A Rose By Any Other Name...

Does Anyone at Dell Know What They Are Doing?

I must vent.  Last week my wonderful cat Reggie decided that he needed to bite my laptop power cord.  Suddenly my computer went black.  And then it would not reboot with that power cord.  The battery light was flashing.  So I do what most people would do, call their computer manufacturer.  That was my first mistake.

The first rep I talked to told me to add a new bios and reboot.  I did that.  He then informed me that it was my motherboard.  That meant sending in my computer back to Dell to get fixed.  This seemed odd to me so the next day I called again.  And that time I was told it was my battery.  Not under warranty so in my unemployed state I would need to wait to get another battery.  Apparently it is not covered by my warranty. Oh well.

That still did not seem to be the right answer.  So I turned off the computer, took the battery out and put it back in.  And then all was right with the world.  The power cord that got bit still does not work but I have a back-up and I am able to charge the computer.  Interesting experience.

Not once did tech support ask me to check the battery or take it out and reset it.  I am perplexed.  1) Dell does not seem to have a standard checklist. 2) I am seriously tired of talking to outsourced technical support. 3) Two different solutions from two different technicians for the same issue.  Last year I blogged about a similar problem with my other laptop.  I was able to resolve the issue and actually got a new computer.  There was still an issue with that when Dell kept insisting that I send back parts.  Finally got it settled and all has been well.  My big question is whatever happened to customer service and standards of service?  And really, does anyone at Dell know what they are doing?

The Rest of The Story

I received this from my father this morning and wanted to share with all of you.

Ed wanted to be a Marine fighter pilot.  The US was building up their military force, but they were not at war yet and the Navy required all its potential Navy and Marine pilots to have two years of college.  So Ed started classes at Boston College.  

When Pearl Harbor was attacked the Army and the Navy both dropped the college requirement and Ed applied to the Marines.  His primary flight training was in Dallas and then he went to Pensacola, Florida.  He was carrier qualified, which means he knew how to perform a controlled crash of his single engine fighter, onto the rolling deck of a Navy floating runway.  

It took Ed almost two years to get through all the Navy flight training.  His problem was he was a very good pilot and the Marines needed flight instructors.  He had a great command presence and public speaking ability, which landed him in the classroom, training new baby Marine pilots.  

His orders to the Pacific fleet and the chance to fly combat missions off a carrier came in the spring of 1945, on the same day the Atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.  Of course his orders where changed.  He never went to sea and he was out of the Marines in 1946.  

Ed stayed in the USMC as a reserve officer.  He became a successful personality in the new TV medium, after the war.  His Marine command presence helped.  He was recalled to active duty during the Korean War.  He never got to fly his fighter aircraft, but he saw his share of raw combat.  He flew the Cessna O-1E Bird Dog, which is a single engine slow-moving unarmed plane.  He functioned as an artillery spotter for the Marine batteries on the ground and as a forward controller for the Navy & Marine fighter / bombers who flew in on fast moving jet engines, bombed the area and were gone in seconds.  Captain Ed was still circling the enemy looking for more targets, all the time taking North Korean and Chinese ground fire.  

Do Over

Starting this week I will start posting regularly again.  Unemployment and other committments have taken priority.  But now that a job has been found and things have settled a little bit, I will be able to give it a little more time.  Look for more posts this week.

Thanks for sticking around.

Assumptions You CAN Make

The e-mails you send will be seen by more people than those they’re addressed to and intended for.

Things said “just between you and me” won’t always stay that way.

In all of your dealings with team members, what goes around WILL come around – back at you.

Your employees CANNOT read your mind. If you don’t tell them what you’re thinking, they’ll assume they know … and there’s a good chance they’ll be wrong.

Problems you choose to avoid will usually get worse.

“As long as you don’t hear from me, you’ll know you’re doing okay” is just not true.

Treat one team member poorly, and ten people will hear about it – including your boss … and Employee Relations.

Your ability to get another leadership position will be directly related to how well you do on the job you have now.

Whenever you think “no one will know,” someone WILL.

Whenever you think “no one will care,” someone WILL.

Whenever you think “it will never be missed,” it WILL.

Whenever you think you’re as good as you need to be, YOU AREN’T!

My First Real LGM Day

Although I don't take off until July 1 I have had my first real Lt. Governor Marketing moment.  For those of you that are not Toastmasters, the Lt. Governor Marketing (LGM) is the third highest ranking officer in the District (mine being Arizona).  My responsibility next year is to focus on members and clubs.  New clubs, new members, retaining members and helping our clubs to stay strong.  Big job but thankfully I am putting together a team of dedicated Toastmasters that will help me do it.  So yesterday was the first day of really standing in a leadership position.

