A Scattered Brain

Recently, I’ve had two vastly different customer service experiences.  I wasn’t planning on writing about the bad one until the good one just happened providing a perfect contrast to write a significant post.

Anecdote 1:

Early last week, I received my league bowling money; which was a fairly decent payout with my 300 game and good sweeper weeks.  We decided to purchase a patio set with some/all of the money depending on how it worked out.  We went to Kmart and found one that we really liked.  I went up to purchase and got rang up.  After nearly 20 minutes, they come out with the chairs but say they are out of the table.  They call around to other stores and find one that has one in stock.  This was after the Kmart associate was on hold for 15 minutes with the another store.  It was about 30 minutes away, and we decided to make the drive even though it was already passed C-man’s bed time.

I get to the store and they inform me that yes, they have the table, but that it is on lay away for another customer.  I ask for my money back and they say they can refund the chairs but not the table since I don’t physically have it.  Furthermore, they state that the other store should have refunded my money for the table before I left (which begs the question of what would have happened if they did have the table available to me, would I have had to pay again?).  So, we drive back to the original store… another 30 minutes.

When I get back, I demand to talk to a manager who agrees to refund all the money, corraborates the story of the other store stating that I should have been refunded there and offers me a whopping $5 gift card, to help cover the gas.  How nice… we won’t be going back to that Kmart ever again (and preferrably not to Kmart at all).

Anecdote 2:

On Sunday, while watching golf, I decided to take a few practice swings trying something new in my living room… yes something bad was bound to happen and I’d be up for a Darwin Award if I had in fact lost my life.  I made sure I was clear of all furniture and things were ok… until I forgot about the ceiling fan.  A few swings were fine and then all of the sudden, crash, chink, oh crap!  Two of the glass bowls that surround the lights broke.  I own up to it and expect to buy a new fan.  We really like the fan in the family room and I knew it was from Lowe’s even though it was here when we got the house.

I e-mailed Lowe’s and got a response back saying they can probably help me if I get them the model number and the store I would most likely work with.  On Wednesday, we got a call from our local Lowe’s stating that they could order two new glass bowls for $14.50 each.  I just need to come in to order the bowls and they’d call me back when they came in.

Today, I went in and asked for the associate that had called.  The manager (although I didn’t know he was the manager at the time) told me he was off but we could work with someone else in the department to get it ordered.  I was able to point out which glass it was even though they didn’t have the estimate in the system as I hadn’t come in before.  They also had two of the later model of the fan in a shopping cart next to the desk; either they had been returned, or the original associate had used it to get the part for the bowl on my behalf.  I’m not sure which.

The manager quietly told the electrical representative to just get two bowls out and give them to me and they would worry about re-ordering if they need to later on.  As he gave them to me, I stressed that I was willing to pay and they told me no and told me that if I had trouble leaving to say that Eric (the manager) gave them to me.  I had no trouble leaving.  I’ve given that Lowe’s quite a bit of business in general (but they didn’t know that) and they really impressed me.

Such a contrast… one store that truly wasted my time was willing to give me a spit in the face (really, what can you get for $5, they want you to spend more)… the other, which had done nothing wrong at all, really took care of me.

A little customer service can go a long way… Lowe’s gets an A+ in my book!

Last night was my final night for this year’s league.  They have one more week that I won’t be able to attend, which is sad, because I have some award money coming that I won’t be able to pick up myself.  Oh well, not much I can do about that.

My final night was a great night, but had a bittersweetness to it.  I bowled my best 3 game series ever: 238, 220, 221 for a 679.  Going into the last game, I had a decent chance to get a 700 series.  I missed two single pin spares (had made all others the rest of the night).  If I had made those, I would have had a 245 and my 700.  So, while it was my best three games in league, it could have and should have been better.

Overall, I’m pleased with the final 9 weeks of this league.  Since I had my last lesson, I’ve averaged over 200 and raised my league average from 182 to 188 which is significant this late in the season.

I won’t bowl in any league this summer, but will commit to practicing at least once a week to maintain what I’ve learned and even try to tweak some minor adjustments.  I’m not sure if I’ll keep a regular blog, but if anything significant happens, I’m sure I’ll pass it along.

This morning, I woke up, put in my contacts, and did my official weekly weigh in… 199.8!  For the first time since sophomore year in college, I’m under 200 lbs.  I know it is just barely under and weight can fluctuate but to see a number on the scale that doesn’t start with a 2 is a pretty good feeling!

