Category Archives: Reviews – Products, Movies, and Places

My opinion on the people, places, and events I encounter throughout my day to day life.

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Why I will not be using SiteGround to host my WordPress Site! – HaliPawz

Today was a reminder I cannot trust reviews all the time.  I have learned reviews can be bought for a price and I am beginning to think SiteGround hosting positive reviews were bought and paid for.  Maybe not, maybe it is just my situation, but I can guarantee I will not be going back to them to host my WordPress Site.  I will continue to look for a host!

I have been pondering switching to a host so I have more control over my site than I currently do with WordPress.com.  Don’t get me wrong, it has been a great site to begin with and I do not have enough positive things to say about them for someone new to blogging.  The key is, I wanted to be able to add plugins, I wanted to be able to talk to advertisers, and with the free WordPress, it just isn’t an option.  I know they offer the WordAds once you have a certain amount of traffic, but let’s face it, if I have that much traffic, I don’t want to share the advertising dollars, I want them all for myself!

I read quite a few reviews on WordPress hosting sites and many of them pointed to SiteGround over BlueHost.  I spoke with their technical support the other day via live chat and they answered all of the questions I had.  Then today, before I signed up, I remembered a few additional questions, contacted the live chat again and asked those.  I was happy with the answers I had received and, I’ll admit, I asked two of the same questions I had asked previously and received the same answer.

The thing I was assured about was the transition from WordPress.com to SiteGround would be seamless.  I was informed by both technicians they had WordPress experts on their team and I would have no issues with it what so ever.  I understand speaking highly of your company, but when two of them basically tell me the same thing and their home page says the same thing, I begin to think there is some truth to it.

The $3.95 a month for the basic plan was a good starting price for me.  It wasn’t the cheapest I had found, but it was reasonable and with the reviews being so favorable, and the ability to grow in plans as my traffic grew, I figured it would be the best choice for me.

I go through and input all of my information.  There were four options, one of them was $3.95 a month plus $14.95 domain transfer charge, another was $3.95 for 12 months, then for 24 months, or for 36 months.  With the 12, 24, and 36 option, there was no charge for the domain transfer.   It had defaulted to the 12 month option and I looked at the cost, $84!?!? What?  How did it go from $3.95 a month to $84?  I looked at it closer and saw they had added additional options including Hacker block and more back ups.  When I read the information around it, it appeared they only backed up once a day and if I wanted it backed up more, I would have to pay.  Once a day wouldn’t be bad for me since I usually only added one or two blogs a day and I usually saved them to word first, so if something did disappear, I would be able to upload it again.  I did like the idea of the Hacker blocker but it was adding $12 to the order, not breaking it down per month, so I went back to the live chat yet again.

As I was talking to him, I learned I would have to pay the $12 for the year.  Breaking it down per month wasn’t an option.  I also learned the $3.95 a month was just a trial price and if I chose it, in 30 days, I would have to pay the regular price $9.95 a month, not the $3.95 like they advertised.  The only way to get that price was to select it for a minimum of 12 months.  Of course, I chose the year route, it just made sense!  Before I hit submit, I asked him once again how quickly it would take place and would there be downtime?  He assured me it would be seamless and no downtime.  He offered to stay in chat with me until I finished the purchase so he could help me.

I hit submit and then the questions began.  I had to ask the technician a few more questions to confirm I was doing it correctly.  I guess I had thought it would be easier, but the questions were a little confusing.  After finally navigating everything, I was told I would receive an email when it was complete.  I closed the chat and went back to doing other things online.

About 30 minutes later, I received and email with a “ticket number.”  When I clicked it, it took me to some technical jargon about my transfer being part of the WordPress network and they needed my permission to proceed.  My permission?  I thought I had given it to them when I clicked the options after purchase.  Confused yet again, I clicked “Live chat” and while I was waiting, I noticed one of the lines said the themes wouldn’t transfer.  Wait?  The themes wouldn’t transfer?  Hmmm, I loved my theme but more than that, a lot of the websites about growing your audience made it clear to not change your website too much in the first 90 days.  Ugh!  The chat technician came on and started talking in circles around my questions.  I finally stated I felt I had made a mistake and maybe I should just cancel the order.  She then tried explaining it to me once again, told me how to reply to the ticket, and sent me the link to look at the available themes so I could tell them what I wanted in the ticket so they would make it happen for me.  Looking through the theme, I didn’t love any of them.  I finally decided on one I liked the best of the least and sent it through on the ticket, hoping for the best.

About 15 – 20 minutes later, I had another email saying the transfer was successful but I would have to go in and change the DNS because they couldn’t do it.  Wait, what?  I had to change the DNS?  I don’t even know what the DNS is!  What happened to seamless?  Back to Live Chat yet again.  Sigh….for a seamless transaction, this is becoming a headache.  The technician appeared to know what he was doing.  He said he could fix it for me, I just had to give him my user name and password for WordPress and he’d take care of it.  He said he would send me an email confirmation when it was complete.  Finally!  Someone helpful.  I waited for the email.  While I was waiting, I went to preview the site on SiteGround with the new theme.  I HATED IT!!!!  It was so ugly, the font just sorta ran into the page and each other.  It was ugly.  Not to mention they had added a blog post I didn’t type.  They removed my HaliPawz title and replaced it with “Blog Post” so I was going to have to go in and fix everything.  OK, I can customize it when it’s all fixed.

