In a misguided focus on cost, service companies make it difficult for callers to reach live human beings. The philosophical issues involved in erecting barriers to service is a subject of another posting. This entry merely points to a solution. Paul English has posted the numbers to push to reach live humans at many different companies. Use his IVR cheatsheet to talk to a live person. (I just hope the person is live AND not living in India!) And, check out http://clicheideas.com/amazon.htm to find phone numbers to use for Amazon.com.

I told my business clients and contacts that I would resume a regular publication schedule for my on-line newsletter.  This incarnation has short articles which point to the blog I started up as biz_ozdachs. I said I'd publish twice a month. I thought the email/blog was a great idea until the reality of the need for content reached my consciousness... Here it is the 26th, I've been in Puerto Vallarta not thinking about business, and the second November emailing is due the first part of the week. So, I'm typing away this weekend on a few technology tips and Internet [...]

We're  back from 7 days in Puerto Vallarta where we celebrated a milestone birthday with Hollis .  She's shown here with the Newsweek magazine cover for the week.  The headline story is "Boomers Turn 60".  She's in the vanguard of that movement! Happy Birthday to Hollis (11/18)! Thanks to my LJ friends for the posts to read through (and for some interesting looking images, too!). I'll be culling more pictures over the next few weeks and posted him in the PV gallery.  I'll also mention it here when they're done.

All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena risks losing its tax-exempt status because of a former rector's remarks from the  pulpit in 2004, according to the Los Angeles Times.   In his sermon, the rector imagined Jesus participating in a political debate with then-candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry. The clergyman said that "good people of profound faith" could vote for either man, and did not tell parishioners whom to support. Nevertheless, the IRS reportedly is concerned that the church intervened in a political campaign, a violation of the rules for non-profit organizations. More and more President Bush is reminding me [...]

If I needed another reason to pick canines over felines, I could use this blog on  Why being into cats is essentially the same as being into psychotic tweakers. Our pack gives it 4 paws up.

Theatre Rhino's current production Missives received a very positive review from the Chronicle. The Chron, like the commercial child Mikey, normally hates everything Rhino so this review is especially sweet.

We went to City Hall on Saturday to cast our absentee ballots because redozdachs was leaving Sunday for a three-day business conference in Scottsdale. Voting was quick and it felt good.  I am sure that there were at least one or two issues which we didn't cancel out each other's vote. Special elections traditionally have a low turn out. I like the Warren Beatty radio commercial that urges people to vote tomorrow with the line, "You haven't said 'no" if you didn't show."Whether you're saying "Yes" or "No", please vote. Don't make me beg.