Man, it sure has been a long time

I haven't been here in forever. It looks like since the last time I posted on here, quite a few things have changed. For starters, I got married. I don't know how you feel about it, but to me, that's a pretty huge change. Second, we elected a biracial President and the crazy part is that one of those races was black. Third, I moved into a new place with my wife (3 months ago) and we still haven't finished hanging all of our pictures. In our defense though, we do have an awful lot of pictures/works of art. And fourth, all of the members of my apartment senior year, lovingly and self-referentially known as The Mantangle&trade (It's not nearly as homoerotic as it sounds, I promise. Did I mention I'm married? To a woman?) have taken pretty big steps into full-blown adulthood.

For starters, as I've already mentioned twice now, I got married. I am not alone in setting out on such an endeavor, though. Two other nodes of The Mantangle&trade did too. In addition to that, one of those two is soon shipping out to Afghanistan to fight in a freaking war (this of course means he leapt into manhood, not just stepped). The fourth and final node just received his Master's from the LBJ School of Public Policy at UT in Austin (congrats again Harv!)

All of this happened within the last 4 months. Bravo us.

Searching for John McCain

This is just a drive-by but I found a blog post that pretty much sums up my view of John McCain.

I'm a fairly liberal guy. I've always voted Democratic and have never once considered voting for anyone on the Right. I really don't have any problems admitting this, so I have no problem saying that I do not want to see John McCain become the next POTUS. I just don't think that McCain is right for the job. I have numerous reasons for holding this belief and I'd be more than willing to share them with anyone who's interested.

I was going through my usual roundup of political blogs when I came upon a post by Chris Bowers over at Daily Kos. He's compiled a nice little list of news stories that focus on just a few of the reasons not to support John McCain. The best part is, the links he provides, for the most part, use McCain's own words to highlight his flawed policies. Anyway, I thought I'd borrow from Chris and put that list up here for anyone who might be interested in seeing just what a McCain presidency might offer.

The Articles

1--John McCain Votes to Filibuster Minimum Wage Hike

2--McCain housing policy shaped by lobbyist

3--Bush, McCain plug Social Security

4--McCain blasts Obama’s and Clinton’s attacks on NAFTA

5--McCain in NH: Would Be "Fine" To Keep Troops in Iraq for "A Hundred Years"

6--McCain: Bush right to veto kids health insurance expansion

7--Senate passes expanded GI bill despite Bush, McCain opposition

8--McCain says overturn the law that legalized abortion

9--McCain Defends Bush's Iraq Strategy

I'd say that's a pretty good start.

I strongly suggest you check out all those articles and pass them along to friends and relatives who might consider voting for Senator McSame.

Her name is Malu.

Today, my mom and I went down to the Humane Society of South Mississippi (HSSM) to look for a new puppy to replace our last dog Doji, who disappeared in her old age (we don't know if she ran away or was taken, but we haven't heard of any sightings since she left). The task was, as always, a tough one. I don't know how many of you have made the trip to your local Humane Society (HS) yet, but it really is tough to walk away from one without taking something cute and furry with you.

We went in looking for a puppy because it is so much better to get them when they are still incredibly cute and they haven't developed all sorts of difficult-to-break habits. It is also nice to be able to select your own name for a new puppy instead of going with the one that it got from the HS workers. There were all sorts of adorable puppies trying their best to make you fall in love with them but the one that stood out most to me was a little female black Mastiff-mix (we suspect Rottweiler) who wasn't entirely concerned with making a show. She came out to investigate my mom and I because her brothers, both adopted, seemed really excited. She looked very sweet and was content curling up right against the gate of the pen and snuggling with one of her syblings. I went back and forth between a Golden Retreiver puppy named Jake who was much more exciteable but when it came down to it, she was just sociable enough to make a good family pet and just calm enough for my mom to be able to handle her when she is full grown.

Female Mastiffs can grow to be about 28-35 inches at the shoulder and usually end up weighing-in at about 150-200 lbs. For those of you that can't quite picture how big that is, that's a dog whose shoulder nearly comes up to the knob on your average door and who weighs about the same as the average adult male. In other words, Malu has the potential to become an absolutely massive beast. If you still need help, imagine "The Beast" from The Sandlot. Here are some good pictures of Mastiffs with kids. They are great family pets.

Enough sidetracking, back to the pup at hand. When we adopted Malu, we knew we had to come up with a good name for her because she had only been at the shelter long enough to get the name "2 of 3" (which, humorously, is her name on the paperwork and the form letter that the Humane Society gave us). I have been thinking for a long time about the name Mela, short for Entwidomela, which is Setswani for "He who greets with fire". Obviously, I couldn't name this little girl that, even though I am sure she will be plenty intimidating at full size.

