Random Thought 1: I found myself reading different blogs last week, let me tell you it can be very addicting. You really feel like you get to know people. I now need to get back on track with writing my blog. I take piano lessons and my teacher last week told me that I need to work on my tempo. Like all good procrastinators I waited till the night before my lesson to practice. I find myself enjoying playing once I start because I can see that I am getting better each week. There is nothing like a guy who’s 5 years younger looking down on you if you don’t practice. I realized though that tempo is hard. I would say I am above a starter but not an expert somewhere in the middle. I can read music and follow it (for the most par). Moral of the story: practice really does make perfect.
Random Thought 2: I was at work and one of our ambassadors came into the office and asked for a pen because he was attending a meeting and forgot one. I gave him a pen and after the meeting he came back and the conversation went as followed:
Him: Thanks for the pen.
Me: No prop Bob
Him: My name is Eric not Bob (as he is heading for the elevator)
Me: No…wait…it’s a phrase…I mean a saying....I know your name…sorry
Him: Yeah ok crazy
Ok, he really didn’t say that he just said oh ok and walked away. Moral of the story I no longer say “no prob bob” to anyone at work. I guess I am the only one who says that??
Monday, June 28, 2010
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
BUY HER BOOK!
I wanted to let everyone know about another blogger who I follow. Her name is Blair and she is from Wisconsin but now lives in Chicago. She has a super funny blog that I follow and think everyone else should too. http://www.blairmilne.com/ . The reason for the post is because she is 25 years old and has written a couple books but one just got published. Which I think is a cool thing to say you have done. If you go on her site you can read more about her and also purchase her book. Please check it out. Thanks
Heat vs Computer
It is starting to get very hot outside. I have realized since moving to California that I don’t do very well in the 90-110+ degree weather. I am still not used to walking outside and having the first thing you do be gasp for air. Dry heat is a killer. It also doesn’t help that I have a problem with over heating. I blame it on the fact that I don’t sweat well, which is nice because I don’t have smelly arm pits like some people do but its bad because my body decides to keep all of the hotness inside me and I just get over heated and feel like I am going to pass out at any moment. In some cases I do, like when I went to Walt Disney World with my friends years ago, I passed out in a McDonalds workers arms. (I was heading there for some water which was kind of funny after getting off a ride) That wasn’t even the worst of it the rest of the trip my friends treated me like the sick child and made me carry a big water bottle around and every 15 minutes told me to drink (I do thank them for keeping me hydrated). Maybe Alaska would have been a better place for me to move.
Now on a different note some people have asked about my computer and by some people I mean one but who is counting. I don’t know if it’s the heat or the fact that I have a love hate relationship with Best Buy but I felt like this is a story should be told. If you know me at all you know I love Best Buy. It is one of my favorite stores and used to be my favorite till I went to Geek Squad a number of years ago. FACT: I have little to no faith in Geek Squad. The first time I brought my computer in for problems I got it back with more problems then when I started and was charged an arm an a leg. The problem with Geek Squad is:d
1. I know exactly what they are going to say before they say it. “We are not going to be able to fix the problem here or tell you what the problem are, we are going to have to ship it off some place and charge you 100 bucks”
2. When we ship it off they may or may not be able to fix it. The $100 you are paying for is to figure out the problem then we will ask you if you want to fix it for another $400 (give or take)
So you might be asking “why go back?” and I have to admit that is a good question. Well a couple weeks ago I was having problems with my computer not charging. I would plug the charger into the computer and nothing. I soon realize I have 3 options, contact HP, Geek Squad, or call a friend. Well I called a friend and that didn’t help. The problem with HP is they don’t have a location to go to so I would have to send it in. I realized I should try Geek Squad and maybe they would surprise me, if not I would just send it to HP.
Here is how the conversation went with the guy from Geek Squad:
Him: What it the problem?
Me: My computer will not charge when I plug it in.
Him: Ok well it could be the computer not talking to your computer or it could be the inside of your computer. I am not sure, what we can do for you is ship it off to LA for $100 and then they will be able to let you know what is wrong.
Me: What do you guys fix here? I see computer behind you but every time I come in you tell me you have to ship my computer off to some place else. (I could tell he was not expecting that)
Him: Well we do a lot of initial programming for computers back here.
