After attending a meeting last night I have concluded that Power Point presentations with lots of quotes in them are really f'ing boring. Oh my gosh. Next time let me leave the room and go watch paint dry because it might be more exciting! People, just because you can use Power Point doesn't mean you always should use Power Point! Oh ya, the best was the conclusion of this 3+ hour marathon meeting... they told us to meld everything together into a new vision statement for the organization. See blog a few weeks ago for my feelings on vision, mission, etc... statements.
peace out.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Ronald's reply
Well, the SacTownGuy got an unexciting canned reply. No free coupons or anything! Basically they apologize for my "recent disappointment in McDonald's." They suggest that every employee is trained. They also indicate they will pass my letter on to the franchise owner. I probably should reply for clarification but I know some guy already wrote a book like that so I don't want to copy him... however, I can see how it happens. Though expecting a canned reply I would expected a better one. Maybe they need more cans to choose from!?
peace out.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Mas India
When you can't think what to blog about just paste your mom's emails from India. She asked me to forward it and I failed to do a good job of that so now I am forwarding ot the world:
This is one day later. We are in Paro, Bhutan. Bhutan is like heaven after Kolkata. We are high in the mountains near Nepal. The air is clear, no crowds, green landscape. We saw Mt Everest from the plane yesterday. The mountains are big and lovely.
The men wear outfits like bathrobes with knee socks and regular dress shoes. Our guide said his wife wove the fabric of his robe -- it is almost like a small scottish tartan. No way does it look home made. We are all very happy to be in Bhutan.
Kolkata has so much going on -- on every inch of the sidewalk -- like sleeping, bathing, urinating, cooking, selling, trying to give help with finding where you want to go after which you let them take you to the merchant who will pay them a commission. There is constanhtly a beggar with a hand on your arm and 2-3 sidewalk merchants pointing out their merchandise. The first morning we walked 1/2 block after breakfast and were overloaded and stressed out. We neeeded to return to the sanctuary and peace of the hotel.
The Oberoi Grand Hotel is world class. I bet that Gigi stayed there back in the 1960s. It was a joy. We hated to move down to a dreary 4 star hotel.
We met Russell Peters, a comedian, at lunch one day. He was performing in Kolkata that night and Bangelore the next. He said that he performs all over the world. Lives near Cahuenga Pass in LA. Grew up in Toronto and is related to Nahun the baker here in Kolkata. We went to Nahun's bakery to get permission to go to the Synagogue. That was quite a trip through amazingly narrow streets.
In Kolkata traffic is often at a standstill. Something has to give which it eventually does. Drivers often turn off their car engines for a red light. Traffic passes so close that every vehicle is dented galore. The busses are about 50 years old. The taxis are old Ambassadors -- about a 1950 design. They are now built in India, but many appear to date back to 1950.
There is a great description of living in India. Called "Holy Cow" by Sarah Mac Donald, an Aussie.
We were going to hike up a mountain this morning, but it is raining and too slippery and muddy.
It is slightly cool here in the mountains, very welcome. Kolkata was mostly in the 90's. Sweat was just dripping off of us constantly.
At breakfast this morning, there was an adjoining group mostly from Sac.
Love you lots,
Mom/Grandma
This is one day later. We are in Paro, Bhutan. Bhutan is like heaven after Kolkata. We are high in the mountains near Nepal. The air is clear, no crowds, green landscape. We saw Mt Everest from the plane yesterday. The mountains are big and lovely.
The men wear outfits like bathrobes with knee socks and regular dress shoes. Our guide said his wife wove the fabric of his robe -- it is almost like a small scottish tartan. No way does it look home made. We are all very happy to be in Bhutan.
Kolkata has so much going on -- on every inch of the sidewalk -- like sleeping, bathing, urinating, cooking, selling, trying to give help with finding where you want to go after which you let them take you to the merchant who will pay them a commission. There is constanhtly a beggar with a hand on your arm and 2-3 sidewalk merchants pointing out their merchandise. The first morning we walked 1/2 block after breakfast and were overloaded and stressed out. We neeeded to return to the sanctuary and peace of the hotel.
The Oberoi Grand Hotel is world class. I bet that Gigi stayed there back in the 1960s. It was a joy. We hated to move down to a dreary 4 star hotel.
We met Russell Peters, a comedian, at lunch one day. He was performing in Kolkata that night and Bangelore the next. He said that he performs all over the world. Lives near Cahuenga Pass in LA. Grew up in Toronto and is related to Nahun the baker here in Kolkata. We went to Nahun's bakery to get permission to go to the Synagogue. That was quite a trip through amazingly narrow streets.
In Kolkata traffic is often at a standstill. Something has to give which it eventually does. Drivers often turn off their car engines for a red light. Traffic passes so close that every vehicle is dented galore. The busses are about 50 years old. The taxis are old Ambassadors -- about a 1950 design. They are now built in India, but many appear to date back to 1950.
There is a great description of living in India. Called "Holy Cow" by Sarah Mac Donald, an Aussie.
We were going to hike up a mountain this morning, but it is raining and too slippery and muddy.
It is slightly cool here in the mountains, very welcome. Kolkata was mostly in the 90's. Sweat was just dripping off of us constantly.
At breakfast this morning, there was an adjoining group mostly from Sac.
Love you lots,
Mom/Grandma
Friday, October 24, 2008
Daddy, what does that mean?
Yesterday the kids piled into my car after soccer practice. Kitty Kat was home as she was tired from a long day. The little dude is 5 and is learning to read. As he gets onto his booster seat in the back seat I hear him sounding out letters of something he sees. Now kids today learn phonics so I hear "ya... e'... sssssss... ahhhhhh... nnnnnnn... 8." I wasn't really paying attention to what he was spelling as the little girl needed help getting her shin guards off.
Then I put it together as I heard him say, "daddy, what does yes on 8 mean?" Well, that is a loaded question of course. For my readers from around the world that don't know there is a statewide proposition that... well, shoot, let me just quote from Wiki because I am not trying to get political on you:
"Proposition 8 is an initiative measure on the 2008 California General Election ballot titled Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry. If passed, the proposition would change the California Constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry in California. A new section would be added stating only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."
