Does everyone remember the Charlie Brown Christmas special? You know it… Charlie Brown was in charge of purchasing the Christmas tree, and he came home with this pathetic, piddly little thing.

Well, like the sad little Christmas tree that Charlie Brown brought back to the Peanuts gang, Blimpie salads are beyond disappointing. The grilled chicken salad was a sad little creation consisting of CONDIMENTS, a few very tiny and quite bland pieces of chicken and nothing else. NOTHING. I kid you not.

The description of the grilled chicken salad on the website reads:

Grilled and flavorful chicken pattie sliced into strips then served on a bed of fresh crisp lettuce.

Yeah… okay.

Here’s what we received:

Now what does that look like to you? Does it look like a salad, or does it look like condiments?… and ridiculously unappetizing looking condiments, for that matter. There was nothing “fresh” about it.

The salad is supposed to look like an actual salad and contain actual salad greens and not just shredded condiment lettuce, as per the Blimpie’s website and even the signage located within the store.

I don’t know if this was an error on the lone clerk’s part, if it’s just that particular location (in which case I would revoke their franchise license because of the disgusting interpretation of Blimpie recipes), or if there is such a discrepancy between the advertised salad and the actual recipe and guidelines provided by Kahala. Still, you would expect that you might not get something exactly as glorious and appetizing as what you see in an advertisement, you’d still expect a salad to be a SALAD and not a jumble of just whatever happens to be lying around.

Oh, and when I asked the clerk if I could have cucumbers in the salad, she said “No, we don’t have cucumbers.” Mmk.. kinda strange, but I guess that’s just not on the ingredients list. Whatever.

See, I was ordering this for my dad, and when I saw how gross the salad was, I didn’t think anything of it (well, I questioned his judgement regarding foodstuffs), because I assumed that he’d gotten it before. Apparently, the only reason why he ordered it at all was because he’d seen signs advertising the salad, so he decided to try it for the first time. Silly me, I figured he’d eaten this unappetizing concoction of not-so-fresh condiments before (because if he’d known the salad was so gross, why would he request it?), so I just went ahead and paid. You can be sure that he was beyond pissed to find that his order was damn near inedible. The only thing that cheered him up that day was that the Giants beat Green Bay for the chance at Super Bowl XLII. (Go Giants! WOOO!)

Alll of this leads me to believe that quite possibly it was just the clerk’s error, or that this particular location’s franchisee is a cheap [bleep] who doesn’t quite “get” the whole customer relationship thing. Kahala, if you’d like to know which location is degrading your reputation with these abominations that are intended to pass as salads, please don’t hesitate to contact me, and based on the feedback you provide, I’ll update my blog to note that this was an individual clerk/individual franchisee issue and not something that should reflect on the franchise as a whole. Otherwise, please provide an explanation, not to me, but to ALL your customers and potential customers, as to WHY the salad was served up that way.

So, in conclusion, I highly suggest that before ordering a salad at Blimpie, ask to see a sample salad, or visually confirm WHICH lettuce will be used.. then make your decision.

Technorati Tags: salad, gross food, Blimpie, subs, Kahala Corp

I just had to share these cute pumps with ya:

Alright, so that photo isn’t all that hot, but these shoes are gorgeous!.

Anyway, why am I dedicating this post to these patent-leather pumps?  Why, because I found these sexy babies by Hollywould at Target (further clarification: Hollywould for Target)… for $15, yes that’s FIFTEEN dollars, marked down from a still-ridiculously-affordable-considering-the-quality-and-cuteness $29.99.  Ahh, glorious Target, bringing an affordable version of chic to the masses.

On the site, they’re listed for $20.99, but maybe your local store will have them listed for the same price I got them for.  And yes, they DO look just as cute and sexy as they do in this photo to the left… And they’re sooo comfortable!  I’m not normally they type of person who can walk around all day in heels, but these do not bother my feet at all!  I honestly thought they might give me a blister or two, but my feet are sore-free after two days of wearing them for 8 hours at a time.

