Write? But why?

So, here it is. The post in which I tell you that I failed miserably at Nanowrimo this year. The post in which I tell you that I still haven't found my rhythm yet since I've been unemployed. The post in which I remind you that I've been unemployed for, um, almost 6 months now.

In other news, I have been doing some freelancing. And a good chunk of my time every week is often spent figuring out COBRA and all things related to COBRA. And I'm still hung up on this "madly in love" thing that's going on.

I think those are the best reasons possible for any failure on my part of the former. ;)

It's That Time Again

November 1 starts the word count. I'll find a counter, as in the past, and stick it on the left. Help keep me accountable! Oh - and feel free to pass along any great story ideas. I'm fresh out right now.

Moving Past the Past

(February 11, 1999)

Many things from the past echo within us--voices, sounds, thoughts--some of them best forgotten.

Sometimes, we remember just so we can be grateful. Like the well-fed dog that turns primitive at the sight of a bone, we pick up on our own instincts and react before we think.

If we see what is about to happen we can meet it with good humor and have less need to make everyone in the present time pay dearly for what happened so long ago.

Peace,
Tawanka

Hello, World

Why yes, it's been a while. Good to see you, too. Hope you're doing well.

Here's the short & long: Life's good. Enjoying unemployment (as much as one can enjoy unemployment). Wyndham Championship went well this year, as did the 2009 Professional Development Seminar for the Tarheel Chapter of PRSA.

And, news of all news: I'm head-over-heels in love.

'Bout damn time.

The Value of Remembering

(February 11, 1999)

Many things from the past echo within us--voices, sounds, thoughts--some of them best forgotten.

Sometimes we remember just so we can be grateful. Like the well-fed dog that turns primitive at the sight of a bone, we pick up on our own instincts and react before we think.

If we see what is about to happen we can meet it with good humor and have less need to make everyone in the present time pay dearly for what happened so long ago.

Peace,
Tawanka

Good Stuff from Intel

Wonder how long it got them to sign the "Bong" part correctly? Hmmm . . .

So Completely Inspiring!

I imagine that many of you don't listen to NPR's All Things Considered and perhaps didn't hear this story yesterday evening. I imagine that many of you also don't watch Britain's Got Talent. I imagine that you may not yet have been one of the 15 MILLION people to see this fabulous performance by Susan Boyle.

So, take a look. You won't be disappointed. In fact, you'll be shocked. Awestruck. Happy. Joyous. And chills will overcome you, if they don't make you cry from genuine happiness and knowing that you're hearing something, well, extraordinary!

I dreamed a dream in times gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving
Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung
No wine untasted
But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
And they turn your dream to shame
He slept a summer by my side
He filled my days with endless wonder
He took my childhood in his stride
But he was gone when autumn came
And still I dream he'll come to me
That we'll live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms we cannot weather
I had a dream my life would be
So much different from this hell I'm living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed
The dream I dreamed.

Kudos, Susan Boyle. May God and his angels bless you on your journey and soon bring us all such beautiful music!

P.S. - Elaine Page has nothing on you. Your performance has blown her's out of the water.

The True Cost of A Lie

(April 22, 1999)

In the early days, the mother of a young boy suspected that he had become involved in a conspiracy and was being used by his friends to do wrong. She said, "Open your eyes and ears and listen to me. I have always taught you not to lie."

Liars are lost in a world of their own. We have seen it glamorized in a world of make believe until the real world has difficulty telling the truth, even when there is no reason to lie. A lie, in whatever form, is deceit and deceit is a major block to stable lives.

The biggest lie of all is that lying is in any way harmless. To follow through the with the Big Lies leads to mass destruction, whether in our own lives or the lives of many others.

Dear God, we pray that no other child will believe the lies that these boys did in Colorado.

Peace,
Tawanka

Ahh, the Weather

Regardless of the fact that the weather brought us in NC snow (several inches of it last Monday), it's brought us weather that makes us all pine for spring even more. Saturday, Sunday and Monday have filled us with longing to be warm again, to see the flowers bloom, and to dream of picnics and backyard grilling fests.

It is this time that makes us realize what we wish the perfect day is. For me, the perfect day is one much like today: high 70s, bright, sunny, low humidity, a fast car, loud music, a chance to play in the garden, a good walk around the neighborhood with Jess and not too much stress.

What's your perfect day? If it happens soon, be grateful and sit as one with the Creator to give thanks.

