I bought a laptop stand that was sent defective which according to the company policy: What are your Return Policies? All sales are final unless item is defective in which case you can return it for exchange of the same item only. In order to return an item, you must email us for a Return Merchandise Authorization Number (RMA) and the address where to ship the item. We must be notified of this within 7 days of receipt. No Refunds. Which I DID the same day I received it on August 27, 2008 and they still won't do it after 10 e-mails back and forth the last of which was Sept. 15th. I even sent pictures of it and they are trying to blame UPS when the Item box was the smashed one and NOT the brown shipping box. In other words, I am assuming they put a smashed box from off their shelf into the brown shipping box. Otherwise, how could the item box be smashed when the shipping box isn't? Looks like it had been dropped TWICE! Brown shipping box it was in. Not damaged in any way. Sorry to hi-jack this thread but it gave me a chance to cry out for help being it is on laptop placements. Can anyone tell me what I should and can do? The item was $45.00 which I had already paid for. Forgive me and thank you, Urlee

Concrete on grade has moisture migrating through it. If you lift a Gel Mat each night after cleaning the kitchen after supper and put it down each morning, you would probably find it to work out okay. I have noticed that they now have a product expressly intended for plantar fasciatis. Big thing is to not leave organic matter to "cook" too long under the mat. You don't have to clean up immediately but you do need to clean up and let things dry. We've had our Gel Mats for a year now, on a wood floor, and all is fine. Gotta clean up though. Wish I'd discovered these mats years ago when I taught school on a concrete floor--terrible for the legs and feet to stand on concrete.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Silversword and lamom. You get what I am saying. I was not trying to "goat" anyone into anything or stir up the pot. I really was posting my deep thoughts, kind of like a journal to myself while at the same time trying to explain the situation. The reason I wrote the stuff about the BM being proud of being 'white trash' was because I was trying to explain about what I am dealing with here. That is all. I am the furtherest thing from someone who is all high and mighty and I don't think I am better than anyone else. In fact I am more of the black sheep in my family partly because I am not so judgmental and I am the rebel. I have tattoos, moved out at 17 on my own, don't like people to tell me what to do, etc. And yes I freely admit I am a control freak. That is something I am working very hard on. After the first post I was just adding details and my mind and thinking were changing. I am glad that my tune has changed since last Sunday. I am feeling much more optimistic now. Honestly I didn't think I was even going to come back to this site and I told myself today ok just go see what was said but don't post anymore. I am glad I did come back because both silversword and lamom made feel better and realize that not everyone here is so judgemental. I can take criticism and I was really thankful for the first few posts that told me to grow up because that is exactly what I needed to hear. And I do not get off on or enjoy writing inflammatory posts. I am sorry I was just writing my story and the quotes that sylviatexas posted that I wrote on the first day I registerd were written because that is what was said. I was not making anything up, that is my story and I am sticking to it, lol. My DH did not graduate but I don't hold that against him. I still love him very much. He also had a drug addiction in his past but you know what he is stronger for it and has proven how he can overcome almost anything. People do change and I do not hold their past on them forever. When I say he went through a bad period that is what I was referring. There is, of course, way more to the story and lamom is right you can not describe it all in one post, or even probably in 100. But what matters most is that this site did help me. I got a change to write my thoughts down and try to figure out what in the world I was really feeling. The more I wrote about SS and what HE has to deal with the more I found that I do care about him. I really do. It is still going to take time to build a relationship but I think it is all going to be ok.

I think a house that large needs at least one more bathroom, so I think you are wise to make the change now. A window is desirable, and one that opens is better than a vent. I hated the port hole type window we had in one master bathroom -- didn't open and only served to turn the shower/toilet area into an oven in hot afternoon sun -- so consider where your sunlight is if you look into windows. If you decrease closet space, consider adding built-ins inthe room as well as closet organizers. You could use the corners of the rooms or the spaces between the windows and have dresser/bookshelf space, desk space -- just figure out what you need. And that can be done later -- except that having an outlet in the right place for a desk or possibly chargers, lighting, radio, etc. would be good to consider now.