Mostly Muppet

I love my in-laws, I really do. So much so that when Jenn got a call from them last night asking if I’d take care of the body of their recently-deceased cat while they’re away on vacation, I actually jumped at the chance.

Why? Let me explain.

Death is a natural part (circumstance?) of life. In the grander scheme of eternity, such as it is, our bodies will be dead much longer than they are alive.

Plus, as someone who is an animal lover myself, I didn’t see how I could leave my in-laws in the lurch. It was my duty to them and to my wife to act on their (and the cats’ - the one that died and those still alive) behalf.

So I drove myself down to Fayetteville last night, let myself into the rec room and set about moving Max from his very permanent resting place in a red Igloo cooler to a semi-permanent spot in the fridge. Not the freezer, mind you, which was too full to really fit him, but the fridge.

As a co-worker pointed out to me it may be a bit awkward to eat Thanksgiving leftovers from that fridge later on (ugh!), but I digress.

The phone call Jenn got last night setup the scene relatively well: caretaker who checks on the cat every few days finds Max lying motionless in the litter and a chorus of his mates meowed their whiskers off. Struck with grief but mindful that Marty & Dottie (my in-laws) will want to properly send him off, she puts him on ice and tearfully calls his owners.

I came into their darkened rec room (thank you, flashlight iPhone app) to a quartet of pretty chill kitties (and one very chill kitty) listening to classical on their AM dial. The whole scene had a very CSI vibe with the expected Pet Semetary overtones.

For the whole process, I did two things:

1. Planned ahead. I didn’t leave any steps to chance and so I cleared the fridge, positioned the garbage bag and donned rubber gloves for my own sanitary protection
2. Documented the entire process via photos and I had my in-laws & Jenn on a blow-by-blow conference call the entire time. I even emailed photos from the car before I left their house.

It really is an intense experience to see the body of the deceased, human or animal. You recall their beauty and grace in life but also their flaws and their quirks.

Lying there in the Igloo cooler I remember how fluffy and like his breed (Himalayan) Max looked. A fluffy, regal thing with a round face and a weak little meow that sounded like he was complaining about his own name. “Maaaaaax,” he’d finish with a licking flourish of his tongue.

Even in death his appearance belied how thin and lithe he really was. Easily half of his mass was fur, so he only weighed half what he looked like he might.

His body - only slightly turgid - went gingerly into the bag which went into the fridge to await my in-laws. He looked serene and peaceful, eyes closed, like he was stretched out in the sun room and not in a makeshift morgue.

I really will miss that cat. And I’m just as likely to interject the humor and the haphazard way the entire evening unfolded as I am to get all misty like I have been here.

In any event, whether you laugh or cry, please think of my in-laws and of their cat Max. I know I am.

And I have additional thoughts about iPhone/Flickr apps, but that’s a side discussion for the comments, the pictures or a new post.

Sweet dreams!

After reading this horrific story of parental abuse, neglect and inhumanity, I felt a horrible chill go through my spine. How could a human being, especially a parent, do this to another human being, specifically their own child.

Please read the story - The girl in the window - and try to keep your stomach from turning or your eyes from welling up with tears over the feral state in which “Dani” was originally raised to the young lady she will hopefully become. Sobering stuff, especially for a parent.

This post is all about saying how grateful I am for the wonderful children I have and humble at the responsibility that is placed on my shoulders. Serious stuff, to be sure, but also really cool. Without getting too sappy (too late) I really feel like a great link in a very long chain, extending backwards to the greatness of the past and forwards to the potential and promise of the future? BLAH! The fact that I believe that, let alone typed it, is more than a little frightening.

In that haughty context, blogging about child’s names and beer podcasting seems less important than ever. Whatever first-world problems I have they’re nothing when compared to the suffering of the young girl in the article above or any number of other more worldly issues.

But then I think that the world will always be cruel and stupid and defiant against the fact that it shouldn’t exist at all. Witness all the fools vying for Darwin Awards and you’ll realize that the whole human race is just one raging all-nighter away from going right down the crapper, if it hasn’t already.

More importantly it makes me think I still ought to go on being as shallow and narrow and selfish as I’ve always been here on the blog. Enough people cover the truly wretched and the truly first-world/minutae (but still very scary) that I’ve got a nice spot staked out just being myself.

Which, on that front, hasn’t been all wine & roses.

