This is another thing that just drives me crazy. I see this every morning on my drive to work.
Why do people double park when there are open parking spaces only a couple car lengths away? Sure, it would be nice to always park right in front of your destination, but can't you park 25 feet away and walk? And you think it's just fine to disrupt and slow down rush hour traffic to save yourself a few steps? Come on people, you are not the sun, and the earth does not revolve around you.
Now I feel better.
Friday, February 12, 2010
A Snow Pet Peeve
This drives me absolutely nuts.
Why do people not clear the snow off the top of their cars before driving off?
It's dangerous - don't they understand that snow flying off their cars can create a hazard for the people driving behind them? Really, it's not that complicated to understand. So, are they just flat out lazy? Or are they just simply rude? You don't need anything fancy to clear the snow, an old broom will work just fine. And if you can't find a broom, just use your hands. Seriously.
Why do people not clear the snow off the top of their cars before driving off?
It's dangerous - don't they understand that snow flying off their cars can create a hazard for the people driving behind them? Really, it's not that complicated to understand. So, are they just flat out lazy? Or are they just simply rude? You don't need anything fancy to clear the snow, an old broom will work just fine. And if you can't find a broom, just use your hands. Seriously.
And Even More Snow...
Ok, the first snow storm was kind of cool. But again and again?
So in preparation for the upcoming snow, I started and warmed up my second (smaller and older) snow blower. I put fresh gas in it and it started on the second pull. Since I had this snow blower in the shop over the summer to have it prepped for the winter, I wasn't surprised that it started easily. Not surprised, but still relieved.
So the snow starts Tuesday night and just keeps on coming. I go out Wednesday morning to snow blow the sidewalk and driveway. Being cocky because of the easy snow blower start the day before, I fill up the tank and pull on the starter rope. And I pull and I pull. And pull some more. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Then I notice gas leaking from the carburetor. I never did get to use this snow blower during the storm. For those of you counting, that makes two broken snow blowers in one week.
That meant shoveling. Five hours of shoveling. Two hours in the morning, two hours in the afternoon, and then one hour just prior to bed time. For anybody that had to do something similar, I have one word for you: ibuprofen. And if you want to do it right, take the ibuprofen before you start working, not after.
I actually don't mind shovelling. It's nice to do something and see immediate results. But then again, as soon as a path was cleared, it was covered again with fresh snow. But it was a truly beautiful snow, just too much of it.
Can you believe they are calling for another three to six inches of snow next week?
So in preparation for the upcoming snow, I started and warmed up my second (smaller and older) snow blower. I put fresh gas in it and it started on the second pull. Since I had this snow blower in the shop over the summer to have it prepped for the winter, I wasn't surprised that it started easily. Not surprised, but still relieved.
So the snow starts Tuesday night and just keeps on coming. I go out Wednesday morning to snow blow the sidewalk and driveway. Being cocky because of the easy snow blower start the day before, I fill up the tank and pull on the starter rope. And I pull and I pull. And pull some more. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Then I notice gas leaking from the carburetor. I never did get to use this snow blower during the storm. For those of you counting, that makes two broken snow blowers in one week.
That meant shoveling. Five hours of shoveling. Two hours in the morning, two hours in the afternoon, and then one hour just prior to bed time. For anybody that had to do something similar, I have one word for you: ibuprofen. And if you want to do it right, take the ibuprofen before you start working, not after.
I actually don't mind shovelling. It's nice to do something and see immediate results. But then again, as soon as a path was cleared, it was covered again with fresh snow. But it was a truly beautiful snow, just too much of it.
Can you believe they are calling for another three to six inches of snow next week?
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Snow!
As I write this, we have 18 inches of snow down, and the possibility of several more inches to follow. So far, this is the sixth heaviest snow fall in recorded Philadelphia history. It's Saturday, I have a snowblower and gas, so this should be fun, right?
Sure, it's fun, but my staff and I manage a 24x7 emergency call center, so we have to worry about getting the staff in and keeping them there as long as they can stand it. The management team is great, as is the call center staff, so that helps to keep the stress levels in check. But it's still a worry. Thinking back, I haven't been able to truly enjoy a snow fall for 25 years, as I've always had to deal with staffing issues.
