Rants & Raves – amaryllia.com

Nice Job Chick-fil-A!

Amy — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:29:40 +0000

I will first admit that the discovery of Yelp, getting a new puppy (Ruby), and just work in general has kept me more than busy for the past few months. I sometimes think about how I’m neglecting my blog here but have never really been motivated to write a new post…until now.

This morning, I woke up to a dark and rainy sky. I lazily got ready for work and decided to bring Ruby with me (I know, my company is entirely too nice to me). While sitting in traffic, I realized I would be running late and texted my manager to let him know, jokingly offering a bribe if he could overlook my tardiness. He joked back saying that a Chick-fil-A chicken biscuit would do and I thought it was a great idea! Something about rainy days just make a hot coffee and warm chicken biscuit sound extra delicious…

When I got to Chick-fil-A, I decided to go with drive-thru because I didn’t want to get rained on and also have to leave Ruby in the car. Everything seemed to go as usual until I arrived at work and looked in my bag. I guess the drive-thru guy had seen my tiny 3lb puppy peering over my shoulder when I pulled up because, in addition to the chicken biscuits I ordered, there was a tiny Milk Bone (doggy cookie) wrapped in Chick-fil-A packaging! I was so surprised that I started telling everyone at work about what happened and most people seem to already know about this little bonus! Where have I been all this time?

Chick-fil-A was a frequent lunch location for me during high school but we have slowly fell out of love over the last 10 years because 1) it’s not as conveniently located to my home or work, 2) it’s never open on Sundays when I actually crave Chick-fil-A, and 3) it made my latest boyfriend sick to his stomach…I think it has something to do with the pickles and whatever they marinate the chicken in. Anyway, this kind of small doggie-biscuit-gesture is the kind of thing that really impresses me so Chick-fil-A is definitely back on my good list. Anyone running their own business should steal an idea like this and adopt it to their industry. Brilliant!

Panda Dog? Awwwww Cute!

Amy — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 17:29:57 +0000

Thanks to some silly Facebook quiz, I discovered Panda Dog today! It’s a sweet Cinderlla story of an abandoned ugly dog that got a SWEET dye job and is now setting doggie fashion trends in Asia =)

I’m parched iz, an’ I’m beeched brew!

Amy — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:17:59 +0000

In case you need some humor and missed this

No doubt you’ll want something to remind you of the whale on slow days…so don’t forget to check out the store and keep an eye out for the Beached jewelry!

Hot Yoga

Amy — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:27:52 +0000

This past weekend, a friend of mine invited Boyfriend and me to attend a hot yoga class. Even though I’ve been attending yoga classes on a weekly basis for almost 2 years now, I’ve never had a chance to try out hot yoga so I happily agreed. My final conclusions after the class: (1) The room was not as hot as I anticipated. Based on an exaggerated story from an ex-roommie of mine, I’ve always assumed that hot yoga was like yoga in a sauna. Without the humidity, though, the temperature was a significant relief to me…until about 30 minutes into the 90 minute class. (2) For the $17/person that I paid for the class, I didn’t feel like I got an incredible stretch or learned any new poses. As a matter of fact, it felt very un-yoga-like afterwards; I was hot, tired, and my mind was restless. (3) I agree that sweating is a natural and sometimes can be a detoxing process. On the other hand, I’m not entirely convinced that sweating, to the extent that I was, was all that “natural”.

Of course, this is all just my personal opinion and I’m still glad I gave it a try…it just wasn’t for me. I feel like I could get similar results by going for a 2mi run in Atlanta’s August.

Daniel Tosh @ The Tabernacle

Amy — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 20:28:27 +0000

On Friday night I saw Daniel Tosh live at The Tabernacle. I’ve never been to The Tabernacle before this but it was a lot smaller than I expected. Nevertheless, it was a cold rainy night so I didn’t mind the cozy seating arrangement so much.

Daniel Tosh is a comedian that Boyfriend discovered on YouTube a while back. He has a somewhat mean sense of humor, which is exactly my type of humor. If you have never heard of him, do a quick search and watch some of his stand-ups. I don’t know of anyone who can resist laughing at his jokes, even if those laughs are frequently preceded by the comment “oh that’s terrible!”

All in all, awesome show. I hope next time he’s in town we can put him up in a bigger, nicer place like the Cobb Energy Center (and I’m not just saying that because it’s walking distance from my house).

Presidential Debate 2008

Amy — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 02:57:37 +0000

I’ve always been somewhat passive when it comes to politics. This year, either because I’m finally sick of the world laughing at us or just because of some ridiculous comments I’ve heard from McCain and especially Palin’s mouths recently, I can’t help but take a side.

Based on the debate I just heard, I’m definitely staying with Obama. But, not knowing the full details of what either of them plan to do about every issue that’s on the table, I decided to get some help from www.votehelp.org which utilizes an online quiz format (eHarmony-ish) to match up your views with those of the presidential candidates. After answering only 28 questions, it revealed to me that I am:

91.88% match with Obama
68.73% match with McCain (definitely a shock to me!)