I didn’t even know Target carried such a … fashion-forward selection of footwear… I also didn’t know, until the other day that is, that Hollywould started designing a line of accessories and footwear for Target.  Isaac Mizrahi, Liz Lange, Hollywould… who’s next??

I’m so glad I happened to stumble through that section in a searching for a pair of $3 clearance ballet flats in my size.  Right now they’re listed for $14.99 on the site, but I’m telling you, I got them for $3.24 at the store.

Target so rocks my socks.

Technorati Tags: fashion, deals, sales, clearance, Hollywould, Hollywould for Target, Target, cheap couture

Yesterday when I was at the gym with my cousin (because I’m sticking to my New Year’s resolution of getting healthier and into better shape, DUH), we were having a little bit of trouble (being the non-gym-goers that we are) figuring out some of those circuit exercise machines.  Here’s the thing… the last time I actually worked out in the gym before 3 days ago was about 7 years ago when I was still in middle school.  I used to go  with my parents every once in a while, and one of them was usually on hand to tell me how to use a machine.  Oh, and 7 years ago, that particular gym we used to go to didn’t have the fancy circuit machines… it was more of a treadmills, free weights and mats-for-crunches type of place.  (read: not so much “Health Club” but a barebones “gym”)

Anywho, for some reason we were going about it as if we had our thumbs up our butts… but honestly I attribute that more towards our being slightly discomfited… a normal reaction in any situation where you’re unsure of what you’re doing.  Having witnessed our giggly, and obviously pained attempts at not looking like complete morons, this somewhat disheveled looking slightly-older-than-middle-aged man with a mullet haircut and a furry mustachioed face cut into our conversation to explain the machines to us and gripe that most of the personal trainers “don’t know their shit.”  He was obviously attempting to be friendly, and it was  nice of him to give us some pointers.  We thanked him and went about toning our muscles.  But he started talking, and when he finished, we thanked him again for his help.  Then he started talking again, and we thanked him again.  Then, while I was on some machine that works out your back muscles, he came over and started talking about the machine, and he then he touched  and rubbed a spot right in the middle of my back while explaining that if you squeeze right there when you’re bringing your arms back that you’ll really feel it.

Now, I could really care less about this guy being a chatterbox despite how many times the conversation sooo obviously was at an end… but… isn’t there some sort of gym etiquette against touching a stranger who’s not in any sort of danger of getting hurt if you’re not that person’s personal trainer and by whom you’ve so obviously already been dismissed?  Did that make sense at all?  I don’t know, it was just weird to me.  It’s not like I reacted like “WTF yO why are you touching me?!?” (No, I was gracious, made sure my discomfort at his level of comfort with me didn’t register on my face and then I thanked him for his help, because well,  he had seemed genuinely friendly and eager to help us out) but the question did cross my mind: How would other people react to being touched and slightly rubbed, even slightly, but on purpose (obviously) by a total and complete stranger?  Anyway, he started talking again about something or other, and we thanked him again and he went on his way…. finally.

Uhh, and then let’s see… tonight at the gym there was a very loud and belligerent man who was on his cell phone from the time I got there to when I left an hour and 15 minutes later… trust me– I didn’t have my iPod with me so I was forced, along with all the others who didn’t have their mp3 players or headphones for their DS’s, to listen to his angry ramblings to the poor sop on the other end of the line unless I started to daydream or managed to tune him out.  From what I understand, this man had been in a fight with someone at that very gym either earlier today or the day prior, and there’s some woman he pities but at the same time hates, and that he’s having problems with someone who works with him… and I’m pretty sure that’s the same person he had the fight with at the gym. 