Me: (I wanted to say “so nothing”) Well could you maybe give it a guess and tell me what you think the problem might be and how much it would cost.
Him: Well it could be a lot of things and the price would range anywhere between 200-800 dollars to fix. Depending on what the problem is you might want to look into buying a new computer
Me: (Now I am frustrated) I was thinking maybe it was just the power cord. Do you have a universal cord back there that we could test the computer?
Him: (Looking at my cord) It doesn’t look like your cord has any damage too it, but if you want to try it we can. Can you please hold on I need to finish fixing this computer behind me.
Basically what ends up happening is he brings a universal cord and plugs it in and it works perfectly.
Me: It is a good thing I didn’t ship my computer off for them to tell me all I need is a new power cord.
Him: Yeah…I am sorry about that I really didn’t think it was the cord. Here is a cord that you can buy.
So the good thing is my computer works now, I just wish the internet would work at my house but that’s a whole other story.
PS. I would like to hear from anyone who either works at Geek Squad and or has used Geek Squad if they have any stories. I am sure they can be helpful to some people but they are like 0 for 4 for me.
Now on a different note some people have asked about my computer and by some people I mean one but who is counting. I don’t know if it’s the heat or the fact that I have a love hate relationship with Best Buy but I felt like this is a story should be told. If you know me at all you know I love Best Buy. It is one of my favorite stores and used to be my favorite till I went to Geek Squad a number of years ago. FACT: I have little to no faith in Geek Squad. The first time I brought my computer in for problems I got it back with more problems then when I started and was charged an arm an a leg. The problem with Geek Squad is:d
1. I know exactly what they are going to say before they say it. “We are not going to be able to fix the problem here or tell you what the problem are, we are going to have to ship it off some place and charge you 100 bucks”
2. When we ship it off they may or may not be able to fix it. The $100 you are paying for is to figure out the problem then we will ask you if you want to fix it for another $400 (give or take)
So you might be asking “why go back?” and I have to admit that is a good question. Well a couple weeks ago I was having problems with my computer not charging. I would plug the charger into the computer and nothing. I soon realize I have 3 options, contact HP, Geek Squad, or call a friend. Well I called a friend and that didn’t help. The problem with HP is they don’t have a location to go to so I would have to send it in. I realized I should try Geek Squad and maybe they would surprise me, if not I would just send it to HP.
Here is how the conversation went with the guy from Geek Squad:
Him: What it the problem?
Me: My computer will not charge when I plug it in.
Him: Ok well it could be the computer not talking to your computer or it could be the inside of your computer. I am not sure, what we can do for you is ship it off to LA for $100 and then they will be able to let you know what is wrong.
Me: What do you guys fix here? I see computer behind you but every time I come in you tell me you have to ship my computer off to some place else. (I could tell he was not expecting that)
Him: Well we do a lot of initial programming for computers back here.
Me: (I wanted to say “so nothing”) Well could you maybe give it a guess and tell me what you think the problem might be and how much it would cost.
Him: Well it could be a lot of things and the price would range anywhere between 200-800 dollars to fix. Depending on what the problem is you might want to look into buying a new computer
Me: (Now I am frustrated) I was thinking maybe it was just the power cord. Do you have a universal cord back there that we could test the computer?
Him: (Looking at my cord) It doesn’t look like your cord has any damage too it, but if you want to try it we can. Can you please hold on I need to finish fixing this computer behind me.
Basically what ends up happening is he brings a universal cord and plugs it in and it works perfectly.
Me: It is a good thing I didn’t ship my computer off for them to tell me all I need is a new power cord.
Him: Yeah…I am sorry about that I really didn’t think it was the cord. Here is a cord that you can buy.
So the good thing is my computer works now, I just wish the internet would work at my house but that’s a whole other story.
PS. I would like to hear from anyone who either works at Geek Squad and or has used Geek Squad if they have any stories. I am sure they can be helpful to some people but they are like 0 for 4 for me.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
How to order Wine at a Restaurant?
Wine Part 5 brought to you by Quamut:
How to order Wine at a Restaurant? I sat and thought about it for awhile and some might disagree with me on this one but I think that ordering wine is the trickiest alcohol to order when in a public setting.
