Just say NO! to Michaels custom framing...

Just a bit of a rant for you today... do NOT use Michaels--The Arts and Crafts Store custom framing department.

Towards the end of August we took a beautiful print of Klimt's 'The Kiss', which we had picked up at the Tate Gallery, Albert Dock, in Liverpool, to Michaels--The Arts and Crafts Store in north Edmonton to have it properly framed. We had a discount coupon in hand. Even after the discount, the pricing on the framing job was, in my mind, exorbitant. However, G. really, really wanted it done so I gave in, and we placed the order.

I wandered into an independent framing shop some weeks later, and just for the hell of it, asked for a quote. Even without the discount, and with a slightly better quality matte, the job would have been $100.00 cheaper... Okay. I shrugged it off by rationalizing that the guy was probably trying to impress me and get me to bring in loads of stuff to be done.

About a week later, we got a call from Michaels asking if it was okay to trim the edge of the print to make it fit. Well, yes. We remembered the original conversation where we had expressly said to trim the white border. In fact, we gave very clear instructions about all of that sort of thing, which was written on the work order...

Several weeks later, we called at Michaels to ask about the framing job. After the counter clerk pulled out the work order and rushed about for a few minutes, she came back to us empty handed. Oh, dear... the matte that had arrived was cut wrong, so they had to re-order. "Didn't anyone call you?" Uh, no. And we didn't have any idea that they needed to send out for the matte to be cut in the first place. There is a sizable assembly shop in the back, which can be seen from the counter. One would expect that the work was being done on site... especially given that we could see a worker fitting a canvas to a frame as we waited. However, it appears that matte cutting is not done on site. Odd. I shrugged.

Weeks went by. We called Michaels. Oh, yes, the matte was in and the job would be done really soon.

Wednesday we got a call asking if they could trim the print. Uh, yes. I just shake my head.

And then Friday we got the call that the finished job was ready. Our lives being as chaotic as they are, we didn't get to the store until after 3:00 pm yesterday. There was no one at the custom framing counter. Wait a minute. Saturday, and there's no one on the counter? There's got to be someone in the area. We could see a young woman working away in the shop area, assembling frames... so we got her attention. But she was not 'empowered' (my word, not hers) to find and give us our order. We needed to wait until counter staff came back. We waited for fifteen minutes while she checked the lunchroom, paged over the intercom, and finally put us on ignore and went back to work... There were two other customers who showed up, who also told of their three month delivery time horrors on simple jobs...

Eventually, the senior member of the counter staff did show up and without any fuss, walked directly to the wrapped, framed print and presented it to us, commenting on how lovely it was, and wanting to know how we got it from England without any creases... It does look lovely.

I went to hang it this morning and discovered that they attached the hanging wire (on the back of the frame) so that the print hangs SIDEWAYS! I couldn't believe it! I moved the wire myself. Maybe I should bill them for that.

And yes, I have sent an email to corporate head office complaining... not that that's going to do a lot of good. Head office is in Texas.

I normally don't have a problem with Michaels--The Arts and Crafts Store... G. and I use them a lot for different things, but I definitely have a problem with their custom framing department. This is the second time that I've used that service. They are slow, expensive (in spite of their 50 and 60 percent off coupons!) and their understanding of customer service is non-existent. Please, consider using an independent! At least an independent is interested in you as a customer, and might have a passing familiarity with famous art!

As a sidebar, I noticed yesterday that almost all of the cashiers at the Michaels in north Edmonton (137 Avenue) seemed to be lethargic and morose. I got the impression that Michaels is not a happy place to work.

Yesterday's Physio

Yesterday's appointment with the physio therapist at the Cross was very positive... I'm definitely making progress. My range of motion is within mere degrees of being back to what it was a year ago... which is not to say that it was 'normal' to begin with. Apparently I wasn't as flexible as I could have been. Too many years spent hunched over a keyboard, I guess. But, as I said, the range of motion is back, and with negligible pain at the extremes.

Strength is coming back into the all the right areas. We have adjusted my exercise list to include strength building moves with the stretch/mobility activities.

