Ignore Stickers Now Available
Ignore Stickers are now available. Feel free to peruse the shop here. Let your family and friends know how you really feel!
Honor
So, Mr. Fixer and I were talking about various aspects of personal and business character. For people, it’s called “character”. In Business, it’s called “ethics”. What it all really boils down to is whether or not a person or business conducts oneself/itself with honor.
For a few examples:
It is dishonorable to sell a car as new if it is not. It is dishonorable to claim ownership of something that doesn’t belong to you. It is dishonorable to say you are something you are not.
Is there honor in business anymore? What happened to the concepts of service and good, ethical conduct? Who said it was okay to stop caring about who and what you are and what you do?
The husband and I went to the movie last week. Upon reaching the concessions stand, Mr. Fixer chose to peruse the menu. Before he could read the prices the menu was replaced by a movie trailer. Slightly irked, he waited through the trailer until the menu reappeared. The second perusal was again interrupted, leaving My Hero rather frustrated. Upon the husband’s arriving at the counter, the concessions clerk stared at the ceiling, walls, counter and register, choosing not to make eye-contact.
This is bad business; it is unethical. Requiring a person to speed-read a menu, then presenting him with an uninterested and “bored” staff member who provides no assistance is a great way to lose customers. Are movie theaters so confident in the “drug” they provide (mindless entertainment), that they don’t want repeat customers?
There was a time when companies understood the concept of service. There was a time when employees cared about their jobs and were diligent about doing them well. There was a time when “Have a nice day.” was backed with genuine interest. Where are the companies and employees that understand service? I would think that in this current economy, with all the unemployment and tenuous financial situations, employees and companies both would make a greater effort to engage customers.
Have we become such a consumer-driven society that we, as customers, don’t care anymore? Are we so inundated with choices and options that we no longer require respect from those to whom we give our money? Has our “enlightened society” turned us into non-thinking automatons and greedy consumers who only care about how much we can get rather than how we are treated?
And, the biggest question of all:
If Idaho is the birthplace of all American potatoes, where the hell are the couch variety?
Until next time…
D. S. Vic
Email is welcome. Please put “Northwest Journal” in the subject line of all correspondence. JD_DSVic at Yahoo.com
© D. S. Vic. All rights reserved.
The Husky Deli
One of the best times I had during the summer months in west Seattle was stopping by the Husky Deli for a scoop of ice cream. Its 
all handmade on the premises. Terri and I are especially fond of Swiss Chocolate Orange, which is an incredible combination of flavors. I even went so far as to make a special trip into Seattle to get a quart or two when we lived on Bainbridge Island. I think it lasted a whole day.
Our love affair with west Seattle (and the Husky Deli) started when Terri and I met. She had just moved to Seattle and wanted to know which neighborhood I felt was the best place to live. I had lived in several neighborhoods in the city of Seattle and had always enjoyed west Seattle because of the businesses and especially the incredible panoramic views of the city and Elliott Bay from Alki Beach.
We lived in west Seattle for several years while Terri got her degree from the University of Washington.
Another of my favorite things to do in west Seattle is to drive to the Fauntleroy Ferry dock and take a boat across to the Kitsap Penninsula. The Ferry lets you off at a little town called Southworth. At the end of the off ramp there is a little store that has been there for years. If you happen to stop in and say Ray says “Hi.” Just be close to the door when you do and watch for flying objects. They love me – really.
The View From Here is published every Sunday.
Copyright ©: 2010 Moody Publishing Co
Ignore Stickers
Many years ago, when I was new to the internet, I used to spend a lot of time in online chat rooms. These were specific areas of the internet where multiple people could “talk” to each other simultaneously via typing; like a virtual party displayed in text. While there were multiple sites that hosted such areas, the one I used was Yahoo.
Like modern Email and text-speak, there was a certain vernacular among chatters. Abbreviations were common. Such things as LOL (Laugh Out Loud), BRB (Be Right Back) and AFK (Away From Keyboard) were frequent sights. Less frequent but still common were the action statements like, “walks across the room” or “smacks the typo demon”. Also, in Yahoo Chat, one could use specific commands which made communicating easier, such as eliminating a specific person’s text from your screen so that you couldn’t see what they typed. This command was called “ignore” and was a definite life saver in some cases.
Though I didn’t have to use the “ignore” command often, I used it often enough that I made it an action. My screen name at the time was BurntTiger so my line of text would look something like, “BurntTiger slaps an Ignore Sticker on Mr. Nuisance”.
