Organizing Bookmarks – Pain In the Arse

Did it!  Done. CHECK CHECK CHECK.

Started the new year out with an ambitious tackling of the bookmark ‘folder.’  Where folder means pile of insanity.  Tons of research resulted in no (findable) free programs that sort your bookmarks for you on Chrome (COME ON PEOPLE!!) so I bucked up and did it by hand.  And (too many) hours later – here are the folders that triumphed.

I did use a  bit of Atomic Bookmarks 2 (an extension for Chrome) but its not too different than Chrome’s bookmark manager.  Other than that, the only highly useful extension I can recommend is Bookmark Sentry which did a stellar job of quickly and smoothly hacking out all my repetitive and broken links (mostly the result of careless bookmarking and abandoning delicious (whose rumored to be going down soon).

Please note that I was searching for a program to ORGANIZE (declutter) my bookmarks (I was thinking by content – like crawling the pages, assessing topics and then categorizing by major themes) NOT one to sync or share my bookmarks.  I see the value in the latter but it’s just not imperative to my productivity at this point.

I’m still entirely befuddled on why google bookmarks and chrome bookmarks are independent and not easily reconcilable (preventing me from quickly utilizing YAGBE and Diigo required and account set up which I was too frustrated at that point to bother with.

And with that excitement – off to address thank you notes!

Endless Successes!

Don’t be depressed after that last post kittens.  Killer deals were still had:

1. Woolrich Women’s Somerton Microsuede Moc,British Tan,Medium (US Women’s 8.5-9.5 M) – $21  These babies are SUPER comfy and have soles so they are great for when I’m chasing doggie around the yard.  Until we get a freakin’ kitchen floor – these are permanently attached to my feeties!

2. Antenna Midnight Blossom 17″ Laptop Sleeve,Black/Red,17″ $45.00  - This sucker was a bit ‘harder’ and more padded than I’d pictured, which is an okay issue because I have a horrible case of the dropsies and would *hate* to kill my laptop.  It fit’s my 17″(diagonal screen – don’t ask me why this is the standard way to measure laptops) hpG60 quite nicely – snugly – not too big or too small.  It also has a nifty pocket for documents too.  Good for days you just want your laptop and not a giant bag.

The Giant Stuff Review – Part 1 – Failure

Remember that shopping spree I went on last week?  Well the results are in: I have an (online) shopping problem.  You know it’s bad when you’re excited about returning things because the refund seems like money you never had (the change in the couch cushions effect).  Anyways – before I start sending things off, here’s a rundown of everything I bought and what it looks like in real life (we all know online pics can be deceiving!).  Also – please forgive me for the horrible photography. Turns out its kinda hard to take pics of yourself in shoes, sunglasses and carry handbags.  Whatev.

First, the fails:

1.PUMA Women’s Voltaic 2 Sneaker,Dark Shadow/Scuba Blue/Puma Silver,8 B(M) US – These guys were so much uglier in real life!  And the fit like bricks – hard and so uncomfortable, no what you would expect for $80. Bummer – can’t recommend these whatsoever.  Fail Puma.

2. Jessica Simpson Women’s J293 Oversized Sunglasses,Tortoise Frame/Gradient Brown Lens,one size – $38.61 – These came in a great sleeve and seemed high enough quality.  However, they were HUGE.  Hello there bugface.

Love me some Toms

Ahhhh… I finally did it and my excitement levels are THROUGH the roof.  Most exhilarating shoe shopping eva.  

Can’t read all that tiny writing?  Let me summarize:

Me: why isn’t it letting me put size 8.5 red calypso’s into my cart?

Tom: bc there’s only one pair left – get on your horse sister!

Me: alrighty then!  let’s do it!

Tom: we’ve got to work quickly to get it through – gimme all ur info.

Me: (quick like a bunny)

Me: HEART POUNDING, NEEDS TO GO LAY DOWN.  Sweet, sweet success!

Mine, all  mine. Well – and that cutie pie kid’s halfway around the country who will be getting a desperately needed pair of shoes!  I love everything about this business model – starting with the fact that for every pair purchased, a pair is given to a child in need (such a basic need that we American’s often dont even stop to consider) to the shoe style and comfort (wore my goldies all around NYC for 4 days straight – and FOR ONCE my bad foot wasn’t in agony!), to how their shoes ‘speak for themselves’ (people are always asking me about them – especially the vegan habitante’s which have moving facts written all over them):  It’s like a built-in message spreader.

