Back story: The mall near our house, The Mall in Columbia sends me emails of various specials going on there. Last week, it had a mention of American Eagle Outfitters. You could go in and try on jeans and get a free movie ticket; if you bought the jeans, you got 2 tickets.
What I did immediately: Went online to their store to see if they carried my size. Habit from 80 lbs ago, need to check if they even have my size. Well, they carry up to a 14 online, and since I am anywhere from a 10 to 14 now, I started looking at different styles. Initial plan was to just go try on some jeans and get free movie tickets. But, I saw a pair of dark blu flares for $30 that looked nice and I could justify the price by the 2 free movie tickets I would get.
At the store: Jeff, my sister and I walk in and there are 3 salespeople at the front door, talking. One of them truns to us and greets us. I asked him what sizes they carried in men's since I forgot to look online and he says "upto 42." Me: "Ok, do you have 38 or 40?" Him: "Oh no, you'll be better off ordering that online but we can ship it to your house for free if you order it here." Then, he turns around and goes off to do something very important. Now, having worked retail at Bed, Bath and Beyond in the last 6 months, I have learned that you get that sale if you can. You don't let the customer walk away. You ask if you can help them place the order right away etc. But, whatever.
Dressing room: My sister and I find some jeans and walk over to the dressing rooms. The same guy opens them for us. We try stuff on. I realize the size 14 I picked up was the wrong style so I try the size 12 flares and find them just a wee bit tight. Like, if I didn't want to eat or breathe, they'd be perfect. The guy comes back and gives us a movie ticket each and walks away as I am standing their holding the pair of jeans in my hands, mouth half open to start to ask a question.
The end: I walk out of the dressing room area adn the guy turns to me and asks if the jeans worked. I asked him to help me find 14s in the same style. He walks over to the jeans. while he's walking, I ask: "There was a pair of flares I saw online that were $29.50 and I don't see them here." His response, said with a really insulting tone: "I don't understand what you are asking me." Me, slightly flustered because I thought I spoke in perfect English, without mumbling: "Ummm there was a pair of dark blue flares I saw online ..." He cuts me off with: "Well these must be it," pointing to a rack of $50 jeans. Me: "No, they were $30 online." Him: "well, then you should just order them online." He then looked at the rack where I had originally pulled my jeans from, for maybe 10 seconds and points to my hands with: "I don't see those in a 14." He then walks away.
Just remember to read his words with a slight teenager like angst mixed with an insulting undertone.
I walked out of the store and I really just wanted to break something. Instead, I started crying. I wish I had gotten his name. I wish I'd had the nerve right there and then to tell him he was being insolent and insulting and that was no way to treat customers when you are in customer service. But, I didn't. I let him make me feel fat, unimportant, worthless.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Flaming Ass Liberal
That's what I was called on another blog in the Wide World of Webs we all blog in. I am not linking to that blog or post because I can't remember how I stumbled upon it and I am not starting what youngins call a "flame" war. I just want your input.
The topic was about guys giving up their seats in a bus for gals. Whereas the blog authoress felt that this should be an inherent right of women, I disagreed. In my own words, "unless I look feeble, really old, obviously pregnant or in my dying throes, I can manage to stand along with other fully abled men and women." I hold strongly to my position. Why should I be afforded special courtesies just because I was born with 2 X chromosomes? I hold doors open for men. I think if somebody's right behind somebody else, regardless of each one's gender, holding the door open is a common courtesy. I don't expect a man to hold a door open and stand there in an obsequent manner waiting for me to pass through, touching a hand to his hat brim ... wait, that's a doorman.
I expect to be called ma'am by people who don't know me the same way I call people ma'am and sir. I expect to be helped if I am struggling with too many bags of groceries and trying to get a door open, the same way I would help another human being. I expect to be offered a seat if I hobble on to a bus or train on crutches just like I would give up my seat for somebody who can obviously not stand through the ride. I expect not to have a door closed in my face if I am right behind somebody walking through it just like I don't close it on the person right behind me. Regardless of their gender.
I don't think men who afford special courtesies to women all believe we of the fairer sex are also weaker or should stay at home quilting and baking pies (mmmm pies) while they go slay dragons everyday. But, I also believe that if we ASK to be treated like the weaker sex, we are truly dragging the women's movement back a few decades. We are agreeing with those who say we cannot fight alongside the men in our country's army. With those who say that our emotions get the best of us and that's why we cannot lead a nation.
If that makes me a flaming ass liberal, so be it. I'll wear that button proudly and siplay the sticker on my car.
The topic was about guys giving up their seats in a bus for gals. Whereas the blog authoress felt that this should be an inherent right of women, I disagreed. In my own words, "unless I look feeble, really old, obviously pregnant or in my dying throes, I can manage to stand along with other fully abled men and women." I hold strongly to my position. Why should I be afforded special courtesies just because I was born with 2 X chromosomes? I hold doors open for men. I think if somebody's right behind somebody else, regardless of each one's gender, holding the door open is a common courtesy. I don't expect a man to hold a door open and stand there in an obsequent manner waiting for me to pass through, touching a hand to his hat brim ... wait, that's a doorman.
I expect to be called ma'am by people who don't know me the same way I call people ma'am and sir. I expect to be helped if I am struggling with too many bags of groceries and trying to get a door open, the same way I would help another human being. I expect to be offered a seat if I hobble on to a bus or train on crutches just like I would give up my seat for somebody who can obviously not stand through the ride. I expect not to have a door closed in my face if I am right behind somebody walking through it just like I don't close it on the person right behind me. Regardless of their gender.
