Arm and Hammer's new deoderant sucks.

"My, grandma; what a big...uh...container of deoderant you have..." LOL! Wow. It IS quite huge, init?

OK then.

You heard right. I am incredibly disappointed. We recently purchased this newer type of deodorant from Arm and Hammer called "Essentials Natural Deodorant" and were very excited as we be biggin' fans of Arm and Hammer products (the original deodorant, the laundry soap, I use baking soda for almost everything from cleaning to cooking, and...so forth. In fact, if you want a great tip on how to get your whites really white, hit me w/a message or comment and I'll tell ya my secret!!), and the price is a buck at this time at Jewel/Osco, and with a 50cent coupon? Uh, hello?

We have a bit of a concern re: aluminum products in our deodorants and the possible connection to Alzheimer's. We've been pro-active in finding a deodorant/antiperspirent. We saw on a TV show on ION where a young man mentioned deodorants with aluminum don't allow the toxins to be released as you sweat, which is what you need to do when you sweat especially near your nodes. So we finally were thrilled to find Arm and Hammer have a product that has no aluminium yet touts being an anti-perspirant/deodrant.

It does not work at all.

After wearing it for all of an hour it proved it's lack of efficiency; IE, I sweated like mad still, it has a really strong scent before you put it on then an odd aroma (we purchased the scented version) after you wear if for a while. The aroma or "smell" resembles a really bad air freshener, you know the kind that restaurants have in their bathrooms....and gets worse the more you sweat. And you will sweat. You sweat bad...and you stink. And you (well, I do most certainly) smell....and I smell bad....very, very VERY bad. Like stinky old socks that have been on a homeless guy who's walked the entire planet starting with Africa. In fact, I actually smelled worse wearing this product than foregoing deodorant, which I'd rather do with just a touch of powder under the ole' pits.

According to their web site, ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda Essentials Deodorant ingredients consist of natural plant extracts to absorb and fight odor (nope, don't work...see above). Essentials® Deodorant does not contain aluminum, parabens, colorants or animal-derived ingredients (Arm and Hammer doesn't have animal ingredients? Who's ARM is in it then?). This fragrance is sure to leave you feeling fresh (initially when you first put it under your arms) and clean (not really) with its blend of sparkling citrus (what sort of citrus?), fresh lavender (lavender? Naaaah....not lavender. I wear lavender body spray, I have lavender potpourri, body creams/lotions that I use regularly; I grow lavender, I live in lavender! Think I like it a little bit?) and soft florals (the scent is anything but soft...what sort of flower do they speak of? Plastic flowers?). Furthermore, AM/ED has according to the ingredient list triclosan which is is an anti-bacterial in AB soaps and hand sanitizers that contributes to bacterial resistance.

So, uh...yeah; not on my top list of products I'd buy for even a .25 with a coupon. Just too bad of a product.

What say you? Have you tried this as of yet? Did it work for you or no? Hit me back w/a comment!

US Cellular as bad as Comcast

Anyone else have bad experiences w/US Cellular? They really have crap phones as they offer free battery swaps (well, past tense; now it's 4 per year per account) but that had me thinking. Why would they offer that? It makes me really think twice about using this company when our contract is up.

So along w/the crap service we have w/Comcast I caught a commercial that now offers cell service AND home security. With all the problems we've had and other customers continue to have, now Comcast wants to give home security? Seriously? I surely wouldn't trust Comcast w/my life, home, etc....

The evil-ness that is Serta bedding.....

Or "may" be Serta depending on how they finish our issue. I may have a change of heart....

So, we participated in a 2012 President's Day sale via Macy's where the Serta beds that are originally $899 were on sale or $297!!!! Wowsers!!! Aaand...with all my research re: said beds along w/other beds that were on sale during the same time I found via the internet, Consumer Reports, other blogs, etc...that a Serta is actually the best out of all them there beds aside from getting one of them space-age Sleep Number/Tempur Pedic-esque beds that start @ $1000 and up.

So, we were EXTREMELY happy with our Serta and even got a free little sheep that I've had to keep under lock and key away from the wee ones...as I AM a stuffed animal fan even at my ripe old age of... over 18.

