Tonight I went to my friend’s studio for a prop house sale. And another friend facilitated the sale. I realized tonight how long it had been since we all just had fun. Like pre-COVID fun.
We were invited to the sale preview, and it was amazing. The space is fabulous and there were nibbles and laughter….and a giant space full of new, vintage, antiques, and everything in between. China, crystal, glassware, pottery, fabric, mirrors, linens, furniture, art, rugs, Dansk Kobenstyle Dutch ovens, and more!
Even better? It was this amazing well lit space that was filled with light and had high ceilings. Maybe it’s just me because I always love to see how loft spaces are interpreted.
The regular open days of the Maximalist Studios Prop House Sale are tomorrow and Saturday, March 25 and 26 10 AM to 2 PM each day. 501 W. Washington Street in Norristown. You can find out more information on the Sales By Helen website.
So we got this postcard in the mail. It was a no obligation event limited to a select group of timeshare owners. Only one problem, we’re not timeshare owners. No one in our family is a timeshare owner.
I love a good scam, don’t you?
It did not list company and we all get these postcards in the mail all the time for insurance, brokerage, money managers and so on. It’s a come on to sell you something. It’s Marketing 101. So I wanted to know what company was doing this. And yes, I am that consumer who will call and say Whatcha’ Talkin’ ‘Bout ‘Willis.
So I called the phone number which is 1-800-245-8993. Here’s the first woman (give it listen, very entertaining):
She was special, yes?
So she says they are calling on behalf of Molfetta Law in Langhorne, PA. There is not Molfetta Law in Langhorne PA. There is one in California. So I called. They didn’t know what I was talking about.
So I called Red Lobster in King of Prussia. Poor kid who answered phone was just confused by what I was asking. Couldn’t find any large reservations for the dates and times on the post card. She was kind enough to give me the number of Red Lobster Corporate. So I called. They could find any large reservations in their system so they said if was probably a scam.
I found another post card on the internet listed as a scam:
Then I did a little Facebook searching. Found another one:
So I do not know what the thing is using Red Lobster, but it seems to be the fake timeshare dinner of choice.
So I called back number on post card. Here is call #2:
IMS in Scranton is some marketing place. So how whomever found these people to call and send out a coupon escapes me.
I found a video from yesterday about this someplace else, again at a Red Lobster:
The toll free number when you put it into Google says it is a scam. That is 1-800-245-8993. Of course, it all comes back to one small detail: we don’t time share and no one in our family or extended family does.
So happy Monday, this is your scam entertainment for the week.
Is there a scamalot song? And they are cheap scammers. Red Lobster is all they can do?
So if it is not making a scene at school board meetings over masks, shots, book lists and whatever else, these people are also all about hassling local businesses? Really?
I thought I had run out of Welcome to Crazier Town posts, but no, no apparently not.
A slightly related aside before I dive in.
Historically, the Republican party was about supporting, not destroying business. But enter the age of Trumpublicanism. All of a sudden, January 6th, 2021 as per the G.O.P. otherwise known as the attack on the US Capitol, which left people dead and injured as well as terrified, was “legitimate political discourse.”
Take Trumpublican politics to the new heights of groups defending “freedom” and “patriotism” where THEIR rights supersede everyone else’s. They have inalienable rights, ours do not matter. It’s their constitution, not anyone else’s.
You go against them and you are vile and horrible. Everyone who disagrees with them are terrible people. Just ask me I get comments ALL of the time. And yes, these are the people that made me decide once again that leaving the Republican party after being a Republican since I was old enough to vote was the right decision. I am not overly liberal. I would be what you call fiscally conservative and socially liberal. I am in truth, a moderate. Of course, that doesn’t matter in this post, it’s just part of my thought process.
So enter groups like Stepford Wives for Totalitarianism (and their man-servants.) They are the avenging angels (in their little minds) of truth, justice, and the American way. They are the avenging whatever the hell they think they are of saving us all from whatever their pea brains think up that week. Except they aren’t saving any of us, they are just trying to control how everyone else thinks. They are bullies. When we were in middle school they were taking over lunch tables and calling you out for fights behind the gym. It appears they haven’t evolved much. Hence, why they are the future handmaids of the totalitarianism point of view.
to·tal·i·tar·i·an·ism
/tōˌtaləˈterēəˌnizəm/
noun — a system of government that is centralized and dictatorial and requires complete subservience to the state.”democratic countries were fighting against totalitarianism”
What is another term for totalitarianism?
