Soapbox Sunday: Turtles

I came across an article that upset me so bad, I feel the need to express my comments. This post is going to be all over the place.  I am so upset that I am just typing things as they come to mind and I am just rolling with it.  There are very few things that really raise my blood pressure but this one sure did!

First, here the article here.

I have two turtles.  I bought them when I still in Florida and they moved across country with me.  I was driving home from work one day and I passed by a guy on the side of the road with a big inflatable turtle on the top of his van.  This peaked my curiosity, so I pulled over to investigate.

The man was sitting in front of a large pool, full of turtle hatch lings.  They were so darn cute, my son and I picked out two and went home.

When I got home, I immediately started doing my homework to find out how to properly care for my new beauties.

Four years later, they are healthy, happy, and BIG!

Turtles do take a lot of work to maintain.  I am not going to take the time to write about how much of a pain turtles are to take care of, but this is my turtle go to page when I have questions.

My soapbox deals with the article.  I can understand how a child could get salmonella from a turtle, especially if the parents did not do their homework. I won't lie, turtles are nasty creatures. However, I have done my homework and I know the risks as well as how to protect myself from the risks associated with turtle care. 

I handle my turtles.  My son handles the turtles.  My husband handles my turtles.  We have never gotten sick. Why? Because we know to wash out hands immediately after handling them and we NEVER EVER let them or anything to do with them near the kitchen.  I was absolutely horrified when I read in the article that people were washing the tanks in the kitchen sinks! Really? People. Come on. Let's use some common sense here. I also took the time to instruct them on the dangerous of handling them and I made sure both of them knew what to do to protect themselves once they are done handling and/or cleaning out the tank. Again, I have DONE MY HOMEWORK.  I love my turtlies and I love my family and there is no reason why we can not live together in harmony.

Turtles require the access to water pretty frequently or they will dry out.  The fact that the article said people was letting their turtles roam around their house.  Um, what? Have people lost their minds?

Turtles can and will bite if they feel threatened.  So, yeah, lets hand this LIVE turtle that can inflict a pretty painful bite to a toddler. Are you kidding me? For the record, I have only been bitten once and I deserved it.  I did not think the bite could be painful as they have such small jaws, so I stuck my finger out and he bite it.  And yes, it hurts.  Its like getting your flesh pinched in a car door.

Turtles aren't loving like dogs and cats.  They don't want you to handle them. They especially don't want you to touch them or put them in your mouth.  Turtles are NOT nom-noms people.  My turtles will take food out of my hands but I've had mine for four years.

The short of all of this is, DO YOUR HOMEWORK before you get ANY PET! There is no reason why people should not have turtles as pets as long as they know what it takes to properly care for them and how to keep you and your family safe.

My set up.  It is a 40 gallon tank, with waterfall filter, two basking areas, internal heater, and two basking lights. The rocks are made for turtles and helps keep the water clear and clean.  Mine are aquatic turtles so they need water as well as the opportunity to bask out of the water.

The top one is my gentle Ben. I believe he is a Mississippi Map turtle, but I am not completely sure on this.  I know he is a Map turtle, just not clear on which Map. He has spikes on his shell and big white eyes. The lower one is Eddie.  He is a Painted Yellow Belly. His underside is a bright yellow.

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Silly Saturday

Happy Saturday! 

This looks like me when I see a spider.  I am terrified of them!

I got up in the middle of the night to go pee and I didn't bother to put my glasses on.  When I went into the bathroom, there was a spider in the bathtub.  The thing is, it was so big I could actually SEE it WITHOUT my glasses on!  And yes, I am totally blind without them.

I ran into the bedroom and told my husband to get up and dispose of the unwanted visitor using our bathtub.  He walks into the bathroom and he says, "Wow! He's a big'un.  I'm gonna catch him!"

So, he proceeds to catch this thing in a plastic container. My husband poked holes in the top of the lid  and he even went as far as to read up on how to take care of this thing. He would put drops of water into it for him to drink and fed it bugs he found in the yard.
The thing actually GREW in the two weeks it lived as our "pet" because he relocated it to another plastic container. 

