Switching from Spectrum - Verizon: Part 2---Amazon Fun!

Amazon has been doing this two step verification to sign in using both your email and your phone. I added my phone but each time they tried to send me the text to my phone, I got nothing. I tried multiple things and yet nothing. 

So I went to the chat on Spectrum and got sent over to the mobile tech chat and a guy there told me that Spectrum blocks short texts. I was like what? Oh damn! Well that explained things but it opened up a whole other issue now.

I called Amazon about an order I had made in November for some apple cider where the one bottle came broken and I had emailed about it but didn't see a reply until now.What a nightmare! The first person I got on the phone kept trying to verify my account by sending me a code to my phone. I laughed and said no, you won't be able to do that because I am not getting those. She then tells me she can't help me if they can't verify my account then, sorry. I was like can I talk to a supervisor then? She tells me that a supervisor will not be able to help me at all because they will have the same trouble as her in not being able to verify my account. I laughed and I said I didn't care, I wanted to talk to one anyway. She said ok hold please. I am on hold for a few minutes only for her to come back and say for me to call back in 5-10 mins and they would be able to help me then. Asked me if that was ok? I said no, it isn't. She assured me that her supervisor would be able to resolve this problem etc etc. I knew it was a mistake to hang up at that point. But I did.

Next call, I get a guy and I immediately ask for a supervisor. He ignores me and tries the verification text bit on the phone and I tell him, no, you can't do that, it won't help. He keeps interrupting me and trying to tell me he can't help blah blah blah unless he can verify, blah blah, I explain what the last lady told me and he then tells me I could go on the site and ask for them to call me and then I wouldn't need to go thru the verification process. I told him it's not on the site, I can't find it. He goes silent. I think he hung up on me and he finally comes back on and tries to explain again and as I am saying I thought I lost him, then he goes silent again. I had a feeling he was just pushing his mute button not wanting to hear me. I finally hang up on him when he goes silent for the 4th time. Yup, I am persistent.

So then, I call again. I get this nice lady named Queenie and I immediately ask for a supervisor, she politely asks if I could give her a chance to help me and I am short at this point and frustrated to no end and I cut her off and say no, you can't, the other two couldn't, I need a supervisor. They told me to call back to ask for one as everyone keeps wanting to verify me via my phone and no one is listening that my phone service won't let me. 

She listens to me and then asks me what my original question was. I told her about the broken bottle of apple cider and how I just saw the reply now and I have the order number etc. She says she has to verify my account but what she can do is call me back. So asked for my phone number and I gave it to her and we hung up and she called me right back! Then she looked up the order and in no time, bingo-bammo it was done! Refund issued! YAY!

 Love Amazon!!

www.amazon.com

Now that the Amazon issue was resolved, I know I still need to be able to get those texts should I need to log in again with Amazon or if I have an issue. I decided to call Spectrum back to find out if there was any way they could flip a switch or maybe pay for a more premium service or something to allow those short texts to go thru?

 

 To be continued...

 

 

Silicone Candy Bar Molds

 I had such a great time making these custom made chocolate candy bars! 

What fun and they came out so great!

I did learn a few things however when doing these that I thought I would share.

First was the kind of melting chocolate to use. Wilton is usually the go-to however they were not that great for dipping or making the chocolate bars. I found that the Melt 'Ems were much better. The only Wilton brand that was good was the large bag of milk chocolate that was also good for the fountains. The white chocolate Wilton brand came out way too thick in my chocolate pot.

I definitely recommend Wilton's chocolate pots however with the silicone pot that fits into the warmer itself. You can also get a pot that is divided and that one is great when you are just wanting to melt a little bit of different colors. I loved these pots because you can put them on high to melt quick and then turn it down to low so that it will just keep it warm.

 The silicone pots clean up great! A great tip is to let the melted chocolate harden and then when you collapse the pot, the chocolate will break apart and easier to throw away instead of rinsing it all down the drain that could clog up your pipes. That would be bad!

 

Also, when using edible luster dust, don't brush the dust onto the silicone mold itself. It will adhere to the chocolate but it also gets stuck in the crevices of the mold and it is hard to get it out. 

 I found all of these items on Amazon of course and you can get the Wilton items on their site too as well as in some Joann's and Michael's stores. The candy and cookies were found in the grocery stores or Walmart. Some of the sprinkles were specially ordered from one of my favorite sprinkle shop online.

https://www.wilton.com/

 

https://sprinklepop.shop/ 

 

 

This was great fun however as I made them for each person according to their favorites. Definitely a blast to try to locate and find all the different types of candy and baking chips that match up. 