Rae started Kindergarten last week and while she’s doing OK during class she’s been quite the terror about bed-time and behavior for us. Nothing we can’t handle but a definite shift that’s obviously been brought on by the stress of a new routine and environment.

We’ll all be fine but I think it shows that perspective isn’t always a good thing or a necessity. While it’s good to break out of your daily doldrums and acknowledge, understand and connect to the greater world, sometimes your problems are more important by virtue of the fact that they’re your problems.

In the end, I think I’ve caught the bug to do something that feels more helpful, inspiring and positive. As the blog is just some vanity (ha!) goof where I get to brain-dump, I’d really like to do a podcast, be it audio or video.

I’m thinking a parenting podcast - not to vent my spleen or rant (enough of that here) but to hopefully provide perspective where it’s necessary for others. In that case, it’d be more like support or camaraderie, a validation that all parents have issues and we’re all trying as hard as we can each and every day, and that we need each other (it takes a village).

More to come.

Lawsuits, discussion, derision, arguments and parental abuse - specifically if your name is “Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii” [Article 1] [Article 2] [Via Kottke]

For my part, I love my name. Though I have been know on occasion to call myself the “fabulous gentile with the Jewish name” [Seth David Miller], I actually dig my moniker.

Recently, Jenn and I have been talking about our childrens’ names. A desire for potentially a different spelling for her or a different, albeit similar, name for him.

We always come back to the concept of name-planning. Making sure our family doesn’t become one of those “All the kids’ names rhyme” or “All the names begin with the same letter” kind of situations.

We’re also quite keen to nicknames and such, but I would imagine all parents would be, despite the horrendous stories above.

But changing my name? Wouldn’t think of it. Jenn either.

I sure hope our kids don’t either, but I don’t know then yet like I’ll know them when they’re adults and grown and their own people. Maybe I’ll feel differently then.

For the curious, here’s a cool baby name visualization tool to waste a few minutes/hours/days. The historical graphing and regional maps are awesome.

As always, I remain your well-named and happy-in-my-identity host.

I’m no genius, nor am I as loquacious when drinking beer (it seems) as I am on this blog.

With that inauspicious intro, I give you Sub-Optimal Beer Episode 2: Bud Light vs. Miller Lite AKA Absolute Zima.

I think I got in 3 sentences and about as many guffaws (sorry, I sat close to the mic) after the final edit. Completely representative of my contribution relative to the other attendees, though I aspire for more participation in the future.

Sadly, some familial duties trump my attendance at tonight’s taping/event, so lift a glass/bottle for me. And if you see a surly lot at The Highlander making too much noise … it’s likely not the podcasting crew, that’s the normal clientele.

I also wanted to point out another beer-related link (from the fine folks @ Monday Night Brewery) concerning Craft beers of high alcohol content.

As someone who almost exclusively drinks craft beer (in bottles, at home, with the wife, after the kids are asleep) I love seeing the trends that started 10 years ago in microbrewing really start to gain broader traction.

I’d even go so far as to suggest - despite the name of the podcast - that we devote an episode to the local/regional microbrews of Atlanta, or even spend a night (or two) sampling the wares of 5 Seasons or even (maybe more appropriately) Gordon Biersch.

I dunno. First off, I’ll have to attend more than once every other time.

Note to self: make sure life doesn’t intrude on Wednesdays. All other interruptions fine.

Anyhow, have a listen to the dulcet tones of the podcasters discussing the pedestrian beers of our time. We sound better than they tasted.

Slainte!

I want to talk about customer service, mostly by way of the intercept or follow-up survey.

Here’s the briefest of rundowns:

TiVo - Scheduling a show @ TiVo.com
AT&T - Making a purchase @ the AT&T Store (iPhone 3G)
The AJC - Direct selling from a sweaty college kid

The first intercept of yesterday: TiVo.com.

I was just trying to schedule an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives featuring Atlanta’s own The Highlander and starring some of Jenn’s co-workers.

TiVo.com choked a bit on the fact that I tried to do this without logging in first, but other than that, online scheduling works as expected.

Survey was over-long (4 sections of about 10 questions each) but very thorough. I would have loved it if some of my history had been cookied to avoid having to answer questions about what I did, but getting at the “why” and “how good/bad was it” necessitates tracking, albeit self-reported.

