The following is my experience over the course of the last two weeks. I’ve rounded the all of the hold times to 10 minutes because I wasn’t actually timing everything. I do know some holds were 7-8 minutes and some where 12-13, so you get the point. I’d originally typed this up as one big list, but I thought it a bit hard to read so I’ve broken it up based on interaction. Enjoy!

Scheduling Installation

• I try to set up a new account before we move, but they won’t until the existing account is cancelled
• I try to schedule installation on move in day, to avoid lapse in internet but they can’t until we have an account
• The previous tenant (homeowner) tries to transfer service to us, but is unsuccessful for several reasons
• The previous tenant agrees to leave account active and equipment set up for a few days so we can settle in

Ordering the Service

• Six days after we move in, Comcast shuts down the existing service as instructed by the previous tenant
• I call Comcast to set up new service and immediately get through (amazing)
• I inform the associate I want the promotional $30 rate on 15d/4u for new customers
• Associate puts me on hold for 10 minutes while she “looks for that plan”
• After telling me she’s still looking, I’m put on hold for another 10 minutes
• Associate says that plan is not available (even though it’s on their website for my address) and asks what I want to do
• I ask for any available promotions and am put on hold for another 10 minutes while she searches
• She informs me the ONLY special is a $40 25d/5u ($75 after a year) that includes cable television
• I say I don’t want TV and ask for an internet only special; I’m denied
• I resign myself to the bundle, since internet-only would be more expensive, and am put on hold for 10 minutes to set it up
• She comes back and asks if I want the $40 professional installation or to save the $40 with a Self-Activation Kit
• I choose the SAK and am told she “will be right back” after she finishes setting up my account
• 10 minutes later, she says my account has been set up I will be getting a SAK in the mail
• I explain I do need ANY equipment, that I can already get to the internet-based activation screen and just need my account number
• We argue for 10 minutes; me struggling to understand why they have to ship a 13 digit code to me in 5-7 business days to start service
• I ask to speak with her supervisor

The Escalation

• I am immediately connected to her “supervisor,” who is pleasant, knowledgeable and gives me my account number over the phone
• Upon reaffirming the bundle plan is the only one available to me, I reiterate I do not want any equipment – no cable box, NOTHING
• I try to activate the account while I have him on the phone, but am getting Comcast generated “problem connecting to us” error
• Since nothing had changed since the service was working the day prior, I ask to be transferred to technical support
• After a brief hold, I’m told I “managed to get a hold of a Maryland support center” and I’d need to speak with someone in Washington
• I’m transferred and after another brief hold, am told I need to speak with someone in internet support, not television
• I’m transferred again and asked to leave my number because the wait time is over an hour
• I refuse and remain on the line, but finally get activation to work after trying the 7th (?) time – YAY INTERNET!

The Box and Bill

• Three days later, a large box arrives from Comcast
• Inside the box is a cable modem (don’t need it) and a cable box (don’t want it) with instructions to self-install
• One day later, a bill arrives with two $15 charges for modem and receiver kits (a fee I was never informed of for equipment I didn’t want)
• Call them again and am asked to provide my number for a call back because the wait time in 45 minutes
• Receive my call back ~45 minutes later (amazingly) and within 5 minutes get return labels sent to me and a $30 credit on my bill

To be fair, my second interaction was very efficient and I wouldn’t have written this had my first interaction been like that. Unfortunately, my experience has been that dealing with Comcast is more like the first. You can’t necessarily blame a company for one bad experience, but at some tipping point the failing does become that of the employer. Are companies like Comcast just not incentivised to care? Are they in the dark about how to serve customers? Can they not attract enough people who are able to understand how to make customer service a priority? If some companies can get consistently awesome customer service ratings, there’s gotta be a reason Comcast isn’t one of them. Whatever it is, it makes me resent paying them for a service. </first world problem blog rant>

Today marks the 31st and last full day we’ll spend in temporary housing. I am extremely grateful Amazon provided us with the ability to settle in over time, but I am so very ready to get into something more permanent. I feel like we really haven’t been able to “get on with life” before now, mostly because it’s hard not to feel like you’re just on an extended business trip when living in a furnished corporate apartment. As much as I’ve been preaching a simpler life with less stuff lately, I am now keenly aware there are things I’m not ready to live without. Included below is a list of things I’m really looking forward to having back. Is this a bit materialistic? Probably, but it’s just not home without them.

