There's a Fat Man in the Bathtub with the Blues

Monday, January 31, 2011

Dallas Needs Strippers!

ESPN Reports that Dallas strip clubs need an estimated 10,000 more strippers for this weekend. With 60 licensed clubs in the Metroplex, according to the article, each will employ an average of 160 more dancers this weekend.

Well, it cold be worse...

By the way, no, this isn't my proudest moment, but sometimes you just gotta share.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

My Beef Isn't with Taco Bell

This week there has been a big bru-ha-ha over Taco Bell Beef. A group in California is suing the restaurant contending their taco meat is only 35% beef.

In response, the company has taken out full page advertisements in several large metropolitan newspapers saying their taco meat is 88% beef.

What upsets me is that the FDA benchmark for the amount of beef required to be in taco meat is only 40%. I'm glad that someone is looking out for us. Thank you FDA.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Come to Think of It, That Does Look Familiar

When I was in seminary in Austin, Texas, we would often go out to eat at a Pizza Place by campus. Since the seminary was just north of the UT campus, everything was definitely Longhorn centered. Then Marie pointed to an image on a flag in the restaurant, this one...

Then she looked at me and said, "Look honey, the UT Medical School must have a Women's Health Unit, there's their logo." I was puzzled. She continued, "Honey, look! It's a uterus and fallopian tubes!"

You know... come to think of it... I guess we spent way too much time seeing fertility doctors.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Customer Service

The Customer Service buzz has been around for years now. It has been well over twenty years since the buzz hit higher education and other service industries. Marie and I attended a customer service workshop as a part of our hospital orientation at Good Shepherd Hospital-Marshall yesterday.

One of their concepts of service is that if someone asks an employee where something is, they take you there. Sure, this can take five to ten minutes, but even if you are in the midst of three additional errands, you take them there.

Of course this didn't happen when we tried to find the room where Orientation was being held. Irony works like that.

As I have a propensity to be a crotchety ol' SOB from time to time with a wicked sense of humor, I also thought it would be nice to point out a sign at a local market where the Express Lane asks you to limit yourself to "about twelve" items. Seriously, about twelve.

That way the people who carry two things of the same thing can feel better about counting them as one. If you have 3 two-liter bottles of your favorite soda, you can count them as one since only one has to be scanned and the other two can be entered on the key pad somehow, making the process much quicker. I would believe it still prevents you from thinking of "bacon, lettuce, and tomato" as one item, but we're getting closer to sane change from people who think "a whole cart full" is close to "twelve." (Don't know how many times I've seen that at Wal-Mart all over America.)

Instead (yeah, six column inches on the screen and now I get to the "instead") I want to talk about two pieces of good customer service.

The first was at my local Brookshires store, the home of "about twelve." Today, I had one item, a bag of chips for Marie's lunch. I was at the back of a longish line when a woman said, "Sir, I can get you over here." When the man at the back of the line on the next lane over heard this, he moved over and got to the head of the line. He had about a dozen items in a hand basket. The woman looked at him and said, "Sir, pleas let me get the man in the line behind you first since he has only one item." I don't know if he liked this or not, but I loved it... and her!

As for the other great piece of customer service, Friday night Marie and I went to Longivew, Texas and ate at Red Lobster. Our waitress was fabulous! Her name was Jessica, JK on her badge, and she was great! Friendly, always there to refill drinks, remembering what we were drinking, great with food suggestions and very very prompt. On top of that, the food was fabulous. It was probably the best Red Lobster we had ever eaten in period end of sentence. Ever. Kudos for the Longview Red Lobster and for JK!

Remember, tell someone who has made a difference in your life that they have. It goes a long way with them... and it doesn't hurt to pay the complement either.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

How About the 2011 College Football Season!

This from ESPN.com's Brian Fremeau was published January 14:

We know, it's early.

But with the 2010 season officially wrapped, we can't help but take a look ahead at what 2011 will bring.

You know what I say, RESIST! Stop it! Stop it right now! Just one week after Auburn beat Oregon in the NCAA BCS Championship Game there is someone who wants to predict the 2011 season winner.

Enjoy it while you can Tigers. But at least you got a whole week to revel in the glory. At this rate I bet the 2011 champ won't get to celebrate at all. I'm guessing the 2012 champ will be crowned about Thanksgiving weekend this year.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Sarah Palin and Blood Libel

I would like to thank Governor Palin for this much, if I am any indication I would like to thank her for teaching an entire generation the term "blood libel."

Here's a video of the Governor's statement, this version is from Governor Palin's facebook page and hosted at vimeo.com:

Sarah Palin: "America's Enduring Strength" from Sarah Palin on Vimeo.

If you are like me, you went to Wikipedia and read this, "Blood libel (also blood accusation) refers to a false accusation or claim that religious minorities, in European contexts almost always Jews, murder children to use their blood in certain aspects of their religious rituals and holidays." Thanks WikiWorld!

There are lots of thing to be said about this, but in my opinion none have said them better than Ruth Abrams in her blog The Versatile Writer. She writes:

Sarah Palin is not a member of a persecuted, segregated minority. Though she has resigned her legitimately elected office, she’s a political leader who is being accused of overblown, violent rhetoric. Of that I think she’s actually guilty. I’ve read the things she said and seen her little gun sight map. I don’t think her rhetoric is the key issue underlying the Tuscon shooting–it’s not even in the top three key issues, which are gun control, the lack of adequate mental health care and the stigma attached to seeking mental health care. [BTW, I don't agree with her stance on gun control as an issue in this matter, but I do agree with her stance on the state of mental health issues in America. -PAA]

But look, Sarah Palin, if someone shoots one of your political opponents and thousands of people turn to look at your gun-related metaphors for how to vote her out of office, it’s not “blood libel.” It’s people saying your wild west, violent, anti-intellectual style is as dangerous as your reactionary political substance. It may be opportunistic, but I’m glad they are. Now cut the cultural appropriation and pull up your socks–take some responsibility for what you say.

In her video response, Governor Palin says "each individual is accountable for his actions" saying this is not the time to blame talk radio or other such media for the actions of deranged individuals. What the Governor fails to take into account is that you should blame the person who yells "fire" in a crowded movie house as well as the person who starts the stampede. Media have been screaming "fire" for years and are now in shock when somebody fires.

She also mentions late in the piece that the cry from some politicians to "take up arms" is a metaphor for voting. I guess this means the 2nd Amendment's right to keep and bear arms is a rephrasing of voting rights. I'm glad we got that out of the way.

Finally, at about the 2:15 mark,in a place where Governor Palin extols the benefits of political rhetoric, she mentioned "maps of swing districts that were used by both sides of the aisle." Yes, both sides of the aisle. I'll take her at her word on this, but then ask the question every parents asks every teenager, "Would you jump off a cliff if everyone used sniper sight imagery in their civil political rhetoric?"

I pray somebody begins to say no and demands better from those who will govern us. We must demand more of those who we elect to office. In fact, let's quit electing politicians and start electing leaders.