Rachel "Lady Disdain" M.'s Profile

I've gone to this dentist's office for the past few years.  Originally the head dentist was Dr. Dwyer, and since then the practice has been taken over by Dr. Zervas.  Naturally, as most people are, I'm pretty picky about who handles my teeth, but any reservations I had about the new dentist were quickly quelled.

The staff and Dr. Zervas are all incredibly friendly and amiable.  One might pessimistically think all of these people are just smiling to show off their well-kept-up pearly whites, but no - they are genuinely pleasant! :)  Also, once you're a patient on record, Dr. Zervas provides his cell phone number for any dental emergencies one might have outside of the normal business hours.  

During my pregnancy last year, I had an infection under one of my crowned teeth, and Dr. Zervas set me up with a safe antibiotic to take care of it quickly since I had limited resources for painkillers due to my status.  

Next week my three-year-old son goes in for his first cleaning... and while I can't vouch for his behavior, I know the Village Dental staff will make this new experience as easy as possible for him - right down to giving him his very own CARS toothbrush!

Actually, I'm raving about the Pure Stylists in this review.  As so many others are, our family is playing our finances high & tight and as a result, going to my typical wash/color/cut appointment at an upscale salon of my choice isn't really an option.  I was all set to drudgingly make my way to the nearest Great Clips when a friend who works at E.H. clued me in to their Pure Stylists:

- $11 for your first hair cut!!!
- $16 for the next hair cut!!!

My ends were so split you'd have thought they came right outta Congress... but I have a good 2 months until I can request a gift certificate for a cut/color for my birthday, so all I needed was to take the ends off and clean up my layers.  Sandra, one of the Pure Stylists, did a great job!  Along with being capable, she was warm & friendly and I had a great time being pampered with the included head/shoulder massage.

Eminently Hair saved my ends!  Or, rather, they snipped those off and saved the rest of my hair, to which I say "Yippee!"

We met my father-in-law at this cafe while he had a layover at DIA.

While it was nice to have a table kind of apart so we weren't bothering anyone, the single server didn't seem all that capable of handling our table plus the 2 tables on the other side of the bar.  We didn't get utensils until our son's meal arrived.  Also, while the child's straw cup was appropriate for my son, I wondered why she thought my infant daughter would find any use for it other then jabbing her retina with the straw.

Food... meh.  The mac & cheese looked like it came straight out of a Kraft box with some mozzarella sprinkled over the top as camouflage, and the steak sandwich my husband & I split was subpar.  The ketchup was good (and really, how can you jack THAT up?)!  

Probably would have enjoyed a BK burger more then the food there, but hey - it's family time, right?

Since my first review, I've taken my infant daughter here for her 6-month pictures, and then my son again for his 3-year pictures.  Each and every time, Andrew (the photographer we've gotten both times) has pulled some truly amazing smiles from both kids and has put them in some great poses & backgrounds that our entire family raves about when it's picture time!

My husband calls them the Walmart of Portraits... I'd prefer to say they might be more like a SuperTarget. :)  In any case, I get definite bang for my buck and some excellent pictures to pass around!

This place gets the official "Seriously Saved My Butt" recommendation!

Long Story Way Short:  Annual office award presentation, other usual vendor totally fell through, so I lobbed a request at Alpine Trophies to have something done in 2 days... and they did it in ONE.  Brian, one of the managers, was so helpful and got the pieces together - and even gave me a knocked-down price for the piece I purchased since he was out of the smaller size and I needed it right away.

The resulting award is beautiful, stylish, and professional.  I'm also running there this morning to see if we can try for a "Seriously Saved My Butt Twice In Three Days" award.  I'm betting they'll get it!

(All in all, a GREAT place to go for customized trophies, awards, marketing materials/branding, etc.)

I'll say up front that I have HUGE respect for any one person who willingly bends their frame to attend to my feet.  The image of my foot is deceptive... the top appears dainty with less-then-remarkable toenails (usually without any polish whatsoever) and one foot sports a nice Celtic butterfly tattoo.  But on the flip side:  hobbit feet.  No, no - no hair or anything, but I have some of the most amazing callouses known to man or woman.  Thanks, Dad, for that bit of genetic code.

Having provided that preface, I really have to hand it to the professionals at Nail Center.  They always manage to grind out those callouses with the least discomfort possible, all while I sit in a programmable massage chair.  I usually get the Deluxe treatment, which includes a full calf-to-toes salt rub, the paraffin treatment, and callous removal.  

I was also blown away with my latest visit when my girl offered to put artsy flowers on my big toes - they turned out amazing!  The ladies seated next to me liked them so much that it became a theme for the other customers... which hopefully resulted in tips as large as I gave my artist!