I am . . .

a hopeless romantic. *Sigh.*

Occasionally, when JAS isn't here to occupy my time, I tend to find myself sucked into particularly bad television. Like The Bachelor, especially when it's the finale.

So I got myself all wrapped up in the last 30 minutes thinking: "Even if reality television isn't really reality and even if the crew completely set up every single shot and got it as perfect as possible, isn't it still possible to find love in conditions like this?"

Let's suspend all disbelief for a second and really look at the facts:

1. A major entertainment company is manipulating your every move for however many weeks it takes to film this little 'experiment.'
2. See above, but insert "their" for "your."
3. If you are the 'bachelor/bachelorette,' you have very few true decisions. Sure, you get to hand over a rose every episode, but you don't get to decide which movie, how late to stay up, where to eat dinner, what to eat for dinner, etc., etc., etc. As the bachelor/bachelorette, you forfeit every opportunity to be yourself.
4. See #3, but insert "they/their" for "you/your."
5. The show is created to increase stress and pressure. You're told your goal is to find someone to propose to at the end. Every day brings you closer to that decision. Every small, stupid rose ceremony brings you closer to that decision. Every time you dismiss one of your 'harem,' you are likely to severely doubt your decision, especially because your 'harem' has been scientifically and painstakingly selected to make your decision really, really hard.
   
6. The major entertainment company is out to make money.
7. The major entertainment company is also out to earn high ratings. They honestly couldn't care less about your feelings or the feelings of any of the others on the show. It's never been about you. It's always been about them.
8. You are separated from all that relaxes you and is familiar to you: friends, family, your favorite chair, pets, particular coffee maker, etc. Those things which you choose to have in your life are not a part of your life at all during this event. You are not yourself.
9. See #2 and #4. Apply to #8.
10. You are very much encouraged to show emotion and to be sure that it's strong emotion, yet you have to face this emotion all by yourself. No therapist in their right mind would ever wish that on anyone. Life was meant to be lived with others, not alone in seclusion.

And, lo and behold, true love appeared to have visited the cast of The Bachelor this evening. (At least it wasn't as believable as Hallmark commercials and I didn't cry.) At least, it appeared to be until it was revealed in the "follow-up show," which aired immediately afterward, that this poor man was going through serious heartbreak. Again.

And so, despite all evidence to the contrary, I remain hopeful. I am a romantic. I understand that these men and women desperately want to be a part of something big, to perhaps win the heart of someone special this time.

And so, because I am the hopeless romantic, I watch knowing that in all likelihood the relationship at the end is very possibly doomed from the first day that either person even considered such a tactic for finding love.

Small Can Equal Very Strong

(April 14, 1999)

Great strength exists in the smallest things.

A spider's web is so exquisitely formed, a fragile gossamer remnant. But it is stronger in proportion to size and weight than the finest steel.

The hummingbird's wings send out impulses strong enough to resemble the throb of a tiny high speed engine . . . but early on, it was thought that because of the way its wings were constructed, it could never fly.

Love can be a mere glance, a brief word, a silent touch. But it reaches past time and space.

Prayer, short, deep . . . a word from the heart and spirit can work miracles and change a whole world.

Reach out!

Peace,
Tawanka

Another FAIL for LiveNation

See the email exchange that happened today, just 10 minutes ago. Another FAIL. Why do I keep expecting better?

From: Live Nation Support
Sent: Monday, February 2, 2009 4:32:20 PM
Subject: CLT Buffett tix issues [Incident: 090131-000292]

Live Nation Support
Please find below information related to your Live Nation ticket inquiry or ticket purchase. To find answers around-the-clock, please visit our online FAQ at www.livenation.com/help

If this issue is not resolved to your satisfaction, please respond to this message.

Thank you for allowing us to be of service to you.


Subject
CLT Buffett tix issues

Discussion Thread
Response (Katy) 02/02/2009 01:32 PM
Dear Elizabeth,

Thank you for contacting Live Nation Customer Care with your inquiry. Our records reflect that you were able to purchase 6 ticket for Jimmy Buffett at Verizon Charlotte. These tickets are located on the lawn and will be printed and shipped out to you early this week. I apologize for any confusion during the purchase process.

Thank you,

Katy
Live Nation Customer Care

WTF? Katy, did you even read the email?

Katy,

Thanks for your response.

Unfortunately, it does nothing to address the issues I raised in my letter to you, other than to apologize for confusion. (By the way: I felt no confusion during the process; just intense dislike of the horrible way that LiveNation chooses to serve it's customers.)

