Shady as Fuck.. buyer beware when using Best Buys reward zone certificates...

Firstly let me say that I have been a huge fan of Best Buy.  I purchase the majority of my blu-ray and electronics from there and I have always had good service.  I am very disappointed though in their new reward zone redemption rules.  It works like this...you accumulate points with your purchases and then they send you redemption coupons.  You print them out and take them to the store with you and they scan it when you check out and it takes whatever your value is off of your bill.    Clearly, they can set this up any way they choose since it is something they are giving you.  Last week I purchased two cellular car phone chargers and two movies.  I handed them my $20.00 coupon and they took that amount off of my total. My bill total was $80.00 and they took off the $20.00 from my coupon.   I left happy.  Well it turns out I didn't need 2 cell car chargers since my old one fit my new phone.  So yesterday I went back receipt in hand to return my $27.00 unopened charger.  This is where the shady as fuck part comes in...  when the cashier began the transaction he did his level best to convince me to shop for something else..I said I didn't want anything else today..I just wanted a refund.  He mumbled on about me not getting the full amount, and I didn't understand. So he went over the receipt with me and showed me that now when you redeem your coupon it takes a portion off of each item instead of off of the total. So for my $27.00 car charger that I paid cash for, I would only receive back $17.00 and the $6.? would go back onto my reward zone, and I would have to drive home print it out and come back and use it in order to get that money! Not only that...but the coupons only print out in $5.00 increments..so I could not even get my full amount back until I accrue more purchase points. They owe $6.? and I can only get back $5.00.  As I stated earlier..they can set this up any way that they choose, but they should have informed me at the time of purchase how it works.  I would then have used my coupon only on the movie and purchased the other items separately.  What they are doing is not illegal but it sure is underhanded and shady to say the least. I am sure whoever came up with this idea either got a bonus or a promotion.  It clearly fucks over the consumer and forces you to have to shop to get your money back.  I am so angry...that I am one, blogging about it, and two, going to print out my coupon..return to Best Buy and find something that is truly that amount, and then, guess what...I will start looking for alternatives to purchasing there.  Amazon has good deals on Blu-ray, and there are other places to purchase electronics.  I hope it was worth the dollars they will lose by being shady and taking my money!!!!!

Best & Worst

Best:  Got to see my friend Caye who I haven't seen in nearly a decade.  She was visiting here from Washington. We were total BFF's when we were young... time and distance changes things but we are still close and it's weird to see our children grown. :)  My new Sexi Sandal Crocs came in the mail yesterday and I love them.. I added the photos of them to my Croc post. :)  My very first article on Expats Post has nearly 1100 pageviews and someone linked to it and quoted me on their blog. wow. so exciting.  Had a very nice dinner out with our friends the Campos last night at Islands..Mockful and Mockfuler (Noelle & Erika) were in rare form as usual.  I have to say that when Erika is laughing so hard that her nose goes into a scrunchy you can't help but laugh with her.  Really...I have to get a pic of that. :)  The Hunger Games movie came out and I got it for free with my Best Buy reward zone points. WooooHooo.  I just realized that my old phone car charger fits my new phone too...yippppeee one less thing to buy. 

Caye and I at Shoreline Village Long Beach, Stefano's Pizza

Worst:  The mayhem I encountered while attempting to pick Caye up to have lunch.  I drove an hour and a half with traffic only to arrive (badly needing to pee) at my friends street that was blocked off with a multitude of police cars because they were in the middle of a chase of a robbery suspect that was hiding in her neighborhood.  So I sat behind a police car, leaving multiple times to pee, and waited 3 and half hours. The first time I left to pee and get gas at the corner gas station, remember I was still holding it from the trip down, I parked at the pump and went inside to pay and when I asked the lady where the restroom was... she said they didn't have one..nearly about to pee myself at this point, I said in horror.."are you kidding me" and she said no, we don't have one! And so I said well then I guess I won't be buying gas here either and I left in search of another bathroom. HOLY CRAP!! this day was not going at all how I had planned...sighs..so found a bathroom at a supermarket. Took care of that issue and then returned to the police chase and continued to wait..and wait...and wait...and then the search helicopter returned and a whole bunch more police cars came to my friends street, and my friend texted me and said OMG the suspect was hiding in her backyard and the police just tackled him right outside her front door. Whew!!!! Glad she didn't try to come out.  So we managed to leave after that and did have lunch, and then on my way to return her I narrowly avoided a 5 gallon plastic paint bucket in the middle of our lane entering the freeway....wow, that would not have been good for my car.  So I dropped her off and headed home and the traffic was a little bad, and people were misbehavin..but I made it. Yay. Who would have thought? I mean what are the odds? But all is well and I had a few glasses of wine that night to celebrate my safe return home. :)

Funniest:  Noelle's reaction to the Croc blog post, and her reaction to my new Sexi Sandal Crocs. Sometimes you just have to laugh.  Ah well. 

