Tag Archives: Christmas

When technology even makes Santa look bad.

25 Wednesday Dec 2013

Posted by in Route 53 - Life is A Highway

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UPS – Utterly Pathetic Santa?

The past month and a half the country has been at odds over the failure of the Obamacare website and government. It has been a joke amongst many especially late night talk show hosts. Quite frankly a whole new site with first time users will have its hiccups. I haven’t used the site, so I can’t comment, but I suspect that people expect a little more out of technology than it really can provide.

Now UPS, er…Santa, has not been able to get gifts to all the good boys and girls out there. UPS made an announcement yesterday and today about the issues. Quite frankly I have been on part of the receiving end of this problem and exchanged many emails and tweets with UPS. The people running social media and the customer service center had nothing but excuses to provide when people just wanted solutions. Earlier this month I was notified that some chairs I ordered were going to arrive the next day and they didn’t come until 6 days later. Two weeks later it was a desk that came 3 days later than I was notified. It only got to me faster because I hailed down my UPS driver in the street.

How does this happen? Well when a package gets delivered to your local distribution hub, it gets scanned and an estimated delivery time is made based upon their belief it will shortly put on a local delivery truck. the problem is that at Christmas, the trucks are full and your package, especially a big one, might not get on a truck for quite some time. Worst, if you sign up for their premium status you will get notified of these changes which appear to be real-time, but are often many hours delayed. Lets follow the strong of emails I have received regarding a package from Amazon. I assume someone is sending a gift to my kids as we have yet to receive the package:

Monday Dec. 23rd at 6:09am
Email received saying a package from Amazon and a package from LLBean will arrive Tuesday the 24th between 9am and 1pm

Monday Dec. 23rd at 6:09am
Email received saying a package from Amazon and a package from LLBean will arrive Thursday the 26th between 9am and 12:45pm

Later that evening around 8pm a knock is heard at the door and it is a package from LL Bean

Tuesday Dec. 24rd at 6:02am
Email received saying a package from Amazon will arrive Tuesday the 24th between 9am and 1pm

Tuesday Dec. 24th at 12:39pm
Email received saying a package from Amazon will arrive Thurssday the 26th between 9am and 12:45pm

Tuesday Dec. 24rd at 1:20pm
Email received saying a package from Amazon will arrive Tuesday the 24th between 9am and 1pm

WAIT….the package is already 20 minutes late! Where is it?

So Christmas Day is here.  Somebody paid for standard business next day air delivery back on the 21st from what I can tell.  I assume I’ll get a package tomorrow.  I have not seen any additional messages from UPS.  I went on to the website and laugh.  Okay, the status says the package will arrive sometime tomorrow by 3pm.

So I scroll down a little further.  This poor package.  I think it went on a wilder ride than an Auburn football player trying to score on a 109 yard run between Alabama defenders.

Location Date Local Time Activity
San Francisco, CA, United States 12/24/2013 11:26 A.M. Destination Scan
Oakland, CA, United States 12/24/2013 9:23 A.M. Arrival Scan
Ontario, CA, United States 12/24/2013 8:13 A.M. Departure Scan
12/24/2013 6:42 A.M. Arrival Scan
Los Angeles, CA, United States 12/24/2013 6:00 A.M. Departure Scan
12/24/2013 4:32 A.M. Arrival Scan
Louisville, KY, United States 12/24/2013 3:24 A.M. Departure Scan
Louisville, KY, United States 12/23/2013 3:49 P.M. Arrival Scan
Ontario, CA, United States 12/23/2013 9:13 A.M. Departure Scan
12/23/2013 2:36 A.M. Origin Scan
United States 12/22/2013 3:31 A.M. Order Processed: Ready for UPS

Southern California to Northern California by way of Kentucky?  That sure is some modern logistics for you!  At least the Cable Guy comes on the same day he says he’ll be there.

