Exercising Thai Lifesaving Skills with U2

Let me tell you about yesterday. As you are probably well aware, England and Brazil lost. England was my team and I was pretty bummed so I decided to go running after hat game. I donned the new shoes (which are awesome, btw) and set out. I wound up doing a 3.5 mile loop (according to my Jeep – I drove it after I ran). Who knew being depressed could help you run more. Anyway, after the run we dropped the kids off at mom’s and went and met JT and Beth at this authentic Thai restaurant in the foothills of the mountains…If you’ve never had real Thai food, you are missing out. And no, places like Tommy-Thai and Stir-Fry, etc. are not authentic Thai. Beth had to leave a little early to go to work so we decided to stay and take John home. It became an adventure.

We decided to go driving around a local lake in the mountains and just see what we could see. It was pretty fun, we wound up going on a razorback path in the Jeep (very high and step on both sides of the narrow trail – but Jeeps can do anything, right?) all the way up to an object of wonder…a sight very few others have ever seen. It was almost mystical. It was a power tower. Hahahahaha the only thing mystical about it was the fact that we were getting heavy doses of radiation while there. ;) We also trekked some of the Appalachian Trail while there which was nice because if anyone asks what I did this weekend, I can say “I did part of the AT.” And not be lying…hahahaha. And in case you didn’t know this, the AT is known for its proliferation of Black Bears. And since some of you may want to hike the Appy Trail, I have decided to give you some tips:

If you see a Bear in the distance:
Expect the unexpected (Clever.)
Alter your route to avoid it (not smart to walk up to the bear)
Keep children and pets close at hand (do not push people toward the bear so you can run away)
Never approach a bear – it is a dangerous wild animal. If a bear changes its natural behavior because of your presence – you are too close. (duh!)
Never feed or toss food to a bear or any wild animal (they will come for more)
Never surround or corner a bear (they fight back)

If a bear approaches you:
Don’t run, back away slowly (and DO NOT piss your pants)
Remain clam (seriously...don’t soil yourself)
Face the bear but don’t look directly into its eyes (still keeping your pants clean)
Group together and pick up small children and restrain pets (ok – maybe you could throw your pets to escape the bear)
Try to scare the bear away by shouting and acting aggressively ( do it well, this may be the last time you can… ;) and now it’s ok to mess your pants)

If the bear attacks:
Continue to act aggressively. Yell, make loud noises and wave your arms (offer your left hand first if you’re right handed...hahaha)
Fight back with anything available and using everything in your power (yes, now you seriously should be messing your pants)
Except in rare cases, playing dead is not appropriate ( you are NOT a possum…)

And now…what does U2 have to do with this you ask? Nothing really, but here is a link to a really cool video someone made where George Bush takes the vocals on “Sunday, Bloody Sunday”. You need to watch…pretty cool.

~out~

couple of really quick things...

ok - couple of things... 1 - today was a pretty good day. Nice weather, a meeting that was very enjoyable (if they were all like this i would have one every day), the driveway and garage were finished, i am supposed to get my new shoes today, tomorrow i am off (probably watch soccer or go MXing - which tomorrow should be a good day too), got some of my office cleaned up (not as much as I would like...it's still a mess), and am leaving for a end of season Tball party. Luke did really well this year playing...and i have to add, i played mon. night and we won the league championship...but enough about me...hahahahaha

now the second thing...

i have heard that ring around the rosies is a song about dead people and the plague. well, it all makes sense...but surely it's not true...

i received an email about this stating "Every child has happily joined hands with friends and recited the familiar nursery rhyme, "Ring around a rosie, a pocket full of posies. Ashes, ashes, we all fall down." Few people realize to what this seemingly happy little nursery rhyme actually refers.

This nursery rhyme began about 1347 and derives from the not-so-delightful Black Plague, which killed over twenty-five million people in the fourteenth century. The "ring around a rosie" refers to the round, red rash that is the first symptom of the disease. The practice of carrying flowers and placing them around the infected person for protection is described in the phrase, "a pocket full of posies." "Ashes" is a corruption or imitation of the sneezing sounds made by the infected person. Finally, "we all fall down" describes the many dead resulting from the disease. "

Now...this is pretty morbid if it's the case...well, thank goodness for snopes.com. they set me straight...because I was worried...we just played/sang that the other day. Well, it ain't so...check it out here - http://www.snopes.com/language/literary/rosie.htm. Totally False...

That brings me to the whole snopes thing. That is an awesome site to go to when you get those crazy emails or hear something a little odd. I just wanted to share. www.snopes.com.

Not much more to write about...almost late for the party. ;)

l8r

the 2fer is back!!!!!

OMG! Yes, I am doing a 2fer today...it is tuesday, right? So, I am bringing back (unofficially) the 2fer Tuesday - here goes...

