Category Archives: Business

2026, Automotive, books, Business, pets

Restoration

19 Comments

The other night I had a glasses mishap.  In getting out of the car at PetSmart, I was completely unorganized, trying to grab the vet records (Freya had to have vaccine proof for her class), dog treats, leash, purse, keys.  During this mess I managed to knocked my night driving glasses out of the car without realizing it.

When we got back to the car over an hour later, I noticed something a little shiny on the ground and when I reached down, saw that it was indeed my glasses.  They were a little wonky with one arm stuck and not opening.  I’m not sure what happened.  I’m pretty sure that if I had stepped on them in my kerfuffle getting out of the car, I would have noticed that.  On the other hand, if some other car had parked in the spot next to me while we were in class, it would have had to park REALLY close.  If I had to bet my own money, I somehow crunched them.

Luckily the lens seemed fine.  I was afraid to force the arm myself, so I took myself off to Warby Parker when they opened yesterday morning.  I knew they wouldn’t charge me to look at the glasses, but wasn’t sure if they would charge me for fixing them (if they could).  I was perfectly prepared to take them back home, force the arm and use duct tape until next summer, when I can get a new pair. 

The technician started looking at them and twisting them without quoting me any pricing so I quit worrying.  Then he set them down and went to “ask somebody something”… my worry-o-meter clicked on again.  But he came back and went back to work.  They looked good to me; he still wasn’t satisfied.  At that point he went into the backroom and came out with a new frame, just the same as my old frame; I didn’t even know my frame was still being made – it’s been three years.  He quickly popped my lens out of my injured frames and squeezed them into the new frame.  Heated the bridge to make it fit me, cleaned up both lens and handed them over.  No charge.  I told him to be sure to send me a survey. 

I’m pretty sure I’ve talked about Warby Parker before but their books of haiku are still for sale in the store and still too pricey for me but I thought I’d do quick haiku to great customer service:

Night glasses broken.

Warby Parker hits a run –

Night vision restored!

Any good customer service lately?  Or absolutely rotten customer service?

2026, Automotive, Business, Food, Gatherings, Kids

Vroom, Vroom…

23 Comments

Apparently, I am too easy to please.  Despite the State of Minnesota spending a gazillion dollars to entertain me at the fair this year, YA says my threshold is too low.  Why, you ask?

On Saturday, the company that watches over my investments (my, doesn’t that sound grand?) had a Shredding Event.  They’ve done this in the past but I was never free; this year there was space on my calendar so I filled up a bag of papers to be shredded and headed to St. Paul. 

It was an absolutely beautiful day and they had everything well organized; there were a couple of guys directing traffic and parking and then there were a couple more guys helping folks unload their shreddables.  Since all I had was one bag, I was easy!

Something new this year was a “car show”.  It was extremely low-key – about 18 cars, all just sitting out.  Each one had a tag with make, model and year.  Other than that, no other hoopla, although I did find a few owners standing around next to their cars.  I did ask before I took the photos in the header!

I noticed the red things (my car equipment vocabulary is not robust) on the wheel so the two Mercedes-Benz’ that were there.  Luckily one of the Mercedes owners was there so I asked him what the red things were.

He explained, in very simple words that even I could understand) that they were the brakes/brake pads; he even used hand movements to illustrate how brakes/brake pads work.  I asked why they were red and got the answer “because that’s what Mercedes-Benz does”.  Hmmmm.  Sounds a bit like grandstanding to me.  Another MB owner who was standing nearby commented that you can now order black ones.  Guess some MB owners don’t want to stand out? 

After seeing the cars, there was a complimentary food truck, so I had a nice black bean burger with kettle chips for lunch and talked to another couple at my table who were new clients.  Followed that up with some cookies `n cream ice cream and conversed a bit with my two financial guys.  Then I headed home – I was there about 30 minutes.  Have I mentioned what a lovely day it was?

When I recounted my experience, I got a big eye roll from YA with the comment that some folks are easily pleased.  I think that’s better than being HARD to please.  I had a fun time, had good reading time on the way there and back (CD audio book) – what’s not to like ab out that?

