schmits.org

Welcome to schmits.org: , , , and virtual front porch. This web site is just that; a place to visit for family, friends, and anyone, who are too far away, to stop by in person. Pull up a chair and stay a while....

Trash Collector

I am now a trash hauler. Okay, maybe that's being a bit extreme. Trash collector is probably more accurate.

At work, I have now lost my trash can at my desk. If you recall, over the summer, I lost my walls and door. Now, my trash can. This is part of an initiative that is called "cooperative cleaning." Instead of a cleaning crew coming in after hours, they work while we work. In order to minimize desk-side disruptions, everybody will dispose of their own waste into centralized containers. Since folks in a pilot of this process were not able to empty desk-side trash receptacles regularly, we now have only four large trash containers for the entire floor. Instead of one member of the cleaning crew taking a moment to dump my trash can into the bin that was pushed through the floor, I now have to either collect trash on my desk (used piece of gum anyone?) or I have to walk approximately 25 yards to and from a trash can whenever I need to throw something away. Cost savings at its finest.

I'm just waiting for the list to be distributed that tells me which day I have toilet-cleaning duty. And I'll take vacation that day.

iTunes Genius Sidebar Rocks!

Apple's latest great idea to come my way is the Genius Sidebar in iTunes. Geoff pointed out the feature to me when he was putting together a playlist for a gathering at our house a couple of weeks ago. It probably isn't all that complicated, but it is one of those features that make you wonder "why didn't anyone think of this before?!?"

My simple explanation for what it does it to help pick music that is similar to what you know you like. It can generate a playlist based upon one song. Or, it can suggest songs that are in iTunes that you don't have that you would like, again based upon one song. It is uncanny in how good the predictions are. It's amazing to hear those songs that I never knew the artist or title of, but that are soooo familiar to me. So far, I've shown restraint. But, it would be very, very easy to run up quite a tab at a dollar a song.

Dead Watch Battery

Often, we don't appreciate something until it is gone. So it is with my watch battery. Yesterday, it was fading and I could only read it when I looked at an angle. Today, all hope is lost. The funny thing is that I've realized it provides me security. I think that I look at my wrist less often when I have my watch on it, even when the watch is useless.

I have had my current watch for over thirteen years. The battery has been replaced at least half a dozen times, and the watch band has also. This past January was the first time that I could not find a watch band that was the same as the original. I somehow can't bring myself to replace the "guts" of the watch, even though I have looked into it on several occasions. This one works, and with minimal maintenance, it keeps on ticking...

Let's just hope I don't go crazy not knowing what time it is before I get a new watch battery.

Goodbye, Starbucks!

I have never been a frequent visitor to Starbucks. I'd guess that I visit 1-2 times a month. Actually, it appears from our financial records that it is much less than that - only 9 times in the past year; I think that must be flawed. But, the frequency is not the point.

I was disappointed while at Starbucks a week ago. My favorite drink, which I know isn't why Starbucks exists, is a Caramel Frappucino. I always order it decaf. Typically grande. Until last week. Starbucks has ceased to make the decaf frappucino mix. They offered me some alternative, which involved the vanilla blended creme mix with decaf espresso. Trying that doubled my disappointment. It wasn't even close to being enjoyable.

I'm also still disappointed that my free Starbucks T-shirt never arrived. Geoff was kind enough to try to order one when I was out to lunch with a friend one day, and managed to place an order. Unfortunately, they didn't follow through. At least I'm not doing free advertising for them. But, I will have to pick a different shirt when I get to painting our bathroom.

So, close as many stores as you like, Starbucks. I'll need something new to motivate me to visit, anyway.

Crunchy or Creamy?

Today for lunch, Dylan asked me to make him the apples with peanut butter and chocolate Teddy grahams that are on the back of the package. I asked whether he wanted crunchy or creamy peanut butter. We usually eat crunchy, but I had recently used creamy peanut butter to make him the convertible that was on the back of the graham cracker sticks box. Dylan picked the crunchy peanut butter out of the cupboard.

While making his apples, I thought about, and realized why I have a preference for crunchy peanut butter. I explained it to Dylan, but he didn't seem at all interested. So, perhaps I'll find a more compassionate audience here.

I like crunchy peanut butter because it allows me to keep the ingredients inside of the crackers. One of my favorite snacks has always been graham crackers with peanut butter, or peanut butter and fluff, inside. I like to put a decent amount of filling in the crackers, squeeze the crackers together, and first eat what gets squished out; I know, Miss Manners would not be pleased to hear this technique. With crunchy peanut butter, there is a limit to how much of the filling can be squeezed out. There is always some peanut butter, and possibly fluff, that is left to eat with the graham cracker. And that is why I prefer crunchy peanut butter.

Marshmallow Fluff... it might come from humble origins, but it has gone where few people have gone... into space. But we can talk about fluff some other day.

Kindness of Strangers?

Today, we made the mistake of going in the express grocery check-out with well more than the limit of 15 items. Unfortunately, our groceries were half on the conveyor before I realized our mistake. Also, unfortunately, the 'kind' 'gentle'man, from whom I learned I was in the incorrect check-out lane, decided to talk indirectly about my mistake rather than to have pointed it out when I could have selected a different lane.

What contributed to the mistake?

Well, for one, the grocery store has changed to lighted displays that do not indicate "EXPRESS" nearly as prominently before. The difference between a regular check-out and the express check-out is whether a small sign is back-lit. I looked to see whether the lane was express, and I did not notice the light. I was trying to make sure that a one-year old and three-year old did not melt-down as we were leaving the store, but that shouldn't be an excuse...