#1 - Never, EVER buy or live in a house without a garage. Especially if you own a Wrangler and don't pay too much attention to the weather forecast. Now understand, my jeep is all waterproofed (rhino-lined, good seats, etc) - so i really don't care if it gets wet, but when you don't have the top on and it's raining and you have to go to work...you have to put the top on in the rain (if you don't have the garage) and get a little wet yourself. [which, btw, was the case yesterday and i took the minivan to work...and i was glad i did. ;) Who knew being in a minivan could be so enjoyable?] If you ever have to put the top on in the rain do it before you are ready for work...hahahahah. I will be so glad when our house is done...I will have 3 garages to pick from with which to apply or tear down tops. Which brings me to...

#2 - Sometimes I still wish I had my SAAB 9-3. Awesome vehicle. I didn't have to worry about rain, etc. And it was fast. Well, there's another vehicle i looked at last night that i really want. A little more horses than the SAAB and it is RWD to boot! I found an infiniti G35 coupe on ebay that is me. I don't think I'll get this exact one, but I have decided that most likely that will be the next vehicle I get. And yes, probably black like this one (and my SAAB, and my Passport, etc.) - and I really think the rims make this bad boy...i like it. Oh well, for now I'll just drool. ;) hehehe

God Save the Queen

YES! England beat Ecuador 1-0 today so I am ecstatic!!!! Dear ol' David Beckham (#7) came through and scored a free kick and it was beautiful. I was a little surpised Wayne didn't get in there and get a score, but nonetheless...we won!! Spectacular. And since Portugal lost a couple of their best players today vs. the Dutch we have a good chance of winning there too. And to celebrate England's win, I went a bought a new pair of running shoes. Crazy huh? But my old ones are really worn out and I am going to start running again. I'm going to run for ION in the "climb" coming up...so JT, I'll need a Jersey... ;) I've got 2 months to train which shold be plenty of time for me. I got 3rd in it a couple of years ago in my bracket and I think if I start training now I should be able to give a repeat or better performance. So...what else has been going on you ask? Well, I'll tell ya...We're closing on a house tomorrow at 3pm and we have to do a final walk-through before that. I'm a little excited about it...and at the same time not. hahahaha There's going to be quite a bit we have to do to get it looking nice...a really, really nice. ;) So, that's going to be good times, I'm sure. Hopefully the framing of our other house starts this week. That'll be good to get it done.


Oh well...enough for now.

dad day

ok - i just got my father's day gift yesterday (it took some prep time) but it is very cool. I got a new long board...sweet. So look out people (specifically, john, beth and lisa) i'm on it. Oh and i'll put pics up of it when i get a chance. john...you'll appreciate this...the "you wanna be me." sticker is on the top...hahahahah. i'll definatley join the ion longboard team...not many contests around here though...so maybe i'll run until they have some. ;) anyway...i saw this article this morning...and thought, "huh, that's interesting." I will leave you to form thoughts of your own. It's about a flower having sex with itself...hahahahahah

~l8r~

new look

ok - you may have noticed the little banner across the top of my blog...if not, look now. Sooner or later, we knew it would come to this. Ads on my blog - however, I have searched tirelessly (high and low) for only something good to put on here that I thought was actually worthwhile. I know almost all of you have an iPod (if not, get out from under that rock...hahahah) and this is the coolest thing you can get for yours to personalize it! Check them out...everyone needs one. hehehe ;)

ATL - :l: - LTA

well...i decided to make my title a palindrome. yes..it's kind cool...although it doesn't mean anything. It was originally going to be ATL - but that looked too boring so i added some crap and made it look like it's in a mirror. hehe.

On to the post...

I just got back from Atlanta and have decided to show some pictures of the trip. And let you know abou tit. hahahhahaha I mean about it. anyway... I left Weds afternoon driving down 26/85 in my rented Ford Five Hundred. (You may recall my last trip to ATL was also in a 500 and included a stop by the Cabbage Patch Kids Hospital) No Buick, you ask? Well, I normally rent from Avis which is where I get my blingbling cars, but settled for enterprise b/c they were closer and had a big gun available. I was supposed to get a Dodge Charger, but they were out. Whatever... It didn't even have a full tank of gas! I had to stop and fill up - that's where I saw this. Count to 20...I think that's for anger management - that gas station was interesting to say the least. So I get to ATL and got to Marriott's Residence Inn down at the GT campus. Very nice place...closest thing i could find to the Westin (which was where I was all day yesterday, but they didn't have any rooms available. Only place closer was the Marriott Marquee - and i didn't want to pay $300 for a room. Ahhh...the marquee...I remember when it was free, all the ballgames were free...the MLB days are over...Ster, why did you retire...hahahahaha.... - back to the story...So I opted for the Residence Inn (a bargain at only $170). I don't know if you've ever been to this one or not, so I took pictures...it's very cool...they are like apartments with everything you need right there. Full size fridges, ovens, and yes, even a doorbell and knocker. ;) Here are pics of the room, the lobby, and outside.

