next time i’ll pay more attention

next time i’ll pay more attention

The office/family room is getting closer to being complete but computers are still in the dining room. I’m thankful I have enough space for them, but I’m not a fan of working in here.

Would it have made a difference?

Before I started the dye process on the concrete floor, I picked a large rug and ordered it. I didn’t pay attention, you guys. I assumed it would be just like all the other rugs I’ve ordered from ruggable.com in that I’d have it in a few days. That’s not the case… so the room currently only has a pad.

Because I ordered an oversized rug, the email thanking me for my purchase noted it would be 2-4 weeks for delivery. Had that delay been clear when I was ordering, I might’ve purchased it anyway — and I might not have. Still, even though I LOVE their rugs and the ability to throw them in the washer, I feel a little pissed off at the company I’m loyal to. I feel like I was duped.

They cover their butt.

There’s a blurb that states some rugs take longer to get, but no where does it say FOUR WEEKS! A month is a long time for them to have my money — yes, it was charged immediately — before I receive the product.

Now you know: Only 4 percent of mobile users consume more than 50 gigabytes of cellular data a month.


I’ll gladly pay you 2000 pesos on tuesday for a hamburger today

I’ll gladly pay you 2000 pesos on tuesday for a hamburger today

Remember the hamburger guy on Popeye that was always wanting a hamburger on credit? I think his name was Wimpy… I figure today’s cost for a hamburger would be at least 2,000 pesos. Lucky for people in Argentina, they just introduced a 2,000 peso banknote and it’s worth about $4 bucks. It’s the largest denomination they have! Can you imagine carrying stacks of cash just to pay for ordinary purchases?

Mr. Pesky said he’d gladly pay me Friday for a swim in 72 degree water yesterday. šŸ˜‰

First person in the pool is Mr. Pesky.

A recent survey says…

A new Resume Builder survey found that 91% of companies hiring are looking for workers with ChatGPT experience. While there was diversity in the companies represented — the top three company types looking for AI experienced employees were in software engineering (no surprise there), customer service coming in at #2, and those looking to hire in HR was 3rd.

Customer Service Me: Write a letter to an upset customer.
ChatGPT: Here you go…
Human Relations Me: Write a letter of employee termination.
ChatGPT: Here you go…

Time to learn if you’re in the market for a job!

You have to learn ChatGPT to enhance productivity. In my book, this translates to more automation just like everyone else has — and less human interaction and relationship building. So I asked ChatGPT to tell me what the negative aspects of using it in business are. The top potential negatives are:

  1. Lack of empathy and emotional intelligence.
  2. Misinterpretation or inappropriate responses.
  3. Limited contextual understanding. (ChatGPT struggles with complex or ambiguous queries.)
  4. Lack of human judgement and critical thinking.
  5. Data privacy and security concerns.

TIL (Today I Learned): In 2022, a chess robot in Moscow broke the finger of its 7-year-old human opponent after the boy made a quick move without waiting for the robot to complete its turn.


i’m taking the day off because it’s Halloween

i’m taking the day off because it’s Halloween

My least favorite part of what I do as COO of our fine company is contracting. Itā€™s not like everyone on the planet doesnā€™t have a certain aspect of their job they arenā€™t in love with ā€“ wading through legal terms is mine.

Contracting is the pivotal point where ā€œyouā€™re my best friendā€ turns to ā€œI like you, but we need a legally binding agreement ā€“ and money — to be continue our relationship.ā€

Itā€™s formal and itā€™s deliberate.  

Hammering out legal details is never pleasant, and it gets even more tense and tedious when legal teams are involved. I’ll give in on some things, but other aspects are rock solid:

  1. We are picky on copyrights — no recording without an agreement… you pay more if you want to use the content.
  2. We donā€™t confirm a date until we have a signed contract and a deposit in place.
  3. And the speaker does NOT get on a plane to travel to the event until we have the final paymentā€¦ thatā€™s in the contract. Always.

And #3 is why I got a call at 1:30 AM ET this morning.

