The Brooklyn Bridge

I stumbled on this amazing picture of the Brooklyn Bridge today.  These are painters, working on the cables of the suspension bridge.  I don't know who took it back in 1914, but kudos them!  It made me think of the fascinating history of the bridge and those who built it.

Construction started in 1870 and was completed in 1883.  It crosses the East river, linking Manhattan and Brooklyn.

The bridges designer sustained an injury in the beginning building process and subsequently passed away.  He passed the job of building the bridge to his young son.  The son also sustained injury and was unable to supervise the construction.  His wife, Emily Warren Roebling, stepped in learning mathematics and acquiring unique knowledge of bridge construction.  The legend is that she cared for her husband during the day and, at night, went to oversee the construction of the bridge.

It was opened 130 years ago and almost 150,000 vehicles still cross the bridge each day.

Here's a picture I took of the bridge when I lived in NY.  What looks like scaffolding below the bridge was a temporarily art project of waterfalls constructed below the bridge.

I've often heard that the limestone used in the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge is the famous Indiana Limestone.  However, I think this is a common misconception.  Perhaps a mix up with the Empire State Building and Flatiron Building which DO feature Indiana Limestone.

A funny side note, the Sherman Minton bridge that crosses the Ohio River between Kentucky in Indiana was completed in 1962 and had to be closed in 2011 for extensive repairs.  The Sherman Minton bridge carried about half the number of vehicles per day.  I think that they could have used Emily Warren Roebling.

Cake Batter Truffles!

I saw a few recipes online that lead me to this little number.  It's a winning combination of a few different recipes.


Firstly, let me just tell you - these are SO good.  I took them to a holiday party last night and they were a huge hit.

Cake Batter Truffles

1 box yellow cake mix

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

¼ tsp. vanilla

¼ c. sugar

2 – 3 tbls. milk, half & half or cream

2 tbls. candy sprinkles, divided

1 package vanilla candy coating

Cream together butter, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer.  Mix in entire box of yellow cake mix.  Add milk 1 tbls. at a time until you have a stiff dough.  (The temperature and humidity of your house will depend on what you need, so it might change each time you make the recipe.)  Stir in 1 tbls. candy sprinkles.

Roll dough into ¾” balls and chill for at least 15 minutes.  You could make these a day ahead, but you would want to cover them.  Once you are ready to coat, remove from fridge and allow to rest for about 15 minutes. If you try to coat super cold middles with warm candy coating, they will expand and crack.  NO GOOD!  

Melt vanilla candy coating and coat the cake batter balls, immediately topping with remaining sprinkles.

J. Nichols Clay Botanicals Facebook Page Giveaway!

Wow!  Jimy Nichols is giving away a Primrose valued at $150.  That's a lot of scratch!


You can gain entries by sharing the Facebook Page!  The new fans you recruit "like" the page and cast a vote for you.  


Here's his website:


http://jnicholsclaybotanicals.com/ 


Here's the rules:


http://jnicholsclaybotanicals.com/index_files/Page286.htm

Haters Gonna Hate!

My friend blogs over at skirt.  Recently, she crafted a little something based on the announcement of a new book.  

Maggie Goes On A Diet is exactly what it sounds like.  A book about a chubby young girl that goes on a diet.  

I'm not very interested in talking a lot about the book.  I mean, I think the book is ridiculous because it portrays a fat, insecure "loser" who diets and then becomes successful and "popular."  She develops a positive self image because she's thin now.  Isn't that nice?  Because only thin and/or attractive people are allowed to feel good about themselves, darn it!  Everyone knows that.

Any parent who buys this book for their child - weight problem or no weight problem - are assholes.  Enough about that.  Whoever the d'bag who wrote it is has gotten enough free press.

