Brewery Service Update

Dear Readers,

I got a nice little e-mail back from the GM at Cambridge Brewing Company. The Boy had also written in and had heard back pretty promptly. The GM apologized and said that they'd made mistakes that night and it ended up in customers getting lousy service, which was totally unacceptable.

Here's what he told me:

Thanks for understanding. We do genuinely care about our customers here. But, alas we do screw up from time to time:-) I’m so glad you’ve decided to give us another chance. We certainly owe you at least a beer on the house!  Next time you’re in just ask for me or Laura (The AGM) and we’ll definitely get you one on the house.

Cheers,

Chris

Very nice reply that made me feel really good. I realize we all make mistakes, but it's nice when you run into a person that owns up to them and makes amends.

Chalk this up to good management 101!

Your pal,

Jill

Brewing up a Lousy Experience

Dear Chris Punis, General Manager of Cambridge Brewing Company,

Tonight was my second visit to CBC. As my four friends, husband, and I stood in the courtyard of 1 Kendall Square, a man hurried his child out of one of the restaurants and on to the square, where she promptly threw up.

That's pretty much how I felt about my experience at CBC on Sunday evening.

About a year ago, I was at CBC and felt fairly underwhelmed about my experience then. I mean, it wasn't awful -- if I remember correctly, we had a good, friendly server, but the food and the beer were just all right. I didn't feel the need to go back, and I figured you wouldn't miss me.

Then a friend suggested going to CBC tonight. At first our visit seemed normal. Met 5 friends at the bar; my husband got a beer; the hostess was really nice and seated us right away. Our server got our drink orders in a fair amount of time. She took our food order in a fair amount of time.

And then we waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And we cursed our friend for ordering a "very well done" steak.

And we waited some more.

And we wondered just how the medium rare burger was timed to match the very well done steak and just how long it took to bake a couple of pizzas. I mean, I know you're going to have a "slow food" event next month, but is your current service an indicator of what that event will be like?

And then the food finally came.  Great food is worth the wait, but was this worth it? Well, I had the pizza of the day, and it was pretty tasty, but nothing that I would remember--except for breakfast the next day, since I had some leftovers (and speaking of leftovers, does your kitchen not have any aluminum foil in it? I asked for tin foil instead of a container because I only had two slices of pizza, and I wanted to wrap them flat and slide them into my purse. I didn't want to deal with a container. I had to deal with a container because the server said the kitchen didn't have anything smaller).

While we were eating, we got the standard check-in from our server, and I managed to get another beer ordered. No one else did -- and we had some empty glasses at the table. Any other checking in was done on the move. If we really needed something, I'm not sure we could've stopped her because she was busy.

In fact, everyone looked busy, and looking around the half-full back dining area where we were, I couldn't understand it. Where was everyone going? Why was the hostess busing glasses?

Eventually the server came back to see if we wanted dessert, and we opted to split a strawberry whoopie pie. This whoopie pie took a good 10-15 minutes to show up. It's not like it was fresh-baked or required some sort of special preparation. This was a huge whoopie pie that was refrigerated, wrapped in paper, and put on a board with a carton of milk on the side. Why did it take so long?

Perhaps the wait wouldn't have been as bad if we didn't have empty glasses. No beer, no water, no hope of getting anything because our server was too busy elsewhere. My husband had to ask the bartender for a pitcher of water. Our server didn't even notice the pitcher on the table when she brought the dessert. Needless to say, we asked for our check right away, and our server was lucky she got a 15% tip.

I don't expect or want anything from this letter, but I want you to know that I won't be back, and it's not because the beer and food aren't acceptable. It's because the service is so bad that it brings down any quality that's in the product you offer. Not that it matters -- CBC has plenty of fans who don't mind being ignored.

Your pal,
Jill

No Means No

Dear Newspaper Carrier,

I believe we need to have a "come to Jesus" moment.  Look, I appreciate the job you do--all winter long, no matter how much snow we got, I received a newspaper everyday.  That was amazing.