Conveniently located in the new-and-improved Englewood City Center (between the library and the Walmart), and I've never had to make an appointment to get seen right away.  Prices are very affordable for a top notch job - this is my go-to pedi place!

As far as last-minute mass lunch needs, these guys ROCK!  My boss let me know at 11:00am that we needed a sandwich lunch for 18-20 people by noon that same day, so we called Gandolfos (just up the road from us) and asked them how fast they could whip something up.

I ordered the deli tray (serves up to 18 with a variety of sandwiches - different meats, breads, toppings, etc) and they had it ready to roll out the door within 45 minutes.  Plus, they had me all set with a nice huge easy-to-carry bag, utensils, plates, napkins, and a variety of chips.  

As an exec. assistant who sometimes has to punt, and quickly, these guys came to my rescue and helped me make my people very happy!

By about 2pm earlier today, I had determined that if I did not finally try a Fuji Apple Salad (as advertised by Panera Bread) I was going to go postal.  Opting for the safest course of action for all involved, I decided to stop at this Panera Bread near University and Highlands Ranch Parkway to fulfill my need on the way to pick up my midgets.

The restaurant itself is your typical Panera venue... cozy, warm colors, a good mix of cafe and eatery.  I was very thankful for the comfy leather chair I was able to sink into as I was post-workout and near exhausted from a full day of being on my feet.

I ordered the following:  an iced mocha latte, the fuji apple salad, and a slice of very chocolate brownie (I figured I could use the sugar and the treat since I was bound to take care of the kids myself tonight).  I received the brownie right away, and the coffee soon after.  The teens behind the counter didn't seem overly concerned with getting my salad prepped very quickly, and perhaps I didn't hear them call my name when it was finally done - regardless, I had to come back to the counter to check on my salad's status and pick it up for consumption.

The salad - AWESOME.  I think raisins would have been the only addition to really send it over the top, but it didn't disappoint.

The coffee - meh.  The "barista" didn't even stir in the chocolate syrup but let it all sink to the bottom of the cup, so I had to mix it up to avoid 2 gulps of pure fructose at the start.  Maybe a better prep would've gone over well with me.

The brownie - also meh.  Don't get me wrong; I adore chocolate.  But this just didn't send me over the moon like other decadent chocolate delights have.  I wouldn't even call it "Very Chocolate Brownie," so instead I'll redub it "Very Dark Brownie."

For the price of all of these items (just over $13) I think they could've impressed me more.  Panera has never been a frequent haunt of mine, and today decided me that it never will be.  Rather, it'll be more like a ship I occasionally pass in the night ... or when I really need some fuji apple salad.

Six silver little hairs were all it took to draw me to this studio - which also happens to be the new digs of my one-and-only stylist.  I'm so glad I went (and not just for my near escape from the aforementioned silver youth bandits!).

3rd Ave Studio is located in a very small shopping plaza nestled in the upscale neighborhood just off of 6th Ave East.  Parking is easy to find, as is the studio itself (just off of 3rd & Holly).  

The ambience of the studio is, to my mind, very calming - warm colors and woodwork, a nice layout with windows that look out onto the street/sidewalk, and the lighting isn't too harsh (you know what I mean... it sucks to get your hair foxed out when your make-up is starting to suck and/or shine...).

Tons of product to select from, as well as magazines, and the staff are friendly (especially Anna, who is, by the way, my stylist from a prior salon).  I have to say, I REALLY like this place better then where she was before - way back in the day she used to be at The Parlour downtown and I missed it!  3rd Ave Studio brings back some of that older-city feel with the same hair-styling chops I discovered via Anna back in the day.  

So if you're hearing voices in your head, you're not schizo - your silver hairs are probably just hankering for a visit to 3rd & Holly. :)

If you panic quickly in the face of many choices, take your mouse and run to another critique!

A friend & I decided to meet for lunch at a Whole Foods since we'd never partaken of their food islands before.  On the way out from my office, when I mentioned my destination, a coworker warned me that it'd take me at 10 minutes to even figure out what to have for lunch...

It took me about 13. :)  What a selection!  There were at least 6 large buffet bars with such an ecclectic variety of choices, ranging across several genres and ethnicities of food - there's no WAY anyone can't find something that appeals to them!  I didn't even see the pizza oven area until after I had paid for my meal, so I'll definitely hit that next time.

It was also quite handy to have this eatery area within an actual grocery store.  My friend's 10-month old daughter was getting hungry, and even though she had forgotten her diaper bag at home, we were able to spring over to the baby aisle and purchase a jar of organic baby food.

Environment is warm, albeit somewhat busy (a LOT of people like to take lunch at Whole Foods, apparently), and again, the choices are VAST.