Any classic/vintage car stories?  Are you easy or hard to please?

2026, Business, Government, News, Uncategorized

The French Connection

27 Comments

I read with great amusement this weekend about the deportation of Milo Yiannopolous, the right-wing rabble rouser described as a Provacateur. That French word made what he does, which is disgusting, seem so exciting and mysterious.

I wondered if he listed “Provacateur” as his official job description on legal documents and his British Income Tax returns. My father could have described himself as a Provacateur. He loved lively conversation in his coffee shop, and loved teasing and vexing his buddies who held different political beliefs than he did. I had to promise him on his death bed that I would include his signed photo of Hilary Clinton in the slide show at his funeral lunch. He wanted one last dig at his Republican friends. Heaven for him would be in a fishing boat with Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin, and Billy Graham.

I think we should all start describing our vocations in French. Husband and I would be Psychologues. I don’t know the past vocations of all Baboons, but I know we have a Travailleuse Sociale (social worker), an Infirmiere Diplomee (registered nurse), a Poseur de Moquette (carpet layer), a Publicitaire (advertising professional), a Joueuse de Mandolin and Chanteuse (mandolin player and singer), an Auteur (author), a l’Agriculteur (farmer), a Technicien Lumiere (theatre lighting technician) and a Touche-a-tout (jack of all trades). Maybe we would all get paid more with such fancy job titles!

What is the French word for different jobs you have had? Would you enjoy being a Boulevardiere, Maitre d’hote, Danseuse, Raconteur, Flaneur, Sommelier, or some other French occupation?

2026, Business, Computers, Family, Mysteries, Technology

Let’s Chat

25 Comments

Two of the drive-throughs that YA and I frequent (especially in the summer) are Taco Bell and Dairy Queen.  About eight months ago Taco Bell installed a chat bot to ask people if they are checking in using their Taco Bell app.  I do have the app (it occasionally rewards me with a free burrito or fiesta potatoes) so the chat bot has actually been a good reminder to me to have the phone handy so I can give them the check-in code.  At that point the system switches over to a live person to take your order.  

About four months back, Dairy Queen went to a fully automated ordering system at their drive-through. I bristled at the idea but not enough to boycott my Dilly bars.  Since YA and I are creatures of habit at Dairy Queen, it’s pretty simple and we haven’t had any ordering disasters.

Then two weeks ago I was by myself, getting my Dilly bar, and the automated voice had a southern drawl.  I kid you not.  It threw me for a loop and I spent the next hour or so trying to think back; had I completely missed that before?  Then the following week when we were there, it was a male voice with a midwestern accent.  I breathed a sigh of relief – I wasn’t going crazy.  Then yesterday, it was a woman’s voice, but not the southern woman.   

Of course, this leaves me with a bunch of questions.  How many automated voice options are there?  Who chooses which voice for the day (the manager, the person who opens, corporate office)?   Or does the computer randomly pick voices during the course of the day?  If a particular voice gets complaints, can they change it at the store level?  Are the voices patterned after particular people or just AI-generated? What happens if you don’t want to order from a chat bot?  Can you simply repeat “representative” until the computer gives up?

Any chat bots/automated systems driving you crazy?  Or that you’ve made peace with?

2026, books, Business, Mysteries

Grade-B Titles?

54 Comments

I just finished The Last Mandarin by Louise Penny (5 stars).  The main character has a tense relationship with her mom and early in the book came this:  “My mother loves a monster.  Now there’s the title of a Grade-B movie.”

It made me laugh and lead me to thinking about some other funny titles that I’ve read over the years.

  • Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Philip Dick)
  • The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat (Oliver Sachs)
  • How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You (Matthew Inman)
  • The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating (Elisabeth Bailey)
  • The 100–Year Old Man Who Climbed Out a Window and Disappeared (Jonas Jonasson)
  • Everyone Poops (Taro Gomi)
  • Another Bullshit Night in Suck City (Nick Flynn)

Of course, there are a LOT of funny titles out there; I suppose authors think it will hook readers into picking up their books.  It certainly works on me.