• King size Sleep Number bed
• DirecTV hooked up to a big ass LED LCD TV and a proper universal remote
• Knife set, including the ridiculously sharp ceramic chef’s knife
• Drinking cups/glasses
• Proper cookware and cooking utensils
• HEPA air filter we use at night, mostly for white noise
• French press coffee maker
• Printer/Scanner (I rarely print, but it’s been VERY necessary with everything going on.)
• A “place” for everything; I’m obsessed with order, duh
• A routine

• I pulled my single greatest comeback in the league with my dad. My team got off to a very slow start and after six weeks I found myself at 1-5. I really have nothing to blame other than my poor draft, of which I had a bad feeling immediately after it completed. I managed to win the next 7 and climb my way into the playoffs against all odds. Unfortunately I lost the last three of the season, but I felt the season was a success considering my horrible start. Getting to the playoffs ensures you finish in the money, so I really can’t ask for anything more.
• My other league was more or less gangbusters from start to finish. I felt pretty good about my draft and after a 2-2 start, I went on an incredible 9 game win streak. I finished as the #1 seed with the most points and, despite dropping the last game of the season, won both my playoff games. The money is somewhat inconsequential; putting the Championship trophy on my desk at work will be way sweeter!
• I had another mediocre year in my family’s pick’em league. I was never really in the running and two of the people stopped playing with a few weeks to go, so I can’t say 3rd is that much of an accomplishment. On the bright side, Melissa crushed my always-wins-everything cousin by 17 points… and I bankrolled her entry. Ahh… glorious, glorious interest. I can’t wait to collect!

• I mark 5 years of blogging
• I realize a boyhood dream by purchasing a Ducati
• I go dry for a month
• I embark on the 100 Strangers project
• I profess my desire to move
• We lose a great racer and even better man in Jersey Joy Hrymack
• We go to the Dominican Republic with my family
• Melissa and I celebrate our eighth anniversary, the best yet
• We make the decision to move to Seattle

What’s in store for 2012? Honestly, beyond one or two givens, I have no freaking clue. I really want to get back to a normal exercise routine (hell, a routine in general) and I’d like commuting by bike to become a regularity.  Regardless, I think it’s going to prove an amazing, yet trying, year. ]]> http://chris.derecola.com/2012/01/happy-new-year-2/feed/ 0 http://chris.derecola.com/2012/01/happy-new-year-2/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cderecola/~3/yUSqDLfTsIU/ http://chris.derecola.com/2011/12/amazon-the-first-week/#comments Sun, 25 Dec 2011 01:39:32 +0000 Chris http://chris.derecola.com/?p=1266 Well, I made it through my first week with Amazon. Suffice to say, it’s been a very interesting, eye-opening, tiring and refreshing experience. I spent much of this first week in meetings, sitting quietly, as a way to get exposed to as many things as possible. This also means I haven’t really produced anything, although I have managed to conquer a number of access/login issues and cross quite a few new hire tasks off my list.

A couple people have asked what it’s like or how I like it. Five days isn’t nearly enough to allow me to describe a new job (especially in a new city, in a new part of the country), so I’m not sure how much I can offer. Since much of my week was spent observing, what I can say is there are a number of things that have really struck me as “different” from other jobs I’ve had. Here are five things that have stood out this week.

• Dogs – They are everywhere. I’m really not sure what it is, but walking down the hall past someone with a dog is supremely cool. I love dogs and they are far from a distraction, which is sort of counter-intuitive. I can’t say I’ve heard a single bark this week, which allows them to easily become just another part of the work experience.
• Age – I’ve always felt like one of the younger people at the companies I’ve worked at. There are certainly people older than I at Amazon, but for the first time it seems as though I’m closer to the median (if not average [stat nerd!]) age of employees. This could be a threat to some people; I see it as a welcome sign the company can attract young minds.
• Food – A few things in our cafe: Elk Sliders, Grilled Salmon, Roasted Butternut Squash, Pho, Grilled Paneer Sandwich and Sashimi. Sweet.
• People – If you look lost, someone will ask you if they can help. If you sneeze, someone will say “bless you.” If you seem tired or otherwise in need of a pick-me-up, someone will buy you coffee. If you make eye-contact, the other person will smile and/or say hello instead of looking at their shoes.
• Growth – There are roughly 1000 companies in the US that have as many employees as Amazon has hired in 2011. For reference, the 2007 Census estimated the number of US businesses at roughly 28 million. This massive level of growth permeates everything.

The interesting thing about this list, is that it probably paints a picture reminiscent of the tech boom days. While it’s hard to buck that notion, I can tell you most everything I’ve experienced is one of a company that is very serious about getting work done and very serious about being successful. It’s much more “corporate” than one might expect, but more of a function of its size and less of bureaucracy. All in all, a welcomed new experience for me. I look forward to what the future may bring.

Merry Christmas everyone.