Email came through, DNS change complete, I am good to go.  Yes!  Time to start customizing as best I could.  I toggled back and forth between my admin site and my home page to make sure all the changes were taking affect.  Nothing would take.  I tried changing the font color, it would show as changed in the admin page, but it wouldn’t change on the home page.  I went into the categories page to correct something on the home page and I noticed my permalinks were all messed up on my blogs.  The permalinks had Siteground in it and had a “~” in front of HaliPawz.  That didn’t look right!  I logged into twitter to pull up a tweet, clicked a link and sure enough, page not found popped up.  Are you kidding me?  I couldn’t go back and delete and change all of my links everywhere.  I was done!  I was beyond annoyed.  I clicked “Cancel” and said I wanted a full refund.  It, of course, took me back to live chat.  The technician assured me she could fix it easily, left for a few minutes, then came back and asked me to clear my cache.  I did and, of course, it canceled my chat session.  So now I knew the trick, if they keep cancelling the chat session, I couldn’t cancel!

I logged back in and tried a couple of links before I logged back in to SiteGround.  Nothing was working except the home page.  I tried cancelling AGAIN and was taken to chat.  She kept insisting it had been fixed, I kept explaining to her only the home page was working.  I logged into a different browser to try again and the link took me to the old version, not the new version, which, of course, I preferred, but I knew it wasn’t right.  She kept trying to show me screen shots of the home page but I kept saying the home page wasn’t the issue.  Finally I sent her a link from one of my tweets and she came back to say yes, she received the 404 site not found….but insisted she could fix it.  I lost it.  I just kept typing No No NO in the chat, over and over.  I took up the whole window saying I wanted to cancel and please just cancel.  Finally, after 23 minutes of my trying to cancel the SECOND time, she cancelled my order.

Going off on SiteGround support

Going off on SiteGround support

Now the fun begins though because the DNS change still had to occur.  I knew they weren’t going to help me with it.  Luckily I was on the phone with someone who had website experience in the past but he was not quick to help me now because he hated website technical problems.  He said it would cost me, to which I laughed and said, just go fix it.  He went in to look and said there was nothing wrong with the DNS and it pointed back to WordPress.  I didn’t understand how that could happen but thought, ok, maybe if they cancelled it, it goes back.

NO SUCH LUCK!  I went to my page and it said the site is being hosted by SiteGround but not available.  Ugh!  This is a nightmare.  After searching through many forum posts on WordPress, I finally found the solution, I think.  The problem is, it says it can take up to 72 hours to change.  It amazes me how quickly it works to switch out of WordPress but to try to go back to WordPress, it may take up to 72 hours.  During the time I spent typing this, I went back to look and I am still getting this image when I type my page:

So, it clearly was not fixed and my website is now down.  I went from wanting my own site to having no site!  So, something I started around 2pm has been a thorn in my side off and on all day.  It is now 11:30pm, I have a new blog to post, but no site to post it to!

So, when I am ready to try again, I will either find someone to help me with the transition or I will upgrade using the WordPress upgrade option, paying a little more, but making sure it is truly compatible with everything I currently have!

Wish me luck!

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The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Movie Review – HaliPawz

Last night I had an opportunity to attend the screening of the movie, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel at the Glenwood Arts Theater in Leawood, Kansas.  You can read my review about the theater here.

I received the passes the night prior and did not know anything about the movie.  I invited a friend to go with me and as we were sitting, waiting for the movie to start, I asked her if she had looked the movie up?  She had, but only briefly and was surprised I had not.  I quickly googled it from my phone and saw, what appeared to be a strong cast, a very British cast, and they were older.  Richard Gere was in it, Maggie Smith, Judy Dench.  It shouldn’t be bad, I thought.  Probably won’t be an award winner from the plot outline, but not bad.

As I was listening to the other movie goers around me, I heard one talk about the first one.  Oh no!  It’s a sequel and I have no idea what happened in the first one!  Fun!  The other thing I noticed about the group around me was that I felt young.  It was quite packed with an older crowd.

The movie starts and right away, Maggie Smith is winning with her lines.  She quips a few lines and everyone laughs.  A great way to start a movie when I have no clue what to expect.

While Smith’s character continues to win you over throughout the movie, both with her lines, her personality, and her delivery, I cannot say the same for the rest of the movie.  It was confusing in parts, but kept your attention.  It moved from character to character rather quickly.  Most of the story was quite predictable from beginning to end, with only one or two surprises. The characters won you over though.  They were charming, and you felt like you were part of the movie, not just an outsider watching it.

I loved Judy Dench’s character, Evelyn in as much as she admitted she was older, but she was embracing a new career doing something she loved to do.  What started as a hobby for her evolved into something so much more.  I think it reminded everyone to never stop doing what you love and follow the path it leads you.

As Sonny (Dev Patel) bumbly (yes, not sure if that is a word, but I’m using it!) goes between trying to make his dream of expansion a reality and prepare for his wedding, you cannot help but like him and it makes it believable why all of the characters formed a family here at the Marigold Hotel.

Speaking of weddings…..I LOVED LOVED LOVED the wedding scene.  I think Indian weddings are so beautiful and I hope to go to at least one in my lifetime.  The director and actors did a wonderful job portraying it and you couldn’t help but be happy and celebratory during the scene.  I had watched a documentary on Indian weddings and preparations once and was fascinated by it.  It was a great “feel good” part of the movie.

