Inconvenient Annoyances

I know on the grand scheme of things my IA is minuscule to most of everyone else's IA lately but it still annoyed me though!!     

While Dh & I were home I did some shopping in Vicky's Secret they are having a secret reward gift card that can used on anything in store from Dec 1st - Dec 19th the value's are $10, $50, $100, or $500 dollars off your purchase I got 2 cards an I thought I left them both for my sister. well come to find out I had one left in my purse so I thought I would try an use it online I found a few things I liked. so I go about my business checking out with cost of what I picked out which was on sale big time & shipping to the UK it was nearly $80. Dh said if I got the $50 or higher reward card I can use it if its not I told him I didn't want to get anything that's just throwing away good money especially after all the shopping we recently did while home. I got the $10 card grrr   I don't care how nice Vicky's bras are 2 Vicky's Secret bras aren't worth $80 bucks to me!!   I knew the chances of me getting the $50, $100, or the $500 card were waaayyy slim but I had to try anyways.  

Why not have them shipped to your sister and she can stuff 'em in an envelope and send them for cheap?

My IA- FINALLY had a chance to get to the post office during open hours (I've been working extra after school and last Sat. we had a family photo in the morning and far away family visiting so I couldn't go!) but because it's so close to C-day, I had to pay $47 to send it express mail 3-5 (business) day delivery. Now with the snow this weekend, it may not even get delivered before Christmas eve. The bf is leaving that day to head to Glasgow for 5 days to visit his mum. I hate the stress of sending packages! Plus, they made me write out all the contents and prices on the customs form which had to be attached to the outside of the box. Way to spoil the surprise USPS! 

Why not have them shipped to your sister and she can stuff 'em in an envelope and send them for cheap?

My IA- FINALLY had a chance to get to the post office during open hours (I've been working extra after school and last Sat. we had a family photo in the morning and far away family visiting so I couldn't go!) but because it's so close to C-day, I had to pay $47 to send it express mail 3-5 (business) day delivery. Now with the snow this weekend, it may not even get delivered before Christmas eve. The bf is leaving that day to head to Glasgow for 5 days to visit his mum. I hate the stress of sending packages! Plus, they made me write out all the contents and prices on the customs form which had to be attached to the outside of the box. Way to spoil the surprise USPS! 

I mailed my BF a package priority last Thursday afternoon and it arrived last (Wednesday) night so take heart!  The delivery estimate given was 6-10 business days and that was only 4 and it was priority, not express.  I think it'll almost certainly get there by express in a week.  The delivery estimates are for the whole world, bear in mind, and it takes a lot longer to get something to somewhere in Africa or to Australia than the UK.   

argh!

So the embassy called to tell me that the procedure for registering births has changed and they will be issued from the states now and they have been instructed to cancel all appointments between the 4th and 14th of january. which really f's up our plan of going to the states in feb before I go back to work. Plus dh is in his 'i'm being difficult' mood and even though we've been told that we should have it back by the 10th of feb, he won't book tickets until we do.. So who knows when I'll get to go home.

We had my work team Christmas lunch yesterday, and we went here.

The restaurant was my idea of hell!  The decor is completely naff - it has these bits you pass through that are done up to look like the inside of an airplane, and the rest is all glitzy & busy & just - I don't know how to explain it.  They pack people in so tight - lots & lots & lots of people, that it's difficult to move about - which is highly inconvenient, considering it's an all-you-can-eat (for £9) buffet.  We had 9 people on a table with so little space, you hardly had room to move your arms for eating!

I don't like restaurant buffets anyway - what's appealing about food that's sat on a warmer for who knows how long?  There are supposed to be stations also, where they will cook food to order for you, but the staff 'working' at those didn't seem to be particularly interested or forthcoming on actually doing that for anyone.

There is soooooo much different food in this big room (Chinese, Indian, Thai, Mexican, Italian and Japanese) including appetisers, mains, and desserts - it really was just completely bewildering, and sooooo crowded.  I just found it...really gross actually.

I ate too much, of course!  (I really tried to like it, and get into the spirit of it.)  The food was 'meh' & overly salty & I felt sick ever since.

The most puzzling thing is that everyone I went with raved about how fantastic it was.  

We had my work team Christmas lunch yesterday, and we went here.

The restaurant was my idea of hell!  The decor is completely naff - it has these bits you pass through that are done up to look like the inside of an airplane, and the rest is all glitzy & busy & just - I don't know how to explain it.  They pack people in so tight - lots & lots & lots of people, that it's difficult to move about - which is highly inconvenient, considering it's an all-you-can-eat (for £9) buffet.  We had 9 people on a table with so little space, you hardly had room to move your arms for eating!