I then told the little dude there is a proposition, or an issue, that people would be voting on. "What's voting?" Ok, well I explained how we are going to choose, or vote for a number of things in a couple weeks. I explained that all adults get to vote for a number of things including the president of the United States. I told them that there are two men running for President. I was interrupted, "why only those two?" Having a hard time with the president imagine how I can explain something like proposition 8!
We finally got back to proposition 8. I started by saying, "remember how recently we talked about the fact that when you are older you can marry a girl or a boy... whatever you want...." I cut myself off there. I want my kids to know how I think about stuff and I want them to know that approximtely 50% of the people feel different on any given issue. I don't want them to think I have all the answers. However, proposition 8!? That is just a loaded question. You know, how the heck can you explain that some people feel very strongly that you can not marry another boy if you want to and others feel you can. Oy vey!
I told him mommy and daddy were voting no on 8 and I left it at that.
peace out.
Then I put it together as I heard him say, "daddy, what does yes on 8 mean?" Well, that is a loaded question of course. For my readers from around the world that don't know there is a statewide proposition that... well, shoot, let me just quote from Wiki because I am not trying to get political on you:
"Proposition 8 is an initiative measure on the 2008 California General Election ballot titled Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry. If passed, the proposition would change the California Constitution to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry in California. A new section would be added stating only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."
I then told the little dude there is a proposition, or an issue, that people would be voting on. "What's voting?" Ok, well I explained how we are going to choose, or vote for a number of things in a couple weeks. I explained that all adults get to vote for a number of things including the president of the United States. I told them that there are two men running for President. I was interrupted, "why only those two?" Having a hard time with the president imagine how I can explain something like proposition 8!
We finally got back to proposition 8. I started by saying, "remember how recently we talked about the fact that when you are older you can marry a girl or a boy... whatever you want...." I cut myself off there. I want my kids to know how I think about stuff and I want them to know that approximtely 50% of the people feel different on any given issue. I don't want them to think I have all the answers. However, proposition 8!? That is just a loaded question. You know, how the heck can you explain that some people feel very strongly that you can not marry another boy if you want to and others feel you can. Oy vey!
I told him mommy and daddy were voting no on 8 and I left it at that.
peace out.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
India
I am too busy to blog. I am just waiting by the door for the mailman to show up with my McDonald's letter. Nothing yet. I got a nice email from my momz this week and realized she could be a good blogger. I thought I would share with you. They are in India. Anyway, here you go (I did alter a few words for better context):
This should be titled Tractor Guy and Grandma conquer India or India conquers Tractor Guy and Grandma. To sum it up: the people are very kind and try to help, but it's a lot different than the good old USA -- and also similar. Obama and McCain are on page 1 of the newspaper.
We arrived in New Delhi at 11 pm last night after a 9 hour flight on British Air. My vegetarian food was delicious. The crew were very pleasant. I had an aisle seat. It was a smooth flight. We had a pleasant seat mate from Jaipur who is in the travel business (at the wholesale level, I think) and invited us to call her for a drink in Jaipur.
We purchased a prepaid taxi in the airport. I didn't see an ATM there so exchanged some cash -- I planned my cash needs with the expectation of ATMs. Paid 340 rupees for a taxi to our hotel. Went outside and saw more people than ever anywhere. We found our taxi #2197. Watched them put 3 of our bags in the trunk and one on the roof rack. Tractor Guy asked if they would tie down the bag on the roof, but they said no.
A few minutes we pulled into the side of a gas station. An area full of cars. Both the driver and his helper left us with an incomprehensible explanation. I felt fairly certain they would return, but I was recalling that the guide book had recommended the pay ahead taxi so we would not be taken away by 2 men who were up to no good. We had the suspicious 2 men. After maybe 15 minutes our men returned with a tire and added it to the luggage. I made Tractor Guy check that they were not removing any of the luggage.
Next we had to come up with more money for a toll road -- 68 rupees (47 to a dollar). Not a lot of money to us, but a lot to Indians who may live on $1 per day. We left the toll rood and drove through totally dark streets. Our driver kept noticing people on the road: a ricksha driver with no customer, guards at various places along the road, a man who appeared ready to lie down on a mat/blanket on the grass, 2 policeman, more building guards, etc. None of them gave the right directions. Tractor Guy is ready to check into any hotel we see, and I am concerned to use the hotel we already paid $265.
After more than an hour while Tractor Guy suggested the car might run out of gas we finially spied a sign for the Lemon Tree Hotel. Then we couldn't figure out how to drive up. We could see a large parking lot either in front of or behind it. Our driver tried to go around to what he thought would be the front, but that was a construction zone and not passable. Then we drove along the edge of the parking lot (out on the Street) and finally found a narrow driveway and a Lemon Tree sign. The lot was very bumpy, but we did get to the hotel and someone was out there immediately to take our bags. I tipped the driver 500 rupees ($10) after Tractor Guy suggeted that he maybe close to running out of gas. I was impressed that the driver never dropped or dumped us at the wrong hotel. I don't think he could afford all that extra driving.
We checked in uneventfully EXCEPT the desk man did not think we had prepaid. I gave him my credit card and said we could figure it out in the morning. IT was 2am here, but only about 8 pm in London. We were pretty wide awake after out frights. Eventually I slept and somehow woke up about 7:30 am (just when the breakfast buffet started.
There were no Indians in the dining room. All westerners. At the same time, there was no recognizable western food except bread to toast and croissants. I had a spicy potato dish that was quite good. I also really ejoyed the plain white rice. It reminded me a trip to China when the SacTownGuy ate entire plates of rice at any meals. We each ordered eggs. The fried eggs looked fairly normal, my scrambled eggs looked strange. I got some protein!
Gigi, I have to report that I have seen no one sleeping on the sidewalk, but it is about 50 years since you were here. I did see a tent at the side of the road with 4 hard hats handing outside. I'm guessing that road workers were sleeping here. The roads do need work.
Some dirt hit me in the face as we drove in the taxi. The taxi was really about a 3-star attraction.