Problem is, I'm still getting a paper everyday.  Even though I switched to Sundays only a few weeks ago.  I  did that for a couple of reasons:

1. I need to save some money.
2. I haven't been able to keep up with my newspaper reading.  

Reason number 2 is actually a little more troublesome.  I like reading the paper, and when I can't get through them, they start stacking up.  I mean, Bin Laden just got killed, according to the stack on my dining table.

Sure, I understand that when the pile gets too big, I can just dump it into the recycling bin.  When I get to a breaking point, that's what I do.  However, a part of my brain feels that when I do dump a stack a week's worth of paper without looking at any of it, I'm wasting money.  I don't like wasting money.

This past week I knew I wasn't going to have time to read the paper, so I called circulation to put a hold on it.  The man who helped me asked "how many Sundays" did I want to stop getting the paper.

Sundays?

Oh, yeah.  I stopped getting the daily paper.  Except that it keeps coming.

I told the circulation person that I was still getting the daily paper and to ask my carrier to stop delivering it.  I don't know if you didn't get the message to switch my subscription, or you think you're doing me a favor by giving me the paper everyday.  It's got to stop.  At this point I'm cheating the Globe by not paying for my paper.  Newspapers are still having a hard go of it, so I really don't want to cheat the Globe.  Please don't add a new layer of guilt onto my conscience.

I'm getting to the point where I want to fully cancel my subscription.  I can't deal with the paper showing up on a daily basis--at least for a few weeks, until my schedule clears up again and I have a little more time to read it.

You'll get one more chance though--I'm going to put one more vacation hold on.  If I keep getting the paper, then I'm going to have to cut you loose.

Thanks for your understanding.

Your pal,
Jill

p.s.--I still got my Sunday paper, the one I put on vacation.  What's up with that?

Coming Out Ahead?

To the man who's digging through the recycling bins, looking for deposit bottles:

I kind of admire your chutzpah.  It's recycling day, and you're driving up and down streets, collecting the deposit bottles that people have opted to recycle rather than haul back to the grocery.  It's kind of like found money.

But when I think about the time it takes to go through said bins and haul the recyclables to a redemption center, I start thinking that you're doing this out of necessity, and that makes me sad.  Hopefully I'm wrong, and this is just one of your many hobbies.

However, your actions disturbed me on a different level today.  While you're going through the bins, you're letting your car idle.  Um, gas is close to $4/gallon now.  Are you really making enough money off your deposit bottles to offset the amount of money you save on gas?

I really hate to see you working so hard for a few nickels, only to put that money right back into your gas tank.  Maybe if you just park your car and walk up and down the block with a big trash bag for your collecting, you won't have to spend this extra cash so quickly.

Just a thought.

Your pal,
Jill

It's Time

Dear Neighbors,

Today is March 8.  You can take down your Christmas decorations now.

Now, I can imagine what you might say--the lousy weather kept you from getting at them.  I understand that--to a point.  I mean, the neighbors who have the green garland with big red bows wrapped around their porch pillars have had a clean porch for some time now.

For the rest of you:  We've had balmy weather for a little while, and the piles of snow that have plagued us all winter are just about gone.  Please get out to your yard, take down the lights/ornaments/deflated inflatables, and put them away until next year 9 months from now.

Please and thank you.

Your pal,
Jill

Your Not-So-Great Pal

Dear Readers,

Perhaps you're thinking, "What happened to my pal Jill?"  (Perhaps you're not.  That's OK too).  I honestly don't know where the time has gone....well, I think I have a couple of ideas:  Shoveling and roller derby.

We still have piles of snow outside, and it's still difficult for me to see around well enough to make turns at some intersections.  However, they're slowly melting (in fact, I think it's about time for me to chip some ice out of the driveway), and I hope that they'll be going away for good soon.  I hit the wall on winter this past week, and I'm ready to experience my first mud season in New England.

Roller derby's been my other major activity.  We are quickly coming upon our first bout, which is a doubleheader on the 26th:

Boston Massacre vs. Montreal New Skids on the Block

BDD Home Teams:  Nutcrackers vs. Cosmonaughties

This is going to be an awesome, awesome bout.  Montreal is a ton of fun to watch, and they've become a really competitive team (recently upset Rat City).  Boston is gunning to get back to the WFTDA Championships--by placing 4th in last year's regional tournament, they missed out.  This year they plan to be back.

