Song That Gives You Energy

Hello there! Seems as if its been a while since I've actually posted a REAL blog. I just checked, my last post was Feb 19, 2012. That is insane. Anyway, to get back into the swing of things I thought that I would participate in BlogHer's NaBloPoMo. The theme this month is "Energy". I need some of that for writing...so here goes nothing.

Oh...before I begin...if you are still following this blog...THANKS :) Love ya!

What is your favourite song that gives you energy? 

I think it's mentioned somewhere on my about me page or in one of my posts, MUSIC IS MY LIFE. I seriously turn to music for everything. Lyrics tend to speak to me. My favorite song sort of tends to change depending on a situation that is happening in my life. I find myself liking certain songs and playing them over and over again and not even realizing why. A while later I'll be like, "Oh my gosh..isn't that weird that I liked the song and this happened?"

One of the songs that instantly lifts my spirits is actually new to my playlist. It's Hedley's 9 Shades of Red. The beat is great, the lyrics rock, and the tempo is so upbeat. It makes me happy and has me jumping around doing a happy dance.

Another song that gives me a bunch of energy, especially when getting ready to go out, is by someone most of y'all probably haven't heard of. Fashion by Rogue Traders. This song was introduced to me by a few Aussie friends years and years ago and its remained on my playlist forever. It's such a great song!

One of my favorite songs to boost me up is by Natasha Bedingfield called I'm A Bomb (and also Single, and We're All Mad, and basically anything from her CD "Unwritten".

Here is a little known fact about me, I wish I could sing. Seriously. I wish I could bust out in song like the cast of Glee at any given moment. I might sort of be guilty of walking through my house when I was younger busting out into random songs that I'd make up about whatever I was doing. I might sort of be guilty of still doing the same thing...just now the lyrics stay in my head. 

I hope y'all check out some of the songs I posted and let me know if you like them. I personally LOVE them!

It's a Brand New Year

Happy New Year

Ever wonder how long you have to say Happy New Year to people that you haven't seen in since it changed years? Do you do it until you see everyone? Do you only do it for the first week? The first month? Being Greek we have a 40 day grace period for just about everything so I figure that I can extend it for this occasion too. 


I don't know if I've ever told you guys this but I don't do resolutions. I think they are weird. I see so many people make these promises to themselves and then just get angry when they end up not doing whatever they planned on doing. Going to the gym. Going to eat right. Going to do....


I choose not to put myself though that every year. I don't resolve. I don't promise. I tell myself that I'm just going to make myself happy. Sounds kind of selfish doesn't it? Well, selfish or not that is all I want out of life; to be happy. To be happy with my marriage, my family, my job. Who doesn't want that!?


I was actually very proud of myself on my first day back at work after my vacation. I was sitting at my desk doing my work, being productive. My boss walks in and we talk a little bit. As he is on his way out he mentions that one of the people I work with is still out of the office on business and if I could cover a portion of his job. Could I look at the orders and ship them out?


My reply was, "No, no I can't. I have more than enough work here that I need to catch up on that is MY work and when I go out of town who covers my stuff? No one." I actually felt pride. Was it being mean? No, not at all. I was just finally drawing the line in the sand. The boundaries that shouldn't be crossed. I do not need to always please people. I do not always need to go above and beyond the call of duty. I just need to do my job and no one else's. No one does my work. Hell, when I am out of the office no one even answers the phone....why do I always go beyond to make sure the entire office runs smoothly by doing my job plus the job of others.


I didn't say it with snark. I didn't say it with a scowl on my face. And I didn't say it timidly. I said it firmly and matter of factly. Towards the end of last year I was getting very upset with my job. I was finding that I was dreading going in and that the sound of my boss' voice would get on my nerves. Someone would want to speak to me and I'd feel my skin crawl because I knew it would mean more work on my already overflowing plate. I told myself that I had to get rid of that feeling. I had to shake it.


I took my vacation to Texas where I was rarely in contact with the office. I did occasionally look at my emails and answer the ones that were easy but that was it. I have a bad habit of not being able to stay away from email. Those 2 weeks out of the office helped me regain my focus and when I started work again I didn't detest being there. It was a fresh start. Today I had a nice productive day and I plan on keeping up the good work :) I plan on being able to focus on what I need to do vs what everyone thinks I should be doing to help them out.


Anyway...enough about that. How have the first few weeks of the new year treated you?


Wishing you all health and happiness in 2012! And to all my new followers.....WELCOME and THANKS for following!! 

Totally Random Thoughts

I have a bunch of random thoughts flying through my head so I figured that maybe my blog was the best place to get them out.

So let's start shall we? Oh, you'll have to forgive me if this list is messed up or makes no sense. I am watching the finale of The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

1. I'm really excited for BlogHer12. Dana and I are going to be rooming together and we were just texting trying to figure out what to do in the down time (if there is any) and who is on our list of "must meets". (Maybe one day we'll share that list but for now its just a surprise!) We need to figure out who to see, what sessions to be at, and hope we get invited to some parties. If we don't make the party list we won't be too sad. I mean, HELLO, we are in New York!

2. Last night I was playing Words With Friends and the person I was playing against told me that she actually follows me on Twitter and reads my blog. That in itself is not unusual, what is unusual is that they are NOT the type of person that I thought reads my blog. My blog doesn't usually appeal to the uber (do people still use that word?) conservative people, unless of course they read it to make fun of me or teach their children what NOT to become. I was really shocked. I told her that and she told me that while she was very conservative she liked the way I said what I felt. It actually made me happy to know that my blog can appeal to a variety of people...and I think that is kind of the point of blogs. Right?

3. Speaking of my blog I find it hilarious that the number one search term that lands people here from google is the phrase "letter to my exboyfriend". This is funny to me because that blog post (part of the letter challenge) doesn't actually have a lot of comments. It's one of the most read posts but least commented on. I wonder if people don't think its okay to talk about their exes on their blogs once they are in a new relationship or married. I don't believe that to be the case at all. My past relationships have shaped the person I am today, they helped me learn something about myself in relationships and I feel no need to hide that.

