BUZZURRO

I think I listened to this like a dozen times this afternoon:

When Buzzurro and I left New Jersey for a job opportunity I never thought of the music I would hear, we bought a car and set out for our trip across several sates until we arrived in New Mexico.
The radio in our car was set to a jazzy hip hop type radio station, but soon it faded away. By the time we got to central Pennsylvania most of the radio stations played country music I thought to myself “Oh no! I despise country music! Whatever will I listen to?”.
Buzzurro liked it right away and the radio was constantly playing it. We brought no CDs or tapes with us on our trip, and I suppose some type of music is better than none.
By the time Buzzurro and I got to Tennessee I was going crazy. I absolutely hated country music. I couldn’t stand it anymore. I turned off the radio and thought about cutting the electrical wires so Buzzurro wouldn’t turn the radio on when I wasn’t looking. (I didn’t though) I thought I was doomed to a life of never listening to the radio and only listening to CDs. To many people in the urban centers of the Northeast (including me) all country music is depressing.
9 months later I have changed my opinions on country music 100 percent. While I am still not it’s biggest fan, and unlike Alan Jackson’s song She’s Gone Country, I have not, but I appreciate it for what it is.
For one, it is not depressing. Most of the songs I hear are cheerful and uplifting. Some may start out describing sorrowful scenes but end up on a high note, such as one of my favorites, She Let Herself Go by George Strait. It describes how a mother returns home from a shopping trip only to find a note on the table from her husband saying basically that he is leaving her because he doesn’t love her anymore because she ‘”let herself go” , in the meaning that she doesn’t take care of herself anymore. As soon as he left, she ‘let herself go’ in the literal sense. She “let herself go” with the kids to the beach because her husband never wanted to. She “let herself go” on a singles cruise and “let herself go” to New York City. I don’t see how people could ever listen to this song and get depressed.
For another reason, country music is clear. When one hears country songs on the radio one hears the singer’s skill in singing, and not like in many rock or pop songs the mixer’s skill in mixing tracks. Many times I remember hearing Top 40 songs on the radio only to go to a concert of that musician only to hear something totally different. That doesn’t happen with country, or at least not as much.
The radio stations where I live do not play all country music, but the majority do, and frequently I even seek them out.

This is not me yet, She’s Gone Country by Alan Jackson, but I’m getting there.

Yesterday, one of my favorite musicians died of leukemia. I remember his amazing concert I attended in Piazza Anfiteatro in Lucca, Italy, a few years ago.
Rest in peace.

One year ago today Buzzurro and I relocated to the United States. While no place is perfect, we are both very happy to be here.
Happy anniversary to us !

Dear Ms. XXXXXXXXXXXXX,

I just spent the worst night of my life at the XXXXXXXXXXXXXX Inn.

Over the weekend I made a reservation on your internet site to stay the night of XXXXXXXXXXXX at your hotel. My husband and I called in the morning of XXXXXXXXXXXX, and told whoever answered the phone that we would definitely be there, but we will arrive late, at around 9 PM. We did arrive at 9 PM. The women at the front desk told us which room was ours and we went there. That was not the problem.

It was freezing cold that evening. It was around 11 degrees Fahrenheit outside and it was the exact same temperature inside the room. I quickly called the front desk and asked for a warmer room and she informed me of your policy to not turn on the heat for unreserved rooms. She also said that all rooms would be the same since no rooms are heated without occupants to turn on the heaters. This is the problem!

Not only did we have confirmed reservations paid for by a credit card, I called that morning and told whoever answered the phone that I would be arriving at 9 PM. Therefore I think that the heat should have been on in my room so I did not have to enter a freezing cold room.

The girl at the front desk assured me that the heater would work quickly to heat up the room. It didn’t. maybe it would in a room that was 50 degrees, but not 11 ! It was absolutely freezing. After my husband and I turned on the heater, we remained in our gloves, hats and jackets for 45 minutes and just sat around the heater. Finally we looked at the bed. The blankets were light and there was no extra blanket found in the room that even the most horrible hotel offers to their guests. we called up the front desk and then went down to pick up one more thin blanket. The room was not warm at this point, but it was late, so my husband and I just piled into bed, complete in our outerwear and did not wake up until 2 AM when it was hot enough in our room to remove our jackets and gloves.

I have never stayed at a hotel where they do not turn on the heat for rooms that have a confirmed registration. We paid our bill and stayed in the room only because it was too late by then to cancel our reservation, but I do not feel that we got even a fraction of our money’s worth.

Sincerely,
J.Doe and
Buzzurro
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXX, NM XXXXX

Food porn: a gallery of photos of 200 calorie portions of foods. Anyone of you is on diet ?
Now, let me go to the fridge.

(H/T Lifehacker)

Today I called up a certain Walgreens at a certain address. A recorded voice answered “Hello, you have reached the 24 hour Walgreens on X street. Press 1 for the pharmacy, 2 to speak to the cosmetics counter, 3 for store hours….”

I immediately thought to myself ” Store hours ? Aren’t they open 24 hours ? Maybe I accidently dialed the wrong Walgreens by mistake. ”

There are 3 Walgreens in our town, of which only 2 are open for 24 hours. Since I was calling at 7AM I wanted a 24 hour store, just to make sure it was open.
Anyway, I hung up the phone and dialed again, making sure I had the correct number. Again I got the same message. I pressed 3 for store hours out of curiosity. The same recorded voice said ‘We are open 24 hours. ”
Yes, I figured that out after the first recorded sentence ! Why waste a person’s breath and the time to wire up a recording system to allow a caller to press 3 just to find out previously available information ? Does the usual caller to Walgreens forget the “24 hour Walgreens” given at the beginning of the message and have a need to press 3 to find out the store hours ?
I’ll never know. Or do I want to.