TiVo.com recently got a redesign, but the self-help and schedule are still top notch. My one complaint: human-readable URLs.

So I give TiVo credit for getting a ton of information from me, but they could have done it a little more efficiently. Plus, since I had to login to complete my transaction (not the survey), why not offer me an incentive for completing the survey?

Minor quibbles. TiVo is great and they really seem to want to get better where possible.

The second intercept of yesterday: AT&T

Jenn & I finally broke down/came to our senses and ordered 3G iPhones via direct fulfillment (versus cold-calling AT&T stores checking for deliveries, as we were advised by AT&T) on Saturday.

Automated phone call from 912 area code. Bad reception. Numerical selection-driven.

Total time on phone: roughly 5 minutes.

Comments left via recording: 2

Highlights: Giving AT&T high(ish) marks for their cell coverage. This was the reason I gave for favorably suggesting AT&T to others. That and the iPhone.

Lowlights: I gave the behind-the-counter customer service person low(ish) marks because:

• She swapped my mobile number w/ my wife’s
• She failed to explain the pricing structure of iPhone 3G service

I caveated this in my msg as only a potential shortcoming since we’ll likely be given a more thorough walk-through when the phones arrive and are activated. Still, I suggested that she could have offered literature.

• She was a little amused during our transaction

She was courteous and quick but had a case of the giggles, which is fine, but there were multiple occasions where she called me Mr. Black (I was buying the black iPhone) and she had some trouble keeping the process correct in her head.

Always a pleasure to work with someone in a good mood, but she was borderline scatter-brained and I thought it bore mentioning.

Additionally, I bitched about the availability of iPhone 3G specifically as it regards what I consider to be bad/mis information about how I should go about acquiring one having missed the initial Day One window. It’s a good reminder to always deal with an actual customer service person and not the guy taking names at the door.

I also made sure to note, to myself, that AT&T seems very interested in feedback and information. Much more so than BellSouth Wireless or Cingular ever were.

Which is not to say I enjoy AT&T. They’re like the crazy ex-girlfriend who won’t stop calling. Plus, their billing and personal service aren’t really any better than their previous two incarnations, they just send more mail/email/voicemall.

But at least they care enough to let me know they want feedback and I rarely, if ever, refuse such requests. As someone in Marketing (transitioning to Customer Relationship Management via Social Networking; see previous post) I realize you’re always sending some kind of message and communicating with your audience/constituency/customers. Happy to help them better serve me.

It could have been a better call if:

They’d called my mobile phone
They’d called sometime other than after dinner
They’d called on a better line themselves
They’d identified themselves via caller ID

The third intercept of yesterday: AJC

I don’t take the paper. Never have. Never will.

I truly respect journalists, having a degree in the field myself and having worked for a paper (The Red & Black - no laughing) while in college, but I don’t read enough of it, I don’t think, to justify paying for it.

My media use is disjointed and haphazard at best.

I sometimes the cable news channels.
I never watch network news.
I visit CNN.com, but only rarely.
I read blogs A TON, but I’m not a deep-linker; I skim

More often than not I see some opinion articles, read a few political blog posts or follow what BoingBoing & Kottke are linking, but little else.

I do some deep-diving, but not on a general interest level.

I follow UGA Football news, Entertainment industry news (like Variety for the TV part of my job and NewTeeVee for the broadband part of my job) but mostly my peers (both work and social) drive my interest.

Anyhow, I’m babbling.

Dear AJC,

Sending out a sweaty college kid in the late July heat into a neighborhood which prominently displays a “No Soliciting” sign out front is not a winning proposition.

Sure, I take your quarterly free weekend edition - for coupons and sports and leisure and comics - and I read you online - sporadically for blogs or opinion, but I’m not a pay-per-view person.

Christian is great, but I only read him when he tells me to. ;-)

Anyhow, door-to-door seems as 19th Century as a paper-based paper does. Had I gotten your site intercept or other digital communique, maybe I’d feel differently.

I read your free local competitor, but only there blogs and I only take their hard copy for This Modern World.

Sincerely,

Me

So there you have it. Three opportunities to solicit feedback (really just two), three places to market and learn and communicate and my reactions to all three.

Not sure if this little exercise had a point, since I clearly love TiVo, abide AT&T and am ambivalent to AJC, but I thought it worth capturing my thoughts.

How can your company (or mine, for that matter) do a better job serving you?

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