I had a recent bad experience with a local pizza (Cecil Whittaker's pizza located on West Clay in St. Charles Mo.) place that I had been a loyal customer of for over 12 years. I was shocked by the experience and so I called the owner of the restaurant to discuss it with him. I knew him and we have spoken a number of times over the years both in-person and over email.
I wanted him to be aware of the situation first, and out of respect I gave him a call. To my utter disbelief he told me to write it down for him and then basically hung up on me. Clearly he no longer cares about customers. His excuse the next day was that he was very busy.
Anyway, I digress. So in my frustration with being overcharged, treated poorly, and then being dismissed on the phone I decided to place a Yelp review. I posted the review and the very next day discovered that it had been removed.
I wasn't notified that it was removed, nor was I told why. Thinking that it was removed for putting some person's name in the review, I edited it and removed any reference to an individual. I then reposted it. The very next day again, it had been removed.
Then I remembered that they had done the same thing to me not more than a year earlier. After doing some digging, there are apparently a large number of both people and businesses that believe Yelp to be dishonest. Some people believe that negative reviews are removed for businesses that pay an advertising fee to Yelp. Others believe that Yelp is dishonest by not providing a reason for the removal of a person's review. Still others believe that many of the positive reviews on Yelp are fraudulent in nature.
Check out this link for a Forbes article talking about this very thing.
I don't know that we will ever know the complete truth. I know that Yelp has been involved in a number of lawsuits. I will never support them again with a review, either positive or negative. In my opinion they are a very dishonest company and I definitely will not trust any of their reviews in the future.
Why waste your time?
p.s. Go to Imo's or Stefanina's for the best St. Louis style pizza available. Avoid Cecil Whittakers if you care about good service and good pizza!
http://imospizza.com/
https://www.stefspizza.com/
The official author blog of Justin McNeal.
Celery is stout!
I have never really loved the taste of celery. I have eaten it lots of times over the years, but I usually used it as some type of transport shovel for something that tasted much better like dip, or peanut butter, or almond butter, well you get the idea.
I always thought celery was pretty bland. The fibrous and watery flavor just didn't appeal to me. I know it is very healthy to eat so today I added two large stalks to my juice. I also put in a granny smith apple, a handful of spring mix, some strawberries, and some blueberries.
I get my smoothie all blended up and take my first big gulp, and I taste CELERY. Nothing but CELERY. My smoothie has a nice purple and red fruity color to it. The texture of the smoothie is nice and smooth, not gritty at all. The flavor pure CELERY. Apparently CELERY has a stronger flavor than I ever gave it credit for.
Celery, you have won this battle, but you won't win the war my friend!
This one is going to be rough to drink down. I'll probably taste CELERY for about 4 hours.
My advice, use celery in your smoothie, but limit it to 1 stalk or a partial stalk.
Here is to our health! Happy drinking!
I always thought celery was pretty bland. The fibrous and watery flavor just didn't appeal to me. I know it is very healthy to eat so today I added two large stalks to my juice. I also put in a granny smith apple, a handful of spring mix, some strawberries, and some blueberries.
I get my smoothie all blended up and take my first big gulp, and I taste CELERY. Nothing but CELERY. My smoothie has a nice purple and red fruity color to it. The texture of the smoothie is nice and smooth, not gritty at all. The flavor pure CELERY. Apparently CELERY has a stronger flavor than I ever gave it credit for.
Celery, you have won this battle, but you won't win the war my friend!
This one is going to be rough to drink down. I'll probably taste CELERY for about 4 hours.
My advice, use celery in your smoothie, but limit it to 1 stalk or a partial stalk.
Here is to our health! Happy drinking!
Doors are being opened!
So the first chapter is finished and it looks like I could have as many as 16 chapters left. Chapter 2 is underway. I am so happy I received another permission today!
God is opening doors around me for this book. When you are thinking you may reference someone else's work in your book, you have to send them a formal permission request for the citation or quote. I have had to send some already for this book, and they have all came back with permission for the citations. Normally you have to do negotiations just to get permission and they can always say No, of course. That has not happened with this project. Praise God! He is always in control!