I leave that morning to go to the Westin - a nice hotel, but with a sucky parking garage. There are only about 10 spaces to park on each level. I had to drive up to #9 for the first available and this was at 7:45 in the morning. See pic with moon - very early. I know some of you haven't seen that before, so I thought I'd share. And there are some pics looking down as well. The one with the little ledge and fence. I climbed up there to take some pics and while I was standing on it, the fence came to my thighs and people would look up at me like I was going to jump...i faked it once and the guy looking at me jumped back in the street. I was amused. That's the guy in the pic with the van. He started hurrying off and I took his picture. hahahah

Well, the conference went on all day and I won't bore you with the detail...but I will tell you this. I bought a bluetooth headset for my phone and IT SUCKS! It sucks in more ways than one, too. Very versatile. A it sucks in its overall use. I can't hear through it, I get reports of muffled talk - and honestly, it's a bit uncomfortable. It's the Motorola HS850 - DO NOT WASTE $80 some odd dollars on this. If you are so inclined I have one to sell...otherwise it's going back to Best Buy. The second way the Motorola HS850 Bluetooth Headset Sucks (all named out for search engine's sake) is that is drains my Verizon Palm Treo 700w (which is a GREAT phone) battery like it was candy. I had my bluetooth on with it yesterday and within a few hours the battery was almost dead. Also...why is it that no matter when you go by the CNN sign...someone's always on it?

Oh yeah...one last thing...I have been invited to attend the Senate Leadership Summit for Young Professionals. Very Cool. One of our State Senators (the one I like to call Lamar...I mean Sen. Alexander...) sent me an invitation (only 300 people nationwide go to this) to go in Sept to DC. I'm going to sign up today. I think it could be lots of fun. At least I'll get to meet some other people there that could be beneficial in the future. No, I'm not going to go all Skull & Bones....yet...hahahahah...I'm saving that for my book...which by the way is developing into something very interesting...I have found several ties to certain things on the topic of my book that should make it a very engrossing and intriguing read...only problem is that people have died because of the information i have...so if i die soon, unexpectedly...it may be because some of my stuff got out. Oh well...hahahahahah, just kidding. ;)

I would like to leave you with this...

Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.
- Mark Twain

Seacrest, out -

Soccer...

Most of you know I love soccer. Most of you know I'm a Manchester United fan, and an England fan. I hope England wins the World Cup. However, an 18 year old named Kerlon Moura Souza ("Kerlon") from Brazil is amazing - but I don't believe he's on the national team...I'll have to find out. I have included video as to what he does. Not only is he really awesome, but he has invented the "seal dribble". I encourage you to watch him in action. He'll definitely be in the next World Cup...I'm sure.....Anyway...watch the video - what an awesome sport.

Malibootay....

Malibootay! That word was just spoken and I thought it would make a great title. I am currently watching Malibu's Most Wanted (which is one of the funniest movies ever made) - great, great great. Since this is an election year, i am reviving this movie because it is about a guy (Bill Gluckman) who is running for governor of california and his son brad's (B-Rad G) "lack of chillin' is killin' his father's campaign." You either need to go rent this movie or see me and borrow it! It's that funny!! I've been thinking about it for a few days and had to watch it.

I just started the movie after watching the Netherlands beat Serbia-Montenegro 1-0. Good game. Now I hope my ManU/Eng people can keep going strong as well as the US. The US play Monday at noon - they shold win. Keep up with some of it here - http://blogs.foxsoccer.com/ .

Also, another thing I just started playing with is called IM - no, not instant messaging, but Instant Media - http://www.im.com It's like TV on demand combined with RSS feeds and pod/vidcasting. Very cool.

Yesterday I spent most of the day in SC with my dad. The day started off OK, breakfast at my grandmother's, then dad and I went to SC to look at a door machine. Then the day went downhill a little as we were there a LONG time. Much longer than anticipated. Then the day got MUCH better when i got back into town. Anyway, yesterday was all in all a pretty good day.

"For rizzle, my nizzle...."