Here is my thought. Beer although there are a lot of flavors people usually will only have a few choice on tap and they don’t vary in age of the beer and beer drinkers typically know what they like. Hard alcohol is the same, there are a variety of choices but the flavor stays consistent and so do peoples choices in what they drink. Wine on the other hand is different because you first have two choices White or Red. Then from there you have to pick between the Wine Varietals (Chardonnay, Muscat, Pinot Noir etc), then the year, price, country of origin and or body of the wine. Some might say that I am wrong and maybe I just don’t know enough about beer or hard alcohol, but its my blog so I am going with it.
Ok, now where was I…let’s see I was talking about How to Order Wine at a Restaurant? They say that the first question before you even pick your wine is to think about if you want a glass or the bottle. So I guess if you are their alone you might want a glass (or a bottle if you want to have a good time). Here are some things Quamut says to ask yourself.
1. If your table wont drink a full bottle
2. If you want more than one wine during dinner
3. If you and your dinner companion(s) are ordering foods that are difficult to pair with a single wine
Then the next thing after you realize you are getting the bottle because lets be honest its cheaper that way is to think about the type of wine you want. There are two different choices House Wine or a Wine List. House Wines are the wines that you ask for and you don’t give them any other description other than you want Red or White wine. Quamut says that House Wines are usually acceptable but never extraordinary. This is because a mass amount of people need to like it so a lot of times its nothing too special. Typically its served in a Carafe (wide-necked vessel that holds a bottle’s worth of wine) for house wines.
Then you have the Wine list, this list can vary between 15-150 types, you never really know. The wine list will then have the following: name of the wine, the winery that produced it, the vintage, and the price. They are usually separated by White Wines and Red Wines. Quamut suggests that you pick a wine you have never drank before but you know the type of grape variety, you may also tell the person serving you what you like and have them suggest something for you. If you are at a fancy place you can always ask the Sommelier.
The wine serving Ritual is as follows:
1. The waiter presents you the bottle (check to make sure it’s the right one)
2. The waiter will remove the cork for you (make sure the cork looks fresh and the wine isn’t rotten)
3. The waiter pours a little into your wine glass (sniff and taste the wine)
4. If the wine is good so tell the waiter to filler-up! Haha
Brought to you by Quamute
This is a problem/solution brought to you by Jenna
Problem: My friends boyfriend likes to flirt with me and make me feel extremely uncomfortable
Solution: Avoid him like the plague (thanks Jo)
How to order Wine at a Restaurant? I sat and thought about it for awhile and some might disagree with me on this one but I think that ordering wine is the trickiest alcohol to order when in a public setting.
Here is my thought. Beer although there are a lot of flavors people usually will only have a few choice on tap and they don’t vary in age of the beer and beer drinkers typically know what they like. Hard alcohol is the same, there are a variety of choices but the flavor stays consistent and so do peoples choices in what they drink. Wine on the other hand is different because you first have two choices White or Red. Then from there you have to pick between the Wine Varietals (Chardonnay, Muscat, Pinot Noir etc), then the year, price, country of origin and or body of the wine. Some might say that I am wrong and maybe I just don’t know enough about beer or hard alcohol, but its my blog so I am going with it.
Ok, now where was I…let’s see I was talking about How to Order Wine at a Restaurant? They say that the first question before you even pick your wine is to think about if you want a glass or the bottle. So I guess if you are their alone you might want a glass (or a bottle if you want to have a good time). Here are some things Quamut says to ask yourself.
1. If your table wont drink a full bottle
2. If you want more than one wine during dinner
3. If you and your dinner companion(s) are ordering foods that are difficult to pair with a single wine
Then the next thing after you realize you are getting the bottle because lets be honest its cheaper that way is to think about the type of wine you want. There are two different choices House Wine or a Wine List. House Wines are the wines that you ask for and you don’t give them any other description other than you want Red or White wine. Quamut says that House Wines are usually acceptable but never extraordinary. This is because a mass amount of people need to like it so a lot of times its nothing too special. Typically its served in a Carafe (wide-necked vessel that holds a bottle’s worth of wine) for house wines.