There were about 40 of us in attendance.  Our main goal was to give the incoming Area and Division Governors a comprehensive training session.  Not everyone could attend so there will be some kind of make-up but it was a great day.  Tiring but great. We got to know each other better and I am sure the brains of our leaders were a little bit mushy when we got done.  I was excited to be a part of it.  I love training and facilitating so it just seemed natural.  I am sure over time I will get my stride as an LGM and everything will work well. 

I felt like it was my first real day as a leader.  All the doubts, scared feelings, and hesitations just seemed to melt away.  What a great feeling to have.  The hard work starts in 23 days.  I always say that me and Toastmasters start over on July 1.  I cannot wait to get started.

Songs That Still Give Me Goose Bumps

I was driving back from an interview this afternoon listening to XM Radio.  I am still hanging on to it but it may have to go soon.  Anyway... I have my radio programmed to let me know when certain singers and bands are on the radio.  One of them is Peter Gabriel.  I have been a fan since 1985 when my brother turned me on to the musical genius that is Mr. Gabriel.  Today the radio beeped at me and took me to Deep Tracks.  I instantly recognized the song.  The drums, the people singing and then just the drumbeat.  I got goose bumps all over my arms. And it instantly took me back to my old room on Atherton Road, sitting in my room, listening to that album and thinking of ways to change the world.

The song was Biko.  Steven Biko was a noted anti-apartheid activist in South Africa in the 1960s and 1970s.  A student leader, he later founded the Black Consciousness Movement which would empower and mobilize much of the urban black population.  Since his death in police custody, he has been called a martyr of the anti-apartheid movement.  While living, his writing and activism attempted to empower black people and he was famous for his slogan "black is beautiful", which he described as meaning: man you are okay as you are, begin to look upon yourself as a human being.  Despite friction between the African National Congress and Biko throughout the 1970's the ANC has included Biko in the pantheon of struggle heroes, going as far as using his image for campaign posters in South African's first non-racial elections in 1994.

The Interviewing Process Hit a Wall

Yesterday was not a good day to interview.  First I had spent the weekend sick as hell.  At least for half of it.  I came home from spending some time at urgent care with a friend and got sick as hell once I came home.  And it did not stop.  Even until Monday morning.  I had a little fever and I had a headache that would not stop until last night.  I was going to reschedule the interview but decided to buck it up and go for it.

Well that was a bad move.  I went in to interview like I do every interview.  Excited, energetic, and ready to go.  I met the manager and we sat down to talk.  The first thing he said to me was "I don't know why you are here, you are way too over qualified for this position."  Well hello to you to.  I was a little taken aback.  I have been told a couple of times during this job search that I am overqualified for things.  I have the appropriate response for that statement.  So I made my case and we moved on.  Then he went on to tell me that I was too much of a go getter.  That from my resume he knew got the impression that I knew what I wanted and I did it.  Oh and I had a degree too.  No questions about my skills or qualifications.  Then he told me that he only pays $10 an hour for customer service reps.  I stopped him and pointed out that I had applied for an administrative position.  He informed me that was what they called their service reps.  Well that is not what I am good at so I basically ended the interview.  I had had enough.  Maybe I was cranky, maybe I was insulted but I was over it.

I have been through the interview process many times and I am more then willing to be questioned on anything.  I am a good sport.  And more then anything I want to use my talents, skills and education in a company that only pays me but values and trusts me.  Hard to ask for in this economy but certainly not impossible.  I am sure that after the 900 resumes the interviewer may have also been frustrated.  It is a hard process to go through.  And as I await my next interview, I will keep believing that there will always be a silver lining to everything.  And the next wall I hit, I will land a little softer.

How to Let Go and Forgive

From zenhabits.net.

Post written by Leo Babauta. Follow me on Twitter.

We’ve all been hurt by another person at some time or another — we were treated badly, trust was broken, hearts were hurt.

And while this pain is normal, sometimes that pain lingers for too long. We relive the pain over and over, and have a hard time letting go.

This causes problems. It not only causes us to be unhappy, but can strain or ruin relationships, distract us from work and family and other important things, make us reluctant to open up to new things and people. We get trapped in a cycle of anger and hurt, and miss out on the beauty of life as it happens.

We need to learn to let go. We need to be able to forgive, so we can move on and be happy.