I wanted to document the occasion, but I didn’t want to be tied to the camera all night. A few weeks ago, I got the idea to set up a very rudimentary photo booth so people could take their own picture. I knew I could tether my dSLR to my laptop with Lightroom, but I didn’t test the ease of use with it, a shutter release remote and the camera’s timer until a few hours before the party. Well, I’m happy to report that despite it being somewhat of a low effort first attempt, I’m really happy with the results.

We had people from so many different parts of our lives, I wish everyone would have take their picture. Unfortunately, we had to set it up somewhat out of the way and I kept forgetting to remind people do visit it, so exposure was a bit limited. Still, there is a decent number of pictures of guests and some very amusing ones at that.

Thank you everyone for your commitment to making the night one we will never forget.

30 years is a long time. Naturally, I’ve had plenty of opportunity to develop a love/hate relationship with the city (and surrounding area) and develop one I did. As my time winds down in the area and I spent my last Thanksgiving as a resident of the east coast, I’m slowly coming to the conclusion there are a bunch of things I will and will not miss. What are these things? I’m glad you asked! Here are five of each (in no particular order) that come to mind when I think about what I’m leaving behind. Note this isn’t about missing my friends or that great sushi place we love, but rather the things that seem so uniquely D.C.

5 Things I Won’t Miss

• The oppressive summer weather
• The Washington Redskins, their fans and their crappy fight song
• Traffic, especially the Beltway
• Taxes – WA has no state income or property tax (smaller excise tax on cars) and real estate is lower
• Staying up until midnight to watch Sunday and Monday Night Football

5 Things I Will Miss

• How snow is a huge deal and everyone freaks out
• Attending events at big name places like Ford’s Theatre and Library of Congress
• The Shenandoah Mountains
• Driving by the National Christmas tree on the way to Caps games
• Bob Ryan

So it’s a bit of a weird list, but they are the things that have come to me. The big ones are pretty obvious; it’s the smaller things that really start to add up and become a cause for sentiment. Regardless, it feels like a lifetime of experiences. I bet I’ll have more after some time on the left coast, so maybe I’ll write an update about “differences.” Until then, cheers D.C.!

Bonus Thing I Will Miss – The ceiling of some Metro stations.

Where and why are you moving?

I received a job offer from Amazon (yes, that Amazon) to work as a Senior Operations Analyst at their headquarters in downtown Seattle, Washington. My first day of employment is slated for December 19th; six short weeks away.

What are you going to be doing?

Honestly? It would probably bore you if I tried to describe it. Suffice to say, my skills and experience as a data guru will be well exercised. I’ve been describing it as “turning data into awesome” and while that’s certainly tongue in cheek, it’s not entirely inaccurate. I specialize in making sense of unordered data and process improvement; this role will make use of that.

This doesn’t seem like a good time, so why now?

Life rarely gives you a choice when it comes to opportunity and that’s the case here. Amazon is a company I well and truly respect, so I said “yes” when they asked if I was interested in interviewing. One thing led to another and eventually I ended up with a job offer (doing something I enjoy) that included an extremely comprehensive relocation package. We are getting to a point in our lives where we’re ready to move on, so it would be hard for us to pass up such a generous offer to live somewhere else.

Relocation? What is Amazon covering?

When I say generous, I mean GENEROUS. I’m no relocation specialist, but it seems to my untrained eye to be the closest thing you can get to cut/pasting your life. Reading the package, it occurs to me that not only have they thought of every little detail, but we are unlikely to have a deal this good around every corner. I don’t want to get in to specifics; suffice to say that nearly every aspect of moving is designed to be as stress and hassle free as possible.

What about Melissa’s school?

Yeah, about that. This opportunity definitely puts a wrench into her schooling, but we have a plan. She is going to take the spring semester off so we can move to Seattle together next month. She’ll look for an internship and/or part time job for the first half of the year and then return to northern Virginia for the fall semester. We’ll reunite during her winter break and then she’ll have another three month stint in the spring to finish up her degree. While we have no delusions about this being a true test of our marriage, we are confident that ours is strong enough and take solace that our servicemen and women deal with far less favorable terms of separation.

What about your friends and family?

The irony of this is, since we’re out in Ashburn, we don’t see our friends and family that often. Much of my family has moved out of the area, Melissa’s family is in New England and most of our friends are either raising kids or living the single life inside the Beltway. We would love to see them more, but it just doesn’t happen living and working away from everyone else. The internet has changed the way we interact with those we care about, so we’ll be making good use of it. Besides, if people’s reactions are to be believed, we’ll be getting a lot more visitors in Seattle than we ever did in Ashburn.

Seattle? Do you like rain?

