Kayaking at Boo Moon Outdoor Center - Wah Wah

CC by Let Ideas Compete

The above pictured could've been me - but Blue Moon Outdoor Center had different plans.

A few months ago I had a LivingSocial certificate for a 3-hour kayak rental at Blue Moon Outdoor Center at Oleta River State Park in North Miami. It was set to expire the Sunday after my birthday, which was going to be a busy weekend. I was notified a couple of weeks before the expiration date so it really only left me with 2 weekends to choose from: one that was incovenient and then the weekend of my birthday (also inconvenient).

I called just before the last weekend to ask about extending the deadline another week. The answer was no. Then I asked if I could use the value that I had paid ($20) towards the regular full price. The answer was no. I was annoyed so I wrote the following email to the Blue Moon Outdoor Center:

Hello. I just called a few minutes ago about a LivingSocial deal that I purchased for a 3 hour kayak rental. It expired this weekend, which I only realized last week but was unable to to redeem. The person I spoke to told me that he was unable to extend the deadline to redeem the certificate but was only able to give me a 10% discount which would be a whopping $2.50 off a ONE hour kayak rental of $25. I think I should at least be offered a discount of the amount I already paid for the deal ($20) like other businesses do. 10% off something I already paid for is not an incentive. Please let me know what you can do for me. Thank you!

I got no response.

So, I decided to write to Living Social. Again...nothing.

Pretty much, in my mind, I have come to terms with the fact that $20 slipped out of my back pocket and was picked up by some lucky mofo who walked my path right after me.

The only difference between the outcome of that scenario and the actual one is that I all of a sudden decided that the next time I go rent a kayak, I won't be going to Blue Moon Outdoor Center because I have this weird feeling that they will rob me of $20 on top of whatever would be the price of my rental. Strange feeling to come out of no where, I know.

CityPockets: A Deal-Site-Addict's Savior

All those deal sites that exist now (Groupon, LivingSocial, etc) have forever changed the way I shop. Every time a new deal site is born into the world (which happens constantly), I sign up. By now, I probably subscribe to about 10 of them (that's for serious).

What that means for me is: 
I'm constantly receiving different deals on all sorts of different products, services, restaurants, etc. Cheers to that! I get to try things I've always wanted to do but found too expensive at regular price (i.e. acupuncture).

BUT....
With all the different deal sites I subscribe to, it starts getting difficult for me to keep track of all my purchases that are just sitting and waiting to be used. Uber messy.

SO....
Someone who has been watching me and wanted to make me happy invented CityPockets.com.
CityPockets is a site where you pretty much keep all your different deal site accounts in order. They organize the different pending deals you've purchased but have not yet used; they display a list of different deals available for purchase; they give you the option of selling your unused deal; they're FRIGGIN awesome. Exactly what I needed!!!

I hope someone else reading this finds this just as helpful as I did.

Cool Pet Gadgets

CC by Sebastián-Dario

SecuraPAL
This gadget is a great addition to the blog Increase Your Chances of Finding a Lost Pet. Find your pet with this GPS collar. Not only will it help you track down your furry friend, but it will alert you if he/she escapes. Its going for $172 at grabcart.com or rent it for $19.99 per month at securatrac.com.

Eyenimal Video Camera
See what your pet is up to while you're away with this pet collar camera from Dogtek. Get it at Amazon.com for $99.

Massage Envy is Coming to South Beach!

If you live in or near South Beach and are a member of Massage Envy, get your wee wee pads out, you’re about to get excited!

I became a member at Massage Envy about 2 years ago. They have locations all over the US and if you’re a member you can use the facilities in any location. The benefits to being a member:

• You get a prepaid massage once a month for $59 per month.
• If you don’t use one of your massages by the next monthly billing, your massage rolls over and you accumulate them.

Right now I probably have about 5 prepaid massages waiting to be used up. I would love to go use ‘em up but unfortunately, I live in South Beach and the closest Massage Envy to me is in Coral Gables. That’s not really close by as it is, but even worse going through rush hour traffic after I get out of work. I finally made time to go get a massage the day before yesterday. As I was checking out after my massage, the lady was looking up my account to see if I had any prepaid massages to discount that day’s session and she said “Wow, you have a lot of prepaids available!” and I told her, “I know. You guys need to get a Massage Envy closer to where I live in South Beach.” The guy standing beside her was like “Oh, we’re opening a Massage Envy in South Beach in July.” WHAT?!?!? Someone heard me wish upon a freakin’ star! Then he said, “Yeah. Its gonna be on Alton and 15^th.” WHAT?!?! WHAT?!?!? That’s uber close to where I live (no specifics will be given out for all those stalkers out there who have any intention of trying to kidnap my adorable ass and perch me up on a shelf at home)! Not only will they be opening that one in South Beach…but they’ll also be opening one in Brickell…for anyone out there who lives near Brickell.

Woohoo! 