Thank goodness... that means that the majority of the impact to the spinal accessory nerve has largely been mitigated. I still have some numbness across the top of my shoulder, but control over the major groups is back. Now I just have to remember to stand up straight, and not slip into the more comfortable slouch. Breathing more deeply will help to support the more open chest and upright posture. I guess I need to seriously think about yoga and/or tai chi...

And just think how good things would be if I actually did the exercises as regularly as I should!

The blonde, the brunette and the vengeful redhead

Fiona Reid remains one of my favourite actors. She is currently playing in a production of Robert Hewett's 'The Blonde, The Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead' at the Citadel. We saw it last night and it was wonderful! The script is good. Fiona was brilliant... its a one-woman show where she plays seven different characters, ranging from a little boy to an old woman, with stops in-between at a misogynist, a lesbian doctor, a Russian immigrant tart, a middle aged meddler and an inadvertent murderer.

The idea behind the set was very good, but I question the execution of the final design. The 'shape' was awkward, but I can see what the designer was trying to do... The projections were only interesting. The idea, the concept was great, but the images projected seemed to feel like an afterthought, rather than an integrated part of the design and direction.. well, okay, in some cases the projections did advance the plot or complimented the script in some manner, but too many of them didn't seem to have enough thought. And definitely not enough effort put into the execution of the images. But the technology was well handled.

And, I didn't like the lighting design. There were one or two points where the lighting was good, but for the most part it was too much about making pretty patterns on the stage, and not enough about lighting Fiona properly. I really felt for Fiona as she tried to find her 'light', a hot spot for her face to be properly lit. I was also quite surprised by how badly the lighting changes flowed... I can't imagine that Fiona's timing was that different from when the cues were set. The set was essentially put together into a recognizable picket fence and a distorted house silhouette from the shards of a broken mirror; the mirrored surfaces could have been used to much greater effect. Generally, I was very disappointed in the lighting.

It was a great show, nevertheless, and one that I would recommend to anyone. Go ahead, spend the money!

On a more social note, we ran into Marilyn Ryan; nice lady. We also spent a few minutes speaking with Lorraine and John Price. Now that was fun. They look great, and project the old energy that I used to enjoy from both of them. John is at the University and really seems to enjoy being a 'mentor'; Lorraine has found a comfortable, and eminently workable rhythm for her department at the Citadel. They seem quite happy and content with themselves... rare, isn't it?

We also met up with Bill Heron for a few, brief moments. I really would like to sit and talk with him at great lengths, rather than these careening visits. I'm full of questions for him, and I know that he has a lot of questions for me. Trying to package our conversations into 5 minutes bursts isn't very satisfying for either of us... I'm still not comfortable 'hanging out' at the theatre, so I'm always trying to get away. We need to get together on neutral territory.

I am absolutely fascinated by the number of people out there who have no channel to reach their spouse/significant other during the day to do the mundane things, like plan their lives as a couple. I am trying to set up an evening at the Oilers hockey game, in the company box. I have invited members of the client team that we are currently working with... and it is astounding how few of them are able to get a yes/no commitment during the working day. What's even more astounding is discovering how many of them actually don't know how to reach the spouse except if its an emergency... very odd, from my perspective. I almost always know how and when I can reach G. for that sort of consultation...

And no, I'm not actually going to the game... we've got tickets for a play at The Citadel.

I'm about two weeks into using Salagen/pilocarpine in an attempt to stimulate saliva production. I can't tell yet whether or not its actually working. The doctor did warn me that I might not reap the benefits for up to two months... and then I may not find any real benefit at all. I do know that I am much more aware of my saliva production. I think that I am noticing a very slight difference, but then again, it could simply be the awareness that enhances the perception... I may be stimulating production just by being focused on it. Unfortunately, the level of production is still not enough to eat without constant sipping of liquid. And worse still, the sipping of wine while eating just compounds the problem! Water and milk... boring!

I finally gave in and phoned the doctor for an appointment to discuss last week's CT Scan... there can't be anything too terribly wrong or he would have been on it immediately after getting the radiologist's report...

