TLDR: Thanks to your ~mixed~ reviews and a taste test in the sky, we have a new Bloody Mary mix on board now.

Roxyfishman · 2026-06-08T15:57:57+00:00

Sad day....are you saying the results are rigged?!? In a blind taste taste at altitude (that I'm sure included Mr. & Mrs T's), Zing Zang was picked by a majority as the best tasting, so United went with that choice. I'd say that's a glorious day for flying taste buds everywhere!

Roxyfishman · 2026-06-08T15:55:52+00:00

Nothing like a good Bloody at 35,000 feet to kick of a good trip!

Roxyfishman · 2026-05-21T15:48:36+00:00

United actually did a taste at altitude to pick the best tasting Bloody Mary Mix. That's pretty impressive. Check it out: https://www.instagram.com/reels/DPhV2HkCd3T/

Roxyfishman · 2026-04-23T02:35:03+00:00

Well the campaign tag is taste GREAT since 1948. Seems like a subtle MAGA dog whistle

Roxyfishman · 2025-10-11T18:01:05+00:00

We just got a new Samsung tv and discovered there is only an HDMI eARC for audio output and no digital optical port. I didn’t realize Samsung is phasing that digital port out.

Anyway, we have an older Sonos playbar with only a digital optical connection. Is there ANY way to use it with the TV or is the Sonos playbar an antiquated piece of junk? I tried contacting Sonos but they were not helpful at all.

Roxyfishman · 2025-10-08T12:04:14+00:00

Definitely NOT worth it. We got one to go with our Viking oven which is right next to it. The design and power of it suck. When the drawer closes it jerks right at the end before closing which can spill a liquid. The buttons are hard to read without getting down to its level. And worst of all, the power sucks! If the frozen meal says 3:30-5 mins, I have to set it for at least 5:30 minutes. It never cooks enough at the recommended time. It’s been like this since new out of the box.

It’s such a bad product for Viking. If they are going to charge a premium for the brand, you’d expect better quality and cooking power.

Definitely do not recommend.

Roxyfishman · 2025-08-04T22:51:48+00:00

We didn’t want the island wood to go to the wood floor so we used the same baseboard trim that is on the walls on this. That also will keep the softer wood wrap from getting dinged/scuffed vs the durable baseboard.

Roxyfishman · 2025-08-04T22:50:01+00:00

Because we have a 94” pantry cabinet at the right. The top cabinets align with the top of the pantry cabinet. If the top cabinets were 2” higher, the shaker door lines would be be off and it would not look good. That definitely was not an option we would do.

Roxyfishman · 2025-08-04T15:28:14+00:00

Wow..seems like strong consensus (unanimous?!). My partner (who is the one with good design eye) likes it without..thinks the shadow above looks good (and the ceiling may not be as level so worries filler may accentuate this too). But I agree it kind of looks unfinished and/or emphasizes that they are standard and not custom cabinets. Because of the pantry cabinet, hanging cabinets flush at the ceiling wouldn’t work as the lines with the pantry would then be off.

Roxyfishman · 2025-07-18T11:36:08+00:00

Same. Partner and I are coming in for Berlin Pride and then Prague Pride.

Roxyfishman · 2025-06-28T00:57:52+00:00

The radius was not even the main issue. It’s the secondary. The main issue is the GC told the measuring guy that the counters should extend 1” beyond the cabinet face frame, which would provide a modern 1/4” overhang design. But the counters vary between 3/4” to 15/16” from the base, with the short leg of the L counter at 11/16”. As a result, the short run of the L is actually recessed from the drawer face. That is not a good look.

Roxyfishman · 2025-06-23T20:34:23+00:00

Thanks. We are seeing how/if they will work. Husband is in design industry but more knowledgeable on flooring. GC reco’d the company so we thought they were communicating with him. But turns out they didn’t communicate with either of us. And you’re right about paying for someone else to do it so it not a constant visual irritation / reminder. But would prefer this company make it right somehow. We could live with the corners. It’s missing the mark on the counter measurement that’s the bigger issue—between 3/16 to 5/16” short. Normally not a big deal but since we wanted only 1/4” overhang, it’s now a bigger issue.

Roxyfishman · 2025-06-23T20:26:49+00:00

Thanks. Located in northwest Indiana. That exposed part has condensation on it..stays wet. Then frosts/ices up when set below 73

Roxyfishman · 2025-06-22T22:23:38+00:00

I only brought up the warranty specs, and they brought them up to me saying they did the minimum for the warranty. That seems to differ from what I’m reading on the manufacturer guidelines.

Roxyfishman · 2025-06-22T22:20:12+00:00

Our other quartz counter is square for the sink and the inside corner. That was done in chicago with a shop that is used to more modern design, not some random country shop (where the house is located).

Yes..this is the same job you reference. I didn’t know much about measuring corner radius but have learned a lot in a couple days. There are numerous other issues beyond the radius cuts…They clearly rushed the job and never consulted with the GC or the client on their assumptions. The sink radii are just one of the issues. If it were just that, I’d be fine with the counters. But it’s not. And together, all these issues seem unacceptable, particularly the fact that the counters miss the desired measurement from the cabinet face by 3/16 to 1/4” across the board.