We had a 90 day warranty from Macy's, but since the "incident" occurred just after that; turns out we needed to make a report to the Serta customer services reps. We were told if there was significant damage that had nothing to do w/how our bed was set up, it was covered under their 1-10 year limited warranty.

Turns out our bed which is a queen was set up properly, IE, in a queen frame w/the middle support bar. We didn't stand nor do w/stand on it nor allow the kids to jump on it; we don't even let the dogs on our bed.

So thus came the incident: we broke our bed. Not in any fun way mind you...dang! We were just getting down for the night, I on my side my ball/chain on his when we heard a 'CRAAAAAAAAAACK!'

Turns out the boxspring which is totally made out of a cheap pine type of wood broke in three places; in the middle where it rests on the support bar (this was the supporting beam of the boxspring) and two breaks near the head of the bed.

So, today the official Serta Bed Inspector (who really has that title? What sort of training do you need to be an official Serta Bed Inspector? Can you imagine someone telling one at a bar or a single mingle...."uh, yeah; I'm an official bed inspector for Serta customers.' ?? LOL! I'd probably laugh in his face but it's out there, yo! Wonder if that's happened at any single mingles; I must find out!). The inspector didn't even have to look twice; he saw all the damage; assessed our situation and the manner of how the bed was placed and voila. Well, we're now waiting for our replacement which will be w/in a week and I shall post the happs of that...promise!

Losing a friend thanks to boobs....

Yes, you read correctly. I'm in the midst of losing a friend due to my....uhem, boobs. From what I understand according to a very close family member of hers (her name shall remain hidden to protect the idiocy of said individual. Hey, she doesn't read my blog and if she did I have no prob w/her reading THIS) has informed me I make it a point to show off, flash, shimmy, shove my enormous boobs down everyone's throat w/my cleavage revealing blouses, etc.... ???? This individual even went so far to mention I most likely had them "done," thus the enormity of my boobs.

FIRST, I have NOT had my boobs done. If I had them done I'd get other stuff done, IE, liposuction, chin tuck and total mommy make-over due to my baby girl who was a ten lb ham when I gave birth via C-section. My boobs? They're gynourmous due to breastfeeding two kids over a year. I have to wear a bra in the double digits well over the letter "C" and each cup resembles a bowler's hat; and my back hurts all the time, it's a huge pain in the butt as my top is a totally different size than my bottom so dress buying is almost useless... and I'm not thrilled when I notice as I'm speaking to the male gender of our species they sometimes tend to speak to my boobs and make very little eye contact. Furthermore, I wear frickin' t-shirts and scrubs for the most part. Very rarely do I wear "sexy" clothing as I'm middle aged and don't really feel sexy running after two kids, two dogs, a goof-ball DH and my patients. And I actually don't have any "sexy" clothing. I love dresses, have several and some maxi/hippie/sun dresses tend to be a bit top revealing, but it's nothing out of the ordinary. It's not like I'm going to the AVN Awards w/Shyla Stylez.

So basically, this slightly older, immature, menopausal, terribly insecure, petty, sophomoric idiotic twit doesn't want to be friends with me anymore as it's very inappropriate how I present myself to the general public regarding my "dirty pillows." I, being of a "certain age" despite I have little children should be ashamed of myself, consider and remind myself I'm not under 25 anymore, take heed and cover myself and not "shove them" in everyone's face.

?????

Hey, where's my burqa?

Apparently, it bothers her so that she's expressed this to other friends' of ours as well as family members whom I'm friends with and think she's insane for feeling this way. I initially thought it was some sort of joke because she has a wicked and warped sense of humour....kinda like mine which is why we bonded back in the day; we were friends! We were great friends. We went out, did things together w/my family and hers, facebooked and IM each other when we were in the same room and laughed about it. We gave help when needed and support, and shoulders to cry on and even lent out our significant others to help out with moving big furniture, opening jars, killing bugs, etc.

But alas; its not a joke as I kept getting the same, exact story not from just one, but several people. And she's not returned a single phone call from me.