4. And since we are on the subject of ex boyfriends...My sister and I are doing two "parties". I am hosting a PartyLite party at my house and she will be doing a gold party. Basically you sell any old gold jewelry you have that you don't wear or you know, that earring that is missing its partner or that necklace your ex gave you? It's great. Sell your gold and use the cash to buy candles. Part 3 of that is "go to the casino". Anyway, I digress, so my ex boyfriend gave me a necklace and pendant. It had the island he was from as well as his initials on the back. His grandmother had given it to him. After we broke up I tried like 4 times to give it back to him and it never worked out for us. So now I am selling it. Well, I will give him until Sunday Oct 16th at 1:59pm to pick it up. If he doesn't get it by then I'll be selling it. Sorry buddy.

5. You know what has always confused me? When pro-breastfeeding parents keep on talking about the bonding benefit of breastfeeding. A blog post by Fearless Formula Feeder made me remember how much that expression irked me. I mean, what about the father? Does the father not get to bond with his kid? Does bonding not count unless a part of you is in a part of them? Or do father's only get to bond with their children after the age of 2 (or however long you decide to breastfeed?) Now, I'm not one to say anything bad about breastfeeding, I believe to each their own just feed your kid...but its really not fair to say that breastfeeding leaves you bonded better. My child was never breastfeed and I still understand her own special language and what each cry means (98% of the time). What makes people think that you understand your kid more if you breastfed? I dunno man, that just makes no sense to me!

So those are my random thoughts of the week...what are yours?

Saturday 9: Ready or No

1. When severe weather happens, generally speaking, are you ready for it?
Yes and no. We have plenty of food, bottled waters, a fire place, and a back up generator. I think we'd be okay for a while.
2. If you could wake up tomorrow with a new talent, what would it be? 
I'd like to be able to write the way I used to write. It would flow effortlessly.

3. What do you strive for in life? 
Perfection. Just kidding. I just strive for being as happy as I can be! :)

4. If you were given a vacation home and you could have it anywhere, what location would you choose?
Italy! Beautiful beaches and amazing shopping. What else could I ask for?

5. Do you feel energized or drained by being in a group situation? If the answer is "it depends," on what does it depend? 
It depends on my mood going into it. Sometimes I'm very much a people person and love it. I get energized. Other days just the thought of one other person much less a group drains me.

6. When you're sick do you take "sick days" or do you force yourself to continue working? I never STOP working. Even when I am sick and don't go into the office I can be found making phone calls and answering emails. My sick days are to benefit others, so I don't give them my cooties. 

7. What is your absolute favorite piece of furniture you have and why? My bed. I love my bed. The head board is beautiful the mattress is so comfortable. It just looks like a nice statement piece.

8. When you go out, where do you like to go? What do you like to do? I gotta say, I enjoy going BOWLING. It's one of those things that we don't do too often so its fun. It's even more fun when its drunk disco bowling.

9. How's life? Is it treating you well right now? 

Life is pretty great. I can't complain.

Saturday Nine meme hosted by Samantha

It's NOT putting your kids down...crazy lady!

So there is a blog post making its rounds on the blogosphere that is called "Stop Putting Down Your Kids".  I read the post a few times trying to figure out where Tara was coming from. Was it written with some sort of humor that was deeply hidden? Was it written from an angry place? I finally realized where it came from. It was written from high above us "normal" parents, on her pedestal.

She says that putting down your children is not helpful, funny, nor will it improve your relationship with your child. I totally get it. Putting down your children is down right crappy. However, all the examples she gave are NOT examples of putting down a child.  The examples she gave are of mother's expressing their feelings to their friends, peers, co-workers or whatever.

Putting down a child is saying something along the lines of "my child is such a fucking douchebag. He's 4 years old and still not potty trained. I think he is mentally handicapped". "My child hasn't stopped eating crap, she is going to become a heifer"

It seems to me that Tara has a hard time getting the difference between parents discussing their hardships, their troubles, their hard times, problems, or however you want to call them and putting down. Putting down is an insult. Putting down is hurting someone's feelings.  Tara went pretty far and even called "putting down your kids" as being selfish.

Is it really selfish? Is it selfish to speak to other moms about issues you are having with your child/children? Here I thought it was a way to interact and bond with other parents and maybe do this weird thing called getting advice. Where should we turn to for advice about children misbehaving, not sleeping well, not eating well or whatever? Should we just google and hope we come up with something good? I know that when D was having issues sleeping I spoke to my friend and she told me about her family's bed time routine and how the end result was her daughter sleeping straight through the night.

When D decided that eating wasn't something she was fond of I spoke to a few friends and complained "Oh my god, D is going to be as picky as an eater as me. She hasn't eaten a solid meal in about 3 days!" and my mommy friends told me about their issues when their children were younger and gave me some suggestions.

You see, some might see it as complaining about our children but NEVER putting them down. Even the complaining is warranted. A parent's job is never over. It's a 24/7 deal. If our child keeps us up all night and we can't function its not good. We have the right to complain, to talk, to get advice. We have the right to NOT be judged for talking to other parents about our issues or hardships.  We have the right to turn to a friend and ask advice and compare horror stories and share survival tips.

Look, let's be honest, no one is going to give you an award for being a great parent but you shouldn't be made to feel like a shitty one for turning to someone to ask for help. If anything it makes us feel like a more normal parent for knowing that the majority of parents are dealing with or have dealt with the same thing.

So how do you feel about Tara's post?

S.H.I.T. - So Happy Its Thursday

My lovely bloggy friend Rusti hosts a wonderful blog meme/link up every week. Every week I read it and I giggle. Who doesn't giggle at the title SHIT? I know I do (then again I'm mentally 12).

Reasons I'm So Happy Its Thursday

1. Its almost Friday which means a LONG weekend! 
2. It has to be better than Tuesday right!? Right?
3. Tassimo is set to deliver my new order of coffee to the office (I ordered the iced coffee)
4. I'm in discussions with a company for a review/giveaway on my blog!
5. Its also Marcie's Thirsty Thursday blog hop which I really enjoy! (I find all kinds of awesome bloggers to follow)
6. It's a long weekend to spend with my little adorable baby girl! I think I'm gonna mess around with my camera to take some new pictures of her for her portfolio! 

So now its your turn to tell me why you are so happy its Thursday!?

Giving Up A Part of Yourself

So there seems to be a common theme on my blog posts. A lot of comments or emails will be like, "Wow, I can't believe you wrote that. Tell us how you really feel." "Oh my god, I'd never be able to say that!" and I've always wondered why. It's can't possibly be that my ass constantly overrides my mouth can it? It can't be that I'm always such a bitch.

