Wednesday, December 12, 2012

I Returned a Broken Wii U Console, Game is Stuck. No One Will Reinburse Me!

My Nintendo Wii U Console, is no less than 20 days old. It ran, played and kept me entertained; that is until the game pad died on juice. But all was well in my universe. I fought the hungry crowds of Nintendo fan boys, and ended up being one of the lucky ones. One of the ones who happened to grab a console a few days after it hit shelves.

Then...

In the middle of loading Assassins Creed 3, the screen on my TV turned white, and the game and console no longer responded. I could not power it off, I could not return to the main menu.

So...

I did what anyone would do with no other options left, I had to unplug the console from its power source. Little did I know that by doing so, I would be thrown into the statistic of those who now have broken Nintendo Wii U game consoles. A dreaded title known as, 'Nintendo Wii U, Red Light of Death'.

But...

Have no fear!

The game is less than 20 days old, and my Best Buy receipt is still within the exchange policy. Thank God! I did not want to send it back to Nintendo to have them toy with it, and try to fix it while I waited for them to send me back, my now refurbished, Nintendo Wii U console.

Wait...


So here is the problem. My freaking Assassins Creed 3 game is stuck in the broken system, and no matter how hard they tried, Best Buy Geek Squad could not get it out.

Maybe...

Nintendo will reimburse you. We cannot, you did not buy the game with us.

Sigh...

I head back home and embark on the journey of getting Nintendo to solve the issue. After all, it was their console that broke and ate my game. Best Buy is not at fault, although I wish they offered a solution to getting me my game back once the system was sent to the manufacturer.

Sorry...

Nintendo refuses to reimburse me, what they do however suggest is the most ridiculous slap in the consumers face I have ever received.

Nintendo will not reimburse me, however their solution is this. They want me to drive back to Best Buy, retrieve my broken system. Mail it back to them, wait 2 weeks for a repair, and then and only then will I get my game back.

Absurd. It was my right as a consumer to exchange the system within 30 days, but little did I know that an imaginary disclaimer would read, 'If your game is stuck, you are out of luck.'

I am left with no choice but to take it up with the BBB and possibly the state attorney general.

Hold On Did You Say BBB?...


Only then does Nintendo cut me an offer, I smile at the fact that a slap with BBB seemed to have an ill effect. Then I realize I'm not being cut a deal, I'm being offered the choice to purchase one of Nintendo's brand of games.

But no, not for free. For a discount. A discount that they will not disclose until you agree on a title.

So would you prefer some pathetic party game or Ninja Gaiden 3?

I took neither. I'm at a loss. My last and final attempt with Nintendo will occur when they decide to call me back. My guess is never. I am in shock at how poorly this issue was solved. My brand new system still resides in the box. At this point, I cannot even look at it. I am truly considering throwing it up on ebay for auction, and wiping my hands clean of Nintendo.

So my warning to other Wii U gamers who end up with a bricked system, do whatever you can to get the damn game out, without voiding your warranty.

Or, send it off to Nintendo. DO NOT, and I repeat, do not, return it to the store where you purchased it. You can kiss your $60 title goodbye!

Friday, November 30, 2012

My Tattoo Is Peeling With Ink, Is This Normal?

One of the scariest things about getting your first tattoo is whether or not it will be painful. However, pain is depending on where you get your tattoo, and your tolerance. I can say during the process of going in to get my very first tattoo that I was paranoid about looking like a wimp and flinching when the needle hit my skin, however I felt silly for ever feeling that way once it started. The pain was a 0 on a scale of 0-10. 10 being the most pain.

Besides the pain though, for newbies who do not know what to expect after the fact things can get really scary. Sitting through the tattoo session is the easiest part, and most fail to recognize that.

My very first tattoo looked fantastic for 5 days, and then something bizarre started happening to my skin. I freaked out and thought I was one of those rare cases where the ink wanted to bleed out. However what really was happening was a normal healing process.

