With regards to my last two posts, re: Amway, I received this excellent comment. I'm not afraid to admit when I am wrong, and that is definitely the case here. Thanks for the gentle, well-worded correction, IBOFB!
I guess it just makes it that much more sad that many (perhaps "most" is too strong) people have the same negative reaction to the name Amway. It sounds like there is no basis for it. So maybe I should take a second look at Amway, if for no other reason but to not make foolish assumptions again in the future.
Sorry, Amway!
It appears my last blog post--regarding Amway changing it's name to Quixtar, then changing it to World Group/WWDB--has garnered a negative rating. One can only assume the rating was given by an Amway/Quixtar/World Group/WWDB distributor. Maybe they saw it as an attack on a company/business opportunity they believe in. And maybe that's what it was. But I find it hard to believe in a company that keeps changing its name.
It is a fact that most people perceived Amway as being shady. It became a joke, really. I once was invited to breakfast (it ended up just being coffee) to hear about a great business opportunity. The distributor never mentioned the name of the company. The sales tools he used didn't have any hint of the name of the company. After his presentation, I asked him flat out if it was Amway. Instead of stating, proudly, that it indeed was Amway, he tried to evade the question. But I pinned him down and he could only confess what I knew to be true from the beginning of the meeting. Meeting over. Simple as that.
I want to work with a company of which I can be proud. Two examples that come to mind: Avon and Watkins. They've never felt the need to change their names. Never will.
So, anonymous rater, don't take it to heart. It's only my opinion.
It's a bad sign for a business when they have to keep changing their name. Remember Amway? Yeah, we all know they were a little shady. Well, years ago they started doing business as Quixtar. And, apparently, now they're doing business as Worldwide Group or WWDB. Maybe if they change their name a few more times people won't be able to trace them back to their shady past.
On a different note, thanks to Leo Laporte via Twitter, I'm off to check out this ode to Trader Joe's. And Trader Joe's is good business. They have no plans of changing their name to Traitor Steve's.
MySpace makes me not want any friends.
Facebook makes me realize how few friends I have.
Twitter makes me feel like everyone is my friend.
Woke up with a sore throat, but had some morning tea in our nearly complete sitting room, i.e. the formal living room. Pics coming soon, I promise.
Anyway, Happy Valentine's Day everyone!
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I've made some good progress on the house this morning. I guess it appears better than it actually is. I only unpacked a few suitcases and a couple boxes. I think it looks so much better because I did a lot of consolidating. Our suitcases fit nicely within one another, and I've arranged the remaining boxes in the corner of the family room. At least we can walk through the family room without stepping over/around boxes.
I moved the recliner--which was previously hiding behind a wall of boxes--within eyeshot of the TV. Bertram has reclaimed it as his own, especially since it gives him an excellent (yet safe, thank God) view of the birds.
The rain has finally stopped, the central air is working, I have a (half-consumed) turkey sandwich, and my beautiful wife is sitting next to me. Life is good.
The central air is fixed. And get this: the electrician only charged us $25. (We gave him an extra fiver--for a total of $30--for his heroics of climbing up on the roof without a ladder!) I had no idea we would get by so inexpensively. I'm not afraid to admit I was a little worried about a worst-case scenario. But it basically came down to replacing a wire.
Oh, and did I mention I upgraded the thermostat all by myself? There was plenty of cursing involved, but we won't get into that.
Our central air went out the night before last. We had to make an emergency purchase of a heater fan for the bedroom. Central air will hopefully be fixed this afternoon.
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Winter is back in good ol' Southern California. I had to hose the frost off my car... after the water in the hose melted! Then the water on the car turned to ice.
Well, I've always said I love the winter!
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Whew! No posts in a long time. Sorry about that.
It's a cliche, but life really has been a whirlwind lately. We moved out of the apartment with (a little) time to spare. Now we're finishing up some painting and trying to make as much of the house livable as possible. That includes our bedroom, which is 90% complete; kitchen, 95% complete; Christy's office, 85% complete; and family room, 25% complete. (The latter, being the biggest room in the house, ended up being the dumping ground for all the boxes and miscellaneous furniture, but we've managed to carve out a corner with our couch and TV for some relaxation when we're too tired to do anything else.)
The plan was to finish painting and complete the family room, yet here I am blogging about what needs to be done instead of actually doing it. Oh, the shame.
Pet Update
Bertram the cat, after the initial shock of being in a much larger place with (mostly) free reign to boot, has decided that home ownership is the best thing in the world. He doesn't miss the carpet, as he has a new found love for wood laminate floors, upon which he gallops like a little horse.
The budgies, Max, Miguel and Frida, have never been so happy, either. Weather permitting, they get to spend the day on the back patio visiting with their wild cousins and enjoying the sights and sounds they know only from legends passed down through the generations. At night, or in foul weather, they share the family room with the rest of us. (Bertram has yet to unleash evil upon them, though he's quite aware of their existence.)
Goldfish Greg Louganis, Janet Evans, Mark Spitz, Jay Waldorf and the Female Michael Phelps, are enjoying their new digs: a raised pond, which is a work in progress. They're waiting for all the decor to arrive, but in the meantime they're celebrating the clean water and algae-free pond liner.
Steve, the squirrel in the oak tree in our front yard, is upset that I raked up most of his acorns before mowing the lawn.
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