SOOC Saturday -- Derek

SOOC = Straight Out Of Camera

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Melody over at Slurping Life started "SOOC Saturday" and I think it sounds like fun. SOOC stands for "straight out of camera," no editing or chopping or PhotoShop-ing allowed. Which is good, because I don't really know how to do any of those things to begin with. This is right up my alley!

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I took this picture at Yankee Stadium in July. I love it for 3 reasons, in spite of the fact that it's a little bit blurry:

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1. It's Derek Jeter. Really now... what's not to love?!?

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2. I had just gotten a new camera and finally figured out the super-duper zoom feature. (Yes, I'm pretty sure that's the proper name for it.) I was sitting in the back row of the left field bleachers when I took this. (For the non-baseball people, those are the seats behind the 3rd base side of the field, up above the bull pen. My husband guesses we were about 540 feet away from home plate.)

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3. Totally by coincidence (er, I mean, due to my amazing timing and expert skill?!?), there is a ball flying in from the left of the of the picture. I couldn't do that again if I tried, but hey, sure looks cool!

Exceptional Customer Service

Today I received unexpected, exceptional customer service. How often does that happen. Um, never comes to mind!!

My daughter, who started Kindergarten this year, has a dress code. Not a "uniform" per say, but guidelines on colors and styles. Being a 5-year-old girl who adores princesses, the kid will ONLY wear dresses. Not skirts, not skorts, but dresses.

I was able to find a few navy blue jumper dresses in our local stores, but none in black or khaki (her other 2 approved colors). I decided to order some online from Old Navy.

When the jumpers arrived (2 khaki, 1 black) and she tried them on, I decided that she probably needed a bigger size. I was delighted to learn that Old Navy allows you to print a return address label for return shipping, at no cost to the customer. I completed the exchange form, printed the label, and shipped it back. I wanted the exact same 3 items, just in 1 size bigger.

Yesterday I received an email that my exchange was received and my new order had shipped. However, the sale price and discount code I had used on the original order were not applied to the new items, so I owed them $22. I made a note to call today to complain, argue, and get my account credited. I planned to return the items for a full refund if my demands were not met.

The morning got away from me and I didn't call first thing as I had planned. A little after noon, my cell phone rang. It was Mark from Old Navy Online Customer Service, who was calling to tell me there had been an error with the exchange, the wrong prices were applied to the new items, and he was in the process of correcting my account to eliminate the new $22 charge. He needed my authorization to credit the original purchase price to my account, and then debit my account for the same amount, to account for the 3 new items.

Wow. I was impressed! Not only did they catch the error, but a very nice man called to apologize for the error and let me know he was correcting it right away. I felt guilty for even considering a complaint to this company.

Sometimes it's the little things that mean so much. Recognizing a mistake. Apologizing for it. Correcting it. And doing so with a pleasant tone and a positive attitude. Old Navy, you are now my preferred online retail site. Thanks for making my day!

Can we please stop calling it a game?!?

I've done my absolute, scout's best to avoid blogging about politics, even though it's something I'm very passionate about and is usually high on the "things we talk about after the kids go to bed" list in my home. I know it's controversial, and that's not what this blog is all about... but I just can't keep my mouth shut any longer.

Can we please, please stop talking about the upcoming Presidential election as if it's a game? I'm so sick of hearing about when "we" win or when "they" lose... as if we're in the locker room at halftime. And with Senator McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate, I can't count the number of times I've seen or read about how that "changes the game." Makes me want to scream!!

Politics is not a sport. It is not a game. It is not a contest. It is an election. It determines the path America will take for the next four years. It charts a course for our current standard of living, our future, our children's future and their children's future. It's not about "us" or "them" or "win" or "lose." It's about issues, it's about who's best equipped to lead. It's about our lives.

Education. Economy. Environment. Health care. National security. The war in Iraq. Social Security. Abortion. Same-sex marriage. The right to bear arms.

Regardless of your party affiliation, regardless of your top issues, take the time to learn each candidate's position on them. We all get the same choices, the same vote. Decide what issues you care most about, how those issues impact your everyday life, and learn which candidate has the closest position to yours. Then go to the polls with an informed vote to cast. Not a red vote or a blue vote, an informed vote. Whatever choice you make, though, remember... this is your life. This is your future. This is your America. But this is absolutely not a game.

(Stepping down off my soapbox, at least for now....)