Commentary

Assigned seats

Posted on by backuphill

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Went to the movies last night and encountered something while buying tickets earlier in the day that was new – and didn’t like after I got to the theater.

The local AMC theater has always been first come, first served as far seating goes. Get there early and choose good seats. Come to think of it, I don’t think I have ever been to a theater that has done it any other way. So, when I went to buy tickets online yesterday afternoon (for a 7:15 showing) I just expected to buy tickets.

Instead I was greeted with a seating chart after I selected the movie (Spiderman: Far from Home) and I was supposed to select where I wanted to sit and how many seats I wanted. The chart showed available seats and which ones were not. I selected seats but was left wondering if this was going to be common practice or just because this was the opening night of a big movie.

After getting to the theater and asking a couple questions, turns out this has been going on for a couple months and will now be regular practice for all movies. OK, interesting.

Once in the theater, there were lots of people and single seats left all over the auditorium. Meaning, if you bought tickets late and went as a group, you would be split up for your group (as such, I have a 10 year old sitting next to me as the rest of his group was farther down the row). After thinking about this, I can’t imagine that this would encourage people to buy tickets for movies, but it might very well discourage most people.

I can tell you I don’t really like the practice. If I had logged in later in the day to buy tickets and all I saw were singletons or I was crammed into a row with people on boths sides, I wouldn’t buy a ticket.

I am still developing an opinion here, but I can’t see how this benefits ticket buyers.

What do you think? What is your experience? Do you like assigned seating at the movies?

Guest WiFi – exercise in frustration

Posted on by backuphill

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This is a love-hate type relationship.

Have you ever been in a store and unable to get a cell signal? Yeah, it happens more than you think. Have you been in such a store only to find there is no “Guest Wifi” available to you? Irritating. I find this most irritating while shopping at Costco. I mean, come on, it’s a warehouse for crying out-loud. It wouldn’t be that hard to put wifi in the place.

On the other hand, there are those places that have “Guest WiFi” available but it doesn’t work or is slower than molasses (here’s one for you…electronics store Best Buy has spotty guest wifi). I was traveling recently and learned that there was a place nearby (a government agency, actually) that had guest wifi. So, I went to check it out. FULL signal, this is promising! However, no data transferred at all. It was basically the same as when you’re at home and you know the wifi is on and you get a signal but it has to be rebooted so it will allow the transfer of data. So, what was promising became just an exercise in frustration.

So, we are left with the love-hate relationship again. I love stores that make it available, but I hate places that have it and it doesn’t work.

 

Receipt check

Posted on by backuphill

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Shoppers beware!

I was shopping at Safeway yesterday and upon checkout, the receipt didn’t appear to be right. Upon closer inspection, it was totally wrong!!

Safeway has a three tiered price structure – regular, Member, and Just for U. They send out weekly paper fliers and they have an app that supposedly can help you keep track of all the things you need, as well as the special offers for members and Just for U that may apply to the things you need.

Well that app, specifically the Just for U pricing, doesn’t appear to be working or maybe is just a scam. Check your receipt! After I left the store something didn’t feel right, so I compared the app prices to the receipt prices and there was something definitely wrong.

9 items were purchased and 7 of them we rung up with the incorrect price – totaling almost a $10 difference in being overcharged!! That’s kind of a big deal and not something you can just let slide. Not that $10 is that big a deal in the financial department to me, but it is for lots of people.

The question is, does this happen on a regular basis? Do you check your receipts? How many times does Safeway, et al, (FYI – Albertsons, Safeway, and Haggens are all the same company) let this happen? My guess is more than it should!

Bad computer programming? Easy mistake? On purpose fraud? Hard to say, but someone knows. The store had no explanation for it.

They refunded the appropriate amount, but I am not sure I am satisfied with that.

Do you regularly check your receipts? Have you ever notices a recurring problem at any stores?

Off the grid

Posted on by backuphill

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So I have been camping this week. I am sure it has been relaxing, but I can’t say for sure because I am writing this post ahead of time…like I did for all these posts this week.

When you are “off the grid” there is a certain kind of freedom because you aren’t faced with the rush of trying to keep up on everything that goes on around you. The outside world doesn’t interfere with the “here and now.”

But, there is also a downside to that. Once you have been off the grid for a few days, you start to feel the addiction of the grid. What’s going on? What are others doing? Is the world falling apart without me? It is really tough to unplug and “just be” because the internet and electronics are so imbedded in our lives.

Off the grid vacations are great, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t dread them a little too.

 

black and white blank challenge connect

Bent but not broken

Posted on by backuphill

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Can you believe some people use this as justification for breaking the rules?

Recently someone said, “Well, you never said I couldn’t…” – fill in the blank. They had bent the agreed upon limitation (rule, if you will) so that it could accommodate their desired outcome.

So, if that is the case, unless we explicitly define every possible circumstance then bending the rules is fine. Never mind the intent of the rule, or even the law.

That’s the problem today with society. We will do whatever we can to make things as easy and accommodating to get what we want. We find every way possible to bend the rules, which we know is wrong to do, just so we can get what we want.

Speeding? Oh, well, I was going downhill.

Cheating on a test? Well, is it really cheating if they didn’t say I couldn’t use the book?

