Andrew’s year away from the grind is wrapping up, but he’s finishing with a great tour of the Far East that’s making me very jealous. Right now he’s in Thailand and probably pissing off Buddhists 
For the first time in almost five years, I’m living above ground again. Simone and I moved in together with the help of several good friends. We had to turn a number of people away from helping in fear of having too many hands. Problems with my two biggest worries, moving the sofabed and the timeline, were averted with clever planning and some help from a guardian angel.
Mom & Dad came to help too, and it was good to have some fresh workers later in the day. Simone’s family came to visit on Sunday afternoon, even though we had only barely sorted things out enough to make room for an impromptu picnic. For the moment, we have the furniture in the bedroom, living space and much of the kitchen sorted out. This is probably the longest I’ve gone since my first 486 without hooking up my computer in my new place. We rewarded ourselves with dinner with Pete and Cecelia at Jekyl and Hyde - a pub at Bloor and Dundas.
As for my first day going to work, the best way to describe it is from an email I got this morning from John:
Maybe Alanis will write a new verse for you.
“Moved downtown so I wouldn’t have to drive.
The very next day, A TTC strike”
The TTC maintenance workers went on strike this morning, and the drivers wouldn’t cross the picketline. As a result, there’s a complete shutdown of TTC services today without any warning. This is not the way to get the public support behind your cause. I’m still upset with the TTC for making me pay twice on the transfer from the Ex’s underground streetcar to the subway, and this isn’t helping them.
Luckily Simone and I found out (largely due to an early call from Simone’s mom warning us) and we could just drive to work. We left early, so it didn’t take very long, but it still costs me gas and milage on my car. I’m not very happy about it. Getting on the elevator to go down to the car, I told Simone:
“That’s it. Next time I get off the bus, I’m not going to say ‘Thank you’ or ‘Have a good day’.”
Simone said, “well, I’ll say ‘thank you’, but I won’t be very sincere about it.”
“…Gawd we’re Canadian.”
Here’s a letter I wrote and mailed (yes, mailed, not e-mailed) to Boston Pizza last week. Comments are welcome.
Customer Care
c/o Boston Pizza
The format of this letter is, for me, unique. Usually, I will submit my comments by email, and attempt to write to Customer Care divisions with as much positive feedback as negative, even though the latter is often much easier and inspired. However, my concerns with Boston Pizza’s new policy regarding a minimum of 8 customers for Team Pitchers warrants a formal letter of complaint.
Writing letters of appreciation where I see an extra effort made to satisfy the customer is something I enjoy. As I look back, I have to apologize for never having written Boston Pizza, thanking you for seven years of excellent service and food.
Since my brother and I first entered the doors at the Interchange Boston Pizza in Vaughn, Ontario back in 1999, we have had many happy memories grabbing a delicious slice before going to a movie. In fact, “Going To A Movie” for us has become synonymous with going to Boston Pizza beforehand. Other restaurants rarely get even a first glance as we head towards the doors of Boston Pizza. From time-to-time, we have even chosen the theatre venue, based solely on whether or not there was Boston Pizza nearby.
One of the ways Boston Pizza grabbed our attention is with the “Team Pitcher”: 136 oz of whatever on tap caught our fancy. When policy was introduced to ensure that the Team Pitcher was not served to any tables with fewer than four customers, we understood the logic of such a decision without the need for explanation. Often, my brother and I would go with at least one other person, so we started making the effort to find a fourth customer for Boston Pizza with the intention of ordering the Team Pitcher. We have maintained this practice for several years since.
On Wednesday, April 18, 2006, I sat down at the Boston Pizza at the AMC in Whitby with three thirsty others. All four of us were dismayed to be told that a new, company-wide policy required no less than eight customers at a table before the Team Pitcher could be ordered. After the initial shock and disappointment passed, we started doing the math. Four litres of beer gives each drinker a very slight, 17 oz. When the waitress brought the standard-size pitcher, we found it made three perfect glasses of Rickards Red. Unfortunately, there were four of us.
This policy change seems unrealistic to us. One Team Pitcher is as incapable of satisfying eight customers as a standard pitcher is of satisfying four. Upon inquiry, we were given no details beyond the fact that a waiter or waitress’s job could be terminated if this new limit is not followed. Insisting that faithful customers pay significantly more for the same quantity of product feels unfair to me and my movie-going associates.
After dinner, we decided that we would start testing other waters. There are often many options for restaurants around movie theatres. Once, we would ask tongue-in-cheek, “where are we going to eat?” as we instinctivly walked through the Boston Pizza doors. Now, the company’s Mission Statement, “To be a World Class Franchisor through selecting and training people to profitably manage an outstanding foodservice business” seems hollow, when we see efforts taken to remove “outstanding foodservice”.
To resolve the problem, I would appreciate it if you could consider returning the minimum limit for the Team Pitcher to four customers. My movie-going friends and I feel at home in Boston Pizza more than any other restaurant franchise, and we would like to return someday.
I look forward to your reply and a resolution to my problem. Please contact me at the above address.
Thank you.
-Stephen Clark
The plan so far is to use my paycheck on this coming Friday to put the rest of “First-and-Last-Month” down on the loft and Simone and I will get the keys on Saturday. In the evening we’ll be driving up to the cottage to spend the long weekend, but during the shortened week following we’ll be able to make a few trips over in order to widdle down the collection of crud we have to move.
On the 27th, we’ll be moving the big stuff. My trigonomitry came in handy when I had to figure out if my queen size mattress would fit in a cargo van. Since it (barely) does not, we’ll be getting a cube van. Now the biggest thing worrying me is how the hell I’m going to get the sofa up the stairs.
So far I’ve managed to sell off about two dozen tapes of my VHS collection. Looking at my shelf, it really doesn’t do more than make a significant dent. I’ll have to figure out where to donate the remaining movies. Email me if you want the list of what’s left.
Terribly boring entry. I’m sorry. I’ll make some sarcastic comments about Toronto. That should liven it up.
I’ve been extremely disappointed in Toronto hockey fans this week. I’ve heard many Leaf fans cheering on Buffalo simply to support the team trying to eliminate the Ottawa Senators. Why? Because they’re Toronto’s enemy. These fans have a memory old enough to remember the last cup (even if they weren’t born yet), but they can’t remember that it used to be BUFFALO who were Toronto’s enemies.
And rather than play the “Support our Canadian Teams” card for this point, even though it’s valid, I would rather use that card for how there’s very little coverage on the Edmonton series. Game 5 went late, so I’m not surprised the results weren’t printed in the papers, but they didn’t even have the game on the sports cap on Breakfast Television the next day. I had to go online to find out that Edmonton had won the game, after San Jose fans ‘boo’ed the Canadian national anthem (the mayor of San Jose has since publicly apologized).
I’m not an NHL fan in the slightest, but I’ll jump on whatever bandwagon will bring the Stanley Cup to a Canadian city.
Anyone who cheers for Buffalo over the Sens can get out of my country.
In an effort to avoid the redundancy of naming their processors “Pentium 5″ (ie. “five-five”), Intel is almost complete in phasing out the “Pentium” moniker on their processor line in favour of the “Core Duo”.
Now, on the advent of the next generation of Intel processors, they’ve just revealed that the new line of processors will be named “Core 2 Duo“.
So much for avoiding redundant nomenclature. Someone should slap the Chief Marketing Officer… if he didn’t look so adorable.