~ciao~

testes, testes..1, 2 - check

hehe - some of you may have heard me do the "testes, testes..1,2 - check" on a microphone before to give a sound check...instead of "testing testing, 1-2". Before I forget I want to thank Nate Kiloren for the idea for that...anyhoo...I gave a sound check to myself today for real...hahahah. I decided to take Luke MXing this afternoon on a real track, etc. My dad met us there and wanted to watch us ride. Well, Luke went around in a circle a couple of times and decided to quit. Yes, we were there for only 15 minutes and he was done. Dad told me to go ahead and ride and he would stay with Luke and they would watch me. OK...sounded like a plan to me...so off I went. Never being at this track before, I started on it backwards...after a lap around I realized my mistake and turned around. Boy was it easier going around the right way...hahahah...the jumps were smoother etc. ;) Well, after going around it 2-3x I decided to start doing doubles - when you go off one jump and land on the second one - like a camels back - Let's just say I didn't make it...not enough speed, wrong gear, etc. I landed on the top of the second jump and the bike kicked out from under me...this was my first wreck of the day and the one where I screwed up my left hand (oh yeah..I'm typing this post with one hand...fyi). Ahhh, it's just my clutch hand - I don;t have to use it too badly - my index finger on my left hand is ok, so i could still change gears.
Anyway, I got up and started again. By now I was getting pretty good, hitting solid jumps...i totally blew my dad away (he thought I had been coming out to this track a lot and riding it - nope first time out here, I told him...to which he replied with some choice words...hahahah - i don;t think he believed me). So I next decided to try to get into the corners better and tighter and there was this one corner after a set of whoopty-doos, that was tight, filled with mud and had a huge straightaway with a BIG jump after it - i wanted to get that down...so i pushed hard around the corner and got too close inside. There were these big poles in the ground to keep you on the track...I hit one, with my right leg. I was expecting it to break away or fall down...nooooo...not for me - it stayed straight up and totally racked me and threw me off my bike. I'm sure it was a very comical site to see. Everyone could see it. I layed on the ground for a bit until I realized I was losing my gas...got up, turned off my valve, and layed back down. hahaha - I was in pain....I haven't hurt that bad since i was accidentally nailed in the groin during a sparring match in martial arts years ago...(at least they said it was an accident) - anyhoo...I did the testes, testes.. 1, 2 - check - both intact. Good. Painful, but intact. Meanwhile, I was passed while laying down - so I decided to get up and catch and pass back the guy who passed me - as soon as I did he got off the track. Oh well, win some, lose some...at least I didn't lose one today...hahahah.

Oh yeah...one more thing - one of the guys at work came up with this cool picture that he put on our toilet in the admin office. Here's a pic...It's a takeoff on Intel's new logo...I thought it was hilarious...he's selling them if you want one...let me know. ;)

~ciao~

da house...

well, we worked hard yesterday...i'll try to get another pic on here. I think the basement is pretty much finished. The floor will be poured next week and the framing should start next week too. So now...it should move along pretty quickly. Yea! My foot hurts from where I dropped rebar on it (while wearing vans)...I started using my hiking boots (nice Salamon's) and ripped the sole in half (although surprisingly they are still waterproof). I got a little sunburnt (hazard of working without your shirt while not having a tan, yet) and had 2 energy drinks to help me through the day. Wild. Also, one of the worker's son came over yesterday too...he's in highschool - actually in my old small group - and i showed him how to ride a MX bike - which he was stoked about, and showed him how to do a few tricks on a skateboard. He used to skate...he didn't realize that i did too...i was pretty happy - everything i showed him i landed first time: kickflips (reg, 180, shuvit, fakie, fakie 180), one-foots, shuv-it manuals, etc. - he has now told me that i shall teach him more and go skating with him some...to which i agreed. Very cool...i told ya..only a little bit to get warmed back up.

Oh yeah...pretty good news, i think...i am now down to 207. nice, huh? so many people have told me they have no idea i weight so much, but oh well, it's still going down. I'm pretty proud of myself. Plus if i start skating again, that will help too. I'm also thinking of running again as well...i've been a couple of times lately around the university and their fitness trail. i think i may enter the "climb" again this year. A couple of years ago (for those of you who don't know) I got 3rd in my age group in that race. It's in NC and is a 5K all uphill. Well, most of it anyway. A very steep grade. I didn't do it last year, but I will this year...kinda like a family tradition. It's in August - plenty of time to get ready. I want to place again.

And to just note on my blog when i look at it in later years...today is the day we got zarqawi. That's big news. Later on when the liberal think tank starts talking about a conspiracy and how he's still alive etc. I will be able to look back at my blog (b/c I'm sure the history books will leave it out) and see that today is the day he died. heheh.

And one last thing...from my absolute favorite author - (Mark Twain, in case you didn't know...) I will leave you with some suggestions on how to improve the english language...

I mai even start posteng xis wai......


