Friday, October 14, 2005

Anniversary

So we celebrated our 6 month “official” anniversary yesterday by taking the day off from work and getting a room at an expensive hotel in downtown Appleton. Of course, we couldn’t check into the room until 3 pm, so that gave us a good chunk of the day to do other things. We started by sleeping in. Until 8. Hey, it’s better than nothing. Then Adam finished building the bar stools. We took the boxes down to the trash area and were accosted by an old man who asked Adam if we were the neighborhood “alarm clock.” We were both confused until we realized he was accusing Adam of being too loud in opening and closing the dumpster lids. By this time it was after 9:30, so I really didn’t see the problem with making a little noise while depositing trash in the dumpster. Apparently we got the “crabby sleep-in-late old person” neighborhood.

After snickering a bit about the stupidity, we headed off to Club West to sign up for a real membership. Turns out the person we needed to talk to was busy when we got there so the lady at the front desk told us to go do our workout stuff first and stop by on our way out. I hit the treadmill again and did only a mile before Adam got bored and took me into the weight room. We did various things in there, mostly working the arms since the treadmill takes care of the leg portion. My shoulders are so sore today. Eh. We’ll be going back tomorrow and I’ll be checking out the step class. No really. We will. Now that we’re paying for it, we might as well go and use the equipment. It’s scary…I have a gym membership. It’s like we’ve entered a new dimension or something. (Twilight Zone music)

After going home and showering we headed up to Appleton to do some shopping. Adam was looking for a costume for his Halloween parties at both his jobs. We also stopped a few places to check out what was available for a dining room table. So far it appears that a round (made oval by a leaf) table out at Ashley Furniture Homestore is in the lead spot. We hope to hit up a few other stores before the final decision is made, but the salesperson told us it takes 2 or 3 weeks to get the table in after it’s ordered and Adam wants it by Thanksgiving so that doesn’t leave a whole lot of time.

By this time it was after 3 so we headed over to The Copperleaf to check in and relax a little. I took pictures of the hotel room, so check them out over on photobucket. Adam was enthralled by the alarm clock in the room – a HoMedics sound spa. It projected the time on the ceiling and awoke us to the roar of a waterfall. He decided he wanted one so I decided to get him one for Sweetest Day (tomorrow). But shhhh. Don’t tell him. We watched some tv and Adam sat in the whirlpool tub for a while before we went to dinner. We ate at Sal’s Pizza, a smallish restaurant right across the street from the hotel. They serve pizza by the slice. The slices are equivalent in size to a personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut. I had chicken parmesan. Their breadsticks are wonderful as well. Just the right hint of garlic. After dinner we hit up the liquor store down the street for some (cheap) champagne and then headed back to the hotel. We watched The Apprentice and then kind of fell asleep. We’re so sad.

We woke up at 5:15 this morning to get ready for work and grab some breakfast at the hotel. We totally weren’t thinking when we took Thursday off but not Friday. *sigh* I was slightly dismayed to discover that the shampoo and soaps in fancy hotels suck just as much as the ones in your el cheapo Excel Inn types. My skin is so dry today it’s not even funny.

Then we went downstairs and got into a discussion with the guy behind the front desk about the payment for the room. Originally the reservation was made under Adam’s name using his debit card. When we checked in, the machine wouldn’t read his card. It kept coming back with some kind of read error. The front desk called us in the room three or four times. We eventually gave them MY card number and apparently it worked. When they slipped the express checkout slip under our door this morning it had my card number with his name. So we went down to the desk to change it. We learned that it couldn’t be changed. I informed the man that theoretically I could refuse to pay the bill when it came through on my account. They had no proof that my card had ever been in their hotel and they had no proof that I authorized any kind of charge. He went and double checked the number about 3 times (yet never asked to see the card!) I told him that really made no difference because they had gotten that number over the phone. I could have just made it up (funny enough, he STILL didn’t ask to see the card.) It didn’t seem to get through to him and we never got it resolved. I’m still torn over whether I want to make a big deal out of it or not.

The same thing happened with the U-Haul truck when we moved. Adam signed the paperwork since it was under his name and he was driving, but it was my card number – and I signed NOTHING. It really concerns me that both U-Haul and a rather respectable hotel are so lax about this kind of thing. I mean people could be using anyone’s credit card if they wanted to. They never saw the card that they charged this morning. They never saw any kind of identification from me or Adam. I could be someone completely different from who I say I am. It worries me, this complete disregard for all the security measures that could be in place. This is also why I watch my accounts like a hawk. Who knows who could have gotten access to my accounts and important information? It’s crazy.

Anyway, we sat and ate breakfast, meeting the owner of the hotel (on his day off – he said he couldn’t stay away) in the process. Then we went our separate ways to work. I stopped at the apartment on the way to drop off the bags and take my pills. We’ve both been very tired today. Every time he calls me he’s yawning. I’m going to go home and take a nap. I’ll need my energy for tomorrow morning.

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