Shipping Misadventures...

Hey guys!

I hope you had a good weekend...maybe you were lucky enough to avoid the insanity that comes with waiting until the weekend before Christmas to attempt Christmas shopping...

When you find out that Target only
has one talking Baymax left...

I got caught up in a little bit of that craziness...I volunteered to take care of some of my parent's last-minute shopping, but I had no idea that I would be out shopping until 11 pm!

Thankfully, I managed to get just about all the shopping finished up. [Anything else pops us, someone else is going to have to take care of it!]

Remember me mentioning a ThinkGeek shipping mishap last week? ThinkGeek sent a replacement for the item that was damaged during delivery, did not require me to send in said damaged item, and they shipped the replacement via 'next day shipping' for free! I'd gotten an email from UPS saying that my package would be delayed thanks to a delayed cargo flight...and I received my package today, in time for Christmas! I'm definitely impressed with the way they handled replacing my item...I'll continue to shop with them, for sure!

If only all of my online Christmas shopping transactions went as smoothly...

Before I placed my order with ThinkGeek, I'd ordered several items from Amazon...I selected the shipping option that would have my order delivered in 5-7 business days, plenty of time to have everything I ordered for Christmas/birthday gifts.

Two days before I was supposed to receive my order from Amazon, I got an email saying that one of the items would be delayed. I finally received the item today. Much, much later than the shipping option I'd purchased.

In my opinion, Amazon was far less accommodating than ThinkGeek. But /shrug...I know I can't really complain, I did receive the items that I ordered [and, more than that, I was able to order gifts in the first place...].

/Sigh

Well, I've got tons of work to get through...still working towards not having to work on Christmas. Wish me luck!

Fantastic Monday! [Now There's An Oxymoron...]

A few things that I'm excited about:

- This afternoon, I made the decision that I'm going to start reading my kiddo The Hobbit for his bedtime story. He's very much into playing out adventures and what better story to use as an introduction to more 'adult' literature? I gave him a 2-minute break down of the basics of the story, and he's thrilled! I'll be sure to post how the initial reading goes...

- I finally decided on what to get the kiddo as his 'big' gift this year...I placed an order for Amazon's Fire HD Tablet, Kids Edition. The specs are pretty fantastic for the price and it comes with a 2-year 'worry free guarantee,' which sounds like they'll replace the tablet, no questions asked. Definitely a plus! [He and I are both accident-prone...so, it'll be one less thing for me to have to keep a constant eye out for...if it breaks, no big deal!] In addition to the guarantee, it comes with a year's subscription to Amazon's 'Free Time' app service...this is the bit that allows for parental control over content and duration...I'm hoping it works as well as it's supposed to. And if worst comes to worst, I'll have a Fire HD tablet if my kiddo ends up not playing with it very much. [I read on multiple sites that if you disable the Free Time mode, the tablet is a regular Fire HD tablet. Completely adult friendly.]

- I was able to order pizza for dinner tonight for virtually free! Thank you Papa John's points! [Know what happens when you have happy pizza purchasers? Great tips for their beloved delivery drivers!! Add to that the increased tipping tendencies of a former food industry worker, and you've got the makings for something great! Hear that, Papa Johns? Keep up the great work!!]

- I fully intend to watch about 600+ hours of Supernatural tonight! [Am I exaggerating? /shrug Yeah, probably...]

I hope you all are having an excellent Monday...here's to a great week!

See? Jensen/Dean knows what's up!

"Gone Girl"...A Must Read/Listen!

View from my balcony, Sunday morning...

It was a beautiful weekend, but goodness it was HOT. With temps being in the upper 90's and humidity at about 50000%...as long as the sun was out, it was not pleasant. But that's what air conditioning is for!

The kiddo had a great time, I had a good time, and we were able to get some work done on the condo units...all around a good trip, I'd say. Pretty sure that it helps that I've been listening a really awesome audio book. Courtesy of Amazon, here's what it's about:

Just...amazing.

"Marriage can be a real killer. One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed that her work “draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction.” Gone Girl’s toxic mix of sharp-edged wit and deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn. On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer? As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn't do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet? With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around."

Such a good story...if you've been looking for a good read [or a good listen, in my case] then you need to check this one out! I've got about two hours of listening time left. Not sure how that translates to pages, but I am itching to know how it ends...

Okay, I've got to get back to work...updates on other things later!