Ponderable
Is there a penalty for being precise?
I simply can’t figure it out. Are there some ‘magic words’ that have not been shared with me? Or is it, as I suspect, that this country is filled with people who are simply stupid?
Like most people, there are a few things I purchase on a regular basis. Quite often I like to eat out and go to Subway. The food is fresh, it is [supposedly] healthy for ‘fast food’ and I like the idea of customizing my sandwich. As an engineering-type I have analyzed the process and determined that the bread is the foundation of the sandwich. For that reason, in order to expedite the process and be helpful to the “Sandwich Artist” building my sub, I always specify the size and type of bread FIRST:
“Hi, I would like Wheat Six inch
Did I not specify all these parameters from the start? Was he not listening to me? The signs that normally indicate receipt and acknowledgement of an order were there : eye contact, a nod of the head, immediate jump to action in response to my request.
I see this pattern all over; not only in Subway. I like to get a hot Mocha from McDonald’s. I am one who prefers the human interaction and eschew the Drive-thru experience whenever possible.My normal order at McDonald’s is, “Good morning! I would like a Hot, Whole-Milk Mocha. Large with no whipped cream”. Does that not fulfill a complete and unambiguous order for a hot coffee? I thought so. However, it is rare when I do not hear, “Do you want that cold or hot?”. And then after answering I am asked, “Whole milk?”.
So, if you know and “Magical Phrase” that will force people to actually listen, please let me know.
{By definition, Mocha is a hot drink. Who ever thought of making it cold? When my coffee is cold I throw it away – or heat it back up!}
BOGO on Eyes
No thanks. I already have two!
This is not a blog post
“If it quacks like a duck…”
Although this is one of several posts on a blog, this is not a blog post.
I received an interesting piece of [junk] mail the other day. It was from AT&T and an obvious attempt to convince me buy more services. 
We all have received these letters with an attached check. Well, it is quite obvious it is not real check. But a common marketing technique to make you feel like you are getting money (which is really in the form of a ‘discount’ when you buy*)in its aggressive marketing had been sending promotional mail with what appeared to be a check. We all have received them. We realized it was a ‘marketing ploy’. Apparently, not eveyone.
So, I can understand that, in an effort to protect [the naive?], a law was passed that mandates it be clearly identified as not a real check.
So when I saw this I was immediately struck by the irony. It is actually comical that they continue to print what looks like a check, with the text to disclaim that it is not a check. How silly is that?
*I have trouble perceiving this as money in my pocket. It nothing more than an artificial discount on the cost of a service I was not interested in purchasing in the first place! But that discussion is a subject for a future post.
An Engineer
I work in an evironment surrounded by very smart people (I call them “people with letters after their name”). Most of them hold a degree (or two) in one of the many branches of Engineering.
The popular phrase to describe Optimism vs. Pessimism has been adjusted in our case:
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“The Optimist states that the glass is half full
The Pessimist insists the glass is half empty
The Engineer explains that the glass was over designed”
Superstition
In 2009, we will have at least three occurances of Friday the 13th. What seems like an even more startling coincidence is the fact that February and then March will see the 13th fall on a Friday.
In honor of this momentous occassion, I feel obliged to remind you of my sincere belief:
