The past few years have been chuck full of suprises. Some like Jason Bateman jumping out of a birthday cake and doing a fancy lapdance and others more like a hot frying pan to the face. I can own that some of the challenges have been the direct result of my own choices. Some of them have been the other side of the coin, something really terrific with a down side. A few have been outside of my control entirely, and I've had no choice but to move and change and grow as a direct result.
I don't say any of this to complain. I often challenge clients who want a do-over by reminding them that IF they could hop in the time machine and go back, they would have to give up all the good that has happened too. I have yet to meet one who says they are willing to do that. I wouldnt give up my friends, family, dog, experiences to go back and make other choices.
The conclusion I came to is that I need to feel a sense of choice over a challenge. Something that is not at work, something that is for me, that is empowering, and kick ass. Something really hard but totally doable even if it seems impossible.
I'm going to do a triathalon.
I've started researching, recruiting...hey if you're in, let me know, and getting a grip on what has to happen. I've found a reasonably challenging plan that allows for a total amatuer to embrace her inner (clearly insane) athlete. Id like to chronicle much of it here and share with you how it is going, both for accountability and encouragement. Hint hint.
There will probably be a lot more cussing in upcoming posts, but if you could invite a few friends to read too, that would be sweet.
P.S. this is not a lame attempt at a shoddy half assed new years resolution. 2012 resolutions include my current journal and getting a damn tattoo. Finally.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
We value your business, someone will be on the line promptly to ruin your day.
Customer Service.
Two words, one big fat nightmare. I've been taught that all business is customer service. I work in mental health, providing services to people who hear voices, see things, and believe kool-aid is juice. Still, I have to keep in mind that they always have choices. They can go to any provider in town...so I have a job to do AND I have to keep them happy. Customer service is always on my mind.
I once got hung up on for saying "bullshit" to a student loan company. This was AFTER they took an extra payment out of my account, overdrafting my account and causing complete mayhem, days before Christmas. But that was student loans, which I suppose is more of a dictatorship than a customer service issue. But for the record, it was bullshit!
The cable company I use has a new policy that states if a customer is rude to them, they are able to discontinue services. The same cable company requires me to take 45 minutes to pay my bill each month because their system doesn't recognize the @ symbol they require to log on to pay a bill online. Additionally, the same company crossed some wire at my grandmother's house, causing the 911 dispatchers to think someone at her address was calling and hanging up. The police came out to her house on several occasions. But please, for the love of all things kind, be gentle with the service provider.
I thought the cable company had the worst service known to man. That is untill my cell phone provider slowly drove me to the brink of insanity. I give them credit as I believe the patience they've shown in their attempt to send me into longterm psychiatric care is not only unusual but clearly took years of planning and dedication...to me, the customer. My prior belief that they were top notch can only be attributed to Stockholms syndrome.
Whenever my grandma is truly outraged she writes a letter to the editor, so bear with me, as this is my version of that...
Ten months ago I bought a shiny new red phone when it was time for my upgrade. Since then I've had four new phones of the same kind. Each of them hung up mid call during 90% of all phone calls requiring me to turn my phone off and then back on so that I could call back between 8 and 12 minutes later. Convenient. The response of the phone company.."wow, that is so weird, I can't believe that is happening. That never happens." Right.
Recently, I dropped my phone in a cup of iced tea. To be fair, the dog was whining his head off, I was lost, and my turn signal noise wouldn't stop. So I didn't have the good sense to just throw the cup away and walk away from the phone, contract and all and walk away from the whole mess. But I own it phone #4 was my fault. I paid the (very high)premium to get a new one and they sent it out.
Phone #5: the keyboard doesn't work.
Phone #6: the speaker vibrates whenever someone is talking.
And then I come unglued.
I decide face-to-face will work better, really get the point across. So I go to the store and am promptly told they can't help since they aren't corporate. Awesome.
So I call. And I try not to cuss because they will hang up on me. So I talk quietly and slowly because I realize I'm going to lose it. So some angry woman (no, not me) is going on about how its not their fault and how I should be happy to get a replacement at all. So I give in and say sure, send me yet another shiny red piece of crap. Can't wait.