"For example, in Year 1 that useless letter "c" would be dropped to be replased either by "k" or "s", and likewise "x" would no longer be part of the alphabet. The only kase in which "c" would be retained would be the "ch" formation, which will be dealt with later. Year 2 might reform "w" spelling, so that "which" and "one" would take the same konsonant, wile Year 3 might well abolish "y" replasing it with "i" and Iear 4 might fiks the "gj" anomali wonse and for all.

Jenerally, then, the improvement would kontinue iear bai iear with Iear 5 doing awai with useless double konsonants, and Iears 6-12 or so modifaiing vowlz and the rimeining voist and unvoist konsonants. Bai Iear 15 or sou, it wud fainali bi posibl tu meik ius ov thi ridandant letez "c", "y" and "x" -- bai now jast a memori in the maindz ov ould doderez -- tu riplais "ch", "sh", and "th" rispektivli.

Fainali, xen, aafte sam 20 iers ov orxogrefkl riform, wi wudhev a lojikl, kohirnt speling in ius xrewawt xe Ingliy-spiking werld. "

Mark Twain (1835 - 1910), "A Plan for the Improvement of English Spelling"

House momentum...

Alright - a new picture of house movement. These are nudura walls and are filled with concrete when finished. They are currently 4.5ft high and will be 9ft high by weds. You can see a garage door to the left and a patio door in the middle with two windows on the side. This is going to be the basement. It will be roughly 1200 sqft of space. Then once it's filled and finished...the framing begins! Then the next 2 stories and the garage etc will begin. Cool. It is going to be 2002 sqft then however much of the 1200 sqft of the basement we decide to finish. Anyhoo...here's a pic of the current progress...

torn... heheh

ok - for those of you who had the privilege of reading and even commenting on the original torn post - Thank you! I decided to take it down (but saved it and your comments). I really appreciate your thoughts and the time taken. For obvious reasons I removed the post but still have it available for the curious...just email me. ;)

thanks

Is this for real....????

I found out today that Batwoman is going to be re-released. And not only that but she's going to be a lesbian. Where is the comic world heading??? Crazy! http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,197710,00.html

profile

OK - it looks like the pic with the camera is the most popular. Now I have one more to throw in...choose between these two. The one with the camera and the one with the shades. Which one?

Also, I'm going to take a break from bragging on myself - but that doesn't mean I won't link to someone who brags about me...hahahahaha

that's it.

PS - I can't believe Barry bonds passed the Babe's HR's. I wonder how many Ruth would have hit if he had some juice...???

a lot of stuff...

Alright...here goes. Luke is really into skateboarding - he has his own and does it every day. He found out his dad used to skate and now i skate with him. We go to local parks and local shops and ride and the boy can already ride transitions and ollie. Very cool. He's watched videos etc., so I decided to make him a little one of his old man. You can see it here - not bad for a 32 year old who hasn't skated in a long time. ;) I promise to practice and get some real footage for you. Beware - the video is about 2MB - it will only play in windows - not a mac, sorry.

Next - I have had complaints that my profile pics is really bad. That I look weird in it. So...I have decided to change it - however...I need votes on it to let me know which one to change it to.

Soooo, please peruse the pics below and let me know which one you like the best. The pic that gets the most votes wins. I know my blog isn't too popular, but hey, that means your vote counts more. heheh

me...

ok -first I'm on a little self-promotion kick...so please forgive me.
second - i'll get off of it when stuff stops happening to me. ;)

Here's the latest. I was asked recently to give some comments/thoughts on a program one of our vendors provides to other companies like ours. They are a pretty big company too - they have roughly 40K+ customers nationwide. Well, I had no idea what it was for - until now. I just got this big hard mail piece that is trifold with a big packet of info etc that has a pic of me and my quote in the upper center of the middle of the brochure. Pretty cool. Here are some pics. It kind of made my day. Just thought I'd share. ;)



This is the whole kit.














main thing I'm in...












Now the opening etc.....



















in top middle....















hahahahahah - ;)

'chomping(?) at the bit' for tootsie rolls...

After soccer this morning, we were on our way home and the kids were eating tootsie roll lollipops. Lisa and I were talking and I said aloud..."I wonder where those things came from. And how did they get the name tootsie roll?"
"I have no idea." She replied.
"Well, I'm now on a mission." I said. "I'm going to research it and delve into the wide world of chocolate covered candies and get to the bottom of this. I may have to research for hours or days, even, to find the information I need to feel completely satisified with the results."
"Really?"
"Yeah. This is something that people should know. I think I'll even blog about it. I know it's going to be something interesting - and people will want to know more."
"OK. You do that...I'm sure everyone will be anticipating the results of your research and they are chomping at the bit to find out more about tootsie rolls." She said, rolling her eyes.
"Ahhhh," I replied. "They will be chomping at the bit with a tootsie roll!" I exclaimed. "Better yet, I am going to include research on the phrase 'chomping at the bit' as well. This will be a meaty post!"