Overall, did I love it?  No.  Did I like it?  Yes.  I can see why it would be liked by those categorized as “active boomers”.  It was filled with love, life, romance, and clear to all that age really is JUST a number!

If you liked this and want to stay up to date with me, follow me on Twitter @HaliPawz  or Like me on Facebook.com/HaliPawz 

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Glenwood Arts Theater, My Review – HaliPawz

Last night I had an opportunity to go see a movie screening at Glenwood Arts Theater 3707 West 95th St, Leawood, KS 66206.  It was my first time ever being there, so I didn’t know what to expect.  I had actually never heard of it.  As we were driving there, my friend thought it was at another location.  Come to find it, it had JUST moved to Leawood from Overland Park about two weeks ago, so it was a good think Google had updated their directions already because I just asked “Siri” to find Glenwood Arts Theater Leawood, Kansas.  As we were already running late, it could have been a disastrous!

My phone was telling us we had arrived, but there was NOTHING resembling a movie theater.  I was familiar with this shopping center because I go there at least once or twice a year with my mom so she can get her S.A.S. shoes when she is down visiting.  I’ve been in the ACE store.  I could not imagine where there was a movie theater.  After some discussion and looking at the sign, which did indicate there was a movie theater, we decided to go in the main doors and look around.

The minute we opened the doors, we knew we were close because you could smell the popcorn.  There is NOTHING like the smell of movie theater popcorn.  We went down the stairs and saw the entrance.  I am hoping they plan on marking it better for people to find, but, in talking to some of the other attendees, they remember going there as a child, so perhaps it is not marked to keep those who are not from the area away!

The theater had an old style charm about it.  You could tell it was not new at all.  The seats, while comfortable, were extremely narrow and leaned back quite a bit, whether you wanted to lean back or not.  The aisles were quite close together, so if someone was walking down the aisle behind you, it was very easy for you to get bumped with their hand or their coat.  One lady managed to hit my head at least three times trying to get to her seat!  Normally I would just lean forward, but remember what I was saying about the seats?  It was almost impossible to get away without actually leaning all the way forward in the seat, which I did after the second hit, but she still managed to connect with her coat one final time before passing and me leaning.

Because we were late, we ended up sitting up front.  Normally, in newer movie theaters, I would hate it, because it’s too close.  In this one, it was OK.  Perhaps it was due to leaning so far back!  Seriously though, it wasn’t bad, I was able to see the whole movie without feeling like I was IN the movie.

I went to get popcorn and have to commend the theater on the experience.  The two gentlemen behind the counter were extremely friendly.  They worked together.  They joked around with the customers.  It truly made me feel like I had gone back in time.  The prices were average, for a large popcorn and large drink, it was about $10, too much? Yes.  Normal pricing for a movie theater?  I would say so.  The nice thing is, the popcorn was good.  I cannot say what they do differently than the bigger theaters, other than it was popped fresh and the ingredients were put in all separate instead of a package?  I’m not sure, but even my friend commented on the taste of the popcorn.  They didn’t skimp on the butter either.  When you ask for extra butter, they give it to you.

My real complaint, other than the seats but I could live with them, was the sound from the other theaters.  When it was a quiet moment in our movie, you could hear the sounds from the other ones pretty bad.  At one point, before I realized it wasn’t our movie, I was trying to listen because I thought I was missing something.  I understand it is an older theater and the sound in newer movies probably overpower the walls, but it was a little distracting at first.

Overall, I would go see a movie there again, I loved the charm of the theater, you felt like you had walked back in time a little.  I wouldn’t make it my “go to” Movie Theater though.

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Me, Randomocity, and waxing

I know everyone blogs for different reasons.  For me, I like to share, inform, entertain, and really just discuss my view on so many subjects.

The nice thing is, I have also teamed up with a great group of guys that are all about sports, comics, geek culture, movies, comedy, humor you name it, we talk about it, hence the name, Randomocity Podcast Network.  It may contain graphic language from time to time.

I say this to let you know, if when you are reading my blogs, they might not be of interest to you but some of the other topics I mentioned are, then join us over there. If you love my blogs and love the above mentioned topics, visit us over there!  Bottom line, just visit us, check us out.

The logo is an adorable Bulldog and yes, everyone on the team are animal lovers.  Visit the site, check out the “cast”, get to know us!

Here is all of the information.

Website  RandomocityPodcast.com  Be sure to check out both of the podcasts, read the blogs over there, and be sure keep your eyes open for new podcasts as we will be adding some more soon!

Facebook Page:  Facebook.com/RandomocityPodcast  We actually have a contest going on right now where, if we get to 1000 NEW likes (as of this post, still need 950) on Facebook AND Twitter, then they guys have to go get waxed, including the owner, Frank “Beefcake” Munroe has to get a Male Brazilian or Manzilian if you will!  If you’re a woman reading this right now, you KNOW how funny it would be to have a man have to experience it.  Any help my WordPress friends can give me to making this happen, I will greatly appreciate it.

Twitter.com/RandomocityPod

Of course, you can also follow me on Facebook.com/HaliPawz or Twitter.com/HaliPawz

Help me get the hair off these men’s bodies!

