Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Trying to be serious makes me itchy
I don't like saying "goodbye" to anything ever and I imagine I'm not alone. Most people probably don't, but it's necessary. The normal course of life is a series of goodbyes to people, places, pets, etc. I should be used to it since I'm a mostly normal person who's gone through a mostly normal life. No wisecracking, now, I'm trying to be serious and I have something abnormally serious to share today.
You see, I haven't really talked about my job on here unless I'm carelessly throwing around the word "horrific". Then I somehow link them together. But I need to take a moment today to not use the H word and to say goodbye not to my job, but the entire agency that I've worked for for the past six years. Horrifically (shoot, I can't help it) boring details, aside, I'm not really leaving my job, but the agency is leaving me; it's dissolving and being reborn tomorrow as three separate agencies. Here's more info if you want to know what's the what: http://bit.ly/17h67J
I'm being transitioned into one of those agencies and while my duties remain the same, I do have to let go of some work that I've kinda grown attached to over the years. This includes about a dozen websites that I have to say goodbye to. It's not easy, mostly because these websites have no mouths and can't talk so I'm not sure how they're feeling. They could be happy that I'm going to stop poking and prodding them with my meddlesome ways.
I pretty sure I'm sad about leaving them in the care of others (or, in some cases, no one). In spite of my grumble grumbles about everything that my job entails (that I don't share here), the websites themselves never got on my nerves. It's amazing, because that's really easy to do.
So, anyway, thanks for all the years of staring at each other from opposite sides of the monitor. I'm going to have to look away now.
TAGS : Yen
Monday, June 29, 2009
San Francisco some more
We spent about two days in San Francisco and saw a good bit, although there's definitely stuff that we'll have to catch next time. Here's a quick rundown for my own sake because I'm liable to forget in my old age:
- Chinatown - our eyes were bigger than our stomachs and ordered too much dim sum
- Golden Gate Park - ginormous park
- Healthy Spirits - the first in a series of alcohol-related reasons why Cylinda may need help
- Lombard Street - crookedest street in the country or world or something like that
- Hyde Street Seafood - had the cioppino (local dish) which was great, but I'll stick to my New England clam chowder
- Toronado Pub - small bar with awesome beer list; found an imperial porter that goes straight to the top of my favorite stouty beers ever
- Union Square - awesome if you like shopping; ehhhh if you don't
- Momi Toby's Revolution Cafe - Cylinda's uncle used to own this cafe
- Paulette Macarons - the Frenchy staff let me speak French to them
- 21st Amendment Brewery - in the shadows of AT&T Park where the SF Giants play, this brewery served up some good beers, including a watermelon beer.
- Alcatraz - took a ferry out to the island and toured the prison
- Pier 39 - the lazy ass sea lions live the dream life on Fisherman's Wharf
- City Beer - this beer store had a good selection of bottles but also had a few on tap; we know the apocalypse has arrived if this was ever possible in Georgia
- Golden Gate Bridge - beautiful, like it was intended
Here's a video of the lazy sea lions:
TAGS : travel video
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Did I go to France again?
Some thoughts on our recent trip to (not France) the Bay Area, CA where we escaped from Alcatraz, drove around golf courses for 17 miles, bought beer in wine-land Napa Valley and stormed a castle on an Enchanted Hill:
Macarons
Seriously, I know it wasn't Paris, but it was confusing with all the patisseries selling macarons. I only visited one because my family wasn't dying to take a tour of 7 cookie shops. I don't know what's wrong with them. Actually, maybe I... nevermind. I got a dozen macarons from Paulette Macarons and they were good. Not Pierre Herme good, but gooder than anything I've had in Atlanta, which isn't saying much. That doesn't sound like a very nice compliment. Lemme try again: They were awesome.
Pommeau
This is an apple apertif that is a blend of calvados and cider and it is unbelievable. It's available absolutely nowhere in this country or so I thought...until I found two different bottles of this magic elixir in a package store in Santa Rosa, CA. I only bought one because of all the...
