Something in the Water....

There's something in the water. One of the fellow workers with POD recited a recent Customer Service problem. The fellow worker had a very busy day with his kids. He stopped at a fast food restaurant (one of the big chains) and got a Joyful Meal with Chocolate Milk. They drove away. The Chocolate Milk was opened up and proved to be bad. The kid was dropped off at the event and the fellow worker drove back home, stopping at the FFR to try to exchange the milk. He pulled up to the drive thru to make the exchange and was told to go to the side of the building. The assistant manager came out and essentially accused the fellow working of trying to "steal" from the FFR, questioning whether or not the milk had been purchased there (kind of obvious since this FF chain sells milk in a bottle bearing the picture of a character at one time played by a Weatherman in DC), when it had been purchased, and numerous other questions. Finally, after 5 minutes, a replacement was provided.

Wow. What's happening to Customer Service in the country. Have we all become mean and incompetent.

O-pods and Reading

One of the O-Pods (Offspring of the Prophet of Doom) is quickly beginning to pick up on words. The other day the elder O-Pod was in the public library with the B-Pod (Beloved of the Prophet of Doom). The O-Pod saw a CD on the shelf, pointed at it and said "Daddy would like the Dolly CD". The CD was Hello Dolly. The O-Pod had recognized the word "Dolly".

Yesterday the Pod was sitting with the O-Pod at the table. We had a menu. The O-Pod spelled out and recognized the words Pizza, Pasta and Salad. And the O-Pod can not only spell, but also write out the O-Pod's name. Wow. The POD is very impressed.

Rough Year So Far for Friends

Maybe its just becuase the POD is getting old, maybe its just something in the air, but it has been a rough year for many of the POD's friends. Grief is an important emotion, but the POD hopes that grief is an important emotion that the POD's friends and family can avoid for an extended period into the future.

The POD's heart goes out in particular to the family of David Michaels, a long time friend, who suddenly died in Seattle two weeks ago and to another friend of POD whose long time companion was put to sleep last week. And to the friend of a niece who died in a horrific and tragic home accident.

Bicycles and Security

The POD is trying to do his part by bicycling to the office. But it is becoming rapidly clear that the office building security does not appreciate this. The POD has ridden to the office three times this year. The first two times he was stopped while parking his bicycle and asked if he was an employee of the building. The POD, not wishing to focus on technicalities, said yes (he's not, he's a tennant which is not the same thing...) and was allowed to proceed. Apparently the building is concerned that bicyclists will park using the building racks and then walk over to the CTA. (This ignores the fact that the building racks are old and out of date and difficult to use while the CTA has brand new racks of a safe and usable design. Plus they are closer to the CTA.)

Today, however, the POD lost it. He parked the bicycle noting the presence of a number of security personnel. They didn't say anything, so the POD assumed that nothing was wrong. The POD walked over into the lobby of his building. He was immediately stopped by security and told "not to move". The Security Officer demanded to know who the POD was. The POD asked why. The Security Officer refused to tell POD. He said that he had been told to detain POD. As the tempers of both began to rise, POD took the officer over to the lobby directory and showed the Office that POD was one of only about 35 names on the Directory. (A major Bank has most of the space in the building and does not list its own names). POD was finally allowed to go. But a security officer showed up at POD's door a few minutes later to continue the confrontation. Right now POD is trying to decide what is the next step... and POD is still steaming..

And frankly, this makes no sense at all. POD is trying to do the right thing and the building is going out of its way to do the wrong thing.

To the jerk on the Airplane...

The other day the POD flew to Washington, DC on a very crowded plane. As POD is a frequent flyer, POD boarded early and got his seat. One of POD's pet peeves are people that take large carry-on bags on the airplane. POD never carries a large bag with him on the plane, and always checks.

Well, soon after POD boards, a person comes down the aisle and tries to put a bag in the overhead compartment. Things are not going well. This person is rather short, the bag is rather large (and appears to be very heavy) and it appears that she is going to drop it on POD's head. So the POD stands up and offers to help. Wow. And this person immediately blew up at POD, suggesting that I was suggesting that she was incompetent to put a bag in the overhead compartment. I immediately backed down (and moved for a while to another row so I did not get hit by the heavy bag). She stood in the aisle struggling with the bag. Other people offered to help. She snapped at them. The Flight Attendent suggested that she might not want to block the aisle. She basically told him that she would be done when she would be done. Finally she got the bag in the overhead bin.

It was quite clear, based on further comments, that she was offended becuase she thought that I was helping her because she was a woman. Truth be told, nothing is further from the truth. POD is often very helpful in stowing bags on airplanes and helps anyone who might need help. Its a matter of self defense as falling bags As it happens, POD offered to help because she was "short" and incapable of lifting up her bag.

So if you happen to read this blog, I was trying to help you because you are short, not because you are a woman. And next time, pay attention to the size and weight of your bag. Steamer trunks should be checked.

Cell Phones and Cars

The POD has reached the end of his rope. On his drive home tonight, he almost got hit three times by drivers using cell phones and not paying attention to the traffic. The most egregious was at an intersection near the POD's house. A driver in a Red Ford Focus blew through a stop sign at 35mph. Talking on a phone and oblivious to what was going on. The POD's family often walk through this intersection. In Chicago it is "illegal" for a driver to drive while using a Cell Phone unless the driver uses a hands free device. The problem is that this is one of those important laws that should be enforced that has gotten caught in the morass of the useless laws regulating comparatively harmless social behaviors.

Smoke a Cigarrette in Chicago and you will be immediately be challenged and fined. Ignore any one of the many transit protocols and you will be challenged and fined. Fail to move a car on street cleaning day and you will, without question, get a $100 ticket (and be sure to check the street every morning becuase the City, to raise revenue, will often put up the sign at 8 am...) Ride a skate board in Daley Plaza and you will be arrested.

NONE of these is as nearly societally damaging as driving down a bike lane with your car, or passing on the right on city streets or driving while using a cell phone. But people are willing to engage in these far more dangerous behaviors because, for some perverse reason, society is unwilling to enforce these laws.

The law is on the books. Stop having the cops running around writing parking tickets and start writing tickets for driving while using a cell phone. It is far past time. Hopefully it will be in time to stop the idiot in the Ford Focus before he blows through the intersection again.

David Michaels

My long time friend and fellow Gilbert and Sullivan performer, David Michaels, died on Thursday, April 6, 2006 of a Heart Attack. I am opening up this blog page for anyone that would like to talk about David. I will be sending this on to his sister, Robin, so she can appreciate all of the lives that David touched.