Musings from “Life Is a Road” author–Daniel Meyer
Archive for February, 2009
It’s the economy’s fault!
Feb 26th
This decade’s cry of the businessman.
No matter what ails ya, it’s the economy’s fault.
I’ve seen a lot of this lately. Crappy customer service, poor inventory, inferior product, or prices set out of reasonable range cause problems for a company, and they blame the economy for their woes.
A small example. Girl Scout Cookies. Yep, them.
I’ve bought them every year for a couple decades. They’ve always been over-priced, but I was supporting a cause and got a little something in return so that was okay.
Steadily though…the packages have gotten smaller and the prices have gone up.
Again, this year, the packages got smaller. I looked at the price and quantity and decided they had finally exceeded my threshold of value vs. supporting the cause.
The package is too small and the price is too high. A similiar store product is about 1/3 the price. As someone who cooks from raw ingredients I also understand just what these things cost to produce (a pittance) and package.
On a $3.50 package of their current cookies, they should be making about $3.00. They claim that they make a fraction of that (but won’t say how much), which means they’ve let too many middlemen worm their way into the process (a frequent demise of charities).
The Girl Scouts blame the economy because their sales are off 16%. I blame them. I didn’t buy this year because the product has shrunk beyond reason.
I’ll send my charity dollars elsewhere and buy me some cookies at the grocery store. More will go to the actual charity and I’ll get more cookies to boot.
And we all know…more cookies is always a good thing.
My advice…pull out your grains of salt.
Watch the news with this thought in mind…I think a lot of companies are using “the economy” as an excuse for piss-poor management and no “foward thinking”. They are driving their companies into the ground, blaming the economy, and firing us (the worker-bee) for their short-sightedness or just flat out incompetence.
Do business with the companies that are working to provide you with quality and value. Screw the rest.
Oh, and to back up my assertion…a pie chart! It’s at least as accurate and meaningful as any data the government, industry, or economists are using to justify the pure BS that is taking place now. Um…it’s also swiped from the ‘net so that part is equally valid as well.
CUAgain,
Daniel Meyer
Business Bailout?
Feb 21st
Y’all have been reading about bailouts…yep? Those of us that know about robbing Peter, the other shoe, or have even a cursory understanding of economics all know that the business leaders will profit, and the working man will pay the price.
Happens sooner than I expect.
So, had to do an upgrade this weekend at work. This means we work odd hours to not disrupt the business. This means we work extra hours. Our weekend is shot. Personal interests are set aside. No sleep. Donuts and caffeine. This job pays…but it costs us a lot.
Dedication. Yep. Or masochism.
Right in the middle of this my boss has to hand me a piece of paper to sign…basically says they’re cutting my “communications” allowance…to about half what it costs me a month, and that’s assuming I don’t have to spend a lot of time on it to the east or west coasts (we also support newspapers there).
I’ve been required to carry a phone…and to answer it at all hours of the day or night. That was part of the job, and they paid for it.
No longer. About half the bill. None of the extra time.
I wonder which half of the month they want me to be available? Perhaps it’s which half of the day? I could leave the phone in the desk at work I suppose.
I don’t blame my boss. These decisions are being made so far over his head that there is not even an avenue to protest. He had to sign the same paper…and HE’s gonna have to answer the calls when they for some reason (that I can’t imagine what it could possibly be) can’t reach the rest of us.
But why is it that my company thinks they can save money by having me subsidize their cost of doing business?
Do they seriously believe the way to prosperity and success is to consider their employees as their new revenue stream? Is this the forward thinking it takes to become a multi-millionaire business leader?
Combined with the other reduction of our benefits, they reneged on our retirement benefits, there’s a new charge for parking, and frozen wages this year…I figure I just took about a 10% pay cut. It’s probably higher, but it’s too depressing to work out the finer points of it all.
At least they haven’t laid me off yet. They are holding that over our heads at the moment. Increases morale, yep?