What does LiveNation have to say for itself and this despicable experience? Surely, this isn't what the LiveNation brand is supposed to stand for--or am I giving the company more credit than it's due?

Awaiting a real answer,
Your still very upset customer,
Elizabeth

More LiveNation Fuss

I'm evidently not the only one with a bone to pick with LiveNation. See Technorati's chart about LiveNation chatter on the interwebs:


Posts that contain Livenation per day for the last 90 days.

My Letter to LiveNation

I'm shocked at how bad my ordering experience was this morning.

At 9:59 a.m. EST, my computer let me click on the "Buy Tickets" button for the CLT Buffett show. I was at first pleasantly surprised when I made it through the word verification screen, and saw the screen ticker telling me that you were finding my tickets. "Success!" I thought. "Wow, this is even easier than Ticketmaster was in the past. This is awesome!"

Yet, your site returned an error page. "Return to event," said the button, giving me hope that this was a one-time glich. Little did I know this would be a 45-minute glich.

Your site returned an error message, after having to re-select the tickets and try to read the word verification screen 37 TIMES.

One of the error screens that I saw in my horrible ticket buying experience with LiveNation.

There were more than three times where the site didn't return me to the event page, as the button told me it would. It returned me to the temporary home page that told me what was ON SALE this morning. (Am I supposed to feel sympathy for the fact that you don't have the systems to handle this amount of traffic?) Those times I had to click back through to get to my event, adding even more time and stress to an already time-constrained and stressful situation.

THEN, your site told me that the CLT show was SOLD OUT. "Sorry, this show is sold out." So I began to try the Raleigh show.

Again, with the error screens. 7 more here, but I finally got through. Here's the issue though: Raleigh isn't going to work for us, so when calmer times returned, I decided to "Release the Tickets" (as the button said) to check CLT ONE MORE TIME.

Click "Release" and move on. Nothing should be in my cart, right? Any sane person would think that would be the case.

So, I go to check the CLT site on the off-chance that your system truly does suck as much as it's proving to, and that you might have royally screwed up.

Lo and behold: I'm proven right. LiveNation does suck, becuase NOW the CLT show IS NOT SOLD OUT. But it was a mere, oh, 5 minutes ago. WHY?

SO, I decide to try to get tickets again. It's a show I really, really want to see.

Again, with the error messages. Only four this time; you must have improved a bit.

Finally get to the page where I'm supposed to have 10 minutes to finalize my order, and yet, I only have 6 minutes and thirty seconds. Where did my other three minutes and thirty seconds go, hmmm?

But is that it? Does your ridiculous ordering process get any easier? OH NO!

The Raleigh tickets I'd "Released"? Yep, still in my cart. So, I use some of my precious 6:30 trying to AGAIN GET THEM OUT OF MY CART.

Finally, something goes right when it's supposed to and the tickets come out.

Filling out the final steps, I find I have to create an account. WHY CAN'T I JUST BUY TICKETS AS A GUEST? And why, oh why, couldn't you tell me BEFORE I tried to get my tickets? My precious 6:30 is now down to 4:30 and you don't even have my billing information yet.

Entering my information for billing, I find that you HAVEN'T followed STANDARD WEB FORM PRACTICES and you refuse to mark which fields are required. (BTW, you may be the only company in the world who thinks that the SALUTATION is a required field for a WEB FORM.)

I enter my information, typing as fast as I possibly can, trying to make sure I get everything right, watching the seconds tick away out of the corner of my eye. After trying to get these precious tickets through PHONE (which never even rang once) and WEB for more than 40 minutes, I can't lose them now.

Now, I don't know whether your forms will take dashes or hyphens, but some forms don't, so I don't even attempt the dash for Winston-Salem. I bypass it completely, thinking your system certainly couldn't be good enough for that if it's performed the way it has so far.

Happily, I uncheck the box giving you permission to send me more email than you already do. After such horrible service, I want nothing to do with a company like yours.

The paying part is perhaps the easiest--until I find out that you can't put any spaces between your credit card number. (Why isn't there a note beside the field? Have you just decided that web form standards SHOULDN'T apply to you?)

As my time nears 2:30, I finally get to click the button to purchase, hoping that your system doesn't decide to give me YET ANOTHER ERROR MESSAGE and I can finally buy my tickets. I think that after 45 minutes, this is the worst ticket buying experience I have ever had. And it is.