Then I take the time to check out the blogs of the people who leave me those comments, emails, or tweets. There is a huge difference between their blog and my blog. I'm not sponsored or doing reviews/giveaways. I've been debating for a while of if I've wanted to seek out sponsorships. I think that they are great and they benefit everyone. The company sponsoring you gets more recognition and when doing reviews/giveaways your blog readership base pretty much grows. It's a win/win situation. 

BUT then I think about "who would sponsor me". My blog isn't all sunshine and roses. Its real. Its raw. Its me. I curse, I say mean things, I don't hold my tongue. There aren't very many companies who want to sponsor someone like that but I don't forsee me changing the way I write to please someone else.

Can I clean up my mouth a bit on my blog? Can I stop dropping the F-Bomb? Sure I can. Can I try to sugar coat the meanness? Sure I could...but it wouldn't be mean. Yes, I'm the one who said "I'm unfollowing someone ugly" on Twitter and then later got called a bully and had a whole blog post dedicated to me and how I obviously must feel horrible about myself since I'm being "mean". I'd hate to NOT be able to blog about how a company did something to irk me, or how my sister in law is an annoying twit. I'd hate to have to basically censor everything I'd want to say because of a sponsor.

So do any of you feel that you are giving up a part of yourself when blogging and being sponsored? How do you NOT lose yourself?

Sending Mixed Signals as Moms

This blog post might hit a few nerves so I apologize in advance if you get offended by this. It is not my intention to offend, its just my intention to say what I feel.

I get annoyed when I come across twitter handles and blog names and emails that are soandsos'smom. It drives me insanely crazy. I don't really know why this is bothers me but it does. I guess I've always thought of it like, Yes, my daughter IS my biggest accomplishment but she is NOT the only thing in my life that I've accomplished. I'm a mother but I have an identity outside of a mom. I wear more than one hat, don't you?

Growing up I hated being called "Alex's little sister". Along with correcting them that I'm the "younger" sister NOT the little sister I'd be sure to throw my name in there. I'm "Jenny, Alex's younger sister," or if you prefer  "Alex's younger sister, Jenny."  Now that I'm older I still get ticked off by those types of labels. I dropped Demi off at daycare the other day and a parent goes to me, "Are you Demi's mom" "Yes, I'm Jenny, Demi's mom." 

Now my post isn't about the lack of using my name and only referring to me as a mom but its about the message we send to our children, mainly our daughters. From the moment we give birth nowadays we are freaked out by trying to remain gender neutral and not push a sex on a kid. We try not to give dolls to girls and trucks to boys. We try not to use terms like "sweet girl" and  "strong boy". We don't stress boy toys or girl toys and boy colors and girl colors. We teach both our sons and daughters that they can be anything they want to be. We love and support them in anything they do. We teach them about doing what they want and finding themselves. We allow our children to form their own identities and we support them in that. When we notice that our children are out of line we discipline them, when we notice they are too shy we try to coax them out of their shell. But we always support their identity. The kid is girlie, a tomboy, tough, a bit weak, in touch with this/her feelings, emotional...we work with our kids and figure out how to approach them. How to talk to them, how to discipline them depending on their personalities. 

Then a funny thing happens, our daughter's grow up and become moms and even we stop calling them by their names. We'll ask our grandchildren "Where is your mommy? What did your mommy say? Did mommy make you breakfast today?" We stop talking to our children about how their day was an instead ask how THEIR child's day was. We spent all this time teaching our children to become their own person and then we let them lose it and just focus on their being a mom. We tell our daughters to never fall into a man's shadow. To stand on their own and be their own person. Don't rely on a man for money, emotional support, or anything. Be equals. Be partners. Then somehow we end up allowing our children to go from "Jenny" to "Demismom.blogspot.com" We say nothing of this we think this is completely normal. It's NOT.

It gets under my skin. Maybe my mom raised me different, maybe I'm too hard headed? I don't want to just be known as a mom. There is so much more to me than what I popped out of my vagina. Now I don't mind being a mom, in fact I love it but its not everything that encompasses me. If that makes me a bad mom then I guess I'm a horrible mom. I guess I'm just urging more moms to step out of their children's shadows and be your own person. Don't be just a mom.

Does this get under your skin or are you one of the offenders!?

More bad food - Seriously

It seems I have a knack for choosing crappy places to eat. A few months ago I wrote about a dining experience gone way way wrong.. A little update to that: My sister and I went back with our husbands and parents a few months ago. AMAZING food and amazing service. We were more than pleased.

But....There is a restaurant in my city called Tripoli, its a Greek place with amazing food. The food has NEVER been bad but the service, OMG, the service is horrible. Every single time we go we complain about the service. If you are drinking beer you need to order 3 at a time just to ensure you'll have enough to get you through the meal.

Last time I was there was October 2010. We went for a friend's birthday. We started our dinner at 7pm and ended at 11pm. It wasn't because we were drinking and enjoying ourselves, it was because the service was soooooooo slow. I said I wouldn't go back because I just don't enjoy myself. I don't enjoy waiting 45 minutes for our EMPTY plates to be taken away in order to bring us our next course. I don't enjoy waiting 45 minutes for you to bring me a glass of water. It just isn't enjoyable and no matter how good the food is, its not worth it to me. I swore I wouldn't go back. I did pretty good, nearly a year.

Today I get home from work and this is the conversation we had:

DH: Hey did George call or text you?
Me: No, why? What's up?
DH: Where is your phone?
Me: In my back pocket. Why George, what is up? Is something wrong.
DH: Can you look at your phone?
(I pull my phone out of my pocket and see that I do NOT have a missed call or text)
DH: Well he's going to call or text you soon to see if you want to go out for dinner tonight...............to Tripoli.
Me: Man really? Okay fine since its George.

A few minutes later the house phone rings and we confirm that we are going to meet there at 7pm. I change D's clothes and get dressed pack the diaper bag and walk to the car.

We get to Tripoli where we are greeted by the owners wife. She asks if we are only 2 plus the baby. I said no, 6 plus the baby. We get seated and we are now waiting for the rest of our party to arrive.

3 minutes later the owners wife comes up to just George, myself, and the baby and says, "Would you like to place your order now or are you waiting on the rest of your party?" Uhhhh what the freak do you think? If we wanted to order ourselves, without the rest of our table we might as well stayed home.