My preparation for the bout has been a lot of training, organization, and stocking up.  We have a bunch of new officials, which is fantastic, not only because we have a lot of them, but also because they're excited, dedicated, and all around sharp.  They have a ton of great ideas and really want to improve our league and officiating team.  Every time I think about them, I get excited.

However, they all have to be trained, which takes time.  I've had to buy officiating supplies, which takes time.  I've had to try to get prepared for not only this first bout, but the entire season.  It's amazing how many details go into producing a roller derby bout.  My head spins just thinking about it.

I'm trying to generate new work too, which has been an ongoing learning process/ego bruiser.  Today I realized that I have to get back in the saddle and make something happen.  Nothing really just falls into your lap--it has to be right place/right time, and I have to get myself into those places.

Unfortunately, that means that the blog has taken a back seat, and I have to get myself back into the place of making this world a more sane/common sensical place.  It won't happen on its own--I need to do a little prodding.  If you've got any suggestions/have noticed some weird policies, let me know, and I'll look into it.  Or if you just want to let me know what you've been up to in the meantime, I'd love to hear it.

Your pal,
Jill

Snowy Wisdom

Dear Readers,

On this week's edition of "If It's Tuesday/Wednesday, It Must Be Snowing".....

We've had a serious amount of snow, and honestly, every week we have a big storm that involves spending major amounts of time shoveling and figuring out where to put the snow.  By now I feel like I'm supposed to have acquired some sort of sage wisdom that I can impart on all of you--wisdom so wonderful that even people in warm climates would wish they had snow storms and could gain this knowledge.

Sadly, I haven't.

But after another typical two-hour stint of shoveling during a storm, where once I've finished doing a pass, it doesn't look like I've even shoveled at all because the snow is coming down so hard, I do have one thought:

If I'm shoveling for two hours, I can eat and drink whatever I want.

That counts for something, right?

Off to eat a bit of whoopie pie.  Stay warm!

Your pal,
Jill

A Quick Postcard

Dear Mucinex,

Please work.

Quickly.

The Boy is getting freaked out about my voice sounding almost exactly like Jeff Da Ref's.

Thanks!

Your pal,
Jill

Hours, Schmours

Dear Cherry Bomb Bakery,

Yesterday I stopped by your establishment to use a Buy With Me voucher for a half-dozen cupcakes.  I was even going to buy a few extra so that I could take them to a meeting.

Except that when I got to your location, I discovered you were closed.  Closed on Mondays!

Boy, did I feel like a boob.  I'd gotten your address and directions off your website, but how could I miss your hours of operation?

Because they weren't on your site.

Really?  Really?!  Isn't that a basic thing to have on your website, the place where people will first look for you?  I hadn't thought to call to double-check, but should I have had to?  Wouldn't you get tired of all the calls about when you're open?

Anyway, I'll be stopping by later today to redeem my voucher.  No extra cupcakes though--I don't need them anymore.  It'll probably be the last time I stop in too.  My brain is full of enough random information--I don't need to retain your operating hours on top of it.  And if I don't know when you're open, I'm not going to make a special trek to Brighton for a cupcake.

Perhaps your website is missing other crucial information that's keeping customers from stopping by.  I'm a professional writer, so if you want me to have a thorough look at your site, I'd be willing to help you out.  My fees are quite reasonable.

Looking forward to talking to you.

Your pal,
Jill

Woodsy Woman

Dear Readers,

The Boy and I had a pretty outdoorsy weekend.  On Saturday we did a summer biathlon.  Yesterday we went orienteering.  Since we've moved to Massachusetts, it feels like we're spending more time outside--or at least more time in a wooded area.  We certainly made great use of Lincoln Park in Chicago, but that's a city park--I couldn't really get lost in there for days and not find my way to some form of civilization that would've gotten me home (Chicago residents might argue that the Chicago Transit Authority is not civilization, but it'll do).

