Christmas 2011 – Birth of a New Tradition

As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods – merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This year can be different. This year, Americans can give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift-giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Yes there is!

It’s time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper? Everyone – yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local American hair salon or barber?

Gym membership is appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some health improvement. Who wouldn’t appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, American owned detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a book of gift certificates.

Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plunking down the Benjamins on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or driveway plowed all winter, or prepaid games at the local golf course.

Timeline for fairness in WA liquor sales – mark your calendar!

June 1, 2012: This is the day when retail license holders may begin to sell spirits in Washington State! Gone will be the days of the government monopoly on booze! Yay for Initiative 1183! Here are the best three things the new law changes:

• Uniform pricing is repealed for spirits and wine (free market, anyone?)
• Ban on quantity discounts is repealed for spirits and wine (same comment)
• Ban on central warehousing is repealed for spirits and wine

Throwback Pop Pricing at Les Schwab Tires

I *never* thought I’d see a 75 cent can of Diet Coke in a vending machine again, and yet there is was – plain as day – as I rounded the corner in the Les Schwab Tire Center store on 122nd Avenue in NE Portland last month. I was so tickled at the time that I took this  picture and decided to write it up. Just now getting around to it, so call me a slacker. Ha-ha. It was just refreshing to see that they are not trying to gouge their customers by charging a ridiculous mark up on something as simple as a can of pop. In fact, if they buy it by the case at Costco or some other wholesale place, they are likely getting close to a 100% mark up on it as it stands. Now I am the last person you’ll hear say something stupid like they don’t have the right to charge what they want, or that a 300% gross margin is too high. No way. They are clearly comfortable with a 45-50% gross margin on the pop they sell. And I bet they sell a lot of it at these prices from yesteryear.

Best quote on pretentiousness – Francis Ford Coppola

This is something I have kept rolling around in my head for a number of years… probably 20 now, given the copyright date on the film from which it stems. It’s a quote from an interview which Francis Ford Coppola gave while on set during the filming of his epic motion picture Apocalypse Now. It’s a powerful thought and the fundamental sentiment stayed with me and continues to guide the work I do. It tracks over to everything in life, not just art or in this case the film medium. I trust you will get it.

Nothing is so terrible as a pretentious movie. I mean a movie that aspires for something really terrific and doesn’t pull it off is shit, it’s scum…and everyone will walk on it as such. And that’s why poor filmmakers in a way – that’s their greatest horror – is to be pretentious. So here you are on one hand that’s trying to aspire to really do something, and on the other hand you’re not allowed to be pretentious. And finally you say, ‘fuck it.’ I don’t care if I’m pretentious or not pretentious or if I’ve done it or I haven’t done it. All I know is that I am going to see this movie. And that for me it has to have some answers. And by answers I don’t mean just a punch line, answers on about 47 different levels.

I could not find it transcribed anywhere on the Internet. It’s possible it is out there in script format or some other means. I really don’t care; I wanted to see it here. You can view the video if you want. There is more to it than in the quote above. I recommend you watch the entire documentary and put this quote in its proper context.

Qworst – the saga continues

Just when you thought it was safe… it gets worse! See my prior post for the inept failures of this so-called service company. Now they send me this nice little reward card (for my recent purchase) with an easy URL to enter, and the only thing missing? THE F-ING CAMPAIGN NUMBER. The reward page requires it and is, well, as useless as Qwest itself without one. Why did I even think this would pan out? Shame on me!

Qwest Fails Again!

PS: Re Century Link: Somehow I don’t think a name-change is a game-change, if you know what I mean….

 

Qwest – my worst nightmare returns

Here is a sad, sad tale, one that many out there have shared. I just moved to a town that does not have the same cable provider as I had at my old place, and am now sadly stuck with the company I used in the past and hated: Qwest. Or “Qworst” as a friend of mine who used to work there called it.

Here’s a brief rundown of their most recent failures:

• Failed to provision my phone line with an unpublished number as I clearly requested during my initial sales call.
• Failed to provide me with a usable residential number; the one that they gave me belonged to a business that has recently gone out of business. You can imagine the types of calls I get - all day, everyday.
• Failed to change my phone number as requested; they processed the first line item on my change order, which was to unpublish my number and then called the order complete. They completely ignored the primary request, which was to change the phone number.
• Failed to provide me with reasonable download speeds. 1.5 Mbps is the published maximum in this day and age? Are you serious? Naturally, I average about 150 Kbps. I am pretty sure this is worse throughput than I used to get my first time around with Qwest, which was in the dark ages of the Internet in the late 1990s. FML.

Unfortunately, the alternatives are worse. Go to yelp and look up Broadstripe communications for the greater Seattle area, and you will understand why there is no way in hell I will try them as an Internet provider. For now, I am stuck in this adversarial relationship with a utility provider that I hate, and there appears to be no way out of it. Maybe I should just say to hell with it and get a satellite phone. Oh that’s right I need a fax machine…. The one bright spot is that my company reimburses me for this pathetic service, and at least it is not money out of my pocket.

Update 6/21/11: Check out the comments for additional context! Yee haw.

Weber Grill Reataurant, Indy – Here I come!

I can’t wait to get my eat on at this place. My company is doing a conference in Indianapolis next month, and one of the places we had to choose from is the Weber restaurant – my eyes went wide when I saw it listed! I saw a Food Network special on TV a few months back that showcased this place, and I have to say I never thought I’d get the chance to go there, and especially not on the company dime. Life is good!

Here is the menu. I can’t decide if I should go Ribs, Steak, or Combo…. Mmmmm. Ribbbs.

Update 2001-06-08: It was as good as I anticipated! So happy with the food, service and ambiance! I can’t wait to try the Chicago store…

The latest time waste

Try to circle the cat with (ha-ha) mouse clicks. Check it out here:

It’s truly addicting!

 

Note: I just updated the link to the actual source site. There are other games you can try there as well. Not too many instructions, though…

Game on! Go Giants!

Go Giants!

I am not stupid enough to chant “Repeat! Repeat!” but I want to note that for us long-time Giants fans this is a great time. The season is long and no one knows what it will bring, but life begins anew for the true baseball fan (even the American Leaguers)! What better way to begin than with a win over the Dodgers? Here’s to 2011!

 

Update 4/1: I guess I have to wonder what those wonderful Dodger fans would’ve done had they actually lost?

Site stats and my last post

First of all, let me say to you anonymous viewers: thank you for taking a look at my donations accepted announcement! It has by far the highest viewership in recent months, which I’m sure is largely in part due to the fact that I have only recently started writing blog posts again. And I promise to do more after I get my first donation! It doesn’t have to be much, one or two dollars is really all that I’m looking for, just a little something to know that somebody out there thinks this is worth more than a damn. :)

45 and rolling!