So now our entire table is seated, we are waiting....and waiting....and waiting.....for someone to come see us to ask if we'd like to order our food or maybe even a drink. We place the entire order TOGETHER. We ordered drinks, apps, and main meal at the same time to save the waitress the trouble of coming back to our table to keep taking orders. George orders 2 beers in one shot. Do you know how long we sat at a table with no food, no drinks, and no explanation as to why we had none? FORTY-FIVE minutes. Yes 45 minutes with an empty table.

Our appetizers get to the table before our drinks do. As the waitress is handing out the appetizers she says, "Your drinks are on their way." FROM WHERE? Freaking Mexico? Shouldn't they have arrived FIRST? A few more minutes pass and she comes by our table again and says," Your drinks will be right out." FINALLY our drinks come, George orders another beer just for good measure and my husband points out to the waitress that she forgot to bring one of plates from the kitchen. She rushes back and brings it to us.

Now we finish our apps, we are waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting for the meal courses to be brought out. Heck, we are waiting for them to even come and pick up our app dishes. Nope, no luck. Another 45 minutes passes and the waitress tells us at this point, "Everything will be smooth sailing from this point on." The table behinds us gets up before their food arrives, complains to someone and walks out. I felt like doing the same thing but somehow George knows the guy and it would be rude. Really? It's rude making people wait that long for food and water...and did you notice notice the 17 month old with us who was getting very tired and VERY impatient?

Nothing was smooth sailing, we waited another 10 minutes for our food. While we are waiting for our food the restaurant begins to fill with smoke. Something was burning and of course they couldn't admit that by opening a door or window right? Oh and at this point we are debating just asking them to cancel our main meals. As we flag the waitress over she is bringing our salad/main course. The fries that our plates came with were so over cooked that they were actually chips...expect they weren't thin enough to be chips. Look, if I wanted chips I would have opened a bag of Lays and called it a night. This is insane. Everyone just shuts their mouths and eats the edible portions of their food.

We ask for the bill which does NOT get brought to us. My husband had to get up and go find the waitress in order to pay the bill. One of the waiters actually commented "I've worked in worse places" and "Yeah its really bad eh" and started laughing when I asked him if he wanted me to crush my fries and make confetti out of it.

When your staff starts to laugh at where he works its time for a change. It's time to either hire more wait staff or more kitchen staff. It's not like it was an off night. This has happened every single time we go there regardless of the day of the week.

Tomorrow I will call Tripoli and let the owner know what I think of their establishment and their service as well as leaving negative reviews on any and all food forums I can find. This is ridiculous. 

Mark my words, Tripoli will never get a dollar off of me. If you see me in there I give you the right to spit on me.

I'm going to Blogher 2012

I want to kick myself in the ass. Seriously. Maybe if one of you would like to come up here and kick me in the ass, or to make your life easier, my husband has already volunteered to kick me in the ass. For the past two Bloghers I've been like "Can you STFU already about it" or "What the crap is so special about it" and other things of the sort. This year I actually read a few blogs about Blogher, I've spoken to a lot of people that were attending or had attended in past years and I decided it would be a great opportunity to go.

I am not delusional and think that my trip will be sponsored by anyone other than my darling husband and myself. Yeah, we'll sponsor me all the way. :) Hey, if someone wants to sponsor my blog without asking me to be nicer or whatever than more power to them.

Anyway, yesterday morning I was talking to my husband about Blogher and how it was in San Diego this year and how I'd like to go to one if it ever came back to the East Coast. Later on in the day it was announced that BlogHer12 was going to be in New York City! I was so excited. I spoke to my husband and gave him a run down on the costs of going (I sort of over estimated, I thought tickets just to the conference were like 500-600$ but it turns out its closer to 200-300$), a hotel for 3 or 4 nights, a flight, and of course cab money. I figured out at least 2 roommates for sure and the third is still up in the air.

There are so many interesting bloggers that I can't wait to meet, can't wait to hug, and yes, I'm sure there will be a few I'd like to spit on or accidentally spill a drink on but hey...at least I'm honest right? We can't like EVERYONE!

Are you going to blogher12? Could you care less? Have you gone to a past blog her and did you like it? Hate it?

So here I am. Wednesday night. 9:15pm. Baby is sleeping and I want to blog but I don't have the slightest clue what to blog about. I don't want to write about how the baby is being a brat when it comes to sleeping. I don't want to write about how the fasting is making me slightly insane (dude cut meat out of your diet and all of a sudden your carb intake increases exponentially). I have been wanting to blog for a while but I just don't know what to write about.

Someone give me a suggestion, a prompt, a something...anything.

5 Question Friday

I'm trying something new today. It's called 5 Question Friday and its brought to you by http://fivecrookedhalos.blogspot.com/.

1. Have you ever forgotten your child in a store or at school?

Baby D is only 10 months old. I haven't lost my mind completely yet. I haven't forgotten her anywhere so far. I don't plan on forgetting her but you never know. 

2. Where did you go on your very first date? (Like...first first, not first with your spouse or current significant other!)

Well when B and I first met we were on a group get together. It was my friends meeting my best friend's brother's friends. We all went for a walk on the lake. It wasn't a real date so...first REAL date. We went to the Sundance movie theatre in downtown Fort Worth to see a movie.

3. What's your "silly" fear? (We're not talking water and heights.)

I call this one my irrational fear. Seriously, its stupid. I have a fear of driving and drinking something (bottle of water) and while breaking for a red light or stop sign I get rear ended and choke and die. Yeah, I actually think that will happen. No it doesn't stop me from drinking in the car although I never drink while breaking...EVER

4. Confrontation: do you cause it, deal with is as it comes, or run far far away?

I totally deal with it head on. Always. I don't tippy toe around anything. So far it has worked out great for me. I deal with issues as they come up, my friends and family know thats how I deal with it (and then blog about it).

5. Wood floors or carpet?

My house has wood floors plus ceramic tiles. It depends on the room. I hate kitchens with wood floors and carpet, I hate bedrooms with carpet (unless its a kids room)....my sister in laws bathroom has carpet. Eww how can you carpet a bathroom? Living room, family room, dining room, and bedrooms should have wood floors (with area rugs where needed), bathrooms and kitchen should have a ceramic tile. I personally find both of those floor types easier to clean vs carpet. I hate carpet. 