We are resting up today and flying to Calcutta tonight. I'm wonderig if I should be making arrangements for a car to pick us up. I now realize that the middle and upper classes do not use taxis here. They have clean modern vehicles and drivers. Last night at the airport arrivals there were at least 100 men with boards with hotel or passenger names on them. It gave you the feeling that your own name must be there somewhere.
After hearing that we hadn't prepaid the hotel last night, we were pleased to hear this morning that we have the rate which includes breakfast, lunch and dinner, some laundry and ironing and transport to and from the airport. I believe we are appreciating the humor of our ituation.
I don't mean to sound like I am complaining. We are quite content and learning a lot. I had read that Indians can not say no. It istoo harsh. So one says that perhaps it is thus and so -- when one has no idea howto answer a question. I suspect that was what was happening last night with the taxi directions.
All Indians so far have been friendly, helpful and kind.
We wish that all of you were here with us discovering India.
Yesterday in the London airport I saw an interesting light skinned African man. He had short braids all over his head and was wearing a suit -- with the pants slung low, but not loose and under the suit a hoodie. That may be the style for 2009.
Lots of Love, Tractor Guy and Grandma
This should be titled Tractor Guy and Grandma conquer India or India conquers Tractor Guy and Grandma. To sum it up: the people are very kind and try to help, but it's a lot different than the good old USA -- and also similar. Obama and McCain are on page 1 of the newspaper.
We arrived in New Delhi at 11 pm last night after a 9 hour flight on British Air. My vegetarian food was delicious. The crew were very pleasant. I had an aisle seat. It was a smooth flight. We had a pleasant seat mate from Jaipur who is in the travel business (at the wholesale level, I think) and invited us to call her for a drink in Jaipur.
We purchased a prepaid taxi in the airport. I didn't see an ATM there so exchanged some cash -- I planned my cash needs with the expectation of ATMs. Paid 340 rupees for a taxi to our hotel. Went outside and saw more people than ever anywhere. We found our taxi #2197. Watched them put 3 of our bags in the trunk and one on the roof rack. Tractor Guy asked if they would tie down the bag on the roof, but they said no.
A few minutes we pulled into the side of a gas station. An area full of cars. Both the driver and his helper left us with an incomprehensible explanation. I felt fairly certain they would return, but I was recalling that the guide book had recommended the pay ahead taxi so we would not be taken away by 2 men who were up to no good. We had the suspicious 2 men. After maybe 15 minutes our men returned with a tire and added it to the luggage. I made Tractor Guy check that they were not removing any of the luggage.
Next we had to come up with more money for a toll road -- 68 rupees (47 to a dollar). Not a lot of money to us, but a lot to Indians who may live on $1 per day. We left the toll rood and drove through totally dark streets. Our driver kept noticing people on the road: a ricksha driver with no customer, guards at various places along the road, a man who appeared ready to lie down on a mat/blanket on the grass, 2 policeman, more building guards, etc. None of them gave the right directions. Tractor Guy is ready to check into any hotel we see, and I am concerned to use the hotel we already paid $265.
After more than an hour while Tractor Guy suggested the car might run out of gas we finially spied a sign for the Lemon Tree Hotel. Then we couldn't figure out how to drive up. We could see a large parking lot either in front of or behind it. Our driver tried to go around to what he thought would be the front, but that was a construction zone and not passable. Then we drove along the edge of the parking lot (out on the Street) and finally found a narrow driveway and a Lemon Tree sign. The lot was very bumpy, but we did get to the hotel and someone was out there immediately to take our bags. I tipped the driver 500 rupees ($10) after Tractor Guy suggeted that he maybe close to running out of gas. I was impressed that the driver never dropped or dumped us at the wrong hotel. I don't think he could afford all that extra driving.
We checked in uneventfully EXCEPT the desk man did not think we had prepaid. I gave him my credit card and said we could figure it out in the morning. IT was 2am here, but only about 8 pm in London. We were pretty wide awake after out frights. Eventually I slept and somehow woke up about 7:30 am (just when the breakfast buffet started.
There were no Indians in the dining room. All westerners. At the same time, there was no recognizable western food except bread to toast and croissants. I had a spicy potato dish that was quite good. I also really ejoyed the plain white rice. It reminded me a trip to China when the SacTownGuy ate entire plates of rice at any meals. We each ordered eggs. The fried eggs looked fairly normal, my scrambled eggs looked strange. I got some protein!
Gigi, I have to report that I have seen no one sleeping on the sidewalk, but it is about 50 years since you were here. I did see a tent at the side of the road with 4 hard hats handing outside. I'm guessing that road workers were sleeping here. The roads do need work.
Some dirt hit me in the face as we drove in the taxi. The taxi was really about a 3-star attraction.
We are resting up today and flying to Calcutta tonight. I'm wonderig if I should be making arrangements for a car to pick us up. I now realize that the middle and upper classes do not use taxis here. They have clean modern vehicles and drivers. Last night at the airport arrivals there were at least 100 men with boards with hotel or passenger names on them. It gave you the feeling that your own name must be there somewhere.
After hearing that we hadn't prepaid the hotel last night, we were pleased to hear this morning that we have the rate which includes breakfast, lunch and dinner, some laundry and ironing and transport to and from the airport. I believe we are appreciating the humor of our ituation.
I don't mean to sound like I am complaining. We are quite content and learning a lot. I had read that Indians can not say no. It istoo harsh. So one says that perhaps it is thus and so -- when one has no idea howto answer a question. I suspect that was what was happening last night with the taxi directions.
All Indians so far have been friendly, helpful and kind.
We wish that all of you were here with us discovering India.
Yesterday in the London airport I saw an interesting light skinned African man. He had short braids all over his head and was wearing a suit -- with the pants slung low, but not loose and under the suit a hoodie. That may be the style for 2009.