Another bleak autumn day. The quality of light is disconcerting, giving everything a grayish feeling to it, quite appropriate as the plants and animals start to hunker down for another winter. Its one of those days that make me wish for snow to bring some brightness to it all. All the browns and greys out there with the now bare trees, in this quality of light, is depressing!

I've been hiding in the basement office, supposedly studying for yet another exam. It seems like there's always another exam... Instead of spending all the time studying Service Strategy, I've been tinkering with the website, and researching different web hosting organizations. I need to come up with a decent domain name before moving the website, however... and I just haven't been able to settle on anything clever, yet appropriate.

And, I've been re-reading this blog to remind myself of what's gone on in the last year. Wow. We're coming up to the one year anniversary of the cancer surgery. Wow.

I've also been reviewing how people have been finding this blog. I use a web-based tracker, SiteManager, to keep track of where readers are from (can't see who, just the where and when) and how they got to this blog. Of course its mostly family and friends who were given the address, with a very few who linked in from the website. Not enough from the website, though, which is one reason to move it. At the moment its tucked too far behind the Shaw Internet DMZ, and doesn't get crawled by the Internet search engines, so its time to move it to somewhere that the search bots can get at it. But the other way people have been finding the blog is through google searches.

The most popular google searches that point eventually to this blog are, in no particular order:

• Dr. Akubutu's Mouthwash
• forearm flap (its the photos, apparently)
• quadroscopy
• portrait and Victoria, in combination... can't quite figure that one out

Lately I've found it rather odd knowing who is actually reading this drek... which is partially why I haven't written for the past couple of weeks. I've found it kinda disconcerting that certain family members are quoting from it... I find myself editing because of that... and waiting to write until I've got something to say that is totally innocuous.

Dumb, eh?

I do, however, enjoy the thought that friends who I don't speak with enough, in some cases not for years, check in occasionally. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I believe that the expectations of me (and this blog) are different...

Oh, well... ... on we go.

So, on Monday of this week I had another CT Scan of my kidneys, looking to ensure that that little bit of scar tissue hasn't grown, moved, or done anything else awkward. Its interesting to note that the radiologist has determined that the contrast dyes aren't needed; it was a really fast appointment this time. I expect to get the 'summons' from the doctor's office any day now to discuss the scan results. The simple fact that we've gone five days without the call is a good thing... no pressing need to tell me bad news. The flip side of the coin may be that the radiologists are too darned busy to read the scan and write up the results...

Oh, and I'm up three pounds. G. has been practicing her gluten-free baking and has found several really good recipes for breads, muffins, cinnamon buns that not only worked, but taste good. It helps that my swallow is much better, and that I've figured out a chew-drink-swallow-chew rhythm that feels okay. I'm less self conscious about eating in front of people...

G. is so much happier, bordering on content, since she re-organized her work life. Much less stress, more job satisfaction.

We did get notification just the other day that my Dad's PSAs (a blood test that tells you all sorts of things about the status of prostate health) have reached zero... which means that his prostate cancer is completely under control and he can stop with the hormone treatments. Yay! It certainly should make Mom's life easier...

On a political note; what the hell are the federal Conservatives thinking? They lost their shot at a majority (partly) because of the artists in this country who were angry at the cavalier attitude to the contribution of the arts to this country, only to turn around and blow off the same community with their bizarre announcement about the National Portrait Gallery. Idiots. The Alberta bids required no financial contribution from the federal coffers; all private money. It would have been a fabulous publicity angle to leverage downloading support for the arts onto the private sector! Idiots. And, they've pulled other funding for other projects in their electoral heartland that have angered the provincial Conservatives... Idiots. Is it any wonder that Premier Stelmach chose to go on his previously scheduled trade mission to Europe (huge trading partner; important initiative; billions of dollars at stake) and sent the Education Minister to the First Ministers' meeting? He didn't even think the meeting was worth diverting the Finance Minister for a day or two... And guess what? The outputs of that meeting were insubstantial... the bunch of them could have phoned it in. Makes Harper look silly, again. Idiots. Even George Bush is getting more traction with his inspired disasters. Idiots.