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Pet theme continues; dog food, breeders, and breeds – HaliPawz

Picking the right food for your new fur baby can be daunting.  There are so many things to consider.  Over the last few years of having multiple dogs, multiple breeds in my home, I have learned a lot and wanted to share.  Some of the information I discovered, I wish would have all been in one spot. Since it wasn’t, I’m doing it.  Another thing I discovered is, for every thing I found positive about something, I could also often find something negative.  My best advice, consider the source.

I say consider the source often.  Even as you read this, consider the source (me) as not being an expert.  I do not have a degree in animal nutrition. I’m just someone who likes to investigate things until I am able to draw my best conclusion.

As I mentioned, there are factors that go into picking the best food for your fur babies.  These are in no particular order.

Price. For some, price is a HUGE factor, for others, they want the best no matter what the cost.  I, personally, am more on the latter, I would rather spend more on healthy food for my pets but I also recognized the most expensive does not mean the best for every breed! Do the research before dropping a lot of money.

If price is a factor, then determine how much you can budget before you pick the food.  You may also want to consider the pet you are purchasing.  For example, a Great Dane can go through a 30lb bag of food in two weeks, a Jack Russell may take two months on a 15lb bag.  You may want to scale down and get a medium size dog over a large dog if you are not going to be able to feed them properly.  Remember, dogs are a 7-14+ year commitment and the food bill grows as they grow.  It’s easy to feed a puppy, think about adult size, senior, special diet, etc.

Ingredients.  Look at the ingredients! If the dog food has a lot of dye in it, stay away from it! Yes, I know it makes it look pretty and you feel bad about giving your baby bland dog food, but if you go back and research, almost every recalled dog food has some sort of dye (usually red) listed in the ingredients.  When I saw the most recent recall, Beneful Recall, I was saddened.  First, because I know a lot of people feed it. Second, because it is a Purina brand and, even though I don’t feed their dog food, I do use their horse feed and I believe they are a good company overall for pet food products.  They are a large company manufacturing a variety of pet food products the consumers want.  The last reason I was bothered by it is the red dye in it.  It just solidified my belief about red dye being a problem.

Full disclaimer…I don’t stay away from red dye completely….my dogs do, on occasion, get treats which have red dye in them, such a Beggin Strips, but I am very aware of it and minimize how much; unless Zipper, my JRT, gets into the bag while I’m gone and eats half of it at once! Not saying that happened or anything! (My tweet about it). Of course, I actually try to stay away from red dye in foods myself.  I don’t know why but I remember reading something years ago about it and just stay away. Except red velvet cake. Hey, my dogs get their Beggin Strips, I get my Red Velvet cupcakes.  Moderation!

Continuing with ingredients, as most people know, the first three ingredients are the most prominent items in the dog food.  The more natural the ingredients, the healthier for your pet.  The first three should be a real meat source, not a by-product.  Do not be fooled by the name! There are tricks to confuse you.  If the name clearly states a meat, such as beef, make sure there is no descriptive words with it, such as dinner or meal.  Those are code words for different percentages.  For example, if it says “Beef” and nothing else, then beef has to make up 95% of the main ingredients, if it says “beef dinner or beef meal” then beef only has to make up 25%.  Huge difference! Always look at the ingredients.  It is also important to look at the ingredients because they sometimes use different meats to make up the protein and your pet may be allergic to one and not the other.  I have learned my JRT will eat anything but seems to appreciate red meat more than lamb.  My mastiff has a pickier stomach and was on lamb and did ok, but seems to prefer poultry or red meat as well.

Crude analysis is another important factor.  I used to think the higher protein is always better.  Over time & extensive research, I have learned this is not true.  KNOW YOUR BREED! Understand their needs.  Understand their activity and growth.  I’m going to start with Zipper.  His name says it all.  He flies everywhere.  I’m not sure there is a slow speed on him.  Even walking across the room he does a little prance instead of a slow walk. He is high energy and, at 18lbs, considered a medium size dog.  He goes between Orijen and Acana Ranchland.  Orijen owns Acana, it is just slightly cheaper. His primary food is Acana Ranchlands.  It is 31% protein and 17% crude fat.  The ingredients are a long list of protein rich foods.  He does great on it.

I felt bad not feeding Bella, my mastiff, Acana, but I just couldn’t afford it.  After doing research, I learned Zipper’s food is a little too high in protein for her.  I was feeding her Earthborn Holistic Great Plains Feast and she did well on it, but I would notice she would be stiff at night after playing at the dog park.  I almost switched her to a different food based on a friend’s suggestion of breeder recommended, which I will discuss in a minute.   I did not switch her brand, just her type.  I switched her to Earthborn Holistic Large Breed and I am happy I did!  It is 26% protein, which is 1% higher than recommended for her breed but she is extremely athletic, so the 1% will not affect her at all and 13% crude fat. Well within the recommended percentage.  In addition, it has Glucosomine & Chondroitin in it!  Within two weeks of the switch, I saw a huge difference in her stiffness! The friend I mentioned earlier? He has switched to it as well. I still give her a supplement of Glucosomine & Chondroitin as well, but she gets the majority from her food.