I don't think men who afford special courtesies to women all believe we of the fairer sex are also weaker or should stay at home quilting and baking pies (mmmm pies) while they go slay dragons everyday. But, I also believe that if we ASK to be treated like the weaker sex, we are truly dragging the women's movement back a few decades. We are agreeing with those who say we cannot fight alongside the men in our country's army. With those who say that our emotions get the best of us and that's why we cannot lead a nation.
If that makes me a flaming ass liberal, so be it. I'll wear that button proudly and siplay the sticker on my car.
Friday, August 08, 2008
Usability
How often have you struggled to explain what you do to a family member, a friend in another country, the hobo living under the bridge?
This is a definition I pickd up from the comments of this entry: http://www.webword.com/wp/2008/07/16/what-is-usability/#comments
"Users need to handle two basic problems:What should I do? Which is defined by the user (or for the user by someone else) and how do I do it? Which is defined by the application creator.Better usability results in less allocation of mental resources to answer this question.So, basically, usability is about reducing the users’ mental burden by providing good answers to the ‘how’ problem, thus allowing them to concentrate on the ‘what’ problem."
Do you agree? How would you define it in 5 or less sentences?
This is a definition I pickd up from the comments of this entry: http://www.webword.com/wp/2008/07/16/what-is-usability/#comments
"Users need to handle two basic problems:What should I do? Which is defined by the user (or for the user by someone else) and how do I do it? Which is defined by the application creator.Better usability results in less allocation of mental resources to answer this question.So, basically, usability is about reducing the users’ mental burden by providing good answers to the ‘how’ problem, thus allowing them to concentrate on the ‘what’ problem."
Do you agree? How would you define it in 5 or less sentences?
Monday, July 28, 2008
Baltimore Restaurant Week
July 26 - August 3 is Baltimore Restaurant Week. Last year, Jeff and I ate at a very nice restaurant in Baltimore and we thought we'd repeat that this year. We were deciding between Tabrizi's and Spice Co., because both their menus looked scrumptuous. We decided to try Tabrizi's on Sunday because it was closer to us. We drive into the parking lot, beautiful view! They seat us out on the patio where we look out onto the Inner Harbour and people's boats.
Lovely weather, pleasant service, we are having fun talking through our appetizers: baby octopus and calamari in a lime chili sauce for Jeff and grape leaves for me. We couldn't remember to take the photos till after the food was gone!
We got there at 5:30 so we were the only ones out on the patio. Till 2 other ladies walk out and are seated 2 feet away from us. The whole patio is empty, with more than 20 tables and they seat them right next to us. That ended the conversation for us because it felt intrusive. I could hear their whole conversation and didn't want them to hear ours.
Our meals were good, not exceptional; pork medallions with caramelized bacon and spinach salad for Jeff and duck with fresh berries and a salad for me.
The desserts: creme brulee and baklava were so so. I might even say the baklava I make at home is better (at least Jeff agreed with me).
Even though the dinner was a bit disappointing and we won't be going back to this place, we really enjoyed being out; just the twi of us. It's been a while since we've just been out, talking and enjoying each other's company. After dinner, we took a stroll down by the side of the restaurant and looked at the boats docked there and then just sat on a bench and talked for an hour or so. It was really nice. It also made us realise that even if we have to schedule this into our busy days, we need to do this more often.
Between his job and my jobs, and family calls, and keeping track of friends, and cleaning the house and getting the dog his shots and making sure my sister is still alive in her dungeon (well, it's the second bedroom really), we lose track of us. We say good morning, kiss hello when we get home, kiss good night, call each other in the middle of the day but never really have time to talk. About us, about our life ... it was nice to reconnect that way this weekend and to realize how much in love we still are.
Lovely weather, pleasant service, we are having fun talking through our appetizers: baby octopus and calamari in a lime chili sauce for Jeff and grape leaves for me. We couldn't remember to take the photos till after the food was gone!
We got there at 5:30 so we were the only ones out on the patio. Till 2 other ladies walk out and are seated 2 feet away from us. The whole patio is empty, with more than 20 tables and they seat them right next to us. That ended the conversation for us because it felt intrusive. I could hear their whole conversation and didn't want them to hear ours.
Our meals were good, not exceptional; pork medallions with caramelized bacon and spinach salad for Jeff and duck with fresh berries and a salad for me.
The desserts: creme brulee and baklava were so so. I might even say the baklava I make at home is better (at least Jeff agreed with me).
Even though the dinner was a bit disappointing and we won't be going back to this place, we really enjoyed being out; just the twi of us. It's been a while since we've just been out, talking and enjoying each other's company. After dinner, we took a stroll down by the side of the restaurant and looked at the boats docked there and then just sat on a bench and talked for an hour or so. It was really nice. It also made us realise that even if we have to schedule this into our busy days, we need to do this more often.
Between his job and my jobs, and family calls, and keeping track of friends, and cleaning the house and getting the dog his shots and making sure my sister is still alive in her dungeon (well, it's the second bedroom really), we lose track of us. We say good morning, kiss hello when we get home, kiss good night, call each other in the middle of the day but never really have time to talk. About us, about our life ... it was nice to reconnect that way this weekend and to realize how much in love we still are.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Running
I started a running regime today. My trainer had told me several ways of doing cardio running but he said the best would be to reach the following goal:
5 minutes run at 5 miles an hour or more, 1 minute walk; continue for approximately 45 minutes.
What I did today:
2 minute run at 4.5 mph, 2 minute walk, for 20 minutes.
I think I am halfway thre :-)
Now I just have to keep this up till I reach the goals he set for me.
5 minutes run at 5 miles an hour or more, 1 minute walk; continue for approximately 45 minutes.
What I did today:
2 minute run at 4.5 mph, 2 minute walk, for 20 minutes.
I think I am halfway thre :-)
Now I just have to keep this up till I reach the goals he set for me.
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