taawd's thoughts

Foursquare In Action

noreply@blogger.com (taawd) — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 15:29:00 +0000

So just how cool is Foursquare? I was in a different city (San Francisco), checked in at an Apple Store and discovered one of my "friends" was in the area. Rob Campbell (@tribetalk) handles social media among other things for the Cleveland Indians. He checked in at a restaurant and popped up on my map. My quandary: should I stop by the restaurant and say hello? I didn't give it much thought. After making a quick trip around the bar, I decided to venture into the restaurant area with hopes I wouldn't interrupt his meal. If he was eating, I'd just keep walking. Luckily, he was seated in a booth with two friends who appeared to be paying the check. I had to say hello. Given the potential for awkwardness, I made my greeting short and headed off do some sightseeing at the Golden Gate Bridge. So forget points, mayorships and the leaderboard, this was one of my first real social uses of Foursquare. I did apologize for dropping by the restaurant unexpectedly. Rob (being the good guy that he is) tweeted me back saying he was just telling his two friends about Twitter and Foursquare. I'm glad to have helped him make the point about the power of social media.

Where Will You Buy Your iPad 2?

noreply@blogger.com (taawd) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 17:40:00 +0000

Photo credit: Apple

Just four days and counting until the launch of the iPad 2. Since Apple has given very little specifics about where you can actually buy the device, many people are wondering just how they will get their hands on one.

Via their website, Apple lists two ways of buying an iPad 2. One of them involves a visit to one of their retail stores and an unimplied long wait for the device. The other option is purchasing your new iPad online. Since there is no ability to pre-order, this is not an option for people who want to get their hands on an iPad 2 on Friday. According to 9to5mac.com, Apple will begin online sales at 12:01am PST.

Online reports say Best Buy, Target, Sam's Club and Walmart are all getting in on the action. However, there seems to be some concern that not all models will be available at all stores. So if you don't want to wait in a line on Friday outside of an Apple store, there may be some other options.

What is your strategy for getting your hands on an iPad 2 this Friday? What are your considerations for purchasing one? Will you go with 16GB + WiFi? I'd love to hear your thoughts about why you are choosing one model over another.

Cleveland Is Rockin'!

noreply@blogger.com (taawd) — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 15:29:00 +0000

This morning, Tony Coyne, Chairman of the Cleveland Planning Commission and Felton Thomas, Jr., the Director of the Cleveland Public Library joined WMJI’s Lanigan & Malone show to talk about what's happening and what's ahead in downtown Cleveland.

Around $2 billion dollars will be pumped into the local economy through the development of the Medical Mart, Convention Center, East Bank of the Flats and Caesar's Casino. All of these projects must factor into a master plan of growing interest in downtown Cleveland.

"We’re not talking about planning, we’re seeing shovels in the ground," said Coyne.

The first phase of the casino project is in the Higbee Building and is already underway. The second phase will be on the Cuyahoga River and is estimated to begin in two years. As part of the development, Coyne said planners will pay attention to the dynamic of Public Square.

The first phase of the 300,000 square feet project will take place across four floors of the Higbee Building. "It will start out with about 1,600 jobs," said Coyne. "You’re looking at $300 million dollars in restoring the exterior of the building and respectfully treating the interior because of the old Higbee that we know and love." He says he estimates the casino will bring several million people downtown that otherwise wouldn’t be there.

View Larger Map

Work on the Medical Mart and the new convention center will dramatically change downtown. Coyne said the Malls in downtown Cleveland do not currently get a lot of use because of how the buildings around the different areas are built. Most of them are government buildings and do not directly face any of the Malls. Coyne says that through this new development planners are trying to change that accessibility.

All of this development is a positive step forward but Coyne adds that "getting people to live downtown may be one of the most important things that we can do with having good public space, parks and recreational amenities which you don’t have in downtown right now," Coyne said, "you won’t get retail downtown until you have a certain population living downtown."

He says statistics show that every person that works downtown creates one square foot of retail space. Coyne adds if you live downtown, you add 10 to 20 square feet of retail space.