He joked with me stating that he took such good care of this one that we should get a tarantula. I very promptly told him to go for it, but I hope he and it would be very happy together because I wouldn't live with it!

For size comparisons.

He already came across a remote controlled tarantula that he scared me with.  He thought it was the funniest thing ever.  The stupid thing has tiny hairs on it and everything! When its on and moving, the legs even move like a real spider! Creeps me out just looking at it!

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Recipe: Copy Cat Recipe Chedder Bay Biscuits

I have made these are they are amazing.  This recipe is courtesy of The Budget Savvy Diva.

If you click on the image, it will populate it in another box.

You can then right click on the image and save it. This will allow you to print it out. 

Typed out:

Red Lobsters Cheddar Bay Biscuits Recipe
Author: Sara @ Budget Savvy Diva
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 15 mins
Serves: 15
This recipe is a variation of Red Lobsters "Cheddar Bay biscuits"

Ingredients

2 cups Bisquick
2/3 cup milk
2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
6 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
Salt
1/4 Cup of Sour Cream
1/4 Cup of Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat Oven to 450 
2. In a Medium Size Bowl mix the following: milk, Parmesan cheese, sour cream, cheddar cheese, bay seasoning, Bisquick, garlic powder. 
3. I used an ice cream scoop and portioned 15 biscuits onto a cookie sheet ( I used parchment paper). 
4. Cook biscuits for 8 minutes or so. 
5. Melt butter ( I used the microwave) - brush melted butter on each biscuit and sprinkle a little salt. 
6. Place biscuits BACK into the oven to bake for 2 more minute.

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Friendly Friday #3‏

It's Friday which means it's time for Friendly Friday Blog Hop!

If you are interested in co-hosting the next Friendly Friday Blog Hop send an email to Tricia@TodaywiththeTennerys.com

Ok, so let's get to the party, shall we?

RULES are simple:

1. Follow your host

Links 1 and 2

(Leave me a comment so I can follow back)

2. Follow your co-host

Link 3

3. Link up below using your main blog url not a specific post.

4. Make sure to visit some of the blogs in the link up and follow them 

and leave them a comment, so they can follow you back.

5. Tweet about this blog hop

Tweet

6. Share about this blog hop by grabbing a button and putting it on your sidebar!

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FANtasic Fridays: Celebrity Weddings and My One Year Anniversary

Yes, I am a fan of celebrity weddings.  But, probably not for the reason you would think.  See, I like them because they make me learn how NOT to be.  I don't know why Hollywood has gotten into the habit where it is fashionable to have quick marriages, but it is ridiculous and insane. Marriage should not be gone into lightly, nor should it be ended because you had one little disagreement.  Marriage takes time and effort.  I am not sure if these quick celebrity marriages are because they are lazy, just want the attention, self-centered, or all of the above.  Who knows, but it is very entertaining to take guesses on how long the latest Hollywood hook-up will last and then roll your eyes when it ends just as quick as it began.

With that being said, I am very happy to announce it is my very first wedding anniversary.  I can not believe one whole year has gone by already.

We decided to just go to the court house and get married.  We played around with the idea of having a wedding but the cost and trying to get everyone together at the same time was impossible.  His family lives in Idaho, mine in Alabama, and we live it Utah.  So, we just picked a date and went to the court house and it was done.

I allowed Jared (his dad is my first husband, but that's a story not worth telling) to miss school that day so he could be there to watch as Steven and I got married.  They actually let Jared sign our wedding certificate as a witness!  We were not expecting that and it was a very nice surprise to get to include Jared like that.

Even though we did married at the courthouse, I insisted we dress nice.  I shopped for months before hand to find the perfect dress and I threatened to call the whole thing off if he didn't get something other than blue jeans.