Affair? It’s not an affair because we didn’t have sex.

Murder? Oh, well, I didn’t want the as yet to be born baby.

Sick day from work? No, I wasn’t sick but everyone does it. It was for my “mental health,” and go to the beach.

Which, or what, bent rule irritates you the most?

 

Omission

Posted on by backuphill

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What do you consider a lie?

Is consciously leaving out information or details lying? If you only get part of the info, is it really the truth?

If someone repeatedly, or maybe habitually, omits info can you trust them? When do you draw the line?

This is a tricky topic because we all do it to some degree. Sometimes it is not on purpose, but other times it is an outright choice.

I guess the question really comes down to: Are you prepared to stand your ground when you know you are being deceived on purpose or do you just let it slide?

Drawn and quartered

Posted on by backuphill

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There are very few things in life that seem to warrant the old punishment of “Drawn and Quartered.” It used to be reserved for high treason, but it isn’t used anymore. Something about cruel and unusual…whatever…

I have determined, and I am sure many of you will agree, that this punishment should now be returned to service, not to be used for high treason but for something much worse.

Being the creator of spam.

In EVERY single form it exists.

We are all aware of the spam we get in our email. We are also all now very aware of those auto-dialers that create spam phone calls. Spam on social media is now a thing too. Here’s one you may or may not be aware of…

Have you checked your blog comments section for spam? Good grief. There is a lot of crap in that file. Thank goodness it gets filtered! But good grief, how do you get like entire Wikipedia science articles spliced into 18 different comments? Yeah, spam. Lots of it. It seems this is all hidden behind “proxy” type addresses, so it is easy to quickly decide it is spam and delete but the fact that you have to do it at all is really annoying.

So, I submit to you all that we bring this medieval punishment of “drawn and quartering” back for a 21st century crime. It might not stop the behavior as a deterrent, but it would be totally satisfying to see the spam creator suffer a just punishment.

Just saying.

#endspam

Who’s with me here? Do you agree? Do you have a better suggestion?

Vacation planning

Posted on by backuphill

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There is a reason teachers would rather go to work sick, or skip all professional development. It’s because it is more work than it is worth. Planning takes time and effort and more times than not there is more work to do when you get back. It is just easier to be there than to not be there.

Now that I am not in the classroom, I think I have found the regular working stiff equivalent.

I now understand why Americans would rather work and accrue vacation days rather than actually go on vacation.

Why is using vacation and taking a vacation so much work?

Steps to taking a vacation:

  1. Plan when to go on vacation MONTHS (if not years) in advance.
  2. Save your butt off for vacation (or rack up CC bills while on vacation so you can work your butt off when you return).
  3. Ask for time off and cross your fingers someone didn’t beat you to the dates.
  4. Plan where to go or what to do…this couldn’t probably be 10 mores steps by itself but for demonstration purposes, I’ll keep it at one.
  5. Arrange for pet-sitter/house-sitter/rides to or from airport.
  6. Shop for vacation.
  7. Pack for vacation.
  8. Load up the car.
  9. Worry about forgetting something while you drive away.
  10. Unload the car.
  11. Hustle off to destination.
  12. Unpack when you get to destination.
  13. Do stuff. See stuff. Eat stuff. Drink stuff. Repeat.
  14. Pack to go home.
  15. Load the car.
  16. Worry about forgetting something at the place you just left.
  17. Travel.
  18. Get back home.
  19. Unpack.
  20. Do laundry from vacation (and perhaps a house-sitter).
  21. Catch up on mail.
  22. Catch up on yard work.

Return to work exhausted.

Is vacation really worth the trouble?

Anyone else ever feel like this? Ever needed a vacation from your vacation?

Half truth

Posted on by backuphill

gray dock

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I think I have talked about this before, but I can’t find the past post. I think it had something to do with “omission,” when someone intentionally leaves out part of the truth. I guess that means it is possibly “half the truth.”

But really, do you just get the feeling like you’re being lied to? Like something just isn’t quite right?

I can’t put my finger on it, but I know when I am being lied to. Or, as some would say, just not getting all the truth. Let’s just say too past experiences have developed this sense.

I don’t get this feeling at or from work.

Relationships are hard. Sometimes I just wanna be alone and not deal with it all. If I try to ignore it, will it just go away?

Perhaps I just don’t like people. No, not perhaps. I mostly don’t. like. people.

OK, to be fair, most people. I don’t like most people. There, I said it.

Maybe I am just tired of distrusting people. I would like to trust them, but I am finding the trust is misplaced. So, trust is hard to come by.

The fog of life has got me thinking…

Anyone else have trust issues? Do you find you keep putting in the wrong places or people? What do you do to build it, keep it, etc.?

 

 

On the horizon

Posted on by backuphill

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The longest week known to man is the week before a vacation.

The days drag.

The nights are filled with planning and preparation.

Vacation is on the horizon but there is so much to do beforehand.

While at work the only thing you can think of is what you would rather be doing during the vacation week to follow.

It’s as if vacation is but a mirage in the desert right now. Is it real? Will it provide relief and rest? Is refreshment ahead?

I can see it. I can almost touch it…and yet the horizon feels so far off.

How do you make it through the week before a vacation? Do you have a strategy to deal with the anticipation and distraction?