The tattoo started to randomly peel in certain areas, I was directed not to touch, scratch, itch, or peel it, and to let it do its own peeling process without any help. This made me freak out because it seriously looked as if the tattoo was peeling away as flakes of the skin contained the actual ink outline.

Fear not though, because underneath this skin your tattoo will still remain. Do not peel the area though or try to lift loose skin off of it, as you could actually cause lifting of the ink, and yes you could loose your ink. Let the skin naturally peel away on its own, or while in the shower. Consider it a snake peeling its skin, underneath the color will still remain, like your tattoo will remain.

This process for me was the most scary process during the healing, as I truly thought my tattoo was coming off.

From here your skin will look a little milky and the color not as vivid, but do not panic, in a few days your tattoo will look bright and vivid with color once the skin is fully healed.

Even after the skin has peeled, avoid itching the area as there could be left over flakes or scabs you cannot see, and you do not want to pull any scabs as ink could bleed.

Always remember with your tattoo that your healing process will not be exactly the same as others, this does not mean something is wrong. If something still concerns you about it, ask your tattoo artist who did the tattoo, only he or she will know the best way to answer your questions.

As far as your tattoo peeling with ink attached to it, this is completely normal, and your tattoo is not peeling off. It's just dead skin.

How Bad Does Getting a Tattoo Hurt?

Most of your friends have one, you want one, but you are not sure if you can handle the pain involved in getting your first tattoo.

Everyone has been there, but when it comes to asking friends what to expect as far as pain goes, you hear all sorts of things which either scare you or make you less afraid. It can go either way.

You cannot however take what others say as what you will experience. I had some tell me that it felt like getting stung by wasps, then someone else told me it was like getting sliced open with a hot knife, and others said that they enjoyed the pain. I couldn't help but wonder if they were sadists!

But believe me I am no sadist and I do not get a high off of pain. I wanted my tattoo done so badly though, and had thought about it for so long that I finally decided to just go and get it done, and chalk it up as my own experience, which it was, and will be for everyone else.

For me, my first tattoo felt like nothing of the sort, I felt absolutely nothing. It was equivalent to someone running their fingernail lightly across the surface of my skin. No stinging wasps, no knives on fire, no pain to even try to enjoy as my sadists friends described- nothing!

Was I lucky? Maybe.

Asking around though about what to expect as far as the level of pain you will receive from getting a tattoo is normal, and those who tell you it is not normal and you are not ready, are just tattoo snobs that think they know better, with some higher than thou attitude. You know you are ready, otherwise you would not have found this page.

However as far as wondering how badly it will hurt, that is truly anyone's guess, because for each person it is a different experience. The area where you get your tattoo can also play a role in how painful it is.

My tattoo was a nice shoulder piece, and took around 2 hours or so to complete. Sitting in the chair without being able to move was more painful. Does this mean you will have the same experience though? Absolutely not.

My Tattoo Is A Month Old, But It Is Still Raised? Is This Normal?

The very first thing I would recommend to those of you looking to get a new tattoo is to plain and simply not listen to what your friends say about their process.

I had so many varying answers to my questions regarding the level of pain when it comes to getting a tattoo for the first time. Some described it as unbearable, others stated it was relaxing, and some said it felt like being stung by a hive of angry bees.

For me though, it felt like someone running their fingernail across my skin. I barely felt it. Does this mean that will be your experience as well? Definitely not.

The same went for when my new tattoo was healing, that unbearable demonic itch everyone else said they experienced seemed to skip me over. Perhaps I got lucky?

I was beginning to think something was wrong with my tattoo, when in fact this was normal, it was just how my body was healing my tattoo.

However one thing that alarmed me was when I noticed that my tattoo was fully healed a month later, that it was still raised on the outline. The rest of the tattoo healed fine, and felt smooth to the touch, however the outline never seemed to go down.

Instead of jumping the gun and blaming my tattoo artist, I looked into the other possible reasons for why this happened to me, and not to others.

