Bistro West 50% Off Wine Night

Heads up to all you wine lovers. Bistro West in Tustin (at the District) is offering 50% off all wine bottles on Tuesday and Thursday nights. Yes, you heard right - 50% off!

A bunch of us went last Thursday night and enjoyed two really nice bottles of wine for a steal deal (Rombauer Merlot and Duckhorn Migration Pinot for you connoisseurs).

Hurry, before the special ends!

ASPCA and WWF

Darn you, ASPCA and WWF. There you go again, tugging at my heartstrings. Not only do I tear up when watching Noah Wyle's endorsement of saving the polar bears for WWF and Sarah Maclachlan's commercial for ASPCA, but now there's a new commercial for ASPCA. I want to turn away, because I can't bear the sight of sad and hurt animals, but I can't. AARGH.

You sure do the trick with these advertisements, because I instantly have a yearning to become Tippi Hedren, while also wanting to punish every inhumane person out there who treats pets as if they don't have feelings or experience pain. I just can't even imagine what it's like for Animal Cops or vets who witness this cruelty in person. I would absolutely lose it.

Thanks, ASPCA and WWF for putting a "furry face forward" to shed light on your wonderful causes. You have my heart.

It Paid to Complain

If you're a frequent reader of my blog, you'll know that I'm not a big complainer when it comes to retail or restaurant customer service; however, on occasion, I do muster up the gusto to make my concern heard (especially in this economy)!

Saturday afternoon, I went to our local Pavilions to place a party platter order of fried chicken and sides for our Angels/Yankees tailgate on Sunday afternoon. After spending more than ample time with a new employee who was still learning the ropes, I finally got my order placed for pickup 10:00 sharp Sunday morning.

Well, much to our dismay, the order wasn't ready when we arrived at 10:00. I was told that the new employee put the order slip in the wrong place. What frustrated me the most was that another employee noticed that the order was placed in the wrong area, but didn't bother to move it to the right area??!!

At this point, Lee and I are fuming and three employees are scrambling to try to rectify the situation, which was going to set us back 45 minutes (they were offering to cook up the order right then and there). We sternly explained to them that there was a reason we wanted the order at 10:00 and couldn't wait until 10:45 to get on the road.

So, after we stormed out and I got the manager's name, we then headed to a local KFC and spent close to $25 more than we would've spent at Pavilions.

Which brings me to today and the point of this blog. I called our friendly manager at Pavilions and explained the situation. Of course, he was extremely apologetic and offered not to pay the difference between Pavilions and KFC, but is giving us a $65 gift card to cover all expenses (which was just a little bit more than we paid at KFC). I was very happy with this resolution and the manager's immediate apology and offer of a gift card. I truly believe in this situation it's worth it to him to spend $65 to save a longtime customer.

So, make your voice heard when it counts. Businesses are doing anything and everything to not only gain new clients, but keep existing ones very happy. Case in point...me.

Tea and Honey

I recently purchased the cutest, but simple floor-length silk dress from Nordstrom, and can't wait to get it in the mail (had to order a different size online). Don't worry - it doesn't look as dressy or fussy as it sounds. The clothes are very casual chic. I love the dress so much, I might even order it in the second color (I purchased deep purple, but they also have a beautiful deep green).

Anyhow, the brand is called Tea and Honey, and the designer is a So Cal native, Rachel Koo. Their website really isn't up to par on showcasing her designs, so if you're ever in Nordstrom (TBD Department) or smaller boutiques, keep your eyes peeled for this great line by a fashion-savvy So Cal gal!

I Need Tickets

It never fails that when we go to Angels games, there are always ticket scalpers on every corner leading up to the stadium gates. What perplexes me is when there's one guy holding a sign that says "I need tickets," standing next to a guy holding a sign that says "I have tickets." If that's the case, geniuses, why don't you initiate a friendly monetary exchange and get on with it? Hilarious.

Cute Fix for the Day

So, I'm a sucker for animals, especially babies. Who isn't? Therefore, I couldn't resist sharing this slideshow of babies born to local zoos this year. Enjoy!

Afraid of Heights?

If you're a thrill seeker, checkout the new Sears Tower Skydeck. Hanging out from the 103rd story, this isn't for those afraid of heights!