Dining Experience Gone Way Way Wrong

I could start off this post with a big fat lie and say something along the lines of "I'm not one to complain" but we'd all know that I'd be lying to you. I do complain. Isn't that why you people even bother to read this blog?

Last night had to go down in the books as the worst dining experience EVER. Seriously, my sister who NEVER complains or sends food back complained. In fact during her complaint I think she dropped the F-Bomb about 15 times....more on that later.

Let me give you a little history on this place. Last year we went to Sterlings Restaurant in Laval for my brother in laws birthday. We had reservations for 7:00pm. My husband and I were the first to arrive (very unusual, he always makes us run late) and I go to the hostess stand and inform them that we have arrived. They tell us "Just a minute while we prepare your table". Uh what the heck is the point of a reservation? Anyway, we take a seat at their waiting area and we wait for the rest of our party to arrive anyway. We were only 6 people. The rest of the group arrives and our table is still not ready. I go back to the hostess and ask her what exactly is the point of a reservation if I show up ON TIME and my table is not ready and its now 20 minutes past and I'm still waiting.. She had no answer. My brother in law got on his cell phone to call the owner of another restaurant near by to see if we could be seated there as we were HUNGRY. The other place was packed. Finally, 45 minutes later we are seated. We are seated at a MAKE SHIFT table in the bar. Yes, the bar DOES have tables but not this table. You can tell this table was just thrown there to appease us. It was in the way of everything and we kept having to scoot our chairs out of the way. It was horrible. The floor manager said he's comp our drinks. I rolled my eyes. The food was spectacular. My husband LOVES this place. We actually go pretty often, just the two of us, on a random Tuesday night.  We've never been disappointed.

The end of the night arrives and guess what. Our drinks weren't comped. Now what are you supposed to do? "Excuse me you said you'd give me a free round of drinks?" We just shut our mouths, paid the bill, and went on with our wonderful lives.

Fast forward to a year later. It is a friends birthday and his wife organized for all of us to go to Sterlings. Although last time their timing wasn't the greatest the food rocks. Seriously. Try the Prime Rib there. George and I are the first to arrive again (maybe that is what started the whole night off wrong). I go to the hostess table and inform them that we are here and have a 7:30pm reservation either under the name Nicole or Rody. The hostess and floor manager look at me as if I have 4 heads. Again I say Nicole OR Rody. The floor manager says "Follow me".

We walk past the bar, past the kitchen to the main dining room. He stops short of actually entering the dining room and says, "Second table on the left..." So I look around. Second table on the left is a round table set for 6 people. Perfect. We go sit down. A few minutes later the floor manager comes back and says "Sorry this table is reserved. Your party is already here," and he points to a larger table next to us filled with strangers. I say, "No we are not with them. This table is reserved for us." He says "But the Nicholas party is there." Okay thats great, I'm not with Nicholas. Again I say NICOLE OR RODY. He says we can keep the table either way...As if he is doing me a favor. The table was reserved for us to begin with just because those half wits can't read their own reservation chart....

So by 7:38 we are all seated. My sister and her husband have arrived, Nicole and her husband have arrived. We are all looking over the menu. The prime rib here is so good that it has limited quantities. Seriously. It's written on the menu. As the waitress takes our DRINK order my husband asks, "Do you still have prime rib available" and she said "Yes". Perfect. We place our order for our food as soon as we get our drinks. All the men wanted prime rib, I wanted Chilean sea bass, Nicole and my sister order filet mignon. Perfect.

We are sitting around for 30 minutes just drinking our drinks and munching on bread and butter (and I'm insisting they not eat so much bread because we ordered A LOT. We each got an appetizer and a main meal). Our waitress comes back (with no food) and says "I'm sorry I have some bad news but we do not have any more Prime Rib. The kitchen has just informed me". Excuse me? We asked for this over 30 minutes ago. It took over 30 minutes for the kitchen to be like "hey...no more prime rib okay?" I'm calling bullshit.

I tried to think of it logically. The waitress probably entered our appetizers into the computer first and then our main meal. I mean if you punch them at the same time the food will all be ready at the same time and that isn't right.....But its not what happened. I mean if that were the case you would have realized this WHILE we were eating our appetizer but we aren't. Have you even freaking punched in any part of our order?

My husband is now upset because it is the ONLY thing he eats from that restaurant. The birthday boy in a huge huff was like, "Just charge us for our drinks and we are leaving". My sister and I are like, "Um they have really good things on the menu that aren't prime rib" and my brother in law is very upset because he wanted that prime rib. The waitress saw the looks on our faces and obviously heard the comments and immediately went to get the owner. The owner apologized for the mix up and said he's comp our drinks. I rolled my eyes at that one. My brother in law flatly tells the owner that besides the prime rib the steak at this place sucks. He's tried it before and was less than impressed. I tried to tell the birthday boy and my brother in law that I've had a few things from the menu that I liked a lot to offer some suggestions. The owner insists that my brother in law order the filet mignon and if he doesn't like it he doesn't have to pay for it. My brother in law agrees.

So now this is what we ordered.
Me - Chilean Sea Bass
Husband - Veal Chop (cooked medium)
Sister - 8oz filet mignon (cooked medium)
Best Friend - 8 oz filet mignon (cooked medium)
Birthday Boy - Chicken breast
Brother in law - 12 oz filet mignon (cooked medium)

This is what we received.

Me - Chilean Sea Bass
Husband - Veal Chop (cooked medium)
Sister - 8 oz filet mignon (cooked BLUE, in other words NOT COOKED)
Best friend - 8 oz filet mignon (cooked medium)
Birthday boy - Chicken Breast
Brother in law - 8oz filet mignon (cooked medium)  (Yes 8oz instead of the 12 that was ordered)

At first my sisters steak was okay. In fact I made a joke that from the outside it was dry. The first few bites were medium and then it just got uncooked. It was disgusting. In fact it was cold. My brother in law was looking at his plate saying it wasn't a 12 oz. He's like "This has to be an 8oz". We asked the guy who brought the food and he said it was 12oz. Our waitress comes back to us and informs us that she heard 8oz when he ordered therefore it is an 8oz not a 12oz. That's bullshit. My brother in law ordered his meal in french since that was the waitresses first language. I heard him say 12 because I heard the word DOUZE a few times. In fact I thought he had ordered the filet mignon with DEUX shrimp. I knew that the number 2 was involved. (At this point we hadn't realized my sister's steak was raw, she eats slow).