God is opening doors around me for this book. When you are thinking you may reference someone else's work in your book, you have to send them a formal permission request for the citation or quote. I have had to send some already for this book, and they have all came back with permission for the citations. Normally you have to do negotiations just to get permission and they can always say No, of course. That has not happened with this project. Praise God! He is always in control!
Getting back on the wagon.
Well, I fell off the proverbial wagon last night, and had a cheat meal. Not one of my prouder moments, but it happens. Well, technically, I didn't fall off, since I did drink my whole food smoothie for breakfast. I did have a transgression against healthy, whole food, non-processed eating though.
Last night my wife and I decided to have a cheat/junk meal and we headed to Sonic! One footlong chili and cheese coney later I decided I absolutely had to have some ice cream. So to finish myself off, we headed to Dairy Queen. I decided to go with a large Dairy Queen soft-serve. Served in a cup sans any toppings of any kind. I am trying to make great food choices, or at least better bad choices. So rather than have the sundae, I went with just the plain ice cream.
About 30 minutes later, I felt absolutely terrible. The footlong coney dog with chili and cheese tasted fantastic. The ice cream was wonderful. Both hit me like a ton of bricks!
I felt like I couldn't breathe, and I felt like I didn't want to move. I ended up hitting the rack about 1 hour earlier than normal. I woke up this morning absolutely ravenous! That is what happens though when you eat food that doesn't properly nourish your body. Your stomach is filled up with junk food, but your body craves nutrition. Once your body processes that junk it is craves nutrients even more so you become hungrier than before. It is a vicious cycle folks!
To get back on the wagon this morning, I drank a delicious smoothie with the following ingredients:
1. Pineapple
2. Bunny-Luv Organic baby carrots
3. Granny Smith apple - the whole thing!
4. Some organic field greens
5. A couple of Sunset Mini cucumbers
With some prune juice for added sweetness.
Cheers!
Last night my wife and I decided to have a cheat/junk meal and we headed to Sonic! One footlong chili and cheese coney later I decided I absolutely had to have some ice cream. So to finish myself off, we headed to Dairy Queen. I decided to go with a large Dairy Queen soft-serve. Served in a cup sans any toppings of any kind. I am trying to make great food choices, or at least better bad choices. So rather than have the sundae, I went with just the plain ice cream.
About 30 minutes later, I felt absolutely terrible. The footlong coney dog with chili and cheese tasted fantastic. The ice cream was wonderful. Both hit me like a ton of bricks!
I felt like I couldn't breathe, and I felt like I didn't want to move. I ended up hitting the rack about 1 hour earlier than normal. I woke up this morning absolutely ravenous! That is what happens though when you eat food that doesn't properly nourish your body. Your stomach is filled up with junk food, but your body craves nutrition. Once your body processes that junk it is craves nutrients even more so you become hungrier than before. It is a vicious cycle folks!
To get back on the wagon this morning, I drank a delicious smoothie with the following ingredients:
1. Pineapple
2. Bunny-Luv Organic baby carrots
3. Granny Smith apple - the whole thing!
4. Some organic field greens
5. A couple of Sunset Mini cucumbers
With some prune juice for added sweetness.
Cheers!
Chapter 1 for my new book is a wrap!
I finished my first chapter up today, for my Christian book. Actually, it is a book primarily aimed at non-Christians but on a Christian topic.
I sent it to the pastor that will be doing my technical review. I expect that review to take a few weeks, but in the meantime I will get started on chapter 2! I am very excited!
The first chapter is always the hardest part. I have also gotten permission from the groups that own the rights to NIV, NASB, and the King James Bible (public domain). I will be trying to pull together a cover in the next few weeks and then I will share it with you. Only 10 more chapters to go and a lot of work! It should be fun!
I sent it to the pastor that will be doing my technical review. I expect that review to take a few weeks, but in the meantime I will get started on chapter 2! I am very excited!
The first chapter is always the hardest part. I have also gotten permission from the groups that own the rights to NIV, NASB, and the King James Bible (public domain). I will be trying to pull together a cover in the next few weeks and then I will share it with you. Only 10 more chapters to go and a lot of work! It should be fun!
