I MIGHT PREFER HIDE & SEEK...

...But I was tagged so Tag’s the game.Tammy Powley is the one to blame so don’t look at me! Check out her wonderful blog, The Crafty Princess.

1. I get very upset at those seemingly adorable pictures of cats playing with wool. Mandy, my adorable, tiny, Chocolate-Point Siamese did that once. She ate some and because she couldn’t bite it off she kept eating it. It wrapped around her intestines. She needed surgery, but because she was so small, she never woke up out of the anesthesia.

2. I have a secret fantasy about living in the country. I would like to live within smelling distance of a horse. I don’t really think this will/should happen... it’s a fantasy.

3A. When playing a poker tournament, I will always chop at the end however I will never initiate a chop as I have a fear of rejection.
3B. I have a fear of rejection.

4. I love anecdotes (def: A short account of an interesting or humourous incident.) Here’s my favourite. One day I was driving in the Santa Monica mountains with my two roommates. Naturally the radio reception went out so I popped in a tape (remember tapes?) Roommate One who shall remain nameless says “Oh, the tape works in the mountains. I must remember that.”If Roommate Two who shall remain nameless had not been there to confirm, I would have thought I had hallucinated it. (Perhaps I’ll share my Madonna anecdote with you in the future.)

5. My biggest regret? Capping my front tooth.

6. I used to have an amazing memory. No longer.

7. I used to have an amazing memory. No longer.

Alternate ending:

6. I can only count to six.

EDITORIAL NOTE

I was remiss and I apologize. In a past blog entry “Customer Disservice” I failed to introduce you to the cats in the photo. Pat and Vanna (L-R) are Anthony’s furry kids. I know what you’re thinking, but Anthony really is straight. One of the things we have in common is that we were both on Wheel of Fortune (before we met.) It was a highlight of his life. I barely remember mine. Except I won a trip to Hawaii on the puzzle “Harry S. Truman.”

Safe Haven For Donkeys In The Holy Land (SHADH)

I had to make this bracelet, a Barbara Ellis design, in honour of a very worthy charity. This is information from the SHADH website:

Donkeys have been used as beasts of burden in Israel for the past 5000 years. They can be bought there for as little as 100 shekels - that's about £15 - and because they are so inexpensive, very little value is attached to their well being. Absolutely no veterinary care is given to sick or injured donkeys, since in most cases it would be cheaper to buy a new animal. For this reason when they are sick, injured, too old or surplus to requirements they are turned out and left to fend for themselves - quite often tied to a post without food or water and left to die. Many stray donkeys suffer from direct abuse and torture.

A group of children found a stray donkey and for fun, they doused him with petrol and set fire to him. Another group of teenagers decided they could make use of a stray donkey for their summer holidays. Later the same day, they either got bored or decided they had nowhere to keep the donkey so they killed him by hammering nails into his head. Other donkeys are luckier, they are taken to landfill sites and left out like rubbish.

Founded by Miss Lucy Fensom, Safe Haven For Donkeys In The Holy Land (SHADH) is a UK-registered charity of dedicated people who are devoted to achieving a common goal; to provide help for the donkeys of Israel, to improve their status and promote their welfare through education.

Based at Moshav Gan Yoshiyya, near the towns of Netanya and Hadera in Israel ( Click Here to see map of area ), SHADH offers a new concept in the protection and welfare of donkeys and mules in Israel and the Palestinian Territories, with a structure managed on the strength of charity registration in the UK, and registered in Israel as a foreign charity. This Safe Haven for donkeys relies entirely on donations to continue this work.

When Did This Happen?

When did SUPPOSEDLY become SUPPOSABLY?
When did the spelling of LOSE become LOOSE?
When did I'M SORRY become MY BAD?
When did YOU'RE WELCOME become UH HUH?

When did I become so EASILY ANNOYED??

Customer Disservice

I work in the Casino Industry in Las Vegas. Just got an email from a friend who works at a major strip property telling me about all the layoffs.

Businesses panic in times of recession but one has to ask oneself, is laying people off really for the greater, and long run, good? What will make one casino stand out from another in a time when there are less players to fight over? A. The company that has better deals and B, (and maybe B. should be A.) Customer service.