Then she starts to poke at her food and audible moos come from it. She's disgusted and I'm very happy I am eating fish. Her and her husband trade plates because he says its not blue, its just medium. It's totally not medium. It's raw. If my husband won't eat it then its raw. The waitress comes to ask "Is everything okay here" and you hear 6 voices in unison say "NO!" She looks very taken back.

Birthday boy basically verbally attacks the waitress and that is where I chime in and say "It's not her fault that the kitchen ran out of prime rib or undercooked the meat. It is her fault for ordering the wrong portion size." Again she insists that she heard only 8 oz for my brother in law. But she is very sorry for my sister's steak. She walks away. The owner comes up to speak to us to see what is wrong and at this point my sister is about to fly off the lid so she goes out for a smoke. The owner tries to tell her he will fix her meal, give her something else to which she replied, "I don't want anything from you. I'm never coming here again."

The owner walks away unable to do anything. The waitress avoids our table. My sister returns from her smoke and now the floor manager walks by and causally asks, "How are things" and best friend replies, "You don't want to know, just walk away." He didn't walk away. He tried to listen to 5 people explain at the same time. I say 5 because my husband hates confrontation and walked away when I opened my mouth. It's usually not pretty when I complain.

My sister decided to explain to the floor manager what happened starting with last year. She used the following phrases, "last year we got fucked" "even though we got fucked we came back" "and then we fucking hear" "and again we were fucked" "and now I'm fucked" "I'm never fucking coming back" "I've fucking had enough" and a few other variations that I can't recall at the moment. She did drop the F bomb at least 15 times.

At this point I explain everything to the floor manager excluding what happened last year and excluding the word fuck. I expressed our dissatisfaction, how we were upset to learn about the prime rib, and how after informing us that there was no more prime rib after SPECIFICALLY requesting it that our table should have been our waitresses and the kitchens top priority. Like, if you have to mess up on an order don't let it be our table. The owner had come to our table BEFORE our meals arrived. It should have been a clue to step up your game. His response floored me, "But its a Saturday night and we are busy." It was my turn to look at HIM as if he had 4 heads. I responded, "Yeah Saturday happens once a week. You should be used to it by now." He said he had a big group come in and they ordered a lot of prime rib and yadda yadda. I explained that we were also a group, a group of 6. If your restaurant consistently runs out of a specific cut of meat every Saturday do you not decide as management to inform the owner that there is always a shortage and maybe just maybe you should order more of that particular cut? He had no response.

He apologized and offered us a 50$ gift certificate per couple and explained that our coffee and dessert were complimentary.  As soon as he leaves the owner comes back and speaks to us to find out what went wrong and explain that every Saturday they cook 4 prime ribs. Some weeks they run out, some weeks they throw them away. Uh, cook 5. But you know what. He's smart. Their entire staff is probably trained to always answer "Yes we do have prime rib". Take the order. How many people per party will order the prime rib? It's not always 100%. Ours was 50-50. By the time you are informed of their shortage you have already had a drink and started your appetizers. How many people are going to get up and leave versus staying? 2-98%? He knows he isn't going to lose the customer the majority of the time so why buy more meat that you'll throw away? He's basically converting those lost prime rib sales into other meals that would have been thrown out at the end of the night. Fuckin smart thinking man!

So my husband and the owner are now talking. George explains to him what happened last year and the owner looks embarrassed. He's heard this story before. The accountant that my husband uses for his company is the same one that this guy uses. After our last dining experience my husband just mentioned it in passing to his accountant. The accountant called the owner (while in front of my husband) and the owner was like, "oh my god. I'm so sorry. Tell them to come back and I'll make sure to take care of everything." We never went back because we aren't all about getting free food. We just want good service.
We order our coffee, we eat our desserts. We get our bills. I laughed. Once again, our drinks were NOT comped. I told my husband I was going to say something and he was like "you are going to complain about 15$." Yes because its times 3 couples therefore its 45$ and they said they would be comped. Everything has been shitty from the start of the night! He wouldn't let me complain. He pointed out that we did get a 50$ gift certificate per couple, we did get our coffees and desserts comped and to just leave it be.

The owner also told us next time we come to ask for him personally and he'll take good care of us. They also comped my sister's raw filet mignon.  I told the owner that I personally will not come back on a Saturday night. I've never had any problems going on a Tuesday night and I would do my best to convince the rest of the group to try it again on a random week night.

Overall here is my opinion on the food that was edible:

Grilled Octopus - Tasted great but they should have used red onion not white to garnish the dish. Not a big enough serving of it to charge $14

Fried Calmari - It was okay. Nothing to write home about.

Grilled Merguez Sausage - Not my cup of tea.

Greek Salad - Very good. They don't use the cheap feta, its actually REAL feta. Still not enough of a portion to charge $15 for.

House Salad - Whatever. It's a house salad. You can't really screw that up.

Chilean Sea Bass - It was good. Not the best I've ever had and not the worst either. It was good but seriously for $33 I would expect more than a 4 to 6 oz cut of fish. Seriously. I would rather make it at home for that size.

Veal Chop  with Port Reduction Sauce - AMAZING. No complaints from me or my hubs.

Grilled Chicken Breast - Birthday boy was impressed. Said it was very good.

Filet Mignon (cooked properly) - Very good. It's their second specialty dish

Letter # 12: Letter to the Person You Hate / Caused You the Most Pain

Dear Person I Hate,


I don't really know if I hate you but I certainly know that I don't like you. You were an epic pain in my ass. Seriously. Never had I met a loser as big as you and I guess that says something about my judgement.


See, I gossip a lot but I NEVER start a rumor. If I'm gonna spread a rumor I'm going to make sure that its true first. I don't just randomly start talking shit about people without checking the facts and I guess that is where you screwed up. You tried to start a rumor about me and people decided to check the facts first. We went to Homecoming together and you decided to lie and tell people you slept with me. Seriously? 


I'm not sorry that you told the guys on the wrestling team that lie. I'm not sorry that the team worked you extra hard that practice. I'm not sorry that Derryan, Billy, and J.J. kicked your ass. I'm not sorry that Randy threatened to come from Wyoming to put your ass in place (I'll never forget him asking me if I wanted your body with holes in it or chopped into little pieces), I'm not sorry that you felt the need to transfer schools after that. 