My quest, of course, turned to the Internet and the extension of my body that is Google. I immediately settled on the idea of an exotic name, something from another language, preferably something African, Arabic, Hebrew, or one of the Polynesian languages. I went to several baby name websites, searching for adjectives that described her personality (dogality?) before I landed on the Hawaiian name, Malu, which translates to, among other things, shade, shelter, peace, control, strength. These are very much words that describe the breed in general and from the admittedly short amount of time I spent with her, I'd say they fit my baby girl too.

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures yet because I didn't want to go snapping pictures of this nervous little puppy the very first time she met me but I promise I will post some of those soon enough. She goes into surgery first thing tomorrow morning to be fixed and we get to take her home tomorrow afternoon.

Like I said, I promise I'll have plenty of pictures up as soon as she is feeling up for a photoshoot. Check back tomorrow sometime after 4:30 central time. PEACE.

Update: I have a few pictures of my new baby girl. You can check them out at my photosite. I'll continue to add more over the next couple of days. Enjoy!

I win! One to nothin'! (Well, so maybe it's a draw)

I wrote earlier about my problem with Apple and their very nearly ripping me off and I have since made progress in my fight for justice. I am typing this here blog post on my beautiful new MacBook Pro. Currently, I am brimming with joy because Apple happily took back my Powerbook G4 and refunded me my money....nearly 6 months after I purchased it.

I also said earlier that this was Apple's chance to redeem themselves from their previous behavior. I was almost ready to bow down and worship at their iAltar, until, two days after I ordered my MacBook Pro, Apple went ahead and put on a promotion wherein one gets a free iPod Nano (after rebate) with the purchase of a new Mac. The unfortunate catch (there really always is a catch) is that the Mac had to be purchased after June 5th. I bought mine on the 3rd.

Sigh....I guess I'll have to wait on that iPod. Damn you, Jobs!

An Open Letter to Apple or Wherein I Express My Discontent with Apple's Customer Service

First, a little background for those of you who aren't familiar with my situation. I purchased (well, my Dad purchased) a new PowerBook G4 back in the beginning of January of this year. The day after I got it, Apple released the new MacBook Pro and dropped the price of my recently purchased laptop by around $400. Needless to say, I was more than a little disappointed, but I kept a cool head and called to see if I could perhaps switch my PowerBook for a MacBook Pro or at least get some of my money back.

Initially, things seemed hopeful. I talked to a sweet young lady (her name escapes me--it's been almost 6 months now) and she told me that I could switch out for a new one so I said I'd like to. She tossed me over to an equally sweet young man who informed me that I could go online and request this using a new feature on Apple's homepage. When I did as instructed, I received the message that I would get an RMA within the next 24-48 hours. I honestly thought that I would be sent a box with the RMA on it because the sweet young man had alluded to something of that nature.

When I hadn't received anything (email or snail mail) I called once again. I was polite while talking to the less-than-sweet young man that answered my call. In his defense, the new Macs had just come out so I'm sure he had had a stressful day. He mumbled something about it being sent to Irvine when he looked at my web order number. I politely told him that there must have been a mistake because I was in Malibu. He mumbled something again and asked me to hold. I waited for 35 minutes before hanging up and calling back.

This time, the person on the other end was quick to get my web order number and put me on hold--for another 30 minutes. This would continue for a few weeks until I finally gave up and stopped calling. I felt like a whiny bitch, to be honest, because I had a great laptop that was working fine. I should have continued to be a whiny bitch.

When I was talking with Andrew at the Genius Bar in the Santa Monica Apple Store, he was appalled that I had been treated that was and told me that I should call Apple Care immediately and demand they do something about it. When I called, I was rather politely told that I had received the RMA originally (which I hadn't) and that I had certainly not called more than a couple of times.

Despite slipping in those barbed implications, Frank, the customer service rep I spoke with, was very helpful in arranging a special exception for me to return my PowerBook for a refund and then use that money to buy a new MacBook Pro. I was pleased. The little guy had won. The system finally worked.

I got an email the next day regarding my call to customer service and they asked me to let them know how their "award-winning" customer service was and how they could make it better. Here is my reply:

Well, when I initially called in January I believe part of the problem was different people telling me different things. Some people said I had to wait for an RMA to be sent to me via email, some said I already had the email (which my records show never came then and still has yet to for my new exception), one person led me to believe Apple would send me a box in which to pack my laptop in order to return it. When I would call back and ask for clarification, I'd either be passed around to various departments or I would be asked for my web order number, at which point I would be put on hold for ridiculous amounts of time (over an hour on one occasion). I would be told that I already had the RMA when I hadn't been given one and instead of someone just finding out what the RMA was and giving it to me, or properly explaining the process, or maybe issuing me a new one, all I got was more being put on hold. I was told far too many times that my call was important to you and that I needed to "please stay on the line".