The aforementioned 'gentleman.' Please, please, please, if you are going to complain to a store employee about me being in an express lane, have the courtesy to mention it to me first, especially if you see me get in the line right in front of you. I would actually appreciate the help discerning which lane is appropriate for me. After my (too many) grocery items are on the conveyor, it is too late.

The store employee who ushered the person, who was in front of me in line, to the self-check out also could have noticed and mentioned that I had too many items. Perhaps she was just hoping that we'd leave the store before one of the kids got even more tired and hungry.

Perhaps there are people who blatantly ignore the rules, but I'm not one of them. I felt terrible for being in the express lane and slowing down those who ended up behind me. My apologies to them. It was an honest mistake, which could have been avoided if someone was willing to communicated directly to me instead of complaining about me.

New and Improved

Every time that I read those two words, or even one of the two, on any consumer product, I cringe. It has been my experience that new and improved to most companies is not quite as good to me. Perhaps more companies should retain their classic products like Coca-Cola eventually did. Unfortunately, most products don't have the same passionate following that Coke has.

My most recent example of a modified product is my shampoo. Geoff returned from the grocery store with my shampoo among other items. At the top of the bottle is written:

new!
fragrance and formula

I think, "Uh oh," and into the shower the shampoo went.

Every morning this week, I have been awoken a bit more than usual in the shower, thinking "What is that smell? Oh yeah, my new shampoo fragrance."

Often, the other options available to me are no better, so I am just stuck with "new and improved" products that I believe are inferior to the old. However, other times I do find a better product and switch my allegiance. I'm not sure what I'll do when the shampoo I have in the house is nearing empty, but it might mean a switch after seven or eight years.

Lasting Impressions

This weekend, two companies made, what I'm sure will be, lasting impressions. One good; the other not so good. First, the good. One of my best friends gave Carolyn and I a really nice Waring Blending for our wedding. In Texas, we used it a handful of times to make margaritas. Since then, however, whenever we've tried to use it to make corn chowder, smoothies, or some other concoction, it has been less than ideal. (By the way, I'm trying to use the phrase "less than ideal" rather than "sucks" to set a good example for Dylan.) While we considered the possibility that the blender simply refused to blend any non-alcoholic mixture, we decided there was a more fundamental problem. Remembering that my friend purchased the blender at Williams-Sonoma, on a whim, we stopped in at our local store. We remarked that the blender worked well a couple of times, but not any more. The helpful associate asked if we had received it as a gift or purchased it from Williams-Sonoma. We replied that it was a wedding gift purchased at the Austin Williams-Sonoma. Before we could ask what kind of a warranty it had, she said that we should bring it in and exchange it for a new blender. I was pleasantly surprised. This weekend, I returned to Williams-Sonoma with the blender in tow. I mentioned, to a different associate, that I had been in the previous weekend and had a blender that hasn't worked for a while. Without asking any more questions, including where I bought it or how long I had it, the associated went in the back and brought out a replacement. Excellent customer service.

I also bought a new razor this weekend, a Norelco Quadra 7866XL. While unpacking the razor I encountered the sticker in the above picture and couldn't stop laughing. This label was stuck to the cord for the razor. This is ridiculous for two reasons. First, who would consider cutting the power cord with a pair of scissors? Is this such a common action that consumers need to be warned not to do it? Second, sticking a label to the power cord encourages people to use their scissors to cut off the label. That is, as far as I can see, this warning label is going to increase the probability that someone is going to cut the power cord with a pair of scissors. The fact that this insane label passed through some engineering quality process without detection certainly made me hesitate before sticking this razor to my face. Fortunately for me, it worked just fine.

Our Flag

While it may be hard to believe, today I won't be extolling some liberal ideology when I climb up on my soapbox. Yesterday, I instructed my local Scout troop how to respect the flag of the United States of America. We usually meet in the basement of a church that doesn't have a flag pole; so, we don't have the opportunity to raise and lower the flag. Yesterday, we took advantage of the extra daylight and walked across the street to the elementary school and used their flag pole to practice. Afterward, we went back to the basement and discussed the various guidelines for hoisting, lowering, carrying, displaying, and saluting the flag. We then discussed one topic which often seems to surprise people: behaviors that are disrespectful of the flag.

The U.S. Flag Code (Title 36, Chapter 10, Section 176 of the United States Code) enumerates these behaviors:

(d) The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery. It should never be festooned, drawn back, nor up, in folds, but always allowed to fall free. Bunting of blue, white, and red, always arranged with the blue above, the white in the middle, and the red below, should be used for covering a speaker's desk, draping the front of the platform, and for decoration in general.

...

(i) The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever. It should not be embroidered on such articles as cushions or handkerchiefs and the like, printed or otherwise impressed on paper napkins or boxes or anything that is designed for temporary use and discard. Advertising signs should not be fastened to a staff or halyard from which the flag is flown.

(j) No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform. However, a flag patch may be affixed to the uniform of military personnel, firemen, policemen, and members of patriotic organizations. The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing. Therefore, the lapel flag pin being a replica, should be worn on the left lapel near the heart.

After presenting these disrespectful behaviors, one of the Scouters asked why so many companies sold clothing that bears the likeness of the flag. One of the Scouts volunteered that companies are more than willing to take advantage of our patriotism to make money. I couldn't have said it any better. Although, it's not just for-profit corporations exploiting our new-found patriotism, it is the U.S. Postal Service as well.

So, this year when Old Navy starts selling their 2004 U.S. flag shirts, just leave them on the shelf. Please do display your patriotism, but don't disrespect the flag.