Beer
Cylinda bought and consumed so much beer, my family was impressed. And they're not easily awed. Just kidding. They think driving in the rain is a feat of magic. But anyway, we checked two boxes of beer onto the plane and shoved a few more bottles in our luggage for good measure. We could open a small craft beer shop if Cylinda would quit drinking all the merchandise. Our Napa Valley day trip was beer-filled, as well, sacrilegious as that may be. We did visit Sterling Vineyards which has a self-guided tour after taking a boring skylift up the hill. It was very pretty and didn't cost as much as some other places. We got 5 tastings and I liked the one so much, I drank four glasses in a row (from everyone elses' glasses that weren't finished) and I paid for it with a pounding headache.
Oh yeah, the beer... Toronado Pub in San Francisco lived up to its hype. I had a Black Diamond Imperial Porter that's only available on tap out in CA so I'm sitting here crying tears over not being able to drink its chocolately goodness for a long time.
Hearst Castle
I now have a shirt that says "Hearst" on it and that's all I've ever really wanted in life...unless I can get a shirt with Patty holding up the bank on it. That would rock... or be offensive. Either or... So the mansion and its guest houses and pools are all beyond ridiculous in its ornateness and the setting on the hill high above the Pacific Ocean is perfect. After getting tickets, we had to take a 15 minute shuttle bus up to the house. They don't let you loiter around the property ever because after the tour, we were bussed back down immediately. There are a few different tours to take which we'll do sometime in the future when we can spend a night in San Simeon, CA.
All in all, it was a great trip. I can't believe it's taken me this long to tour the area since my family's lived in San Jose for years now. There's more stuff to see so I guess I'll visit them again next year. I guess...
TAGS : Patty Hearst food travel
Sunday, June 14, 2009
This isn't even South Georgia
Maybe it's just me, but having a cookout at an abandoned gas station doesn't sound like a good time. I don't have a broad sense of fun, though. I'm difficult, I know.
For real, though, why would anyone picnic in a parking lot, much less one that might have gasoline fumes and remnants laying about? And there's not just one grill, but two, plus coolers and other trays of food. This was a major shindig about to happen, but we didn't stick around for the impending explosion.
TAGS : Atlanta blowedup
Saturday, June 06, 2009
And now to talk about something different: me
I swear this is the last post about me for the next week, but I need to inform everyone and their mothers that I stopped being lazy for about an hour this morning and added back all the tags to my old blog posts. Aren't I amazing? Wow. Now you can find everything about Celine with one click. That's pretty much what I live for, honestly: Bringing the world closer and quicker to Celine.
I'm actually kinda tired of talking about myself which I didn't think was possible. Just kidding! It's actually not, but I was trying to be humble. It makes me feel weird and uncomfortable.
TAGS : Yen
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Google me
No, seriously, don't. There's a mess of Yens and Tangs out there in every combination. It'll just make you dizzy. There's one search result that's kinda cool, though: the town of Yen-Tang in Vietnam. Hillary Clinton visited there a few years ago and maybe that's why I feel some cosmic connection with her and voted for her more times than technically possible. Don't ask me what that means. You don't want to be implicated.
So what I really mean to say is Google + me. Yes, we're becoming one. I didn't see it coming and that's probably how they planned it, but it's happening. I use tons of their apps for work and personal use, including Gmail, Analytics, Docs, Maps, etc. But I've been resisting Chrome (browser) for a while now because I didn't want to depend on Google for everything in my life. Well, they've broken me because I'm using and I like it, but I also hate it for making me like it. It's true, I'm a complex, complex person.
Chrome is recommended for weak-ass netbooks of which I have one. It's just faster and each tab is isolated from the others so when something gets frozen, you can just close the tab and not the entire browser. Genius. Damn genius.
I know Google's taking over the world, one app at a time. I know I'm helping and I should care before us humans become a Googlized application ourselves, but honestly, it's probably too late. Just sit back and let Google run your life. See how well it's running mine? And don't you want to be just like me?
I thought so...
TAGS : technology Yen
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Landslide will bring it down
Yes, Stevie Nicks, I'm getting older, too... I like to spend my birthdays on Jekyll Island, one of Georgia's Golden Isles. I'd say it's the best isle, but I don't want to get into this argument again because I never win. Everyone luuuuvs St. Simon's. That's fine. Stay away from Jekyll because the less people are there, the happier I am.