There are many reasons, the artist could have had a heavy hand, or worked the area too much and the raised outline is scar tissue that healed that way. It could also be a reaction to the ink, or just the way your body heals to a deep cut.

Is it normal though?

Yes, a raised tattoo is actually relatively common, and normal. In fact I prefer my tattoo to have this raised effect as it looks unique this way, almost like branding.

Raising also occurs randomly to smooth tattoos temporarily. Some experience some raising in warm water, or in the sun. Like a permanently raised tattoo, having temporary raised areas on your tattoo is also normal.

How To Keep Zombies From Killing Garden- Sims 3 Supernatural

The absolute biggest annoyance in EA's newest expansion pack for The Sims 3, The Sims 3 Supernatural, is the fact that the concept of zombies roaming the neighborhood was not exactly executed the way EA presented it in their commercials. Not by a long shot.

Instead zombies become spawned during the full moon, and will show up wherever you are during this full moon.

The most annoying thing about this though, is that they will destroy your garden, and you are left with absolutely nothing to do to stop them from eating your plants until they are dead.

There are however a few ways around this, they will not always work however, but it is the best advice I have to offer when it comes to dealing with having zombies not kill your entire garden, rendering all of your hard work useless.

The first method to keeping zombies away from your garden would be to visit another lot during the full moon. Zombies only tend to spawn up wherever your active Sim may be, so if you are not home during the full moon, the likelihood of zombies spawning there are less.

The second method seems to be the most helpful way in dealing with zombies.

You can simply place a fence around your garden with a gate. Once you have the gate placed on it, click the gate, and lock it to only allow your family in. This will keep zombies from going in. The unfortunate thing about this however is that zombies may sometimes spawn up in your garden. It's a rare occurrence, but it can happen.

The final solution to ridding zombies from killing your garden is to strategically place zombie pea shooters near the garden. The shooter is available however only to those who purchased the limited edition version of the game. What is unfortunate about the shooter though is that it is not very effective at keeping zombies at bay, especially if more than 1 spawns.

Nintendo Wii U Game Pad Flaws

I was amongst the few who managed to get a brand spanking new Nintendo Wii U console the week of its release date. The console has become more and more difficult to get hold of, and it will only grow more tedious as the holidays draw in on us.

However, with being one of the lucky ones, I had to mention that the new system, 32GB or 8GB, it does not matter; this console has one major flaw that has new owners of the system raving mad.

The Game Pad

Now do not get me wrong, the new game pad that comes with the Nintendo Wii U is nothing short of gnarly, with a beautiful 6.2 inch responsive and flawless touch screen stealing all of the attention. It's interesting, and reeks of divine technology, but with that said, the game pad has a battery life that touches in at just around 3 hours even on a full charge.

Gamers, especially those who just picked up the new console are bound to waste away way more than just 3 hours trying to make their way around the new controls, and toying with the new on screen applications. What an unpleasant surprise that the game pad only gives 3 hours of game play till it turns black.

Talks of possible higher end game pads that are less lower end in quality, and have more battery life being sold in the future has been mentioned amongst gamers most wanted wish list for the Wii U.

Besides the poor battery life, the Wii U touch screen game pad has a few other flaws that need to be mentioned.

Although the game pad is sleek, with a nice design and feel. The undeniable fact is that the controller feels very low in quality, with lightweight plastic that feels cheap in your hand. I imagine a spill to a hard floor and it could easily crack.

The touchscreen itself is also quickly scratched with lots of use. If you plan on getting a Wii U, please make sure you pick up a screen protector, as I have managed to scratch mine after just 4 uses.

The next issue that I am sure will be quickly remedied, is the fact that you cannot find game pads being sold separately at this time. If you break your game pad before Nintendo releases a stand alone game pad for purchase, you are out of luck. Or you will be forced to buy a brand new console. So if you pick up a Wii U early on, be sure to baby that game pad until Nintendo begins selling them alone. God only knows what the game pad pricing will be either if you would ever need to replace yours. My guess would be in the $120.00 range, possibly more.