Wind and Weather

Just wanted to shine a light on the new link I've added for Wind and Weather.

 

You can find them here:

 

http://www.windandweather.com/

 

They have all sorts of lovely garden items to add sparkle and shine and just very unique things for your home, yard and patio.

 

 

Love them!

 

 

Care Credit

As much as I have fussed about other credit card companies and banks, I want to give a huge thumbs up to Care Credit who not that long ago was taken over by Synchrony Bank.

Care Credit was owned at one time by GE Capital.

Some people have asked me what is Care Credit?
Well, I first came upon this with our dental office and I ended up with two accounts. One of them I used for the dental procedures that were just too expensive for me to afford any other way. The other account I ended up getting with them, was used mostly for pet visits as at the time, I had 5, yes, count them 5 cats! Talk about the cat lady!
But I am down to 3 as my daughter took 2 of them, thank goodness.

Care Credit is a credit card that is distinctly used for medical, dental and pet care bills. Once you go over a couple hundred dollars or more, they will give you interest free for a few months! I've had it go to like a year depending on the amount being charged and sometimes 6 months! WOW!
NO INTEREST until that date. BUT!
Yes, there is always a -but-, you have to pay off that amount charged and given a promotional credit by the due date or you WILL pay for the interest that is accumulated and held off until that date. If you are able to pay it off by that date, you don't pay ANY interest! Gotta love that! Just have to make sure you do pay it by that date and you are golden.

What is also nice about Care Credit is that when you make a payment, if you have a balance that does not have a promotional credit to it for some of it and yet some is under that special no interest for 'x' amount of time, your payment can go all for that promotional credit. If it doesn't, you can call them up and ask them to change it so it does. :)

I ended up with another Care Credit with them when I had a leak in the kitchen and the local plumber had us apply for it. I also had one other when we ordered an elliptical machine.
Again with promotional credits, no interest until the next year!

I have to say aside from USAA, Care Credit is a favorite credit card company for being so kind as to offer that 0% interest. And it's not just when you open up the card, it's anytime you charge a large amount. :)

So, THANK YOU Care Credit and thank you Synchrony Bank for not changing that practice when you took them over!

Awesome!

Dancing With Myself by Billy Idol (Spoiler Alert)

Well hello William Broad! 

 Billy Idol

Billy Idol recently came out with a book entitled: "Dancing With Myself".

I just had to get it and was very interested in reading it.

To back up a bit and share some background of me before I give my opinion on Billy's book...
I used to be a huge, avid reader as I was growing up. I went through so many paperbacks from historical romance to horror. I would just lose myself in the story and became part of it in my mind. It was wonderful! 
As I got older, I began to have a busy life, kids, career...and then the fatal blow to my reading enjoyment was the internet. Here is where I made some of my own stories in my head come to life with real interactions with others and I left the stack of books that I had accumulated to collect dust.
I kept on collecting books there for a while and eventually, that stopped too.

A few times I would try to get back into reading but my eyesight seemed to be not as good and a few times it would hurt to try to read the small print. So I left it go as I was lost in the internet. 

Over the years, I kept picking up books now and then, ones I would start to read, or I'd skim through them. I wanted to read them, just the hours and days kept slipping away from me and I never seemed to be able to finish them or keep up with them. Too much time would slip by and then I would forget where I was or even if I bookmarked the page, I wouldn't remember what all I had read before and would have to go back a few chapters until something sounded familiar.

Not good.

This past year, I came across a few books that were released that ignited my desire again to want to read. Namely, a lot of Pagan books by authors who I had met and I was intrigued and wanted to hear their voices in my head as I read. They are wonderful but I couldn't seem to keep the new routine going in reading no matter how interesting their books are. It wasn't the subject matter, but it was me and the addiction to the internet and playing a few games each night before I went to bed. Not to mention having a video projection going on in my room and I would have to stay up with it and wasn't getting proper sleep so I would be exhausted by the time I did get to sleep.

Billy Idol's book was no different than the other ones I had purchased. I was excited to read it and picked it up and read a couple chapters in between Halloween and Xmas video projections but I had to put it down again until the video projections/holidays were over.

I have a nice stack now there at my bedside, waiting for me and the one on top is Billy Idol's "Dancing With Myself". 

