Summer is Here!!

Well, it's officially summer vacation, and how did I spend my first day off? At work, of course. I'm really taking my time this year to clean and organize my classroom. Last year, I had a really challenging group of students, and by this time, it was all I could do to jam everything in cupboards, lock the door, and run away for 10 weeks. This June, I am not nearly so exhausted. In fact, I have a great deal of momentum coming off an excellent school year. So, I am trying to pack everything away in a very organized fashion, knowing, of course, that when I come back in the fall I will be deep in the mire of my EdD program and may not have the time or energy that I do right now. I am going to finish up tomorrow because if I don't, my school's admin will wrestle my classroom key out of my hand, and I don't like my odds in a cage match with Lesa! So, I'm planning to get in there early, finish putting everything away neatly, hopefully do some planning for the first month of school, then get out of the way. I have my first class at UCSD tomorrow night, so as I finish one task, it will be time to embark on another...

States I Have Visited

Perfect for procrastinating those report cards....

Put an X by the states you have been to. The average is 8; how do you match up?

Should you choose to play, here's what you do:

Copy my note. Click on “notes” under tabs on your profile page. Select "write a new note" in the top right corner. Paste the copy in the body of the note. Delete my Xs and add your own. Change the number at the top, and add your title. Once you've saved, don't forget to tag friends (including me) on the right. Tag the same # of people as the # of states you've been to. Just for fun, put an O beside the states where you have lived.

Airports don't count!

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona- X
Arkansas
California - XO
Colorado - X
Connecticut - X
Delaware - X
Florida - X
Georgia
Hawaii - X
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland - X
Massachusetts - X
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada - X
New Hampshire
New Jersey - X
New Mexico
New York - X
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon - X
Pennsylvania - X
Rhode Island - X
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia - X
Washington - X
West Virginia - X
Wisconsin
Wyoming
DC - X

First Fifteen

My latest Facebook tag....Fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes. Tag 15 friends, including me because I'm interested in seeing what books my friends choose...

1. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - Probably my favorite, all-time book, if I was forced to choose one. Barbara Kingsolver is brilliant. I wish I had one-tenth of her writing ability.

2. The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King - If you've read them, you understand. I've read every book Stephen King has written, but these are my faves.

3. The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling - I fell in love with the characters in this series. Can't imagine I'll ever be at the store at midnight to buy a book again!

4. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffeneger - Such a poignant, heart wrenching love story. I love the idea that the twists and turns of fate bring us to the people we're meant to connect with. The story plays with that theme in such a cool way.

5. Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris - Hilarious. David Sedaris cracks me up.

6. All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot - I didn't read this until about a year ago. What a wonderful memoir! I hope to read some of the sequels this summer.

7. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan - The strong females in this book made such an impression on me when I read it in the early 90s.

8. Beloved by Toni Morrison - Beautifully crafted. I was able to enter a world that is completely different from my reality, yet still connect with the characters.

9. The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough - The first "big girl" book I read, when I was about 14 or 15. Sex? In books? Oh my goodness...

10. Into Thin Air by John Krakauer - I loved reading about the mechanics of an expedition up Everest. I grieved for the folks who didn't make it back from this particular ill-fated trek.

11. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel - The movie is even better.

12. The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield - This book inspired my Master's thesis!

13. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert - After having it recommended to me by something like 15 different people, I finally connected with this book in the midst of my divorce. And it helped.

14. He's Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt - Why did it take someone so long to write this down? It should be required reading for girls entering puberty.

15. Memoirs!!: The Year of Yes by Maria Dahvana Headley; Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt; The Class Castle by Jeannette Walls; A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers; I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou - I love memoirs!!

Kanye West, newly published author, was quoted last week as saying, "I am a proud non-reader of books. I like to get information from doing stuff like actually talking to people and living real life."

I find that kind of ironic...

http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE54P5L820090526

It Pays to Speak Up 3

This is the final installment of my "It Pays to Speak Up" or "How you sometimes get free stuff when you complain" series.

About two weeks ago, I decided to send a little note to that crack-infused coffee and tea establishment, Starbucks. This was not actually a letter of complaint, as what I really wanted to do was compliment my local Carmel Mountain Starbucks for their exceptional daily service. So, I logged on to Starbucks.com and sent a brief email to the customer service department. I detailed how clean and well-stocked the lobby always is. I explained how happy I am that every morning when I walk in, the baristas greet me cheerfully and make my drink quickly and competently. I wanted to make sure that the employees and management at this Starbucks received recognition for the great job that they do every day.

I did go on in my email, however, to compare this store with another Starbucks that I've visited with some regularity. Starbucks #2 seems to have a permanent slow-motion setting. The employees there are best described as distracted. Whether at the register or behind the espresso machine, they work super slowly and my drink never seems to come out quite right. But what really grosses me out are the crumbs and beverage spills that are all over the tables and counters every time I visit.

You see, I probably never would have been motivated to compliment Starbucks #1 had I not seen the contrast of Starbucks #2. I felt compelled to let the company know. And by this time, of course, I will admit I was hoping to score a free beverage. And I was not disappointed. Here is the reply I received from Starbucks customer service:

Hello Jennifer,
Thanks for telling us about your great experience at our Carmel Mountain store. We love to hear feedback like this. I will pass on your comments to their supervisor so that they will receive the praise they deserve.
Furthermore, I am truly sorry that you had such disappointing visits at our ____ store. This is obviously not the experience we want you to have at our stores.
I want you to know that we take your concerns seriously and that I will share this not only with departments here in our corporate office, but also with the manager and district manager of the store.
We have made a promise to our customers to provide outstanding service. I know that this is a primary reason why you visit Starbucks and I understand how disappointing it is when we let you down.
We pride ourselves on great service and I would love to invite you back into our stores for the chance to make up for a visit that you did not enjoy. What I will do is mail you some beverage coupons so that your next drink will be on us.
Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to fix something that is wrong. I assure you that we will take this as an opportunity to improve and that we understand that you have come to expect fantastic service from Starbucks.
If there are any questions or concerns that I have not been able to address, please don't hesitate to call us at 800 23-LATTE (235-2883), we are here Monday through Friday from 5:00 AM to 6:00 PM (PST).
Thank you again,
Alyssa A.
Customer Relations Representative
Starbucks Coffee Company

And sure enough, a few days later, I received two free drink coupons in the mail! Yippee!