This is something I learned the hard way — after years of holding onto anger at a loved one that stemmed from my childhood and teen-age years, I finally let go of this anger (about 8 years ago or so). I forgave, and not only has it improved my relationship with this loved one tremendously, it has also helped me to be happier.

Forgiveness can change your life.

Forgiveness does not mean you erase the past, or forget what has happened. It doesn’t even mean the other person will change his behavior — you cannot control that. All it means is that you are letting go of the anger and pain, and moving on to a better place.

It’s not easy. But you can learn to do it.

If you’re holding onto pain, reliving it, and can’t let go and forgive, read on for some things I’ve learned.

1. Commit to letting go. You aren’t going to do it in a second or maybe not even in a day. It can take time to get over something. So commit to changing, because you recognize that the pain is hurting you.

2. Think about the pros and cons. What problems does this pain cause you? Does it affect your relationship with this person? With others? Does it affect work or family? Does it stop you from pursuing your dreams, or becoming a better person? Does it cause you unhappiness? Think of all these problems, and realize you need to change. Then think of the benefits of forgiveness — how it will make you happier, free you from the past and the pain, improve things with your relationships and life in general.

3. Realize you have a choice. You cannot control the actions of others, and shouldn’t try. But you can control not only your actions, but your thoughts. You can stop reliving the hurt, and can choose to move on. You have this power. You just need to learn how to exercise it.

4. Empathize. Try this: put yourself in that person’s shoes. Try to understand why the person did what he did. Start from the assumption that the person isn’t a bad person, but just did something wrong. What could he have been thinking, what could have happened to him in the past to make him do what he did? What could he have felt as he did it, and what did he feel afterward? How does he feel now? You aren’t saying what he did is right, but are instead trying to understand and empathize.

5. Understand your responsibility. Try to figure out how you could have been partially responsible for what happened. What could you have done to prevent it, and how can you prevent it from happening next time? This isn’t to say you’re taking all the blame, or taking responsibility away from the other person, but to realize that we are not victims but participants in life.

6. Focus on the present. Now that you’ve reflected on the past, realize that the past is over. It isn’t happening anymore, except in your mind. And that causes problems — unhappiness and stress. Instead, bring your focus back to the present moment. What are you doing now? What joy can you find in what is happening right now? Find the joy in life now, as it happens, and stop reliving the past. Btw, you will inevitably start thinking about the past, but just acknowledge that, and gently bring yourself back to the present moment.

7. Allow peace to enter your life. As you focus on the present, try focusing on your breathing. Imagine each breath going out is the pain and the past, being released from your body and mind. And imagine each breath coming in is peace, entering you and filling you up. Release the pain and the past. Let peace enter your life. And go forward, thinking no longer of the past, but of peace and the present.

8. Feel compassion. Finally, forgive the person and realize that in forgiveness, you are allowing yourself to be happy and move on. Feel empathy for the person and wish happiness on them. Let love for them, and life in general, grow in your heart. It may take time, but if you’re stuck on this point, repeat some of the ones above until you can get here.

The New Home Office

Thanks to my friend RS, I was able to get some new office furniture.  I had been wanting to do something different with my office for a while.  I like the whole idea of having a desk that I can put away when I was not using it allowing for more living space.  I think my guests will like it too.  There are still some things to be done but overall, I am pleased with the results.

 

Desk up. Note my super cool Return of the Jedi trash can.

 

Desk down. 

 

You can see my District Historian stuff piled up in the corner. Lots to do.

 

See the Historian stuff calling me! The bookcase and books were my Grandpa Al's. 

Star Trek Boldly Going Back to Great Movie Status

I have not done a movie review in a while so I thought I would save a great one for it.  Star Trek (2009) is just that gem.

I grew up watching the original series with my Dad.  I loved it.  Then my high school boyfriend CD got me in to Next Generation and again I loved it and would say that I was a Trekker.  My ex-husband was a huge fan of the Star Fleet Battles role playing game.  He would spend hours reading technical material and playing it with our friends RG and RC.  I never got in to those games (too much strategy for me) but I loved the movies and TV shows.  Deep Space Nine was good and I even watched some of Voyager.  I never got in to Enterprise and the last Star Trek movie Nemesis was a disappointment.  But I knew that once the series got rebooted it would be a thrill ride.

If you are not a Trekker you will still love this movie.  Great story line, good writing, plenty of action, epic like Star Wars and dead on casting.  I was hugely impressed with the interpretation of the characters and the dimension that the cast brought to those characters.  It has a great enemy and great saves. You should not let this one get by you.  I highly recommend it.  Boldly go where you have not gone before.  Star Trek will take you there.