Since it was just the three of us, we had to take turns using the camera to get pictures so there was not one of all three of us.  One of these days, we will go get family portraits done.  None of us like to have our pictures made, so, unfortunately, there is no hurry. I am positive I will regret this one day.

This is the fortune I got a few days after Steven proposed.

The invitation to my bridal shower that my co-workers hosted for me.

This is Mary Jane getting into my presents.

That is his "precious".  He had to get it in the picture.

The sun was right in our eyes!

Me.

Jared and I.  I really wasn't OK with him wearing jeans, but I got over it.

Our rings.

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Oh,Happy Day!

I a very happy to announce that family is once again complete! My cat Mary Jane is home again!

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Throwback Thursday: Sept. 27, 1779

Sep 27, 1779:

John Adams appointed to negotiate peace terms with British

 

 

On this day in 1779, the Continental Congress appoints John Adams to travel to France as minister plenipotentiary in charge of negotiating treaties of peace and commerce with Great Britain during the Revolutionary War.

Adams had traveled to Paris in 1778 to negotiate an alliance with France, but had been unceremoniously dismissed when Congress chose Benjamin Franklin as sole commissioner. Soon after returning to Massachusetts in mid-1779, Adams was elected as a delegate to the state convention to draw up a new constitution; he was involved in these duties when he learned of his new diplomatic commission. Accompanied by his young sons John Quincy and Charles, Adams sailed for Europe that November aboard the French ship Sensible, which sprang a leak early in the voyage and missed its original destination (Brest), instead landing at El Ferrol, in northwestern Spain. After an arduous journey by mule train across the Pyrenees and into France, Adams and his group reached Paris in early February 1780.
While in Paris, Adams wrote to Congress almost daily (sometimes several letters a day) sharing news about British politics, British and French naval activities and his general perspective on European affairs. Conditions were unfavorable for peace at the time, as the war was going badly for the Continental Army, and the blunt and sometimes confrontational Adams clashed with the French government, especially the powerful Foreign Minister Charles Gravier, Comte de Vergennes. In mid-June, Adams began a correspondence with Vergennes in which he pushed for French naval assistance, antagonizing both Vergennes and Franklin, who brought the matter to the attention of Congress.

By that time, Adams had departed France for Holland, where he was attempting to negotiate a loan from the Dutch. Before the end of the year, he was named American minister to the Netherlands, replacing Henry Laurens, who was captured at sea by the British. In June 1781, capitulating to pressure from Vergennes and other French diplomats, Congress acted to revoke Adams' sole powers as peacemaker with Britain, appointing Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Jay and Laurens to negotiate alongside him.
The tide of the war was turning in America's favor, and Adams returned to Paris in October 1782 to take up his part in the peace negotiations. As Jefferson didn't travel to Europe and Laurens was in failing health after his release from the Tower of London, it was left to Adams, Jay and Franklin to represent American interests. Adams and Jay both distrusted the French government (in contrast with Franklin), but their differences of opinion and diplomatic styles allowed the team to negotiate favorable terms in the Peace of Paris (1783). The following year, Jefferson arrived to take Adams' place as American minister to France, forming a lifelong bond with Adams and his family before the latter left to take up his new post as American ambassador to London and continue his distinguished record of foreign service on behalf of the new nation.


History.com

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Wacky and Weird Wednesday: Titanic Ice Cube Tray

Please, please, please, read this all the way through before you get angry at me and unfollow me.  I am trying to express how upset I am with this product and by doing that I did make a few examples to try to explain why this product is made in such poor taste.  



Is it just me or this is extremely tacky and offensive?  I know the the movie brought a whole new light to the disaster, but it was still a disaster that cost 1,514 lives.  I suppose it has been long enough where it isn't "too soon" to joke about the disaster, but I think this is too much.  If the ice mold wasn't tacky enough, they add a mold of an iceberg? Really?  And then, you name your product Gin and Titonic? 

