reflection and introspection: 2010 edition

A lot has happened in 2010. Many people will be using today as a day of reflection and introspection. I am one of those people. I would like to begin by reflecting back on different events that shaped this year for our nation (and world). Then I will reflect on my own personal year before taking a more introspective look at my personal growth this year. I encourage each of you to do the same. Reflections Top 3 Top 3: The top 3 events from my top 3 categories that shaped our nation (and world) this year. I realize that big things will be left off my lists, but these are the ones that came to my mind.

• Politics

1. The economy continued to plummet while unemployment rates soared!
2. The country sat in awe as Republican Scott Brown won the senate seat left vacant by the late Ted Kennedy in liberal Massachusetts.
3. In contested mid-term elections, the Republicans found themselves back in control of the House of Representatives and closing the gap in the Senate.

• Headlines

1. America watched on as oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico. Everyone seemed to have an idea of how to stop the leak. And for quite some time, no idea brought a solution.
2. The world watched on as trapped miners in Chile fought to survive and refused to give in to the conditions they faced for months. The world watched on as they were freed.
3. America found an unlikely hero in Steven Slater when he lost his cool in quitting his job as a flight attendant for Jet Blue. He slid down the emergency slide with a beer in his hand.

• Sports

1. We saw the Aints become the Saints! With thoughts of Katrina and the impact it still has on New Orleans, most of America (just about anyone living outside Indiana) was pulling for the feel good "who dat" boys. New Orleans shocked the football world by upsetting the favored Colts through guts (onside kick to begin the second half) and grit (interception of Peyton Manning to end the game) to win the Super Bowl.
2. The San Francisco Giants came out of nowhere to win the World Series for the first time since 1954 and first time ever with "San Francisco" across their chests.
3. The Celtics and Lakers had another instant classic match-up which saw the Lakers win the NBA Finals in game 7 at the Staples Center.

Farewell: We saw some celebrities pass away in 2010, including:

• Leslie Nielsen
• James McArthur "Danno"
• Tom Bosley "Mr. C"
• Rue McClanahan
• Gary Coleman
• Dennis Hopper
• Dixie Carter
• John Forsythe
• Corey Haim
• Peter Graves
• Andrew Koenig "Boner"
• Phil Harris
• J.D. Salinger

Odds and ends: Some other simple reflections of 2010

• Worst thing to come out of 2010: Vuvuzelas!
• Silliest, most childish feud: Jay vs. Conan
• Oprah bid farewell by doting gifts upon her audience in her final season

My life It's amazing how many things change over the course of a single year. On December 31, 2009, I... ...worked in Waltham, traveling 49.4 miles each way during a traffic-laden 1h15m+ commute ...had recently finished my first and as far as I was concerned only marathon ...considered myself my parent's kid ...dreamed about a day I would have internet on my phone ...had never won a team championship at any level in any sport or in any league ...had read through the entire Bible once in my lifetime ...had no clue what caused the women on the island not to be able to give birth On December 31, 2010, I... ...work in Northborough, traveling 28.7 miles each way during a traffic-free 30-35m commute ...recently finished my second and hopefully not last marathon ...consider myself my kid's parent (she'll be here soon) ...recently removed the internet from my phone and not bothered one bit ...scored the winning run for our team's softball championship (70+ team league) ...have read through the entire Bible twice in my lifetime ...have no clue what caused the women on the island not to be able to give birth (some things are admittedly unchanged) Introspection Obviously the biggest change in my life this year was finding out my wife was pregnant with our first child and working our way through the pregnancy. And undoubtedly the biggest change in my life in 2011 will involve the introduction and raising of that baby. I have grown in so many ways in 2010. My devotional and prayer life has improved. My patience has increased. My faith has grown. God has been good to me! How about you? Has your year been a good one? How much has changed? How shocked would you have been last year to see a snapshot of your life this year? I have no idea what I'll be amazed to look back at on December 31, 2011, but I know that I will be amazed!