The staff is in, so far so good. Now I just have to decide when to go snowblow...that is, until the 5:00 shift change.
Sure, it's fun, but my staff and I manage a 24x7 emergency call center, so we have to worry about getting the staff in and keeping them there as long as they can stand it. The management team is great, as is the call center staff, so that helps to keep the stress levels in check. But it's still a worry. Thinking back, I haven't been able to truly enjoy a snow fall for 25 years, as I've always had to deal with staffing issues.
The staff is in, so far so good. Now I just have to decide when to go snowblow...that is, until the 5:00 shift change.
Changing my Email Address...more
I thought I was totally done with my email address change, but I was only close. Even after changing my email address, some sites continued to send to the old address, and two sites were sending to both the old address and the new address. I'm thinking that the sites that sent to both old and new addresses do so as procedure, playing it safe for the first email after the change, then deleting the old address. At least I can hope that's the case.
The thing that bothered me the most about the process is that so many sites make it difficult to change your email address. They do make it one-click simple to be deleted, typically by way of a link on one of their emails, but not so simple to change. Easy to delete, but difficult to change? That shouldn't be. Fact of life, people change email addresses for any number of reasons.
Fingers crossed that I'm done with this. It was worth it, gmail is good and I'm no longer tied to comcast...oops, forgot about my wife who doesn't want to change from her perfect comcast email address. Another project for another time.
The thing that bothered me the most about the process is that so many sites make it difficult to change your email address. They do make it one-click simple to be deleted, typically by way of a link on one of their emails, but not so simple to change. Easy to delete, but difficult to change? That shouldn't be. Fact of life, people change email addresses for any number of reasons.
Fingers crossed that I'm done with this. It was worth it, gmail is good and I'm no longer tied to comcast...oops, forgot about my wife who doesn't want to change from her perfect comcast email address. Another project for another time.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Changing my Email Address
For years I have used a comcast.net email address. And for years I have watched my Comcast bill go up and up and up. So I started thinking that I might want to change to FIOS or some other alternative. Changing from Comcast's TV service would be easy, and with FIOS I might even get better picture quality. I still use Verizon for telephone service, so that wouldn't be an issue. And changing internet providers would be a snap too...except for that email address that is used not only for friends and family, but also for so many business transactions. The bank, telephone company, monthly parking bill, credit cards, select mailings, and website sign-ons are all tied to my email address. It would be easy to let inertia control the situation and do nothing, but my anger over the Comcast bill was too great, and I needed to prepare to move on.
I sat in front of the TV, laptop in hand, and started the process. I decided gmail would be the way to go, and I found an email address that worked for me. I sent out an email to family and friends and advised them of the change - that was simple enough. Then came the businesses. For the most part, it went well, just a bit time consuming. I had previously kept a file that listed all the sites where I had an account, thank heavens for that. Of course, there were a few places I forgot to list in the file, but no big deal.
But there were some pain points. Live Nation, the ticketing company, just doesn't want to let go of the old email address. I was so frustrated with them that I deleted my old account and made a new one; but they still send to the old email address and still do not send to the new one. Ok, there is probably a logical explanation for this, but it escapes me. I even sent multiple emails to them to check to see if I had some other account tied to the old email address (which I am certain I don't), but I received no response. And Parkway, the parking management company in Philadephia, seems totally disinterested. I sent their customer service department an email asking them to change the email address and to reply advising that they had done so. No response. I sent four follow ups asking if it had been done, still no follow up. Is there any possible excuse for that? I guess I'll have to call them next week to get this done...I expect I'll be on hold until my patience runs out and I hang up. And Verizon, after changing my email address, they insist on sending emails to both the old and the new address...go figure.
So the email change is just about done. A few pain points, but for the most part, a successful project. So when the next Comcast increase comes along, and I can't get another 6 month price reduction, I'm ready to make the change.
I sat in front of the TV, laptop in hand, and started the process. I decided gmail would be the way to go, and I found an email address that worked for me. I sent out an email to family and friends and advised them of the change - that was simple enough. Then came the businesses. For the most part, it went well, just a bit time consuming. I had previously kept a file that listed all the sites where I had an account, thank heavens for that. Of course, there were a few places I forgot to list in the file, but no big deal.
But there were some pain points. Live Nation, the ticketing company, just doesn't want to let go of the old email address. I was so frustrated with them that I deleted my old account and made a new one; but they still send to the old email address and still do not send to the new one. Ok, there is probably a logical explanation for this, but it escapes me. I even sent multiple emails to them to check to see if I had some other account tied to the old email address (which I am certain I don't), but I received no response. And Parkway, the parking management company in Philadephia, seems totally disinterested. I sent their customer service department an email asking them to change the email address and to reply advising that they had done so. No response. I sent four follow ups asking if it had been done, still no follow up. Is there any possible excuse for that? I guess I'll have to call them next week to get this done...I expect I'll be on hold until my patience runs out and I hang up. And Verizon, after changing my email address, they insist on sending emails to both the old and the new address...go figure.
So the email change is just about done. A few pain points, but for the most part, a successful project. So when the next Comcast increase comes along, and I can't get another 6 month price reduction, I'm ready to make the change.
Teamwork
We won our hockey game today 9-1. (Observant readers will recall that it's the same score as last week.) Funny thing is, the other team (the Bullies) had just as much talent as our team, and maybe more. Indeed, the Bullies were probably 10 years younger than us on average. (My 53 years does skew our average age up!) But we outplayed them from start to finish. The difference was teamwork.
Teamwork makes up for all sorts of shortcomings. Think about teamwork in your home life, with your family. My wife cooks and does the laundry, and my teamwork contribution is to...ok, bad example. But teamwork in my office is fantastic. We share the work load and help each other out all day long. We take advantage of each individual's strengths so as to provide the best service possible. And since people generally like to play to their strengths, this approach has been very effective. Teamwork allows us to do more with less, and takes difficult work and makes it fun. (And since I can't possibly say it enough, here's a great big thank you to all my teammates at work for being the great people that they are!)
In my high school years I played basketball, a true team sport. Around the age of 30 I traded my basketball in for a nice street bike, and instead of shooting jumpers, I took long solo bike rides. I enjoyed the fresh air, the exercise, and the time to think random thoughts
. These were good times.
At the age of 40 I picked up my first hockey stick and soon after I was playing competitive roller hockey in Philadelphia. Hockey is another true team sport. We win and we lose as a team; no individual wins a game, and no individual loses a game. It has been great sharing the exhilaration of winning, and it has been comforting to share the disappointment of losing. And there is a special feeling knowing that someone on the team has your back, and you have theirs.
While I had great enjoyment in my individual pursuit of solo bike riding, I have really found great joy in the teamwork of hockey. At some point I will no longer be able to keep up with my teammates, and maybe then I'll re-find the joy of an individual sport. Until then, I'll keep enjoying the stench of a hockey locker room.
Teamwork makes up for all sorts of shortcomings. Think about teamwork in your home life, with your family. My wife cooks and does the laundry, and my teamwork contribution is to...ok, bad example. But teamwork in my office is fantastic. We share the work load and help each other out all day long. We take advantage of each individual's strengths so as to provide the best service possible. And since people generally like to play to their strengths, this approach has been very effective. Teamwork allows us to do more with less, and takes difficult work and makes it fun. (And since I can't possibly say it enough, here's a great big thank you to all my teammates at work for being the great people that they are!)
In my high school years I played basketball, a true team sport. Around the age of 30 I traded my basketball in for a nice street bike, and instead of shooting jumpers, I took long solo bike rides. I enjoyed the fresh air, the exercise, and the time to think random thoughts
. These were good times.At the age of 40 I picked up my first hockey stick and soon after I was playing competitive roller hockey in Philadelphia. Hockey is another true team sport. We win and we lose as a team; no individual wins a game, and no individual loses a game. It has been great sharing the exhilaration of winning, and it has been comforting to share the disappointment of losing. And there is a special feeling knowing that someone on the team has your back, and you have theirs.
While I had great enjoyment in my individual pursuit of solo bike riding, I have really found great joy in the teamwork of hockey. At some point I will no longer be able to keep up with my teammates, and maybe then I'll re-find the joy of an individual sport. Until then, I'll keep enjoying the stench of a hockey locker room.
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