Then you have the Wine list, this list can vary between 15-150 types, you never really know. The wine list will then have the following: name of the wine, the winery that produced it, the vintage, and the price. They are usually separated by White Wines and Red Wines. Quamut suggests that you pick a wine you have never drank before but you know the type of grape variety, you may also tell the person serving you what you like and have them suggest something for you. If you are at a fancy place you can always ask the Sommelier.
The wine serving Ritual is as follows:
1. The waiter presents you the bottle (check to make sure it’s the right one)
2. The waiter will remove the cork for you (make sure the cork looks fresh and the wine isn’t rotten)
3. The waiter pours a little into your wine glass (sniff and taste the wine)
4. If the wine is good so tell the waiter to filler-up! Haha
Brought to you by Quamute
This is a problem/solution brought to you by Jenna
Problem: My friends boyfriend likes to flirt with me and make me feel extremely uncomfortable
Solution: Avoid him like the plague (thanks Jo)
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Just Call me Norah Jones
I woke up today feeling like it’s the month to make a change in my life. I thought today was a good day to get out and try something new. Today was a good day to open my eyes to something I have never done before. (Reading my first sentence I want to make it clear I am not addicted to anything or have any bad habits) I am not sure if it is because we had a 3 day weekend so I got a lot of rest but I woke up thinking “wow today is the day”.
While taking the elevator up to the third floor where I work I was asking myself “What can I do today that’s different” and “What can I do to be more productive today?” Then I sat down at the front desk and my excitement and enthusiasm for the day went from 10 to 5 in a matter of one phone call. At work we deal with politics sometimes and I had someone call in (because yes I switched days now I am at the front desk on Tuesdays) and ask me why we didn’t make a stance against some Bill and went on to explain how mad she was that we said “no opinion”. I listened to what she had to say and then I told her I would tell someone how she felt. I felt a little guilty because the problem is no one here could help her, that decision was made by a board of directors made up of volunteers, but I just gave her an email address to complain too and she went on her way.
It is ok though because things turned around because I got a lot done at work and then after work I had piano lessons (yes if you want to know, I am going to be the next Norah Jones). I am also planning a new work out program to get big GUNS. My goal right is to be able to arm wrestle people and win. (Right now I am lifting the pole but soon I will be putting weight on it). That being said I am realizing that it’s not so much changing life but some little things in life.
I am going to start with a problem/solution section for my blog. Today’s problem and solution is brought to you by my friend Anna.
Today’s Problem: Mikes Hard Lemonade used to be me and my friends favorite drink back in high school. Now I don’t think any of us can take down one of them because they are so sweet.
Anna’s solution: Add a shot of Jose Cuervo into the Mikes Hard.
Thank you Anna for supporting my Problem and Solution segment and if anyone else is interested in shooting me a problem and solution please contact me.
While taking the elevator up to the third floor where I work I was asking myself “What can I do today that’s different” and “What can I do to be more productive today?” Then I sat down at the front desk and my excitement and enthusiasm for the day went from 10 to 5 in a matter of one phone call. At work we deal with politics sometimes and I had someone call in (because yes I switched days now I am at the front desk on Tuesdays) and ask me why we didn’t make a stance against some Bill and went on to explain how mad she was that we said “no opinion”. I listened to what she had to say and then I told her I would tell someone how she felt. I felt a little guilty because the problem is no one here could help her, that decision was made by a board of directors made up of volunteers, but I just gave her an email address to complain too and she went on her way.
It is ok though because things turned around because I got a lot done at work and then after work I had piano lessons (yes if you want to know, I am going to be the next Norah Jones). I am also planning a new work out program to get big GUNS. My goal right is to be able to arm wrestle people and win. (Right now I am lifting the pole but soon I will be putting weight on it). That being said I am realizing that it’s not so much changing life but some little things in life.
I am going to start with a problem/solution section for my blog. Today’s problem and solution is brought to you by my friend Anna.
Today’s Problem: Mikes Hard Lemonade used to be me and my friends favorite drink back in high school. Now I don’t think any of us can take down one of them because they are so sweet.
Anna’s solution: Add a shot of Jose Cuervo into the Mikes Hard.
Thank you Anna for supporting my Problem and Solution segment and if anyone else is interested in shooting me a problem and solution please contact me.
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