"It Looks Like Rain in Cherry Blossom Lane"

We talked in my voice lesson a little about songs that suit a voice, and the glory of changing the key of a piece to help with range. But I think I'll accept that this song doesn't work for me, and move on. I am noticing, that the arrangments in this book have a different feel to them, and I suspect that they were done by someone with hands big enough to easily span the ninths, and possibly the tenths.

Customer service is a beautiful thing when it's well done. Today I feel much more aware of the situations when it's done wrong. Just an an example, those swell folks at Comcast who have no interest in actually helping me, time and time again instead creating a fun 'why don't *you* jump through hoops to get what you want' mentality. Last week the fine people at Goodyear tires never even bothered to apologize for giving me one mis-sized tire out of the four new ones that they put on back in November. If that hadn't been caught in my recent inspection, I never would have known. Crazy me, assuming that someone knows what the heck they're doing.

I worked retail for a time, and waitressed for a summer, and I am very thankful that my current job has a much more direct relationship with good service. When I am a customer, it doesn't take a whole lot to make me happy: politeness, smiles, and the institution's keen awareness that I am paying them money to do something, and it would behoove them to do it and do it well. I'm doing my part, here: I begin with friendliness, I assume that this, and my funds will do the job. Unless something heinous has already happened to piss me off.

To end on a positive note, there are some folks who do the service thing well: my local Starbuck's, at the Marriott on Liberty Avenue; and the staff at the local Whole Foods grocery, who always win out with their short check-out lines and smiling, helpful staff. The other large local grocery chain has started to stock up on more organic produce and other products, but until they figure this bit out, they're not going to win the war. [Whole Foods has not paid me to be their advocate here, but they are welcome to contact me in order to deliver my endorsement gifts. I really like the bakery cookies.]

My post for this date was delayed because of those swell folks at Comcast. Send them big thank yous for me! We're enclosing ours with a request for cancellation of service!