Although it's been a few years since we've been there, everything looked the same. That really means that there's still nothing to do and not many good places to eat. We went inland for dinner one night and ate at possibly the best restaurant in all of south GA. It's called Cargo Portside Grill in Brunswick. Other than that, we saved our eating skills for Savannah. We had Cylinda's favorite cheesesteak in the whole wide world at Bernies on River St. We ate at Lady and Sons, which is Paula Deen's restaurant. She really tried to kill us with butter, but I still seem to like her. There was an adjacent store with her face on everything...on things her face probably shouldn't be on. It was awesome.
We went on a haunted pub crawl which wasn't much of either. It wasn't expensive so I guess it was almost worth what we paid, but in the future, I don't think we'll be combining stories of spirits with the liquid spirits.
We took a damn lot of photos. If you're on Facebook with me, check it out. If not, well, you need to be nicer to me and then we'll talk about friending each other.
There were lots of sitting time, too. We sat on the beach on Jekyll and sat on benches in the squares of Savannah. Here's a video of us in Reynolds Square listening to a wonderful dixieland jazz band playing for a wedding.
TAGS : travel Yen video
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Greatest hits
My aforementioned hard work in recovering my old blog posts didn't include the labor of adding back the tags to the posts. I'll be honest, I'm lazy as hell. So... you'll just have to read them all over again to find the gems. Get going, there's tons of crap to go through.
Oh alright, I'll link to a few of my favorites. They touch on the topics I make fun of the most:
Myself: Elevator luck (July 2006)
Other people: Things to keep to yourself (April 2007)
Georgia: History lesson (August 2006)
Isabelle: I'm buying whatever she's selling (October 2007)
TAGS : Yen
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Like putting lipstick on a pig
Welcome to my 324th version of my site. It looks a little, slightly, ok, not really that different. I can assure you that it's just as boring, only now, there's more boringness for you. Yes, I'm thoughtful like that, I know.
You see, I put my nose to the grindstone and recovered all my previous blog posts. It was a pain and some of them may not look right or the links might not work anymore, but the important thing is that the text and content is still brilliant after all this time. I mean, wow. There's some really, really good stuff amidst tons of Isabelle Boulay photos. She is, of course, even gooder stuff.
I'm also going to try to post photographs on a regular basis that my ego tells me are awesome and life-changing. For me AND you. See, I'm thinking about you always...except for the times that I'm thinking about me. That actually happens a lot. Oh, for you, too?
Thanks for stopping by. It may not be worth your while today, but someday... no, maybe not even then.
TAGS : Yen
Friday, May 01, 2009
Thumbed my nose at cops; surprisingly not in jail
So...if you've spent five minutes in my glorious presence, you'll know that I'm a shifty character: not quite criminal, but something petty thuggish about me. It's cause I'm always trying to lie or steal something. I'm lying right now and seriously stealing valuable minutes of your life. You're never gonna get them back.
So...as I drove home this evening after a gimme-a-neck-any-neck-to-strangle-stupid-swine-flu day, I got cut off by a obnoxious SUV. I shook my fist and glared. A minute later at a red light, a cop pulled up beside me to my left. The sidewalk was to my right; SUV in front.
The light turned green and we all started to move, but the cop stayed right beside me (instead of zooming ahead cause he had lots of room) until the SUV tried to shift lanes in front of the cop. Then sweet justice, baby: the cop turned on his lights and the SUV moved back in front of me and stopped. The cop stopped. I had nowhere to go cause I thought I was boxed in. I threw my hands up in the air and said, "What the hell" towards the cop. For real, I need someone to teach me how to not swear at the po-po. But he didn't want to pull me over, too. He just motioned to the space front of him and I drove off. Eat it, obnoxious SUV.
THEN... the ATL PD were doing a fund drive collecting money at a traffic light. They had police cars with the lights flashing so that everyone had to slow down. Most were tossing money into their buckets. I know they were trying to reach as many people to donate and that more cars are on the road during afternoon rush hour than other times of the day, but seriously. It's RUSH HOUR on a FRIDAY and they were making it worse. I don't reward people who don't think. I mean, I reward myself all the time, but no one else.