Thomas, who moved here from Las Vegas to take a job at the Cleveland Public Library, told Lanigan that he took the job partially because he liked the town after seeing it during his interview. Lanigan asked if he’d heard the jokes about the city. "I actually heard more of that from Clevelanders than anywhere else." Thomas said. "We’re hardest on ourselves and we have to get over that." added Coyne.

Thomas says planners are working with various organizations like The Cleveland Professional 20/30 Club. “One of the things that they want is a connection of downtown.” He says that they are looking for something to connect West Sixth Street to the East Fourth Street neighborhoods.

This time, I think we can believe that Cleveland is rockin' and simply not dreamin'. What do you think? I'd like to hear your thoughts.

You can hear the entire interview on WMJI by downloading the podcast.

Mom's Sugar Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (taawd) — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 17:21:00 +0000

Cookie Ingredients

1 cup of butter or margarine
1 1/8 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 Eggs
2 tablespoons milk
3 cups of flour

2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Thoroughly cream shortening, sugar and vanilla. Add eggs. Beat until light and fluffy. Sift dry ingredients together. Blend milk into creamed mixture. Add dry ingredients. Mix. Divide dough in half. Chill 1 hour

On lightly floured surface roll to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into shapes. Bake on greased cookie sheet at 375° for 6-8 minutes. Cool slightly and remove from pan

(Makes about 3 dozen)

Icing

1/2 stick of butter
1 pound of powdered sugar
1 teaspoon of lemon flavoring
splash of milk

Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

noreply@blogger.com (taawd) — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 13:05:00 +0000

It's easy to think about all of the things we have going wrong in our lives and overlook the things that are going right. Today, reflect on the positive! It's sure to put a smile on your face or a tear of joy in your eye..

My Life Without Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (taawd) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 14:35:00 +0000

As a heavy social media user, you can imagine what life's been like for me since my Twitter account has become problematic. I can't log into the website because it gives me the "fail whale". I can't access Twitter through my phone because it gives me a "Bad Gateway" or "Service Unavailable" error. Luckily, only by using Tweetdeck can I see what other people are saying. I can only see the "All Friends" feed from the time I launched Tweetdeck. I can see my "Mentions" and "Direct Messages" columns everywhere.

I've alerted Twitter about the problem. It appears that I am not the only person with this issue. At last check, some 62 pages of complaints are logged from people who are experiencing a similar situation.

This morning, my trouble report that I filed with Twitter was updated to "This request is currently being processed by our staff. Hopefully, that's a good sign that a resolution will be quick.

Say a prayer, send good vibes, I'd like my Twitter back.

Jack Johnson Setlist

noreply@blogger.com (taawd) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 02:07:00 +0000

Here's the setlist from the Jack Johnson Concert on July 21, 2010 at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.

You and Your Heart
If I Had Eyes
Taylor
Sitting, Waiting, Wishing
To the Sea Go On
Upside Down
Red Wine, Mistakes, Mythology
Bubble Toes
Wasting Time
Breakdown
My Little Girl
Turn Your Love
Country Road (Paula Fuga cover)
Flake
The Joker (Steve Miller Band cover)
Banana Pancakes
Mudfootball
Rodeo Clowns (G. Love & Special Sauce cover)
Staple It Together
At or With Me
Do You Remember
Home
Angel
Times Like These
Better Together

Opening Acts:

ALO (Animal Liberation Orchestra)

G. Love (acoustic)

The SPF Lesson

noreply@blogger.com (taawd) — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 12:16:00 +0000

Just for starters, I'm not sunburnt. But after years of letting the sun beat down on my body and leaving me painfully red, I've really started to embrace the lesson of applying sunscreen.

I spent a considerable amount of time outside yesterday. It was hot. It was humid. For me, it was unbearable. I'm not a fan of the heat. No, not at all. Before I learned my lesson, I would have spent the day outside sans SPF. So far this year, I haven't had to endure the pain of sunburn. Knock on wood.

There's another lesson I have to learn: wearing gloves. If you're going to do a lot of shoveling, wear gloves. Before my SPF lesson, I may have gotten a blister or two from a bad sunburn. Now, I have blisters from some heavy lifting. I guess it's a lot of living and learning.

Learn from my lesson and skip the pain, wear sunscreen and gloves, too!

Technically Troubled

noreply@blogger.com (taawd) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 15:27:00 +0000

There are days when technology makes your life so much easier. Yesterday wasn't one of them.

