I've mentioned before that paying bills is not one of my strengths. I find it to be a pesky annoyance, which explains why I make more late payments than I really should.
A few years ago I thought I'd simplify my life somewhat by bundling my phone, internet and email with one provider--Comcast. I then put the bill on autopay so that I didn't have to think about it any more.
Well, fast forward about five years and I can honestly say that until this week I haven't even bothered to look at the Comcast bill since i bundled my services. Comcast could have been billed me in error for who knows how many not-ordered movies and I simply wouldn't have known.
Why I opened my bill this week I don't know. But when I did, I was amazed at the many different services, both individual and bundled, which were offered. I knew that I had a bundle, but couldn't for the life of me figure out which one by the descriptions. So, I called Comcast. I dealt with a nice enough guy who, after about five minutes of explanation, essentially told me that my "old" bundle was essentially the same as one of the now "branded" bundles, only I was paying more money and had less channels. He then offered to change me to one of the "branded" bundles.
Part of me was happy that my bill would go down, and my channels up. But part of me was, and still is, kinda unhappy that Comcast didn't automatically "upgrade" me as their offerings changed over time. It never dawned on me that long-time (read: loyal) customers would have to keep track of changes in the bundles in order to get the most current offering.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Tough love
My two oldest boys have struggled with school this year. It seems all of a sudden to me, but I know that it's not. This is likely one of those many things which I simply didn't have time to notice before.
My oldest has extreme organizational problems. I'm convinced that it's not because he's lazy or dislikes school. His oblivious gaze when we discuss deadlines, homework and tests seems genuine. I don't know what the problem is, but the solution (at least for now) has been for me to double check his homework status daily and help him study for tests. I've always liked math, so repeating algebra doesn't bother me. Other classes I don't like so much.
My second oldest is lazy. There is no other way to put it. And, his teacher pretty much put it that way at conferences tonight, too. He scores in the 99th percentile in every standardized test. He should get straight As, but manages to get mostly Bs and B minuses. He also has some poor behavior at school which I find very distressing.
Both boys have suffered the reduction of privileges because of their school work. I've tried to be fair and give them fair notice, but sometimes they simply have to face a consequence. As we enter the final semester of the year I hope they turn things around.
My oldest has extreme organizational problems. I'm convinced that it's not because he's lazy or dislikes school. His oblivious gaze when we discuss deadlines, homework and tests seems genuine. I don't know what the problem is, but the solution (at least for now) has been for me to double check his homework status daily and help him study for tests. I've always liked math, so repeating algebra doesn't bother me. Other classes I don't like so much.
My second oldest is lazy. There is no other way to put it. And, his teacher pretty much put it that way at conferences tonight, too. He scores in the 99th percentile in every standardized test. He should get straight As, but manages to get mostly Bs and B minuses. He also has some poor behavior at school which I find very distressing.
Both boys have suffered the reduction of privileges because of their school work. I've tried to be fair and give them fair notice, but sometimes they simply have to face a consequence. As we enter the final semester of the year I hope they turn things around.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
bathroom update
Months ago I blogged about a bathroom remodel which I was starting. The project is long since finished and I forgot to mention that. It turned out pretty good.
I wish I had a "before" picture. Think ugly blue floor tile, dated wallpaper, and brown oak cabinets with a strong grain.
I replaced the tile floor with a travertine. Put subway tile on the wall. Painted the cabinets and put in a new marble vanity top. Also changed out the toilet.
I wish I had a "before" picture. Think ugly blue floor tile, dated wallpaper, and brown oak cabinets with a strong grain.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Thoughts about the Badger state
The current dispute over public sector collective bargaining in Wisconsin has helped me forget that the Packers won the Super Bowl but a few short weeks ago. For that, I'm thankful. I hate those Packers.
I don't know what the future holds for this Wisconsin issue, or whether it will transcend borders into other states. It raises some good questions, though.
I think most people understand that collective bargaining began in an era of horrible working conditions, where unions protected the safety and economic security of private sector employers whose singular focus on the bottom line was actually dangerous to employees.
Those days are long since passed. And, I think this is reflected by the fact that private sector unionization has dropped dramatically over the past forty years.
