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Hold On A Minute!
Wednesday, May 09, 2007 at 1:17 pm
I had to make a phone call to Adobe customer service today. I'm selling old software and I needed to transfer the license. I called their 1-800 number. After 25 minutes on hold, I started getting a little worried. Of course, I was working on things, so listening to hold music wasn't terrible. I even made and received a few phone calls while waiting.
1 hour. I still haven't heard from a person yet. I didn't have to go through a complex menu such that I'd be worried my call was lost. I had pressed 1 button at the first menu and waited 1 hour, and 10 minutes now. I didn't want to hang up and lose my place if the line was that long. I got out my cordless phone and dialed the same number, pressed the same 1 button at the phone prompt. Now I had hold music playing through 2 speakers.
Why not make things more interesting? I found the non-toll-free number of Adobe Headquarters and called that on my cell phone. I pressed 1 for an operator and got right through to someone. They were shocked by the time I had to wait. They said they would transfer me to customer support themselves, and that I may or may not hear hold music. I heard nothing but silence, but I stayed on the line.
6 minutes, 34 seconds. The cordless phone comes to life with a human voice. I heard her ask "Is that our hold music in the background?" I told them yes, and that the phone 2 feet away has been on hold for 1 hour, 18 minutes now. She resolved my problem in 2 minutes and was clueless how I had been on hold so long. She'll tell it to her supervisor, which in the customer service biz just doesn't mean anything.
Trapped
Tuesday, March 27, 2007 at 12:03 pm
A friend sent me a poem today that apparently I had written. It was written in 2002, and I didn't even have a copy of it. I liked reading it again so much, that I decided to post it here:
Trapped
Trapped.
Easy is on one side,
Life is on the other.
It matters not that the grass is greener over there;
The grass is dead here. I am getting no where.
With apathy as my apothecary,
I try to fix things – giving others my hurt when I deserve it.
As I am feeling no pain,
I feel that life is ok again.
I woke up from an unusual dream;
Instead of the situation changing when I opened my eyes,
I was what changed. I rediscovered Christ.
I’m trying to fix it all. My old life is just down the hall.
I’m running down the corridor but sometimes
I take turns that leave me where I was before.
I need to try, but I need to rest. Surely God can handle it best.
I’m ready to drop everything;
To run, jump, and embrace the life that He has for me.
I have to let go of the old or I’m
Trapped
A Pale Tale
Tuesday, March 06, 2007 at 2:05 pm
I saw a commercial today. It featured several people with severely untanned skin, and recommended a "Bahamavention" (that is, intervene with a trip to the Bahamas). The ad features a half naked man with red hair whose paleness glowed vibrantly. There could be no other explanation, than that this commercial was directly inspired by Conan O'Brien. This is a direct reference to Conan's likeness as presented in the Pale Force cartoon series. Already Conan has had his influence on global politics and now he's moved on to advertising. What will he conquer next?
Classy Action Free Money
Monday, February 26, 2007 at 11:55 am
It's not every day that you get a check in the mail and did almost nothing to get it, and don't remember anything. Apparently, about 4 years ago, I filled a form out online and joined a class action lawsuit against the music CD industry. Apparently, this lawsuit succeeded, and they mailed me a check to my address in 2004 - which was returned as undeliverable. Three years later, they got a court order to look up my address (and the other undeliverables) and sent me a check for $13.86.
I don't have any idea what the details are. I'm looking now... Well...apparently a bunch of companies conspired together to artificially raise the prices of CD's all at the same time. Sounds good to me. I'm gonna go buy something.
Moonlight Sonata
Tuesday, January 16, 2007 at 3:00 pm
When you think Playtex, do you think Beethoven? Apparently their advertising agency does. In the commercial for their new "Playtex Sport" line of products, they use a that song sounds just like a hip-hopped up version of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. I'm still in shock, but there's no doubt - watch the commercial for yourself.
