According to our health plan, I can get a new pair of glasses every
year. I don't really need a new pair (have 3), but it's a benefit, so
why not? Use it or lose it.
And that, in a nutshell, is a big problem with healthcare. I don't pay
anything for it (on top of what I am already paying I suppose), and it's
not something I need, but I'm spending the money, which means, in the
long run, prices for healthcare will go up.
Saw a great bumper sticker today:
"The media is as liberal as the conservative businesses that own them."
Made me think.
For a while, I've been persuaded (thanks to Bernard Goldberg's book) of
the liberal bias in the mainstream media. But, the fact is, these media
companies are exactly that, companies, and they have got to look after
their own businesses, revenue being top of the list. Makes me wonder if
the "liberal bias" is a truism but that it is manufactured by the
conservative businesses because it is GOOD FOR BUSINESS.
Why not? Add some controversy. Get people riled up. This jacks up
ratings and then, presto, you have more revenue.
From someone I know who works at a bookstore....
A guy walks up to the info desk. Ask where we have books on...."you know,
like health"
My co-worker and I ask if there is a specific book he's looking for because
the health section is sub-divided into several categories. (also, books are
never usually where the customer THINKS they are)
He says he saw a doctor on TV. "Had a Jewish sounding name. Something
Berg. Youngish fellow. Nice looking. all about what you should eat.
talked about the liver. had his picture on the book. on tv it you
could get it with a cd too but in stores it was just a book."
Kept saying over and over "He's a doctor. Jewish sounding name.
Something Berg....or maybe it was Berg Something"
We can look things up by what TV show they were on - so my co-worker asks
him where he saw it on tv.
" IN MY LIVING ROOM! Where did you think I saw it???????"
We explained about how we can search by television show and he said "I have
cable! I have over 200 channels - how do you expect me to remember? And
I fell asleep anyway."
and then:
"but he was a doctor. With a Jewish sounding name. Berg something - or
something Berg.........
(yes, we know that. nice looking - youngish. had his picture on the book)
(meanwhile we had rattled off a bunch of names - Jewish sounding and not -
I don't know how we kept a straight face when he said the line about "in my
living room, where do you think I saw it" Like WE'RE the idiots....
#2
Another guy came in for a book that had "Click" in the title. He didn't
know the name of the book - but he KNEW IT HAD "CLICK" in the title. Turned
out it was the book "Blink"
#3
Another woman wanted a book that was "a biography of one guy written by
another guy. " She wasn't quite sure of either guys name. It was for he
daughters school report and the teacher hadn't been too clear. I said
well, I can't really look it up without one of the names -and she said,
well then, do you think another store would have it?
People often ask how I got to know so much (relative to them, of course) about computers and technology.
Well, it’s simple…I’ve invested time (and money) and had a fair number of failures.
For the past few days, I have been trying futilely to get a wireless motion detector system to work for the outside of my house. No dice. It’s frustrating the hell out of me and tonight, I gave up on it. You’ve got to have the wipe-outs, the proverbial “agony of defeat,” in order to get the thrill of vicotory.
Doesn’t EVERYONE know by now that if you get an answering machine you should leave your name, number, and a message? Do we really need another person to tell us that?
Come on, when you get an answering machine (or voice mail), all you want to know is
Other than that, nothing.
My favorite style is
“Hi, you have reached 202-222-3333. Thank you for calling.”
Anything else and you are doing a disservice and wasting my time (kind of like when non-English speaking housekeepers answer the phone in this day of Caller ID, but that’s another topic).
BTW, Caller ID is one of the BEST technologies ever invented. It puts you back in control of IF you want to answer the phone.
There are some people I know who will answer the phone no matter what. I’m not one of them. If it’s convenient for you to call me, that doesn’t mean that it is convenient for me to talk to you.
And one more thing…the person leaving the message has an obligation, too. First off, say your phone number SLOWLY. It drives me crazy (particularly for salespeople) who leave a long detailed message and then race through the number. THAT’S THE ONLY THING THAT IS IMPORTANT.
Also, say the number once at the beginning of the message and once at the end. If I want to write your number down (or check it), don’t make me listen to the WHOLE thing again.
OK, gotta go make some calls.
I spend a lot of time thinking about money or maybe I should say, worrying about money. Worrying about whether we’ll be able to meet our future financial goals. I’m less concerned with the basics and more concerned with the extra stuff that I/we do that requires the extra cash.
Is it productive to worry? Not at all. I’m better off doing something about it.
Actually, I’m better off recognizing what’s really important (and even what’s not) and taking joy in the little things that happen each day instead of letting the other things get in the way of my enjoyment.
It’s annoying that, though I appreciate these things, I still let the neuroses get to me. Maybe as I/we age we allow the recognition of the fact that the small things are the stuff that eternity is made of and that money is more fleeting.
There’ll be more on this topic, I am sure of that J
Microsoft has two review periods during the year. The big one is at the end of the fiscal year and centers around performance. That determines things like bonus, raise, etc.
The other one is the Mid-Year Review which centers more on career development.
I’ve decided that the next step in my career development is a management position. There are a few reasons for this.
My manager does a great job of taking this process seriously and investing the effort to help me reach my goals.
It may come as a surprise to none of you that one of the focus areas that she outlined is in Interpersonal communications. Here is part of what she wrote:
I sometimes think Jeremy is so confident in his own abilities that he misreads situations and makes remarks that can be misunderstood. This can reflect negatively on Jeremy if individuals don’t understand his sense of humor or interpret his remarks out of context. As a point of coaching, I would ask Jeremy to think, talk, and then gauge for understanding in group settings.
Unfortunately, the other day, I ran into a situation where I was the victim of my own inability to think before I talk. I won’t go into all of the details, but experience has taught me that experience is the best teacher. It was yet another painful lesson in life with some potentially negative consequences. I definitely could have handled it better, probably by confessing that I didn’t think before I spoke, but in a moment of panic, I sort of covered my tracks. Definitely not the best.
The theory in all of the self-help books and in my manager’s feedback are great. Fortunately or unfortunately, I do best when I make a blunder that hurts me emotionally and then integrate that lesson into my emotional DNA.
Some of you may remember that last year, when we first moved into the house, I was hit with a $500 gas/heating bill that sent me into convulsions. I hired an energy consulting firm to do an audit and they found some things (most notably that my contractor's team had kicked a duct in the attic loose and thus I was efficiently heating my attic for 2 months and not my house.) In addition, some other energy saving tips. I've sinced begun downloading my bill and tracking Therms consumed (since $/therms change) to see if we're making progress.
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