I do have to add when I saw the movie for the first time (I was pregnant with my son, which makes me feel really old) I did not care much for it.  I thought it way too long and I thought that they tried to bring romance to a very tragic event in our history.  I do have to add the second time I saw the movie was in class and my best friend (who also hated the movie) and I made score cards and rated how the people fell out of the boat and hit the water.  Yes, I am a jerk and I will completely admit to that. 15 years have past and I still feel like something that lives on something you would step in.



Image someone in 100 years making 9-11: The Love Story That Would Never Happen.  I know that's offensive because its still "too soon" to say things like that.  Image at the time the Titanic sank, comments such as those would also have been in very poor taste.  But yet, here it is 100 years later and its ok to make products like this.  What if in 100 years someone makes an cube tray with the two towers and an airplane? 

I do not say this to offend to anyone or to make anyone angry.  I am simply trying to put this in perspective with something that happened in our recent history that you can identity with. 

America lost almost 3,000 people in that attack and I know this act was deliberate as where the Titanic sinking was accidental.  I do understand the major differences in the two events, I assure you.  

Again, I am just trying to give examples on why this is such poor taste and to explain that, even after 100 years, products such as these should not be made and to provoke some thought as how you would feel if a company made a product about this tragic event in the future.  

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Trivia Tuesday: Most Expensive Movie Made

To date, what is the most expensive movie ever made?

Due to the secretive nature of Hollywood accounting it is not clear which film is the most expensive film ever made. Spider-Man 3 officially holds the record with an acknowledged cost of $258 million, while Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and its sequel Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End were produced together on a combined budget of $450 million, making them the most expensive production. Although the Pirates of the Caribbean sequels shared many costs it is estimated that around $300 million was spent on producing At World's End. More recently there have been reports that Avatar is the most expensive film ever made with speculation that it cost $280 million.

The cost of film production was mostly stable prior to World War II, with Ben-Hur (1925) setting an early record, which lasted well into the sound era. Costs started to escalate due to the effects of inflation and as television started to compete with the cinema for audiences, culminating in 1963 with Cleopatra which did not earn back its production costs despite being the highest earning film of the year. The 1990s saw two thresholds crossed, with True Lies costing $100 million in 1994 and Titanic costing $200 million in 1997, both directed by James Cameron. Since then it has become normal for a tent-pole feature from a major film studio to cost over $100 million, and an increasing number of films are costing $200 million or more.


Copied from Wikipedia

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I am SO sorry everyone! Please read!

I must say a huge "I"M SORRY!!!!" to everyone who has left me comments!  I accidentally deleted everyone's comments! I was going to the dashboard and reading comments, posting to them, and was hitting delete on the dashboard, thinking it was just deleting the notification and not the actual comment itself.  I was deleting the notification so I would know when I got a new one to respond to it!

I now know better.  Puh-puh pleasssssseeeeee  leave comments again.  I won't delete them this time, I promise!

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It's been a Pinterest night.

I've spend all night reorganizing my Pinterest boards! I wish I devoted this much time to reorganizing my house! I've also noticed that Pinterest sucks more time away from you than walking into a Wal-Mart.


I swear I can walk into a Wal-Mart for one thing and one thing only and I come out two hours later with a bag full. How does that happen? Are Wal-Marts built over a vortex that feeds on time?

Anyway, seeing how I just spent three hours on it, visit my Pinterest.

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Ramblings at 4 AM

Well, its that time of the night. I've hit my wall. My eyes are growing heavier by the minute and my computer screen keeps getting fuzzier and fuzzier. I don't really mind the grave yard shift. I mean, I've been here since 10 p.m. and I have not taken a single call. I usually take at least one, so in my panicked state of mind, I actually called myself to make sure the phone worked. Yep, it worked. No one wants to talk to me and I am perfectly fine with that.

I have answered about 30 emails, but I would much rather "talk" to a person over an email than the phone any day. This job is perfect for a fat, lazy person like myself.

My homework is all caught up, plus some. My teacher probably thinks I am an overachiever. If she only knew that most nights its the only thing that keeps me from drifting off to La-La Land.

Oh, sweet La-La Land, how I wish I was there right now.

