Visible Light

awesome day

Jack, Megan and I got up early and went up to the city. Jack dropped us off at the California Academy of Sciences which reopened in September after a total rebuild.

We got there early enough to enjoy the Members only hour. We got tickets to a 10:30 aquarium show and then headed down to the Steinhart Aquarium. After they shut down the old Museum in 2003 they moved the Steinhart to a warehouse building and opened it to the public as sort of a mini-museum experience.
So we'd seen most of it before, but the presentation now is off the hook beautiful. After we headed up to the African Hallway and looked at the stuffed animals. The old fashion Museum stuffed ones. Still kind of creepy but the Live Penguins at the end of it made up for it, that and a display that showed the skulls of all our found ancestors.

By then it was time to stand in line for our planetarium show. The show is called "Fragile Earth" narrated by Sigorney Weaver. I found it fascinating, Megan was BORED! Though she did perk up at the end credits cause they did a cool effect with star-busts and names of people.

We exited up on the level 3 and so went up to the roof to view the Living Roof. Very pretty - though cold - did I say we'd checked our coats at the entrance?

Back down stairs where we stood in line for an hour to go through the rain forest exhibit. It was worth it. Butterflies were everywhere and one landed on a rail in front of us. Megan put out her finger and it actually touched her - and held it there like it was intrigued. Megan was anyway.

We headed out to have lunch in the very crowded cafe, before going to showing of Bugs! a 3D movie.

We finished up the day with a quick look at the gift shops and getting our coats and then we explored the garden in front of the building, while we waited for Jack to pick us up.

The museum was crazy crowded after about 11. Also it feels smaller then the old one. But over all it really is a cool museum.

New phone

I dropped my iphone once too many times and could no longer hear who ever I dialed... Solution - replace it - I now have a lovely new 3G and I'm loving it.

I'm alive and well,

I don't know why I haven't been in the mood to blog. I guess I just had to much fun at Disneyland last weekend!

First off our trip was really wonderful. We stayed at the California Grand right on Disney property, with entry right into one of the parks. The other was a like a 3 min walk from the other side of the hotel. The first day we enjoyed the Magic Morning Hour (a early hour in the park for hotel guests only) and upon existing a ride were given all day fast passes! Same day we were offered a private audience with Princess Aurora!

Megan and her two cousins got along so well. We had so much fun running around the 2 parks for 3 days. We had lunch with the princess and Megan filled up 2 autograph books with all the star sightings. We got our friends Barbara and Matt to come out from Hollywood, have dinner and show us their gorgeous baby!

I've been busy at the school too. Art Vistas is rolling out which is a parent taught art program at the school. I've been trained to teach 1st grade and will be doing my first lesson in December. Really training was just on the actual art project I have a bit of reading before I teach my first class.

I have a couple of sewing projects I want to do. I'm holding off till after Jack paints our room. He and Megan picked out the paint together yesterday.

I've been addicted to Facebook lately, and Wario smach, and Hexic, and now trism.

OK enough. Lori Out..

Blogging on the road

Turns out the Sharks Rink Megan takes Ice Skating from has wi-fi - free for the taking. I brought my laptop to work on the minutes from the meeting last night but instead I'm watching the election news.

Best YOU voted gift ever!

Sex toys: Babeland locations in SoHo, the Lower East Side and Carroll Gardens will give men a free $20 "Maverick" (get it?) penis sleeve. Women get a free $15 silver bullet mini-vibrator.

"Because that's what our country needs right now: a magical solution to difficult problems,"

Forgetting History...

I noticed on my walk back home today that a family up the block has a yes on 8 sign in their yard. What makes this fascinating to me is that the couple who've I've meet several times, chatted with and even helped when I was running the spay/neuter program for the humane society , is of mixed race. He is black - african from Ghana I believe actually and she is white.

1880 California prohibits the issuance of licenses for marriage between a white person and "a Negro, mulatto, or Mongolian."