If you have a giant breed or large breed, there is a lot of information floating around the Internet.  People get passionate about their way being the best way.  This is where I say to use some common sense as well.  In my opinion, when I read WHY Great Dane puppies should not have as much protein because of how fast they grow, it MADE SENSE to me.  At the same time, you have to be aware of when to switch them from puppy food to adult food.  Some Great Danes grow until 3 years, that doesn’t mean they should be on puppy food for 3 years.  Do your research.  Read a few REPUTABLE articles.  Consider the source.  Are they getting a kickback? Do they have a vested interest in a particular product.  Also consider their activity level.  As I mentioned, my mastiff is more active than a typical mastiff.  She will play for hours at the dog park with male dogs half her age.  She will go to the barn and run around.  She is ACTIVE so more protein is good for her.  She even gets a half cup of Zipper’s food mixed in with hers from time to time.  She loves it.

Now I want to talk about breeder recommendations.  Breeders are in a business, especially large breeders.  When their reputation goes up, they become a target.  They will be approached by companies to promote their product, in return, they usually get the product for free or at cost.  Think about it; you’re feeding a lot of dogs for FREE and you are selling the puppies for profit? Of COURSE you’ll consider it.  Most of the time, the product is good, it would be considered upper middle of the road.  Affordable for most people.  It happens in every industry.   I’m not saying the product is bad, but just keep in mind, there is usually some sort of kickback.

***I do want to put my plug-in here for ADOPT over breeders.  You can get purebred dogs / puppies from shelters and rescues.  Unless you need a breed for a specific reason, job, or you plan to show them, please consider adoption from a local rescue or shelter. ***

There are great tools available to help you sort through the details.  One great resource is DogFoodAdvisor.com where it rates the different brands. Please note, they can only rate one or two types per brand, so I would also suggest looking at the company website if your flavor is not reviewed.  It is important to also read the review, not just the visible rating.  You will see key areas of concern or items they were not able to evaluate because the company didn’t make it available.  That could be important.  If the company won’t disclose key nutrient information then you may not want to feed it! There is the flip side as well, sometimes the product may be better than 5 stars, but they only rate on a 5 star tier so all 5 stars are not equal.

So, now for some money-saving tips.

If you decide to feed a premium dog food, most of them participate in a rewards program.  Both Acana and Earthborn do.  For every 12 bags I purchase, I get the 13th free.  All I have to do is save the UPC. Ask your local pet store if they participate.  Three locations in Kansas City sell Bella’s food, K9 Closet, Brookside Barkery & Bath, and Blue Parkway Bait & Pet Supplies.  Blue Parkway does not sell Zipper’s food.  All three locations participate in the 12 bags / 1 free program.  Usually big box pet stores, like PetSmart and Petco do not sell the brands that participate.

Get on an email list for both the food and the  store you end up purchasing from or join their social media page(s).  I receive a $3 coupon off Earthborn every 4-6 weeks.  I know it’s not a lot, but it helps.  If you are at a dog friendly event in town and they have a booth, ask the rep for coupons.  Let them know you currently feed and how much you love it.  You’ll be surprised.  I know this post is about dog food, but I can say I have received coupons for a whole bag of horse feed just by asking! I have also received free small bags of Orijen and Acana just because I asked.  The food is expensive! They know it!  I won’t say it works all the time, but it does sometimes.

If you’re staying in the mid range, visit your wholesale clubs like Sam’s Club or Costco.  Find out which brands they carry, then look them up on Dog Food Advisor.  I know at one time, Sam’s Club had a four star rated food for a great price! Not sure if they still do. Another location to look at for dog food is Tractor Supply.  They have started carrying grain free dog food at a reasonable price and many people do not think about them.

I hope this helps you in determine the right dog food for your baby.  Remember to consider each dog is different, each breed is different, and each need is different.  What’s right for YOU is what is important!

This article was written purely for information.  I received no kickback or request to write it. It all started because I posted something about red dye on the Beneful recall I saw on Facebook.

If you enjoyed this article, please follow me on Twitter @HaliPawz or like me on Facebook HaliPawz

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Traveling with pets? My go to hotel is LaQuinta when available – HaliPawz

I love travelling with my two dogs.  They are part of my everyday life, so it only makes sense I enjoy them when I am on the road as well.  When I moved from Michigan to Missouri eleven years ago, I learned how to travel better with my one dog, Jake, because I was on the road so much for work.  Even traveling home for a visit, I had to plan accordingly because it wasn’t always easy to find a place to stop if I drove.  When I flew, Jake had to be in a travel carrier and travel as cargo.  I hated it.  I was always worried something would happen to him.  It caused me to choose car as a way of traveling instead.  A thirteen hour drive without stopping can make for a long trip, especially when I was traveling after working all day.

Then I discovered the LaQuinta hotel chain!  They quickly became my go to hotel chain of choice.

Let’s discuss the reasons why:

LaQuinta currently operates over 830 locations throughout the US, Mexico, and Canada.  I know they have grown quite a bit over the last few years, so they are becoming easier and easier to find in a location I am traveling to.  Of course, I have emailed them more than once to open one up in my home town of Port Huron, Michigan so I can stay there when I go home to visit family.  Maybe one day!  They may not always be in the prime spot in the city, so if you are hoping for an ocean view room, or a location right in the heart of the city you are traveling to, then you may want to consider a different hotel, but they are usually within a close proximity of where I want to be.