Sad, yes? I should just be glad I have a job, right? Heh…yeah. We’re profitable. We hit finiancial targets high enough so that management got bonuses. One tripled his own salary. We. Make. Money.
Management says something like, “Yes. But. We. Want. More.”
Not sure how to respond to this. I’m dedicated to the job…it’s not really been about the money…but they are making it that way. I’ve worked hard and long to acquire a specialized set of skills and workflow/industry knowledge that they need to not only continue to make money, but to find ways to thrive in the new marketplace. Why the abuse? What’s the endgame? It’s not to survive…you still have to get the products out to survive…
Ponderings to keep me up at night…
Now, if y’all would just buy about 2 and a half million books….
CUAgain,
Daniel Meyer
Eastbound run into the setting sun.
Feb 20th
In response to a post on the Valkyrie Forum about a checklist for a ride, I posted this:
An Abbreviated checklist…it’s the one I use…
Pointed west? check
Twist throttle.
Then I was asked, “But what about going east?”
I tried an eastbound road-trip once. Left Dallas eastbound. Had to turn around in New Mexico and head back east. Never was quite certain why.
Getting to the National Valkyrie Rally (Inzane) has been a pain when it’s east.
“Excuse me, do you know the way to Johnson City?”
“As in, Tennesee?”
“Yeah, should be around here somewhere.”
“Ah. Well first, turn around and head east. When you hit the Arizona border, keep going about 1975 miles, hang a right, go 40 miles and it’s on your left.”
West just seems…the way.
CUAgain (somewhere west of wherever I’m at…even if it’s east)
Daniel Meyer
“Son,” he said, “Grab your things I’ve come to take you home.”
Feb 12th
In somewhat of a philosophical mood tonight…
The art of the song…
If you’ve been following along you probably realize I am nearly irrationally passionate about music…but not just any music, though it may seem that way at times.
The music that is art…THAT’S my music.
There is of course the music itself…the catchy tune, the harmony…but lyrics matter too…they should tell a story…but not just ANY story…sure they mean something to the author…but the good ones…well they should tell YOUR story…something you can interpret…something that touches you. That’s the way.
That’s the art of the song.
And then there’s the occasion where you wonder…just how the heck…did the writer reach right in and grab something of yours…in a literal sense.
Try this one on for size. It has specific meaning and memories for me…involving a bit of trouble, deep nights in the desert, new friends, and one of the first times I realized the universe was one HELL of a lot bigger (and stranger) than I had thought…I’ve been lost in that ever expanding universe ever since.
How about you?
Climbing up on Solsbury Hill
I could see the city light
Wind was blowing, time stood still
Eagle flew out of the night
He was something to observe
Came in close, I heard a voice
Standing stretching every nerve
Had to listen had no choice
I did not believe the information
(I) just had to trust imagination
My heart going boom boom boom
“Son,” he said “Grab your things,
I’ve come to take you home.”
CUAgain,
Daniel Meyer
Is it?
Feb 5th
I’m in a bit of a funk…a reflective mood at the moment. More about that later I expect.
Music helps me think…I listen to a rather eclectic collection of stuff from all generas.
My selection for today…
Is it a veil or a cross?
Is it the poet’s gift?
Is it the face that has watched over thousands of ships?
Is it making you laugh?
Is it letting you cry?
Is it where we believe that we go if we die?
Is it how you were made?
Is it your mother’s ghost?
Is it the wish that I’m wishing for your life, for your life,
for your life…I wish the most.
Watch the vid…
Man this pair can sing…
CUAgain,
Daniel Meyer
“Not that artistic…”
Feb 1st
“You’re not that artistic…”
Somebody said that to me the other day…somebody I normally respect the opinions and feelings of.
I’m not sure why. It didn’t fit in the conversation. It was obviously something he’s needed/wanted to say for a while and finally got it out.
The question is, what does it mean? What was he trying to tell me…or what was he trying to accomplish…that he couldn’t express as a more coherent thought?
Ponderings for the middle of the night.
CUAgain,
Daniel Meyer