I am about a decade younger than Billy, but I grew up listening to some of the same music as he had, the old country music. My dad wouldn't let us have any rock and roll in the house if he could help it. He barely tolerated my older half sisters listening to Al Stewart, Fleetwood Mac, or Queen as it was and I am sure they listened to that mostly when he was away at work. I had nothing but country records in my room and it wasn't until I was on a school bus or got my own transistor radio that he won for us kids down the shore that I actually could listen to something other than the classic country that I loved, while away from the house. I heard Eagles and Beach Boys and all the greats back then in the 70s. No way would I have been able to listen to anything really heavier than that.
Once I got into junior and high school, I was exposed then to more rock and roll beyond Elvis. It was the Cars with their Candy-O album that really sent my head in a whirl. Friends were listening to Pink Floyd, Led Zepplin, Rolling Stones, and Molly Hatchet to name but a few. There was this big rivalry in fact between Pink Floyd and another band, I forget now who it was. We also listened to Journey and Styx. I heard of Billy Idol in passing, some of his songs had come out but the bus was always filled with the other stuff mostly. Yet I kept getting drawn to Billy's music.

I went into the AF and when I met the man who I would end up marrying at a young age of 19, he had invited me over to his room to 'see his VCR'. Yea, I know it sounds like come and see my tapestries! But I did and that's when I first saw MTV. WOW! Here was the music I had heard being played and performed by the artist themselves in these really cool videos! That's when I first saw Billy Idol. His "Eyes Without A Face" video captured my attention.

 Each time it came on, I had to turn that volume right on up and sing with him, eyes glued to his every move, his every look, just mesmerized by his big blue eyes and his bleach blonde hair and his crazy outfits, the snarl and sneer and curling lip, heck even the fist pump. The women in the background smacking their behinds was hot! I loved it all! He was amazing! IS! I always felt he could have sang more ballads and love songs with how his wonderful voice sounded in this song. I was in love!

I loved his other videos too, "Flesh For Fantasy" struck a chord and of course he had so many great hits, "Mony Mony", "Dancing With Myself", "Rebel Yell", "White Wedding", and "Hot in the City". To this day I like to play his "Dead Next Door" for Halloween.  His music was amazing! I knew my father would be just groaning away to know how much I loved Billy's music. But it was freeing and sexual and expressive and I loved it all. I didn't really know many other Billy fans. The songs were played on the radio a lot and they were catchy tunes that just got you hoppin and boppin and wanting to get out there and dance and be wild and crazy!

I got stuck on those songs and all the music from the 80s. I slipped back to the 70s and 60s and heck, I even began listening to 50s and 40s! I couldn't take much of the 90s though and that's why I just remained listening to what is now considered the classics. I didn't care for the techno music, nor much heavy metal. I always said that Billy Idol was as heavy metal as I got and yes, I knew he was really punk rock. That's as far as I went. So I ignored most of the music that came out in the early 2000s and even to this day, not much I really like. I saw myself becoming more like my parents in staying back listening to the good ol' oldies. I even went back and listened and enjoyed some old radio programs and big band and classical music and an old boyfriend even had me listening to a few opera pieces. So I never realized or knew that Billy went quiet for a while or that you just didn't hear much from him. I had my favorites, my classics from him and that's where I stayed, happy.

Insert internet again and years and years later, finally, after much prodding and bugging from friends, I got on Facebook. That opened up a huge world even more to me. I saw my daughter had liked Billy Idol's page and oh I was excited and quickly liked it too so I could follow and see what he was up to!

www.facebook.com/BillyIdol 

How many times over the years he would come to mind or I saw his videos or heard one of his many great songs that I'd sing along with!? I saw him talking of coming out with new music and I was like wow! Where have I been? But it seemed I began to follow him just in time. Not only was he coming out with a new cd, but he was coming out with this book, his first and all about his life! Oh wow! After listening to and watching his videos, this just had to be a really interesting book and one that I knew I would want and was anxious to read.

I wasn't sure what to expect as he said on Facebook that it was a pretty raw book that openly talked of his drug use and sexual adventures and hoped his fans would have his back. You have to love that kind of honesty. I guess I always kinda figured about the drug use for most rock and roll stars, heck most celebrities for that matter, sadly enough. But here he was, openly admitting to it all? Wow! Only Billy Idol would be that bold and in your face I thought. I know others have openly admitted and said, but it just felt like he just puts it all out there, like it or not. 
So when I began to read his book, I have to say I was just gurgling with delight and surprise to read of his childhood and in growing up. Such parallels to my own in music alone as to what he and I both were exposed to. I wanted to reach out and tell him, HEY! I understand that and wow! we have that in common. Sometimes I think I lived a unique childhood in being brought up with that old music, but I realized I am one amongst the many. I did know some had too and most rejected that music but here, I was reading this man who I had 'Idolized' in some ways, that I saw on the opposite end of the music spectrum and yet he liked and grew up with several of the same artists. Not only that but he talks of many things that I knew of too where he grew up and the times he went to NYC. I was just enthralled. 

