Year: 2004

Suggestions for Timex's Stereo CD Clock Radio

I sent this letter to Timex, and have not yet received any response. They may well have trashed it, but I think I would like it if I received this kind of specific technical feedback on the products/services I create.

Timex Audio Products
135 Essex Avenue
Avenel, NJ 07001

September 25, 2004

To Whom It May Concern:

Greetings. I am writing with some comments and suggestions about one of your products, specifically the Model T618 Stereo CD Clock Radio with Digital Tuning and Nature Sounds.
Continue reading "Suggestions for Timex's Stereo CD Clock Radio" →

Public Radio Fundraising == Hell

Well, it's that time of year again, when public radio stations completely abandon any pretense of professionalism and dignity, and begin soliciting their listeners for money.

Announcer #1: Well, we're sorry to break in to this news story about critical current events, but we've got a great jello recipe that can be yours for a pledge of just five dollars.
Announcer #2: That's right Tom. Unfortunately, the phones are all quiet right now. If we don't get a call in the next few minutes, well, I'm not sure we'll be able to avoid clubbing this baby seal. But it's up to you folks. Call now.

And then they repeat the phone number a bazillion times, placing emphasis on different numbers each time.

You sure don't get that nonsense with those big conglomerate media companies. Clear Channel doesn't bother me for my support, and that's one time when I appreciate being a helpless consumer eating at the trough of mindless mass media. Beat that, public radio! HA!

Oh, wait. I kinda need a new jello recipe.

A letter to Papa John's

My letter of Tuesday, Sep 7th, 8:30 PM:

Greetings. For the second time in a month, I recently ordered Papa John's breadsticks and had them delivered with only a Garlic sauce - no pizza sauce or cheese sauce as has been included in the past. Your website indicates that at least the pizza sauce should be included (perhaps you've discontinued the Cheese Sauce?). In any case, I've been fairly disappointed both times, and thought I'd take a moment to note that folks ordering breadsticks and pizza are probably expecting the extra dipping sauce variety with the breadsticks (since garlic sauce already comes with the pizza.

Thanks!

Chris

Their response of Tuesday, September 7th, 9:20 PM:

Chris,
Thank you for bringing this situation to our attention. I apologize for the inconvenience and dissatisfaction that you have received from this location. I have forwarded your comments on to the proper people for review and resolution. Once again I apologize for the incident.

Mathew

Online Ordering Team

Papa John's International Inc.

What I've learned in 27 years

Well, as I celebrate my twenty-seventh year on spaceship Earth, I thought I should acknowledge that milestone here. Last night a friend made me write down some of the lessons/rules of life that I've learned in that time, and they seem worth recording.

  1. Always tell the truth and always seek the truth, no matter what.
  2. Heart comes before mind.
  3. Don't sweat the big stuff or the small stuff. The best outcome will prevail.
  4. Assume that people are acting out of good intentions until they show otherwise.
  5. Make no small plans.
  6. Don't be reckless with other people's lives/hearts/minds/spirits.

There ya go. Words to live by. Well...they're working okay for me, anyway.

A Trip to Madison

Desperate for some sort of vacation and lacking anything formally planned (where has the year gone?) the stars aligned in such a way that I took a trip last week to Madison, Wisconsin. It ended up being quite a great place to visit on summer vacation - thanks to a little pre-visit Googling and my awesome tour guide, Dayna (thanks!). I experienced quite a range of destinations: ethnic food of all sorts, a vibrant and amazing farmer's market, touring the University campus and amazing capitol building, biking around downtown and along the Lakes, visiting progressive co-ops and bookstores, and visiting the pocket of friends living there who I never think to visit. And I still got a good amount of laying around done, too. It wasn't quite a beach vacation, but I do believe Madison is one of my new favorite places in the Midwest, and I'm grateful to have had such a great, restful time there.

4th of July ruined again: can't go to Bahrain

The U.S. State Department is issuing a warning cautioning Americans against traveling to Bahrain for fear of terrorist attacks, which means that once again my 4th of July plans for this weekend have been completely messed up. I guess they don't really understand that some people made plans a long time ago to visit various Persian Gulf nations, and that an advisory on the Friday before a big travel weekend just doesn't cut it. Dagnabbit!

Letters from friends in D.C.

I got two nice letters in the mail today, one from President Bush, another from John Kerry. Apparently, both of them are interested in having me be a more active part of their lives, and I was heartened by their efforts at reaching out. George invited me to have dinner with him in Washington, which I thought was a nice gesture. I did have some questions about where we might eat though, since he seemed to think it would cost around $2,500 per person. I haven't eaten out in D.C. in a while but my sense is that we could probably find a KFC or something that's a little cheaper. I guess George really wants a night on the town! John's letter was sort of weird too, he sort of rambled on about a bunch of current events and political issues, but didn't really give me an update on how he and Theresa are doing or when we might take that fishing trip we've been talking about. He did ask for money, and while I'm always happy to help John out of a rut, I wish he'd be more specific about how much he needs and what he needs it for, instead of all these checkboxes for "$50" all the way up to "$250". John's such a character.

It's always good to get letters in the mail from friends wanting to catch up...