Just Me, MocaGyrl

How’s this for a bad day?

Started off in the morning with my mechanic not leaving me voice mail to let me know my car was repaired. He actually said the car would be done the night before, so I waited all night for that call, which never came. (1st pet peeve: I hate when people call & don’t leave a message when they have a message to give… grrrrr, how do you expect that person to know you’ve called? This is especially bad when it’s business!!

Next, I had a ridiculous conversation with a cust svcs rep from Yves Rocher, a cosmetic company I’ve ordered products from for years now. It’s certainly not the first time they’ve been frustrating on the phone, so I normally head that off at the pass by placing my orders online instead, but the site wasn’t working, so I had to resort to calling. So I gave him the product number, he repeated it back to me, good, but he kept asking what I was ordering, I repeated it again & again, which resulted in him saying “well, why didn’t you just say so?” & me replying “um, I did, a few times”. Man, his elevator didn’t go all the way to the top. It got worse, the item I was ordering was on for a 2 4 1 special, but he was insisting he could only give me 1 (!??!), and they didn’t have the free item with any order in stock, & he wouldn’t offer a replacement. So I cancelled the order, said goodbye & hung up.

Then I get a voice message from Helen at a spa I went to once. She called me Karen, saying a Karen called, so it must have been me (nope, not me). Then Helen called me back asking the same thing! (another pet peeve: WHY do people call again after they’ve just left a voice message??) I told her no, I didn’t call. I had to cancel the electrolysis appointment I had scheduled with her, she asked why, how was everything, so I told her the truth, because the hair came back the next week, so I got into how I was not satisfied with the service. Not only did the friggin hair come back in the next week, but she was rather slow, took her time digging into my skin, which left some scarring for a few days!!!! (I decided to try this spa, because the one I go to is a bit too far, & this new place is much closer.) My hair usually takes several weeks to grow back in, certainly not 1 week, & the lady at the spa I go to is very quick, never digs & so never leaves scars!!! Well, Helen got quite defensive, as you’d expect, explaining herself & her work, which I understand, but she accused me of not getting how electrolysis works, were talking my own frigging hair which I’ve had zapped out for a few months now (she said “it was probably different hair!” {that grew back in} Um, n o, I think I know my own hair!!) And a little too late, she said she should have told me what to do after the treatment, use alcohol (!!!) bc there’s always scarring. Um, yeah, when you dig! Which she insisted many times she didn’t do. Huh? Why would there be scarring then? A+B=C!! Then she accused my original spa of not doing the electrolysis right… y e a h, she’s quick, doesn’t dig, my hair is gone for weeks, yet, she doesn’t know what she’s doing?!? Pretty wonky how she came to that conclusion! She repeated herself a lot & said she’d need to see the hair, but no way was I returning, so I had to tell her you did dig, I did have scarring, & the hair did some back the next week, so I’m not returning to your salon, goodbye & I hung up.

Next up, I get a voice message from a doctor returning my call calling me Clara. Sigh.

Then I’m coming out of a grocery store which didn’t have any brownies (how can there be none??! It was the only thing I went in for) & a preteen boy on inline skates is coming at me in the very narrow space in front of my car, & he doesn’t stop or move aside, he sneers “well, move”. Um, what??? I say “you excuse yourself” Naturally in these situations, the offender never stays & has it out with you, instead, the wimpy response is to yell from a distance, so as he’s entering the store, he shouts ”you had to move!” (forget that inline skates aren’t allowed in stores) Next pet peeve: children with disgraceful manners.

Let’s see, oh yes, class that night was rather miserable because when we reviewed our passive homework, I was off on many. Fun.

On the way home, I sooo need some brownies, so I stop off at another grocery store, a rather pricey one, but the only one open. The only brownies they had were $6, & being an unemployed student (= cheap), I was pissed, but I thought, hey, I can buy a mix & make ‘em! So I’m heading towards the checkout with my 99¢ brownies mix & I decide to give the “express” self check out another go. (Used it a few times before, & there’s always a problem, the cashier who is standing by always has to come over & reset everyone’s register.) I thought the woman ahead of me was finished because the register said “thank you for shopping at superstore” & she was taking her bags. So, I touch the screen to begin, & scan my brownie mix & put it in a bag, but the woman is taking her bags & barks “you aren’t gonna let me finish?” Um, huh? I thought she was done, the freakin register said she was, & I wouldn’t be allowed to scan if she wasn’t done! So, she takes her time gathering her bags, spins the carousel around a few times for good measure, which takes my brownie mix away from me. My total won’t come up, of course, & the screen freezes & all there is to do is wait for the cashier who is busy helping someone else to come & fix it. Express my ass.  