The beginning of a new month, time for a resolution update:

• Daily Devotional – I don’t think I missed a day this month, but did have to do two one day to catch up for a missed Sunday.  I still rushed on a few, but overall this is becoming a part of my daily routine.
• Bowling – The blog was consistent and the 300 game trumps all. 🙂
• Weight – Came in at 202.4 this morning, so no real loss.  I’ve been pretty good with the Wii Fit but have found a number of limitations.  I’d like to have a more structured workout so I need to look into other inexpensive options.

This month, I’ll give myself a B+.  Since I didn’t lose any weight this month, or reach my goal of 200 I can’t give myself the A quite yet.

Last night was why I like to bowl.  This post may be a bit long, but I want to try to remember the entire night for posterity.

Game 1 – I was a little tight, and pulled a couple of shots in the early going.  I also missed three really easy spares (two of them single pin) and was only at 85 through six frames.  From there, I still wasn’t getting great carries and only had one strike, but at least started making my spares for a 159 game.  I thought it was going to be very hard to keep my streak of 600 series alive, but I was ok with that; not all nights can be good.

Game 2 – Started out with 2 strikes and then 2 baby splits that I missed both on.  I was clean the rest of the game with 4 more strikes, 2 spares, and an 8 on my fill shot for a 208.  The 600 series would be tough as I needed a 233 to make it, but it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.  By the end of the game, I was feeling fairly comfortable with the shot on both lanes and knew I’d probably just need to move a touch to the left.

Game 3 – First ball was a good, solid strike.  Always good to start out with a strike as the team’s lead off bowler.  2nd frame was another strike, but this was a bit lucky.  I hit the pocket a little high and got the 4 to trip along with the 9 for my luckiest strike of the game.  Frame 3 was another lucky strike, got a late trip on one of the corner pins, but don’t remember which.  The 4th frame was a good strike.  Frames 5 and 6 also had some late trips on single pins that could have stayed up but helped me stay perfect.  Frames 7, 8, and 9 were all pretty decent strikes as I remember and after that the nerves really started to kick in.

I came to the approach at the beginning of the 10th frame with a lot of nerves.  I didn’t really notice a crowd behind me at all, although it was starting to grow a bit.  In the past, whether practice or league, the best I had done was strike the front 9 and miss the first shot in the 10th.  This was in the back of my mind but I tried to shut it out to make a good shot.  My knees were knocking but I took a breath and started my approach… all 10 down!  I knew that I still needed two strikes, but no matter what, I was going to beat my previous best of 277.

The nerves went down a little for the second shot.  The ball seemed to take a bit longer than usual to come back from the ball return; I was glad it finally came without having to call service.  My knees shook a little, but I knew I could do it… all 10 down!

At this point, things were a little quieter around my lane, but not too bad and I just kept looking down the lane and didn’t even think about the people around me.  As I stepped on the approach, I was just as, if not a little more nervous than I was for the first shot.  My knees were shaking so much I found it hard to even start walking.  Since the first two strikes were pretty solid with no late trips, I at least felt confident of where I was starting my approach from.  I finally made my first step and with my heart pounding, threw the last shot… it was clean off my hand… hit my mark… looks like it has good rotation… makes the turn… squares up to the pocket… all 10 down!!!  Cheers erupt!

Apparently quite a large crowd had gathered and once the cheers started, everyone I know from this league started coming up to hug and congratulate me.  I couldn’t believe it… my first 300 game!  Even thinking about it now, I find it hard to believe.  And of course, got my 600 series too.

I was told by other members of the league that have 300 games that the first one is always the hardest.  I can believe that and feel really happy that I didn’t come up to that last shot and get a 298 or 299.  If that happens in the future, I’ll be okay with it because I have my perfect game, and that can’t be taken away from me.

I know you have all ready this article: Mystery Donors Give Over $45M to 9 Universities and have been wondering who it could have been.  I am afraid it may be given away because of the way the money was given.

The gifts ranged from $8 million at Purdue to $1.5 million donated to the University of North Carolina at Asheville. The University of Iowa received $7 million; the University of Southern Mississippi, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the University of Maryland University College got $6 million each; the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs was given $5.5 million; and Penn State-Harrisburg received $3 million.

