Merry Christmas?

I wish everyone's Christmas could be like the one here in this picture - filled with tons of presents and decorations; with a warm fire burning and probably a great meal being prepared. Our Christmas, though not so elaborate, was still great as we spent the day with my family, enjoyed a delicious meal, opened some presents, and remembered the true meaning. Though it is impossible for everyone to have the same experience, my prayer is that they at least felt some joy on this holy of holy days and that they know that there is a God who loves them. Amen.

~~ Thankful for all my blessings

***

These Tiles Must Smell

I thought about cleaning this up, but instead I took a picture.

~~ Pickled Tink

P.S. Then I told a Manager.

P.S.S. By the way, I'm not the one who broke the jar.

P.S.S.S. And I don't know who did either.

= = * ==

Monday Night Beatdown

I can’t wait - Monday night, ESPN, at home against the Broncos. I hope Denver makes sure to bring those waist pouches, because they’re gonna need to keep their busted-up hands warm while they sit on the sidelines and watch their team get beat down by the Pats.

~~ Choppin' Broncos

P.S. I know that this is a picture of the Jets getting beat.

**

Coming Soon...

And I can't fight this feeling anymore.

I've forgotten what I started fighting for.

It's time to bring this ship into the shore,

And throw away the oars, forever.

~~ Weatherby

What I Would Like to Do, Eventually

Often I put off things until a later date – I guess you could call these the things that I would like to do. Others may call them the things on which I had procrastinated. (What if I was waiting for a rainy day?)

















I consider my brother-in-law Jeff to be a non-procrastinator; he wanted to get the lizard out of the house, so he grabbed some tongs and removed it.



He’s also the one who used to help us put up and take down the Christmas decorations. If we would have done it my way, then we never would have needed to put them up and take them down because they would have been there all year long.



OUR OLD NEW HOUSE IN OKLAHOMA



That's Jeff ^^^^







It has been written and said that we should not procrastinate the day of our repentance. That’s great advice, especially if we keep messing up (and we all mess up - I have yet to meet a perfect person.)



I do know some perfectionists who probably don’t put off things. I bet the kids in this incredible band don’t put off their practice.

















Now Valentine’s Day is already here and almost gone. I wonder how many people are still out buying flowers and a card or some such. It’s the thought that counts, right?



In addition to all of the obvious benefits from not procrastinating, I like to consider (but don’t always live by) this great proverb: Do not put off until tomorrow what you can do today, because if you like it today you can do it again tomorrow!

~~ Rainy Day Dave

What I Think About the Patriots

The Patriots are the best football team in NFL history. Already a "Dynasty" (winning half of the last 6 Super Bowls), I have no doubt that the Pats are going to take home another Lombardi by winning a World record-setting 19 and 0, and then the world will be forced to acknowledge that they are the best ever and indeed are a Dynasty; indeed an ultimate dominating force, like Ninja.

Best team in NFL history aside, the Pats are also the classiest team ever. They exemplify true team mentality and team spirit. They never cheat, and if they ever experienced an oversight in the interpretation of a rule, they always made up for it, and then they went on to prove why it didn't even matter and they didn't even need any external illicit assistance. Go Patriots! Bring it Home boys, Bring it Home!



~~ Super Fan

P.S. Check out my friend Jason's sports analysis at his site http://www.rotopro.com/

The Age in Which We Live

We all know that this is the digital age, but it still amazes me at how entrenched in it we have become. Often true is the saying, "Out with the old, and in with the new." But I like to keep some old stuff around. Yet at times I automatically respond to things from a "digital" perspective rather than from an old-school "analog" one as in the following situation where Ellen had asked me for my brother-in-law Jeff’s mailing address so that she could send him something…


Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2008 7:52 AM
Subject: Jeff
What is his mailing address? I have an article to send him. Thanks, ep

On Jan 24, 2008 8:22 AM, Chops wrote:
jeffiscool@ohyeah.OK

On Jan 24, 2008 9:01 AM, EP wrote:
Mailing address. For real mail. :)

On Jan 24, 2008 9:16 AM, Chops wrote:
lol, that just shows you what kind of age we're in - the digital age.