What a sick, sad person. And a coward for not having the balls or the "boobs" as it were to tell me to my face how she felt re: my boobs. But then again, if she did have the balls/boobs to "kindly" mention my boobs are a bit on the revealing side, perhaps I would have gone off on her. Perhaps I would have listened to her, depending on the manner in which she could have chosen to express herself. I know I would have listened to her and taken a long, hard look in the mirror to second guess myself once again as that's what I tend to do; and then I'd be hard on myself as I usually am due to the second guessing and lack of security on my part. Hell, we all have a bit of insecurity on some level. Mine's not as insane as hers.

You know, now that I'm getting older, I am a lot less tolerant of manure from people. I also am coming to a realization re: humanity. Basically, if I have low expectations of certain people...perhaps people in general, then I won't be disappointed or surprised. I've also noticed that I can't put too much thought into the negative people give out not only toward me and my family; just drop the negative crap all together.

And laugh it off, then move on.

So that's exactly what I'm doing with this tidbit of life that initially caused some concern, some sadness at the fact that I'm losing what I thought was a great friend (no longer an issue) and disappointment; I'mma gonna chalk it up to hormones and possibly mental illness on her part ...then just laugh it off....move on, and if I never hear from her again...I know why.

COMCAST: The evil, monopoly of pay TV services.

Anyone else have problems with Comcast?

We have had for a year pretty much nothing but problems. Connection issues, calls dropping, crap TV reception, and changes to our account w/out our consent. We're filing a claim against them via the attorney general's office since they're "revamped" their sports packages, thus you have to purchase various games during which ever season instead of them being a part of the package....and as we're under contract and since they're made adjustments against our will and w/out our knowledge, is it not a sort of breech of contract?

Aside from the sports channels which is what we're really all about, you can get TV cable services via your Wii, XBox or blu-ray player. Just get yourself decent internet service via AT&T for about $30 a month....and the rest?

Well, along w/your HDTV tuner that will tune in your local channels, HULU, Netflix, online via youtube, etc... or using the networks websites are available via computer or your blu ray player granted you have internet services.

My friend who owns a DVD rental shop has a program for $10 a month similar to Netflix, IE, unlimited renting of movies...and they deliver!

Then using a Magic Jack connection for abt $30 a year? Pfffft! That would cut our bill more than half!

I am seriously considering ending my relationship w/Comcast but good.

What say you?

To hell w/the NATO Summit! You CAN do stuff in Chicago, yo!

So, aside from that ridiculous news coverage about how horrible the NATO Summit is here for us Chicagoans due to so many protesters making their way by the bus load to our fair city and to "ground zero" which is McCormick Place, there is no WAY I will venture out to the downtown area...but then we have to be on watch for our areas as what's even more ridiculous the "protest" that occurred on May 15th which leaked into our neighborhood; infuriating all of us to the point where an 80 yr. old senior citizen punched one of the unruly and disruptive protesters for knocking down his garbage cans.....so my point?

There's plenty to do in the city w/out having to go to the downtown area or to one of the many casinos Michigan and Indiana have to offer. This will also give you a chance to wander around your neighborhood, see what you've been missing...and patronize the small businesses in your area.

First of all, the entire Museum Campus will be closed for the NATO Summit.

The Field Museum will be closed Sunday and Monday, The Shedd, the Planetarium and Art Institute will be closed the entire weekend.

The Glessner House Museum, Culteral Center and Clarke House Museum will be closed only on Sunday.

The Lakefront Trail will have alternate routes this weekend: Northbound-you'd take 39th to State, State to Balbo then off to the rest of the trail; vice-versa for southbound.

Now for what's open and things to do, well; see below!

Do a pub crawl! Get your momma/dad friends or if you're single, get your homies out together and hit them bars off each Metra or CTA stop. Just make certain you have a DESIGNATED DRIVER or scratch to get your butt home whether you use a cab or public transportation. When I get the chance I'm going to figure out all the bars/clubs, etc...that are off Metra and CTA lines so you can plan your own pub crawl. As of now, I'm aware of several bars off the Burlington Northern line starting with the Harlem stop w/James Joyce Irish Pub just east of Harlem. Irish Times and Phil's Sports Bar is off the Brookfield Metra stop. The LaGrange stop has lots of options such as Palmer's and Al's Chophouse along restaurants, spas and shopping.