LaQuinta is affordable!  Yes, cost is a huge factor for me when I travel.  I try to find the best priced location when I travel and I have found LaQuinta to participate in many of the travel discounts available.  This is an important side note, LOOK FOR DISCOUNTS!!!!  You should NEVER pay full price for any hotel.  Don’t always assume the discount option you chose the last time is the cheapest option this time.  I will write another blog about traveling on a budget later.

The rooms are nice.  Now, I do want to put in a disclaimer.  If I am not familiar with the location, I will call them to find out if they are a corporate location or a franchise.  If they are a corporate location, I will book with them in a heartbeat.  If they are a franchise location, I will first look to see if there is another location within the same proximity.  If there isn’t, I will go and look for reviews, study the pictures, and I will have to consider if I still want to book at the location.  Not every franchise location is bad, but there has consistently been a difference in the quality of the rooms between the franchise locations and the corporate locations.  The corporate locations have been redesigned.  The rooms are nice, the colors are cheery, the staff always seem to be friendly.

Speaking of staff, the staff is another reason I like to choose the LaQuinta hotels when I travel with my dogs.  With the exception of one location in Georgie, I NEVER feel like traveling with my dogs is a pain to them.  I never feel like I have to hide the fact my dogs are with me.  The staff seem genuinely happy to see them.  They greet them.  They smile when they see them.

All of their locations, with three exceptions, are dog friendly in the US.  I have never travelled outside of the US with my pets, so I can not speak for their Mexico and Canada locations.  I was told the reason the three do not is because of where they are built, there is no grass for the dogs to be taken outside, so they cannot be welcoming of pets.

They have a great rewards program.  If you do any traveling, always look into the hotels rewards program, but I can attest to LaQuinta’s being great.  It is so easy to earn free nights or turning the points into gift cards, airline miles, charitable donations, magazines, or even luxury resort partnerships.  I use mine for free nights except one time I turned it in for a gift card.  Redeeming for a free night is extremely easy.  You can do it on their website or by making a phone call.  I have never had a problem redeeming points, even at midnight ten minutes before I arrived at the hotel because I was driving overnight and got tired.

Their rewards program is on a tiered system, where the more you stay, the quicker it is for you to earn points towards a free night.  I have been at the Platinum level every year except this year.  I am not traveling as much so I am not staying in any hotel as much as I used to.  Another nice thing about their rewards program is you usually receive a follow up survey about your stay.  While you do not earn any points for filling it out, I can speak from personal experience someone DOES indeed read them and follow up.  On the rare occasion I have had a bad experience, I receive follow up rather quickly and even received a partial refund on my stay because of the situation. I can probably count on one hand how many times I have had a bad experience, so when it does happen, it doesn’t deter me from the brand, just that location.

One of the best reasons for choosing LaQuinta when traveling with pets is because they do not have a breed restriction, a size restriction, or a number’s restriction.  They are just as happy to see my 100lb Neapolitan Mastiff Bella as they are to see my lovable, Jack Russell Terrier Zipper.  Of course, Zipper wins them over because he constantly tries to jump up on the counter (a bad habit he was taught at a LaQuinta we frequented often shortly after I adopted him).  There are a few locations that ask you to fill out a pet release where you include your cell phone number.  There are some that state the animal can not be left in the room unattended.  I find these are usually at the franchise locations.  I have never had a problem at a corporate location.

Most of the corporate locations have designated areas to walk your dog, including pick up bags.  The property is usually well maintained, so you don’t have to worry about stepping in messes left from lazy dog owners.  The dogs are not allowed in the breakfast area, for obvious reasons.  They do not want dogs in the area where food is served.  They are usually welcomed in the lobby area provided they are behaving and leashed.  Again, the only exception I have ever had is the location in Georgia where I was clearly informed they were not allowed in the lobby and I had to remove them.  It stunk because I was with a large group, my entire family was staying there, so I would have preferred to have my dog with me instead of locked up in the room, but I respected their wishes.

Speaking of breakfast areas, they have a decent continental breakfast.  There are always waffles, one of their signature items, but then, depending on the location, they may have biscuits and gravy or hard boiled eggs, in addition to the traditional continental breakfast items.

So, the next time you are getting ready to plan a trip and your fur babies are going with you, consider staying at a LaQuinta if one is available in you area of travel.  You can visit their site, which is easy to navigate, at LQ.com.  It is important to remember, as pet owners, you are responsible for your pet.  If they have an accident on the floor, CLEAN it up.  If they are chewers on doors, don’t leave them unattended.  Even if your dog is well behaved off leash, when you are staying at a hotel, USE A LEASH!  Not only is it probably a requirement where you are, but you also don’t know what other dogs are going to be traveling.  Just because a dog travels, doesn’t mean they are dog friendly.  My Jack Russell is not dog friendly.  More than once, I have had to tell a dog owner to recall their dog because it comes running up to mine off leash.  I am always quick to say he isn’t dog friendly from a distance but too many owners say, “Oh, my dog gets along with everyone.”  Those are the owners who ruin it for everyone else.