What bordered on hilarious to me was that this guy didn’t seem to realize just how loud he was being.  The floor is, of course, open, and instead of maybe stepping outside of the gym to carry on his phone conversation, he moved to a corner of the floor.  That obviously doesn’t do anything to lower the actual decibel level of one’s voice unless he/she purposely does so, and if anything, it almost seemed to make his voice reverberate throughout the room.  It’s amazing really, because considering the large size of the room, with the background music playing, weights clanking together and the whirring all the machines make, along with all laughter, conversations, and the, uh, human noises, his voice was still loud, clear and dominated over all other sounds.  Some people…. 

In other news, I’m happy to say that working out is already doing wonders for me.  I’m not as much of a B-word, I’ve had more energy, and my mood has generally gone from “Bleh I think I’ll stay in the house.” to “Yay! Let’s go for a walk and then let’s sing songs about rainbows and kitties and sunshine!”  Okay, so maybe not soooo chipper, but there’s definitely a decrease in moodiness.  And to think, it only took the National Body Challenge to make me finally get off my butt, stop just talking about working out, and actually get into the gym!  I’ve also started limiting my intake of caca junk foods and sugary drinks and increasing my intake of healthy foods and water.  Yes, my friends, I’m definitely on my way to living a healthier, happier life!  And of course, a healthier, happier, more active me will allow me to set a good example for littleQ to live a healthy, happy, active life 

Oh, you might want to check out the fitness DVD giveaway I’m hosting at MamaDivas.com.  Check it out.. you can enter until midnight EST on January 15, 2008

Technorati Tags: weird people, annoying people, gym etiquette, workout, gym, health club, etiquette, exercise, cell phone etiquette

Being the couch potato that I am, I was recently made aware of the National Body Challenge, a national get-healthy/get-fit program being held by the Discovery Health network, via television commercial.  Wooo!  After signing up, participants are given a whole bunch of shiznit that you wouldn’t think would be handed out for free, but is. 

The main reason I joined is because participants are each given a trial membership to Bally Total Fitness for up to 8 weeks (woo that’s a whole lot of saving right there, and much better than the usual 1 or 2 week gym trials), assuming you activate said membership by Jan. 5, 2008 (tomorrow)  January 15, 2007 (I was just informed of this date extension by a PR rep…. so double check that when you actually sign up at your local Bally’s).  You also get free exercise tips, diet/health-conscious recipes and meal plans, and access to a plethora of health-centric articles, tools, videos, etc. designed to teach you a thing or two as well as  to boost participant morale.  Hell, you can even join in on their “kick off” days being held tomorrow and the day after at malls from coast to coast.

I hate to admit it, but I have been so unmotivated to get into shape and lose all this weight that I put on.  When I gave birth almost two years ago, it didn’t take long for me to lose a lot of the weight I had gained from the pregnancy.  Then when I stopped breastfeeding about a year ago (Hello, retained calories!), I went from about 10 lbs up from my pre-preggers weight (a weight I was not happy with, but could deal with) to about 25 lbs up from my pre-pregnancy weight (a weight I absolutely detest).  Standing at a towering 5 foot 2 inches, an extra 5 pounds (or the loss of such) is easily recognizable, and coming from an outspoken (cough cough) family, it’s been fairly easy to develop a tough skin, what with all the weight I’ve put on and the comments, jibes and jokes I’ve had to put up with. (Ugh)

However… it is not (wholly) vanity that is fueling my desire to get shape, get fit, be able to fit into my favorite jeans and dresses again.  There is a history of diabetes in both my mother’s and biological father’s families, with an extra punch of the risk of heart disease on my mom’s side…. definitely scary.

I’ve always meant to start dieting.  I’ve always meant to eat healthier… Well, it’s a new year… it’s a new beginning (hmm.. in more ways than one).  I’ll probably be heading over to Bally sometime today or tomorrow to activate my membership. 

Technorati Tags: dieting, exercise, national body challenge, discovery health, bally total fitness

Happy New Year!

Got any resolutions this time around?

(P.S. - I was not able to log on to my websites, OR my email accounts until today… just fyi… things happen =\ )

Technorati Tags: happy new year, new year’s resolution