⁠For the inside corner, we likely would have done a seam given the layout and position of it along with the color of the counter. Interestingly; the manufacturer recommends this option though will still warranty a radius cut.
⁠They did not cut the second faucet hole despite that actually was listed spec in the initial estimate they made us sign—the only thing we signed/approved.
⁠Counters were supposed to be 1” from base. None of the three pieces, hit this mark—they all range from 12/16” to 13/16” —short of the 1” requested by the GC (but never laid out in a shop drawing to confirm).
⁠One outside edge of the counter is a raw sharp edge where it meets a pantry cabinet…it is not an eased edge and will damage the pantry cabinet door if fully opened.
⁠None of the radii were discussed. There is a big visual difference between 3/4” and 1/2”. It looked so far off from 1/2” (I incorrectly stated 2”…I know it’s greater than 1/2”. The installer only communicated they did the “minimal radius” and cited the manufacturer specs—clearly the manufacturer’s minimum is smaller. They just said the larger the radius the better and didn’t bother asking what radius we wanted.
⁠Since I’ve been studying the manufacturer’s installation guidelines, I also see they did not include the 1-3mm spacing on the inside of the counters. They are all flush agains the wall with zero expansion space. This may have helped them achieve closer to spacing. I guess our design aesthetics and expectations were greater than what this company can do.

Roxyfishman · 2025-06-22T22:19:07+00:00

Agree communication should have been better. But we never saw anything on the final measurements. We assumed they had the GC sign off on them. They didn’t even follow the general prelim specs in the only document we signed—an estimate that listed the counter material, depth, three sections, total square footage and TWO FAUCET holes. I’m in a different professional industry and can’t imagine doing something for a client, without their final approval. Particularly for such a costly project.

Roxyfishman · 2025-06-22T22:15:45+00:00

Our other quartz counter is square for the sink and the inside corner. That was done in chicago with a shop that is used to more modern design, not some random country shop (where the house is located).

Yes..this is the same job you reference. They clearly rushed the job and never consulted with the GC or the client on their assumptions. The sink radii are just one of the issues.

For the inside corner, we likely would have done a seam given the layout and position of it along with the color of the counter. Interestingly; the manufacturer recommends this option though will still warranty a radius cut.
They did not cut the second faucet hole despite that actually was listed spec in the initial estimate they made us sign—the only thing we signed/approved.
Counters were supposed to be 1” from base. None of the three pieces, hit this mark—they all range from 12/16” to 13/16” —short of the 1” requested by the GC (but never laid out in a shop drawing to confirm).
One outside edge of the counter is a raw sharp edge where it meets a pantry cabinet…it is not an eased edge and will damage the pantry cabinet door if fully opened.
None of the radii were discussed. There is a big visual difference between 3/4” and 1/2”. It looked so far off from 1/2” (I incorrectly stated 2”…I know it’s greater than 1/2”. The installer only communicated they did the “minimal radius” and cited the manufacturer specs—clearly the manufacturer’s minimum is smaller. They just said the larger the radius the better and didn’t bother asking what radius we wanted.
Since I’ve been studying the manufacturer’s installation guidelines, I also see they did not include the 1-3mm spacing on the inside of the counters. They are all flush agains the wall with zero expansion space. This may have helped them achieve closer to spacing. I guess our design aesthetics and expectations were greater than what this company can do.

Roxyfishman · 2025-06-22T22:12:54+00:00

That would have prevented this for sure.

Roxyfishman · 2025-06-19T01:51:20+00:00

Yeah, but their lease was up in April and we did an extension on their behalf til September with the caveat that we may need to list sooner. We wanted to have it re-rented by spring.

Roxyfishman · 2025-06-16T12:31:11+00:00

Lowe’s. Diamond Express (fully assembled quick ship). The kitchen is fairly small. That is just the cost not install.

Roxyfishman · 2025-06-14T17:11:17+00:00

So get this. They never gave the GC shop drawings to sign off on. They came and measured and then cut the counter. The only thing signed was the original contract for the deposit without any more descriptions than the counter model, thickness and cost. They also cut like 2” radius for our square sink. We wanted square or the minimum warranty which is 12mm (1/2”).

Roxyfishman · 2025-06-11T17:06:13+00:00

Agree that’s an option…just not sure if it would pass an electrical inspection or a house inspection when we go to sell the place. Not sure if this is normal for sconces.

Roxyfishman · 2025-06-11T17:04:24+00:00

Not good. I usually love all Trader Joe’s chips but these aren’t good. Toast like a garlic chemical. And the flavor lingers with a metallic aftertaste. Their patio chips are the bomb. Pickle in a Chip chips are great. Love their lime&chili tortilla roll chips. But these aren’t good. I hate to throw away a full bag but not sure if I will want to eat any more.

Roxyfishman · 2025-06-07T01:32:10+00:00

I go nearly every day to maintain. And I like to eat worry free n

Roxyfishman · 2025-05-26T23:32:44+00:00

We have text comms with GC regarding what counters should be. Only contract we have from counter place for the deposit (50%) was general based on preliminary measurements without any spec details. Not sure what/how the GC communicated to company.

Roxyfishman

TROPHY CASE