Tidewater Musings

I will be off net for the next month. Back OOA 8/1/2009. No tweets, posts, or email. Nothing. Dropping off completely. Have a gr8 month.

2009-06-30T23:55:00.003-04:00

Signing off in 140 characters: I will be off-net for the next month. Back OOA 8/1/2009. No tweets, posts, or email. Nothing. Dropping off completely. Have a gr8 month.

I'm waiting for my bluebird costume to arrive any day now

2009-06-27T14:33:00.000-04:00

I've become enamoured with Twitter

2009-06-26T14:20:00.000-04:00

There's something about compressing a thought into a teeny, tiny space. Twitter offers 140 and is to blogging like haiku is to poetry. I had been over at Twitter as @pastinson for a good long while when I was introduced to HootSuite, an online tool that allows you to manage multiple Twitter accounts at a time. It is the bomb, and I've gone and created a number of me: @OrgConsultant, @Scurry, and @AnotherCGBlog. I have now created the Tidwater Musings me, @TidewaterMuse to focus on issues here in the Tidewater region of Virginia.

I've been spending more time on the micro-blogging than the standard blogging of late. I would imagine that will continue, so if you want to follow along, do. For a Twitter persona that captures all of me, see @RoboPeter.

This looks like a must-see movie: Food, Inc.

2009-06-22T17:24:00.001-04:00

"You'll never look at dinner the same way."

All frequencies broadcast-this could be bad if you're following too close: Request feedback job app http://ow.ly/fiWO IRT http://ow.ly/fiVT

2009-06-21T01:10:00.003-04:00

All frequencies broadcast-this could be bad if you're following too close: Request feedback job app http://ow.ly/fiWO IRT http://ow.ly/fiVT

This ought to give you pause...

2009-06-02T10:30:00.001-04:00

Got Rabies?
Originally uploaded by Ignotz.

... at least for a moment or two.

And to think it could be so easy to transmit: Mutant Rabies.

Health scare of the week: Mutant rabies is spreading... A highly infectious strain of mutant rabies is spreading among animals across the state of Arizona

What makes this scarey is the mutation: transmission isn't through biting; transmission is through social interaction. It's gone airborne.

h/t to Commander Salamander.

More to this story than the headline

2009-05-23T10:34:00.001-04:00

Chesapeake, Virginia Police
Originally uploaded by niteowl7710.

I'm disappointed that we'll probably not hear about all the good stuff that is the backstory to this case: Called-up reservist who lost job sues Chesapeake. There's the possibility of dirty laundry on both sides of this one; the suit might be a disguise for Pandora's Box.

A former police lieutenant sued the city of Chesapeake on Friday, alleging he was denied the right to re-employment after returning from service in the Coast Guard.

Don't dig too deep, 'cause it'll get smelly, quick.

A frog (and a) prince to save the rain forests

2009-05-16T17:47:00.002-04:00

Ah, college... William & Mary students set world record

2009-05-16T11:20:00.000-04:00

Seems students at William and Mary have set a new world record...

Denise Watson Batts of The Virginian-Pilot tells us William & Mary crew breaks record dancing to 'Thriller'.

Thrilling news from the College of William & Mary: The school learned today that an often-off-beat but courageous collection of students, faculty and staff broke the Guinness World Record for the most people performing the Michael Jackson “Thriller” dance simultaneously in one location.

The feat took place on April 19 in the Sunken Garden when 242 “zombies” – dressed mainly, at least from the looks of a You Tube video, in college standard sweats and shorts – gathered to shuffle, stomp and slide as the classic song rolled across the lawn.

What fun...

How transparent ought our government be?

2009-05-07T21:49:00.000-04:00

I'd suggest very.

Interesting post over at Tidewater Liberty about asking for a citizen review around some of the issues concerning the tragedy of Jarrod Shivers' death. Agree or not with Dr. Donald Tabor's politics, I think everyone would agree that transparency and asking the tough questions to find the truth is important. Are certain politicians dragging their feet as a part of a cover-up?

Guess I know the value of that suggestion program

2009-05-04T12:26:00.001-04:00

Suggestions?
Originally uploaded by dannyubc.