With those thoughts it mind it is unclear to me why public sector unionization remains so prevalent. From whom exactly are public sector unions protecting their membership? From government, which would otherwise treat its employees unfairly? Really?
The unionization issue is often framed as an issue of cost--i.e. the wages and benefits of employees represented by a union become unsustainable, especially in today's economy.
I don't know if the cost issue is correct, or not. Even if correct, I place equal blame on those in management who agreed to unsustainable wage and benefits.
My opposition to public sector unionization, however, is not based on wages and benefits--it's based on the concepts of tenure and seniority.
Most Americans work, and always have, in jobs where their success or failure is directly proportional to their effort and skill. This is an intrinsically fair system which reflects the principles upon which our country was founded.
Can this capitalistic system create occasional results which seem unfair? Sure, it can. But to me the far greater danger is the systemic malaise which can be caused by a system in which effort and skill are not the most important criterion to continued employment.
I don't know what the future holds for this Wisconsin issue, or whether it will transcend borders into other states. It raises some good questions, though.
I think most people understand that collective bargaining began in an era of horrible working conditions, where unions protected the safety and economic security of private sector employers whose singular focus on the bottom line was actually dangerous to employees.
Those days are long since passed. And, I think this is reflected by the fact that private sector unionization has dropped dramatically over the past forty years.
With those thoughts it mind it is unclear to me why public sector unionization remains so prevalent. From whom exactly are public sector unions protecting their membership? From government, which would otherwise treat its employees unfairly? Really?
The unionization issue is often framed as an issue of cost--i.e. the wages and benefits of employees represented by a union become unsustainable, especially in today's economy.
I don't know if the cost issue is correct, or not. Even if correct, I place equal blame on those in management who agreed to unsustainable wage and benefits.
My opposition to public sector unionization, however, is not based on wages and benefits--it's based on the concepts of tenure and seniority.
Most Americans work, and always have, in jobs where their success or failure is directly proportional to their effort and skill. This is an intrinsically fair system which reflects the principles upon which our country was founded.
Can this capitalistic system create occasional results which seem unfair? Sure, it can. But to me the far greater danger is the systemic malaise which can be caused by a system in which effort and skill are not the most important criterion to continued employment.
Watching the Wild
Some friends were kind enough to invite us to the Wild game last Sunday. The varied reactions of my kids to the invitation was pretty interesting.
My youngest is a happy-go-lucky kid. Invite him to drive to Target and he's thrilled. So his immediate "yeah!" to the invitation was not a surprise.
My oldest doesn't reveal much so he can be hard to read. But, he seemed interested and actually had a nice time, so that was good.
Son number two initially demurred, claiming not to be much of a hockey fan. "There will be food in the suite," I quietly said and his predictable reaction "Food?! Is this with the ****s? They always have great seats! Then I'm totally in."
Son three loves sports. So I knew he'd say "yes" and that the Wild would be his favorite team, ever, by the time the game was over.
The boys had a great time at the game. And, I luckily escaped without having to buy too many souveneirs. That's always a bonus.
My youngest is a happy-go-lucky kid. Invite him to drive to Target and he's thrilled. So his immediate "yeah!" to the invitation was not a surprise.
My oldest doesn't reveal much so he can be hard to read. But, he seemed interested and actually had a nice time, so that was good.
Son number two initially demurred, claiming not to be much of a hockey fan. "There will be food in the suite," I quietly said and his predictable reaction "Food?! Is this with the ****s? They always have great seats! Then I'm totally in."
Son three loves sports. So I knew he'd say "yes" and that the Wild would be his favorite team, ever, by the time the game was over.
The boys had a great time at the game. And, I luckily escaped without having to buy too many souveneirs. That's always a bonus.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Valentine's day gets tricky
My two oldest boys are 14 and 11. My 11 year old is slowly starting to indicate an interest in girls. My 14 year old is far less subtle-he's interested and isn't shy about saying so.
As a dad, this makes me kinda nervous. I certainly don't want them to repeat the silly mistakes I made when I was their age. And yet, I'm not entirely comfortable talking with them about it.
