Russ Hall

Karma: noun.
1. Hinduism & Buddhism. The total effect of a person’s actions and conduct during the successive phases of the person’s existence, regarded as determining the person’s destiny.
2. Paris Hilton needing Valtrex.

I just got done watching an episode of Squidbillies on Adult Swim. This show is so hit or miss as far as the comedy. Sometimes, I laugh. Sometimes, I want to tear my eyeballs out. By far, the episode where they go to Savannah and Early gets brought up on charges for destroying the third base coach is the funniest one I’ve seen. They could make an episode about presentation folder printing, but that doesn’t seem like it would be very funny. Oh, and I watched the trailer for the new Aqua Teen movie, Aqua Teen Hunger Force colon Movie Film for Theaters. Seems pretty typical weird ATHF stuff. I just hope Carl is as flawless as he always is. I doubt I’ll drop the cash to see it at the theatre unless the reviews are amazing (or I’m really bored and someone asks me to go).

With a good game, I can devote gaming sessions up to 12 hours at a time. Yes, it’s excessive. Yes, it’s probably unhealthy. Yes, I’m a complete lameass. But, after I sit down, I just want to keep playing until I’ve completed it. The only reason I actually stop is because I have to eat, sleep, shower, work, or attend to some other prior obligation. Few things can completely engage like a good video game. It keeps one engrossed physically and mentally without completely exhausting either. So, after I finish up this post, I’ll probably go back and play a little while longer. Hopefully I don’t get so engrossed that I miss important dates, or I’ll need some printable greeting cards.
I’ll write some more about XML2 after I finish it maybe, but there are already some solid reviews on IGN.

For those of you who haven’t noticed, I’m linking to some seemingly random websites in my posts these days. It is a way for me to make some money back to pay for my hosting and stuff. Besides, the links are good, and I think the main reason they’re doing it is so that when google indexes my site, it records these sites for those particular searches. This post is an example of this–randomness about a baby crib. If it weren’t for talking about why this link is here, I wouldn’t even know how to incorporate the Emily crib into any of my regular content. I could talk about a family, kids, and how I think it’d be fun to have some wee tikes running around, but I think that’s a post for later.

I’ve been trying to figure out what I want to do with my life and what I’d like to do as I get older. I think I’ve figured out some things I would like to do for a career, but I need to put myself in a better financial situation to do so. Mostly because I’ve been so broke lately, but because I need to get situated and be able to take some time off work and invest some of that money into another project. Few business have no startup costs, so I would need to be able to take care of that. So, while I’m thinking about the next big thing and how I’m going to make money off it, I’ll think about getting some business card printing done.

There are plenty of reasons why we eat where we eat, shop where we shop, pick particular barbershops, etc. Most times, it’s the quality of the actual product. But, when the food is about the same, the shoes are the same, or the haircut is about the same, what influences people to make decisions? I think something people often overlook is how you are treated affects your perceptions on that particular business. If all other things are the same, the quality of service is the one true variable left. There are a few reasons that good customer service is important to a business.
The first reason is the fact that people are willing to buy more from someone who treats them well and can influence them to part from their money. Are you more likely to stick around for dessert and coffee at a restaurant if you’ve had to flag down your server all night or if you’ve had a full drink glass and a plate of food in front of you? If you trust the person selling you those shoes, are you going to take their advice when they recommend the shoe whitener at the counter?
The second reason is that people are more likely to be repeat customers for you if they’ve gotten good service in previous visits. I think it’s perfectly fine to ask for a particular server or salesperson if you’ve had good experiences with them in the past.
Third, referrals. Think about how many times you ask someone for advice on where to eat, shop, etc. when you’re in an area you’re unfamiliar with. Or, if you know someone’s looking for something, how quick are we to offer up our advice about a great experience we had with someone? Sometimes, customers are better advocates than employees. So, I always try to ask for business cards if someone takes good care of me at a store.
Besides these reasons, I think it’s just good kharma to give good customer service as an employee and reward good customer service as a customer.
Now, the most deciding issue left is when employees have no incentive to give good customer service. At big box retailers, associates could really care less if you have a great experience or not, as long as you end up with what you came to buy (and it might be stretching it to say that’s a concern). Until those employees have real incentives to give good customer service, it’s too dependent on their general attitude.

We had our first pizza night at the house and it turned out better than expected. Judd had a kit from Aldi that he hadn’t used after having it for a couple months, so we decided to give it a shot. I followed the directions on the box (straightforward) and let the dough proof while I prepped the other ingredients.–cooked the meats and chopped up the veggies and cheese. You can find the pictures and descriptions in the Food Photo Album. The biggest problem we had was that our kitchen has no counterspace for cooking. The only counterspace we have is on either side of the sink and we use that space for our dirty dishes and clean, drying dishes. I can’t wait to have my dream kitchen someday, with countertops like the ones here. While there, check out some other stuff I can’t afford like yard markers.

I was reading an article about the first novel ever written using SMS (at least, the first one published). Boring enough story, but the last part caught my eye. It briefly hits on the topic of Finland’s Prime Minister (sexiest man in Finland) breaking up with his girlfriend using SMS. I decided to delve into this a little further and found a more descript article.
It got me thinking… Nevermind SMS messaging, are we even at a point where it’s OK to break up over e-mail in the states? I know plenty of people who get salty when you mention the idea of even breaking up with someone over the phone. Sure, there’s some cowardess involved, but who really wants to piss off someone and be there when they cry, feeling awkward. Why is it OK to fall in love or start a relationship using technology (phone, internet, email), but it’s not OK to end that relationship the same way? If it’s so different, then tell me why.

I finally got my first W-2 today from SPP. Now, I’ve got to wait for the one from Sprint and my student loan information to come back. Also, it’s really helpful Mom is an accountant and likes to take care of this for me, because… well, I guess I’m just lazy. I did find this cool calculator that can help you estimate how much of a refund you can expect - Federal Tax Refund Calculator. I need to get some return address labels so I can start sending more letters and maybe send this up to the moms (or go visit this weekend sometime). Who doesn’t like to get a letter now and then?