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  • Featured Content

  • June26th

    No Comments

    SATURDAYS at TARGET

    Posted in: Articles, General Musing, Local

    So hubby and I are at Target last Saturday looking for a present for our friend’s 40th birthday and I notice a girl wearing a red shirt and tan pants walking around looking like she knows what she is doing, so I stop her and ask,  “Where can I find slippers?” (Our initial gift idea was to get slippers, a pipe, and a sympathy card!) Anyway, she rudely turns to me and says, “I don’t work here”, and walks off.

    Now this isn’t the first time this has happened to me at Target.   Seriously, unless you are part of a flash mob with everyone wearing red shirts and tan pants to confuse the customers, if you wear a red polo shirt and tan chinos to Target, don’t be surprised if you are asked where things are! And please, do your research — know where the things are you are being asked about!  And, one more thing, please don’t be pissy about it.

    If you are going to put on the official Target uniform and wear it inside the store on a Saturday of all days, then it’s your RESPONSIBILITY to help a girl find her slippers.

    Speaking of slippers, we wound up going the kiddy route instead, and bought him a BIG Star Wars Lego set. This turned out to be funny in it self when we got to the counter as the checkout guy said he had stopped asking customers how old the kid is because when people buy toys, half the time the toy it is for an adult!  I think that is pretty cool.

    Oh, and also, dear Target:
    Why do you have three aisles of Mexican food but you don’t carry soy sauce?

     

    Just sayin’…

  • February5th

    No Comments

    How to Choose Music For an Afternoon Wedding

    Posted in: Articles, Events, Guest Post, Inspiration, Jazz, Jazz Musician, Jazz Singer, Local

    How to Choose Music For an Afternoon Wedding

    Author: Errol Livingston

    Weddings are unique events. Each wedding breakfast and drinks reception will have a different combination of guests, venue and entertainment requirements, so finding a perfect musical match can take some time!

    You might be wondering what kind of music your guests would enjoy, and how you can make that work with your budget and venue. Fortunately there are a huge number of options available, so we’ve written this guide to take you through some of the most popular – and more surprising – choices our clients have made for their special day, and show you how to fit great music in with all your other plans.

    What’s the best style of music?

    Live music in any genre makes an event special, and can be as much of a reflection of your personal taste as what you wear. The choice you make depends on what you would like the music to do for you. Do you have a lot of very young guests who would love some entertainment while they’re waiting for the cake? Would you like some gentle background music as a soundtrack to a formal meal or drinks reception? Or would you just like to hear your favourite sounds and share them with your friends?

    Jazz bands are one of the more versatile options, available as everything from solo pianists to big bands. They can provide a selection of time-tested classics that everyone will recognise, or draw on a more esoteric catalogue to impress serious aficionados. If you like your jazz a little spicy, a Latin band can give your drinks reception a groove to remember, as well as an entertaining show!

    Classical music is a wonderful way to enhance an elegant reception or wedding breakfast, and the pieces the musicians play can vary a great deal. While all string quartets, wind trios and other classical groups will have a repertoire of classical favourites, some will extend their range to include pop hits and medleys of folks songs. All of them list their repertoire on their profile pages, and it can be worth speaking to the musicians themselves for more information.

    Guests always enjoy traditional music, with many couples still choosing klezmer and dhol for Jewish or Asian weddings. The increasing popularity of world music means there is a wider range of music available than ever before, so why not try something original and exciting? Steel bands and bluegrass bands are ideally suited to outdoor events, providing great music as well as visual entertainment.

    If your budget is fairly modest, but you still want the magic that live music can bring, how about a soloist? A cocktail pianist, harpist or solo guitarist can provide gentle sophistication and a musical background without being intrusive. The swing revival has brought a flood of tributes to Rat Pack-style singers who can draw on the glamour of a bygone age to create a classy accompaniment for your food and drink.

    If you’ve already booked a wedding band it’s worth checking to see if they can provide a smaller line-up for earlier on in the day, such as an acoustic guitarist/vocalist, a cocktail pianist or a jazz trio. Using the same musicians for the whole day could save you money and help keep stress levels to a minimum!

    Choosing an act

    Once you’ve decided on a style browse acts on the relevant music section on our site. Each act has a profile page featuring a biography, photos, audio samples of their playing, a repertoire list and testimonials from previous clients. Some also have video clips to view online.

    Dealing with the venue and equipment

    Make sure you get in touch with any musicians you have booked well before the actual day, so that you can explain the arrangements to them and they can make sure you’re happy with the music they plan to play, giving you the chance to specify any special favourites. Wedding musicians always have to work around the rest of the day’s events, so will be keen to hear about your plans and what you’d like them to do. They usually provide all their own equipment, so you won’t have to worry about organising this – though it’s always worth checking with them beforehand!

    Some venues are designed with live music in mind, and some can easily accommodate it. Others might be a little more difficult because of noise or space restrictions, but you can work around these kind of problems. It’s easy to keep the volume down by using an adjustable backing track, or save space (and money) by using fewer people. Good wedding musicians will have experience of many places, and will be able to adapt to your requirements with enough notice, so make sure you tell them as much as you can about your venue.

    Function Central makes booking wedding music easy

    Function Central is a wedding music agency specialising in wedding musicians who have been hand-picked for their talent, professionalism and reliability. We take over 600 wedding music bookings a year and get great feedback from our clients. We make choosing and booking your wedding entertainment easy, providing support and advice right up to the day, and even a 24-hour helpline.

    Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/music-articles/how-to-choose-music-for-an-afternoon-wedding-2629435.html

    About the Author

    Carl Liver
    Marketing Manager for Function Central
    Wedding Bands
    Wedding Bands in London

  • June14th

    1 Comment

    HOT & STICKY CHOCOLATE MESS

    Posted in: Articles, General Musing, Local, Orange County, Reviews

    What can be said about the Chocolate Day Spa in Costa Mesa, California?… Hmmm…
    Run away from this place fast. I mean really fast. Like the fastest you have ever ever run because this place, as many fellow Yelp Reviewers have said, is a hot hot mess

    I bought a Living Social deal in December for my husband and I to go on our anniversary.
    I called and called since December to book our appointments and would never get a real person.
    I would leave messages, no one would call back, and when I finally did get someone on the phone, they told me that all of the 10 dates I gave them were booked. I went online and booked on their website and followed up with a call to make sure that I was confirmed and they told me they did not have that time available. When I told them it was available on the website, they just told me that the website was wrong and that it wasn’t available.

    Since the deal was to expire in two weeks I called again this week and again got their voice mail, left a message, but no one called back.
    I then called again and was put on hold with this annoying ear piercing beep beep sound. I mean you are a spa for crying out loud — where is the calming on-hold music?
    Then I was hung up on.
    I called again and was put on hold.
    Repeat 3 times.
    It was all super fun.

    When I finally was connected to a real person, she said that they were booked up past my groupon expiration date.
    Now that is fine, it has happened several times with different deals I have purchased at Aveda and other salons and they have always been willing to extend the expiration date no problem. But she said the only way they would extend it is if I paid an extra15 dollars per deal — so 30 dollars extra total for the 2 of us — to have the deal extended 2 months.


    WHAT??????


    Since when does a salon charge you extra for them being over booked? And if they are so booked, why are they still putting offers on all of the discount sites and then being rude to the people that already have purchased the deals?
    When I asked this she was extremely cold and non-responsive and kept repeating the statement she had been told to repeat:
    “I am sorry maa’m but you have to understand this is not a normal spa where we take walk ins, we are by appointment only.”" Yeah I get that, and I have tried to make numerous appts.”
    “Well maa’m in all fairness you had since December to book.”
    “Right, and as I told you I have tried to book since December.”

    Repeat 10 times…

    The Chocolate Day Spa have done deals on Screamin, Living Social, Groupon, and many others, yet several other reviewers have said they were not honoring the discounts either. Last time I checked, not honoring a discount you sold that is still valid is ILLEGAL, no matter how much business you are currently getting. I don’t remember any disclaimer on the discount sites saying, you only get this discount if the spa is not busy and has time for you.

    Add in the fact that this salon is in an office building, the bathrooms are outside down the hall and you need a key like it’s a gas station; walls are thin, appointments are overbooked and guests are told to come back later when they are already there.
    Other guests have reported that they arrived for their scheduled appointment and the place was closed.
    Living Social customers have been told their deals are not valid on Saturdays and subject to availability (which is NEVER) just proves my point that this place sounds anything but relaxing. This place may be fully booked right now but I doubt much repeat business will be happening.
    When I mentioned that they had horrible reviews, she didn’t even care. She just kept saying:

    “Maa’m you need to understand we are not a traditional spa, we are by appointment only.”

    I stopped her and said, “Yeah, yeah, I know you are an appt. only spa that doesn’t ever have any appointments, doesn’t return phone calls, doesn’t honor discounts offered, and will for sure be getting another bad review from me.”

    She made me so angry, there is no way any de-stressing was happening at this place. I needed a massage just to recover from the stress of the phone call.

    Run away fast. I mean really fast. Like the fastest you have ever ever run because this place, as many fellow Yelp reviewers have said, is the hottest mess in town.

    Check out all the Yelp Reviews for this mess here http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-chocolate-day-spa-costa-mesa

  • April10th

    3 Comments

    DOGS?… NO, but we have CENTRAL AIR.

    Posted in: Articles, General Musing, Inspiration, Reviews

    So, in my recent apartment search, I have encountered some pretty damning yet hilarious responses when it comes to phoning and visiting apartment buildings.

    I’m still not sure how much of the following was hard-sell and how much was just plain stupidity…

    #1
    Me: Hi, do you take small dogs? I have a 15 lb shitzu.
    Apartment manager: No but we have three sparkling pools and central air. Would you like to come in for a tour?
    Me: Um, no that’s OK, thanks anyway.

    #2
    Me: Hi, do you take small dogs? I have a 15 lb shitzu.
    Apartment manager: No, but we accept cats.
    Me: But I just told you I have a dog.
    Apartment manager: But cats are so much smarter. You really should get a cat.
    Read More

  • December30th

    2 Comments

    it all STARTED with that DARN CHANDELIER

    Posted in: Articles, Entertainment, Events, General Musing, Music, Musicals, Reviews

    So as I am sure you have heard the new $65 million “Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark” resumed previews after its fourth major accident occurred. It has been reported that more safety measures have been put in place. Well that is good, I am glad after four people were injured, they finally put better safety measures in. And the show hasn’t even opened yet!

    I can’t help but wonder why do we need so many stunts and special effects in musicals? It all started with that darn chandelier in “Phantom of the Opera.” Was that beautiful music and story line not entertaining enough that they had to add a huge chandelier coming out into the audience and crashing down?

    Read More

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