What this blog is about is fat hate, which is what I believe the author of Maggie Goes On A Diet suffers from.  Now, I know what you're thinking.  I'm fat, so I'm angry at the world.  Blah, blah, blah.  You're right.  I'm fat.  I often suffer from extreme bouts of "angry at the world," but that has nothing to do with me being fat.  It has to do with people not knowing how to drive, behave, control their kids, chew with their mouths closed, etc.  

I take no issue with (most) people who hate fat people.  I say most because I think fat hate has two categories.  Let's call them normal fat hate and abnormal fat hate.

Normal Fat Hate

Normal Fat Hate is just normal folks who hate fat people.  They really don't like looking at fat people.  They make fun of fat people.  We gross them out.  It's totally cool.  They are well within their rights to not like something.  Normal Fat Haters don't obsess.  They don't sit at home and hate fat people.  They see one in the wild, they laugh and they move on.  Those with NFH won't befriend fatties, but they might acquaint themselves at a distance.  You know, a friend-of-a-friend is friends with a fatty who ends up at the restaurant with you.  Six Degrees of Fatty Separation.  Normal Fat Haters can deal.  They might not love it, but they deal.  

For the record, some things I hate:  kids, cheese, bible-thumpers, Tom Brady, bigots, democrats and fat people who drink diet coke.

Examples of Normal Fat Hate:

I love Jeff Lewis and his show Flipping Out.  I have never missed an episode.  I think Jeff has the greatest sense of humor.  Aside from being super creative and a savvy businessman, both things I respect.  Jeff hates fat people and he talks about it regularly.  He claims to be nervous around them.  He openly says that he doesn't hire staff members who aren't "fit" and "attractive."  I adore his openness and love that he says this and doesn't care what anyone thinks!  I'd love to have dinner with him one day, you know, if he can stand it.  

Other favorite normal fat haters of mine are from the Opie and Anthony Show on XM.  Hosts Anthony Cumia and comic foil, Jim Norton are serious fat haters.  Opie makes fat jokes, but he doesn't jump on the fat roll as often as Anthony and Jim.  I subscribe to XM specifically for this show.  That means, essentially, I pay to listen to them make fun of fatties and I will continue to do so.  They are offensive, sardonic and beyond hilarious.  I love them.  

Abnormal Fat Hate:

Abnormal Fat Hate is an obsession.  A sickness.  Someone with AFH will sit at home and dwell on fat people and their hatred of them.  It might drive them to do something like write a book about a lil girl that goes on a diet.  

Example of Abnormal Fat Hate:

Someone who I used to really love suffers from AFH and it breaks my heart.  Anthony Bourdain is a chef/TV personality who I used to admire.  To me, he was sarcastic, sexy and engaging.  I voraciously read his books.  I loved his TV shows.  I even watched the few episodes of the Fox show "Kitchen Confidential" based on his book of the same name.  Now, I used to think he suffered from NFH, but I recently opened a book of his and began reading it.  I came to the second chapter and couldn't get past the first few paragraphs.  

Excerpt from The Nasty Bits by Anthony Bourdain:

The Evildoers

"I'm on the subway after a long, hard day in the kitchen, my feet swelling up like twin Hindenburgs; my back killing me; fourteen hours of hot, sweaty, uncomfortable toil and two hundred eighty dinners under my belt; and I want to sit down.  There are three seats in front of me in the crowded subway car.  Unfortunately, one miserable, fat bastard is taking up all three of them.  As he sits glumly but defiantly in a center seat, his gigantic butt cheeks and thighs spill out of the molded plastic bucket onto the seats on both sides, and his beady eyes dare me to try and squeeze my bony ass into one of the narrow spaces next to him.  

Dream sequence:  I'm on a packed commuter flight and we're going down for a forced landing in a Midwestern cornfield.  Engine one is on fire, the cabin fills up with smoke, panicky passengers overturn their meal trays as they rush the emergency exits.  The pilot manages to plow the plane belly-down onto soft earth, but when the plane - in flames now - comes to a full stop and the emergency doors pop free, the three hundred pound ectomorph in the window seat becomes lodged firmly and inexorably in the small doorway.  At the head of the aisle, another giant fuck collapses wheezing on to the floor, blocking egress.  As my hair catches fire, the last thing is see is jiggly cremulated back fat."