~~Retro D.

What I Think About Poor Customer Service!!

I can't stand poor Customer Service. What has this world come to!!!??? What ever happened to, "The customer is always right?" Still, when I am the victim of poor customer service I can't blame only the institutions or service providers for providing the crappy customer service, fore these guilty parties may be operating as such due to crappy customers. Though this is no excuse, I try to usually give others the benefit of the doubt, or the benefit of their ignorance.

One great example of Poor Customer Service comes to mind: the terrible service I received last night at the drive-thru window of a popular fast-food Mexican-style/fried chicken restaurant combo chain at Four Corners (should be called Six Intersections.)

My wife and I had earlier in the evening used the Drive-thru to purchase dinner. We ordered a chicken quesadilla, a crunchy taco, a cheese only taquito with guac, and a 3-piece honey bbq strips.

When we got home we realized that, as is the case about 50% of the time, the strips were not honey bbq at all, the taquito had chicken in it, the crunchy taco was cracked, the quesadilla was burnt and the chicken was crusty, and they forgot the guac. Given the likelihood that this would again occur, we should have checked our order before we left, but as I wrote; I like to give others the benefit.

Sometimes we call and complain, but when we do so we rarely go back to claim our make-up meal. This time I just ate my food, feeling thankful that I had food to eat. Jenn ate her strips, but not the taquito. No call was made.

Later that night I had just so happened to be driving through Six Intersections when I noticed the glowing neon sign, “Drive Thru Open.” As a sign, it was like a sign that I should go straight there and plea my case – so I did. I pulled a “Uey” and went right back to the very same window through which the botched goods were delivered and I explained the situation (only discussing the strips and the taquito) to the girl who took my order.

She asked me if I had the strips. I told her they were at home. She asked again. I told her the same thing. Then she abruptly turned away and spoke to some guy in the background. This guy approached (must have been the manager.) I again explained the situation, again only discussing the strips and taquito. I waved to the girl who took the order. And I was rejected.

Manager Poor Customer Service Giver first asked when had I come through. I told him that it was about two hours prior. Mngr PCSG emphatically explained that he had been there since 4:00PM and that he was the one who had assembled the order. (That didn’t tell me anything.) Then Mngr PCSG asked if I had the strips! Again I explained that I was just driving by and I had come back on a whim because I had thought they would have been helpful. He asked if I had called. “NO!!!!” I gasped, “I am just coming by on short notice, I don’t have the Strips, I don’t have the receipt, and I didn’t call! But I guess I could drive all the way home, find the receipt, call, and then drive all the way back so that I could then get some customer service!?” Ridiculous!

Finally I was forced to acknowledge that my orders had been messed up about 50% of the time, and I also felt inclined to tell him about the cracked soggy taco, the burnt quesadilla with crusty chicken, and the missing guac. This did not faze Mngr PCSG; instead he added salt by asking if I had ever called on the other incidents (from the 50%.) Yes, I had before, and I proudly reported that my name should be in the book. I further detailed how, as a matter of fact, the last time I called I had spoken to the visiting district manager.
“Oh yeah, what was her name?”
“I can’t remember, Suz…Cin…Cindy?”
“CCindy?”
“I don’t know, she was visiting, I’m in the book.”
(Mngr PCSG runs away)
Moments later…
“There are only two names in the book.”
“How long do you keep the names in there?”
“Until they come back to get their food.”
“How old are those entries?”
“You’re not in the book, and we don’t have any more strips.”
“So I’m gonna have to call?!?”
“(mumbles)” Turns and walks away.

Again, no excuse for the terrible service, but the reason for the book and the call-first thing must be because some crappy customers out there have attempted to get free food by claiming that their order had been messed up, whether it really was or not, and whether or not they really had actually ordered anything in first place.

I still say, “THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT!”

Sincerely frustrated and disappointed,

#1 Customer

P.S. Each Customer is the #1 Customer