tip of the week: amazon mom

Moving forward, I would like to make each Thursday a day where I pass along useful, helpful tips to my readers. Today's tip: Sign up for Amazon Mom Many people shop online in the modern era. And many people have found convenience in shopping on Amazon.com. I love shopping on this site. I've bought books, movies, cds and so much more from this site. Anyone who shops online likely agrees on its one downside...shipping and handling. Who wants to pay extra money for a product. Amazon.com has a membership service called Amazon Prime. For an annual fee (I believe like $80), you get free 2 day shipping on all orders. If you buy a lot on Amazon, this is a no-brainer I suppose. I am not that frequent a shopper, however. What I recently discovered (thanks to Aaron Schultz for the heads up) is that they have a membership program called Amazon Mom which is free. Contrary to its name, it is also for dads, grandparents, etc. It doesn't ask for proof of child, but for integrity sake, I would not take advantage of this unless I were truly an expecting dad (which they include in their description of who it's for). When you sign up for Amazon Mom, you get 3 free months of Amazon Prime, meaning all qualifying products (most) offer free 2-day shipping. For every $25 you spend in the baby store (any qualifying baby product...we purchased a toy box last night which counted), you get an additional month of Amazon Prime. Beyond that, you can save a total of 30% on diapers and wipes when you schedule their delivery. I believe all baby store stuff offers free 2-day shipping all the time, but every item (cds, movies, books, etc.) is free 2-day shipping while you still have accrued Amazon Prime eligibility left. Polly ordered a cd last night and it came this morning...no shipping charge!!! If you ever shop for a little one, sign yourself up for Amazon Mom (search for it in the google search bar) and reap the rewards!

i'm the customer, where's the service?

We've all been in a situation where something's gone wrong with a service, order or product. When we're in this situation, there's really only one solution: customer service. We need someone with access to the system to assist us in righting a wrong. Customer service has evolved in many ways in recent history, some good and some bad. I've recently had two run-ins with customer service, and each had it's frustrations with varying results. I think it's fair to say that frustrations should be anticipated. I mean, you're beginning your customer service process with an issue. How pleasant can things really be? That being said, at the end of the day there's only one thing we all want: resolution. That's where the difference was in each experience for me. Let's take a look at each experience. 1. Walmart.com

• The problem - Polly and I recently ordered photos through Walmart.com as part of a Christmas present for some people. Our purchase order included 4x6 prints, 5x7 prints and True Digital prints. The order was placed on 12/12 and the date of delivery given was 12/16. On 12/16, Polly got a call from our local Walmart store that photos had arrived. We were thrilled because that represented one more thing to cross off our Christmas to-do list. Only one problem...only the 5x7 prints arrived. We waiting a few more days for the photos to arrive, still no call.
• The "customer service" battle - When we still hadn't received word by 12/20, I called our local Walmart. They informed me that the photos still had not arrived. They told me they would let me know when they did. I told them I needed them ASAP. I tried calling 1-800-WALMART, but they instantly inform you that they will deal with in-store issues only as Walmart.com is essentially a separate company. The automated message prompted me to use Walmart.com's email complaint system. I wrote a stern, but polite email indicating the problem. The next morning, we received an automated reply in our email inbox. It told us to check with the store to see if the photos had arrived. WHAT?!?!?! Like I'm an idiot and didn't think to do that already. I submitted a second and eventually third email to Walmart.com...no reply. During this time, I was still maintaining contact with my local Walmart. They acted as though they were on my side doing all they could do. We were on a first name basis with the Walmart photo people. Our name and number was on their board. Christmas came and went without photos. We felt so hopeless with no resolution in sight. Last night (12/28), I went to our local Walmart for razors. While there, I stopped by the photo center. Our photos were naturally still not there. Finally, however, we got the break we had been looking for...the guy at the photo center gave us the customer service number for Walmart.com. THEY HAD A NUMBER ALL ALONG!!! There's no number on their website. Nobody else "helping me" gave me the number.
• The resolution: Today, I called the number (1-800-966-6546, in case you ever need it, though I strongly recommend everyone to boycott Walmart.com), and sure enough an automated message came on that said, "Thank you for calling Walmart.com." When I worked my way through the always enjoyable menu, I was put through to a customer service rep (rather quickly, probably because NOBODY KNOWS THE NUMBER!) The woman annoyed me in that she first recommended that I call my local Walmart. I informed her that I've already checked with them. She then asked when the last time I had checked was. I impatiently elevated my voice to quickly inform her, "LAST NIGHT!" She said, "At this point, we'll have to consider them lost or stolen and refund your money." AT THIS POINT?!?!?! Unbelievable. At least I finally got my money back.
• What I learned: Never to order from Walmart.com. Thanks to that experience, Walgreens will be exclusively handling all photo needs.