1948 In Perez vs. Sharp, the California Supreme Court rules against anti-miscegenation laws, stating that they were based on racial distinctions that were "by their very nature, odious to a free people". The U.S. Supreme Court rules that race-restrictive housing covenants are unconstitutional. As Japanese Americans move into integrated neighborhoods, increased social interaction leads to more intermarriage.

So 60 years ago they got the right to marry and now they want to take it away from someone else. Unbelievable! How spiteful can you get.

Stupid Lori Tricks

I just walked away from my kitchen aid that was kneading dough and damn if it didn't knead its way off the counter and take a big chunk out of the damn floor. Jack is on the phone now trying to get someone out to fix my mistake.

Though shall not Leave the Kitchen Aid Running!

Maybe I don't like fall back...

I used to think I loved fall back and hated spring forward. But last night I was dragging by 6 pm and this morning I was up at 5:30. Crazy! I think I just hate the time change either way. Why don't we just stick to Day Light Savings year round?

Megan's Birthday Celebrations last week

I opened a Flickr Account in order to share photo's without having to go through Jack. My ability to post on our site got killed when our host upgraded and messed up all our settings a month back or so. I can always send Jack the photo's but I don't want to bug him so this is a great solution.

You'll see photo's from the party, of the costume I made, and before the haunted train with Phina before hand.

Buyer beware - Toys R US!

Megan got a couple of board games for her birthday that she already had. So we took them to Toys R US, not usually my pick for easy returns anyway because our TRU is across town, but one of the games had a sticker on the out side of the package that said it was from there.

Well what a crock. NO RECEIPT NO RETURN is there policy and since we didn't have even a gift receipt we were refused.

Rather than tell you the whole mess, I offer instead my letter to the CEO of TRU.

Friday, October 31, 2008

Gerald L. Storch
Chairman and CEO
Toys"R"Us, Inc. Headquarters
One Geoffrey Way
Wayne, New Jersey
07470-2030

Dear Mr Storch,

I am writing to tell you that your store lost a customer today, actually three because my husband, daughter and myself will not shop there again.

I have been a long time shopper at Toy R Us and have never had an issue at your stores. I have bought lots of birthday gifts and always included the gift receipt with the gift. My daughter just turned 6 and was given several board games she already had. There was no gift receipt with it, but one of the games had a sticker on it that said “Only at Toys R Us” See Picture:

So my daughter and I headed over to your Newark California store this afternoon, and she was very excited to pick out a new Barbie for the board games. After standing in a long line because only one register was open, I finally came up and asked to return the items. The assistant Manager informed me that your return policy is that nothing can be returned with out a receipt. I actually left at this point but by the time I got out to the car I realized that this had to be wrong and I went back in and asked to talk to the manager. The assistant Manager told me she was the only one in the store and gave me the customer service phone number (800)TOYSRUS.

I called right there from my cell phone. After going through what seemed like endless prompts I finally hit Zero and was connected to a live person. I explained what was happening and was told that was store policy. I asked for her supervisor and explained again to the next woman on the line. She also spent time explaining to me that she had no power, and then I was passed through to Melissa who told me she was the top supervisor and it was just to bad there was nothing I could do. When I asked her what should I do with this game because we already had one she said “open it up and play it with your daughter.”

This I believe was the final straw and I behaved very badly at this point. I yelled in front of all your other customers and said many four-letter words, but the truth is I had been beyond patient with your staff and your ridiculous policy and I had reached my end. I hung up and left.

I then took the other game to Target and they accepted it with out a gift receipt. My daughter then went over and bought several Barbie dolls. This is how it should have worked at your store. Target put Toy’s R Us to shame.

So what do I want from you? Well I plan now on giving the game in question to Toy’s for Tots this Christmas. You can be sure that none of my Christmas shopping will happen in your store, and that I won’t step foot in any Toy’s R Us stores again. You can also be sure I will tell my story to any one who will listen.

But I want you to fix this policy so that another parent doesn’t have to go through it again. You can figure something out. Target told me that I could return 2 items with out a receipt and then they would put a hold on my name and not let me do it again for a year. That’s fair – it ensures that people can’t steal. If you want to keep your customers especially in this current economy, your company needs to figure this out.

Sincerely,

Lauren Herrington