Now, I told you all of that to tell you this, I want Ignore Stickers for real life.
I’m sure you know at least one or two people you must interact with who could really use one. It would make dealing with others so much easier. I mean, think about it. Is there some annoying person at the office? What about a friend or family member? Perhaps your significant other has earned the right to be ignored.
Maybe you’ve been in line forever and the person behind you is talking at a high volume about the latest toilet plunger colors. Wouldn’t you like to be able to turn around, slap an Ignore Sticker on them and suddenly be unable to see or hear them? Even if you still had to see and hear them, wouldn’t putting the sticker on them make you feel better?
I think there’s an actual market for this. It’s a revolutionary product! Isn’t it? I think the commercial would go something like this:
“Ever been in a long line only to have the person immediately behind you talking loudly on their cell phone?
“Have you ever been made to wait because the people in front of you are gawking or window shopping?
“What can you do when your neighbor’s kid is throwing a world-class temper tantrum?
“Where can you turn when the guy next to you is continuously passing gas?
“Have you had enough of your next-door neighbor playing their music too loudly?
Now, for a limited time only, get your very own Ignore Stickers. Simply peel the sticker off the protective backing, place it on the person, scene or situation that irritates you and POOF, no more problem!”
Okay, so maybe it wouldn’t be that easy or remarkable, but I’d still love to have them. I bet they’d come in real handy if I had kids. I might have to go to my old Café Press shop and make some up. I’ll keep you apprised.
Until next time…
D. S. Vic
Comments are welcome. Please put “Northwest Journal” in the subject line of your Email. JD_DSVic at Yahoo.com
Copyright © D. S. Vic 2010.
All rights reserved.
Kids vs Dogs
The husband and I have recently been discussing children and the pros and cons associated with having them. Friends have queried about our plans for introducing little Mr. Fixers and D. S. Vics to the world. Family members have suggested a need for alacrity due to my age. And, there has been no shortage of loving pressure from my mother; she longs to have grandchildren to bounce upon her knee.
I like dogs.
Mr. Fixer dreams of teaching his sons and daughters how to fish, hunt, camp and ski. He longs to share his love of fixing things with his progeny. He wants to see his beloved wife mirrored in his daughter’s eyes, actions, thoughts and personality. He laughingly hopes for the day he first hears his wife say, “Go ask your father!”
I like dogs.
My mother wants to retire, sell her home and move to this area so that she can play with her grandbabies. She wants to spend hours on end sewing lacey, frilly edges onto little girls’ dresses. She wants to teach her granddaughters how to make cookies, cut out paper snowflakes and put on talent shows for the family. She dreams of providing a place for her precious ones to stay when they’re frustrated with their parents.
I like dogs.
My friend, and the Man of Honor at our wedding, told my mother that there was a sure-fire way to know if grandchildren were in her future. Seemingly it comes down to whether or not the family pet is named “Bruiser” or “Scruffy”. I’m looking for Bruiser. Mr. Fixer wants Scruffy.
I still like dogs.
Dogs are so much easier to care for. There are tons of dogs just begging for homes, but you can’t get a child at the pound. If you change your mind, you can simply not purchase a dog, but once you’re pregnant, well, you’re pregnant! You can put a dog in his crate if he’s irritating you, but you can’t do that with a child. Dogs don’t care if there are dirty clothes on the floor or if you haven’t vacuumed or swept in a few days (or weeks), but a child could be injured or emotionally scarred by the same situation.
I want to provide my husband with children. I want my mother to have grandbabies. I want the family line to go on. But, I’m scared. What if I’m a bad parent? What if my health deteriorates to the point where I can’t actually take care of my child? What if I make a mistake and my child hates me for the rest of his life? Or, even worse, what if I have a girl?
I have nothing in common with women save the fact that I am of the female gender.
Who will teach my daughter to shop? Who will show her how to apply makeup and do her hair? Who will teach her how to be a gracious lady instead of a rugged tom-boy? I can teach her how to field-dress and butcher a deer and how to tan the hide. What girl could possibly want to know that?
Besides, my dog is neurotic. He doesn’t like people. He doesn’t like dogs. He doesn’t like loud noises or hair cuts or baths or socializing. He won’t eat any dog food other than Beneful. He doesn’t have any desire to reproduce except with sweaters. If I caused this in a dog, how could a child of mine possibly grow up to be a normal, happy, healthy and productive part of the human race?
Sigh. I like dogs.
Until next time…
D. S. Vic
Copyright © 2010 D. S. Vic.
All rights reserved.
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