Good Vs. Bad Service

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I like rewarding good service. That’s why on Monday, after two young men from Play It Again Sports spent well over an hour wrestling our home gym out the door, down the steps, and onto their truck, and did so with smiles and upbeat attitudes, I immediately e-mailed the store to let them know how much I appreciated their workers and what great service they offered. The store supervisor e-mailed back to say:

Thanks a bunch! It seems as though we only hear about the bad things these days… so it’s always nice to hear the good things.

That being said, I have to admit I’m quick to react to bad service. I don’t always point it out, unless I think doing so will actually alter the situation, and I do try to keep in mind that everyone has their off days. But Blair and I experienced bad service on such a new level the other day that no “I’m having a bad day” excuse could cover it.

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I'm Not Smart Enough to Own A Garmin

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Garmin Forerunner 405Forgot to mention in yesterday's post that not only did I take the plunge and buy a stationary bike this weekend, I've also committed myself to being a "real" runner by closing my eyes, handing over my VISA card to be swiped, and purchasing a Garmin Forerunner 405. 

Unfortunately, as I learned upon coming home and taking my shiny new Garmin out of the box, I'm not smart enough to own and/or operate a Garmin. Given that a recent review in Runner's World describes the watch as perfect for the "technology challenged," I'm not sure what this says about me. All I know is that I'm going to need to hunt down some 7-year-old computer genius to tell me how to work this thing. 

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I Bought A Bike

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I bought a bike. Not a real bike, but an upright stationary bike. I can barely manage to walk a straight line without tripping so I thought it best I not place myself on two wobbly rubber circles and wheel myself into traffic. The local hospitals are busy enough without my adding to their stress levels.

Here's how I bought my bike. I walked into Play It Again Sports, hopped on three different models for a total of about 30 seconds each, then pointed at one and said, "That'll do."

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Papyrus Is All The Rage

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When we travel internationally, we try to bring home one significant souvenir that, just by looking at it, will remind us of where we were and all the sights, sounds, smells, and feelings of that particular journey. We brought back a whale-bone bowl from Alaska, pottery from Hawaii, decorative plates from Italy, knock-off cheap prints from Savannah that nevertheless captured the feel of the historic town for us. The only major failing we had was France. We waited until the final hours of our trip to souvenir shop and walked away with a decorative pillow with a stitching of the Eiffel Tower on it. WTF??
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