I even ponder printing my own tickets, because I have serious, serious doubts of your ability to actually print the correct tickets and send them to me before April 21.

As all smart consumers do, I print my confirmation page which wastes 4 extra pages of paper, because you won't let my computer print what it shows on my web browser, instead opting for some ugly, lengthy list-like printout.

Now, I'm going to log into my email, to print that confirmation as well, BECAUSE I HAVE SERIOUS DOUBTS IN LIVENATION'S ABILITY TO ACTUALLY PROVIDE THE SERVICE IT CLAIMS TO.

If I can avoid buying tickets through your service again, be assured that I will.

Also, rest assured that the 6 people I've told has already turned into hundreds, if not thousands, thanks to the fabulous world of social media.

I hope you have a nice day. At least a nicer day than I have had already because of your utter and complete lack of providing a half-way sufficient ticket buying platform.

Sincerely,
Your very, very upset customer,
Elizabeth

I Lied

Really, I did. Well, maybe not. I did have the best of intentions of updating the blog the other day, but it didn't happen. So, it's happening now.

Here's the short and long (apologies for the list):

1) I've got a mouse. Or not. We've caught two. Evidence below.


2) I joined Facebook. Yes, it's that time waster of all time wasters. I'm not completely involved in people's lives who I wasn't really involved in for a while, most of which was A-OK by me.

3) I'm still trying to figure out the fine balance of what fits the Liz brand versus what does not on Facebook. My instincts are not nearly as fine tuned as they are with blogging yet.

4) Tournament planning has officially started again, and despite the very late request to help, I'm happy to. Luckily, it'll be a very easy year.

5) I got a car. A 2006 Infiniti G35 Coupe. Red, of course. And fast. Very fast. It's fun.

6) A week or so after getting said Infiniti, I find out that they're coming out with a G35 Convertible THIS YEAR. Figures.

7) The boy's good, but would appreciate another investor for his film. Interested? Lemme know.

8) Peter Shankman is pretty, well, wide open. Saw him at the PRSA banquet a few weeks back, and that's really the only way to describe him.

9) Very, very, very glad that I've got a job. Know of more people looking for them and unemployed right now than I'd like to. Let's hope the economy turns sooner as opposed to later.

10) Quite happy that we've got a new pres and that I got to watch the inaugration at the office. Quite unhappy that NONE of the GOP could see fit to support the economic stimulus package. Humph.

11) I also tweet now, as in Twitter. It's microblogging. I get 140 characters to tell you what I'm doing (which, to be honest, may not be all that interesting). However, I'm still learning and trying to put out decently interesting content. Let me know what you think. See the feed to the left to see what I've tweet-ed recently.

12) Went to go help a good friend from undergrad watch the moving guys pack and ship her stuff recently in Greenville, SC. I certainly think that downtown has quite a bit going for it and those downtowns trying to do the same thing had better sit up and take notice.

13) Had a good new year's, especially because I actually got a decent new year's kiss out of it. Out late, with a bunch o' friends and friends o' friends. Just a few chocolate cake shots. And green monsters. And other such wonderful libations poured by the best barkeep in the world.

14) Buffett's already announced for the summer! Woot!

Ok, that's it. It's enough, isn't it? Surely, it is. More later. Like tomorrow or Saturday later. (Because the rules for Liz time go into effect in T-30 and counting . . .)

Never Fails . . .

Something big happens, and I get pulled away. At least it's something good this time.

Issuing new rules for myself today. And I'll be writing more later, so check again later, for the brief-yet-hopefully-pithy update of, oh, the last two months or so.

Choosing to be Wise

(April 12, 1999)

Most arguments are traps of one kind or another. Let go, and realize that what is happening should be avoided like poison. The argument is on the other side . . . leave it there.

The best revenge is to refuse to fight--and it brings to mind what someone said: "If you argue with a fool, you will end up being one."

Peace,
Tawanka

Thoughts

1) Happy New Year!

2) I got a new car. It's red. Fast. Shiny. For a really decent price. And I've gotten my phone to work through the stereo system. (Anyone in the market for a 9-year-old CRV with 210K miles???)

3) Though I LOVE the holidays, this year they took a lot of energy out of me. Probably didn't help that I was sick. I'm glad they're over. And I'm ready to be done with the christmas novels I'm still reading for book club that I'm hosting later this month.

4) I miss both of my sisters. (Yes, I just saw Christy.)

5) I want to go ice skating. And roller skating. And learn how to surf. Think I might do one of the first two this weekend with the man.