Here we seem a little closer to nature.  Yes, we're literally closer to nature--and we have a car that can easily get us to the woods--but I feel like I'm exploring nature a little bit more than I used to.  Going for a hike--even a short hike--has always seemed like a big deal.  A HIKE is something different, something that involves equipment and planning....oh, I realize that's not exactly the case, but hiking has always sounded like a bigger deal than just walking through the woods.

Now that the woods can be a short stop on the way home from bringing the Boy to work, I'm more apt to stop for a quick 20 minute hike and enjoy being surrounded by trees.  I've learned that it doesn't take a lot--maybe some paying attention to my surroundings and which trails I was talking.  I can get in and out without getting lost for hours. Yeah, if I wanted to be out for a few hours or days, I'd have to plan accordingly and have the proper equipment, but a quick walk helps me build up to something that's a little bigger.  Even if I do end up doing some serious HIKING, it won't be so daunting to me.  It's just nice to know that being outdoors and in the woods doesn't have to be a big deal.  For a girl whose family wasn't all that much into the outdoors, it's a nice skill set to acquire.

Hope you're enjoying the fall weather!
Your pal,
Jill

More Culture Shock

Dear Readers (especially those in the Boston area),

Can anyone tell me why there are so many landscaping companies around here?  Just about every day, another truck (or two) is on my block to mow somebody's yard.  I'm constantly navigating around them when I'm out and about.

Normally I'd think that people are just contracting out a job they don't want to take care of.  I get that--a yard can take a lot of time and effort to maintain.  You might want to let a professional take charge of a big job.

But here most of the yards are the size of postage stamps.  Seriously.  Landscapers just mowed the yard next door, and if it took them five minutes to take the mower out of the truck, mow the yard, and pack up the truck again, that was a long stop.

Is that really worth the cost and effort for either party?   How much does a landscaper charge to do a teeny patch of yard?  How many teeny yards does a landscaper have to do in order to be profitable?

From the homeowner's perspective, I can imagine that maybe you don't want to buy and store a gas-powered mower.  Are you saving that much money and time?  It wouldn't take much longer if you had a push mower (our yard isn't much bigger, and the Boy's done with it--and some trimming--in less than a half-hour).  OK, maybe you're older and can't do the heavy work anymore, but I haven't seen that many senior citizens on my block--these customers can't all be older people

Maybe I'm just used to a DIY mentality, but I really just don't understand this phenomenon.  If someone could explain it to me, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks.
Your pal,
Jill

Learning the Election Game

Dear Readers,

Today I can vote in the Massachusetts primary elections.  Normally, I love to vote.  As Americans, we have the privilege of being allowed to vote, and it's our duty to elect the best possible people to run our government.  I don't understand why more people don't vote (though the fewer that do, the more powerful my vote becomes).  It doesn't take that long, and if you're like me, you feel an overwhelming sense of patriotic pride when you cast your ballot--yea, America!

However, today I feel a little bit odd because I don't know much about my new local political scene.  Heck, I just figured out where I can vote (not that my town had the information--I had to find the aptly named "Where Do I Vote MA" website).  Granted, this is not a big election year with many offices to vote for, but we do have a gubernatorial race.  With the exception of our current governor, Deval Patrick, whom I keep calling "Patrick Deval," I have no idea who's running.

I'm honestly feeling a little sheepish about this.  I should know who my elected officials are.  The Boy and I have talked about going to Town Council meetings.  We just haven't done anything about it yet.  Part of our disinterest is because we're still assimilating to the area; part of it is because I've taken to ignoring everything about political races.  I'm so tired of the way it's become a big competition--who has more money, who's in what party, and what the polls say this second.  It's almost bad enough to turn me off of voting.  I won't--but I now understand a little better why people don't care about politics anymore.  It'd be nice if the system could change, but I don't think it will anytime soon.  Sad, isn't it?

Anyway, I need to run and bone up on who's running for office.  If I'm electing someone, I might as well learn what I can before I vote.

Your pal,
Jill

What's This Country Run On?