******Update******


September 2nd, 2011


It's now September and there is still no Massage Envy in South Beach. Fortunately....I do see where it is going to be located. It will NOT be located on Alton and 15th. It is going to be on 17th street, near Meridian. Whatever the case may be - finish already!!!


******Update****** February 15, 2012

Mmmmmm. MUST. Have. Salsa. Fiesta

CC by JGD JGD

I love Mexican food. Its not hard to get me excited about a new Mexican restaurant in Miami. However, its also not that hard for me to end up disappointed. But you know what Mexican restaurant I tried recently that didn't disappoint me? Salsa Fiesta. It's. So. Good.
Its right off of Biscayne Blvd on 29th Street. I've already gone there like 5 times. I love their Nachos Fiesta with beef. Their food is highly satisfying.

One of my favorite parts of the experience: You can start munching right away while you're still looking over the menu. They have a platter of chips and the Hot Tamale dip at the counter between the cash registers. What I do is serve myself my own little container of their red salsa at the little serving station right next to the cash register and pick at the chips on the counter. I do love that salsa. I want it right now.

Second favorite part of the experience: The margaritas. SO GOOD. I love margaritas and I've actually never been one to stray from the original margarita on the rocks with plenty of salt...but the first time that I went to Salsa Fiesta, I ordered my regular Margarita and they showed up at my table with a strawberry margarita. What a pleasant mistake. I order it every time that I go now. Still with plenty of salt...and its heavenly.

Third favorite part of the experience: You order at the counter when you get there and then wait for your food at your table. Why doesn't every restaurant make you pay before you eat? Its so great to just get up and leave once your done with your food.

My one complaint about Salsa Fiesta? Their margaritas are like $13. Come on now, people. Its not like we're at a club on South Beach. Thats a ridiculous price for a drink at a little restaurant on Biscayne Blvd. Don't believe the price on the menu. I think thats only referring to happy hour specials. End result is I normally can't order more than 1 margarita with my food because I don't want to be homeless next month.

How I Fixed the Nook "User not activated" Error

CC by felishumanus

Yesterday I wrote a blog on my Thoughts on My New Nook E-reader and mentioned how I kept getting a "User not activated" error every time I tried to open a book on my Nook. Well, I fixed the problem last night! Just one simple list of instructions wasn't fixing my problem because they weren't written for people with Macs. We have other steps we need to follow in addition to the list they shared. Should you be someone that stumbled upon this post because you're experiencing the same problem, this was the solution that worked for me: 

On a mac, one of the folders you need to delete will be hidden because it begins with a period.  Use these instructions to show all files on a mac so you can see that folder (i'll tell you exactly which folders to delete in a second).

1. Make sure "Adobe Digital Editions" is closed

2. Connect Nook to Mac

3. Go into the Nook drive that opens on your desktop.

4. Delete these directories in the Nook drive:  "Digital Editions" and ".adobe_digital_editions" folder 

5. Empty the "Trash"

6. Open "Adobe Digital Editions"

7. Reauthorize

If you have any problems, let me know. Maybe I can help.

Thoughts on My New Nook E-Reader

CC by davidking 

I received my Nook E-reader in the mail last week. T’was a very exciting day. Just the look of it got me giddy. It’s sleek, white and uber modern looking. Every time you put it on Sleep mode (or it goes on Sleep mode due to idleness), it shows the screensaver, a “sketched” portrait of a different author (there are other screensavers but that’s all I’ve gotten so far).  Most importantly, its kinda touch screen. I say “kinda” cuz there’s a navigational screen at the bottom from which you control your selections on the actual “bigger” screen. That little navigational screen is in color. Yay to color!

Other things that I’m excited about with the Nook are:

• It allows you to browse the Barnes & Noble Book Store directly from your Nook when you are inside a B&N store. You can read books on your Nook for up to 1 hour for free from inside Barnes & Noble.
• I like that you can use the Internet on your Nook.
• It has LendMe Technology, which allows you to share your books with someone else for up to 14 days. Most e-readers have this feature and there are social networks that cater to e-book lending.
• Battery life is great

Now here is a frustration I’ve been having with my Nook:

Before I got my Nook, I was using another e-reader called Literati from The Sharper Image. I purchased and downloaded a couple of books from Kobo.com during my time with my ex-reader. Now, I’ve attempted to transfer those books to my Nook, and while they do show up in my library, every time I attempt to open the books, I get a message that says “User not activated.” Apparently they are referring to “Adobe Digital Editions User”. I’ve found forums where people give directions on how to get rid of this “User Not Activated” message, but quite honestly, I don’t understand what the hell they are saying.

Result:

It’s been a week and I haven’t been able to use my Nook for anything else other than playing Sudoku (partly due to my lack of patience for resolving the issue and I haven’t tried to read any other books aside from those I transferred from Kobo.com). But, hey, it still looks really pretty! But, fo’ reals, I will fix it. Maybe I’ll give it another go today. If anyone knows what I have to do to get around this “User not Active” hump, please do let me know!

-------------------Update-------------------

Check my next blog post to see How I resolved the "User not activated" problem.