Yet, as I mentioned, I had to put the book down with the video projections going on in my room. I tried to read a chapter a night until the holidays interrupted that. So finally, when the holidays ended, I was able to pick up his book again and this time, I was hooked and had to make myself put it down to get some sleep, but it was really hard as I wanted to read on and on. As I reached the end, I slowed again and I didn't want it to end now realizing I only had a few chapters left.

What is kinda funny and perhaps very naive, is that I always thought that when you were a star like on MTV or just in rock and roll with so many great hits, that you must have some good money. To read that was not the case so much with Billy as he was just becoming famous or known, yet his music was all over the place to me, how could he not? Perhaps the drugs, or the flying around, I imagine he must have had to pay for all of that too. Yet still, I would have thought he had more at the start of it back then in the early 80s at the very least. Later, he did it seems from some of the money he paid out for things, places he went and how successful the records became.

Reading of his girlfriend, Perri, just made me smile. I was so glad to read of him finding love. Although I had a feeling something was going to go wrong in their story, still I had hope that it would work out in the end. 

I couldn't help as I was reading of his timeline and where he was or what he was doing in any given year, to compare to my own life and wonder where I was at, at that moment. While he had returned to NYC, I was there in PA or just upstate NY perhaps camping or down the shore in Jersey. How close and such a world away in comparison.

Reading of his love for his kids just really made me smile. More of his songs come to mind as well that came after "Rebel Yell", like "Cradle of Love" and "Catch My Fall". How so little we realize as an audience how some of our favorite artists are hurting inside. What struggles they are going thru whether it is drug addiction with themselves or managers or just falling into temptation to things that they know is wrong or bad and yet, whatever it was caused them to not be able to help themselves.

There is so much in the world that we can find and experience that are natural highs. Ones that won't destroy our bodies, mind or spirit. It's not an easy road tho', that's for sure. But I believe that if we can do those things, if we can find them, that we can have an epiphany and a great realization comes over us and well, we just have a WOW moment and realize you don't need the drugs and booze.

Billy is quite candid tho' in detailing of his life, his addictions and adventures.

One part of his book that kinda threw me a little as I was reading was that he talks of his accident in the beginning and then goes back to the start when he was very young and then when you get to that part of his life with the accident, the chapter kind of jumped to it and I kept flipping the page to see if I missed something and then remembered the beginning where he talks of it and how it happened. I would have preferred he went over it again when you reached that point in the book.
To be critical of the book in that way and also there are a few typos or things that the editors didn't catch when printing, maybe misprint. I only catch that sort of nitnoid stuff because I am a writer and loved English class.

Finishing the book, I have to say that I am left with the feeling about Billy, well actually a single word. Courage. He's faced some pretty hard and harsh things in life. Held fast to his belief in his music and never afraid to try something new, even if some of those new things harmed him. I think a lot in life that is out there will do that to you, knock you down and pick you up, it's just a matter of us choosing in some degrees and helping ourselves to pick ourselves back up too.

Of course the drugs were the saddest part for me along with the love lost. The drugs really harmed him more than even physically, causing such damage to so many relationships. But the brightest spots of course are his children now grown! Wow! I could hear the pride in his words and feel his heart swell in talking of them. I still will hope for he and Perri. Maybe one day. I like how he thanks his band members throughout the book at times or managers, friends and there in the end to hear of his family and I was feeling tears fall down my cheeks as he talked of his parents, his dad especially.

I don't know a lot about music, how to write it, lyrics--writing I know, but not the music and yet reading of how he wrote it and everything he has done and gone thru that he shares of, really opens up my eyes to such a whole other world. 

This book was well written and it was like you were sitting down next to him and listening to him tell the tale, just chatting with you. I really enjoyed reading of the life of William Broad, Billy Idol. After listening to his music and then reading his book, I understand a whole lot more of the music and now, I want to go and get the cds of his other albums that I missed out on. And me missing out on them, wasn't so much indicative of Billy, but more of my own life and where I was at, at the time. I feel like I must have been sleeping. I look forward to hearing his other cds and I feel like I will be able to appreciate his music in a whole other way than I had before.

Thank you Billy! You are a true wonder and I wish you love, peace, and a long healthy life.

Think Geek!

From time to time, I run across a really neat site on the internet and I wanted to share this one! In fact, it has inspired me to go ahead and start a list of links off to the right of some sites that have some really cool items for sale!