A second quiz I found at www.vajoe.com:

87.29% Ralph Nader
72.88% Cynthia McKinney
71.19% Barack Obama
47.46% Chuck Baldwin
44.07% Bob Barr
30.51% John McCain

…Oh, wish you were here RON PAUL!

Amazon.com makes shopping waaay too easy…

Amy — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 05:09:39 +0000

I’ve just spent another good chunk of money on Amazon.com… I’ve come to the conclusion that Amazon is the new online Wal-Mart (minus the child labor): it sells practically everything under the sun at a lower price than you can find anywhere else. On top of that, there are some super useful tools that effectively persuade you to buy even more than you wanted to start with! Things like “Customers who bought this item also bought”, “What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?”, and “Subscribe & Save Items” that offer even steeper discounts. 1-Click Checkout and Free Shipping never hurts. And features that used to creep me out like “Recommendations for You” have slowly become an addictive game instead; I’m always curious how the next item I add to my cart will affect my recommendations.

I try repeatedly to shop elsewhere: eBay, craigslist, Target.com, and sometimes even Wal-Mart.com when I get really really desperate…but I somehow always end up at Amazon. It’s inescapable.

PoleLaTeaz

Amy — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 03:39:49 +0000

About a month ago, I was flipping channels and saw an episode of Newlywed, Nearly Dead? on HGTV…oh yes, I said HGTV, that channel with all the house flipping, renovation, and design shows that I love. So anyway, this particular episode showcased the wife attending a “sensual dancing” class to re-spark the romance that was lost once they had their first baby. Now, I’m not saying my relationship needs re-sparking or that the show inspired me exactly, but it did remind me that I’ve always wanted to sign up for a Strippercise class ever since I heard of it a few years back. I did a quick search for something similar in the Atlanta area and signed up for a 90-minute Sampler Workshop at PoleLaTeaz (pronounced like pilates but with a ‘o’ in place of the ‘i’) that would give me a taste of their four most popular classes: sultry floorwork, chair dance, shadow dance, and a pole spin.

As usual, I completely forgot about the class until about an hour prior, when I happened to have my Outlook Calendar open and a reminder popped up. I quickly pulled together my yoga outfit and GPS-ed the address, arriving 5 minutes late.

The studio is located in a business park with a small parking lot. I thought maybe my GPS was messing with me again until I saw 3 spandex-clad ladies in the parking lot, holding yoga mats. That gave me the green light I needed so I quickly parked and found the not-so-clearly marked entrance. Inside, it smelled like something sweet that I couldn’t identify. There were cute pillows shaped like lips everywhere and a small display of shoes, fishnet stockings and sexy lingerie. When I went up to the desk to sign in and apologize for being late, the lady informed me that the workshop might be canceled because I am the only one of 6 who showed up! Apparently it’s not uncommon for new students to sign up for sampler classes and completely “forget” (or wuss out) last minute…that alone made me feel pretty good about myself.

Instead of just sending me home and rescheduling me in another workshop, I was credited the amount I paid for use toward any other class I wanted to sign up for and allowed to join the following class which was already in session that day:

Chair Dancing

Date: Saturday, August 23
Time: 12:30 p.m. – 2 p.m.

This class is suitable for all fitness levels.The chair is used as a tool to do certain exercises, as well as a prop to incorporate sensual dance movements. You will learn some sizzling chair positions and will be amazed at the muscle and resistance this class will challenge you with.

All I can say is, I’m so glad I found this place – I’ve never had so much fun shaking my uncoordinated ass in public! and I got a good workout as well, bonus!

Since I was the only one in class without shoes, I ordered the pair you see above from Zappos first thing after I got home. They arrived today and are extremely comfortable for something that looks this good! I’m think I’m going to sign up for the full 40+ week Pole Dance Program, believe it.

Creative Business Cards

Amy — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 01:58:57 +0000

Here are some amazing business card designs that I love. Be sure to check out the complete list of 70 at fubiz.net

Eddie Izzard: Stripped in Atlanta

Amy — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 02:33:24 +0000

I’m a huge fan of Eddie Izzard and finally got the chance to see him perform live last night at the Cobb Energy Center. To be honest, i was a bit nervous about the show because I looked up a few Chicago reviews of this tour beforehand. Normally, I don’t do this kind of thing and take out the surprise element for a night out, but I did this time because I paid some prime dollars for two seats dead center on the 4th row and was determined to make my boyfriend, who has only seen Eddie in Ocean’s Thirteen, his newest fan.

Despite everything I read about Eddie being overly polished, under-made-up, and robotic on this tour, I found the show to be quite good! Maybe it’s always a good idea to catch the second show at each city, or maybe he read the same Chicago reviews that I did, but his performance was exactly as you would expect – full of dancing, leg kicks, talking animals, God, and of course, off-subject tangents. And even though a few jokes came up referencing his previous shows, they were not frequent or hard to catch for those who have never seen him before.

I feel your pain, Chicago, but I have to give this 2.5 hour Atlanta performance – worth the time and money, but I probably won’t buy the DVD if it comes out.