Here are a few others I found online…

  • No Matter How Much You Promise to Cook or Pay the Rent You Blew It Cauze Bill Bailey Ain’t Never Coming Home Again (Edgardo Vega Yunque)
  • And To My Nephew Albert I Leave The Island What I Won Off Fatty Hagan in a Poker Game (David Forrest)
  • The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake (Aimee Bender)
  • Shit My History Teacher Did Not Tell Me (Karl Wiggins)
  • Everything I Know About Women I Learned From My Tractor (Roger Welsch)

Of course, now I’ll have to read these too!

Any funny titles on your reading list lately?

 

 

2026, animals, Business, Family, Food, History, Mysteries, Travel

Where in the World Are VS & YA?

36 Comments

It’s been a few years since YA and I traveled together.  This is a four-day weekend trip that we’ve talked about for a few years now.  Here are some interesting facts about our location:

  • Nearly half the residents of the US live near here
  • The gate to hell is hiding underneath North Street
  • Part of the Berlin Wall can be found here
  • Woody Harrelson was arrested in this city in 1982 before hitting it big in Hollywood
  • The Anthony Thomas Company makes 50,000 pounds of chocolate here daily, including their famous candy named after a state tree
  • The NFL was headquartered here from 1927 until 1938
  • Jack Hanna is Director Emeritus to one of the largest attractions of its kind in North America here.

Where in the world are we?  (Bonus points if you can say WHY we’re here!)

 

 

2026, Business, Computers, Food, home, Technology, Travel, Uncategorized, work

It Will Be Here When?

19 Comments

It has been a real eye opener moving here from the middle of nowhere on the Northern Plains. The weather here is far more changeable and unpredictable. Pickup trucks are fewer and smaller. Lots more bugs.

Sioux Falls is our “big town ” for shopping. It is only 24 miles away as opposed to Bismarck, our former “big town” that was 100 miles away. Trips to Bismarck were few and far between. Even so, we really don’t want to be running to SF all the time for things we need that we can’t get in Luverne. That means more ordering on-line.

We have been astounded by the speed on-line orders are delivered to us. The other day I ordered some bookends at about 10:00 am. They were delivered by 6:00 pm the same day. Other orders come overnight and are delivered between 5:00 am and 8:00 am. Is this normal? Does this happen elsewhere? I think if folks back in western ND knew this was possible, they would protest the wait times for their deliveries!

I wonder, though, how long deliveries across the country will be quick and speedy. The other day I got an email from a produce company in Oregon I often order celery root and savoy cabbage from. They were offering a $500 bonus to any customer who could recommend a CDL trucker who could deliver their produce. There seems to be a trucker shortage. Hmm. I wonder why?

Do you get orders delivered fast? Tell some delivery stories. Know any truckers?

2026, Business, Fantasy, Mysteries, Uncategorized

Cereal Ploy

34 Comments

I saw a funny meme on Facebook last week:

It made me laugh at the time but now I’m thinking that this has to be on purpose.  Cereals have been in non-resealable bags for decades now.  I can’t think of one single good reason except that not being able to re-seal the bags means the cereal gets stale faster and then we toss the stale stuff and buy new.   YA and I have quite a collection of clips that we use for cereal, veggie sausages, pasta, marshmallows – all items that aren’t re-sealable.  YA likes to sort these clips by colors on the hood of our oven.

Thinking about this of course led me to thinking about shampoo bottles.  According to the internet, shampoo companies began to use the phrase “lather, rinse and repeat” in the direction sections of their bottles.  I can’t find anything that specifies which company’s marketing department came up with it first but I’m guessing all the other companies jumped on that bandwagon as fast as their little feet would carry them.  I don’t know when consumers caught on and probably caused an uproar, but in checking the shampoo in our bathroom currently, one kind (baby shampoo) doesn’t say anything about repeating.  The Prell and the Head & Shoulders both now say “repeat if desired”.