 

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Giants 12 Days of Christmas

11 Saturday Dec 2010

Posted by in Route 53 - Life is A Highway, San Francisco - Leaving your heart, San Francisco - Sports & Life

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“No, instead, there’s a pole. It requires no decoration. I find tinsel  distracting.”  – Frank Costanza

AT&T Park

Giants Twelve Days of Christmas

On the first day of Christmas,
my Giants gave to me
A catcher named Buster Posey.

On the second day of Christmas,
my Giants gave to me
Two rally thongs,
And a catcher named Buster Posey.

On the third day of Christmas,
my Giants gave to me
Three Garlic fries,
Two rally thongs,
And a catcher named Buster Posey.

On the fourth day of Christmas,
my Giants gave to me
Four Giants starters,
Three Garlic fries,
Two rally thongs,
And a catcher named Buster Posey.

On the fifth day of Christmas,
my Giants gave to me
Five splash hits,
Four Giants starters,
Three Garlic fries,
Two rally thongs,
And a catcher named Buster Posey.

On the sixth day of Christmas,
my Giants gave to me
Six fearsome beards,
Five splash hits,
Four Giants starters,
Three Garlic fries,
Two rally thongs,
And a catcher named Buster Posey.

On the seventh day of Christmas,
my Giants gave to me
Seven fans a-tortured,
Six fearsome beards,
Five splash hits,
Four Giants starters,
Three Garlic fries,
Two rally thongs,
And a catcher named Buster Posey.

On the eighth day of Christmas,
my Giants gave to me
Eight Braves a-bumbling,
Seven fans a-tortured,
Six fearsome beards,
Five splash hits,
Four Giants starters,
Three Garlic fries,
Two rally thongs,
And a catcher named Buster Posey.

On the ninth day of Christmas,
my Giants gave to me
Nine Phillies flailing,
Eight Braves a-bumbling,
Seven fans a-tortured,
Six fearsome beards,
Five splash hits,
Four Giants starters,
Three Garlic fries,
Two rally thongs,
And a catcher named Buster Posey.

On the tenth day of Christmas,
my Giants gave to me
Ten Fists a-pumpin,
Nine Phillies flailing,
Eight Braves a-bumbling,
Seven fans a-tortured,
Six fearsome beards,
Five splash hits,
Four Giants starters,
Three Garlic fries,
Two rally thongs,
And a catcher named Buster Posey.

On the eleventh day of Christmas,
my Giants gave to me
Eleven pitchers dealin’,
Ten Fists a-pumpin,
Nine Phillies flailing,
Eight Braves a-bumbling,
Seven fans a-tortured,
Six fearsome beards,
Five splash hits,
Four Giants starters,
Three Garlic fries,
Two rally thongs,
And a catcher named Buster Posey.

On the twelfth day of Christmas,
my Giants gave to me
Twelve Machines a-struttin,
Eleven pitchers dealin’,
Ten Fists a-pumpin,
Nine Phillies flailing,
Eight Braves a-bumbling,
Seven fans a-tortured,
Six fearsome beards,
Five splash hits,
Four Giants starters,
Three Garlic fries,
Two rally thongs,
And a catcher named Buster Posey!

The Run of 118 Christmas Trees – Life is A Highway

05 Monday Jan 2009

Posted by in Breast Cancer - A Loving Fight, Route 53 - Life is A Highway

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Our 2008 Christmas Tree

Our 2008 Christmas Tree

The perfect Christmas tree? All Christmas trees are perfect!”
~ Charles N. Barnard, American author, travel writer.

 

I just got back from my 2nd run of the year.  Thanks to the reader who said they’d help remind me to get out there and “Just do It”.  (Note to self – next time you write down your resolutions, tear them up and burn em).  It definitely was the weekend to start throwing out the Christmas Tree.  I counted 118 trees on the sidewalk during my run.  We could have left it up but the weekends are getting booked up already with travel, basketball games, holidays and parties!

No Christmas tree counting is not what i do when I run, but it sure helped to make tonight’s run a little different than the more than 300 other runs I will have this year.