Would you believe Seattle gets less rain in a year than most major US cities, including Washington, DC? Seattle does have a reputation for poor weather, but it’s mostly because their winters are wet and gray instead of cold and snowy. The upside is not only are summers much drier than DC, it’s also much cooler. Since I have a serious distaste for Mid-Atlantic summers, this is going to be a welcomed change. Melissa is also happy because she wants to leave the Vermont winters of her childhood in the past. Look, I made a graph!

Where are you gonna live?

Amazon’s campus is pretty close to the downtown (Belltown) area. We have realized we want to live in a walkable community, where stores, cafes, bars, culture and a social life are steps from our door. I doubt we’ll be living in an apartment in the heart of Seattle, but we fully intend to live within biking distance of all the hotspots (including the tourist attractions) and Amazon. I really want to walk or bike to work, so this will play a large role in our search. Much of Seattle’s downtown public transportation is free, and I’ll also get a free commuter card, so buses and surface trains are definitely fair game. The beauty of the area is we’re a mere 45 minute drive to pretty much everything we could possibly want to do in the outdoors. I’m really looking forward to adopting a more active lifestyle, exploring the countless National Parks and getting to know Mount Rainier a little better. Yes, we would love to have visitors.

Are you nervous and/or excited?

We are terrified. In a good way. This is the largest leap of faith either of us have ever taken, which makes it a very scary proposition. The good thing is there are so many things about it that are exactly what we want in our lives, we just can’t say no. We don’t want to be those people who look back and say “I wish we woulda” so we’re doing it. Had we not done things like travel Japan alone or backpack through France, we probably wouldn’t have the confidence to move… but alas, we did and we are.

Are you gonna party before you leave?

Heck yeah! Watch your email for an invite a farewell party on 12/10.

By my count, it’s been about 2.5 years since I’ve posted a recipe. Given I cook more than not, it’s hard to believe that much time has past. I guess since I have a standard set of recipes I rotate, and have managed to post most of my signature dishes, there hasn’t been any long and involved processes to talk about. At least it seems that way. In reality, I’ve had to step outside my box quite a few times in the last year due to receiving a large number of… new to us… vegetables with our CSA. If nothing else, the CSA has proved a great way to expose us to vegetables we wouldn’t normally buy ourselves.

Perhaps not surprisingly, this recipe was born of a combination of “What the heck are we gonna use this for?” and “What the heck are we gonna eat?” moments. I had a few key pieces on hand and did my best to come up with something worthy of a fall afternoon. The beauty of the meal is it took less than an hour to make and, although I’m not a nutritionist, very healthy. Heck, if you replace the chicken broth with vegetable and don’t bother with the duck pate (more on this later), you’ve got yourself a delicious vegan meal. You could use everything fresh (non-canned) if you wanted the purest home-cooked meal, but you’d obviously have to cook it longer.

Required:

• one butternut squash – peeled, de-seeded and diced
• one small onion – cut to preference (I like wedges)
• one head garlic
• one can chunky crushed tomato
• one large container chicken broth (I use low-sodium fat-free)
• evoo
• salt & pepper
• steamed rice

Optional:

• grated pecorino romano
• grated aged gouda (I prefer 5 year as it’s much sharper and harder)
• three or four radishes (large cooking variety, not those in salads)
• tablespoon duck liver pate

It’s worth noting all the optional ingredients made it in to the pot because, and only because, I had it on hand. Everything on that part of the list was added for the sake of making a heartier, more complex soup. You’ll probably have to go out of your way to find three of the four, so I’ve listed them in descending order of recommendation. Whether or not you include them is entirely up to you and your tastes.

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. (I use my convection-capable microwave.)
2. Spread just enough evoo to cover the bottom of a large Pyrex dish.
3. Single layer the vegetables in the dish, keeping the garlic in unpeeled clusters to prevent burning.
4. Liberally salt and pepper the vegetables.
5. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender (pic above).
6. In separate pot, simmer canned tomatoes and chicken broth on moderate heat.
7. After vegetables are cooked, remove the garlic and dump contents of Pyrex into the pot.
8. Peel garlic cloves and put in soup.
9. Simmer soup, covered, for 20-30 minutes. Add pate towards the end, if desired.
10. Serve over steamed rice with cheese(s) grated on top.

I cook my rice with powdered chicken bouillon (a Vietnamese variety, actually) so no seasoning of the soup is necessary. I also included a clove or two of the garlic to flavor the rice, but this is definitely not a required step. Feel free to adjust to your tastes.

That’s it. Easy peasy, right? I think so. I don’t generally go for vegetable soups but this is a downright delicious bowl of goodness. Enjoy.