Dear Dunkin' Donuts,

Since I moved to the Boston area, I think I've been to Dunkin Donuts more often in the last six months than I have in the last 15 years.  No wonder you think the country runs on Dunkin'--Boston certainly does.

I've been really intrigued by Dunkin' Donuts since we moved here. There are so many of them--I'm within walking distance of at least two.  What also boggles my mind is that many stores seem pretty busy.  I don't get it--sure, breakfast, I can understand a rush.  I also understand people who need their coffee (I'm not one of those--the rumor I heard that the coffee tastes better the closer you get to Boston intrigues me, but not enough to test it out myself).  And if you're a franchise with a Baskin-Robbins, I can understand the evening customers.  But so busy all the time?  Really?

I'm no stranger to Dunkin's doughnuts, but as I started grabbing the occasional doughnut from one of your outlets, I find I want them more than I ever have before.  Did you put something in the water here to make me crave them so?  

Just curious.

Your pal, 

Jill

P.S. --If you're putting something in the water, could you put something in the Coolattas to make them taste better?  The strawberry one is so digustingly sweet.  It sounds refreshing on a hot day, but it's just....blech!  I've been burned twice now--no more Coolattas for me!


P.P.S.--Could you start supplying Congress with doughnuts?  While the country may run on Dunkin', Congress can't seem to get much of anything done.  A good chocolate stick might jump start them, don't you think?

How Do You Celebrate This?

Dear Readers,

Happy Hurricane Earl Day!  Today's the day Hurricane Earl is supposed to come up the East Coast and affect Massachusetts.  Should I be excited about this?

Today I had to drive the Boy to work, so we put on NPR for something to listen to.  Bob Oakes, our local NPR "Morning Edition" host, spent a fair amount of time talking about Hurricane Earl, and he started off one interview by saying, "It's Hurricane Earl Day."  Doesn't that sound like a holiday to you?

Even though I don't think we'll be much affected by the hurricane--we might get some rain and a bit of wind--but overall, Earl's not expected to do much damage.  Plus, it's expected to hit really early tomorrow morning, so if we sleep soundly, we may not even notice anything.

Still, it's our first hurricane experience, and that's kind of cool.  Coming from the Midwest, I don't understand too much about ocean living--true, Lake Michigan is a big lake, but the ocean is a totally different story.  It's fun to slowly acquire all this knowledge about how a different area of the country lives, and once again I'm amazed at how vast and varied our country can be.

It kind of makes me want to celebrate, but I'm not sure quite how.  A Hurricane cocktail is the obvious choice, though I'm not sure I really want to get that hammered today.  The only other thing that comes to mind is making a big hurricane-shaped plate of mashed potatoes.....maybe with a bit of gravy or butter as the eye of the storm.  What other kinds of hurricane fun could we have today?

Looking forward to your suggestions!
Your pal,
Jill

For the Geographically Challenged

Dear Readers,

Today's story was supposed to be one of triumph.  Instead, I got yet another smackdown from my new home.

I've lived in the Boston area for five months now.  In that time I've learned that if I have to go anywhere new, I have to study the map for an insane amount of time, print out directions, and then pray I follow them correctly.  Plus, I have to budget a good 15 minutes for getting lost, which I manage to do pretty much every time I go to a new destination.  If Google Maps says it'll take 14 minutes, it'll really take me 45.  Traffic, construction, crappy winding roads, lack of road signs....it's a far cry from the grid of Chicago that I lived with for 15 years.  The grid is fabulous--streets are straight, they're labelled, and addresses are on coordinates, so you know pretty much where you have to go based on the address number.  I don't know if it's budget cuts or stupidity, but here in the Boston area, if you're on a street, it's often not marked--the cross streets are, but what you're driving on right now--the one you took the wrong turn down--isn't.  It's an absolute pain in the neck.  Now you're lost, and you don't know where you got lost.  Plus, #17 on one street isn't parallel to #17 on the next street--that is, if you can find two parallel streets to begin with.

I'm not bitter.