Things aren't good when your computer and phone decide to go down the tube at the same time. The devices weren't mine but I spent the better part of yesterday trying to fix them.

After failing to fix the problem last night, I woke up today to try again. A call to Dell helped me identify the problem with the laptop. The hard drive is bad. FedEx will be delivering a new one on Friday. A quick shout-out to Dell. The phone representative was in India and was very helpful with the problem. We even had a conversation about the weather there and here. I was pleased with his knowledge and service.

The phone went to the Sprint store. The technicians couldn't fix it. Instead, a new HTC Hero will be delivered tomorrow.

When you use your phone and your computer for work, it makes it difficult to get anything done. It's not a fun process. We have one computer still working. Cross your fingers that one doesn't become a victim of a technical gremlin, too!

Sunday Night Sky

noreply@blogger.com (taawd) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 02:16:00 +0000

After some big thunderstorms rolled through our area, this is how the sky looked at sunset. No, I didn't do any photoshopping. This picture accurately shows the color of the sky. It was strange to see. I wanted to share with everyone.

Buying Local

noreply@blogger.com (taawd) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:16:00 +0000

Just how much do you love Cleveland? Could you see yourself changing your habits to help out the economy and local businesses? I'm going to to do that during the week of July 3rd through the 10th as part of Buy Local Week.

If you've read my blog in the past, you know I'm a big fan of Northeast Ohio. I grew up in northern Wayne County but spent five long years living in other parts of the country. I came back to this area because it had everything I wanted. Now, I want to continue doing my part to see this place flourish.

Someone recently tipped me off to Buy Local Week. It's an attempt to keep more of the money we earn here in our area. So, how do you do that? Skip that fast food restaurant and eat at a locally owned business. I'm happy to have a meal in Kamm's Corners at Si Señor, P.J. McIntyre's, Backstage Bar, West Park Station or Panini's. Try some Kamm's Lager. It's brewed by Thirsty Dog Brewing Company in Akron. While we're on the subject of Kamm's Corners, if you haven't stopped by the Farmers Market on Sundays, you should definitely check it out. Instead of stopping at a Starbucks for a cup of java, check out the local coffee shop. I have to recommend Savor The Moment on Rocky River Drive. It's an experience.

Supporting an artist from Northeast Ohio is also a good way to buy local. This week, we enjoyed a beautiful night at Cain Park in Cleveland Heights, listening to the sounds of Robin Stone. Instead of staying on Cleveland's west side, we crossed over to the other side of the Cuyahoga River to support someone else's neighborhood and experience something different.

Get the kids involved, too but skip Chuck E. Cheese this time. Look for a summer carnival or street festival in your area whose proceeds will benefit a local organization. They'll probably have kids activities, face painting, food and more fun. It'll get the kids outside for some fresh air and Vitamin D, too. Don't forget the sunscreen!

Here's your chance to experience Cleveland, patronize some local merchants, and keep your money here in our area. The folks at COSE have some suggestions for you. Check them out.

Good luck,

(Here's a quick add to this post. When Lowe's and Home Depot didn't have the bricks I wanted, I found them at a locally-owned business. Ideal Builders Supply and Fuel came through. My front sidewalk looks great again.) Guess I should have tried the local guy first!

Malley's Story

noreply@blogger.com (taawd) — Tue, 18 May 2010 21:08:00 +0000

[as told with lots of help by Katie]

Adding a cat to the household took a lot of thought. Okay, it was an impulsive decision.

Before we headed to the Cleveland APL, we looked online to see what cats were ready for adoption. We quickly knew it wasn't the cat that looked like it was hissing at the camera. We found a couple of options on the website and went to the facility.

We looked at a bunch of different cats. There was some disappointment that the APL didn't have any very little kitties. We found one little cat that was only 8 months old. The little animal was very skinny. The APL person told us that the cat was found on the street. We decided to take the kitty home with us and give her some food.

When we got her home, she looked around the house searching for a place to call her own. She decided that one of the chairs at the kitchen table was one of her spots. The other spot was a chair in the computer room.