TAGS : Atlanta
Saturday, April 18, 2009
This is what I call "hope"
I can't believe this is for real, but at the same time, I CAN believe it. I mean, I have to because it's the only thing I can hold onto as tangible evidence that chicken potato chips may one day be sold (and eaten) in the US.
Now, I'm not even going to speculate why this study costs $495 and why there are others on amazon that cost almost $800. But I'm taking it as a sign that they're serious, which is the absolutely correct demeanor to have when discussing chicken potato chips. It could also be that the authors are pulling a fast one, but I'd like to think that they wouldn't toy with my emotions like that.
I've heard that Canada does sell them and I'm not surprised. That land is forward-thinking and bows down to nobody...except that Queen of theirs, Liz. She probably gets to munch on chicken potato chips when she's home in England. Whatta lucky lady.
TAGS : food
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Yes, please cry for me, Argentina
Lady, I know how you feel.
The building in the background (to the left) is my office. It's the ugliest building in downtown Atlanta. Every time I see it, I make like this statue chick by turning my back to it and shedding tears of sorrow. Yes, my job is that horrific. No, I'm not being dramatic at all.
This was taken in Oakland Cemetery, the oldest in the city. The rest of the photos from this day turned out even boring-er than this one, but at least I had a little made-up story to go along with it. The fakey sepia tone and gaussian blurring aren't here for laughs. It's humorlessly covering up how bad my exposure was.
TAGS : Atlanta
Friday, April 10, 2009
Annecy & Lyon
I spent a week by myself in Annecy and Lyon, France. Short trip report: Annecy = charming; Lyon = huge. See the entire trip report, complete with videos, photos, and most importantly, me. You wouldn't want to miss the part about me.
Annecy at dusk.
Lake Annecy
Chimneys of Lyon
TAGS : travel France
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Real french food
I've just returned from my third trip to France (aka the motherland) and for the third time, I didn't look forward to eating all the traditional french cuisine in restaurants. I was in Lyon this time, known as the gastronomic capital of the country. But did I go looking for a bouchon to eat in? Oh no, that would be sensical. When I'm in France, I head for Monoprix or Franprix and I buy processed food that I can't get in the US.
A dinner of roasted chicken potato chips and a bottle of cider blows my mind.
A late night snack of cider and Tresor chocolate hazelnut cereal after a dramatic Isabelle Boulay concert? C'est parfait.
Tresor cereal is really all I need to survive if France would ever let me live within her borders. It's got the all-important hazelnut food group that's essential to nothing, but embodies deliciousness itself. Combined with milk, it gets even dreamier. It's extremely unfair that Kellogg's doesn't think Americans would like Nutella-stuffed pockets of joy for breakfast. I guess I could try recreating this cereal with Cap'n Crunch and a jar of Nutella, but it'll probably be weird and I don't want to disrepect the Cap'n.
TAGS : travel food
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Eavesdropping with my great ears
Overheard from the characters of downtown ATL as I was walking back to my car yesterday afternoon:
A guy talking to himself with confidence: The police will wake me up.
A guy reciting slam poetry: And if the woman don't fit the shape of the cone...
Two students
Girl #1: Would you marry him?
Girl #2: Well, if I fell in love over the phone and didn't know he was in a wheelchair...
I know I say odd things, too, but I try not to say them loudly and publicly.
TAGS : Atlanta
Sunday, March 15, 2009
My spare time
As is probably apparent, my latest thing is photography. I've always liked taking pictures or at least, telling Cylinda to take a picture of this or that. I'm very good at telling her what to do. But now that I've got my own grown-up camera, I've decided I don't want to shoot the normal things people want to see. Oh no, I want to take photos of household products in a sterile, completely fake environment. So, I built a lightbox.
It's made from a cardboard box, drawing paper and masking tape and it's ghetto-fabulous. There are some shop clamp lamps and some blinding light bulbs to light the thing. The cat isn't part of the lightbox (yet). It's working out okay so far, but I'm probably going to get one more lamp so that I can truly blind myself for good. I'd post some photos, but you see, they're boring as hell. It's actually for microstock photography and if you know what that is, then I'm sorry because it's a strange bug to be bitten by.