Lots of Love, Tractor Guy and Grandma
Friday, October 17, 2008
The Letter
McDonald’s Corporation
Attn: Customer Service
2111 McDonald’s drive
Oak Brook, IL 60523
Dear Sir or Madam:
I purchased an iced tea yesterday at your store on Foothills, near Washington, in Roseville, CA. I have purchased iced tea there before. The most notable thing about the store is that the guy who takes the money, a young Hispanic man, is THE most friendly fast food worker I have ever encountered. He always thanks me and calls me “amigo.” However, this letter is not a letter of compliment but rather a letter of complaint.
I purchase a lot of iced tea. I don’t drink coffee but I do like iced tea. I consider myself some what of an iced tea aficionado. I dislike the tea at Burger King because it comes out of the fountain and I don’t care for Starbuck’s as it has too much of an aftertaste. I prefer your tea as well as that of In-N-Out as it’s just plain, old fashion, tea.
Yesterdays purchase left something to be desired. I actually blogged about it with pictures, if you care to read, at www.sactownguy.blogspot.com. I didn’t notice until I was back at my office and had removed the lid that the “drink” was not a drink but rather a cup full of ice with a splash of iced tea across the ice. Ok, I am exaggerating the point but it was rather bothersome to find that I had received so little tea and a cup packed to the top with ice.
I thus conducted a little experiment. I left the cup in my office all day, with the lid off, and drank the cold water occasionally that had melted from all that ice. To show you how ridiculous the amount of ice was there was still ice cubes in that cup 12 hours after purchase. No joke!
In case you didn’t read my blog let me tell you that I, like most people, worked at a fast food establishment. In fact, I worked at Burger King during 11th grade and again during college; the second stint lasted about a week but that’s a story for another day. My recollection at BK was that they either showed us how much ice to put in a cup or there was a line on the cup. I don’t recall but I do KNOW, with certainty, that I would never serve a beverage to someone with ice to the rim. I mean really… who wants a cup full of ice? You finish the drink so quickly and then you just have ice.
A related complaint is the styrophome cup. No, I am not concerned about the environmental effects that the cup may have as I am sure you guys have done testing and these cups aren’t like the old styrophome cups. However, when the cup is so full of ice it’s impossible to slide the straw down the side as you can do with the plastic cups. I thus had to lift the cup to get the few drops of tea at the bottom of the cup. Luckily I did not have an avalanche but I was worried as I had my work clothes on! Just imagine my letter if I had attached a dry cleaning bill to it!
In conclusion, I hope you send a training manual to that store so they can work on their ice serving skills. I like McDonald’s and will continue to buy my iced tea there but I would prefer to have things served correctly.
Attn: Customer Service
2111 McDonald’s drive
Oak Brook, IL 60523
Dear Sir or Madam:
I purchased an iced tea yesterday at your store on Foothills, near Washington, in Roseville, CA. I have purchased iced tea there before. The most notable thing about the store is that the guy who takes the money, a young Hispanic man, is THE most friendly fast food worker I have ever encountered. He always thanks me and calls me “amigo.” However, this letter is not a letter of compliment but rather a letter of complaint.
I purchase a lot of iced tea. I don’t drink coffee but I do like iced tea. I consider myself some what of an iced tea aficionado. I dislike the tea at Burger King because it comes out of the fountain and I don’t care for Starbuck’s as it has too much of an aftertaste. I prefer your tea as well as that of In-N-Out as it’s just plain, old fashion, tea.
Yesterdays purchase left something to be desired. I actually blogged about it with pictures, if you care to read, at www.sactownguy.blogspot.com. I didn’t notice until I was back at my office and had removed the lid that the “drink” was not a drink but rather a cup full of ice with a splash of iced tea across the ice. Ok, I am exaggerating the point but it was rather bothersome to find that I had received so little tea and a cup packed to the top with ice.
I thus conducted a little experiment. I left the cup in my office all day, with the lid off, and drank the cold water occasionally that had melted from all that ice. To show you how ridiculous the amount of ice was there was still ice cubes in that cup 12 hours after purchase. No joke!
In case you didn’t read my blog let me tell you that I, like most people, worked at a fast food establishment. In fact, I worked at Burger King during 11th grade and again during college; the second stint lasted about a week but that’s a story for another day. My recollection at BK was that they either showed us how much ice to put in a cup or there was a line on the cup. I don’t recall but I do KNOW, with certainty, that I would never serve a beverage to someone with ice to the rim. I mean really… who wants a cup full of ice? You finish the drink so quickly and then you just have ice.
A related complaint is the styrophome cup. No, I am not concerned about the environmental effects that the cup may have as I am sure you guys have done testing and these cups aren’t like the old styrophome cups. However, when the cup is so full of ice it’s impossible to slide the straw down the side as you can do with the plastic cups. I thus had to lift the cup to get the few drops of tea at the bottom of the cup. Luckily I did not have an avalanche but I was worried as I had my work clothes on! Just imagine my letter if I had attached a dry cleaning bill to it!
In conclusion, I hope you send a training manual to that store so they can work on their ice serving skills. I like McDonald’s and will continue to buy my iced tea there but I would prefer to have things served correctly.
Agua
I was disappointed to wake this morning to find only water in my Mickey d's cup. The ice did not last 24 hours as I had hoped it could achieve. I went to bed about 9:15 and the ice was still going strong so it made it at least 12 hours. I was really hoping as I drank the water this morning that some little ice chip would flow through my teeth but alas it was for not... it was just water. Kitty Kat thinks I am looking at this as the glass as half empty when, according to her, the glass if half full... Mickey D's makes a hell of a good Styrofoam cup. Be that as it may when I buy an iced tea I want iced tea and not just ice. Letter going out today on official SacTownGuy letterhead to:
McDonald’s Corporation
2111 McDonald's Dr
Oak Brook, IL 60523
Happy Friday and peace out.
McDonald’s Corporation
2111 McDonald's Dr
Oak Brook, IL 60523
Happy Friday and peace out.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
O'Shea's in the cup
Ok, so no this is not a thread about "tough guy" Ice Cube in his pink and white striped shirt back at Taft High School in the rough and tumble San Fernando Valley. Rather this is post #3 about the ice cubes that are STILL in my cup! It's now 7:00 at night. I bought the Iced Tea about 9:20 this morning... about ten hours ago. As of 4:30 there were plenty of cubes for this picture to show. It's hard to get a picture now... and I am too lazy to go get my phone to take another picture. However, this 4:30 shot is good enough I think.