We couldn't believe how much she liked to be held. She didn't want to leave our laps. We were a little sad because she kept sneezing. After a couple of days, we decided to take her to the animal hospital. The vet told us she was very sick. They decided that they needed to keep her for a couple days. When we went back to get her, she was a lot better. We had to give her some medicine to help her keep getting stronger. After a couple of days, she became more healthy and started being more playful. We spent some money to help her get better but think it was worth it.

Now, Malley likes to play with her scratching post. She also really enjoys our neighbor's plastic ball that was accidentally left at the house. Malley is also now eating her food a lot more. She likes to play under the bed and attack people's feet. She knows how to bite when she's playing without it hurting. When we go upstairs, she always follows us. She likes to race us to the top.

She didn't like Pounce Seafood moist treats but likes Friskies Natural Sensations chicken flavor. We wonder if it's the seafood or the moist treats that she doesn't like.

Right now, Malley is sleeping on the chair in the computer room. We're glad she calls our house, home. By the way, Malley was the one who was hissing at the camera. She's never hissed at us.
&

The Hooley Lives Up To Its Name

noreply@blogger.com (taawd) — Sun, 16 May 2010 12:03:00 +0000

The idea of a ribbon cutting ceremony was not enough to mark the completion of a streetscape beautification project. Steve Lorenz, Executive Director of the Kamm's Corners Development Corporation, along with the board and staff, decided to start a new tradition, The Hooley.

For hours, police shut down a section of Lorain Avenue while thousands of people enjoyed the Cleveland Police Pipes and Drums, the Brady Campbell Irish Dancers, bands and other performers. Tents by local businesses lined the street. You could smell the food from blocks away.

Clevelanders never need a reason to get together to have fun. The Hooley was designed to entertain the entire family. Lorenz, his board and staff have a reason to feel that they accomplished that goal. As far as I'm concerned, The Hooley was a big success. The weather even cooperated. I'm sure there are a lot of people with sunburns today.

The Hooley also marked the debut of the new Kamm's Lager. The beer will only be sold at area nine businesses. Each of them have a customed tap handle resembling the Kamm's Corners' clock. I'm sure the hands don't show five o'clock by mistake.

A horse-drawn carriage delivered kegs of the brew down Lorain Road to the establishments. Thirsty Dog Brewing Company in Akron crafted the beer. Apparently, they did a good job because it sold out in many locations during the festival. The beer wasn't the only sell-out. Green t-shirts with The Hooley logo were also in high demand.

During our time at the festival, we ate at the Backstage Bar. I'll wager it has some of the best cuisine in Kamm's Corners. Try the Potato Soup!

The Hooley is to become an annual tradition. This year's festival set the bar fairly high.

RiverSweep 2010

noreply@blogger.com (taawd) — Fri, 07 May 2010 12:16:00 +0000

Click on the picture above to find out more about Ohio Canal Corridor's RiverSweep 2010. It's Saturday. Start your morning off by cleaning up Cleveland. It's fun for the entire family!

A Sad Day!

noreply@blogger.com (taawd) — Thu, 06 May 2010 12:37:00 +0000

I don't know if I'm breaking this news but...

I hear that Rock Bottom is closing in the Flats. Yes, it is one of my favorite establishments in Cleveland.

It was special to me for so many reasons.

First, you couldn't ask for a better staff. I felt like I became an honorary employee.

When I didn't feel like cooking, I'd make the short walk over to the restaurant for some food.

It was the first place I met my girlfriend.

I took my friends to the Rock. I also met new friends there.

Ah, table #241!

One of my proudest moments - my name on the Rock Bottom barrel.

I can't say enough about the coupons and the free gifts I got by having the Mug Club Card.

Sadly, I'm probably among the reasons the restaurant is closing down. I don't get to frequent the Rock as much as I once did. I hear the last day is May 30th.

Here are some taawd.com memories.

So sad to see you go, Rock Bottom!

Is Foursquare The Next Big Thing?

noreply@blogger.com (taawd) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:07:00 +0000

With smartphones everywhere and the interest in social media increasing, Foursquare could be the next big thing. I've been using it for a couple of months now. Already, it's easy to see the different ways it could benefit people and businesses.

