, smelled medicinal, and had much more of a bite in the taste, IE, burnt my tongue a bit which was very uncomfortable. Price wise if you have stackable coupons you can get this for close to nothing as the ballpark price is $2.49 for a 4 oz tuber.

Next after a week break I tried the Crest 3D Vivid, which claims whiter teeth and removal of up to 80% of most stains within 2 weeks...well, I only had one week and I actually saw results....in one week.


ONE WEEK! A friend of mine who is working on taking the stains from years of coffee/ciggies off her teeth and after using Crest 3D I've noticed a big difference in her teeth. Well, hells bells I was sold. I love the bright and big blue box! It reminds me of a Blu-ray DVD. Plus, I LOVE blue! The paste came out easy like soft frosting with a flip top cap, the consistency of the product was soft and creamy...not too spicy re: taste and left a really bright and fresh taste in my mouth even after a ciggie and coffee....according to my scientific official tester. Price is comparable to Colgate w/a ballpark price of $2.99 for a 5.8 oz tuber, then get you stackable coupons...badda bing, voila, yadda yadda...

Then....I tried the Rembrandt.

Now mind you, Rembrandt was a bit more extensive with its directions (IE, specifically brush for about 2.5 minutes and leave on w/out rinsing for another 2.5 minutes..something like that) PLUS it's a four week program. Also, it was a sample. Now what in the name of all that is holy is Rembrandt thinking giving ONE sample of an item you need to use for 4 WEEKS? Humpf! Well, I only gave a timeframe of one week...and with all that plus instructions on putting on a hat (J/K), and would you believe the results? Amazing! My teeth got even whiter w/in a week but my breath didn't feel as fresh as it did w/the Crest 3D. I was excited about the results though. From what I've seen online the packaging is somewhat medicinal looking, as if it's a product from a dentist office...not that I mind that but that's what I thought when I look at the Rembrandt. The paste was really thick and a bit hard to get out of the classic tube (IE, not a flip top tube), grainy and had both a medicinal taste and smell. My mouth didn't burn with this paste either and it made my breath fresh and teeth smooth like glass, but it was a bit of a pain to deal with the 2-3 minute timeframe you need to make this product work. Price is (ballpark) around $12 for a four week supply.

So, my verdict? I personally like the way Rembrandt whitened my teeth pretty quickly, but since I only had a week to test and it was after using the other products and if that's the case re: why my teeth got whiter, than...bully for me! My teeth are whiter and if I skip a day I just use both Rembrandt and Crest 3D...heh, heh.... Overall, re: price and effectiveness, I believe I'll take the Crest 3D if I had coupons and really needed toothpaste, otherwise I'll invest in Rembrandt.

Don't BELIEVE the HYPE....to make millions of dollars a month online....

I have no idea where my son found that image, IE, the toilet w/the word "Hype" but it's hilarious! And so true! After losing one of my patients I know have scads of part time gigs so I was looking for something re: making money online and researching and...let me tell ya...I almost DO believe the hype. Granted, I'm not a complete idiot, and can read between the lines and can tell the distinct smell of manure in the air even on the internet...but I digress. I have come across scads and scads of sites that tell you need to do absolutely nothing to earn all this money...monthly...daily...by the second of the day...whatever! It's obvious you can't get something for nothing...unless if it's a sample sized item you obtain from a company.

And as I research the sites and programs to see if they're scams I almost always end up with another link to ANOTHER site saying this site is not what is seems and before you buy or deal with this company, LOOK HERE FIRST!!!

Well, I can't look here first because I already looked elsewhere first, then second, and then as I'm here on the 59th site, now I'll look here, thus making this one 60th...argh! They tell ya not to believe and buy into the hype, but then again there they are hyping all over ya...and making promises to you after you pay the something something .99 you'll be earning in no time....with the fine print waaaaaay at the bottom and not visible unless you click on your toolbar and hit "view" and zooming over 400% stating "these results aren't typical." Basically, don't expect to make scads of moolah...especially sitting around on your butt....doing nada.

OK, so look; I'm not saying they're all out to scam the crap outta us...which is actually the case for some....and fyi, from I'm reading and studying, researching, etc....it's not all easy...it's work after all; you ARE earning an income...so earn it. I think everyone just wants to kick back, lay on a raft and just laze about in a pool in the backyard of their mansion and just let money come in without any effort....so the closest things that do that are the Kardashians and Paris Hilton to name a ..but realistically speaking...they do work quite a bit to make themselves the household name they currently hold. I mean, trust me,, I have absolutely no desire to watch or see anything w/either of those names on 'em, but I do give 'em credit for working it.....marketing their image in any way possible.

So what is the verdict?

Well, ya wanna make a living in any capacity, whether it's your hobby or something online? OK, there IS free info...you just have to do lots of researching and googling to find it...but apparently it's out there according to 57 of the 60 sites I've fallen upon and it's readily available for us to see.....HOWEVER.....you're still going to have to put in minimal effort if that (most likely more) to earn a decent amount of money.....

What say you? I KNOW I'll be hammered with loads of crap re: JOIN OUR COMPANY!! MAKE BAZILLIONS OF DOLLARS FOLLOWING OUR EASY STEPS WITH JUST A SINGLE INVESTMENT OF $23.97 right now! Ugh...whatever.....