I wanted to give it all to Purdue but was afraid that you’d all catch on too quickly.  I just had an extra $45M lying around and said, what the heck, let’s give it to some schools. Of course the article mentions that they weren’t supposed to try and find the donor (me, of course) but aren’t they trying to find me by running the article to begin with.  It appears Purdue was one to actually keep its promise by not submitting comments for this article.

I have half a mind to ask for that money back, but it was so hard to arrange anonymously the first time, that getting it back would probably prove way too difficult.  Just remember universities, say nothing more!

NOTE: THIS IS JUST A JOKE, I AM NOT THE DONOR.  How sad is that; most people can’t take a joke so to be safe, I’m adding this kind of qualifier?

Greetings friends,

I have worn contacts on and off (mostly off lately) since I was in 6th grade.  When I wear them, I’ve never had any real problem with them and my eyes tend to take to them fairly well.  The only issue as I’ve gotten older is the lack in desire to put them in and take them out each day.  It’s hard to put my finger in my eye around 5:00 am.

I had heard about extended wear contacts but had never inquired about them with my eye doctor.  My yearly exam was yesterday so I thought I’d ask.  He told me my current lenses were approved for extended wear and told me to wear them for a week, take a break overnight, and then wear them for another week before throwing them away.  I can sleep in them and everything.

Excited, I put in a new pair yesterday and am seeing how this works out.  For the first time, I slept overnight in my contacts.  It was a bit strange.  When I woke up in the middle of the night, I could see; and this morning could see the alarm clock time without squinting.  So far, other than my eyes feeling a little dry periodically (I’ll pick up some drops the next time I’m at the store as it isn’t a major issue at this point) I’m liking it. Of course, it will take a few weeks to really determine if this will work for me.

This past Wednesday was a great night.  214, 215, 189 and only 3 missed spares all night.  Two of them were single pins I should have had and one was a split, but overall very good and consistent.  One thing happened in the middle of the second game that carried through the night and through practice even today…

Instead of starting the approach and hoping I would throw a strike, I’m coming to the approach expecting a strike.  It’s only a slight change in attitude, but a very important one.  The key to this isn’t just changing the thought process, but knowing that all of the hard work and thinking about my game and release, I now truly believe that I have nearly everything working for me with my approach, swing, release, and ball reaction, that unless something weird happens, every ball I throw should at least have a chance to strike.

Knowing that before I throw has made my approach even easier and more relaxed.  I’m walking in a straight line, not squeezing the ball, and not trying to force the ball to hook, but rather letting it come off my hand naturally.  I’m sure I’ll still have bad nights and have bad throws; but I think (and hope) that I’ve turned that latest corner to really help myself get out of my own way to improve my average over 200 consistently.  With only 4 weeks left, my average can’t get that high for the whole season; but with continued practice over the summer (taking league off this summer) I truly think it is a realistic goal for next fall.

Of course, now that I’ve written that, watch me have a hard time breaking 500 next week. LOL 🙂

Happy Easter, everyone!

For the first time in two months, I had a 600 series last night.  My warmups were great.  I thought I had a good read of the lane and my practice spares were in good shape… so I thought.  My first 4 frames were horrible.  One spare and three easy misses.  I figured I needed to start a little right of practice as there tends to be a build up of oil from warmups.  That turned out to be the wrong move.  I moved to the left around the center arrow and things started to get better.

I wound up with 162, 222, 222 for my scores for a 606 series.  Outside of those first frames, I was nearly clean all night, only missing two splits (and nearly converting one of them).  As a team, we’ve won each match this quarter and should be in the top 5 going into position round next week.  Hopefully I can notch another 600 series!

Start of a new month, time for a recap of my resolutions:

• Daily Devotional: This hasn’t changed much.  I’m still better on the weekdays than I am on the weekends.  Also, I sometimes allow myself to get distracted instead of really focusing on the daily reading and prayer, so room for improvement still.
• Bowling: I’ve kept up with the blogging in general even if not weekly scores.  This is good.
• Weight: Checked this morning and came in at 202.8.  This month has been hanging around the 202-203 range so still in the right direction.  As we get more involved with Wii Fit, I expect this to continue if not increase in rate.  I really want to be under 200 by May 1st at this point.

In keeping with my tradition of grades: I’d still say I’m at the B level.  Take care and have a great week everyone!