Granted smaller companies may not be able to make their payroll these days, and laying people off may be their only chance of survival.

I am an Embarq customer. Have been for some time. I also have dish network. Wondering if a switch to something else will save me money. Perhaps Cox Cable though I've never cared for their advertising practices. If I should switch my TV service, perhaps I could get the best deal by switching my high speed internet as well. But last week I had a problem with my DSL. It took just a phone call to get it resolved, Embarq made some changes, got me back online and promptly sent me a new modem. A small mention of this in my blog led to a comment by an Embarq customer service rep, letting me know to contact them if there is any problem. Then, an Embarq guy started following me on Twitter, also telling me to let them know if there is any problem. And you know what? As a result, I will not even consider leaving Embarq. Why? CUSTOMER SERVICE!

I was working in a large poker room of one of the largest casino companies. A customer was trying to get through on the phone, to the front desk to see if his room was ready. Not having any luck I offered to call the Diamond Lounge to see if they could find out (that is the lounge for higher limit players.) I could not get through either. The man said “this is ridiculous, I’m never staying here again, I’ll stay at the Wynn.” So this major company saved, say $8 an hour on an extra employee at the desk or lounge, but lost a big player. Now this company shoves the customer service concept down it’s employees throats like I’ve never seen anywhere else, but doesn’t provide the manpower to achieve it.

Eventually, things will get better, but the customer who did not receive the service they deserve, will already be gone and comfy in the place that treated them properly. And they will not come back.


And Now For Something Completely Different. The holidays are approaching faster than a speeding bullet. I'd like to make a suggestion for your gift giving this year. Buy from ChezChani. Well that's one idea. Here's another. Why not buy a gift that will surely make your friends/family happy as well as supporting a fine charity? Best Friends is an amazing animal sanctuary. Check out their store for some affordable fun gifts. You can really make a difference and at no extra cost to you. You're buying the gifts anyway, right?

Happy New Year!!

Well, the time is here again. The Jewish High Holidays. Rosh Hashanah is New Years (don't ask me what year it is.) Because I don't work on these holidays I had to take one of my precious few vacation days. This gave me a lovely 3 day weekend. Fortunately Yom Kippur, which comes up in a couple of weeks, falls on my weekend. On Yom Kippur we (theoretically) fast for the day. It's feast or famine for us, isn't it?

I'm trying to use my weekend constructively. Took Bam Bam to the vet. He's turned pink and has very little fur left on much of his body. Of course he turned into a monster at the vet and she said if animal control ever got him they'd put him down. Trust me, that is NEVER going to happen. We are putting him on some sort of medicine and going back in 3 weeks. He took his medicine like a good boy today. Barely fought me. In a duel, he would definitely be the victor.

I am currently working on a bracelet with the patterns of a deck of cards. I did not create this pattern (thank you Redbeast Designs,) but it's a beauty. Unfortunately it's been very VERY difficult and it is still not completely done. Every time I thought I was close to done I'd find a broken bead. I still haven't figured out the closure. I won't be doing this pattern as it is again. I will do card suits in a narrower bracelet.

My internet was down all day yesterday. Still down this morning so I called Embarq. Seems my DSL modem is no longer compatible with their upgrades. After some adjustments we got it going and they are sending me a new modem.

The new season of one of the very few TV shows I watch started Sunday night. I work on Sunday nights so it's been my practice to watch it online during the week. Can't seem to get that to load. Whatever will I do without my Desperate Housewives??

All in all, too many frustrations this week but one must put it into prospective. Those are all little things. I won't get into the financial frustrations because I'm sure everyone is feeling it in varying degrees. Suffice it to say my retirement was just postponed by at least 2 years. No I did not have a set date/age for that but the sooner the better.

On the bright side... the weather is still hot here in Las Vegas but it is supposed to go down to 85 next week. And while it's still summer weather outside, it is autumn in my heart and I had to make soup in the crockpot. And even brighter side...my Burberry inspired bracelet just sold on Etsy!