I really shouldn't hate you but in the end it was all very funny. You tried to tell people that you slept with me, it was a lie, and you got your ass handed to you. In the end you fared much worse than I did. Your rumor didn't get to go too far because you decided to start it among the team first. The team squashed that rumor before it left our walls. Funny how your little plan back fired. I'm sorry I rejected you, I'm sorry you felt the need to start a rumor but I guess you learned the hard way what happens when you lie.


Funny enough, if that is the worst thing that has ever happened to me then I guess I'm doing pretty good in my life. :) Thanks for being a jack ass and giving me something to write about.


XOXO
-Jenny

Day 10: A Letter to Someone You Don't Talk to as Much as You'd Like to.

Dear Friend,

I don't know what happened between the two of us. We used to be so close, we used to be inseparable and then suddenly we barely talk, we barely text, we barely see each other. At first I thought the problem was me. I was moving on with my life, I got married, I moved into another suburb and you were still in school, still at home, still single.

I tried, I really did, to always include you in everything I did. It was just too hard for you to come to my house or I was too busy up where I live. Things always got in the way but we both tried to make the friendship work. Then something interesting happened.

You got a boyfriend and suddenly you were missing in action. We would only see you at big events, we would never see you out for a coffee or anything. I know that you had gotten your heart broken in the past but you did what you always do which is pour all of your heart and soul into a relationship. All of your energy went there and you forgot about your real friends.

I don't know if you ever noticed but when you would start dating someone you would ALWAYS forget about your friends. You would go out with the new guy and all of his friends never inviting your friends along (My sister and I started noticing this right around the time you were interested in dating FN). He'd invite you out to where we ALL hung out but you never called us to invite us to go. When he wasn't busy you would call us to hang out. You'd tell us about the fun you had with him and his friends and we were happy for you. We were thrilled that you were dating someone but it kind of sucked that you kept you friends away from your love interest.

Then A happened. We all know why you kept him away from us. (Sorry but its totally true!) He broke your heart and when he came back you still insisted on talking to him, you still insisted on giving him a chance. Something none of your friends thought he deserved.

Now that you are dating B you did the same thing. You have thrown every spare moment of your life into that relationship completely forgetting about you friends. You have gone out with him and his friends, him and his family never once stopping to say "Hey I wonder if my friends would want to come." Our friendship has become very strained.

It's odd. It feels odd having events without you there but it also feels odd to invite you there. It feels as if its a "gift grab" by inviting you because that is the ONLY time we see you .

I seriously wish things were different but I guess the age old expression fits in perfectly here...."It is what it is".

Letter #5: A Letter to My Dreams

Today’s letter is being posted late in the day. I know. I’m so sorry. If you don’t have any kids you will quickly learn they take a lot more of your time than you thought they would. Seriously. D is crawling and moving quicker than I thought she would and is 100% hands on!

Moving On, the letter…

Dear Dreams,

Oh my. It’s been a long time since I’ve even thought of you. I never thought that you guys would be on the backburner. Growing up I was sure that you were the front and center. Everything was about YOU! But then something happened. Something changed. It was me. I thought I was changing and leaving you behind but then the funniest thing happened…YOU also changed.

Little did I know that the both of us would change together.  Like the Greeks say, “san kolo kai vraki” (like underwear and an ass). One of us would change and the other would accommodate the change. It wasn’t so much a change as it was a shift. Hey, at least we have the best partnership.

I know that I haven’t really paid much attention to you lately but you need to understand that in order for everything between you and me to work out I need a bit of time. I have other things right now that sort of take priority but once everything goes back to normal (or as normal as it can get) then you and I will be right back on track.

Seriously, don’t think I’ve forgotten about you. I’m always thinking of you and making little modifications. Life will be good Dreams, that is one promise I intend to keep. You and I will go very far in life. You and I will be extremely successful. You and I….together this is nothing that the two of us can’t accomplish…and hey, we already got the ball rolling didn’t we?

XOXO –

Jenny

Letter #4: A Letter to my sister

When I saw who this letter was meant to be written to I thought, oh easy breezy! Guess what. It totally isn't that easy. There is so much to say and not sure of how much I would like for the entire web to read (see how I am assuming my blog is read by a bajillion people!?)

Anyway....here goes nothing!

Dearest Sister,


Oh where to start a letter to someone that I have shared the past 29.678 years with? If anyone on this earth knows me...its you. Sometimes you know me way too well. It's kind of scary. It's like we share the same brain or something.


I just wanted to let you know that I am proud of how you turned out regardless of the road you that got you to where you are. Unlike me, you weren't really afraid to break the rules. You followed the beat of your own drum and did what you needed to go. Sometimes I wish your brain was as big as your heart (and I'm sure you sometimes wish my mouth wasn't as big as my ass...but hey we play the hand we are dealt right?!).


You would give anyone the shirt off your back and while its a great thing, I don't necessarily think its the smartest thing. You are willing to give anyone a chance and you have no problem with forgiveness. That makes you a big person with a great big heart. (And hey, this is the only time I'll admit this...a better person than I am)


Even though you and I have had our ups and downs we always end up in the same place. Together. I couldn't imagine a life where I didn't speak to you daily or see you at least weekly. Growing up I never thought that you and I would be this close to one another. I mean seriously there were some stages in our lives where we were all "get the fuck away from me" and now its like "If you fucking look at her funny I'll break every bone in your sorry ass body". We've seen some of our friends relationships with their siblings fail and that is one place I'd never want to be with you. I love you with all my heart and soul. Life without my sister would be pretty fucking bland.


Anyway, I will end this now because I am TRYING to watch a movie while Demi sleeps AND I am already one day behind in my letters! Sorry its a day late but hey, its better late then never right?


I love you,


XOXOXO


Jenny




Yesterday's Letter  tomorrow's topic is Letter to My Dreams




Other's Doing a blog challenge:
Heather @ Tomorrow Starts Today
Tash @ Tashsparkles
Dana @ Undercover Super Mom




This letter was posted a day late. Sorry.

Letter #3: A Letter to my Parents

First of all, this is my 100th post. C'mon thats freaking awesome. I probably wrote more in 2011 than I did in 2010. Kinda sad and pathetic right?