Days go by. I start to think its odd that they haven't contacted me and the (SEVENTH) phone has yet to arrive, so I call them back. I get to speak with Scott...who I can only imagine is 22 wearing swim trunks and one of those thsirts made to look like a tuxedo. Scott Tuxedo tells me that he can see the notes from the coversation but that the (SEVENTH) phone was never ordered. Are. You. Kidding. Me? Scott goes on to say how strange it is that they would send me seven of the same phone. You don't say? And if I am willing to pay my bill a few weeks early(?) then he will be glad to see if I can get a new model. Now, that's cute Scott but do you realize how mad I'm going to be if I do that and you aren't able to help?! Good point, so he tells me, if I'm willing to be patient and wait to pay my bill as usual then MAYBE they could send me a new model then. All the while he is saying things like I didn't say this or you didn't hear this from me. How reliable.
So I say no, just send the replacement because "I'm sure when that one stops working in a few weeks I can just call back then."
And then he says the thing that sent me into crazy town.
"You know ma'am, sometimes when we think negative things will happen, they really do. Maaaayyybe if you can think positivly about this new phone( THE SEVENTH PHONE OF THE SAME KIND!!) then it will be work well."
You're right Scottie Tuxedo, the power of positive thinking. My bad. Now I see where. I went wrong.
He may as well have said I was asking for it. I said no but my cleavage said yes, or whatever those skeezy lifetime movie guys say. He did shut me up. I was beat into submission. Nothing left to argue about. Captive for another year. You win. The mentally ill have endless choices and I am stuck with these tricky bastards and the warehouse of shiny red phones posessed by the devil himself.
Two words, one big fat nightmare. I've been taught that all business is customer service. I work in mental health, providing services to people who hear voices, see things, and believe kool-aid is juice. Still, I have to keep in mind that they always have choices. They can go to any provider in town...so I have a job to do AND I have to keep them happy. Customer service is always on my mind.
I once got hung up on for saying "bullshit" to a student loan company. This was AFTER they took an extra payment out of my account, overdrafting my account and causing complete mayhem, days before Christmas. But that was student loans, which I suppose is more of a dictatorship than a customer service issue. But for the record, it was bullshit!
The cable company I use has a new policy that states if a customer is rude to them, they are able to discontinue services. The same cable company requires me to take 45 minutes to pay my bill each month because their system doesn't recognize the @ symbol they require to log on to pay a bill online. Additionally, the same company crossed some wire at my grandmother's house, causing the 911 dispatchers to think someone at her address was calling and hanging up. The police came out to her house on several occasions. But please, for the love of all things kind, be gentle with the service provider.
I thought the cable company had the worst service known to man. That is untill my cell phone provider slowly drove me to the brink of insanity. I give them credit as I believe the patience they've shown in their attempt to send me into longterm psychiatric care is not only unusual but clearly took years of planning and dedication...to me, the customer. My prior belief that they were top notch can only be attributed to Stockholms syndrome.
Whenever my grandma is truly outraged she writes a letter to the editor, so bear with me, as this is my version of that...
Ten months ago I bought a shiny new red phone when it was time for my upgrade. Since then I've had four new phones of the same kind. Each of them hung up mid call during 90% of all phone calls requiring me to turn my phone off and then back on so that I could call back between 8 and 12 minutes later. Convenient. The response of the phone company.."wow, that is so weird, I can't believe that is happening. That never happens." Right.
Recently, I dropped my phone in a cup of iced tea. To be fair, the dog was whining his head off, I was lost, and my turn signal noise wouldn't stop. So I didn't have the good sense to just throw the cup away and walk away from the phone, contract and all and walk away from the whole mess. But I own it phone #4 was my fault. I paid the (very high)premium to get a new one and they sent it out.
Phone #5: the keyboard doesn't work.
Phone #6: the speaker vibrates whenever someone is talking.
And then I come unglued.
I decide face-to-face will work better, really get the point across. So I go to the store and am promptly told they can't help since they aren't corporate. Awesome.