Melbourne is 15 hours different than me and thereā€™s 12-hours difference from our office address. Iā€™m sure the meeting planner thought I was in Las Vegas when she wanted to make sure Iā€™d received payment advice of final payment for their upcoming event. She obviously thought making an emergency call at 10:30 PM wouldnā€™t be the end of the world.

No one would intentionally call someone about business at 1:30 in the freaking morning. Right? šŸ˜“

Temps in the low 60s with some rain.

Itā€™s a typical fall morning except that itā€™s Monday and Halloween. Iā€™m pretty sure thatā€™s a legal holiday where I get the day off. šŸ˜‰

TIL (Today I Learned): When Disneyland opened in 1955, the cost of admission was $1 (which is $11 adjusted for inflation in 2022).


walmart needs $98 really bad!

walmart needs $98 really bad!

At almost 1:00 AM this morning, I got a text alert from my bank’s debit card provider letting me know of potential fraudulent activity. Walmart was attempting to charge $98.00. The transaction was declined until I authorize it as legit.

Before authorizing, I logged into my Walmart account to see what the $98 was for and found it to be my yearly plus membership. About to let the bank’s provider know it was ok to pay, I got the exact same notice via email from my Apple credit card. Right after that, I received the same fraud suspect notice from my Chase credit card, and a few minutes later the same message from yet another Visa.

Walmart was trying to grab that $98 from every card I’ve ever used to purchase from them online!

At 7:00 AM, I get a call from the bank’s debit card provider. They’ve locked down my card until I call them because they don’t know if the card’s been stolen. Walmart’s opened Pandora’s box because they WANT THEIR $98!!

Crazy that the only way I know Walmart has its fat fingers inside every account I’ve ever used there is because their website says they tried to collect and will attempt to collect it again. No email notification from them!

So once I verify it as legit from one financial institution and tell the others not to pay it… those other alternate card companies will want to cancel their cards and issue new numbers.

All this because Walmart NEEDS THAT $98!!

Just as badly as Walmart needs $98 bucks, Merida needs Dharma back in the house…

Dharma is mad at Merida

See Dharma snubbing her? That’s how I feel about you right now, Walmart. šŸ˜ 

TIL (today I Learned): NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar agreed to appear in the movie “Airplane!” on the condition he be paid $35,000… the exact price of a rug he wanted to purchase.


companies have changed focus

companies have changed focus

I know y’all don’t care what speech topics are most important to companies even though I certainly do. You might; however, be interested to know how their focus is changing. Any change in focus reflects what leaders want employees to be better at — and what they think will be most important as we all move forward in business and life.

The published study compared Q3 of 2021 to Q1 of 2022. Companies are still focused on the following:

  1. Adapting to Change
  2. Personal Wellbeing
  3. Customer Service
  4. The New World of Sales
  5. Diversity and Inclusion

The biggest changes in focus revealed by the study:

  1. Workplace Culture — This didn’t even make the list in 2021 and now it’s the #1 trending topic to address. So now, the personality and character of a company is pretty darned important.
  2. Innovation/Creativity — ranking high in 2021 it’s totally absent currently.
  3. Inspiring Stories about Resilience — “you can do it!” is new to 2022.
  4. Teamwork — Ranking highly important last year, it’s not even in the top 10 for 2022.
  5. Equity — note this isn’t equality and it doesn’t mean like “equity in your house.”

my house

Company equity basically means that a company’s focus is on promoting an individual’s right to be different — and providing fair treatment regardless of gender, race, disability, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, or age — so they in turn benefit from the competitive advantage of employing diverse talent.

Spot on or need reevaluating?

If you’re in the workforce as an employee — and even if you’re not but benefit from the products and services of companies — what do YOU think should be the top 5 areas companies should focus on moving into mid-2022? Are current company trends on track for future success… or should priorities be reevaluated?

Priorities don’t always align.

One of my current priorities is to get back in the habit of walking. Merida keeps watch outside the door openly expressing her displeasure with my choice. šŸ˜‰

Merida doesn't like it when I walk

TIL (Today I Learned): The flag of Jamaica is currently the only national flag that does not contain a shade of the colors red, white, or blue.