(also tsarism or tzarism), despotism, dictatorship, totalism, tyranny.
Synonyms for totalitarianism
absolutism, autarchy, authoritarianism, autocracy, Caesarism, czarism (also tsarism or tzarism), despotism, dictatorship, totalism, tyranny Words Related to totalitarianism
monarchism, monarchy, monocracy Big Brother, Big Brotherism, Communism, fascism, Nazism domination, oppression
So yea. That. Wearing his Trump shirt proudly (which is his right), this guy goes and hassles a small business employee over their masking policies (which is not his right.) The Downingtown Rock Gym. With his little kids in tow. Yes the video is grainy. Took it off of social media.
But this is wrong. Small businesses have had it hard enough since BEFORE COVID-19 hit, and this is this guy’s town and this is how he supports local businesses? By harassing employees doing their jobs?
So what if say, people went to another local Downingtown business like Creekside Antiques Downingtownon the Brandywine and did a similar thing? What if they went in and said they were horrible people that didn’t care about their community because no one has to wear masks? Do you think that would be right?I don’t.
Why am I choosing this other store (which I love, by the way)? Because that is a store that I know does NOT require masks to enter, so again what if someone was upset by that and went in and harassed their front desk and took a video and posted it? After all they went through getting reopened after Hurricane Ida wouldn’t you think that was awful? I would.Just like I think it was awful for that guy to do that to the front desk guy at Downingtown Rock Gym.
Look if you don’t like the business policy on masking or anything else, you DO NOT, I repeat, you DO NOT have to go inside. But right now whether it is WEAR a mask or DON’T WEAR a mask, that is up to the business, it is not up to the rest of us. They are doing what they feel is best for their customers, employees, and business.
That grainy video is a HORRIBLE example of how to treat ANY small business during this time. First we all had lockdown, and all of these small businesses had to close for a while. Then they had to get creative opening up and adjusting like the rest of us to the new normal. And they had to try to pay their rent, mortgage, employees, and survive. Now we are in the in between where some things are masks required (hospitals, medical offices as two examples), some things will be masks for a little while longer (schools), and then there are small businesses who have to do what THEY feel is best for their business, employees, customers.
DO NOT TARGET a small business because you don’t want to wear a mask. CHOOSE another business you are more comfortable with.
Personally, I know how hard the pandemic has been on businesses like this rock gym, so I APPLAUD them for the courage of their convictions. It is EASY to do NOTHING, it takes COURAGE to act in what you feel is the best direction for your employees, your customers, your business.
I am also appalled that a grown man took his small children to watch him essentially yell at this poor employee of the Downingtown Rock Gym. To each their own on parenting, but I also kind of think that was mean to the kids.
We can’t even say Hate Has No Home Right now because I feel (right or wrong) that this world is so crazy, we can’t say it. That makes me sad.
For the love of anything you believe that is holy, people, just stop this crap. Respect the decisions of these small businesses. If you don’t agree with them, go someplace more to your comfort level. But if they want us to wear a mask for a little while longer, so what? Masks aren’t forever, even if they are for now.
So I got this email today. From some company called “Rover”. A company I never heard of before today, don’t use, don’t have the app. About dropping in on an animal named “Ella”…in Brooklyn, NY.
I live in Pennsylvania. I don’t have a pet name Ella I never had an account with these people. But it came to my email address. So I sent a request for a password reset and I don’t know whose credit card is being used, it’s not one of mine thank God. But it’s my email and name.
My name and email…obviously not my address. I have other screenshots which are not my phone numbers or my credit card. And in the payment section it’s somebody else’s name.
So I’m hanging onto my screenshots and I called up the company Rover and got a customer service person on the other side of the country. Their fraud department is on it now and my email and name have been removed from an account I never had. I can’t speak to whose credit card is being used.
I checked all my bank accounts I have no Rover charges. But my name and email have been removed from this account. Oh and I also just changed all my passwords.