Foursquare is a geo-social application that works with the GPS in your smartphone. When a user visits a location they have the ability to check-in and are rewarded with points. Each week, you compete against your friends to top the leaderboard. As you continue to check-in, you are given badges. They show your overall activity on Foursquare.

The other key component is the Mayorship. The more you check-in to one location, the more chances you have to become the mayor of the establishment. People who become mayors of different places take great pride in doing so and are usually not happy to let them go. Of course for other people, the idea is to become the new mayor and oust the current one.

At the very basic form, Foursquare is a way for friends to tell friends where they are located. If a friend is at a restaurant and you're in the area, you could jump on Foursquare and get that information.

I believe the marketing ramifications for the business world are endless. A local restaurant, Greenhouse Tavern is jumping on the Foursquare bandwagon. It's giving its employee discount to its Foursquare Mayor.

Starbucks is already involved in Foursquare and it's not the only business that's getting hip. Just the other day, I saw this pop-up on my iPhone when I checked in at a Panera Bread. A yellow box flashed up on my screen to alert me of a new deal that Carrabba's Italian Grill was offering. As you can see if you prove that you're the Mayor of the restaurant, they'll give you a complimentary dessert. It's not as involved as giving your customer an employee discount but it's just the start of what companies are starting to do for their repeat customers.

So how has Foursquare changed my habits? I'm now checking in a lot. I see that a lot of people end up in the same locations in town. We're all fighting for the mayorships of some of the most popular places in the Cleveland area. I have to admit going somewhere and buying an ice cream cone just so I could check-in. By the way, I'm mayor of that location now. Ironically, I can not claim a mayorship at any fitness locations at this moment. You must keep checking into those locations to gain mayorships or at least once.

I'm looking forward to see where Foursquare goes from here.

Dance With Me

noreply@blogger.com (taawd) — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 06:38:00 +0000

What can I say, I like to dance!

When everyone else was doing their homework in high school, I had mine finished and had the tunes cranked for dancing. I'd watch my body in the living room picture window and my feet's reflection in the fireplace glass doors.

I never thought dancing was hard but so many people make it that way. Johnny Cash sang "get rhythm" and that's all you need to do. It's finding that beat that's so tough.

Weddings are my place to show off. Give me a little Rob Base and I can't pass up the dance floor.

I don't have a problem saying I'm a good dancer, I've been told. It's in my blood. My parents developed their own line dance and have no shame showing it off.

Word of my dance awesomeness makes its way around and I get requests to just cut a rug. That never happens. It's like tellling a comedian to be funny and make you laugh.

So if you're lucky maybe you'll see me break it down once and your reaction will be the same, "man, that boy can dance."

Goodbye Sterling Elementary

noreply@blogger.com (taawd) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 14:14:00 +0000

I got up early on my Saturday after suffering a nice headache during the overnight hours. I wanted to make the trek down to Wayne County to see my elementary school for the last time. The 8am wake-up call wasn't a welcomed one. I knew if I did not force myself to show up for the auction they held, I'd regret it.

Our family has a lot of connections to the building. My grandparents both attended the classes there when it wasn't just an elementary school. My mother attended elementary school there as did my sister and me. My mother even worked there.

The turnout for the auction was apparently good even with the weather being a little less than desirable. The rain, drizzle and colder temperatures may have kept some people sitting at home.

I knew I had to remember my camera for the occasion. I wanted to get some last shots of the place because the wrecking crew came to town to bring the building down.

The school has gone through some changes over the years. The district decided to put another classroom on the front of the building. They also added a place for kindergarten and space for an art room. Other than those additions, the building hasn't seen a lot of remodeling over the years.

I didn't attend kindergarten at the school. Instead, classes were held down the street in the United Methodist Church basement.

My first grade teacher was Mrs. Welday. I don't have a lot of memories from that first year but I'll never forget Stephen Bates and me playing Star Wars on the step in the classroom. We both had Stormtroopers and we had a fight over whose was whose. Mrs. Welday promptly came over to the step and took both of them away. Certainly, it was a lesson learned. I took a picture of the step and the classroom. You'll see Mrs. Welday (now Bise) in another photo talking.

The room was on the end of southeast side of the building. I assume the steps were once used as away to get outside. I just remember the teachers opening them during the fall and the spring to increase the airflow through the rooms. There isn't any air conditioning in the building and sometimes the place could get warm depending on the outside temperature.

