'RED' was ok, but in the end was little more than cookie cutter action/comedy. What comedic bright spots there were came largely courtesy of Mary Louise Parker.
Published writer, compulsive reader, Old School Whovian, Match Game enthusiast, NKOTB fan, data hoarder, and - surprisingly, given that list - married with four kids. Welcome to my take on life, fatherhood, entertainment, and whatever strikes my fancy. Enjoy!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Life
Zikes. Even the most sedate, productive, happy days can descend into chaos and drama before changing back just as quickly. Life is just a big helping of messy, unpredictable disorder I guess.
Baby Songs
I found our old Baby Songs DVD and to my suprise Smiley was ecstatic. He and LuLu are watching it now, singing and laughing along. Good times
Friday, January 28, 2011
25 Years Ago Today
25 yrs since the Challenger exploded. I didn't see it happen live on TV, but they rolled a TV into our 6th grade classroom and the rest of that day was spent watching the news.
You'd think the anniversary would get more ink, but the nat'l tragedies of the last quarter century - waco, OK city, columbine, 9/11 - seem to make it less impactful on our collective memory.
Not My Best Work
I made tandoori chicken and rice pilaf for dinner last night, and it was a disaster. Awful. Sitcom awful. Smiley and I were the only ones who swallowed more than the mandatory one bite - Lisa included: (
Not Pleased
It's petty, but I am sore with a) the headline JS gave my piece B) a glaring typo they introduced into it (it is not in my submission) and c) an edit that took out a line that had a lot of humor and heart. But they paid me, so it's all sour grapes. so OFW.
Thank You!
Thank you to the folks who bought GS cookies from my girls, esp those who went out of their way w/ their generosity
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
FYI
According to an email I just received, a Packers column I wrote should be in Thursday's Journal-Sentinel. I'll let you know if it pans out.
The Amazing Race
We just finished watching the first season of The Amazing Race. Minor discord there at the end, with me rooting on the eventual winners while Lisa, a fan of the runner ups, accused me of betraying my economic and social class with my decision. Either way, no losers on that show. Even if you're eliminated in week 1, you see more of the world than most people do in a lifetime.
Monday, January 24, 2011
The Sentry by Robert Crais
I finished Robert Crais' "The Sentry", a Joe Pike/Elvis Cole novel centered around the suspected kidnapping of Pike's love interest. It's on par with Crais' other books, which is to say it's a strong story populated by great characters. I do wish, however, that he'd bring back some of the humor that was present in his early work.
.jpg)
A Lesson in Customer Service
Before I forget it entirely, I'd like to relay a story about exceptional customer service that I provided to a customer. Am I a braggart? A narcissist? Duh. I thought we established that already. But that doesn't change the value of the anecdote.
A few months before Christmas a woman came into the store and said say she was "in love with a song", and wanted to buy the album that featured it. The problem? She didn't know the name of the song, the CD, or even the artist. She hummed a few bars but it was barely recognizable as music, much less a specific tune. After I asked a few questions, she conceded it was hopeless. She couldn't provide any additional information.
Then, just as she prepared to walk out, I heard her say that she'd just have to wait until it was 'on TV again'.
"You heard it on TV? Was it a commerical, or a show . . .?"
"A show. The one with the lady from The Apprentice."
Ah. Betheny Frankel. That narrowed it down to either Real Housewives or Betheny Getting Married?"
It was the latter. Another problem tho' - she couldn't remember the episode. So I hit the web, found the site for the show, and determined it was the very episode where she got married. This sparked the customer to mention that it was the song Betheny used for her wedding dance.
How the heck could you not remember that tidbit? C'mon!
Anyhow, I couldn't find the name of the song on the web at the time, and the computer was blocked from playing any video or audio file that might have provided the answer. But a Bing search did provide an article about the wedding planner that pulled off the event.
So I did what seemed logical. I called the Manhatten office of the planner and explained the situation to an assistant. She passed the call up the chain, and someone finally coughed up the answer: "No One" by Alicia Keyes.
The song, of course, is instantly recognizable, and had the humming gone better I'd have ID'd it on the spot. But the point is, I found the song, located the CD, and made the company a few bucks.
More importantly, I impressed the customer. She'll return in the future, and I'll bet she's retold the story a few times herself. One act of solid customer service may very well net a dozen sales in the future.
Here endeth the lesson :)
A few months before Christmas a woman came into the store and said say she was "in love with a song", and wanted to buy the album that featured it. The problem? She didn't know the name of the song, the CD, or even the artist. She hummed a few bars but it was barely recognizable as music, much less a specific tune. After I asked a few questions, she conceded it was hopeless. She couldn't provide any additional information.
Then, just as she prepared to walk out, I heard her say that she'd just have to wait until it was 'on TV again'.
"You heard it on TV? Was it a commerical, or a show . . .?"
"A show. The one with the lady from The Apprentice."
Ah. Betheny Frankel. That narrowed it down to either Real Housewives or Betheny Getting Married?"
It was the latter. Another problem tho' - she couldn't remember the episode. So I hit the web, found the site for the show, and determined it was the very episode where she got married. This sparked the customer to mention that it was the song Betheny used for her wedding dance.
How the heck could you not remember that tidbit? C'mon!
Anyhow, I couldn't find the name of the song on the web at the time, and the computer was blocked from playing any video or audio file that might have provided the answer. But a Bing search did provide an article about the wedding planner that pulled off the event.
So I did what seemed logical. I called the Manhatten office of the planner and explained the situation to an assistant. She passed the call up the chain, and someone finally coughed up the answer: "No One" by Alicia Keyes.
The song, of course, is instantly recognizable, and had the humming gone better I'd have ID'd it on the spot. But the point is, I found the song, located the CD, and made the company a few bucks.
More importantly, I impressed the customer. She'll return in the future, and I'll bet she's retold the story a few times herself. One act of solid customer service may very well net a dozen sales in the future.
Here endeth the lesson :)
Girl Scout Cookie Time!
It's ok - u don't need to resort to generic Thin Mints there's still time to get the real deal!! "Thanks Alot" r in "green" packaging this yr but r still the lg chocolate covered bottom cookies u love. Light & crisp belgian style caramelised cookies ( "shout Outs") r new this yr. Lemonades, shortbread, Thin mints, peanut butter patties, p.b. sandwiches, caramel delights all made the cut. No more daisy go rounds tho' - Lisa
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)