It pays to look at all the emails and keep tabs on your accounts. I am always leery this time of year, because it was a couple of years ago this time when I went into a store in Exton I had never been to before to buy something and then next day someone went on a spending spree with my card. I was never sure if it was someone behind me in line who saw my card numbers, or there was some kind of a cloning mechanism on the card reader machine. But lesson learned. The second time it happened was with Grub Hub or Door Dash. (I forget now.) At that time someone ordered themselves a ridiculously expensive vacuum cleaner on me, only it got delivered to my home before someone could change the delivery address or get it from my porch.
I have redacted addresses and other data on posted screenshots because who knows? Rover has all the data. They were extremely helpful once we got past no I don’t have a pet that name and I don’t live in nor have I ever visited the Flatbush area of Brooklyn, NY.
Frazer Antiques located at 351 Lancaster Ave in Frazer/Malvern is ready for your visit! They also have a 15% off sale until December 31, 2021!
Look at this gorgeous platter!
Frazer Antiques is one of my favorite haunts all times of the year, but there is something magical about an antique store at Christmas! There are so many great vintage ornaments and they are reasonably priced. There are also all sorts of little things to tempt you and catch your eye!
Here is something I found yesterday which is happy in my house now:
Isn’t that little crèche amazing? It’s vintage Oberammergau made in Germany! I was psyched to find it!
Frazer Antiques has friendly staff who are also among the many antiques dealers who fill the store with delightful treasures. As a matter fact I found out yesterday that one of the dealers is someone I went to high school with that I did not know had a stall there !
I hope all of you will take a minute to patronize another local business here in Chester County that’s really lovely.
Frazer Antiques is open pretty much every day 10 AM to 5 PM. 351 Lancaster Avenue Malvern/Frazer. Plenty of free parking in the front and then behind the shop! (610)-651-8299
They ask that the unvaccinated to please be considerate and wear a mask inside. And they have plenty of hand sanitizer right as you walk in the door.
Please note, I was not asked to create this post or take photos, nor was I compensated in any way, shape, or form. I love this local business and merely believe in #ShopSmall #ShopLocal #PayItForward
Last year none of us were out much because of COVID19. This year we are taking baby steps. It is sometimes disconcerting being out because face it, we are not used to it. I think that’s why I appreciate the small businesses in our area even more.
One of my favorites, Magnolia Cottage Shop is all decked out for Christmas and Kathy the owner has gone out of her way to make it so wonderful and welcoming. The shop is full of so many fun things right now, I could have stayed far longer than I did!
I found a few things I loved including this little vintage Annalee white elf. I don’t know much about these Christmas collectibles, I have a couple of friends that love them so I have gotten a few here and there over the years and I think this one is a Frosty! He looks really cute on my tree!
Magnolia Cottage Shop has something for everyone and one of my other favorite things were the vintage Pimpernel Santa placemats:
Magnolia Cottage Shop is located at 288 Lancaster Avenue Frazer/Malvern PA 19355. They are closed Mondays. See website and Facebook and Instagram for more!
My friends have been speaking about Poseidon Asian Cuisine & Sushi Bar since they opened. We finally got there this weekend and it was fabulous!
The restaurant is super clean and the staff is so nice. And the food? One word: FABULOUS. It was all amazing, and their dumplings and dim sum are sublime. The sushi is so fresh it practically melts in your mouth.
They also serve wonderful green tea in nice pots at the table. That’s a little detail that is important to me because a lot of restaurants have stopped giving individual pots of tea to each table, and if you like tea you don’t want to keep flagging down your waiter or waitress, you want to be able to just pour it yourself at the table. Oh also this restaurant is BYOB.
We will be going back soon and I just thought I would tell everyone how much we enjoyed it. It is like night and day inside as well when compared to what was there prior to them, which was Redhound Grill before they went under.
Yes… today I could wait no longer, I had to go to Brandywine View Antiques in Chadds Ford to see what Lisa has cooked up for holidays 2021!
It’s three floors of festive fun and Fa La La La.
I am writing this post because I am a happy customer and have been for years. I have not been asked to do this…I just want to pay forward the Christmas spirit and say #ShopSmall
Brandywine View Antiques is located at 1244 Baltimore Pike, Chadds Ford, PA 19317. They are open Wednesday through Sunday, 10 AM to 5 PM.
I never stopped at this holiday market before today. I always meant to, but today it was pure impulse and OH. MY. CHRISTMAS. Why haven’t I done this the past few years???