2. ATT Wireless

• The problem: In an attempt to tighten our budget, I recently decided to reduce our plan to a lower monthly total minute package. Polly and I have shared 700 minutes for a few years, but I decided we could easily live off of 550 minutes. I made the change through their website. Seeing how I had been using my phone last pay period based on having 700 minutes (I will squeeze everything I can out of everything) I elected to start the 550 moving forward instead of backdating it. When I returned to the home, I noticed we were only at 514 minutes for the month with only a few days to go. Based on this information, I called ATT Wireless customer service and requested to backdate our rate plan change. The woman who assisted me took care of that quickly. With 2 days to go until the pay period ended, I noticed we were 5 minutes over. No big deal. The next day, I realized we were 10 minutes over. I could deal with that. But on the last day, I noticed that we were suddenly 149 minutes over. There was simply no way I had used over 2 hours during that time period.
• The "customer service" battle: Upon realizing this inconsistency, I called ATT Wireless customer service. I explained the situation to a gentleman who said he would add a note on the account. He informed me to call back when the bill was released and they would be able to quickly resolve my problem (never assume they actually write the note, no matter what they say). When I received the bill yesterday (12/28), I called ATT Wireless customer service. I explained the situation to the gentleman who took my call and directed him to the note. There was no note. OF COURSE THERE WAS NO NOTE! I went into situation all over again with the gentleman on the phone. The girl who made my change saved my butt. She had put a note on the account. It stated that the account showed 514 minutes used when I made the change. I used that piece of knowledge to my advantage. I had called her on 12/20. The gentleman informed me the overage minutes began 12/16 once backdated. "How can that be?" I asked. "Your own employee stated that I had 514 on 12/20, how could I be charged for over 550 on 12/16?" "That's what the system said," he replied. "The system is what I based my decision off of," I countered. The gentleman then proceeded to count my minutes for the next 10-15 minutes. I didn't have the heart to tell him how pointless that would be in the end. When he finished he told me that he was up to 520 on my line alone by 12/16 when the overages began. I quickly told him, "I hope you understand how irrelevant that number is to me. I made my decision based on what your system said I had for minutes, not what I had for minutes. I don't care if you revert me back to the 700 minutes for the month, but know that there is no way I can or will pay the overage fees." He put me on hold while he talked to his manager.
• The resolution: When the gentleman took me off hold, he informed me they would credit the overage and give me my internet free for the month. I walked away with $74.86 less to pay on my cell phone bill.
• What I learned: Also double check that they input a note and have them indicate how many minutes your account reads. Also, no matter how much they push, keep pushing back. It was a 36 minute call, but it was well worth it!

As I said before, the frustrations don't bother me in the long run. I just want resolution. The new age of email complaints and automated systems can lead to a sense of hopelessness in finding that resolution. We pay the money, we're the customer...we deserve to know we're getting the assistance and attention we have paid for.

how many people does it take to change a light bulb?

This has been the beginning to many a cheesy, corny joke for quite some time. There are many variations, but the premise is the ludicrous nature of the idea of it taking more than one person to complete a task so simple as changing a light bulb. However, based on what I have observed recently, I'm pretty sure the ridiculousness is no longer in the thought of it taking multiple people to complete simple tasks, but in the reality that it does. Confused? Let me explain. Over the last few weeks, I observed the installation of an electrically operated gate at work. The task of installing a gate and making it operational seems like a simple enough task. I figured it would take a few guys. I was way off. Let me list the people who worked on the gate:

• ~ 3 guys from the excavating company - These guys dug holes in the ground for additional electrical pipes to be run to the gate's power supply and dug a trench for the gate to fit more appropriately when opened.
• ~ 1 guy from the steel company - This guy dropped off the gates at the facility.
• ~ 6 guys from the steel fence company - These guys hung the steel gates, ensuring that they worked mechanically.
• ~ 3 guys from the electrical company - These guys ran power from the facility's main power supply to the fence power supplies.
• ~ 3 guys from the gate company (separate from the fence company) - These guys put the gates on the chains and made them function electronically.
• ~ 2 guys from the security company - These guys connected wires to the guard shack for the buttons to open and close the gates.