TAGS : photos cats
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Sloss Furnaces
We spent four hours at the Sloss Furnaces yesterday in Birmingham, AL. That may be kind of weird, but since it's a National Historic Landmark, we had a reason. Hey, I didn't say it was a good reason.
The furnaces are basically what built Birmingham. When it closed, the city stopped all construction, too, and got stuck in the 1950s. That's not true, but if you've ever been there, it seems like did.
It was actually an immensely interesting place to take photographs. I'm just learning the technical skills needed to properly use a dslr and this was a great place to practice. I royally messed up my exposures for the shots that included the sky so here are some non-sky shots that don't deflate my ego.
TAGS : travel photos
Friday, February 27, 2009
Playing with new camera
Zekey's the best kind of model there is: Free.
TAGS : cats photos
Friday, February 06, 2009
Incredible Summitt
Tennessee Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt won her 1,000th game last night in Knoxville, TN. That's more than any Division I basketball coach in...ever. She did that in 35 years and she's not stopping any time soon. Summitt has a contract with UT to coach until 2014 (and probably longer).
She's a mad genius at this game. She has to be to never have had a losing season. Never. Ever. I met her once at a book signing after the Lady Vols won the 1998 championship. Summitt is tall, imposing and every bit as intimidating in real life as she is on tv. And in this cover shot:
The article is told mostly from the viewpoint of former Lady Vol Michelle Marciniak, my favorite basketball player. I've had interesting encounters with MM which I need to share some day. Nothing creepy, really. Ok, maybe the... well, you know, nothing illegal.
Anyway, congratulations Coach Summitt!
TAGS : sports
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
But will anyone notice?
USPS may cut day of mail delivery
January 28, 2009
CNN
The economic mess we're in has done what rain, sleet and snow could not. Honestly, though, is there anything of importance that comes in the mail any more? I mean, the monthly Savvy Shopper is quite handy, but I could live without it. There is one thing that concerns me about this possibility of mail delivery 5 days per week. From the article:
"[T]he postal systems in other countries like Canada already operate on a five-day schedule."
Jesus, if nothing else, we're better than America, Jr., aren't we? Aren't we? Don't get me wrong. I'm a huge fan of Canada (and I can admit it). But we're clearly better than them in every way. Every, every way, including mail delivery. So for the sake of superiority, let's keep the 6-day schedule.
TAGS : news
Sunday, January 18, 2009
C'est a toi
So I've seen Celine more times than I can count... No, kidding. I've been counting and after last night's concert, I'm up to 6. The first 5 times were in Las Vegas where I saw her "A New Day..." show at Caesars Palace. It was truly spectacular and I had 2nd row seats twice so I got to see her up close in all her dramatic Canadian glory. Of course, I had to fly out every time and I kinda hate flying.
But last night, Celine came to me....well, she came to the ATL. Much more convenient, thanks! The concert reminded me of her Vegas show a little with the dancers and moving stage contraptions. She's a complete entertainer, almost like she was born to be on stage. Her hands are little supporting artists by the way they move and gesture. I could watch her hands alone.
The lady beside was laughing at/with Celine, too, and said a few times, "She's crazy." Because she really, really is.
She sang all her hits, including "My Heart Will Go On" which made us all weepy, and quite a few songs from Taking Chances. The highlight for me was "Pour Que Tu M'aimes Encore" because that song is 1. in french and 2. f'd up.
I didn't buy a t-shirt because Celine has a penchant for sticking her pretty face on everything. I get beat up often up for all my other (tasteful) interests so I just got mug, a program and not one, but two posters. I didn't buy the Celine candle for my shrine. Just kidding, I don't have a shrine <shifty eyes>.
TAGS : Celine music
Friday, January 16, 2009
Goodbye Mr. Wyeth
Andrew Wyeth, 'Christina's World' painter, dies
January 16, 2009
CNN
Wyeth painted one of my favorite pieces of art, which is mentioned in the article. Christina was his neighbor who was wheelchair-bound. Her world without her wheelchair was her house and yard.