The Burkholder Holiday Market is freaking AMAZING! It opened today and runs through December 23rd!! It’s apparently a whole holiday season of festiveness!! There will be not only this amazing holiday market but events through the season and you can also buy your Christmas tree from them! Seriously they are ALL about holiday family fun and their website has the entire schedule!
Now let’s talk about their Christmas shop. I loved it! So much to choose from that is beautiful and tasteful. And it smelled like Christmas in the shop. And the owners were so very nice.
My friend and I had so much fun! We found some really fun holiday decor and super cute ornaments and got some gifts for people. I think one reason why I liked it so much is because what I really love is a vintage Christmas feel, and a lot of what they had although modern, had that vintage emotion to the products they carry.
Burkholder Holiday Market – 359 Paoli Pike, Malvern, PA (Paoli Pike and Sugartown Road, enter on Paoli Pike.)
The Holiday Market runs November 12 – December 23 Tuesday – Thursday: 10am to 5pm
Facebook jail. It is one of the great mysteries of life. They will allow political commentary including before the January 6 insurrection that should be removed, they will allow cyber bullies and cyberstalkers, but then there’s Facebook jail.
My friend Lisa is a brilliant writer, and also as funny as hell. I think she has Facebook jail frequent flyer miles by now. Every time you turn around they’re putting her in Facebook jail and I don’t really understand why. I don’t think anybody really understands why, it’s like they do it on purpose.
My gardening blog (as in the outside website) ended up in Facebook jail for months during the pandemic. It was because of the title which is “the nightgown gardener”. Apparently it was the nightgown of it all, which is pretty funny if you know me, because racy will never be a descriptive adjective applied to me.
It was very frustrating because they allowed me to have a Facebook page that corresponds with the blog which was fine in the category of home and gardening page that goes with a gardening website. Yet it took months before they reversed their decision. And you can’t speak to anyone from Facebook, not even one of those messenger chats that a lot of websites allow for customer service. You can’t contact a live person if you are being harassed or stalked, either. You just can’t ever reach anyone period.
They have these weird, truthfully fakakta, algorithms. A friend of mine ran into it yesterday when she was trying to list, wait for it, Christmas ornaments. Of course that worked out for me because they are the kind of ornaments I collect for my tree so I bought them when she posted that she couldn’t post about them. But how does this even make sense? They are mercury glass you can’t say mercury. And if you say blown glass I guess they think they’re a little itty bitty bongs or something?
And then there was that moment during the election season where I called a super Trumper anti-vaxxer or anti-masker pig ignorant. I wasn’t put in Facebook jail per se, but I was warned. And have they seen the things that people say on Facebook and that’s what they catch and make an issue out of? I mean I don’t really care I just found it more amusing than anything else. when you think of the sheer volume of fake news that we saw Facebook allowed to be posted during this election season alone, it kind of just is mine blowing isn’t it?
So then there is my friend Beth who spends as much or more time in Facebook jail than my friend Lisa. She has breast cancer, brain tumors, and something that is like MS. Also funny as hell. But hey, she’s a threat to humanity somehow.
Now I have to ask since I am talking about Facebook jail will I be punished or thrown in Facebook jail? Am I living dangerous posting Facebook jail memes?
We all try to occasionally figure out the great mystery of life known as Facebook. How their algorithms work, why people who don’t deserve Facebook jail get Facebook jail, and why people who are completely off of their rockers rock on wandering around Facebook.
The algorithms are a mystery. Now given my former corporate life which included e-mail review, they obviously have software which seeks out and reacts to certain words. Corporate e-mail software set up for compliance purposes will trigger on everyday words like “bra” and I guess Facebook does this too? The only thing is in companies who do e-mail review, if an e-mail gets snagged for review there is an actual human being you can plead your case with. You can’t do that with Facebook. Can’t call them, you can’t email or message an actual person, all you can do is fill out their form thingy and hope someone reads it within the next few months.
I’m not trying to start a Facebook revolt, I’m not leaving Facebook, but I think they can do better. Unless of course this whole thing with algorithms in Facebook jail is just like a virtual reality of Zuckerberg’s beautiful mind so to speak? It just doesn’t make sense and really they can do better. I also feel like they do target certain people, and again I think it’s based upon an algorithm. But unless Zuckerberg is going for the whole Stepford Wives effect, I think he needs to find a better way.