Now at 7:00 PM there are about 20 ice cubes left. I will leave it on the counter and try to remember to check in the morning before I go to work. What a great cup Mickey D's uses. My full cup of ice and splash of tea is looking great IF having ice cubes 10 hours later was the goal of my purchase this morning!
peace out.
Ice Ice Baby
You need to read Fast Food Workers, below, before reading this blog or it might not make any sense.
As of 1:25 PM (4 hours after purchase) the stryphome cup is still about 1/2 full of ice. It is sitting on my desk as I post this blog. Just think, if there had been room for more than a few ounces of iced tea this morning that remaining tea would still be cold!
YES, I am going to write to McDonald's about this major travesty!
As of 1:25 PM (4 hours after purchase) the stryphome cup is still about 1/2 full of ice. It is sitting on my desk as I post this blog. Just think, if there had been room for more than a few ounces of iced tea this morning that remaining tea would still be cold!
YES, I am going to write to McDonald's about this major travesty!
Fast Food Workers
I was going to tell you about the annoying morning at the gym with the guy singing LOUDLY as he listened to his I-POD, the woman that talks (and laughs) loudly with herself while working out, and the chatty-cattys talking about their "friend" after she walked away. However, I have a problem that is bigger than that!
I went to a board meeting this morning. Afterwards I stopped to buy an iced tea at Mickey D's. You may recall a month or two ago I told you about the Mickey's D's where I ordered an iced tea with an Equal added to it and they gave me sweet T with an Equal in it which is way TOO sweet.
Anyway, same Mickey D's but new problem. Look at the picture above and what do you think the problem is? Styrofoam cup? Whatever! I am not trying to save the world. Just enjoy my iced tea. Yes, the Styrofoam cup is a problem... mainly because the straw can NOT get to the bottom of the cup as it won't slide down the side as a plastic cup would allow. I thus can not get to the iced tea at the bottom of the cup without picking the cup up and tilting it... so why give me a straw!? What's the problem? THE ICE! I bought this thing 40 minutes ago and the ice is still packed to within 1.5 inches of the top of the cup. Who the heck needs that much ice in their drink?
I get iced tea every day. I normally buy it at the coffee shop in my office building. It's self serve there so I get to put exactly 3 inches, give or take half an inch, of ice in the bottom of the cup. That usually chills the drink and finishes melting just about the time I am done drinking it. That means I have maximized my iced tea intake. I sometimes scoff when I see novices fill their cups full of ice.
Today though was not a novice but rather a professional fast food worker. Don't they train people anymore? I worked at BK back in '85. I remember being taught how much ice to put in a cup. I think they even had a line on the cup back then. Hmmmmm, maybe we are getting somewhere. Maybe it's really Mickey D's corporate who is at fault here and not the idiot who filled my cup!? Maybe I need to write a letter to Mickey D's corporate offices!? Maybe I should link to this blog? This is changing from a rant to a really good idea.
I gotta sign off as I have to go write to Mickey D's!
peace out.
Monday, October 13, 2008
College Dorm Life
Let me start by saying we all know that kids don't study all the time in college. That first year, kids are away from home for the first time, no supervision, and basically left to run wild in the dorms. Our parents felt secure that we would be safe in the dorms with the "RA's" overseeing our behavior. Of course, anybody that is anybody knows be-friending the more experienced RA's was the best way to get beer because they were all of 19 or 20 years old themselves but they had been in college for at least a year so they had fake ID's! Plus, if you were doing something illegal with the RA's, you couldn't get in trouble yourself could you!?
It would seem that John Belushi, as "Flounder," in Animal House really set the bar for how a drunken college student should act. Of course that's the movies and that stuff doesn't happen in real life. The pranks that one pulls are generally not quite as big as those in Animal House and they rarely work out exactly as planned. I have a couple of examples to share. I should start by saying these are NOT tales that I was involved in. Possibly I will share some of my tales another day. However, today I am sharing the stories of a fellow Cossack alum. Yes, he lived to graduate!
Both of these stories were brought to me by a college friend who we will call the Librarian. The Librarian was your typical 18 year old, college freshman, back in the middle 80's. He may have had a little bit more of the hippy vibe going than did the SacTownGuy was but I don't think he was out protesting at nuclear waste rallies or anything like that. Rather, he was just a regular mild-mannered college kid living the dorm life, drinking beer, going to class most days... and just maybe taking a hit or two off a bong on a rare occasion. ;)
The names and exact locations have been changed to protect the guilty....
The first one as told to me by the Librarian: "Lolita and several of her friends were kicked out of the dorms for spraypaint vandalism our first semester. They were drunk and trying to paint "Drop acid not bombs" on the dorms (F building where we lived) but because of their drunkenness, they actually spray painted, "drop acid not bobb" I still have a copy of the SSU newspaper with a picture of that on the front page."
Then, here is another told expertly by the Librarian: "This was the semester I was in the S-dorm. I still spent most of my time at my old dorm. That was room F6. Our bedroom window faced the dorm office and the pool. Over to the right you could see the bedroom windows of the 'B' building that sat perpendicular. There was this one window where the people stacked their beer cans all the way to the top of the window, like they were proud of how much beer they drank. My friends and I thought this was like the ultimate bonehead thing to do, so we got the idea to try to knock down their beer cans. I think it was three of us: Me, Bob and Jill, who decided to do this one night. Our idea was to bang on the window in hopes of knocking them down. So we snuck over there at night around 9 or so and on the count of 3, banged on the window REALLY HARD. The window completely shattered!! We were completely freaked out because this was not our intention. All three of us ran in different directions to avoid getting caught. I ran all the way out to the campus entrance on East Cotati (the entrance nearest the dorms). I then walked west on E. Cotati, made that first right, and walked back to the dorms along the bike path. We all eventually came back to the dorms and were not caught. I guess we lucked out in that respect. I think that was way worse than the spray paint thing. We would have probably been expelled from the whole university, I'm guessing. No one was hurt, fortunately. Man, I'm almost ashamed to tell that story. Anyway, that's what happened."