Well here is my letter.

Dear Mom and Dad,


Gosh where does one start a letter to their parents? It seems like there is so much that can be said but other times I feel as if we've said every thing there is to say. You both know that I love you both very very much and wouldn't change my parents for anything. 


Remember how I used to tell you guys that when I had kids I totally wouldn't raise them like you guys raised my sister and me? Well...It's sorta true sorta not.


Now that I am older I realize that you guys were strict on us because you saw everything that was happening in our society and you just weren't used to it. Let's be honest, the way YOU were raised in Greece was most certainly not the way kids were raised in Arlington, TX. I though that you were insanely strict and just didn't want us to have fun, fit in, or be normal. (Hey I'll admit I was allowed to do a lot more than my sister was...) But now that I am a mom I see all the crazy shit that you tried to protect us from...only now its worse. Now its 10 times worse. Today's society is completely insane and I'm very happy to have you both as examples on how to raise children and how to protect them.


Looking back on everything I now know that you didn't miss school plays, talent shows, parent-teacher nights because you wanted to...you did it because you had to work to provide for us the life that we had. (A rather good life if I do say so myself).


If I had to say anything I disliked about your parenting (hey we are being honest right) I'd have to say that I wish you would have given us a little more freedom, given us a bit of space to spread our wings. (Funny I say US but I'm only speaking for myself. I'm not sure what Alex is thinking). I know you wanted to protect us from making mistakes but sometimes learning from our own mistakes is much more powerful than hearing anecdotes and examples of other people's mistakes. Learning and experiencing are very powerful tools.


So mommy and daddy...I basically want to end this the same way I started it. With letting you know that I love you both from the bottom of my heart.


By the way mom: Now I totally get it when you'd tell me "Just become a mom Polexeny and then tell me that I'm crazy!" but can you please STOP telling me,"Wait until you become a grandma...then you'll know why I am the way I am".




Love you,


Your favorite daughter,  (ha ha. I'm kidding Alex now fuck off!)


Jenny 




Other people doing writing challenges:


Heather @ Tomorrow Starts Today


Tash @ Tashsparkles

Dana @ Undercover Super Mom

Letter #2: A Letter to My Crush

This is day 2 of the Letter A Day Blog Challenge. Yes I wrote a letter to My Best Friend and today I have to write a letter to my crush. This one is really hard. I mean, c'mon I'm married. I guess I can preface this blog with this: Thank God my husband is NOT a jealous man. He sometimes reads my blogs.


Without further adieu...

Dear Crush,

My God, how many years have we known each other? Almost all of our adolescence and adult lives. We went from merely knowing each other, to being friends, to being best friends, to feeling something for one of another, to merely knowing each other again, to being best of friends. Isn't it crazy how life works out?


You remember how a few years ago we played the "What If" game? What if I hadn't moved. What if your girlfriend hadn't gotten pregnant. What if we spent more time together while still in school. What if we had known how similar we actually were...there as so many whatifs in this world and we just can't live our lives wondering what could have been. We'll never know if its a "what should have been". I pretty much think that my life has turned out the way it SHOULD have....you are what COULD have been.


A little piece of my heart will always belong to you. You've been a great friend, a confidant, and rock. I know I can always count on you for a shoulder to cry on, a voice to comfort me, and you always ALWAYS provide me with sound advice.  


Isn't it funny how that works? No matter the feelings we once shared for one another (or still may have...I don't know what you are thinking anymore) we are always there for one another. Helping, listening, comforting, and consoling.  I know that you have been going through a hard time lately and I hope you work things out. I hope that everything goes just the way you want it to...and remember, there is no shame in leaving an unhappy relationship. Don't you dare let yourself suffer because you don't want to be a statistic. You are far too good to give a damn what people think or say. (And I think you've proven that in other aspects of your life).


I just want to let you know that I love you dearly. No seriously, I don't say it nearly often enough but I really do. You are one of my favorite things about going "home" for a visit. I look forward to the time we spend together. I love driving around in your car listening to music that I would normally  punch myself in the face for listening to (Snake Farm...sounds kinda nasty....kinda is), talking about anything and everything, going to the zoo and making ridiculously funny comments about all the animals (and you reminding me not to go camera happy until I see the white tigers....because my battery DID die as soon as I snapped the last picture.), going to eat at "our restaurant" and just talking about anything under the sun.


So my darling crush. I love you and I'll talk to you soon.


XOXO,


Jenny






Yesterday's letter can be found HERE


Other bloggers doing a blogging challenge can be found:

Heather @ Tomorrow Starts Today

Tasha @ TashSparkles

Letter #1: A Letter to My Best Friend

As I mentioned in my last post I am doing a blog challenge in which I have to write a letter to someone everyday. The list of people I have to write is found on the previous post along with my notes on how easy I think it'll be.

Well....here goes!

Dear Best Friend,


I'm happy that this challenge started off with such an easy person to write. Honestly, this is probably the easiest one on the list.  I just wanted to tell you how proud of you I am.


You have honestly inspired me. You had a dream and went after it and nothing can possibly stop you. In a way, I'm slightly envious of you and what you have accomplished. I know that at times you doubt yourself when it comes to life due to relationships, finances, and living situation but it doesn't remotely compare to the amazing things you HAVE done.


By doing everything that you have done you have inspired me to light a candle under my ass and get going. I have the means to follow my dreams just not the motivation. You motivate me. You give me verbal ass kickings every time we talk about getting my butt in gear.


When I think back to our relationship I can't help but laugh. We've had our ups, our downs, our sideways, and any which way but in the end we always come out on top together. You bothered me for 2 years straight. I barely knew anything about you besides the fact that you sat behind me in class and bugged me. Daily. 


It's been like 15 years we've known each other and I can't picture my life without you. You are such a great person on the inside and outside. I've never met a person who has so much passion, drive, and determination (some might call that stubborn and I guess I can agree from time to time) . No matter what you do you put 110% into it. You always give it your all and that is something to be admired.


I'm going to end this letter by saying two things.


1. I wish we were closer so that we could hang out in person instead of via MSN, text messages, and telephone calls.


2. I love you. A lot.


Love Always.


-J


Others that are particpiating in one of the writing challenges....

• Heather @ Tomorrow Starts Today
• Tasha @ TashSparkles