Day 12 - Hungry and hopeful!
This morning I woke up hungry and ready for my whole food smoothie!
I am feeling great and enjoying my diet. I am adding 3 pieces of bacon this morning because I will be working out and I feel like I need some protein.
It really helps me stay dedicated to this plan when I can purchase quality ingredients.
My ingredients for this shake are shown in the image to the left. I also added about 4 ounces of prune juice for sweetness.
Bunny-Luv Organic baby carrots - delicious, with a wonderful snap, and slightly sweet.
Sunset Mini cucumbers - cool, crisp, and so refreshing.
Wholesome Garden Organic Spring Mix - you have to have those greens! Delicious and so simple to use.
Granny smith apple - I love their bite. Always juicy, fresh, and sour. Wonderful apples and not just for baking!
I am feeling great and enjoying my diet. I am adding 3 pieces of bacon this morning because I will be working out and I feel like I need some protein.
My ingredients for this shake are shown in the image to the left. I also added about 4 ounces of prune juice for sweetness.
Bunny-Luv Organic baby carrots - delicious, with a wonderful snap, and slightly sweet.
Sunset Mini cucumbers - cool, crisp, and so refreshing.
Wholesome Garden Organic Spring Mix - you have to have those greens! Delicious and so simple to use.
Granny smith apple - I love their bite. Always juicy, fresh, and sour. Wonderful apples and not just for baking!
Day 11 on my whole food smoothie plan.
Yesterday I actually started feeling the effects of eating this way. I am beginning to feel a lot healthier and more energetic.
My weight is down about 5 lbs. in 11 days! Good incentive to keep pushing forward!
My weight is down about 5 lbs. in 11 days! Good incentive to keep pushing forward!
The beard is coming off!
I grew the beard for about 4.5 weeks. The wife doesn't like it and it is kind of scratchy so I am taking it off today.
Some people have complimented me on it, but I think it makes me look old.
*Update - I had to use my head shaver to get the beard short enough to
shave off. I knew that already, but was trying to be lazy. Ha! Who has
time to look for the shaver? Luckily my wife saved the day again and
brought it to me when she saw how much I was struggling. Skipped breakfast today
Not hungry this morning, so I am fasting for breakfast. I will make a smoothie for lunch.
How am I tracking my smoothie/whole foods plan? What tools am I using to be successful?
Hey everyone, I just wanted to write a note here about the software that I use to track my progress on this smoothie plan I am doing.
As you know, I am replacing 1 meal each day with a whole food smoothie. The smoothie is a mixture of fruits and vegetables only. All organic, healthy, and as fresh as I can make them.
I use my incredible Dash blender to blend my smoothie up to refreshing perfection!
The Dash blender is just as powerful as the more advertised brands, but it costs about 1/3 as much!
Buy Dash Today!
The other aspect of this "diet" if you want to call it that, is my tracking software. I almost always carry my Samsung Note 4 phone with me (Love it!), so I wanted software that would run on the Android operating system.
The software I am using is called Goal Tracker. It is really great! It even gives me a little alarm to remind me that even though bacon and eggs sounds great, that I need to drink my smoothie.
Check out Goal Tracker here! You can come along with me on my journey to better health, smaller clothing, and a healthier life!
Cheers!
As you know, I am replacing 1 meal each day with a whole food smoothie. The smoothie is a mixture of fruits and vegetables only. All organic, healthy, and as fresh as I can make them.
I use my incredible Dash blender to blend my smoothie up to refreshing perfection!
The Dash blender is just as powerful as the more advertised brands, but it costs about 1/3 as much!
Buy Dash Today!
The other aspect of this "diet" if you want to call it that, is my tracking software. I almost always carry my Samsung Note 4 phone with me (Love it!), so I wanted software that would run on the Android operating system.
The software I am using is called Goal Tracker. It is really great! It even gives me a little alarm to remind me that even though bacon and eggs sounds great, that I need to drink my smoothie.
Check out Goal Tracker here! You can come along with me on my journey to better health, smaller clothing, and a healthier life!
Cheers!
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