I'm not sure how the book continues.  I read and loved the first chapter, but couldn't go on - even having picked it up 4 or 5 times to start fresh.  My thoughts were consumed with how much hate someone has to have in them to write this and dedicate a page in their book to it.  What was he thinking when he was writing this?  I think he felt dirty, disgusted and smug.  I thought about the editors and publishers.  Did this not make them squeamish like it did me?  

It's beautifully written, isn't it?  I mean, you can't deny that your mind takes you right into the subway car, standing next to Anthony Bourdain.  If I close my eyes, I can smell it and I see what he sees, but I also notice a woman taking up three seats for her nap.  I can't miss the man with the backpack taking up the seat next to him.  I also see the "ectomorph" and catch his beady eyes, but instead of seeing a challenge... I see that he is apologetic and even maybe a little embarrassed.

You'll notice that I didn't link to the book that prompted this whole thing.  Because I don't feel like that person is deserving of the attention.  

What not to buy...

I feel like a big grump ass, but I'm not having very good customer service experiences these days.  I think, because it has been my professional life for so long, that I'm especially affected by BAD customer service.  I've worked hard and I rock it out.  I bleed good customer service.  I have a great work ethic and I want everyone else to as well.  When I receive EXCEPTIONAL customer service, you better believe that I reward it.


FedEx and UPS have been on my shit list for months.  They keep walking through my lawn.  I've phoned the headquarters, we've spoken to the drivers directly and they continually walk through my lawn.  I know it sounds petty, but we had to spend a lot of money to have our lawn renovated.  It was a young lawn and it didn't survive last year's drought.  I know that saying "a lot of money" is relative, but when it has to come out of the savings account - to me it's a lot of money!


The lawn is coming along swimmingly and we are spending a lot of time and money keeping it watered and fed.  You know, except for the track from the street to the porch that's used by FedEx and UPS.  I do have a sidewalk, mind you.  AMPLE sidewalk, as a matter of fact.  There's no need for them to walk through the yard.  I actually had to laugh in the face of the last guy because he said he does it so he doesn't have to turn around.  I'm not sure why the position of his truck is relevant to walking through my lawn.  After all, my house is always on the same side of the street!?


You probably wonder why I get enough shipments to have them wear down my lawn.  We order a lot from Amazon.  We pay for a prime account and take advantage of free shipping on things like cat food, cat litter, energy bars, protein powder and random other crap that we can get a good price on.  We may have more deliveries than most, but that shouldn't be bad - should it?  I think it's people like me who are helping these companies grow!


We were recently in the market for a specific type of light in the kitchen.  There was a sad little fixture above the sink that provided very little light.  The position of this fixture was directly above the sink, but not centered in the area.  We needed a fixture that mounted on the side vs. in the center.  After many trips to Lowe's and Home Depot - evening buying the "wrong" thing, we found the PERFECT light on Amazon.


We ordered and had it installed right away.  It was cheap in both price and manufacture, but it filled our needs.  There were definitely some issues in the metal manufacturing process, but we overcame it.  It filled the right area with light.  It really was PERFECT for what we needed.


A few weeks ago, a light bulb went out on one lamp and we replaced it right away.  Shortly after installing the new bulb, the light went out again... and then back on... and then out.  I think you understand.  We removed the lamp from the track and did what tightening we could.  No change.  At this point in time, when the fixture is in use, one lamp goes on and off.  


Since it had been just over 3 months, I figured I wouldn't have an issue getting this resolved.  I reviewed Amazon's policy and after 30 days any product issues are the responsibility of the manufacturer.  This is what I expected, so I contacted the people at Royce Lighting.


As a matter of fact, here's my exact message:

Hello!