As soon as I got home, I booted up the laptop, and proceeded to google with the search "tootsie roll". Wouldn't you know it? The first result that came up was the tootsie roll main link. I decided to follow it (this wouldn't take as long as I initially thought). I then proceeded to the history. Here is a quick synopsis of the history of the tootsie roll:

1896 - Austrian immigrant Leo Hirshfield brings to the U.S. his recipe for a chocolatey, chewy candy, which he begins producing in a small store in New York City.

Hirshfield names the candy after his five-year-old daughter, whose nickname is "Tootsie."

When a product reaches an age advanced enough to be known as a "national institution," it usually bears little resemblance to its original form - however, this is not the case with Tootsie Roll. The round piece of chewy, chocolatey candy that delights Americans today still looks and tastes amazingly like the first Tootsie Roll, made over 109 years ago. Even more astonishing, the candy roll still sells for one penny, the original price, even though the company now offers candy packages priced up to $7.17.

1931 - The Tootsie Pop, consisting of hard candy on the outside and chocolatey, chewy Tootsie Roll on the inside, is invented.

1942 - The candy is included in World War II rations and becomes highly valued by the armed forces for its ability to withstand severe weather conditions and give troops "quick energy."

blah blah blah - yes those are the important points of note to me - swiped straight from their website. To learn more for yourself...click here.

'Chomping at the bit'
OK - here's something interesting about this phrase...it's actually wrong! The original phrase was 'Champing at the bit'. How about that? The things you learn when you look them up. Now this whole time - I'm thinking this phrase (chomping at the bit) has something to do with horses eating sugar or something while you try to put reins etc on them. Well, here's what 'Champing at the bit' actually means.

CHAMPING: Repetitious, strong opening and closing action of the mouth whichproduces sounds when the teeth hit together. Champing in swine may be athreat signal, but also is performed by boars during courtship and mating.

v. tr. - To bite or chew upon noisily. v. intr. - To work the jaws and teeth vigorously. Idiom: - champ at the bit To show impatience at being held back or delayed.

For a long time, chomp and champ enjoyed slightly different intransitive senses: to chomp was to chew or bite on something; to champ was tomake biting or gnashing movements. Champ was the usual word to describe the noisy biting or chewing associated with farm animals; when an unruly or impatient horse bit or gnashed a bridle's bit, he or she was said to being "champing at the bit." That literal champing became figurative when it was applied to humans impatient at restraint or inactivity.

Anyway - my hours and days of research turned out to be shorter than the time it took for me to type all this stuff up. Crazy, huh?

Now you can impress your friends and family with a couple of useless facts to be seen as brilliant and full of knowledge. HAHAHAHAHAHAH

-l8r-

back 2 2fer...

OK - I realize I missed last week somehow...Hrmmmm??? Anyway, I decided to do something different for my 2fer this week. Instead of 2 things...I'm putting 2 people. I know this will embarrass them, but what the heck...I don't even know if they read this or not.

For those of you who don't know, I had to be in a skit last Thursday that was VERY fun. We did a Jeopardy game for a bunch of people. Well, I was the Alex Trebeck guy (Alejandro Jalepeno) and needed a good costume. I decided to try to find something at Goodwill b/c they have old cheap stuff. Well I did find some good stuff...but, I wasn't alone. HAHAHAH - I was accompanied by none other than Angela and Andrea from my office. We went to lunch and then to Goodwill. ;) I got pics of them sifting through stuff. Of course we did hit the jackpot that day. They were doing a clearance of some sort and had brought all their clothes out to sell. So they had a blast. Here's a pic. And my 2fer. 1-Angela; 2 - Andrea. heh

It's all good...

So, yesterday was one of the worst days I've had in a loooonngg time. It sucked! Especially up until lunchtime or a little after. Then by the end of the day all was well in the world. I don't want to go into too much detail, but I am glad it's over. I have been pretty stressed lately with the 2 houses, all my past and future travel, add to that a crazy misunderstanding and an irate customer who essentially called me a liar. Anyway it's done - today was WAY better. The 2 houses are still in process, my future travel is nowhere near as exhausting as it was going to be (I was to go to Panama City in a couple of weeks and to Boston, Tampa and Siberia...in July - I'll stop there, I'm trying to not even think about DC and Chicago in August etc. etc.) I've decided to axe Panama City and Siberia. Not popular choices with others, but they'll have to deal. The crazy misunderstanding is now understood and it wasn't a big deal and the irate customer...I'll deal with them Monday - I believe it was a misunderstanding too...I'll know after a face-to-face.

