Shitty customers don’t deserve angelic customer service

I work at a very small company, and a while back I was in charge of handling the customer service emails. For the most part, this is pretty routine, brainless work – perfect for the late afternoon when the sun is roasting me and my mind isn’t working all that well anyway.
Most of the emails I [...]

Scandinavian misnomers

D. is currently living in Copenhagen. She loves the Danes. “They are superior people…they eat lots of fruit.”
My generous employer gave us two options for breakfast this morning: apples and danishes. One high-fiber, one low-fiber. One rich in antioxidants, the other clotted with sugary frosting. One that Danes eat, and another only named after them.
I [...]

Beware shoddy sleeping masks

Headed overseas recently for work, and wanted to do the sensible thing and sleep on the plane to avoid jetlag when I landed. At an SFO shop, I saw a “3-in-1″ pack of inflatable neck pillow, earplugs and sleeping eye mask for $7.99. When I paid, the sales clerk was delighted to tell me it [...]

Fun with British personals

Me and J. Flying back to the US from London. Translating some British rag’s personals.
“Curvy.” J. looks at me, rolls her eyes: “Fat.”
“Drinks socially.” I correct: “Alcoholic. Wake up in my own sick at least 3x per week.”
“Seeking long-term relationship.” J. snickers: “Meaningless fling. I don’t want to see you when I wake up in [...]

There’s someone for everyone

Me and D. Amsterdam. About 9pm. Headed to a party from Central Station.
We board a tram to Overtoom, punch our strippenkaarts, and take a seat. In the seat in front of us are two people.
To the left sits a Thai (maybe Malaysian or even Indonesian – I couldn’t say) tranny. Tall, thin, caked with makeup [...]

Obama’s inauguration

I’ll join the chorus of what is likely hundreds of thousands of bloggers who are commenting on Obama’s inauguration. I didn’t go to the event itself, but at least when I’m old, I’ll be able to say I blogged on it.
I’m probably too cynical to be moved to tears by his speech, but I was [...]

Rick Warren and the politics of hope

Let me say at the outset: I think Rick Warren is not a respectable human being. The fact that he has compared homosexuality to pedophilia and incest, and bars gays from entering his church, where he includes an “ex-gay” support group, suggests he is an immoral person. (He wouldn’t be the first evangelical to be [...]

Small-town Christianists

These people are a parody of themselves. The best reason not to vote for McCain–we can’t let the uneducated, bigoted religious right decide our government and policy forever. A win for the Republicans means anyone who wants to win office will just have to pander to these assholes from now on.

This one’s a gem. Money [...]

McCain confuses Zapatero with Zapata

Oh, those Spanish names – so confusing, they sound so much alike…

1. John McCain says in an interview with a Spanish-language radio station that, when asked if he would sit down with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero, he will continue to work with Latin American leaders [sic] and that he would stand up against [...]

Why Obama’s economic team beats McCain’s hands-down

His three economic advisors:

Rubin, Volcker, and Summers. These guys are brilliant. The guy who ended the stagflation problems of the 1970s? Volcker. The guy who engineered the budget surplus of the Clinton Era that spurred the stock market and economy? Rubin. (Followed by Summers)
Now McCain’s camp? Economics is a weak area for McCain (pretty much everything [...]