Thursday, November 29, 2012

New From CoverGirl!!!




Ladies, you are going to absoultley love this one. The new Blastflipstick from CoverGirl comes with not just one lip color, but 2. You have the option to flip the stick to add either a flat matte color to your lips, and wear that alone, or you can mix and blend it with a lighter shimmery color lipstick which changes the color into something new.

I consdier it my night and day lipstick, as you can go lighter during the day by using the shimmery color, and darker at night by using the bold matte color.

I recieved a BZZ Kit containing 3 new colors from the collection, I loved them so much that I ended up going out and buying even more colors from the collection.

Pucker in particular is a gorgeous tickled pink color, with a shimmery pale pink duo on the flip side.

Besides the bold and pretty colors this collection offers, these lipsticks last, and I mean they last LONG! I apply in the morning and still have bold, bright and beautiful lip color easily into the evening, even with drinking from a can throughout the day. I was pleasantly surprised by this.

Each lip duo sells for $7.99 at local retail stores, which is a steal in comparison to other high end lipsticks, which do not even provide an hour of lasting color.  Love, love, love this one!!!



Friday, January 6, 2012

Sims 3 Showtime, Expansion Pack Coming In March 2012

I like thousands of other Sims fans get giddy with excitement whenever we hear about the upcoming release of new expansion packs for our beloved games.

Sadly when it comes to this installment of the franchise- Sims 3, nearly every expansion pack has been a huge disappointing pitty party whenever we install the new expansions and have a gander at what each one has to offer....which is not much.

The very last expasion pack, which was Sims 3 Pets, was so horrendously dissapoinnting that I have not played the game since the release.

It is sad that it takes a new expansion pack to rekindle my love affair with this game.

I am not so sure my love affair will last that long when it comes to Showtime though.

This new expansion pack that is set for shelves this March 2012, just may be the ticket to getting me back into the game, and jazzed up again. This one is titled Sims 3 Showtime, and I feel like this one is more like an update to Ambitions, or a newer version of the original Sims Superstars.

With the not so unique vibe being present, I had to spy across the web for information on what this new expansion pack really would offer. Hopefully it was not just a re-make of what fans have already seen, unfortunatley EA is legendary for delivering the same crap, with an amped up look. Or not so amped up?

My Take:

So the game is pretty similar to the whole theme we saw in the original Sims 1- Superstars. However, with that being a reality, Showtime features an all new and interesting aspect to gameplay.

You have the option to travel to other Sims towns... thats right---- real life friends--- once in their town you can preform gigs, or just go on a tour.

I have to say this has to be one of the more attractive features about the new game...but what worries me is this:

Say I allow a friend of mine to visit my town, and they meet their actual character that I have created?

Yep, I am one of those players who create Sims based off of real life people. Like Facebook, I wonder if this new feature could actually ruin lives, or embarass the hell out of people.

At any rate, I feel that with this new 'visit your real life friends towns' feature, the game could be killer cool, or reallybad deoending on the situation.

Word to the wise, just don't be friends with your crush, and allow him into your town. God forbid you are married to him in your Sim Town. Haha.

I however pray that EA did not focus entirely on bringing us this new feature, and not adding much else besides that.

What I like though, is that EA seemed to have listened to my non-stop pleas to make the game more like Animal Crossing, where you could visit friends towns... they brought my lifelong want into a reality, and I am excited to see how it all works.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Americas Next Top Model All Stars- Episode 4 Recap

Now do not get me wrong, I love Angelea, she's sparky, spunky, and interesting, but in my humble opinion she definitely did not deserve last nights best photo of the week moment. Nor did I think the runner up... uhm...(was it Dominique?) deserved that spot either; especially...over Allison, whom delieved a gorgeous cameleon of a photograph. Everything about Allison in photographs excites me, from her doe eyes and dolly disposition, she's a true photogenic star. Now in person though, she is quite the polar opposite.