I don't like restaurant buffets anyway - what's appealing about food that's sat on a warmer for who knows how long?  There are supposed to be stations also, where they will cook food to order for you, but the staff 'working' at those didn't seem to be particularly interested or forthcoming on actually doing that for anyone.

There is soooooo much different food in this big room (Chinese, Indian, Thai, Mexican, Italian and Japanese) including appetisers, mains, and desserts - it really was just completely bewildering, and sooooo crowded.  I just found it...really gross actually.

I ate too much, of course!  (I really tried to like it, and get into the spirit of it.)  The food was 'meh' & overly salty & I felt sick ever since.

The most puzzling thing is that everyone I went with raved about how fantastic it was.  

FIL's wife loves that place.

FIL's wife loves that place.

OMG!  I couldn't wait to get out of it!    So disappointing (as a Christmas lunch party thing).

OMG!  I couldn't wait to get out of it!    So disappointing (as a Christmas lunch party thing).

That sounds awful and my idea of hell too 

It was awful.  I never thought of myself as one, but maybe I am a food snob?  

Cos these people I work with - well when we went to nice restaurants in the past...like one year, we went to a nice Asian themed place with a limited variety of different Asian dishes on offer, some of them didn't like that because the food was 'too weird'.  Another time it was a really fabulous Chinese restaurant that me & my friends love, but the people I work with hated it because it wasn't the 'Chinese' food they're used to - it's more an authentic (Beijing and Sichuan) Chinese place, where Chinese people go to eat!    (It's like they don't like it unless it tastes like some naff Chinese or Indian takeaway, but that kind of food just makes me want to boak!)

It was awful.  I never thought of myself as one, but maybe I am a food snob? 

Cos these people I work with - well when we went to nice restaurants in the past...like one year, we went to a nice Asian themed place with a limited variety of different Asian dishes on offer, some of them didn't like that because the food was 'too weird'.  Another time it was a really fabulous Chinese restaurant that me & my friends love, but the people I work with hated it because it wasn't the 'Chinese' food they're used to - it's more an authentic (Beijing and Sichuan) Chinese place, where Chinese people go to eat! 

That's not being a food snob, it's called having taste buds! I don't like buffets (esp being vegetarian!) and multi-ethnic restaurants are NEVER good. It's like "jack of all [foods], and master of none" kinda thing. Ick. I want Chinese food made by Chinese people, Indian food by Indians, Thai by Thai... etc!

I mailed my BF a package priority last Thursday afternoon and it arrived last (Wednesday) night so take heart!  The delivery estimate given was 6-10 business days and that was only 4 and it was priority, not express.  I think it'll almost certainly get there by express in a week.  The delivery estimates are for the whole world, bear in mind, and it takes a lot longer to get something to somewhere in Africa or to Australia than the UK.   

Very good point! So are you saying I shouldn't have gone for express and just paid for priority and save $20? lol Thing is, his birthday is the 23rd and I ordered that gift and had it shipped from amazon.co.uk last week. I don't think it's there yet. It will be nice when I can just give him his gifts in person one day.

Buffets are never good because the food has to last for a long time and appeal to the widest variety of people.  It is like mass food made for weddings and stuff.  Usually it is blah as opposed to disgusting. 

so I managed to get an appointment at the embassy for thursday! But DH is obsessive about the snow and wants me to cancel because there may be snow on the ground and he's terrified the baby and I will get stuck in London. Not that it is necessarily forecast for snow, just it may be some that hasn't melted.

as a minnesotan, I have a really hard time putting my life on hold because of a little snow and it is one of the things about england that bugs me the most.

Buffets are never good because the food has to last for a long time and appeal to the widest variety of people.  It is like mass food made for weddings and stuff.  Usually it is blah as opposed to disgusting. 

Generally, I agree. There are some exceptions though. There's a wonderful vegetarian Indian restaurant I've been going to for years here in the B'more area that has a great lunch buffet. I've also hit some decent 'country' or 'southern' style buffets but those are a bit less consistent.

There's also an absolutely amazing brunch buffet here in Annapolis on the water that is to die for.

But the kind of stuff Mrs R just posted about? Bleurgh.

Why not have them shipped to your sister and she can stuff 'em in an envelope and send them for cheap?

I did think of that but its more trouble than its worth so I just gave up on the idea.   

My Freaking toes are like icicles an I have 2 pairs of socks on!!    

DH in another mood again this morning...I swear the closer that Christmas gets, the worse he gets...much love to all those who work in retail this time of year.

much love to all those who work in retail this time of year.

Thanks, we need it!