And it is the last day of January (full disclosure: it’s not the last day yet at the very moment I am writing this, because I am writing this days in advance – I love this schedule feature!)
But this will post on the last day of January. 31 days, 31 posts. If only I kept all of my new year’s resolutions until the end of January. So many haven’t even started yet…are they even considered resolutions if they begin in March? Or September?
In the meantime, on to February!
About a year ago I discovered an organization called Slow Food.
‘Slow Food is a global, grassroots organization with supporters in 150 countries around the world who are linking the pleasure of good food with a commitment to their community and the environment.’ — courtesy of slowfood.com
I tried to find a Slow Food group during my last international trip but there was not an organized group in Croatia at that time.
For my upcoming trip to Argentina, I found many Slow Food groups throughout the country. I chose to email just three members based in three different cities (actually one city and two towns) that I will be visiting, including Uruguay.
Not a few hours after I sent the emails, the woman who heads up the organization in Uruguay, told me there were no Slow Food events over the time period, as it is summer vacation. However, she told me that I could come and visit her and her farm and I would be most welcome. She also recommended a local entrepreneur who is part of Slow Food who runs a restaurant in the town we are planning on visiting.
I looked at her location on the map, and for the day trip, we just wouldn’t have time to spend 4 hours each way traveling to visit her. But, what a lovely woman to invite a perfect stranger into her home for a day. And for the local restaurant, she even gave me the website and the owners name. I found out a few days ago that Uruguay leads South America in cheese consumption. The restaurant’s website is not in English so I can only partially translate. But, it has an entire page dedicated to cheese, and there is a ribbon noting an award. I think we’ve got to stop by!
I found myself in a conundrum on the bus this week. The guy next to me fell asleep AND was in that moment where he made the movement in that deep sleep, to lean to his right. I was on his right. Um? I don’t know you, you are not going to lay your head on me.
I moved my left arm in a chicken dance kind of movement to try and wake him. It worked.
Today, one of my oldest friends celebrates her birthday. I will never forget that call from her I received after school 25 years ago. When I got on the phone, she was sobbing because the Challenger blew up on her birthday, and she saw it. I don’t remember any other details of the call and I don’t remember watching the takeoff. (I am sure I did because I was in school that day.) I just remember her call.
Take a moment to remember those who lost their lives 25 years ago today.
Success.
Received the report from Risk Management, confirming there were no bed bugs in the room.
As I say, rules are made to be broken. Clearly, their “policy” about not sending the report is a flexible one. Am certain my letter to the CEO helped get me that report. Not as quickly as I would have liked but 8 days is not so bad.
Power for the people!
Tuesday @ 3.15 pm: I returned X’s call and left her a voicemail.
Oprah has a half-sister. I didn’t catch the whole story but I saw bits and pieces of the story on several morning news shows. Good for her! How many times over the years has she had one of those stories on her own show? And now, she’s one of those stories.
Very nice of Patricia, the long-lost sister, not to send the story to the tabloids before reaching out to Oprah herself. It shows a lot of class. And it seems that by doing so she was in Oprah’s good graces before they even met. She said this which shows a lot of class by both women.
“When I heard this about you, I said regardless, I didn’t know if it was true or not true that you are my sister, I had to meet you because I wanted to meet someone who had that type of character,” Winfrey said. “So thank you.”
Nice story.
I have an idea for (what could be) a very profitable business. It will require me to do a bit more research first but I imagine I will be sending a letter to, the one and only, Sir Richard Branson in the very near future.
Stay tuned. It should be a good letter.
Update: when looking for Sir Branson’s email address or information on how to submit ideas to Virgin I found this customer letter. And Branson personally responded to the writer by telephone. Telephone! How awesome.
I saw a guy the other day using a pay phone on the street. It got me thinking. In five, ten or fifty years from now, what’s going to happen to them? Will they still work? Will they become commemorative street art? A living museum? A throwback to the past?
Funny because these were the prime method of communication if you were not at home. I am not sure the last time I used one, but they just seem so dirty now!
When was the last time you used one?
It’s the little things that can make a company go from bad to worse in their consumers eyes. Great article.
http://www.mint.com/blog/trends/problem-customer-01202011/
Some advice.
For me, number four is the worst. Once they test my patience, I step my game up a notch. You want to make it harder for me to complain, then get ready for an earful.
simply three cents 