Anyway, after work Lisa asked me to go to Kohl's and pay off her Kohl's card (a whopping $62.98) so I went. I waited in line and got to the cashier and gave her the account number, which she typed in and asked how much I wanted to pay. "I want to pay it off", I said, thinking that she could look up the amount. "Sir, I'm sorry, but I can't look up your account balance. I can only accept payments."
"Fine. Let me call my wife and find out what the balance is." I called Lisa and she said it was $62.98, which I repeated to the cashier. "$62.98 is the total. That's what I want to pay."
"OK, sir. $62.98. Alright. How would you like to pay?"
"I'll use my check card."
"Oh, I'm sorry sir. We don't accept credit cards for account payment."
"OK - I'm not using a credit card. This is a check card; a debit card."
"We don't accept those either. Only cash or check."
Well, now I was getting frustrated. There had to be around this stupidity. As soon as I started thinking how to thwart the Kohl's piss-poor point of sale system, I saw 'Gift Card' on the screen. It was too brilliant...too easy, yet so dumb. I had found the hole in their 'oh-so-credit-protected' system.
"Umm, ma'am?" I said, asking very sweetly as to not attract too much attention. "I think I would like to buy a gift card for $62.98."
Immediately, she looked up at me. One eyebrow was raised, her opposite eye slightly squinting.
"You want to buy a gift card?" She replied.
"Yeah. I want a gift card. The green one." My excitement was rising. Foolish cashier, I thought to myself. How dare you attempt to match wits with me. You have no idea who I am or the brilliance I inspire.
"That will be $62.98, please."
I handed over my debit card...easily...steadily...as to not arouse any suspicicion. She swiped it, printed the receipt and handed me the gift card.
"Fool!" I exclaimed. "HA! I have twarted your meager point of sale system. Was there ever a thought that I would leave the store without paying? May it never be!" I quickly glanced at the name tag worn by the cashier. "Now, Ms. Sharon...I would like to pay off my Kohl's account balance of $62.98 with this GREEN gift card!"
All of the joy drained from her face as she realized she had lost the battle. She looked down for a second, almost bewildered at the turn of events. The people in line behind me started whispering and snickering. They were beginning to congratulate my intellectual prowess.
Sharon extended her hand, into which I politely, yet firmly placed the green gift card. What else was she to do? She took the card and swiped it and typed $62.98 on the screen and applied payment to my gift card. Then she printed the receipt.
Applause started from somewhere in the back of the store. I realized they were applauding my efforts...my quick thinking.
After handing me the receipt, Sharon quietly said "Have a good day Mr. Story."
To which I replied..."I always do, Sharon. I always do." I then left the store to a round of applause and laughter which made me smile all the way to my Jeep and to home.

SATURDAY
This is a little anticlimactic, but just to let you know that not every day is like yesterday. I got up this morning, went to soccer, came home worked on my footers, rode my bike, went running and worked on my footers some more. We also had supper with our neighbors - I ran my book idea by them and they thought it was fascinating. What's really funny (odd) is that the neighbor wife's dad may have had something to do with what I am writing about...not sure if that's good or bad yet. We'll see.

hell and pride

Before you read on...know these things.

Hell is real.
Pride is real.

In the past 24 hours I have experienced both. Really (no, not really).

1st. Hell. Last night I had the pleasure of attending a PTA meeting at our local school. Along with the meeting, there was a program given in which 4th and 5th graders played music and sang, etc. It would have been much more fun had one of our kids been in it, but they are not old enough yet. Anyway, sitting through that, not really having ties to anyone in the performance, it was - what I am sure to be - what Hell will be like. I even have pictures. All kidding aside, the kids really did do a good job. And they did a lot - I didn't realize kids had attention spans that long.








Anyway, if you notice in the pictures, I would like to know how a student gets picked to play the plastic tube.









2nd. Pride. This morning I was surprised with an award from our local chamber of commerce. They give this award out once a year and it is really an honor to receive it. It is the Community Leadership Association Distinguished Leadership Award. I just got it from our Metro area for this year. Pretty cool. Someone made the remark that I am going to need a cabinet to put these things in. And (my pride being up there) I agreed. Then someone said that I will need a new office for my head to fit in (which quickly brought me back down). hahahahah



Anyway, I hadn't posted in a few days so I thought I'd let you in one some things that have been happening around here (me). hahahahaha

(in)famous....

Well, guess what happened to me on the way to work today.

Nope nothing exciting. But, I did get called to give my opinions on customer service in a kind of interview a couple of days ago and did so - which may be for a new book coming out later in the year. Very cool. And I'm getting a head start by being featured on a blog as well. It's all about customer service. I have decided to repost the blog here - when I get the address, I'll put it up too. I know it's long...but it's really good. And Ted really knows what he's talking about.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ted’s Blog

“Do you do training for companies?” I get that question all the time.

Actually, that’s exactly what we do.