My second grade room later became the room where I attended some of the classes for sixth grade. Mrs. Elzroth taught that grade. It was basically directly above my first grade classroom.

The blackboards you see at the front of the room would be where Mrs. Smith would write endless notes for us to write down in our journals about whatever subject she was teaching. I know everyone had writing cramps from trying to stay up with her pace. I can remember her being two boards ahead of me and needing to copy some of the notes from someone else.

During the second grade, I think I spent a lot of time on the opposite side of the building on the sick cot. You can see the space in the picture where the cot was, just above the stairs. I think my "sickness" was my way to get out of school. My aversion from education had nothing to do with Mrs. Elzroth. It had more to do with just being able to stay home and watch TV, I think.

We were one of the first classes to use a new room that was built in the front of the school. Mrs. Glessner, I think, was proud to have that as her room. It smelled like freshly laid carpet. It actually had carpet. Few other rooms in the place got that treatment. It also didn't have the old slate looking chalkboards. It was a lot warmer than anywhere else in the building. Mrs. Glessner had an old bathtub that was covered in carpeting. I wonder if she still has it or where it went. It's almost difficult figuring out which classrooms are which with all of the chairs, desks and cabinets being gone.

Just across from my first grade class was where Mrs. Renninger's fourth grade classes were held. It had a step just like the first grade room. I remember switching to other classrooms during that year but I only think I had one other teacher, Mr. Forrer. I know I've written this in a past post but Mrs. Renninger's lasting impression on me was reading "The Great Brain" series of books to us after recess. Mrs. Renninger wasn't necessarily happy with my fidgeting. I apparently excelled at that during my fourth grade year.

Fifth grade took me upstairs and to the opposite side of the building to a room just on the other side of the sick cot. I was happy to have Mrs. Elzroth teaching my class again. She liked me and I liked her. We also got to change classrooms again to Mr. Ocepek's room that was across the hallway. I got to talk to him yesterday and he's changed a little bit but after a few words, you could certainly tell who it was. He talked about his poking sticks that would motivate kids when they weren't listening or otherwise disengaged.

I didn't have to go far for sixth grade, it was just one room down from my fifth grade classroom. Mrs. Carpenter taught the class. I believe it was one of the biggest rooms of the school. I wonder what it was back when the school had kids attending high school there. The room was next door to the office. A reason to behave and listen. Mrs. Carpenter had a reputation as being strict. I don't remember a lot of kids getting out of line back in her classroom.

I didn't get to spend a lot of the time during the auction in the rooms. A lot of people crowded the place looking, hopefully to take home some memories from the school. I did snap some shots of the lunchroom, the kitchen, music room, the speech room along with a couple other pictures I couldn't pass up getting a snapshot.

The building served three generations of my family well. Soon, the demolition crews will come in and have their way. A park will be built on the property.

Not anymore...

So long, Sterling Elementary...

Ping! Clipper Conundrum

noreply@blogger.com (taawd) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:08:00 +0000

Let's just agree that we all have our little idiosyncrasies. Some of us have more than others.

I always carry fingernail clippers. I've become loyal to the Trim brand over the years. The cut is even and your clippings don't shoot across the room. You can also use them for many other things. I'm sure MacGyver has a pair of them in his pocket too. I'm not so sure about MacGruber.

At any rate, like many other people, I'm occasionally prone to losing things. Not as much as other people I know, no names of course, because I don't want to end up in the dog house.

After losing a pair of fingernail clippers (why do we say pair?) I bought some new ones. Problem was, they didn't live up to the old ones. They didn't cut as evenly. People, especially friends and loved ones, found themselves in the danger zone when my fingernails got too long.

I couldn't have this!

I took matters into my own hands and called the W. E. Bassett Company. I'm not opposed to calling a company, especially if I'm loyal to their product. The people told me the clippers aren't made in the U.S.A. anymore. Turns out they are now made in China. All you have to do is check the clippers. They say "China" as opposed to "USA".

The nice people at Trim took my complaint and mailed me out three new pairs of American-made clippers. I'm glad they had some extras. Here's hoping they get more customers' complaints and bring the work back home where people really know how to manufacture fingernail clippers.