It was adapted for famous Rolling Stones article back in the 70s about Patty Hearst. It symbolized her feeling of restriction on where she could go when she was on the run when technically, she could go anywhere. My words do this no justice. Here, see for yourself:
The one on the left is the original. (Duh.) Just wanted to be clear.
TAGS : Patty Hearst news art
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
New Year in Vegas
We began our new year hung over and reeking of smoke in Las Vegas...with my family. It was awesome. They drove from California and we flew in from Georgia and collided on the Strip. There was lots of video poker and sports betting and Cylinda hardcore gambling into the wee hours of the night. You know, like all our other trips to Vegas, except this time, I didn't see Celine and I'll spare y'all my tears. No wait, here are a few: hoo hoo hoo.
We did see Mystere which is the first Cirque du Soleil show in Vegas. It was amazing, as those shows usually are. This one seemed to have more humor in it. We also drove north about an hour to the Valley of Fire State Park. It's a sight to see, all the red rock formations shaped by water over time. There was also some ancient Indian art paintings on one of the rocks. This is a short video of one area of the park, although it doesn't begin to capture the beauty and openess of the area.
TAGS : Las Vegas travel video
Monday, December 29, 2008
Wait a second...
Ok, I can do that, but it'll have to be on Wednesday, December 31 at 6:59:59 pm EST. I'll wait one extra second for you. How am I able to stop time like this? Are you not accounting for my general awesomeness in...everything? No? Ok, me neither.
Turns out our Earth is rotating slower than we think. Well, aren't we all? It'll take 2 seconds to get to 7 pm because some very serious people who work at the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service said so. They've added 24 seconds since 1972. You know what? That's being really anal.
Tick tock ... tick: Extra second added to 2008
by Jim Wolf
Reuters
But the tubes of the internets and the tom-toms of all sizes must run precisely like...clockwork. Oh ho, that's bad punning.
TAGS : news
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
One of those Christmas letters
This was an eventful year for us, full of milestones and dreams realiz-- nevermind. I can't do it. I can't be sincere for more than one paragraph. Lemme give you the short version:
1. Cylinda graduated from law school, earning the coveted Ms. GSU Law School honor. Nothing can top that; not even passing the bar or running around Europe for 5 weeks or starting a new job or getting Rock Band. Please please call her Ms. Law next time you see her. She demands it.
2. I didn't get fired! That's an achievement in and of itself. This is amid our state budget cuts, layoffs, furloughs and me goofing off in France for 6 weeks. I'll give you my secret, but don't use it against me: I know voodoo and I'm pretty good at it.
3. The boys are pretty much the same as always. They're happy not to have to hunt for their own food and they get the remote control during the day.
That's it. Merry Christmas, shawties! Don't knock over my mini-tree.
Oh, and you may have noticed that I'm back to writing completely unnecessary thoughts and opinions on the interwebs. My old blog posts may someday show up here, but that would require...work.
TAGS : Yen
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
The power of two
Every vote counts, right? (Florida: YES! Of course...) Well, in the primaries, they count for a lot more and in the runoffs, hell, it's like I'm personally picking the winners. It's a powerful feeling...makes me want more more more. So, imagine my thirsty feelings when I got Cylinda's too-late-for-her-but-not-for-me absentee ballot in the mail yesterday.
I'M JUST KIDDING. I would never commit voter fraud. But I like thinking that I could. The AJC says that "less than 10 percent of Georgia's eligible voters are expected to go to the polls..." So I could've had a huge stake in the outcome. I could've been a literal swing vote. I didn't mail it in, though. I want to break the law, but not in this way. Yes, I do have standards, thankyouverymuch.
But all my ethics and law-abidation goes out the window tonight if my candidate loses by a vote. I'm sending in that ballot and blaming the postal system for it arriving late. Fool-proof plan? I think so.
TAGS : Atlanta news schemes
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Restaurant inspectors
The county Public Health departments in Georgia have the fun-time job of inspecting restaurants for violations. The ensuing reports are sometimes printed in local papers. Sometimes I have to read these local papers and that's when I get my laugh of the day. Only one laugh, though. I'm a totally serious person.