So what will it take to get re-sealable cereal bags?  Another consumer revolution?

Anything you wish came in different packaging?

2026, Business, Computers, Technology, TV

Don’t Bug Me

37 Comments

To say I have a love/hate relationship with my cable company is to overstate half of that equation.  After many many years of being disappointed by them (service, price, communications), I pretty much approach any interaction with them with trepidation. 

A couple of weeks ago I got an e-mail and then a couple of texts about upgrading my gateway.  Since I wasn’t even sure what that was, I ignored the texts.  Then a few days later, I got two more texts.  These day, I hardly click on any links that are sent to me…. way too many scammers… so last Thursday, I made a quick appointment and headed over to their store.  I wanted a straight answer about what this was, was it really necessary and the most important, if there was a cost attached.  I wanted a live person to look me in the face to give me the facts and then hand me their business card so I had their name. 

Turned about to be fairly easy.  Although they’re calling it an upgrade for me, it was clear that they are trying to get everybody on the same platform with the same connections/software so it will be easier/cheaper for them.  But since it wasn’t going to cost me anything, I said “OK”.  But before he went to get the new modem, he launched into a pitch for getting my mobile phone service.  This isn’t the first time I’ve encountered this so I fended him off pretty swiftly.  I got the new modem, went home and set it up.  It went better than I expected.

Next morning, I had to take the old modem back; I got to the store at 10, their opening time.  A different young man waited on me.  I told him I wanted a receipt, since I don’t have much faith in their ability to keep track of whether I’ve returned equipment (previous bad experience).  He looked me up to get the receipt and then promptly headed down the mobile phone service path.  I cut him off and said I wasn’t interested and I had told my salesperson just yesterday that I wasn’t interested in “putting all my eggs in *_____*’s basket”.  He kept going so I had to amp up a bit.  I said “we’re still paying down our phones (not true) but even if we were not, I STILL wouldn’t give you all my mobile business.”  He did stop at that point.  Sigh.

In a perfect world, I won’t have to confront the dragon again for about a year but I’m thinking that I’ll wear a namebadge that says “Please don’t ask me about my mobile service.”

Have you had to handle any pushy salesfolks lately?

2026, Art, Business, Mysteries, Uncategorized

Postal Joy

44 Comments

I’ve done the math before about how many cards I send out so I won ‘t bore you with the numbers again.  The biggest category is birthday cards – that averages to about 14 cards per month. 

For quite a few years, all birthday cards got the same postage stamp:

The post office also did a “Celebrate” stamp but I used those for anniversary cards and other momentous occasion cards.  Then five years ago, the postal service broke my heart when they announced they were discontinuing both those stamps.  Aarrgghhhh. 

I had a nice supply on hand and I bought a bunch of the Happy Birthday before USPS ran out.  A close friend of mine also gifted me with three sheets of them as well.  I began to use them a little more sparingly.  Six cards a month go to folks in one of my stamping groups – they got moved to the non-HB stamps right away.  Then “outer-ring” folks stopped getting my special stash.  Then the next ring in went to “regular” postage.   I limped along like this for FIVE YEARS.  I used the last one the first week in May.

So I was ripe for the on-line voting that USPS instituted last fall.  They said they were going to bring back some older stamps and let the general public vote.  The site did not have any limits about how many votes you got… .not even any limits on how many times a day you could vote; you gotta love a good loophole. I spent the entire month of September going online every morning and voting for the Happy Birthday option 20-30 times; it only took about 10 minutes a day. 

My persistence paid off.  They made the announcement the first of the year that my favorite stamp would be returning.  They released it on April 18 although the pre-sale went up in March.  The big surprise is that they did a completely new design – it’s in the header photo.  I’m not sure why – it probably cost them more, first for the design itself and then for whatever it takes to produce a new stamp.  Maybe after five years, the old design specs didn’t work anymore.  Who knows.  But no matter – the new design is fine by me.  Technically I like the old look better but I’ll take what I can get.

We won’t talk about how many of them I’ve already purchased.

When was the last time you actually went to a post office?