Here's the best news, now no one has to dodge my clippings anymore!

Some Customer Service...

noreply@blogger.com (taawd) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:00:00 +0000

I'm a Target shopper, that you know if you know me.

I think SNL's skit about the Target Lady is hilarious and I could watch each of them over and over.

I wonder if it's art imitating life or the opposite.

At our local Target, we avoid one of the cashiers because let's say she's a little strange.

Here was the conversation overheard there:

Elderly shopper: "Thank you for all of your help loading my bags into my cart."

Cashier: "Well, I kind of have to, it's my job..."

Customer: "We don't want to buy this, I think it's broken, can I leave it with you?"

Cashier: "Well, you kind of have to, if it's broken, what else would you do with it?"

Cashier: "Have a nice day."

Customer: "Oh, now I kind of have to because you told me so."

Okay, the last interaction may not have happened but it should have.

We normally avoid her aisle because you never know what she's going to say. I'm a little afraid she might bite.

Here's another story of "the customer's always right but this time from AutoZone:

(I thought I'd include the link but then thought why should I give them potential business)

Me: "I need to return my windshield wiper that I bought here because it doesn't work correctly. It's not hitting the windshield properly."

Salesman: "Is it a winter blade?"

Me: "I don't know..."

Salesman: "Does it have a little blue tab on the end?"

Me: "I don't know..."

Salesman: "What do you know?"

Me: "I know that after I get a new windshield wiper and you replace it for me, I ain't ever giving you any other business."

Oh, yeah and I'm gonna blog about this conversation too!

My first iPhone blog

noreply@blogger.com (taawd) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 23:42:00 +0000

I thought I'd blog a lot more if I had a chance to post from my iPhone. Apparently, there's an app for that and luckily it's free.

Don't look for longer posts from me from the iPhone because tapping out all of the letters ain't so easy. The good thing about the iPhone is it automatically corrects many of my tapping mistakes. You wouldn't want to see this post without that feature. It would probably appear as something put together by a pre-schooler.

While I'm talking technology, I remember having a TV and only getting five channels. Most of them we couldn't get very well. We didn't have a VCR when I was a little kid, we certainly didn't have a DVR. I didn't have the ability to watch my favorite show 20 times a day. How did my mother get anything accomplished? How did I cope? Wonder what kids these days will look back and say 30 years from now.

--published from my iPhone.

Too Many Connections

noreply@blogger.com (taawd) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:01:00 +0000

Why can't everything be USB?

I'm going crazy with all of the connections I need.

My iPhone from Apple has a special connection on one side of the plug that I use to charge it. Of course, that's different from my last phone, or the one before that or the one before that. I need juice for my electronics so every time I buy a new phone, that means another wall charger and another car charger.

Of course, my bluetooth (yes, my bluetooth) from Motorola has another proprietary connector that I use to power it up. That connector is different from the old Motorola bluetooth.

My camera doesn't do USB on each end. Again, there's another special connector on one end. Of course, that's different from the digital camera that I had in the past.

My plea: let's start making all of the connections universal. Of course, if we did that, Apple, Motorola and every other electronics company out there couldn't take more money from us.

Wanna buy an old charger?

Brand Loyalty (or my addictions)

noreply@blogger.com (taawd) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Allison from Confessions of a Cohabitant wrote about her boyfriend's hair product choice and its dwindling availability. That got me to thinking about my brand loyalty.

I'm the kind of person marketers either love or hate. Once you get me hooked on your product, I'm unlikely to try something else. I'm not talking about the love for a product like Narm has with his Secret but fairly close.

I need Aim for toothpaste. I know practically nobody uses that brand but I often wonder what I'd do if they ever stopped making it. The best part is it's 99 cents but hard to find at say, Target.

I'm sure the discontinuation of Gillette Cool Wave deodorant would send me into a whirlwind of anxiety.

I use Hollister Jake cologne so you don't find my smell offensive.

I need my Crew hair product, that is when I actually use it.

As I mentioned, Raisin Bran = Kellogg's

Pop Tarts (or any other toaster pastry) = Kellogg's

Graham Crackers = Nabisco

Soda (if I drink it) = Coke

I'm sure there are others but you get the picture.