I also got tired of the often poor choice of music that was piped loudly, and very distorted, into my ear. This made me very agitated after the first 30 minutes or so. I would imagine that you guys would have the most kickass hold music, but apparently everyone punches into the universal bad hold music line that runs through every corporation's customer service department.

I am a new Mac user, this PowerBook is my first. I honestly enjoy it but when a genius at your very own genius bar in Santa Monica gives me a look as if he knows I've been cheated out of a superior computer, or at the very least, several hundred bucks, I can't help but get a little annoyed. I had my frustrations with Dell before, don't get me wrong, but all the times I called, I never once got the feeling that I was not being respected or that I was backhandedly being called a liar. This is something that I have only gotten from you and T-Mobile. When I call you within 48 hours of being told that I will receive an RMA in 24-48 hours, and I am told that I received it even though I have both of the emails that Apple sent to me that day (one for new music Tuesday from iTunes and one advertising the very MacBook Pro that I wanted) I can't help but feel a little insulted. Wouldn't you?

I have been thinking about purchasing an iPod, maybe after the newest generation comes out, but given my experience thus far, I am rethinking that decision. If this is the kind of thing customers have to expect from award-winning customer service, I don't know if I really want to be a customer anymore.

So to recap:

1. Stop your employees from giving out conflicting information. I don't know; make the talking points a little more clear I guess. Ask Karl Rove how he does it.

2. Be careful of how long a customer is holding and if they are going to be on the line for a long time, TELL THEM. Don't ask them to hold momentarily and then go to lunch and stop by the house to feed the dog and catch the end of Sportscenter. Having worked as a receptionist before, I know that people hate you the second you ask them to hold, time only allows the hatred to fester.

3. GET BETTER MUSIC. You're Apple for chrissakes. Get Bono to play for us, I know he's around there somewhere.

4. Don't tell the customer he is a liar, don't imply the customer is a liar, don't assume that he is a liar, and don’t even think, for a second, that he is a liar. We can hear it in your voice, and when you come back to save us from the terrible music with that idea in your mind, that festering boil of hatred is in danger of bursting. That won't be pretty.

5. Don't be that company. You know the one, the one that passes customers around within the bureaucratic bowels of the operator pool until they get frustrated and hang up. The one that refuses to flinch or deviate from protocol even when it's clear that they have messed up and are in the wrong. The one that assumes the customer is always wrong or doesn't deserve to be right, or may be right but can't prove it so screw 'em. Please guys, I want to fall in love with you like everyone else but thus far, you've made it tough.

To your credit, you have graciously made a huge exception for me in allowing me to return my PowerBook for a refund, which if all goes smoothly, will put a brand spankin' new MacBook Pro on this lap of mine at which point I will have no choice but to sing your praises. I wouldn't mind doing just that so please don't let me down this time.

Wish List

Well, Christmas is coming and my birthday is roughly two months after that so maybe it's about time you guys start thinking about buying me stuff. I'm just sayin'....

Apple Announces the Release of Its Newest Creation

Cupertino, CA - Today, in front of an excited audience, Steve Jobs announced the release of Apple's latest stroke of genius. Hailing it as "the latest and best development in a line of great Apple products," Jobs urinated on an elderly woman in the crowd and gave the command for the 50-ft plasma screen to come to life. "Salivate over this, bitches! The iProduct!" roared Jobs, with his freakish grin and fiery red eyes striking fear into the hearts of his competitors.

What appeared on the screen brought the crowd of about 500 to its feet. "I couldn't believe my eyes," said Jocelyn Murphy, manager of a local Apple Store and first time release party participant, "I can't wait to see these fly off the shelves. Apple has really outdone itself this time."

Many in attendance wondered just where Apple would go next. Carlos Nuñez, an intern at the Apple corporate headquarters said, "Please don't print my name. I'm not even supposed to be here right now. I'm supposed to be shredding the copies of the contract Mr. Jobs made with Satan. Shit, I gotta get outta here."

This release marks one of many in the last few weeks including the iPod Nano, and the new iPod (dubbed V-iPod by some) which supports video. Check out the iProduct here.

(The picture below was originally posted by Ryland at a boy and his computer.)