I've been listening to a "Learn Spanish in Your Car" audio while I sit here.

"Perdon, Senorita. ¿Habla Ingles?"
"No, senor. Hablo Espanol."

 I've got that part down pat. Look out Spain, here I come! (ha!)

So sorry I am not more entertaining at this time of the morning. I'm sitting here trying to think of more to type, but my brain feels like Jell-O that's trying really hard to set, but just hasn't quite gotten there yet. You know what I mean. The Jell-O that's still a little runny, but just firm enough to not be gross so you eat it anyway, but still runny enough you need a spoon and then your drop it all over you. Come on, we've all eaten half-firmed Jell-O at some point. After all, it takes way to long for Jell-O to set. What is up with that? Is it designed to set seconds after you checked it for the 15th time and finally give up? You fix you a bowl of half runny Jell-O only to go back to the fridge and it's completely ready to eat. What happened in the five minutes it took you to eat the half runny stuff that caused it form? Are the chemical molecules so programmed that the fridge door has to be open exactly 16 times before it can form? Its the fridge light, isn't it? The tiny Jell-O molecules must have so much dingy fridge light bulb light before it can properly mold. Them sneaky Jell-O makers. I wonder if Bill Cosby knows this. Wait, is Bill Cosby still alive? It might be a tad disrespectful if he has passed away for me to say that.

Oh, Google... Google says he is still alive.

And you know that Google knows.

One hour and counting down. I really want to pick up my cell phone and text my best friend. Be all, "WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP... On, my bad, were you asleep? Well, since you awake NOW..." But I won't do that. I would like too.... but I won't.

Why does time stop when you at work but then speeds up to make up for it when you are off? Who created this philosophy? I would really like to give them a piece of my watery Jell-O mind! Hmmm.... I wonder what flavor my watery Jell-O mind is... Its an interesting question, isn't it? Well, lets see. I am a bit of a flake at times. I can have a dirty mind. I like cherries. I had some runny orange Jell-O before I came to work. My once vast knowledge database has been replaced with Harry Potter, The Sword of Truth, Yogscast,World of Warcraft speak....

To totally change the topic here (I'm good at that), my 14 year old son came home with a 16 year old girls phone number!!! I think half the hairs on my head turned white. He has been told that he looks like Edward Cullen. I guess that is supposed to be a compliment but to an Anti-Twilightian like myself, I hold to hold back the proverbial vomit.

Proverbial. I like that word. I don't even know if I used it in the right context, but I don't care I like it. It rolls over the tongue. Pro verb b al.

Here's some interesting reading: Top 11 Chocolate Myths.

Well, I have rambled on about absoultly nothing for long enough.

To all, a good night... er morning...

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Oh, Man! It's Monday!

We all have these days, don't we? Happy new week everyone!

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Soapbox Sunday: How NOT to Be a Jerk to Your Customer Care Agent

One would think that a person would know better than to call and yell at a customer service agent. 

Why in the world would you want to be mean to someone who has full access to your account and has the ability to help solve your issue?  A customer service agent is far less likely to help you out if you are yelling at them, cussing them, calling them stupid… 

Here are just a few suggestions and examples on how to make your phone call go smoothly:

·        

    

Please don’t call us and put us on a speaker phone. You have to remember we are in a call center with tons of other agents, talking on their calls, and trying to hear you on our headsets.  Also, if you call on your cell phone and for some reason you feel the need to start hitting buttons, it’s PAINFUL to our ears. I am not exaggerating about this.  The sound gets amplified and it’s someone is playing cymbals on our ear drums.  If you do this and I politely ask you to please stop because you are making me deaf, don’t get mad at me.  I am a person too, not your personal play toy.

People, rules are NOT meant to be broken! Companies put rules and limitations in place for a reason.  It does not matter if I agree with them or not.  They sign my paycheck so I am going to do what I am told.  I cannot and will not break any rule because you feel the need to scream at me.

