Poll Barge
My intent was to move books from the bookshelf so I could start prepping the room for painting. But, as I had not checked email since Friday evening, it was time to review all the stuff cluttering my inbox. Merry Rose rhetoric...tossed. Class cancellation...dealt with. Laurels being silly...scanned for actual content. Event photos posted...enjoyed. Pollings due...today!?!
Ack! I'm not sure I ever respond to these on a consistent basis, but having the Peer Pressure sticker on the 'fridge helped remind me to fill in my responses and send them off. Just one more to deal with. The A&S ones are usually easier to respond to. You can get a pretty good gauge of how good or knowledgeable an artisan is by seeing their work and talking with them (or attending a class the are teaching).
But those service pollings are tough. Raw service isn't usually enough. Length of service is a factor. Breadth of service is a factor. Attitude is a bigger factor than people realize. The ability to acknowledge, learn from, and grow past one's mistakes is a big one. No, I'm not giving anyone a checklist, but for those on what some call the "service path", playing well with others is as valid today as it was on the kindergarten and grade school report card.... Unfortunately, there are as many answers about what constitutes service as there are people in the service orders. People talk about quality of service, level of service (personal vs. local vs. regional, etc.), and the ever-popular "negative service" that is embodied by the catch-phrase Chaos engendered versus service rendered. These pollings give me heartburn because no one ever appears to be aware of the full story--and I hate giving a response to something that I don't have sufficient information about. Service obviously isn't as objectively quantifiable as I would like it to be....
Hmmmm. Maybe I should come up with the concept of a discrete unit of service. Busing tables after feast = 1 unit. Doing a Kingdom-level office competently = 500 units. Doing a local office poorly = -50 units. Getting your group suspended = -100 units. Service done cheerfully = x2. Surly service = x.75. On second thought, I can already see people sharpening pitchforks and lighting torches....
Roomba Redux Fu
Alas, no video camera. The cats were highly entertained by the Roomba last night. Kiera attempts to stalk it, and all of the cats watch it, fascinated, until it reaches them and flicks out its whiskers to make sure it isn't hitting something. It is amazing what sort of low earth orbit can be achieved by a startled feline....
Shocking Auction
I scan eBay Motors for unusual vehicles on a regular basis. I'm seeking my mid-life crisis vehicle....yeah, right. The '40/'41 Packard wagons are always amusing, and a few months ago, I spotted a 1931 Buick (Henny) Hearse that looked like a good candidate for light restoration work. It had been in use as a depot hack by a ranch, and it was painted a mint green color with the ranch's name painted in yellow cursive lettering on each side. I think it went for about $10,000. I can't remember whether they said it would still run. What are the odds that the ranch had two of these things painted exactly the same way?
I spotted what looks like exactly the same vehicle for sale on eBay Motors last night--down to the distinctive paint job and lettering. Except this offering has obvioulsy been stripped of a lot of its parts. And the guy is asking $75,000.
Jerk. It might be worth that if it had already been restored.
Ack! I'm not sure I ever respond to these on a consistent basis, but having the Peer Pressure sticker on the 'fridge helped remind me to fill in my responses and send them off. Just one more to deal with. The A&S ones are usually easier to respond to. You can get a pretty good gauge of how good or knowledgeable an artisan is by seeing their work and talking with them (or attending a class the are teaching).
But those service pollings are tough. Raw service isn't usually enough. Length of service is a factor. Breadth of service is a factor. Attitude is a bigger factor than people realize. The ability to acknowledge, learn from, and grow past one's mistakes is a big one. No, I'm not giving anyone a checklist, but for those on what some call the "service path", playing well with others is as valid today as it was on the kindergarten and grade school report card.... Unfortunately, there are as many answers about what constitutes service as there are people in the service orders. People talk about quality of service, level of service (personal vs. local vs. regional, etc.), and the ever-popular "negative service" that is embodied by the catch-phrase Chaos engendered versus service rendered. These pollings give me heartburn because no one ever appears to be aware of the full story--and I hate giving a response to something that I don't have sufficient information about. Service obviously isn't as objectively quantifiable as I would like it to be....
Hmmmm. Maybe I should come up with the concept of a discrete unit of service. Busing tables after feast = 1 unit. Doing a Kingdom-level office competently = 500 units. Doing a local office poorly = -50 units. Getting your group suspended = -100 units. Service done cheerfully = x2. Surly service = x.75. On second thought, I can already see people sharpening pitchforks and lighting torches....
Roomba Redux Fu
Alas, no video camera. The cats were highly entertained by the Roomba last night. Kiera attempts to stalk it, and all of the cats watch it, fascinated, until it reaches them and flicks out its whiskers to make sure it isn't hitting something. It is amazing what sort of low earth orbit can be achieved by a startled feline....
Shocking Auction
I scan eBay Motors for unusual vehicles on a regular basis. I'm seeking my mid-life crisis vehicle....yeah, right. The '40/'41 Packard wagons are always amusing, and a few months ago, I spotted a 1931 Buick (Henny) Hearse that looked like a good candidate for light restoration work. It had been in use as a depot hack by a ranch, and it was painted a mint green color with the ranch's name painted in yellow cursive lettering on each side. I think it went for about $10,000. I can't remember whether they said it would still run. What are the odds that the ranch had two of these things painted exactly the same way?
I spotted what looks like exactly the same vehicle for sale on eBay Motors last night--down to the distinctive paint job and lettering. Except this offering has obvioulsy been stripped of a lot of its parts. And the guy is asking $75,000.
Jerk. It might be worth that if it had already been restored.