What I learned:  Our C.j. sunshine taught me how to RIP and now I am a RIPPIN fool.  I now have my whole music collection on my computer and I am making some fun ringtones at phonezoo.com.  Fun Fun Fun. :)

Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance movie review

This film was just a feel good romp.  The premise of good versus evil and fighting the evil within is as old as time, but it always works.  I think that is largely because we all fight similar battles every day.  You can say what you will about Nicolas Cage and many do not favor him as an actor, but I really love his narrative. He's not your typical leading man, and I have heard it said he's not great and only gets roles due to his familial connections. I have to disagree, at least about the acting.  His role in this is not complex, but he makes it believable, well as believable as make believe can be anyway. Johnny Whitworth is awesome as one of the anti-heroes Ray Carrigan who the devil played by Ciaran Hinds also curses with the power to disintegrate everything he touches. There is plenty of action and a little bit of mystery that carries the viewer along right up to the climactic end.  For those that aren't familiar with the Ghost Rider movies.. the ghost rider Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) is cursed by a deal he made with the devil.  Without warning or control he becomes the ghost rider and must exact the devils vengeance.  He is recruited by Moreau (Idris Elba) to save the life of a young boy Danny (Fergus Riordan) and in return can be free of his curse.  Violante Pacido is convincing as the boys protective butt kicking mom.  I can't really say much more without ruining it.  The movie is very enjoyable. Who doesn't want to see a bad ass flaming skull head on a motorcycle kicking some serious butt? So on the Heart Chart... Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance gets three out of five hearts ♥♥♥

Dani's private collection and a word about Crocs

Lately I have noticed that Crocs seem to have a bad rap when it comes to fashion.  Sighs... well you can say what you will about the fashion statement that these little gems make or don't make...but they have saved my feet big time and  I ....live in them.  About 7 years ago I had foot surgery to have a bunion removed and I couldn't wear regular shoes for some time... I guess that's when I discovered Crocs.  With their roomy fit and light weight very supportive material I was in heaven.  My feet had never felt so good.  They are waterproof, washable, colorful... and anyone who knows me knows how important colorful is, and they grip.  Yay.  So today I did a photo shoot with my private collection of Crocs and I am going to share it with you. If you haven't taken a look at Crocs lately.. you might be surprised.  They are no longer just beach wear.  They have an entire line of Crocs dedicated to those that have to be on their feet all day, and they look pretty smart if you ask me, but you can judge for yourself.  http://www.crocs.com/home/homepage,default,pg.html
I am so excited about the new sexi sandal.. it is very gladiator looking. I can't wait to order it.

This is my signature collection..

the Crocs I wear everyday. 

 Anyone who loves Crocs knows you have to have 

Croc bling (Jibbitz)

Of course I had to have the purple heart bling. 

So now on to my work Crocs. 

I use to lease apartment homes for a living.  As you

might suspect that involves a crap load of walking

and you would be right.  These Crocs made the

walking part of my job bearable.  There are a 

whole line of Crocs for the medical field, and

the restaurant industry.  They are closed toed,

and slip resistant, and they look pretty snazzy, but 

they still have that signature Croc comfort built

right in.  

And last but not least... Wedding Crocs.

Yes you heard me right.. Wedding Crocs. smiles.

Underneath this dress... smiles I

was wearing these...my wedding Crocs.

 and I danced and karaoke'd in perfect comfort.

So there you have it..my Croc story. winks. I hope

if nothing else this makes you take a second look

at the incredibly durable and comfortable Croc.

Okay so I got the new sexi sandal and just had to
include pics here. WoooHooo.. I love them

Phoebe in Wonderland movie review

Elle Fanning doesn't disappoint in her spot on portrayal of Phoebe, a young girl with special needs doing her best to navigate difficult societal waters.  I felt the overall theme of this movie was tolerance, but I have to say I found it a bit implausible.  Having raised a special needs kid myself, I know that society is neither tolerant nor accepting of those that don’t fit the cookie cutter mold of the majority.  Children in particular can be especially cruel and often are.  I did appreciate the movie’s tone of compassion through education and its overall willingness to illustrate candidly the feelings and viewpoints of those that surround Phoebe.    Felicity Huffman was a scene stealer as Phoebe’s mother/advocate trying to pave a way for her daughter’s growth and acceptance.   I found her characters denial of her daughters issues disappointing and counterproductive but exceedingly realistic.  Patricia Clarkson captivated me in every scene she appeared in, with her even tone and unexpected dialogue she very appropriately made oddity riveting.  Bill Pullman was very convincing as the loving father who just wants to do the right thing but is frustrated by his lack of understanding.  The cast rounds out with exceptional performances by Campbell Scott, Ian Colleti, Bailee Madison.  From an artistic standpoint… I loved the film.  I hope as a society we reach a point where all are accepted and included and I think that is the main point the film tries to get across.  So on the Heart Chart… Phoebe in Wonderland gets four out of five hearts. ♥♥♥♥