Sad, really. Reminds me about the Coast Guard's old Idea Express program... which was killed off because too many people actually submitted ideas and the system was crushed under its own weight.

Perhaps next time they'll think twice...

2009-04-12T17:36:00.000-04:00

... before climbing the stern of a merchant vessel flying the Stars and Stripes. Officials: Merchant sea captain saved from 'imminent danger'.

I believe we have now set the standard of response when it comes to f***ing with Americans.

Boats, now cars

2009-04-07T06:58:00.002-04:00

Junk car 7
From Mattias (Retrocamera.net).

The economy is really doing a number. Last week, I noted that some boat owners were scuttling their boats in order to not be saddled with the eternal drain on their wallets. Today I learned it's boats, too.

From Emily Friedman, Cash-Strapped Auto Owners Illegally Ditch Cars: Cases of Auto Fraud on the Rise as Struggling Owners Rid Themselves of Cars.

The faltering economy is to blame for a rise in motor vehicle fraud cases nationwide, according to investigators who tell ABCNews.com that never before have they seen owners so desperate to get rid of their wheels, even if it means breaking the law.

What's next? Homes?

Enterprise: Attempting to make customers-for-life one interaction at a time

2009-04-03T13:35:00.001-04:00

Enterprise - Los Angeles
Originally uploaded by jij16

Orginally this post was going to be titled Enterprise: Not trying harder, and taking you for a ride, not picking you up..., but today I had a phone conversation that prompts me to post about good customer service... well, good customer service following some not-so-good customer service.

A couple of weeks ago, I rented a car from Enterprise; the experience was overwhelming, but not in a positive manner. Here is my feedback sent to Enterprise corporate using their website:

Last week, using the Enterprise website (which is sometimes less than intuitive or easy to use... such as the ability to provide feedback, but that is another issue than what prompts me to write today) I rented a car for pickup this past Friday. I arrived at the location, downtown Portsmouth VA on High Street, around 0800, just as an employee was opening the door. What happened next is clear indication that Enterprise has substantial systems and process issues which must be addressed. The car I'd requested was not available, and in order to get me a car, the employee had to drive me 9 miles to another location to get the car, a car which had 1/2 a tank of gas and hadn't been cleaned. It was nearly 40 minutes and 9 miles from the original location when I finally turned the key for a car with only 1/2 a tank of gas. On the way back downtown I was pulled over and given a ticket for speeding, an offense that wouldn't have occured if Enterprise had fulfilled their end of the bargain by providing a car when and where the computer system allowed me to rent it. I was behind the eight-ball for the rest of the day, walking in late to an important meeting, walking in late not because of my ten minute delay with the Portsmouth deputy, but because of the 30-plus minute delay caused by Enterprise. To boot, while waiting in the office, several phone calls went unanswered, and Ms. Johnson, who called to arrange for a rental was certainly never called back when the employee told her she would be... I know this because the employee was shuttling me 9 miles to Chesapeake to get the car. As a customer, I don't care that the branch assistant manager was recently fired or that the branch is understaffed or that a car needed an oil change and wasn't ready. If you had systems in place, these wouldn't be the norm. And, that the branch had cars on the lot, be it they were "three levels" higher than what I'd booked, I, as the customer, don't care. You allowed me to book a car, now pony up. If I wanted to drive 9 miles to another location, I would have rented from that location. Returning the car today wasn't much of a better situation. While the employees were apologetic, not one of the two employees I interacted with, Thomas and Starla, went out of their way to make things right. I should have been rented a car when and where I showed up; the car should have been fully fueled up (so I didn't have to stop and get fuel on my trip) and cleaned. In short, this experience with Enterprise has been UNSATISFACTORY.

There's a part of me that expected nothing to come of my feedback.

I was wrong.

A day after providing the feedback, I received a phone call from the local regional manager, Jennifer, who, it turns out, oversees 9 offices. We played phone tag until today (between my out-of-office and her out-of-office the game of tag was inevitable). Today we spoke.

She was more than apologetic, and, she made zero excuses. Her take, they messed up; it's there job as a company to get it right, and they hadn't. She told me she'd already refunded the money for the car rental and she wanted to ensure me that the next time I rented with Enterprise, they'd show me excellent customer service.