Obv.s I have a favorite shoe store eh?  And be sure to google around for promo codes before you order!  I forgot and missed out, but you don’t have to follow in my footsteps;)

Top of the Heap Tuesday – discountcontactlenses.com

Excellent news! Wif accidentally got a class ahead on her Learning Through the Arts assignments.  Which means… time to post!  The first top of the heap in far too long!

So I order my contacts online – always.  Why?  Because it saves me billions of dollars silly gooses. That dang optometrist, or ophthalmologist… or whoever that eyeball guy is -  charges literally 3 times more than discountcontactlenses.com for the identical product.  He does a good job looking at my eyes and telling me what I need, but it’d be like buying your shampoo @ the hairdresser (okay – I know some of you do – but baby, I got friends in loooowww places – like drugstore shampoo).

I wear Acuvue Oasys’ and I’ve checked my fair share of online retailers (Acuvue themselves, 1800contacts.com, lens.com, etc.) and DCL (you know what I’m sayin’ right?) always has ‘em beat – by a fair amount!  And if you spend over $99 you get free shipping!  And my little tip – order lots of contacts when you do order!  It will save you from having to go back to the eye doctor and pay unecessary copays because you ran out of contacts and your Rx expired.  Sure – that’s bad advice if you’ve got serious eye issues or a degenerative disorder – but for the average Jane like moi’s eyeballs – not much is changing on a monthly basis.

Another reason I love DCL – I need more contacts but can’t find my Rx (remember that whole moving 3 times in 18 months?  My life is upside-downish) – and I really don’t want to squeeze an eyeball appointment into my somehow-already-jampacked summer schedule.  So in a (desperate) attempt to save time and annoyance I go through the motions of ordering a couple more boxes – figuring if the Rx was expired/ my eye doctor won’t verify it – I’ll find out soon enough and schedule the danged appointment.  But lo and behold that most amazing company got right on their horse and within one business day my order had shipped!  *Eyes do a happy dance.*

Here’s my order details for interested parties: (I got 5 boxes to qualify for free shipping – both my eyes have the same Rx so I can do that without having 6 extra months of right eye vision;])  Also – be sure to google “discountcontactlenses.com coupon” before you place your order to see where you can save – I used the code bolded below:)

Products:
ACUVUE OASYS (Right)    $23.45 * 3 = $70.35
ACUVUE OASYS (Left)    $23.45 * 2 = $46.90
Adjustment: EXSALE08 (10% Off Coupon): $-11.73
Total:      $105.52
Shipping:    $0.00
Sales Tax:  $0.00
_______________
Grand Total: $105.52

And I’ll even spare you the math – because I love you THAT much! 6 contacts per box x 5 boxes = 30 contacts / 2 contacts used per month = 15 months of happy eyes for wif!

or: more simply put: $3.52 per contact ! yowza!

All in all, DCL has done me right, low prices, prompt service and no jerking around – which is more than *most* companies we all deal with on a daily basis.  Bravo discountcontactlenses.com – you’ve won me over!

PS: One more reason to stay on top of fresh contacts?  My brosef recently got an eye infection from keeping the same pair for too long (over a month).  Seems like an okay way to pinch pennies until your bloodshot eyes ruin that plan!

The Great Butter Battle

So it’s high time I start going through the (absurd) amount of post ideas, and their accompanying photos, and sharing these useless little gems of knowledge with my favorite bloglets.  And since I’m a very logical person (stop laughing) – where else would I start than with the only ‘A’ folder, waiting in the wings to surprise the world!:

Almond Versus Peanut Butter – A Showdown

I’m sure thousands of you out there spend multitudinous hours in the grocery stores around the world contemplating the question of the ages:  ”Should I get almond, or peanut butter?”  Sure taste plays a role in your mental debate, but let’s be real here – they’re both totally toothsome (I know you’re rolling your eyes on that word so I linked it.  Now, since you owe me for questioning my intelligence – I will accept your use of the word in a conversation this week as reparation.) so that can’t really be the deciding factor.  So let us turn our full focus to each spread’s health benefits (okay fine, and just because I love you – cost too).  And since everybody knows how exorbitantly I love Wegman’s – I compiled all my data from their handy dandy website.

Let’s meet the contestants:

Woodstock Farms Natural Almond Butter, Smooth/Unsalted

vs.

Wegmans Peanut Butter, Organic, Creamy

Cupcake Romping

Wif and her galpals have had a recent obsession passion for cupcakes and other baking adventures so last night we headed out to Henrietta to check out The Christmas Tree Shoppe and Jo-Ann’s goods.  Of course we ended up with misc. and very necessary items.  Wif’s fave? Her new PEARLS!!  Eeeee!