Anyway, yesterday I went to Cherry Bomb Bakery in Brighton to redeem a cupcake voucher.  Google Maps said the bakery was nine minutes from my house, and as I looked on the map, I realized it was on the same street (albeit a fair hike) as a Trader Joe's, where I also needed to go.  I decided to go to Trader Joe's first, then all I had to do was drive down Washington Street until I got to the bakery.  No map required!

That sounded fine and dandy until I got to the section where Washington was one-way going the opposite direction.  I didn't see this quickly enough and was forced onto the Mass Turnpike ($1.25 toll).  Go figure.  Where would I end up?

I got off the turnpike at the Brighton exit, and was spit out onto Cambridge Street, I believe.  Of course, it took many blocks to figure this out, since the street wasn't marked.  Thankfully traffic was also slow-going, since it was Moving Day, and I, like an idiot, decided to go into college campus territory where there were nothing but moving vans, loaded pick-up trucks, and other assorted vehicles-stuffed-with-furniture on the road.

I eventually drove into an area that I recognized, and from my extensive map study, I was soon able to find where I needed to go.  I was happy to have found the bakery, but it really would've been nice to not have to go way out of my way (and pay a toll) to get there.

Oh, I know what you're saying:  Jill, just get a GPS!  To which I say:  Struggling writer.  Many days I feel that a GPS would be nice to have, but honestly, the little money I do make is slotted for other purposes, and a GPS is far down on my wish list.  I love reading maps, and I enjoy navigating, and the GPS would take that job away from me.  Besides, a GPS isn't perfect either.  It's good, but it's not the end all be all.

Hopefully I'll learn the geography of this area soon.  It's probably time to take more drives, get lost, and figure out how to get home.  Any of you have helpful hints?

Your directionally-challenged pal,
Jill

Yo, Masshole!

Dear Short Female Masshole Driver in the Silver Saturn,

Listen.  When somebody's in front of you stopped at an intersection, waiting for traffic to clear in order to make a safe left turn, don't honk.  I know what I'm doing.

At the crazy intersection I was stuck at, most everybody coming towards me didn't put on their turn signal until right before they hit the intersection, so I had no idea whether or not it was safe for me to turn.  I didn't feel like getting in an accident today, so I wasn't turning until I deemed it safe enough.

Because you honked at me though, I made sure to cruise down the next portion of the street at Sunday Driving Speed.  Just to piss you off.

Then when we got to Rt. 2, you zipped by me and gave that little pissed off honk, squeezing yourself into the fast lane like you had a death wish.

Except that within two miles, you had to squeeze back into the right lane so that you could get onto the parking lot known as I-95.  Why you were in such a hurry to get into bumper-to-bumper traffic, I don't know.  Maybe next time you'll enjoy the ride a little more, since you're not getting anywhere anytime soon.

Your pal,
Jill

P.S.--I can take you.

Running in Circles

Dear Boston Marathon Organizers,

Today is the big day!  The marathon kicks off in an hour or so, and it's a gorgeous day for a race.  It's my first marathon experience in Boston, and I couldn't be more excited...except I can't figure out how to get around to see any of it.

The race apparently runs only a few miles from my house, but it looks like I'm going to have to go downtown to the finish line, because that's the only place I can figure out how to get to. Between the small course map on your website and zero info for spectators, I had to rely on the Boston Globe's coverage and spent a good amount of time figuring out how to get to a viewing area via public transportation that's not going to take as long as it will take the elite runners to run the race (a. I know better than to try to drive, and b. My bike got lost in the move--or else I'd totally be on my bike).

Granted, there are probably some buses running that are probably closer to home, but between the lack of info on your site, and wallowing through the MBTA site (it doesn't help when you don't have a big system map that you can refer to in order to learn the system...learning it piecemeal online is tricky), I just can't find them.

I have to say that this situation shocks and surprises me.  The Boston Marathon is the granddaddy of all marathons.  Why it doesn't have better spectator information on its site is incomprehensible.  Maybe next year you could make some tweaks to your website to make it a little easier on all the people who are trying to figure out how to watch for the first time.

Thanks for your time.

Your pal, Jill