For those that don't know the Librarian probably walked/ran a mile and a half to avoid being caught after the above episode... on a dark and pretty busy street. It's really quite amusing because most anybody that spent time in the dorms got into some mischief of their own. Maybe one day I will tell you about the time the Rodent Park po-po gave chase to the SacTownGuy... but until then you will have to wait to find out if the SacTownGuy got away!
peace out.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Writer's Block
The SacTownGuy is not on strike... but is having a bit of writer's block lately. It seems that ideas come to my head as possible blog topics and then leave without getting written. Some things are just EASY... like Star War's Guy below. That dude was basically walking around with a shirt on that said, "PLEASE BLOG ABOUT ME." Beyond that though I have had problems.
This morning while I was on a beautiful sunrise bike ride I thought about riding about the peacefulness of riding at that hour on a Sunday morning... but I didn't have more than that.
Then, while on the same bike ride, I was enjoying my I-Pod and thinking about writing about the music. Maybe some moving words from an old rap song or even the enjoyment I got today from some old 80's "new wave" music that snuck it's way onto my I-Pod from my Kroq listening days. Alas, it was not enough to blog about.
I could blog about going to our neighbor's 5th birthday today. How clicheic it is that the women were helping the kids with crafts while the guys sat on the couch watching a blowout football game... just biding time until cake was served. Actually, I enjoy those parties but how boring is that blog!?
Could blog about my son's addiction to Lego Star War's on the Wii... but that's sort of the definition of a 5 and a half year old so that's too easy... or "easy peezey" as my son might say.
Could blog about my breakfast the Pimp House this morning. Their omelets are the best. Anybody that messes around eating breakfast somewhere else is just wasting time. However, I have blogged about that before.
I was toying with the idea of blogging about politics and how funny it is that I have friends on the extreme right and extreme left on so many issues. However, I don't like to be a political guy so won't wage that war.
Oh ya, I thought about writing about the fun of connecting with old friends on Facebook. I connected with a couple of old college friends and a couple of old high school friends this week. Very fun to share memories... but if you aren't one of those people those stories might seem boring. Actually, I did hear one worth sharing with you. Connected with an old suite-mate from my freshman year who we will call Brian. If recollection serves me, Brian was an average sized guy who shared the other room with a roommate who was a HUGE guy named Rich. I mean HUGE. Rich had formerly played on the school football team but falled out of shape after a bad car accident. So one night Brian falls asleep in his little dorm bed (not much bigger than a cot) and later that night his huge roommate Rich stumbles in, probably drunk, and on who knows what else.... Rich passed out to sleep... on the wrong bed... and right on top of his roommate! Brian tried to wake him to get him off of him but had trouble as Rich was deep in a drunken stooper. Ok, if you didn't think that was funny you don't know humor.
Ok, that's all I got for ya today. I think my writer's block will be broken by Wednesday so be on the lookout.
peace out.
This morning while I was on a beautiful sunrise bike ride I thought about riding about the peacefulness of riding at that hour on a Sunday morning... but I didn't have more than that.
Then, while on the same bike ride, I was enjoying my I-Pod and thinking about writing about the music. Maybe some moving words from an old rap song or even the enjoyment I got today from some old 80's "new wave" music that snuck it's way onto my I-Pod from my Kroq listening days. Alas, it was not enough to blog about.
I could blog about going to our neighbor's 5th birthday today. How clicheic it is that the women were helping the kids with crafts while the guys sat on the couch watching a blowout football game... just biding time until cake was served. Actually, I enjoy those parties but how boring is that blog!?
Could blog about my son's addiction to Lego Star War's on the Wii... but that's sort of the definition of a 5 and a half year old so that's too easy... or "easy peezey" as my son might say.
Could blog about my breakfast the Pimp House this morning. Their omelets are the best. Anybody that messes around eating breakfast somewhere else is just wasting time. However, I have blogged about that before.
I was toying with the idea of blogging about politics and how funny it is that I have friends on the extreme right and extreme left on so many issues. However, I don't like to be a political guy so won't wage that war.
Oh ya, I thought about writing about the fun of connecting with old friends on Facebook. I connected with a couple of old college friends and a couple of old high school friends this week. Very fun to share memories... but if you aren't one of those people those stories might seem boring. Actually, I did hear one worth sharing with you. Connected with an old suite-mate from my freshman year who we will call Brian. If recollection serves me, Brian was an average sized guy who shared the other room with a roommate who was a HUGE guy named Rich. I mean HUGE. Rich had formerly played on the school football team but falled out of shape after a bad car accident. So one night Brian falls asleep in his little dorm bed (not much bigger than a cot) and later that night his huge roommate Rich stumbles in, probably drunk, and on who knows what else.... Rich passed out to sleep... on the wrong bed... and right on top of his roommate! Brian tried to wake him to get him off of him but had trouble as Rich was deep in a drunken stooper. Ok, if you didn't think that was funny you don't know humor.
Ok, that's all I got for ya today. I think my writer's block will be broken by Wednesday so be on the lookout.
peace out.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Star War's Guy
I wish I could have pulled out the camera phone yesterday because this guy was a specimen that you needed to see! I was at Target with the kids. Each kid had ten bucks to spend. Thus we were in the toy aisle... the boy's toy aisle. It's full of plastic figures and vehicles for such lines as Power Rangers, Spiderman, Star Wars, etc.... This is my son's favorite place to go... he loves that boys toy aisle. Nothing pink!
As the little dude, who is almost 6 years old, perused each item with eyes wide open another shopper was also looking at each item... and even more eagerly, and with greater determination, than my 5 and a half year old. I will call him Star War's Guy. Dude was about 30 with a Mario Brothers shirt on. The shirt appeared new as it still had creases in it. He had a couple friends with him that looked pretty normal. In fact, if they hadn't been with this dork I would not have noticed them. The one, in particular, looked uncomfortable hanging out in the toy aisle as his friend ravaged the displays looking for certain items. Let me back track. I am not saying these other two guys ever get any action from the ladies... EVER... but I could see the other two guys sitting in a bar, very uncomfortably, and at least looking at women. Star War's Guy would have no time for such a time expenditure as being out looking for women. Ahh shoot, he has the Internet what does he need a bar for!?
