Bits & Pieces 2012-07-26
Links and things that I’ve run across recently. Independence Day at the Point Catching up on some of my subscribed RSS feeds, I was enamored of a photo post by smilla4 on her Independence Day in Maine at Ardor Point— er, I mean Merepoint. Charity Versus Deeds of Lovingkindness Heard this phrase at a recent […]
Twitter vs. the HMO
Posted on Twitter: Sorry for the delay in replies: BP emergency & wrestling with BCBSMA’s Rx system. Making progress tho, and BP under control thx to CVS. My blood pressure had peaked at 158/103. Yes, you read that correctly. I had run out of medication at just about the time my HMO asked me to […]
Easy to Be a Good Customer
When I first met Jeffrey Tanner, fictional costar of my short story “The Widow’s Granddaughter,” he told me, “Nice guys finish last.” I didn’t believe him then, and I still think he was seriously misguided. Fortunately, that character discovered that there is much more to life than alpha-male-ism. What an appropriate memory for the days […]
When You’ve Screwed Up
Some time ago, I was on the receiving end of a massive screw-up at one of my previously favorite restaurants and WiFi hotspots, Panera Bread in Chelmsford, MA. I have not been back. Ironically, the screw-up itself hasn’t kept me away, because we all screw up sometimes, because we’re all only human. I can’t hold […]
Making Fun of FedEx
Original photo by Jon Scheiber, © 2006 CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 … or, “So I didn’t actually expect to get my package, did I?” My cell phone died earlier this week. In technical terms, the charger-connector-thingee broke. And that means I no longer have a working phone. Therefore, I am dying of loneliness, because I have […]
Check Your New RCN Bill for This Error
I just got off the phone with RCN, because I got my new RCN bill, the first after they switched completely to digital. They’ve proven better at irking me than even Comcast was. To review, about a month and a half ago, I got an oversized postcard in the mail from RCN. It said, “You’ll […]
Did FedEx Finally Deliver?
If you recall, last week I was waiting for my case of wine to be delivered. The business to which I had it delivered was open and staffed all week. But on Monday and Tuesday, FedEx’s tracking said, “Delivery exception: Customer not available or business closed,” which was just wrong.
Building Brand Image: 2 Lessons
My adventure started when Wine.com sent me a special offer. I had ordered a couple cases from them last year. I drink a glass of red wine every night. At first, it was an attempt to reduce my blood pressure. Didn’t work. But I did discover wine enthusiasm. I’m now a wine geek, or at […]