We had a pretty active weekend.  Since I won’t be able to attend my son’s Little League Skills Assessment this year, we went out and played catch and hit a few balls.  I love sports, but I am not one of those crazy parents (I hope I’m not) who people can’t stand at the games.  My son is so focused anyway that sometimes you can scream at him and he doesn’t flinch.  Last year he ran through my stop sign at third base when I was the third base coach.  I had a good laugh with the other parents afterward and got a lot of ribbing about having more discipline at home and wondering if he would have stopped if mom had been there instead of me.    Seriously though I have a son who has decent capability to play any sport although I’m not sure where he got the talent from.  I have no visions of grandeur though as he definitely got his small stature from his parents!

We also got out as a family to spend time at the park and get some fresh air and exercise.  My daughter called it her highlight of the weekend which made me feel good.  My wife is still limited with her stitches so she and my daughter went for a little hike to a lookout point near our home overlooking the San Francisco Bay.  In fact, one of the stitches seemed to maybe have come out too soon and she might have to go back in early this week to have it fixed.  After our family meeting at dinner tonight where we talked about our schedules and highlights for the week, my wife and I had some alone time to talk about how we are doing.  She laughed at me.  She was the one in college who was going to be a bio major and I’m the one who runs at the sight of blood.  She was quite amazed at how I was able to deal with all the tubes and procedures she had to go through when she was ill.  I told her I sucked it up, and kiddingly told her to promise to never make me go through it again.  Well this little stitch is causing some fluid to run out.  Oh my…..medic! 

She did thank me for being her rock.  I had to do a lot of research for her as she was overwhelmed and frankly quite scared to read everything online and also had selective hearing when it came to what the doctors were telling her.  Depending upon her mood, she’d only hear the good things sometimes and other times only the bad things.  She’s better now and is able to even go online and meet some of the people I met online who gave me lots of advice.  I think it is great that she is now able to converse with some of these people and join the sisterhood of survivors.

Back to normal life?  Well maybe it is with the regular TV season coming back on.  We’ll be able to have our banter about Desperate Housewives, Lost and everyone’s favorite, American Idol…

3 Days of Shopping to go – Life is a Highway

22 Monday Dec 2008

Posted by in Breast Cancer - A Loving Fight, Route 53 - Life is A Highway

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Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart. – Washington Irving

Tonight’s run was a cold and painful one.  Each run is like every day in life.  One day you might feel good but the next day you might feel like you are running a marathon without shoes.  One day is different from the next.  It’s like life.  Many of us are given the same set of circumstances, but some make more or less of it than others.

I’m reading a book by Chad Moutray, another man who had a wife with breast cancer only his story ended tragically.  Why would I read it?  Why do I care?  I often wonder if I am alone in this world.  In fact I think we all wonder if our life is unique or normal.  Do others deal with similar issues?  Are all my peers being hit with the recession the same way? 

Chad, while raised differently, has many similar qualities to me.  I’m finding the book entertaining at times and hard to read at others.  It hits hard and close.  I’ll write more about the book at a later date once I am finished.

Today my wife went back to the clinic and the nurse practitioner supplied her with new and cleaner steri-strips to cover her scars.  Her breast surgeon came by to say hello.  This would be the last visit with her for another 6 months.  She gave my wife a hug and then said some complimentary words about me.  We had become more cordial with each other over time and recently discussed my blog.  I was hesitant at first to tell her about this blog , but gave her the adress.  She told my wife that she loved my honesty.  Whew!  I was not ready to go back and edit anything here.  While this blog is more of a channel for me to express the feelings which I can’t describe with words, I find it to be more of a release for me and hopefully a memoir for my children

I am encouraged by my wife though.  Her energy levels are high and her desires to enjoy herself and get back to a regular exercise regimen.  She is worried about the scar and I’ve told her that I’ll help her to get used to her new self and promise to be honest and open about my feelings with her.  It’s hard to argue with her when I want to be positive, but I have to pick my points.  Sometimes she deserves the ability to just be down.

We are getting ready for the holidays this year with a full house of family.  While everything might be the same as years past, just like running, it might be a bit more of a struggle than in the past