By my count (if anything it's lower than actual, not higher) there were 18 guys representing 6 different subcontracting companies involved in the installation of electronically controlled gates...18! I cannot believe that it should take 18 guys from 6 companies for me to have security gates (not including manufacturing). What made it worse is that 1 company made a mistake. In order to fix the mistake, multiple companies had to return to undo their work as well. The other thing that makes this story worse is that it's only one example of many I can site. This is the new norm. Gone are the days of Mr. Fix-It Handyman types. Everyone has his/her specialty and does nothing else. So, that brings us back to our opening question: how many people does it take to change a light bulb? Well, based on my observations, I would guess about at least 10 representing 8 companies:

• 1 guy from the light bulb company: This guy would drop off the light bulb to the light bulb handling company representative.
• 2 guys from the ladder company: One guy would expertly set up a ladder. The other would hold the ladder for everyone climbing it.
• 1 guy (shut off specialist) from the electric company: This guy would shut off power to the location.
• 1 guy from the light bulb removal company: This guy would remove the bad light bulb.
• 1 guy from the trash removal company: This guy would receive the bad bulb to be thrown away.
• 1 guy from the light bulb handling company: This guy would hand the new bulb to the guy from the installation company.
• 1 guy from the light bulb installation company: This guy would install the new light bulb.
• 1 guy (turn on specialist) from the electric company: This guy would turn on power to the location.
• 1 guy from the light switch company: This guy would flip the light switch on.

Finally, the contracting company would come and have each person go through exactly what they did, it would be signed off on and they'd wait until the next blown bulb. What ever happened to the good old days when 1 person really could change a light bulb?

perseverance

I finished the race. That's the best that can be said.

where's the respect?

Do people realize how disrespectful they are or has society just become so ignorant? Where would you fall within this story? Here's the situation:

I was at a park in Fitchburg yesterday for a walk-a-thon. Polly and I weren't participating in the walk (though we did throw a couple miles in for good measure) so we decided to go check out a street hockey game that was going on at the outdoor rink at the park while enjoying a hot dog. I wanted to jump in and play so badly but the parents of those particular 10-12 year olds may not have appreciated that. Anyway, we were enjoying one game (at least I know I was) when a game at the other outdoor rink got under way. This is when the annoyance began.

Some guy (maybe a dad...in his early 30's?) was standing at the end of the rink looking through the fence which put him only 20 yards or so away from us. He was smoking (smoking around kids bothers me...we know the health risks now right?) and yelling like crazy. He kept yelling commands like "c'mon, push it" and "shoot, shoot, shoot!" I'm sure many people wanted to shoot him. I mean other parents sent occasional pieces of advice out their kids way, but this guy was constant. I felt like he was ruining the experience for the kids and the fans.

Where he was standing was right next to the snack shack (very reasonably priced). I was getting a snack. The guy in line in front of me may have been about my dad's age...probably a grandfather of one of the kids...but not really old. As he was walking back to view the other game (the one the guy was yelling at) he stopped and said something to the guy. Crazy dad responded. Granddad then said, "You know there's no coaching." Crazy dad was like, "Just not over there. Thanks for your concern though." "Thanks for being inconsiderate toward the kids," Granddad countered. As he was walking back to his spot, Crazy dad yelled, "You know what, why don't you just mind your business!" Oooooh, tough guy.

Crazy dad came to get a snack and smelled of alcohol. Then he was talking to the goalie (his son?) about how they need to win the championship...blah, blah, blah.

Now, let's look at this disrespect on a couple of fronts. First, where's the respect for the kids playing trying to have fun and the fans trying to enjoy watching the kids play? It's so incredibly selfish and disrespectful. He ruined people's experience. But more to the point I would like to look at his interaction with Granddad. I've always been taught to respect my elders. Now I know that Elderly Entitlement exists, but still, when you're spoken to by someone a generation older than you, you need to mind your manners. Is this rule out the window? I just felt like it was so disrespectful and rude and selfish. Am I wrong here for feeling this way?