I want to note I wrote this blog completely to help other owners.  LaQuinta was not aware of this blog at all.  I do want to say a special thank you to one LaQuinta.  I never formally thanked the La Quinta Inn Little Rock at Rodney Parham Rd  1010 Breckenridge Dr., Little Rock, AR for their amazing support towards me and my late Rat Terrier Jake.  Jake was suffering with cancer and our last trip was to Little Rock.  We had been there many times, so the staff knew him and me very well.  I am sure the same staff is not there as this was back in 2008, but his last couple of days here, he lost control of his bowels.  He stopped eating.  He, sadly, had a horrible accident in the hotel room.  I knew the end was near.  I took him to a veterinary down there and they were able to get him rehydrated and we took the chance of getting him home to Kansas City, to his cancer specialist.  When I told the staff about the accident and offered to pay extra for cleaning, not only did they tell me to not worry about it, but they were genuinely concerned about him and me.  When I notified them of his passing, many of them I had encountered throughout my stays signed a card and mailed it to me.  I have never forgotten how wonderful they were.  I had ever made a collage for them to hang up, but circumstances happened and I wasn’t able to return for a couple years.  By then, they had a new manager and it didn’t seem fitting to give them the collage.  Even with new staff, that particular location will always hold a special place in my heart.

Zipper in Little Rock.

Zipper in Little Rock.

I hope this helps the readers the next time they are getting ready to travel with their pet(s).

 

If you like this article and other articles I’ve written, please follow me on twitter @HaliPawz and like me on Facebook.com/HaliPawz

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Criminal on your bucket list? FOCUS on the movie for instructions A Randomocity Submission

I find myself at the Alamo Drafthouse Theater again for a movie premier. Tonight I saw Focus starring Will Smith and Margot Robbie.

This is the first time I have ever been upstairs at the Alamo. (To read my previous review on the Alamo Theater, click here)  There is a table shared between two chairs instead of the solid table in front of the row like I am used to. It wouldn’t be bad if you were sharing a table with someone you know, but a single ticket had been given for seat one, so everyone was off a seat, resulting in trying to share a little table with someone you don’t know. While not horrible, you were more aware of your actions.  I was trying to be courteous throughout the movie.

I actually watched the trailer earlier today so I would have an idea what it was about. I was happy to see it was about a woman learning how to be a better criminal. I have always fancied myself as able to commit the perfect crime if I was inclined to do so.

To read my movie review in its entirety, visit Randomocity Podcast Network.

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Spankings, Songs, and Star Wars; 50 Shades of Laughter-HaliPawz

With all the excitement buzzing around 50 Shades of Gray, when a friend invited me to see 50 Shades! The Musical Parody, I decided to go. I love musicals and I love comedy, add the fact it was about 50 Shades, I knew it was going to be interesting.

When I was told it was going to be at the Kansas City Starlight Theater, I was surprised. The theater is an outdoor venue and it was February. Call me crazy, but I didn’t think it would be too much fun being bundled up in layers, watching a play outside. I was informed they also have an indoor theater and it was in there. I was excited. An outdoor theater with an indoor theater, the former theater person in me was intrigued.

We were able to get tickets for the VIP experience, which included free valet parking, an original cast album, premium seats, and a meet and greet with the cast after the show.

KC Starlight had a pre-show cocktail and appetizer event. We were given one free drink ticket with our VIP tickets when we arrived. The room for the event was decorated in such a fun manner. They had a 50 Shades! The Musical Parody screen up for pictures, the drinks were strong, and the music playing was great. I have to commend Starlight for how engaging the atmosphere was before you even entered the actual theater. It felt like fun was all around you. The music was well-chosen. Everyone was laughing and having a good time in the room.

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We went into the theater and I fell in love! It appeared to be a rehearsal type stage with the chairs all around it. Very intimate feel. It reminded me a little of my high school drama club days. We were in the third row center so I knew we would have a great viewing of the show. I could not wait for it to begin. They announced this was the first time Starlight had ever had a production like this in the indoor stage. It was definitely a WIN! I hope they continue to do them.

Within a few minutes of the show starting, two gorgeous men with no shirts on came out onto the stage…. To finish reading, read my blog at Randomocitypodcast.com

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Kingsman Movie Review – A Randomocity Submission

As some of you know, I am not dividing my writing between HaliPawz (here) and I am also blogging for Randomocity Podcast Network.  If I write something I feel will truly target their audience, I will post to their site but I will also include a link here so my readers have access to it, even if they don’t necessarily check out Randomocity all the time.  You should though!  Anytime you need a laugh, you’ll find it there!

I had the opportunity to see a screening of Kingsman: The Secret Service at the Alamo Drafthouse KC.  Click here to read the review in it’s entirety. 

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Shaving with a Savings-HaliPawz

Sometimes I am like a dog with a bone when it comes to finding the best item at the best price.  I love finding the best savings on a product I like.  I chalk it up to my inquisitive mind, my taste for the best, and that I hate spending money! Recently, that focus was on razors. I HATE spending money on razors but I don’t want to use the cheap ones that cut up your legs, so I spend the money and regret it the whole time. Of course, like so many, I then tend to use them too long and eventually end up not getting as smooth of a shave as I would like.

I started noticing on Facebook that razors were being promoted stating things like, “women you don’t have to use a pink razor just because you’re a woman, you can use the same razor as a man” or “shave for a dollar a week”. I ignored the ads at first because, let’s face it, most of the “advertised” stuff on Facebook leads to spam emails and more annoying advertisements. After a month or two…..OK, confession time…..after I was out of razors and needed to go spend money on some, the ads caught my attention again.

Here are the thoughts that entered my head:

  1.  Is it legitimate?
  2. Is it really as inexpensive as they say?
  3. Do the razors work?
  4. Why do they have to be so blasted ugly??  Those razors they use in the ads are scary looking, I guess they want men to know they are really “manly”!
  5. Why is it we women have to use an ugly silver razor, why can’t they be a pretty blue or purple and make the man use the colorful razor?

Now I know number 4 is just my own opinion. Some people may think they look sleek and sexy. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder they say. Besides, if 1-3 are good, then my penny-pinching ways will help me look past number 4 any day!

Number 5 is never going to change. If we want something that be used by both men and women, we are always going to have to settle for the not so eye appealing item to appease the man. They can’t be seen with a pretty colored item, that’s not chest pounding “MANLY”. Yes, sometimes I make myself chuckle as I picture my own words.

Back to the list. I will go in order now.

Number 1….legitimacy. There is only one way to find out. I started looking for reviews of the company OFF of Facebook. I weeded through the well written reviews. I like to read the different levels of reviews. Sometimes you have to get past the 1 star people who will hate anything and everything. They are the ones that expect the $10 item to work as well as the $1000 item their neighbor purchased but they only want to spend $5 for the thing. As I was reading the reviews about the company AND the product, everything seemed to be ok. No one seemed to have any real issues with them. There was the occasional, I couldn’t cancel when I wanted story. Again, sometimes you have to read multiple reviews because not everyone takes the time to read HOW to cancel an automatic shipment and then gets mad when things don’t get canceled correctly.

On to number 2…….price. I went through and started to process an order. There didn’t seem to be any hidden fees. I get to checkout and notice a location for discount code. WHAT??? Inexpensive razors that STILL have the possibility of a bigger discount! Let me go back to the internet! As I was searching for the discount code I come across someone asking HOW can they be so inexpensive and someone else answered that they are Dorco razors purchased in bulk. Dorco? I had never heard of that company before. Another internet search begins.

Much to my surprise, Dorco razors do exist and even better, I can purchase DIRECTLY from them. Getting rid of the middle man and the middle man’s middle man. I go to their website dorcousa.com and start browsing. The first thing I notice is…..There are razors for both genders! What?!?! No ugly silver razor? I can get an attractive razor FOR THE SAME PRICE as the unattractive one? This is getting even better! I start reading the reviews. All pretty favorable. So number 2 and number 3 are checked off my list in my mind because the reviews are strong. What’s even better is that they have a variety to choose from. After going through each one, I started to get the woman’s variety pack but then decided to just purchase Shai Trial Pack. The Shai razor seemed to be designed specifically for a woman’s body. It had a flexible head, multiple blades. The reviews were all favorable.

I begin my checkout session. I find the Shai Trial Pack for a promotional price of $17.50. Then I find a COUPON CODE online (Yay me!) that takes an addition $2.63 off. Shipping was $4.99. So, for $19.86 I get the following: One Razor Handle with two six blade flexible cartridges plus an additional 8 replacement cartridges. Because that is a lot of numbers all at once, I’ll save you the headache….. TEN Cartridges TOTAL for less than $20 including shipping! Are you kidding me? Now to wait and see if they really work.

From the date I ordered them to the date they were delivered was a total of 5 days. Not too bad for budget shipping considering that was them processing the order, shipping it out, AND I ordered it on a Friday, received on the following Wednesday.

I opened the package and was pleasantly surprised.

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First, the package that the handle and two cartridge come in was a plastic blister pack but it had an easy open slit in the back. I LOVE packaging that is easy to open!

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It also comes with a base that has a suction cup back for you to hang the handle in the shower.   Another nice feature is that all of the replacement cartridges come with a plastic protective cover. This makes them easy to travel with and store. They also included a coupon for 5% off my next purchase if I used it within he next three weeks.  A nice option if I had purchased a smaller amount.

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I had not even used the razor yet and I was already impressed with this company.

Now, for the true test, does the razor WORK?

Yes! The handle fits in my hand very nicely. I don’t feel like I’m fighting with it as I shave. The shave is nice and smooth. I have to admit I am one of those lazy shavers that doesn’t use shaving cream. I just use soap and a loofah and shave using the soap. Even with that, the shave was nice and smooth. I am not an extremely safe shaver either, one of the reasons I don’t use the cheap $2 disposable razors because I would always cut myself with them. Not the case with these at all….and they are less than the $2 razor! It glides over my legs nicely. I didn’t have to do repeated passes to remove the hair. The razor rinses pretty well under water.

One takeaway is that they last much past a week of shaving (I know most razors don’t, just stating these are no exception). Perhaps in the winter when I am not shaving every single day, they will last longer, but I noticed by day eight or nine I was starting to have to repeat my pass in order to remove the hair.

I wouldn’t count on the holder if you have tiled shower walls. I tried so many ways to get it to suction on my wall and I would come in the next day to the razor being on the floor. One time I thought it had broken because it was in three pieces, not just two, but I was able to snap the one piece back on to the handle and then put the cartridge back on. I would say not to bother if you can’t get it to suction the first one or two times. I have thought about just putting a different, larger suction cup on it to see if that would help, but I haven’t bothered yet. If I do, I will definitely update this post.

To help you out, if you want to order from them, click this link: Save 20% with Dorco and you’ll save 20% off your order!

Thank you and happy Shaving and Saving!