In last week's report from Rockdale and Newton counties, there were these infractions that make eating in...better:
- Stereo system stored on spice rack with food items. Music and cayenne are a deadly - yet sexy - combination.
- More than six flies observed in facility. Wait, they counted? They really counted!
- Uncovered employee drink observed by silverware. The forks have eyes in Georgia. The spoons see all.
This is a weird state I live in.
TAGS : food news
Friday, July 18, 2008
The Internet can be nice sometimes
This week has been a great affirmation of the business side of the Internet for me. I've bought many items online from Ruskies to Pennsylvanians (ack) to Canadians (ack ack) and I've never questioned the validity of any transaction. That may be naive of me, but whatever. Except for one eBay item (which I got my money back), I've gotten everything I've paid for.
So to be honest, when I say "affirmation," I really mean I experienced some outstanding customer service. That is rarer than rare these days. And I got it 3 times this week! See:
- I spoke to Customer Service at Paypal and got the resolution I needed within 5 minutes. And the rep was polite!
- I've been ChaCha-ing, not really 100% sure that I was going to get paid. But my earnings really showed up in bank account when it was supposed to. Amazing!
- And the best of show this week goes to Zappos. I bought shoes yesterday morning and I'm wearing them right now. I'm not sure if I'm being clear enough. RIGHT NOW I'm wearing shoes I bought online 28 hours ago. I did not pay for shipping. It was free. I literally have my Mephistos on my stinky feet right NOW. This boggles my Friday-addled brain.
TAGS : schemes
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Whatta day
While waiting for the salmonella food poisoning to kick into my system today, the following happening to me (personally, even):
I couldn't park in my lot at work because of a FIRE! I saw the smoke as I was approaching the deck, but I pulled in anyway because I lack a brain sometimes. A woman waved her arms and told me to go away and to tell everybody I knew.
I reflected on the genius that is Eddie Izzard after having seen him last night. He's ridiculously funny and I think his various British accents help a lot. Some of his hijinks wouldn't sound the same. I ate some tomatoes at a restaurant before the show, but they were cooked so I think I'll be a-ok. If not, I'll be in the bathroom. And then the hospital.
I internally celebrated a major milestone in my countdown to ParisFest 2008! Just 50 more days until France has to deal with me again. Oh France... I apologize in advance.
I got an employee incentive (meaning: bonus) for being me! I also may have done some work. I'm not sure, but it's odd since I don't work in the private sector where bonuses are given out like candy on Halloween. Or so I've heard.
TAGS : blowedup
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
ChaCha
Tell me, have you ever:
wanted to finally win that damn team trivia played game at bars/restaurants?
settle a stupid bet with a friend over a stupider issue?
chat with random strangers incessantly?
use up all your text messages in your monthly plan?
No? Me, neither, but evidently, other people are not like you or me. They text (242242) or call in their questions (1-800-2-CHACHA) to ChaCha, a free SMS answering service. The answers come back within 5-10 minutes on their cell phone.
How do I know all this? I work at ChaCha. I'm one of their Guides and answer the inane questions all y'all have. And you really have inane, pointless questions most of the time. But that's ok because I like inanity. I'm paid for the inanity at $0.20 an answer. Yes, it's a goldmine. Actually, it can be useful if you don't have a smartphone with a web browser and you need to know where something is or the hours of a store.
Anyway, if you want in on this cash cow, sign up at www.ChaCha.com under the Become a Guide section. If you like researching on the Internets, wasting time on the Internets and answering pranky questions with your own killer wit, this is a possible job for you. You don't need to put my email address down in the referral field, but if you do, I take half your earnings! Mwahaha! No, I wish, but that's a lie. I get a 10% bonus for every question answered, but if you're not feeling goodwill towards me today, I understand. It happens.
If you get nothing else out of this promo for ChaCha, don't be so thick and realize that I'm trying to get you sign up and work for ChaCha using my email address, but I'm trying not to be obnoxious about it (for once). You can also take away the easy to remember text number (242242 which spells CHACHA) and ask any question you can think of. It'll be answered and I might be the one doing it. I'll try not to roll my eyes too much when I see it.
TAGS : Yen schemes
© 2009 Yen M Tang. Take whatever you want as long as your ass likes being sued.