Sure, I’ve written a book. I hope people buy it, and that some of them actually read it (surprisingly, many do!). But I don’t consider myself an author nearly so much as I am a teacher. That’s why I like to describe my book, Five-Star Customer Service, as a really long brochure. I wrote it to send to CEOs and other top managers, in the hopes of winning their business to do on-site training of their managers and staff.

Yes, I do keynote speaking, and I love to do it. There is nothing better than sharing the best practices I’ve learned with a new group of people. I throw myself into it with missionary zeal. Nothing is more urgent in business today than helping people to really “get it” when it comes to customer service. And almost nobody “gets it,” even among our nation’s business leadership. It’s amazing. I’ve got a lot of work to do.

But while a one-hour workshop is useful – very useful, I’ve been told by the people who actually sign the checks – even better is when a top manager invites us to rework some of their operations, making the entire company more customer-centric.

As my father taught me from his work in Total Quality Management, the push for outstanding customer service has to start all the way at the top: without the chief executive firmly behind it, it’s tough to make change of this type stick. Then, the company needs a Chief Customer Officer of some sort – the title doesn’t matter that much, just the job of “Customer Champion.” There really should be someone on the inside whose whole purpose is to drive a company’s customer focus. Someone who reports directly to the CEO. Someone with the authority to reward those who play along, and to make life quite difficult for those who refuse. Because customer service is, first and last, about people. If the people on the inside buy into it, you’re most of the way there. If they stand in the way… good luck.

Saratoga Technologies (http://saratogaus.com/) has just such a person in Tim Story, Senior Vice President of Customer Relations. Tim’s role at Saratoga is to make sure their 1,200 customers (and counting) aren’t just satisfied, they’re spoiled by the products and support they receive.

As Tim says, “There aren’t a lot of people out there who genuinely care for people. I guess a fault of mine is I care too much about people. I just want them to have what they need. Sometimes, when I’m with a customer, I’ll say, ‘You don’t need all this.’ And we’ll sell them less than they were planning to buy.”

Foolish? Crazy? Are you thinking, perhaps, that that is no way to run a business?

If so, the vast majority of business people would agree with you. But they’re wrong. I don’t mean merely from a customer service perspective. That thinking is wrong from a financial perspective as well.

Tim continues, “Whenever we do this – every single time – the customer will call and order something else from us, maybe a month later. We’ve gained their trust, and that makes us the kind of company you want to do business with.”

Saratoga isn’t just another company. They’re one of CRN’s Fast Growth 100. They’re also one of Tennessee’s Fast 50 Businesses. They’re on the move. My bet is, with top executives like Tim Story driving their culture of customer service excellence, it won’t be too long until you start hearing a lot more about this remarkable firm.

Superlative customer service pays. Just ask Saratoga Technologies.

‘Every single time’ he puts the customer ahead of his own company, they buy more from him. Can your company say the same? Or is it too focused on the quick hit?

If so, we should talk.


Questions? Concerns? Comments? Do you have a customer service story of your own to share? Email me directly: ted@coinetraining.com. I can’t wait to hear from you.

Must See TV

well, er, must see web video. Hilarious....

immigrants....

A - I know you know I'm white.
B - That has nothing to do with what I'm about to type.

Yesterday was the big immigrant walkout day. The illegals and their supporters were to show us 'en masse that they controlled so much of our economy, etc. Funny, but I didn't notice any great catastrophe of monetary proportions that brought this country to its knees. That makes me wonder... What did the immigrants prove by protesting and walking out, other than by showing that they really aren't neccessary to the national economy? At least on a grand scale like they thought. I don't understand. I went and ate Mexican food for lunch yesterday (which was at a place ran by Mexicans) simply because they didn't walk out and close.

Another thing that I find odd is the "New Black Panther" Group that is in NC supporting the woman who accused the Duke LaCrosse players of rape. I watched their spoksman on Hannity & Colmes try to speak as to why they are there and supporting her and wanting the kids to be guilty, etc. I know they are supporting her because she is black. Fine. What I don't understand is that the spoksman for the group had nothing to say but rant on about who shot MLK, Jr. etc. And he talks about how the crime happened (before there's even been a trial). If groups like theirs are really trying to bring about justice and grow their cause, one would think that they would at least try to get the brighest of the bunch to be the "face" of the group so they didn't look so ignorant on TV. Even Alan Colmes, who I usually disagree with, was putting them in their place by trying to ask a simple question and never getting an answer. I don't understand why these people agree to be on TV with "Pro's" unless they can really handle it.

OK - time to step off my soapbox and go get some lunch.

Oh one last thing - Johnny T, MXing last night was fun...I still can't believe you opened it up on the big jump...hope you're not too sore this morning. heheh