I'm due to head to DC again next week, so I'll be taking her up on the offer.

I'll tell you what was nice to hear: (a) she'd already done what she could in terms of refunding the charge for the car; (b) she offered no excuses, knowing that I didn't need to hear or want to hear them. I think this is a lesson for all us. Our customers don't care about our problems, they just want things to work they way they're supposed to. Don't saddle the customer with excuses; just work to get it right.

While I've even mentioned it in my feedback -- "I don't care that..." -- it's a good reminder for all of us who deal with customers in our jobs. Our customers don't care. They don't care we can't get and keep good employees; they don't care if our suppliers screw up; they don't care if our IT systems can't get things right; they don't care if we've had a bad day or a rough night. What our customers care about is getting our products and services in the agreed-upon manner.

We're all human; we all make mistakes, but let's not make rationales or excuses, but rather let's work to get the systems and processes in place to do excellence and deliver a satisfactory customer experience.

And, I could take the lesson, too, I know. And, as such, I'm going to make doing customer focus, rather than just teaching customer focus, more to the forefront of my daily work.

And, next Friday, let's see if Jennifer has been able to make some systems changes at the downtown Portsmouth Enterprise office.

And to think I fell for it: 3-in-1 Google

2009-03-31T23:19:00.000-04:00

I'm kicking myself... I so fell for this... 3-in-1 Google...

Google tests a new homepage that replaces the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button with two new options that let you search using Yahoo and Live Search. "I'm Feeling Lucky" was rarely used

Tomorrow is going to be damn ugly...

PETA: Are they a case study waiting to happen?

2009-03-30T22:22:00.000-04:00

I saw this headline today: PETA’s Pet Killing Program Set a New Record in 2008: Public Records: PETA Found Adoptive Homes for Less than 1 out of 300 Animals.

My wife, generally more optimistic than me and certainly less cynical: "Oh, that doesn't surprise me."

Support your local CISM tickets: Buy tickets to local community theatre production

2009-03-03T06:24:00.000-05:00

I'm hawking tickets to a community theatre production of "Over the River and Through the Woods" by Joe DiPietro. I'd like you, dear reader, to purchase a ticket or two (or three or four or more). Why? Because ticket sales benefit the Tidewater Critical Incident Stress Management Team, a crisis intervention team that assists police officers, fire fighters, EMTs, and other emergency first responders in southside Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore.

100% of the ticket sales benefit the CISM Team. The team will use the funds to train volunteers and provide some of the operating funds for the team that services several thousand emergency services providers in Tidewater Virginia.

The production is by Monumental United Methodist Church on Dinwiddie Street (at Queen Street) in Olde Towne Portsmouth and is part of their outreach & community support program. They put on a theatrical production; local non-profits each sponsor one production and get to sell tickets to that production. And then the non-profit gets to keep all the ticket sales.

Our show, the show that supports the CISM team, is March 8th at 2:30pm.

What's the play about? Here's a summary of the play I found online written by Mark S. P. Turvin: "Nick is the last of the younger set not having fled from the controlling influences of his grandparents Frank , Aida , Nunzio, and eternally house coat-clad Emma. When Nick receives a promotion that will send him to the other side of the continent, the four come up with a plan to keep him around by setting him up with the sweet Caitlin O'Hare without telling him during one of their Sunday dinners."

My wife, who happens to play Caitlin, tells me the play is really about food. She said it's about family (Italian families, actually) and food.

And, in this case, the production is about helping the community.

If you're interested in supporting the CISM team and would like to buy a ticket (or two or three or four or more), please contact me here or leave a comment below. I'll get the tickets to you or hold them at the door for you.

Please support the CISM team, and community theatre. I hope to see you Sunday for the matinee production of "Over the River and Through the Woods."

Great photo: 8:48am - pouring rain

2009-02-18T15:46:00.002-05:00

8:48am - pouring rain
Originally uploaded by limegreeney

I was at a restaurant last night and they had the tube on to some bike race. Okay, it wasn't just some bike race, but the Tour of California, which is, I think, Lance Armstrong's entry back into the racing world. If it's not his entry back, it's darn early.

Here's a photo -- a photo which just grabbed me (I think it was the rain coming down) -- I came across on flickr. Great shot, and I wanted to share it.