On the Sunday before Valentine's day my hand was kinda forced. My oldest was pacing around and finally asked his mom to buy a box of chocolates which he wanted to give to a girl at school the next day. Mom wasn't convinced it was a good idea; I wasn't either. But, we certainly didn't want to discourage him.
I finally sat him down on the couch and tried to talk with him about it. It was awkward. He ultimately decided that the box of chocolates wasn't yet a good idea and we talked about other ways in which he could let the girl know that he liked her.
For a moment I felt like I had done my fatherly duty--passing on wisom to my oldest son. I encouraged him to talk to me any time that he needed advice about girls. He nodded, and then asked me whether I had dated a lot of girls when I was his age. "No," I had to honestly admit, "I didn't." "Well," my son says after a slight pause, "maybe your advice isn't so good, then."
As a dad, this makes me kinda nervous. I certainly don't want them to repeat the silly mistakes I made when I was their age. And yet, I'm not entirely comfortable talking with them about it.
On the Sunday before Valentine's day my hand was kinda forced. My oldest was pacing around and finally asked his mom to buy a box of chocolates which he wanted to give to a girl at school the next day. Mom wasn't convinced it was a good idea; I wasn't either. But, we certainly didn't want to discourage him.
I finally sat him down on the couch and tried to talk with him about it. It was awkward. He ultimately decided that the box of chocolates wasn't yet a good idea and we talked about other ways in which he could let the girl know that he liked her.
For a moment I felt like I had done my fatherly duty--passing on wisom to my oldest son. I encouraged him to talk to me any time that he needed advice about girls. He nodded, and then asked me whether I had dated a lot of girls when I was his age. "No," I had to honestly admit, "I didn't." "Well," my son says after a slight pause, "maybe your advice isn't so good, then."
Sunday, February 13, 2011
public sector compensation
The Strib has written a few stories now about public sector compensation and the efforts by the GOP majority in St. Paul to reduce or cap any increases. One of the arguments leveled against these efforts is that the dollars involved in any such initiative are a drop in the bucket when compared to the state's budget deficit.
This counter argument makes no sense to me and illustrates well the disconnect which those in the public sector unfortunately have when in comes to compensation and benefits.
Public employees should be fairly paid for the important work which they do. But, their compensation and benefits needs to reflect the realities of the private sector.
Two years ago, as the current recession was causing record lay-offs and salary freezes (or reductions) across Minnesota, I suggested to our then city manager that we needed to reflect that reality in the budget we were working on. I'll never forget his response--"why should our employees suffer because of what's going on in the private sector; the demand for our services hasn't changed..." Slightly paraphrased given the passage of time, but that was the gist.
Ultimately, city headcount was reduced by 6 (out of 270 or so) and wages were frozen for one year. Neither is immaterial, but both are quite modest when compared to the private sector.
I tend to agree, too, that the public pension should be a thing of the past. In the private sector if you're lucky enough to save $800,000 in a 401k you can expect about $40,000 a year in retirement income, assuming safe investments. Of course, most Americans don't save that much in a 401k. But, that same yearly income is far easier to come by for public employees. Should it be? Especially given today's long life expectancies, I think that's simply too generous.
This counter argument makes no sense to me and illustrates well the disconnect which those in the public sector unfortunately have when in comes to compensation and benefits.
Public employees should be fairly paid for the important work which they do. But, their compensation and benefits needs to reflect the realities of the private sector.
Two years ago, as the current recession was causing record lay-offs and salary freezes (or reductions) across Minnesota, I suggested to our then city manager that we needed to reflect that reality in the budget we were working on. I'll never forget his response--"why should our employees suffer because of what's going on in the private sector; the demand for our services hasn't changed..." Slightly paraphrased given the passage of time, but that was the gist.
Ultimately, city headcount was reduced by 6 (out of 270 or so) and wages were frozen for one year. Neither is immaterial, but both are quite modest when compared to the private sector.
I tend to agree, too, that the public pension should be a thing of the past. In the private sector if you're lucky enough to save $800,000 in a 401k you can expect about $40,000 a year in retirement income, assuming safe investments. Of course, most Americans don't save that much in a 401k. But, that same yearly income is far easier to come by for public employees. Should it be? Especially given today's long life expectancies, I think that's simply too generous.
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