This site has some really interesting and fun items like an R2D2 USB Car Charger, furry adventure slippers that look like big foot or animal slippers and even a robe that they call Technomancer and yes, even a lightsabre!

Just a lot of fun items!

So I'll be adding them and as I go along and dropping a quick little blerb here like this for the site to give you a heads up that I found something interesting. Feel free to drop me a line if you find one that you think might be interesting and I'll add it on too! :)

Enjoy!

Next Century Dental

A bit of history here...

As a kid, I never really took care of my teeth. No matter how much my parents fussed and tried to get me to do so, I just didn't.
 Bad choice!

Over the years, I didn't floss, barely brushed until I got older.
With years of neglect, I ended up with years of issues.

What happens when you don't floss is that food and gunk gets down under your gums and calcifies and sticks to your teeth and begins to build up. It will push your gums away from your teeth, thus allowing more gunk and making thing worse and worse. Your gums swell up and get red.
Ever look in the mirror and see your gums have a red tint to them where they meet your teeth? Yup, guess what? That's called Gingivitis.

It was to the point to where each time I brushed, I saw blood.

Eventually, your teeth get sensitive to temperature and become sore, cavities ensue...and it all goes down hill from there.

Being in the AF, they teach you take care of yourself and have you go for regular checkups. By the time I was 19, I needed my wisdom teeth removed. This is something that is normally done at age 16 now. But back then, I needed them removed and for me, they had to admit me into the hospital and put me out for it. Not that I really had too much going on as far as I knew, but still, I'd rather not know about it as I was pretty much afraid of dentists at that point, at least not wanting to see them for how they would look down their noses at you and make you feel bad for not taking care of your teeth. I didn't want to deal with it.

But I had my wisdom teeth removed and then later on, my gingivitis turned into peridontal disease.
This is very bad. The AF dentists, decided to cut back my gums and scale down deep to do a thorough cleaning. This was VERY painful! I won't soon forget them doing this and how bad I felt afterwards. I had a couple cavities, not a lot. But I was very lucky.

When I moved to Vegas, I began to take better care of my teeth. I had a baby tooth that was still there hanging on for dear life and I was in my 30s! But it had to be removed as it just looked silly as it was near the front, top.

After moving to Texas, I was still a bit anxious and nervous to see a dentist so we sent in my kids' father first to this place, Next Century Dental. It was close by and looked nice on the outside. He went in to get looked at and talked of how nice they all were and so next, were the kids and then chicken-me.

I could never remember a time of brushing my teeth and not seeing blood. So I was worried as to what these dentists would say when I finally went in.

BUT!
I was very happily surprised as they were most kind and did not make me feel bad at all. They did the exam and noticed I had some deep pockets and were wanting to fill them but I interjected that I wanted a couple weeks to work on them first with flossing. By then, I had learned how much flossing can help. So they agreed and I flossed 1-2x a day and brushed just as many times too. In two weeks, my 5's and 6's were 2s and 3s and they were surprised and I was so happy! :)

Over the past 8 years now of going to Next Century Dental, they have taken care of my entire family. My son's teeth were decaying due to his genetic disorder and health issues and his teeth had turned so yellow and green and very nasty. I had promised him that I would get them fixed for him and so sought out Next Century Dental to help.  They did! They cleaned up his teeth and crowned and bridged and did what they could to preserve what he had and gave him such a beautiful smile! It was very expensive as my son needed dental work on each one of his teeth, but Next Century Dental worked with us on payments and we also applied for Care Credit to help us out as well and I have to say, it was all so very much worth it as now I see my son smile and not hide his teeth anymore. His self-esteem shot up and he looks so much better and is so very happy now!


My daughter and I both had braces to fix our bites and my bottom jaw was overcrowded with teeth so they removed two of them to make room and I kept the braces longer to help move the others into place. I loved going to the Orthodontist and picking out the new color bands for the braces and if ever I had any pokey wires messing with my cheek, I knew I could go right in and they would clip them for me. :) The whole staff were friendly, kind and so gentle. I learned how to better care for my teeth and they gave me the tools or steered me towards the right ones to get.

And now? I can brush without seeing any blood. I go to my dental cleanings with a smile. I have since moved and it was hard to give up our fabulous dental care at Next Century Dental. They make you feel so at home from the start, comfy couches you can fall asleep in, fireplace and then the staff are all really nice and informative and kind.

I highly recommend this dental office for anyone here in the area.
We all love you guys! Thanks for taking care of our teeth and gums so well and for bringing a beautiful smile to my son's face. :)