Star War's Guy was going through each rack of toys like a homeless man at a homeless shelter. He had one Spiderman item under his arm but he wanted more! He was looking through the Spiderman items, the Incredible Hulk items, the Power Rangers items, and on he went. I stood there, starting at this guy in disbelief. Let me quickly point out he was NOT an Ebay guy (who I would give some leeway too) who was buying unique items to quickly flip on Ebay. This guy was buying for his personal collection FOR SURE! Let's talk about his "look." First of all, a Mario Brother's shirt, in and of itself, is fine. However, couple that with browsing through the toy aisle and the rest of his outfit and it screams MEGA DORK!
Dude had a normal looking hair cut (short overall but a little longer on top) but his clothes... oy vey! He had some jeans (NOT Levi's) that were that slightly off color of dark blue... as you might get at Wal-Mart. He had on generic, dark colored, shoes. Not athletic shoes and not dress shoes... just SHOES. Beyond all that though, the gleam in his eyes as he looked through each stack of kids toys was too much for me to take... MEGA DORK. I felt bad for him in certain ways as it was sad.
I have some dorky tendencies... most notably I get some enjoyment out of baseball cards and to a lesser degree video games. Let me quickly point out I like baseball cards, primarily because they are worth money, and I like video games from my youth and NOT computer games that cause me to sit for hours. In fact, I don't go out of my way to play video games but will play a game of Ms. Pac-Man while waiting for car to be washed down at Harv's... or occasionally will play a game with my kids. However, I have never owned and never played those mega-dork games on the computer which are basically akin to Dungeons and Dragons on-line. Of course, I NEVER EVER in my life played D & D because everybody knows that is the mega dork game of my youth. Makes me cringe to think about those dorks.
My son was unsure what to get but as my little dude looked through each color of light sabre, before selecting some other Star War's plane it dawned on me that my son really should have asked Star Wars Guy for his opinion on what to buy. Shoot, maybe they could have a play date next week and play with their Star War's toys together!? They could do a full scale re-enactment of the movie from the fort in the back yard and dive the death stars into the sandbox, before finally throwing Darth Vader to his death... in the deep end of the swimming pool! Hey, I was 5 once so I know how to play with toys... I just stopped making that choice when I was about 10 years old!
peace out.
As the little dude, who is almost 6 years old, perused each item with eyes wide open another shopper was also looking at each item... and even more eagerly, and with greater determination, than my 5 and a half year old. I will call him Star War's Guy. Dude was about 30 with a Mario Brothers shirt on. The shirt appeared new as it still had creases in it. He had a couple friends with him that looked pretty normal. In fact, if they hadn't been with this dork I would not have noticed them. The one, in particular, looked uncomfortable hanging out in the toy aisle as his friend ravaged the displays looking for certain items. Let me back track. I am not saying these other two guys ever get any action from the ladies... EVER... but I could see the other two guys sitting in a bar, very uncomfortably, and at least looking at women. Star War's Guy would have no time for such a time expenditure as being out looking for women. Ahh shoot, he has the Internet what does he need a bar for!?
Star War's Guy was going through each rack of toys like a homeless man at a homeless shelter. He had one Spiderman item under his arm but he wanted more! He was looking through the Spiderman items, the Incredible Hulk items, the Power Rangers items, and on he went. I stood there, starting at this guy in disbelief. Let me quickly point out he was NOT an Ebay guy (who I would give some leeway too) who was buying unique items to quickly flip on Ebay. This guy was buying for his personal collection FOR SURE! Let's talk about his "look." First of all, a Mario Brother's shirt, in and of itself, is fine. However, couple that with browsing through the toy aisle and the rest of his outfit and it screams MEGA DORK!
Dude had a normal looking hair cut (short overall but a little longer on top) but his clothes... oy vey! He had some jeans (NOT Levi's) that were that slightly off color of dark blue... as you might get at Wal-Mart. He had on generic, dark colored, shoes. Not athletic shoes and not dress shoes... just SHOES. Beyond all that though, the gleam in his eyes as he looked through each stack of kids toys was too much for me to take... MEGA DORK. I felt bad for him in certain ways as it was sad.
I have some dorky tendencies... most notably I get some enjoyment out of baseball cards and to a lesser degree video games. Let me quickly point out I like baseball cards, primarily because they are worth money, and I like video games from my youth and NOT computer games that cause me to sit for hours. In fact, I don't go out of my way to play video games but will play a game of Ms. Pac-Man while waiting for car to be washed down at Harv's... or occasionally will play a game with my kids. However, I have never owned and never played those mega-dork games on the computer which are basically akin to Dungeons and Dragons on-line. Of course, I NEVER EVER in my life played D & D because everybody knows that is the mega dork game of my youth. Makes me cringe to think about those dorks.
My son was unsure what to get but as my little dude looked through each color of light sabre, before selecting some other Star War's plane it dawned on me that my son really should have asked Star Wars Guy for his opinion on what to buy. Shoot, maybe they could have a play date next week and play with their Star War's toys together!? They could do a full scale re-enactment of the movie from the fort in the back yard and dive the death stars into the sandbox, before finally throwing Darth Vader to his death... in the deep end of the swimming pool! Hey, I was 5 once so I know how to play with toys... I just stopped making that choice when I was about 10 years old!
peace out.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
TAG
You know you are getting old when you have to look up on-line to see what it means to be "tagged" in a blog. This getting old stuff is rough. Anyway, I have been tagged thanks to Chelsie out in Utah. My understanding is that I am now supposed to tell my readership 6 quirky things about the SacTownGuy. The problem is the SacTownGuy really has no quirks. He is perfect. Seriously though my quirks are more about all the annoying stuff OTHER people do. THEY have the oddities not ME! Well... I will put in some thought so here it goes... 6 quirky or odd things about the Sac Town Guy:
1. I am completely obsessed with working out every day. I am not in great shape, have very little muscle mass, can not run fast, can not bike far, but I am obsessed with working out every day. I prefer when my muscles hurt because it means I got my workout in. I am in a complete funk if I miss a day. All plans I make, such as vacations, include thought about where and when I will get my workout in.