At any rate, last nights picks angered me so much that I had to cut to the chase from the get go.

During this weeks challenge the girls all had a few minutes to remember lines for a very popular TV show, CSI. The winner who recites their lines best will win a role on the show. The problem with the challenge however is that a lot of the words the girls must remember are long medical terms.

Here is where I think Angelea was shafted, as she seemed to me, to be the one to deliver the lines more flawlessly. Her on screen presence however is not as vibrant as Bre's and I think that may have been a possible influence as to why Bre took home the acting role, and not Angelea.

At any rate, this weeks photo-shoot sucks all around, and even though I feel Allison took the best shot, the entire 'point' of it all made no sense to me. I miss the creativity the photo-shoots used to include. I mean remember Allison as an owl in the woods? Or when we were all shocked with the grace and beauty of that mermaid shoot where that awkwardly tall girl (whatserface) won best shot?

All Stars has yet to deliver any clothing/shoots that have been really interesting to me as far as creativity goes.

I was hoping with this season, that Tyra would have each girl combat her worst photo-shoot from the past! It would have made more sense to me, so far the only one subjected to her worst fears was Joker smile face Bianca, with the 'stilts' photo-shoot.

I would have liked to see moments from the past, brought out in the present, in the actual photo-shoots, such as the models in diapers to represent Lisa's embarrassing moment, or blond evil women fighting to represent that mean one (who now looks like Cameron Diaz to me).

At any rate, I guess I just miss the past seasons creativity in shoots, and I hope that this will occur as the show goes on. We are still very early in to the cycle, so anything could happen, but right now it just seems like everything we loved about our All Stars has been striped. The mean girl is now the shy quiet one? The red head beauty Kayla is as boring as ever, and Allison's only camera time seems to be when she is on stage at the very end of the show, or during a shoot being praised.

Anyhow, with that being said the show ends with someone being kicked off... only she was so stiff and boring I do not recall her name. Sad.

Americas Next Top Model All Stars- Episode 5 Recap

Last night we were graced with episode 5 of Americas Next Top Model All Stars, and finally the show has delivered an interesting photo-shoot. I was truly getting bored with the lackluster themes.

Before getting into that though, let us cover the drama that has unfolded within the house.

We start off with some sort of argument regarding private telephone calls, and phone time use. Shannon set up some 20 minute rule, so that way everyone who needs to call home, gets their share of the phone. It seemed like a fine plan to me, but Bianca ends up confronting her about it. Instead of gunning for herself, Shannon buckles under pressure, and tells Bianca she can have her phone time. Tears swell, she looks like an idiot, and Lisa jumps in.

Lisa and Bianca end up yapping back and forth, but truly it was one of the shows most lackluster drama filled scenes.

Next we fast forward on to the episode challenge. This week the girls will be doing a catwalk wearing the Kardashians clothing line. The runway is a simple walkway, with a carousel to finish it off. The girls must walk the runway, and then gracefully make their way onto the spinning carnival ride. Take one cycle around on it while posing, and then exit.

Mind you, they must master this in heels.

Nothing stuck out as off or bad, except the judges found Bianca to have no energy at all, as if she was bothered to even be there. I did not get that impression, but apparently the arguing with Lisa and Shannon earlier got to her, making her look bored and slightly angry while doling the walk.

Lisa and Shannon win this weeks challenge and are awarded a head to toe outfit from the Kardashians collection.

Shortly after being somewhat scolded by Miss Jay, Bianca breaks down in a hissy fit about how she once again feels she is the best, and yadda- yadda- yadda. Point a finger, and blame the other girls, and that was that.

Back at the house the tension is still high for Bianca, and she mentions wanting to go home. Bre, her sister comforts her by telling her to come and play, seeing that all of the girls were downstairs talking badly about her. Bianca buckles up, and that scene is a wrap.

Next we have the photo-shoot, which is one of the funnest ones this cycle has done thus far.