"Like being seduced in church"

2009-02-12T21:08:00.004-05:00

Hulu: A plan to turn your brain to mush...

2009-02-03T23:30:00.002-05:00

Admirals, tell me I'm wrong...

2009-01-28T20:43:00.009-05:00

Received in the mail today:

Peter - your comment in the blog entry on the removed post regarding "people in the organization" targeting you is, from what I've been told, entirely accurate. The same source who tipped me off to your blog told me the Commandant has people monitoring the blogosphere full time for anything negative about the Coast Guard.

My reply:

I'm reminded of the saying, "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you."

Thanks for the confirmation... I've had two sr. officers tell me that I am a target.

Admirals, tell me I'm wrong...

Time for Action: Stop cuts to education

2009-01-27T23:32:00.001-05:00

Children At School
Originally uploaded by connectedclass.

I received the following from an elementary school teacher here in Portsmouth (okay, my former spouse)... Read, and then send a letter as requested:

From: Vicki Tiller
Sent: Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Subject: school board meeting last night - We need your signature NOW

According to the School Board meeting last night. Portsmouth has a 9-10 million $$ hole in the budget for '09-10. A lot depends on how Obama's stimulus package will be accepted and the passing of Governor's Kaine's proposal for a $340 million K-12 cut in funding. This is currently the forcast for February but May could bring more bad news if we dont take action.

However, no one in PPS is losing their jobs. There are some positions that have more staff than what is needed and what they plan on doing is as those positions are voluntarily left, they will not be filled. That is currently for Assist Principals, Guidance, and nurses. They will remove the Library Clerk position and move those people to another position within the school system. They have the choice to basically take it or leave it at this point. However, if they leave it, their position will not be filled.

The Montessori School at Parkview will be closed and those Paraprofessionals will be placed in other schools.

Budget cuts will come from Facilities, Operations, IT, no school additional purchase of school busses, and a few purchases made last year that do not have to be made again this year. They will also cut out of town travel for Operations, hiring freeze, and add people to Title 1 schools in order to be able to lose supplies and materials.

No raises are another consideration but not a definite. Again it depends on how the Stimulus package goes.

This is how it is Today but tomorrow it can change. This is how much we are in the hole for '09-10 but if the economy does not get better in by 2010 our deficit could be bigger resulting if more drastic measures such as relieving staff.

This is literally a Day by Day situation.

WHAT WE NEED FROM EVERYONE NOW

We have board members going to Richmond today to Lobby against Governors Kaine's (see note: Our Governor refers to $340 million in K-12 cuts, while Budget Director Daniel Timberlake indicates that the cuts amount to $595,180,605 for FY 2010, a 9.4% cut in K-12 funding.

We need as many signature as possible for petittion against this position. There are only 13,000 signatures currently but they need more. Our representatives need to see the public is upset and it's up to us now to make changes.

Go to http://www.veanea.org -- two electronic letters are already awaiting your signature. Just click on the right hand side of the website site where you will see Take Action. Fill in your name and address and send.

Hopefully this helps with the current rumors and I hope to keep everyone up to date.

Vicki Tiller, CES PTA Vice President

I am upset about what's happening at Park View. Both of my older boys went to Park View; cutting the Montessori program is a mistake, but then, so was doubling the size of the school... who is it that thinks an elementary school should have more than 250-300 students? Insanity.

Do visit the http://www.veanea.org website and click on the link on the upper right side... we can't strip funding for public schools...

Two bits that, frankly, don't bode well for the administration

2009-01-22T22:34:00.001-05:00

Barack the vote!
Originally uploaded by ekeisari.

Perhaps they're just mis-steps and this isn't a pattern.

1. The Fingers Were Live but the Music Wasn’t.

2. White House exempts YouTube from privacy rules.

Two steps forward; one step back.

Too funny... and if you can't at least chuckle at this, you need a sense of humor adjustment

2009-01-22T10:27:00.001-05:00

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Changefest '09 - Obama's Inaugural Speech

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

h/t to Bearing Drift.

Now this is transparency

2009-01-22T01:43:00.000-05:00

Find the pay of most federal employees.

Wow.