They’re peppermint and SO getting incorporated into someone special’s bridal shower ice cream cake!

And of course a trip to Henrietta would most certainly not be complete without a little stop @ Chipotle.  And yes, it is all they say it is and more.  Wif devoured ordered the vegetarian tacos with black beans, medium salsa, lettuce, cheese and sour cream.  There are no words. Chipotle uses such fresh ingredients and holy moly does that make for a killer taco!  And for $7 – it’s a pretty unbeatable dinner!

Like this... except less chickeny and MORE beany!

Directly following Chipotle (and a quick little stop @ good old Wegman’s) the 3 mouseketeers were in desperate need of a toasting place to celebrate one wonderful ladies new FULL TIME EMPLOYMENT (*hallelujah, hallelujah*). First we scooted over to the newish Lovin’ Cup in the RIT plaza-dealy.  But that turned out to be real annoying. There is minimal and overpacked parking so we hiked a freakin’ tundra just to discover that stinky place was charging a cover since there was a band there.  Rude.  Don’t you know we have toasting to do!?

The ROC seems to shut down early so after much brain scratching we hit up Cheesecake.  The Cheesecake Factory was open til midnight and we knew they’d have fun drinks and okay, fine, sweets galore.

Between the three of us we split Stefanie’s Ultimate Red Velvet Cheesecake:

Moist layers of Red Velvet Cake and our Original Cheesecake covered with our special Cheesecake Factory cream cheese frosting. 25¢ from the sale of each slice will be donated to Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization. Really, 25 cents Cheesecake Factory? – are you saying you can’t spare more than that off of a $7 piece of cake?!

and (because we’re females in need of chocolate) Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake:

Well helloooo, beautiful.

Layers of Flourless Godiva Chocolate Cake, Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake and Chocolate Mousse.

Let me be clear. That Godiva piece was HEAVENLY.  I think my tongue started doing backflips in excitement on the first bite.  But aside from that… I was not overwhelmed. And here’s why:

• Our server was friendly enough but I do not love getting my coffee AFTER my cheesecake.  C’mon now.
• All three lovely ladies got hot drinks.  But turns out thats a total misnomer. My Caramel Royale Macchiato was luke warm at best. Blech. And the other two’s were a similar icky temperature. (The nice presentation -albeit rather late- did do a bit of redemption work.)
• The Red Velvet was… alright.  Wif hates to sound uppity and/or picky but it was really lacking in the flavor area and the texture was so dense it reminded me more of a squished and refrigerated banana bread than Red Velvet.  I guess when we go to somewhere called Cheesecake Factory we just always expect quite a *wow* factor and this cake really had none of that.
• Our total came to $32 without tip.  I’m sorry but $32 for 2 desserts and 3 drinks … especially ones that were subpar?  Meh.  But perhaps I’ve been spoiled with Hose 22 and Chipotle as of late?

Anyways, the night still most certainly came out a winner, as it’s hard not to when you’re out with wonderful people, shopping AND eating!  Not to mention celebrating a *very special* new jobby.  Hooray!

Now wif just needs to contemplate fitting into her new bridesmaids dress after all of that Chipotle and cheesecake up in here…

Suck it in wif, suck it in.

Hose 22 – Delicious Is Worth Chasing

Last night hubby and wif FINALLY celebrated the big V-Day…  partly because we’re all over that fashionably late thing – partly because there were a few delays along the road.  Namely surgery on gramps (something about cancer, hospitals and stress just kills the celebrating mood – go figure) and, more recently, tundra like conditions taking of New York state.  But finally our shining moment came last night and wif was more than ready to be showered in love and gifts revel in the Hallmark holiday.

As always, wif did her homework and decided on a sweet-lookin’ new place all the way the heck out in Irondequoit.  Although hubby was a little disgruntled about making the 45 minute drive in the end he was singing wif’s praises in agreement that Hose 22 was SO worth the drive.  And of course, silly goose, that is BEFORE the renovation…

The place is saweeeet lookin’ – a beautifully renovated firehouse with warm and classy comfortable decor.  Check out this guy’s flickr page to see the gorgeous interior.

We were seated immediately (OK so it was 5 o’clock on a weeknight but still) and our waiter was BEYOND energetic. The overwhelmingness of his excitement was outweighed by his reference to hubby as Ashton Kutcher and wif as Demi.  Sure, she could be wif’s momma but still – *smokin’!*  So, once the waiter had flattered the crap out of the happy couple won us over we ordered off their delectable menu.  Not very often that wif has to make a choice – usually it’s veggie burger, or veggie burger on a wheat bun (exciting eh?).  They had numerous 1st, 2nd and 3rd alarms for wif to choose from (fancy firehouse talk for appetizers, salads and pizza) and then one veggie sandwich (5th alarm!) and one veggie entree (6th alarm!).  Wif went with the:

Marinated Roasted Veggies

Grilled veggies, melted mozzarella, Asiago and
red pepper aioli sauce on a seasoned baguette.