I just had to vent about this crap day because soon I won’t be allowed to complain. I ordered some “complaint” bracelets after seeing them on Oprah. That’ll be the ultimate test, huh?, not complaining. Do you think you could do it?   http://acomplaintfreeworld.org/  

Even further, manufacturer’s have designed wider & larger seats in vehicles and on some airplanes, and bigger doors, toilet seats and caskets are being built to accommodate this “epidemic”. Yet some airlines have a girth surcharge. There’s plenty of debate over whether this is reasonable or ethical. My instinctive reaction is this is an outrage, how cruel!! 

We’re big on acceptance in society. Accept your flaws, accept your weight. But should we not try & promote a healthy weight more than come up with furniture designed for a fuller figure?

We all know about the apparent epidemic going on also with obese kids. http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/overweight/index.htm  Parents are warned so often to get their kids active because kids growing up now do seem to live a more sedentary lifestyle than any other generation. I live in a residential neighbourhood with mainly families with children & a few schools, but it’s rare to see kids outside playing. They must be parked in front of the tv, playing video games or surfing the net. I wonder though, isn’t it sending a mixed message to tell kids to eat well and be active to lose that excess weight, if they know there’s so many options for overweight adults?

I know this is a sensitive topic, but it falls under the duplicitous society category that I like to explore.

Hee hee… Just a l’il laugh, you know I adore AJ, but you gotta admit, she’s kinda going crazy w the kids.

Didn’t get enough of Trinidad Carnival, and can’t stand the thought of waiting 11 months to play mas again? Well, what about waiting just 5 months? If you can’t bear the thought of not jumping up ‘till February ’08, I’ve got a solution for you – Caribana!

http://wejumpinghigher.com/ It’s North America’s largest Caribbean carnival/festival, about to celebrate it’s 40^th this year. Caribana always attracts Americans who know Torontonians know how to party. I especially encourage New Yorkers who have never been to come; I promise you’ll be impressed. Last year Hubby met some people online from New York who never experienced a carnival and really wanted to. They came for Caribana, stayed in university dorms where they met other first time masqueraders, experienced much of the city, and had a blast!

Consider Caribana your cheaper Carnival alternative – playing mas won’t set you back near as much as it does in Trinidad. Fetes run from $20-40. The most expensive costume is $135. You’ve got the old school bands keeping the Trinidad traditions alive, plus newbie bands who give younger second generation masqueraders their bikini mas. For the last 7 years, the average Caribana day temperature was 27°, so you’ll get your sun! My first strong recommendation is to go on boat cruise fete - Roy Cape is always a good choice, and if it’s put on by a Guyanese Chinese style restaurant, you’re good to go! Besides the Saturday parade, there’s Junior (kiddies) Carnival, art exhibitions & cultural performances, Calypso Monarch finals, park concerts, King & Queen, Pan Alive, & even a Caribana Ball.

The following weekend is Hamilton Carnival, a 1 hour drive from Toronto. This smaller parade has a fun, no pressure kind of vibe, because bands parade through downtown & end up in a park where there’s vendors and entertainment. So even though it tends to have a friendly family feel, it is carnival, so masqueraders still jump up & get on bad.

Besides Caribana, Toronto in the summer (especially the week of & after Caribana) is so fun, there’s always a lot going on, enough variety for every travelers taste. There’s shopping galore whether it’s huge outlets, designer duds, bargain bins, or second hand you’re looking for. You know how far your USD will go. I highly suggest a romantic picnic, wine & cheese style, under the stars watching a Shakespeare comedy in a secluded park. And can you say festivals? At the Beer Festival one year we heard a fantastic reggae band. Good times! The hugely popular food & entertainment Greek street party, Taste of the Danforth, is a must-do. If you want to sample some other kinds of music, there’s the Beach’s Jazz Festival and the Irie Music Festival. Masala! Mehndi! Masti! is a colourful South Asian festival featuring music, dance, film & cuisine. There’s always many theatrical productions running, and if it’s laid back you want, the Toronto symphony will deliver.

http://www.toronto.com/ for info on hotels, attractions, restaurants, clubs, shopping & events. Trip Advisor is always great for reviews: http://www.tripadvisor.com  To select your price range & even a proximity search for Toronto hotels, check http://www.hotels.ca For Toronto dorm rooms, go to: http://www.hostels.com  (you can select prices in USD) Bed & breakfast’s, which I personally prefer to stay in, check http://www.torontocitybandb.com

This year we just might open our home, give guest rooms, to Caribana weekenders!

Hmmm… although this might have sounded like it, I was not commissioned by the city or Caribana to write a travel piece! Hubby asked me over a week ago to write something to entice all the out of country Carnival bloggers we met to come for Caribana. So I will conclude with this: Caribana - it’s the next best thing to Carnival!!

Thanks Caiso Queen

;”>Machel Montano - Higher than High<br />