So I call. And I try not to cuss because they will hang up on me. So I talk quietly and slowly because I realize I'm going to lose it. So some angry woman (no, not me) is going on about how its not their fault and how I should be happy to get a replacement at all. So I give in and say sure, send me yet another shiny red piece of crap. Can't wait.
Days go by. I start to think its odd that they haven't contacted me and the (SEVENTH) phone has yet to arrive, so I call them back. I get to speak with Scott...who I can only imagine is 22 wearing swim trunks and one of those thsirts made to look like a tuxedo. Scott Tuxedo tells me that he can see the notes from the coversation but that the (SEVENTH) phone was never ordered. Are. You. Kidding. Me? Scott goes on to say how strange it is that they would send me seven of the same phone. You don't say? And if I am willing to pay my bill a few weeks early(?) then he will be glad to see if I can get a new model. Now, that's cute Scott but do you realize how mad I'm going to be if I do that and you aren't able to help?! Good point, so he tells me, if I'm willing to be patient and wait to pay my bill as usual then MAYBE they could send me a new model then. All the while he is saying things like I didn't say this or you didn't hear this from me. How reliable.
So I say no, just send the replacement because "I'm sure when that one stops working in a few weeks I can just call back then."
And then he says the thing that sent me into crazy town.
"You know ma'am, sometimes when we think negative things will happen, they really do. Maaaayyybe if you can think positivly about this new phone( THE SEVENTH PHONE OF THE SAME KIND!!) then it will be work well."
You're right Scottie Tuxedo, the power of positive thinking. My bad. Now I see where. I went wrong.
He may as well have said I was asking for it. I said no but my cleavage said yes, or whatever those skeezy lifetime movie guys say. He did shut me up. I was beat into submission. Nothing left to argue about. Captive for another year. You win. The mentally ill have endless choices and I am stuck with these tricky bastards and the warehouse of shiny red phones posessed by the devil himself.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
And we're off....
1. I love subtle colors and different textures all mixed together. So I made some and bought some of the pillows in the pile here.
2. This is an infinity scarf I made out of VERY inexpensive fabric...half off the half off fabric and the total cost for this sparkly number is $1.50. This took a little bit of trickery to get together but I love how it turned out.
3. My grandma sews like you would not believe. Her talent is unmatched and I am pretty sure she has altered or outfitted much of the people in my hometown. She does it to perfection! Anyway, she sits on a little bench when she sews and inside this little bench is a plastic box of buttons. The lid pops off if you dare touch it because it is so full. I always loved looking in the box of buttons, they are so colorful and quirky. So her buttons inspired my button lined table runner. I originally wanted to use grey flannel but I had to settle for grey fleece. Its a bit too thick...ironically had I been a clothes hoarder I could have lined the streets with the grey flannel of my high school roomate. Alas, I am now flannel free and had to settle. Arent those buttons adorable though?
4. The "doggy bag".This one is my favorite. I realize that my dog does not need to have his own luggage but when I saw this adorable fabric I couldnt resist. The outside is a flannel puppy print and the inside is cotton. There is a "B" ironed on because I couldn't resist the idea of monogramming this.
A side note, while he doesn't need the bag.(Nor was he all that impressed with it). I do take him out and about quite a bit, so now I dont have to carry dog food and drooly, well-loved toys for him to play with.
So there you have it, the kickoff of all things crafty for the year. I have also managed to cook up a few things and head out snowtubing for a weekend with my girlfriends. What a great time of giggles, snow, and cocktails!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Happy New Year
I love stacks. Stacks of towels on display at Macy's, stacks of magazines...colorful, organized. I spent the first day of the new year putting away the holiday stuff and then organizing a new bookshelf. I also love books, and hardly ever get rid of them, UNLESS I think someone eles will love it as much or more than I did. I love my collection of books! Now they are neatly put away in a bookcase that is just like the super great Expedit bookcase at Ikea. My good friend told me there was a similar bookcase for about half the price...so I sold some old stuff I didn't need or want anymore and picked up the new thrifty, trendier bookcase. Loving it!!
So the photo above is of the latest stack of fabric I picked up on MAJOR SALE at JoAnn's today. I love a good deal! So stay tuned and see what becomes of the pile. Big plans. BIG! :) Love and a happy new year to you.
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