We had a beautiful Royce Lighting Fixture installed over our kitchen sink a few months ago.  We purchased it on Amazon.com and a receipt is attached.  I also included a photo.

We LOVE the light.  It is perfect for what we needed, versatile and provides tons of light.  We are so happy with it.

Last week, we thought a bulb went out in one of the lamps.  On the picture attached, it is the lamp to the far right.  We replaced the bulb and, after a few days, it went out again.  This time, however, it came back on shortly after.  It continued to go on and off intermittently.

My husband tightened the cap at the top, but the problem continued.  He also removed the problem lamp completely and refitted it, in hopes that it was just a bad connection.  Unfortunately, this single lamp is still going off and on intermittently. 

Can you possibly advise a solution to our problem?  The other two lamps on the fixture have not had this issue.

Kindly,

Jennifer F

The next day, I was excited to have received a message.  Until I read it:

Hello

 Unfortunately we cannot be of assistance . Since the item was purchased thru Amazon, you need to contact them directly. I believe you have to "log-in" to your account, and go to "contact us" and find the returns or defective link. It sounds like the item may be defective, and it should be covered under whatever  Amazon's return policies may be. I do apologize for any inconvenience

Regards,

Rachel Ojani

Rachel M.  Ojani

Nationals Customer Service Associate

Murray Feiss | Monte Carlo Fan Company | Sea Gull Lighting | Royce Lighting

Business Units of Generation Brands

301 W. Washington Street

Riverside, NJ 08075

nationalscs@generation-brands.com

That's right, I copied the entire e-mail, signature, terrible grammar and all.  I was MORE THAN A LITTLE SURPRISED that this e-mail didn't say,  'Yes, ma'am, we'll get a replacement lamp out to you right away!'


So, despite what I knew about Amazon's policy, I had no option other than to contact them.  I just forwarded Amazon the e-mails above with a brief explanation.  


I heard back from Amazon right away and, I'm right, it's past 30 days and is out of their hands.  This was no surprise to me.  That's why items come with what is called a manufacturer's warranty.  Thankfully, Amazon was willing to go above and beyond what was required for them and send out a new light, allowing me to return the original one.  They didn't have to do that.  Granted, it came with a "return it in 30 days or your credit card will be charged" clause, but I can handle it.  As far as I'm concerned, they are meeting me MORE than half way.  Go Amazon!


I'd never purchased from Generation Brands before, but now that I know they are the parent company to Royce Lighting, Murray Feiss, Monte Carlo Fan Company and Sea Gull Lighting I can be certain not to purchase from any these companies.  I mean, not only do they not honor their stated manufacturer's warranty, but we are dealing with electrical products.  Serious injury could result to someone or the home where these are installed if something goes wrong.  


Oh, I know you're wondering if I responded to Rachel and I did:

I contacted you per Amazon’s policy.  After 30 days, any manufacturing defects are the responsibility of the manufacturer. 

Your unwillingness to stand by your product is extremely disappointing.  I suppose if you don’t believe that your product should last more than 4 months,  I will make sure not to purchase it in the future.

Thanks for your time.

Kindly,

Jennifer F

Now, I've gotta go order some stuff online so that I can get UPS and FedEx on video and put it on You Tube.

Stay tuned!

Clay Botanicals

I've long wished for artistic ability.  The truth is that I just have none.  I'm a creative black hole.  


... but even my inner artist is shocked by these realistic clay flowers.  


Recently, I spent a mini weekend in Paducah Kentucky (LOVE) and at J. Nichols Clay Botanicals.  All photos are used with permission by Paducah Photographer, Brad Rankin.


Jimy Nichols creates these breathtaking florals out of Kentucky-Tennessee clay.  He makes each element, including the pot.  

Foxglove

Can you even believe these details?

Tulip.  I'm in love.

If you are anywhere within a days drive of Paducah, Kentucky - go now and go often.  It's amazing.  The energy is like no other place I've experienced.