I cannot poop out specials. Sorry, I’m not that talented.  I cannot give you something that is not available, no matter how loud you scream at me. 

If you ask for a supervisor, you have to expect it will take some time to get one on the phone.  There’s usually only one, maybe two, that is taking escalated calls and you have to wait in line like everyone else.  Everyone else wants to tell a supervisor why they think they deserve special treatment just like you.  You have to wait your turn.

Prices do get increased.  It’s a fact of life.  And no, I did not personally raise your bill.  I know you would like to think I am a villainous customer care agent who goes around randomly price increasing bills and I targeted you specifically.  Same goes with sales tax.  It’s a fact of life.  No one likes it. We all pay it.  Get over it.

If you are sick and can’t talk, don’t call us.  You know we can’t understand you. So, don’t call and get mad when we can’t hear and/or understand you.

Don’t call with a mouth full of food or when you are eating.  It’s just gross. No one wants to hear you smack on your big chicken leg or slurp your beer.  Don’t say, “Sorry, I’m eating. I hope that’s ok.”  You know we can’t tell you it’s not ok.  You know we are at your mercy.

Do not boast about your education.  No one cares.  All you do is make yourself look ignorant.

Do not tell the rep that “I could do your job better than you!”  Good. Come do it.  Let me scream at you for 45 minutes because of something you did that was your fault.  If you think I am so bad, then hang up and call back and speak with someone else.

We have access your account and to all the notes in your account.  We can tell if you are lying.  I applaud for trying, but it’s not going to work.

Please have all your information ready when you call.  Most agents have to keep their calls below a certain time and face being disciplined if they don’t.

We are required to say the complete opening and closing statements. Sorry. Just shut up and let us do it.  The time you took to complain about it, I could have said it and been done with it.  We get monitored for quality and get points deducted if we don’t say it. We have rules we have to follow too, you know.  Let us do our job.

Please don’t threaten to sue.  It’s just silly.  When someone says this to me, I hit the mute button and laugh.  It’s ridiculous and it makes you sound foolish.

Would you yell at your mother, friend, dad, child, etc. like you are yelling at me? Would you be ashamed if you behaved in such a fashion in public where people could see and hear you? Think about it. I am someone’s daughter, mother, friend, aunt…  Would you want someone speaking to your family the way you are speaking to me?

People if you don’t pay your bill, it will be turned off.  We are in the business to MAKE money, not give away our stuff for free.  And yes, we DO have the right to turn your stuff off if you don’t pay.  Don’t call me and whine when it’s turned off.

Be very careful before rating your experience. You need to remember that how you rate it, reflects bad on the person who helped you.  If you feel like the person deserves a bad rating, then go for it, otherwise ask to speak with a manager and file your complaint about the process, not the person.  I am speaking from a very recent experience where I almost bend over backwards trying to help a customer out.  I will admit her issue was extreme and I would have been upset too.  I was able to fix her situation.  She was asked to go a survey about her experience and she rated it as poor.  It did not matter how much I helped this lady or how much butt kissing I did to help her, because she labeled it as poor, I got the coaching.  I could have as easily told her "sucks to be you lady" because the outcome was still the same.

It is things such as this that makes people not want to be in customer service and the ones that do it, are just so beat up and worn down from being screaming at all day.  There is only so much a person can handle before they snap.

My last and final thought for you is simple.  Be nice to your customer service agent, and they will be nice to you.  Remember, we have full access to your account and we can be your best friend or your worst enemy.  

I am reminded of a call where I spoke to a lady who upset about her bill.  In anger, she accused the tech of stealing her jewelry.  I guess she thought this would make me credit her account or turn her service back on.  “Did you call the police?” I ask her.  I thought this a valid question.  I would call the police if something was stolen and I suspected the tech of doing it.  “Well, no.” She answers.  As politely as I could, I responded with, “I think you need to call the police, rather than your cable company.”  She responded with, “Well, I didn’t see him take it.”

  

Are you a customer care agent with a story about a terrible call? Share it!

 

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