2. I don't care for fireworks. They bore me. Back in the day I enjoyed setting off M-80's, bottle rockets, etc... just like the next kid. However, I find fireworks, up in the sky, to be one of the most boring activities on earth. Would rather go for root canal... at least there is some excitement there.
3. I don't drink coffee. Ok, well Chelsie lives in Utah so this doesn't seem weird to her. However, out here in Cali pretty much everybody over the age of 4 goes to Starbucks every day. I have drank coffee one time in my entire life. It was at a UCLA football game, when they used to play at the LA Coliseum, when I was about 12. Momz had bought the coffee, didn't like, it, and I didn't want it to go to waste so drank the whole cup of that swill. Makes me want to heave just thinking about it.
4. I have never done drugs. Again, this seems normal for Chelsie in Utah but pretty much 99.9% of the high school and college students in Cali do drugs at least once. In college bong hits were a daily thing for my friends and roommates and I was at plenty of parties where I watched friends do everything from lines of coke to smoking rocks. Never my thang though.
5. I am a neat freak. I HATE clutter. Luckily, Kitty kat feels the same. We joke that we are borderline OCD... or maybe it's not joke!? Seriously though, WHEN IN DOUBT THROW IT OUT is definitely the motto at our crib. We have received gifts that go straight to the Goodwill pile the day we receive it. YES, we have an active Goodwill pile going at all times. Goodwill makes big bank off the some of the stuff we give them... because we are too busy to do a garage sale.
6. I go to bed very early. This is related to #1 above. I am more than happy to cut the lights at 8:30 if Kitty Kat will let me and sometimes I just fall asleep while she is watching TV or reading. I wake up at 4:20 on most work days so I gotz to get to bed! 11:00 news? Haven't seen that in years! I do sometimes stay up "late" on the weekends... you know 9:30 or even 10:00 sometimes. Crazy, eh!?
I do not think I know 6 people who blog who I can tag. I know Chelsie who tagged me and my man Jimmy. I can't re-tag Chelsie so I just tag Jimmy!
Happy Friday and peace out.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Life Is Good
I think it's natural we all feel a bit down on life with all we read in the paper, watch on TV and even experience first hand. Business IS down for many of us, restaurants we like to eat at might be going out of business or at least not have long lines as they once did, stores (sometimes HUGE corporations) we enjoy shopping at are going bankrupt and in general there is a feeling of doom and gloom in the air. The SacTownGuy though is feeling good about life!
This morning I received an email from a friend of mine which had about 15 photos of amazing things in mother nature. There were animals, pictures of the sky, pictures of snow, mountains, etc.... At the conclusion of the email it simply said, "LIFE IS GOOD." You know what? Life really IS good!
I don't know about you but I have a job! I get paid good money. That's good.
My firm employs other people so they have jobs. We just gave our annual raises and gave pretty much what we have given in past years. Good for our employees!
I drive a new car. Sure it's only a four cylinder Honda Accord but it's new!
I hit 200 on my Facebook "friends" last week. How lucky am I to even know that many people that are willing to call me their friend!?
My baseball team is going to the playoffs. Good for them!
This past Sunday I went for a two hour bike ride at sunrise. I was up on top of a small mountain watching the sun rise. The ride was great, the sunrise so pretty in that crisp morning air and then I went to the Pimp House for breakfast. Not much of a better way to start a day than that!
My wife is beautiful and keeps our house running smoothly. I feel very lucky to be married to such a great life partner.
My son is proud to be growing big muscles and six pack abs with his work at gymnastics and soccer. It really couldn't be cuter... especially when he flexes his muscles in the bathroom mirror. He's all of 5 years old so it's pretty funny. Oh wait, I think I just heard him yell that he is five AND A HALF!
My daughter is excited to wear her ballet outfit anytime we will let her... be it to ballet class, gymnastics class, or neither. At 4 years old she smiles about some pretty Small stuff and laughs at ALL my jokes! She's not the best ballerina or gymnast in the world but she is the cutest! How good I have it!
People actually read my blog. I track the numbers and more of you are reading each week. How cool, eh!?
Bottom line: LIFE IS GOOD. Look for your good stuff!
This morning I received an email from a friend of mine which had about 15 photos of amazing things in mother nature. There were animals, pictures of the sky, pictures of snow, mountains, etc.... At the conclusion of the email it simply said, "LIFE IS GOOD." You know what? Life really IS good!
I don't know about you but I have a job! I get paid good money. That's good.
My firm employs other people so they have jobs. We just gave our annual raises and gave pretty much what we have given in past years. Good for our employees!
I drive a new car. Sure it's only a four cylinder Honda Accord but it's new!
I hit 200 on my Facebook "friends" last week. How lucky am I to even know that many people that are willing to call me their friend!?
My baseball team is going to the playoffs. Good for them!
This past Sunday I went for a two hour bike ride at sunrise. I was up on top of a small mountain watching the sun rise. The ride was great, the sunrise so pretty in that crisp morning air and then I went to the Pimp House for breakfast. Not much of a better way to start a day than that!
My wife is beautiful and keeps our house running smoothly. I feel very lucky to be married to such a great life partner.
My son is proud to be growing big muscles and six pack abs with his work at gymnastics and soccer. It really couldn't be cuter... especially when he flexes his muscles in the bathroom mirror. He's all of 5 years old so it's pretty funny. Oh wait, I think I just heard him yell that he is five AND A HALF!
My daughter is excited to wear her ballet outfit anytime we will let her... be it to ballet class, gymnastics class, or neither. At 4 years old she smiles about some pretty Small stuff and laughs at ALL my jokes! She's not the best ballerina or gymnast in the world but she is the cutest! How good I have it!
People actually read my blog. I track the numbers and more of you are reading each week. How cool, eh!?
Bottom line: LIFE IS GOOD. Look for your good stuff!
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