You have to wary of roasted veggies – they have an awful tendency to head straight from crisp and luscious to slimy and gookey – ew!  But the Hose nailed these – they were perfectly cooked and marinated and the generous mozzerelly did all kinds of wonderful things.  Did I mention that it was A HUGE sandwich – like a foot long sub *but amazing*.  Plus the sweet potato fried were outrageous.  Crisp not soggy and perfectly seasoned.  And wif did some serious inspecting in order to steal recreate the recipe.  Guess what the secret is! *whoopsies – you’ll just have to wait for the blog about that;)*

Plus it was National Drink A Glass of Wine Day so obviously wif had to get some Firehouse Riesling!  Wif approved of that too.

Hubby went with the:

BBQ Chicken Sandwich

A grilled chicken breast slathered in our house barbeque
and finished with bacon and melted cheddar jack.

(being the carnivore that he is) and the side of firehouse frites (aka fresh cut fries aka GET IN MY TUMMY).  He polished his meal with great satisfaction as well.

So from prompt and wowee joyful service to our delectable meal – it was an A+ performance.  But wait – there’s more!

Did you really think wif would go out to eat without getting dessert.  Get a grip. They offered a brownie sundae, a molten chocolate cake and Cheesecake Factory fromagecakes.  You had me at hello Mr. Hose. After a bit of deliberation we went with the brownie sundae – mostly because the waiter said it with even more excitement than the others and an emphasis on “house specialty.”

It was a divine thing – perfectly warm and done brownie and obviously no shortage on the whipped cream and ice cream.

Hubby and wif proceeded to inhale make quick stuff of the dessert before waddling out and living happily ever after*.

*Especially because the grand total of this ambrosial meal was $30. Yeah – you read that right. 2 huge entrees, wine and dessert.  For $30.  Wowza – we’ll be back for you Mr. Hose – oh, we’ll be back alright.

Top of the Heap Tuesday – Rochester General Hospital

Alright – so I know this one is a bit out of our traditional ballpark here…  And sure, Rochester General might not be a swell beauty product but it sure did earn Top of the Heap.  And you know what else?  They do an incredible job at that which most of us would never want to do…

Yesterday wif, hubby and the whole famdamily spent the whooollllee day @ RGH while Grampy underwent surgery for his 2nd battle with cancer. *Just in case one type of cancer wasn’t enough already.* Wif won’t go into the gory details for your benefit but she will list what RGH did quite well.

• There were several waiting areas that allowed us to be semi-close to Grandpa during surgery.
• When you walk around looking confused all kinds of nice people in scrubs help guide you little lost ducklings…  And every single desk you went up to they were helpful and sweet.
• The main surgery waiting room had a great big TV turned-sideways that scrolled through coded names of patients and their current status (operation room, post-op, recovery phase 1, etc.).
• There were incredibly kind and helpful volunteers in the waiting rooms, they were so wonderful at conveying messages and keeping family in the loop (despite failing cell phone service).
• There was a sweet looking fancy-pants machine that warmed up blankets for the stressed out family and friends waiting on their loved ones.
• There was a lady with a basket of treats who came around once in a while.  And yes – treats are the direct route to wif’s house.
• The doctor’s who came out with the update on Gramps were so timely,  sweet and considerate.
• And absolutely most importantly: they successfully removed the cancer-monster from my grandpa’s tongue and he will speak again!

So, hopefully you’ll never have to go – well except for cutie baby pies - but if you do – my vote is for Rochester General Hospital.

Super Bowl Worth The Watching

Wif knows she’s not alone when she says that she LOVED watching the big game last night. Sure, wif usually likes football because it is about the only kind non-distracting TV that allows for ample homework procrastination productivity… but this time the game was really quite interesting (in terms of football). But naturally, this is not the topic of this post.  Rather, wif just HAD to share the commercial to end all commercials.  Wif even remembers the kind of car (not just color) in it.  It was that good.  And you know what else?  It summed up hubby and wif’s 7.5 year relationship… in 45 seconds.  Well done Dodge…

And now, pray tell, what was your favorite Super Bowl commercial?

(And if they’re as wonderful like you are – wif might just add them here too!)