Speaking of "pub crawl" and bands, a friend of mine who's band is called "Delivery Point" will play their fusion of jazz, blues and R&B covers at Outriggers at 15917 S. Harlem in Tinley Park. There is no cover, free parking, an extensive seafood menu and full service bar. "Delivery Point" will be playing Friday and Saturday starting at 7:30PM. CHECK 'EM OUT! I'm gonna try to make it so if you see me, "hollar" at me!

The Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture will be open, located at 6500 South Pulaski; admissions- adults-$5, kids-under 12/$2, seniors and students w/ID-$4. Were you even aware we (IE, Chicago) has the largest population of Lithuanians outside of...Lithuania? Bet ya didn't know that....

Lincoln Park zoo...free and open! Check it out!

Brookfield Zoo is easy to get to via Metra or car.

As of now, from what I've researched the Chicago History Museum is open.

If it's not sold out the White Sox will be playing the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Since I live in the McKinley Park area of the city, it's not too bad re: what to do. We have a great big park to hang in, Lindy's Chili is on Archer and Western and they've just revamped not only their menu but their facility. There are several taco joints all up and down Archer Avenue as well. We're right off the CTA Orange line and have a diverse community that's safe to walk around. Plus, with the 62 Archer running often we can make a bus trip to LaGrange to go to a movie....

In fact, there are also several local movie houses to check second run movies; good price and good trip away from downtown. These locations are readily available via CTA or Metra:

The LaGrange Theater Easy to get to via Burlington Northern Metra or CTA.

The Logan Theater Off the CTA Blue Line's Milwaukee stop.

The Music Box In the Lakeview neighborhood.

The Davis Theater in Lincoln Square; off both the Metra and CTA as well.

Along with these theaters you're bound to find great places to eat, shop and in particular, walk around and just discover a new area/neighborhood of our fair city...as the weather forecast states it'll be well over 80 degrees F and sunny this weekend, get thee out there and walk! You'll feel like you've discovered something new and at the same time you'll be far FAR away from the chaos of the confused NATO Summit protesters, who cannot seem to answer nor wish to answer the simplest question due their so-called 1st Amendment right:

What are you protesting?

So, if all else fails, and the jackass protesters decide to come to your 'hood; stay home and arm yourself with a couple of baseball bats and just chill w/a nice supply of beer, brats, dogs and your family jamming to tunes in your yard. That's actually what we'll be doing since my ball and chain is working. Whatever you do, have fun, be safe, watch your back and laugh at the idiots on TV!

STILL goony over Titanic.....

I remember the first time I saw Titanic...with my husband. We were newlyweds as this was 2 years BC (Before Children) and we were regulars at the movies; making our usual weekly treks to the local or....NOT so local movie theater to partake in the viewing of whatever was interesting....or worthy, as my DH and I are a couple of movie junkies and may think what is awesome...YOU may think is total tripe. I can recall that time like it was yesterday...and I don't know what happened yesterday. I recalled how Titanic had been out for a while and we were eventually going to see it as it was being compared to "Gone With The Wind" which...is not the case actually as THAT is my favie movie of all time, period. So, as my DH and I aren't one who usually follows the crowd, the fad, etc....and I usually have been known to start trends..we decided to wait til the "hoopla" was down and went to see "Good Will Hunting."

The day we went...it was SOLD OUT...so...we relented and saw Titanic. It was gripping, sappy, full of CGI, the gorgeous red hair of Kate Winslet (whom I was mistaken for as I was shopping at Water Tower Place in my fur and sunglasses right around that time..I was mobbed by a group of teeny bopper girls) and amazing costumes! At one of the crucial moments I recalled how the band played "Nearer My God To Thee" as the ship continued to sink; the theater was completely silent when all of a sudden a loud sobbing cry happened at the right of the theater and I along with everyone in front of my slowly...and simultaneously turned to our right to see who was sobbing so pitifully.

Anywho....many mooons later, plus two kids/dogs and wrinkles and poundage on my booty-age...here we are; upon the 100 anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic....I happened upon the ubiquitous sounds of Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" and STILL...to this day....get chicken skin hearing that song.....