I’ve started a second weblog, called some assembly required. I’m not sure how this site will fit into the “mark nichols online experience” yet. One thought is that I’ll save zanshin.net for longer, more introspective bits, and use some assembly required for shorter, chatty pieces.
Or not.
Wordpress.com offers free weblogs, with world-class software and lots of extras. If you’ve ever thought about having a weblog but were uncertain as to how to go about it, I highly recommend Wordpress.com.
One feature I espeically like, and am curious to see in action, is the inclusion of a meebo chat window on the site. Visitors to some assembly required will be able to see see if I’m online, and I’ll be able to see them (anonymously) as well. We can even chat to each other. Very slick.
In the word of binary numbers, this would be known as “high values” i.e., the largest value this register could hold. Were that the case here, the next number would have been “low values” or all zeroes. Sadly, that event won’t happen for another 888,889 miles.
While I most likely won’t see that happy event, at the rate I’m going I’ll see all 2s within the next three years.
As seen on Kottke.
Overland Park, KS (home) Manhattan, KS * Decatur, IL * Springfield, IL * Chicago, IL Mason City, IL Lincoln, IL Portland, OR Newport, OR Gold Beach, OR Bandon, OR Crescent City, CA Worcester, MA
(Asterisk means multiple visits on non-consecutive days.)
As a software developer, one who focuses (or can when he chooses) on minutia, I am often acutely aware that most people do not notice details. Which is a shame, as the little things in life are the ones that are worth noticing. Big things in life are just conglomerations of little things.
The lease I have with my landlord requires 24 hours notice before entry in to my apartment. I have to allow them access as needed, but they have to inform me ahead of time so I can tidy up, or hide contraband, or whatever. A seemingly small detail, but as it turns out an important one.
Upon arriving home from work yesterday my place felt a bit off. At first I didn’t register what was out of place and then I noticed clumps of lint or fuzz on the carpet. A trail of the stuff leading from the kitchen to the front door. Almost footsteps in the pattern.
‘Oh shit,’ I’ve been robbed again was my initial thought. Only nothing was out of place or missing. I was ready to grab the phone and call 9-1-1, which is when I noticed the message waiting light was flashing. The message, as it turns out, was from the apartment management informing me that they would be entering the apartment during the day to clean the clothes dryer vent. This explained the source of the lint trail, but did little to assuage my growing anger.
You’d think that after the way I carried on about the robbery they would have made certain that any intrusion into my apartment would be handled delicately, carefully, by-the-book, or lease as the case maybe. You’d be wrong.
I called the office and asked if they’d been in my apartment that day.
“Oh yes! We had the service people here today blowing out all the dryer vents …”
“And aren’t you suppose to give my 24 hours notice before entering my apartment?”
“Well we didn’t know he was going to be here until today.”
“You decide to clean a couple of hundred dryer vents on the spur of the moment?”
“No…”
“Then you could have given me notice.”
“I’m sorry sir. but …”
“When will you be back to clean up the mess your vent guy left on my carpet?”
" … "
“There’s a trail of lint and fuzz clear across the floor. When will you be here to clean that up?”
“Right away sir.”
They did come and clean up the mess the service people left behind. And they were very apologetic. I stopped by the office to give them (again) my cell phone number and ask that it be used to notify me of all future entries into my domicile. I may not get prior notice, but at least I’ll get a message before I get home to warn me that little gnomes have been mucking with my stuff.
Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, our best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all.
We also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2007, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. And without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of the wishee.
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Happy (insert celebration of your choice) !!!
(original author: Unknown)
My father introduced me to the Kurt Wallander mysteries, and I have been slowly working my way through them all. The While Lioness is the third of the series and the most ambitious so far. Moving from Sweden to South Africa and back again the book has an international intrigue flavor without losing the, all too human, viewpoint of the main character.
Rating: Excellent from start to finish
Today I had occasion to call the customer service number for Select Comfort, the “sleep number bed” people. My bed is now eight years old and the foam border walls, as well as the center foam piece are a bit compressed. I wanted to find out how much a replacement set would be, so I could either order a set or start saving money for a set.
Once the representative verified who I was, I explained that I wanted to price the foam border walls and center piece. She looked them up on her computer and said, “The cost for those is so minimal we’ll just ship them to you for no charge.”
Wow.
No hesitation, no quibble, just, “we’ll ship them to you for no additional charge.”
In a era when customer service is increasingly frustrating, and often ineffective, to have a call actually result in service is nice. To have a call be handled so adroitly, and to have it exceed my expectations is fantastic.
I’ve always raved about the comfort of my “sleep number” bed. Now I can rave about the organization behind it as well.
Yesterday, after a successful shopping trip to a new outdoor mall, we stopped into a coffee shop for something to drink and maybe a scone or cookie. The establishment was small, tiny really, and boisterous with the energy of the people inside. We waited for several minutes until reaching the head of the line, giving me a chance to observe the constant motion ballet of the three women behind the counter.
Each was working as fast as she could, and just a soon as one latte or espresso was ready, a new order was handed to them. I paid using my debit card and therefore was presented a receipt with a blank spot for a tip. In an instant I decided that I would tip them as they were keeping up with quite a line of people.
Normally you get to tip at the end of your experience with a restaurant. You’ve been served, had a chance to sample the food and the correctness of your order. The tip is in effect a grade given to the server or wait staff; twenty percent is an “A”, fifteen percent a “B”, and five percent or less is failing. Due to the work-flow of the coffee shop, however, we paid before getting our drinks or snacks. I was rewarding them for observed behavior, not for the quality of my service.
As it turned out, the drinks were good and the snacks superb. The service was good too. The tip was earned in the end.
I’ve long been a fan of Thomas Harris and his anti-hero Hannibal Lecter. In Hannibal Rising, the forth book to include Hannibal, the author goes back to the dawn of the second world war and shows us where, and how, Hannibal came into being.
I actually purchased an unabridged audio version of the book, read by Thomas Harris, and listened to it rather than read it. It was very good, and you come away almost liking, if not rooting for, Hannibal.
Rating: Listen with some fava beans and a nice Chianti