birthday blunders

Have you ever been guilty of committing a birthday blunder? Have you ever had someone commit a blunder on your birthday? Most people mean well on someone's birthday and never intend to make someone's birthday less special, but sometimes we make a mistake that ruins their day. We might forget someone's birthday or treat someone rudely. We might combine the two. The reason I bring this up is not because anyone has done this to me on my birthday today (at least yet...the choice is yours). I bring it up because it came up in discussion the other day and I thought it would be an appropriate day for me to post it. I want to give you two humorous stories (maybe not to some parties involved) about some birthday blunders (one is personal; one happened to someone I know, but I was not involved). Then I would love to hear some of your own, whether they occurred to you or by you. 1. During my junior year of college, I was blessed to have my brother Jon attend CBC with me. I was very excited that he had chosen to come and was thrilled to have family so close by. Also at school was my good friend Jesse Cook. My brother and Jesse shared a birthday...January 17. I had always thought of that day as my brother and sister's (Shan's birthday is also that day) birthday. But my first two years of college, I had taken that day to celebrate Jesse's birthday. During my junior year, they were both there. Thus, there were two people close to me whose birthday it was that day. The choice should not have been tough. Clearly, I should have chosen to celebrate the day by taking my brother out to eat, right? But I didn't. I ignorantly chose to go out to dinner with my friends to celebrate Jesse's birthday. My poor choice in whose birthday to celebrate wasn't the worst part of it though. The worst part was that I was broke and went to Jon and asked him if I could have some money so I could go out with my friends to celebrate Jesse's birthday. Looking back, that's clearly not one of my prouder moments. 2. As the story is told by my friend's son, my friend promised to take his son out for his 8th birthday. At some point and somehow, he forgot about it and proceeded to take his son's friends out for ice cream...WITHOUT HIS SON!!! When he arrived home, he realized his gaff and tried to make it up to his son, but it was too little, too late. I'm not sure that it gets much worse than taking your kid's friends out without you for ice cream on your birthday. These stories are sad but true (the first one I know for sure and the second is alleged, but I'm confident in its accuracy). Which of the two is worse? Do you have one that is worse than or on par with these? Let me know. Sorry again Jon.

i probably think this song is about me

"You need a new image today?" As soon as the woman across the counter at the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles office asked me that question, I immediately followed with my response, "You bet...I've been waiting 5 years for this moment." I wasn't satisfied with my license photo since the day I took it in 2005, but there was no way to hide the fat and frustration that came with it. For 5 years I have looked at my license and waited for the day to get a new photo taken. I'm just happy I lost the weight before that moment came. I would be in denial if I claimed that yesterday wasn't a day of vanity for me. And anyone who goes through a period of extreme weight loss have probably fought that same vanity. I fight this battle, but my license photo take was a very big deal to me. I must have looked in the mirror 25+ times yesterday (this is fairly common practice for me anyway) making sure that my hair looked okay and practicing my smile. I wanted to make sure that the picture was something I could keep for a while (and in Mass, they let you keep the same photo for 10 years). In fact, the reason I went yesterday and not the beginning of next week was due to the fact that my hair's window of looking good was running out. You know what I'm talking about: you get a haircut and within a few weeks your hair looks perfect. Then within another week or two, it's time for a new haircut. I even brought a change of clothes with me to work so that I wouldn't be in a dress shirt and tie for my photo. I wasn't sure how much of me they would get, but I wanted it to look normal. I was excited at the opportunity to trade in my creeper, stalker-style license pic for a new normal looking one. Vain or not, I don't know...but I'm pleased with the results.

new mindset. new goal. same passion.

Around this time last year, I decided to run a marathon to raise money for Speed the Light. I was still losing weight and trying to get back into shape after spending 7 years of my life overweight (most of which I was over 200 lbs.) I didn't have as much time as I would have liked to train and it proved to be a difficult task. As a result, I finished in a slower time than I had hoped for. But let's be honest...the thing that really mattered to me was that I had finished! I learned a lot about perseverance. After a winter-long hibernation from all things running, I laced the running shoes again a month and a half ago and quickly fell in love again. I realized that I'm in a much different place. I'm not in the process of losing weight. In fact, I'm in the best shape of my life (both physically and spiritually). It didn't take long for me to want to do another marathon. At first, I just wanted to do it for myself. I didn't want to "hassle" people asking for support for Speed the Light again after having done so last year. But, in the last few weeks a lot has changed. I really feel like God's been laying it on my heart to run for him and not myself. As a result, I will be raising support for Speed the Light once again. People can choose whether or not to give. I will not neglect in giving the option. What's really cool though is that I have a new mindset and goal. I love running hills again. I have cut significant time off my normal running speed (2+ minutes). I don't give up when I feel tired or sore. I push through. That's because I'm trusting more in God and choosing to give him my best. Speed the Light is my passion...I cannot help myself from doing all I can to help support missionaries around the world. It's something I can do to impact millions of lives in a positive way. And by partnering with me in support you can do the same. So marathon #2 brings with it a new mindset. a new goal. but the same passion for God and for his heart (missions).