All of the girls will be dressed up in a different period in Michael Jackson's lifetime. The fun part though is that his sister Latoya joins the cast to meet everyone.

Lisa stuck out as my favorite model during the shoot, with fun dance moves and sky high energy.

Unfortunately the judges later on think otherwise.

Nobody in particular stuck out as looking bad or doing a bad job. Allison had the most interesting costume though, which made her look more like a clown doll, than Michael, but nonetheless, her photo, as always was my favorite. Allison wore a costume from when Michael was a young boy, where the other girls were placed in costume more recognized from the 80's and early 90's.

On to the chopping block

The best photo of the week went to... the country girl. Sadly I still do not like her 'in person appearance', so I cannot recall her name. For the sake of the article, I had to google it. Laura. yeah.

In the bottom 2 we have Lisa and Angelea. Poor Angelea, I thought she did an awesome job on the set, and I thought Lisa had the funnest energy. I swear sometimes I think they pick their least favorites worst photos.

Regardless though, of the photo chosen, this weeks chop would be handed over to LaToya Jackson. I had a hunch LaToya would send no one home, and my hunch was right. LaToya mentions that her brother was about love, and therefore she would be sending no one home.

This week, everyone is safe...as Angelea would say, thank you Michael, or LaToya, or Jesus!

Top 8 Things I Hate About My HTC HD7 Windows Phone

I have had my HTC HD7 Windows phone for close to a year now, and over the course of that time I have created a list of the top 8 things that I hate about the HTC HD7.

If you are thinking about getting one, keep these this list in mind.

1. Volume Level-

I can have my phone at the highest volume setting, and still it is hard to hear it if it rings in my purse.

I miss 50% of all of my calls due to the volume. That's not the only rant I have about the volume though; you see, on the phone itself there is a touchscreen where a button pops up randomly to set the phone to vibrate mode. If you have your phone in your bag, it can cause the phone to shift around, and the phone will somehow magically set itself to vibrate mode, in turn again causing you to miss a call due to not being able to hear it.

However, it does not stop there.

At the highest volume setting, if there is any noise whatsoever in the room where you picked up your call, you will have a hard time hearing the person on the other line. You can forget about ever answering the phone in an area where there is even a small amount of noise.

2. Camera

When they built this one, they did it all wrong. The cameras eye sticks out apparently too far, and mine ended up getting scratched so severely that I cannot even use it. The cameras eye should not stick out of the back the way it does, it should have been built sunk in, so that way no dirt, debris, or scratches could have occurred. This one however is poorly designed.

When the camera did work, before getting scratched beyond use, it sucked anyway. The touchscreen on the camera mode was awkward to use, and it was easy to drop the phone due to their layout of what buttons you needed to press.

3. APP Store

I really do not even need to go into full details on this one. The APP store they have included, aka the marketplace is horrible. It is down and not even able to load nearly 75% of the time whenever I try to look or browse on it.

When it does allow me to get into it, it will randomly freeze up, and if I want to go back to the screen I was on previously while reading about a certain APP, it will take me back to page 1, just causing frustrations to the point where I do not even care to continue to browse or shop.

4. Battery Life

I have to leave this pile of garbage on it's charger all day long while in the office. It will fully charge, and be dead just 10 hours later and that is when it was not even in use. The battery just drains all on its own accord.

5. Ringtones

You cannot make any of your own, everything must be purchased, and even if you are a Tmobile customer, and you had purchased ringtones for a previous phone, they are gone. You will have to call to make a complaint to get credited for your past purchases.

6. Internet


It's slow, it drops signal, and browsing is a nightmare on it. I do not even bother going on, even though I pay for data.

7. Texting

Horrible.

The touch keys are too close to one another, which constantly results in errors, and longer amounts of time wasted fixing typos. I hate texting now. I used to love it on my old phone.

8. Random Black Screen

For no reason at all, there are times when this phone will literally just go black and reboot itself; it could be while trying to make a call, trying to text, or on call. It's frustrating, because you have to wait for it to re-boot.