What are your favorite must-haves?

I'll Miss You McDonald's...

noreply@blogger.com (taawd) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:14:00 +0000

If you've read any of my posts in the past, you know how happy McDonald's breakfasts make me. I'm giving them up. I'm trying to be more picky and healthy about what I eat.

Gone are the days when I can stuff a big greasy cheeseburger down my throat. I just can't do it any longer.

I've replaced the Golden Arches with Two Scoops of Raisin Bran (Kellogg's, of course. I don't like the Post version) and some banana slices on top. It's a tough transition. Each time I come home, I want to veer off the way home and get two number twos with milk to drink to drink instead of coffee.

I'm even tempted other ways. For some reason, potato chips seem to beckon me from inside the cupboard. I don't even like potato chips but yesterday I couldn't get past the kitchen without having one. Yes, just one.

I'm even snacking healthy at work. My lunch consists of clementines and apples. They fill me up. I've even given up flavored sports drinks for water. I still don't do soda or caffeine. I gave those up a long time again.

Here's to good health!

I Went Back To Ohio...

noreply@blogger.com (taawd) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:30:00 +0000

but my elementary school was gone...

The place where I spent so many years of my young life is now a building with its future up in the air. Elementary students in the North Central School District (now Norwayne Local School District) are now attending classes in Creston.

My old elementary school now sits vacant but there are more than enough memories from that place.

I remember sitting on the steps in Mrs. Weldy's classroom and playing Star Wars with my friend, Stephen in first grade. I remember our teacher's mother coming in to help with the holiday parties. I remember standing in the lunch line and telling a girl I thought she was cute, an embarrassing moment.

I remember having one of the best teachers ever, Mrs. Elzroth, in second grade. I made not have liked going to school but she always made me seem to forget about that feeling. I spent a good deal of time on the sick cot. Was I really sick or sick of school? Probably both.

In third grade, I remember when the entire class got talked to because we all wouldn't play with one of our classmates. Mrs. Glessner made sure we all knew that wasn't okay. I remember it being one of the most scariest moments of my young life. Who could forget the carpet lined bathtub for reading. A brilliant idea! We got to be some of the first students in the new room at the school.

In fourth grade, Mrs. Renninger read to us after recess to calm us down. She read The Great Brain series to us. Another brilliant idea. By the way, I have all of The Great Brain series which I can't wait to share. We made a ridiculous robot out of cardboard that never quite got finished.

In fifth grade, I had the pleasure of having Mrs. Elzroth as my teacher again. We also traded classrooms and got the wake-up stick from Mr. Ocepek if we weren't paying attention. Mrs. Elzroth saw red when someone brought some pictures of nude girls into the room. Everyone knew who did it but luckily they didn't in trouble for it.

In sixth grade, I had Mrs. Carpenter. She taught us words I still don't use in everyday conversation, like abecedarian. Words were her game. I recall getting writer's cramp from taking down all of the notes Mrs. Smith put on the chalkboard. I remember us being allowed to run out and watch the blimp as it went over the school. I had Mrs. Allen for math. I remember always being excited to go to her classroom. She was strict but always fun.

Of course, I wouldn't want to leave out Miss Lea, our gym teacher. Who thought a parachute could be so much fun? Mrs. Chapman taught us art and always had a pharmacist's coat on to keep the mess off her good clothes. Mrs. Chapman's mother-in-law was once our music teacher. You'd know when she was coming to the room because you'd hear all of her instruments clanging around in her bag. It was a magical moment for us kids.

We had two great janitors, Mr. Gordon & Mr. Russell, while I was there. Anyone who went to the school remembers cleaning the erasers. So fun!

You can't forget Mrs. Schaffter and Mrs. Hostettler. I still love the smell of Mrs. Hostettler's copying machine. Mrs. Schaffter was always there to help when you got a cut or a scratch.

Lastly, Mr Bowers was the man who ran the school. He came up with the Book Worm Club and used it throughout his time as principal. I still have a segment somewhere.

Those memories and so many more will always be a part of me whether the building stays or goes. Sometimes I'd love to replay some of those times again but they're probably best stored in my mind and now on this post.

taawd's thoughts