Everyone's gettin' paid but US!!

So I thought it a little odd that I got an email from ComEd the other day.  Sure, they have my email address as a customer but frankly they don't send out much email.

Imagine my shock when I read it and they were actually offering up help!!

Hey, that's mighty white of them especially at a time in our economy when most people haven't had a raise in two years and HELL a lot of people don't even have jobs.  I mean, some big corporation (Exelon) who has made profit over the last two years, looking to help us little folks out to ensure that instead of having to eat gruel, we can spend a little more to get those Fruit Loops we've wanted (well, new ones that weren't part of the recall, right?)

Here's a screenshot of their offer (click on it to make bigger):

The ComEd worker looks like a proctologist just waiting to ram that thing up your backside, eh?

Yep, we're seeing higher bills due to higher electricity usage to keep our homes cool.

Wait. What?  We're also seeing higher bills thanks to an increase in rates back in July, right?

So on top of their nifty stat that customers are using 12% more electricity than last year due to the massive heat waves, we're doing so at an 11% increase in rate.  To top that off, back at the end of June they also asked for an increase for 2011 of 7%

As my Junior High Spanish Teacher, Miss Asa used to say "Awww pobrecito".  You're being so generous to us while having your way...

Yeah, thanks, but no thanks

{click, delete, delete forever}

The Encore, why the delay?

Okay, so I've pretty much been out of the "concert circuit" for some time now.  Maybe only attending one show a year.

Last year it was AC/DC, this it's Jimmy Buffett last Saturday night.

I'm struggling with the ego stroke that is saying goodnight, walking off the stage and then coming back on for an encore after letting all the drunks/crazies yell and clap and bang the seats to a deafening roar.

Yes I know this is more or less tradition but it's always hilarious to hear some sudsed-up knuckle head say "Do you think they are going to come back out?"

• Yes, they are coming back out, the house lights aren't up yet or haven't you noticed
• If people cheer or don't, they probably are STILL coming back out, although I've heard several tales from the Stone Temple Pilots where they couldn't come back on because of Weiland's bad drug problems and I personally saw Greg Kihn say "f*ck it" when a crowd of 100 just wouldn't stroke his ego.  Well, he had played "Jeopardy" about 3 times during his set, so his material was thin and what the hell could he have played as an encore anyway?
• It's also long been used so that they can wipe down and dry off, but do you really need to for 2 or 3 more songs that you're going to play?

I think it's funny that no matter how famous they are, their egos are just as fragile as when they were little kids learning how to play and they need the affirmation even if they've been playing for 20+ years on stage.

I don't expect anyone to change this but I just find it puzzling on why some people go batsh*t cheering on their faves *hoping* they are going to come out when, if they are true fans, they know the "key songs" that haven't been played during the night.

I've stopped any/all wild, celebratory demonstration of emotion since the thousands around me will continue and cover me.  I guess my few years working in the music business (1990-1992) have just jaded me and it's only JUST catching up with me 18 years later.

Maybe the next time I'm presenting to a client, when I have 2 slides left, I'll say "thanks, goodnight, wave and blow kisses" and walk out of the room only to come back and finish with a bang.  yeah, no.

signed,
bitter old rocker outside of Chicago

Holy Crap where have _I_ been??

Wow, four whole months since I've posted.  So what have I been up to?

Well, as part of my new position at work I've been around the world and back, but only via telephone.  (If I would have had to fly everywhere it would have taken 5 months to get done what I did in 2).  For one of our largest global clients I've been taking a look at how we can better perform operationally.

It's been one of the most enlightening experiences of my life.  I've learned so much and probably have the most unique view of where our strengths and vulnerabilities lie across the portfolio of work.

I've conducted over 50+ personal interviews with end clients, client servicing folks and my fellow peeps in operations around the globe.  It's meant calls at 7:00am and 8:00pm in order to accommodate the global time clock and it's meant asking some tough questions about when we've had some major screw-ups.  But it's also meant celebrating our successes and learning from what we do best.

The hard work begins NOW though as we develop a strategic plan for this global work that'll cover the next three to five years.  It also means a lot of high-level presentations of the findings and workshopping of potential solutions.

I'm pretty clear on what the final solutions need to have as key attributes, but it's going to be interesting to see how we can work around some of the totem poles/third rails that exist.  It's critical for us to bring a new view to how we engage with clients and how we manage the work they entrust to us.

I'm super excited about this and will probably be pretty cranky right through to October when we present the final report to the client.

Other than work, I've just really been enjoying watching our little man grow into a little boy.  At 2 years, 8 months he's got some real attitude and moxy.  He knows how to play you to get what he wants and he's the ultimate up-seller.  If you tell him he gets to choose 2 books, he immediately says "three", if you tell him he can have a small package of raisins, he wants two.  Yeah, this kids is gonna be killer in negotiations.  His major attitude though gets him into trouble and he's as pig-headed as his Daddy at times and that's not necessarily a good thing.

I've rarely gotten to any Cubs games this year.  Not too broken up about that, figured that this was going to be a throw-away transition year for the new management and clearly knew that since they were saddled with paying massive salaries for a bunch of turds, we'd be lucky to end up at .500.

So that's what I've been doing with my summer, how about you? 

I need to re-generate my postings to this blog.  I really do enjoy spouting some nonsense most of the time and with how busy we've been, I've just neglected it like an old baseball glove.  Speaking of which, we just bought Aidan his first glove (it's so tiny) but that also forced me to dig out my old first-baseman's glove.  I'm surprised it still fits on my fat hand, but glad it does.  I'm working it back in as the leather sort of seized up over the years of non-usage.  I can't wait until he gets a little older as playing catch now is sort of rough but he's getting the hang of it.

Okay, STFU time, I've written enough.  Gotta spread this cr*p out so that it looks like I post a lot (har har)

Is that a death rattle I hear?

Yeah, I know, I go FIVE MONTHS without posting to the blog and the first thing I post is about Burger King.

As previously chatted about here, I've been observing the slow and painful demise of Burger King franchises all around the Midwest.  Today, as a few of us went out to lunch in Wheaton I noticed that the BK, which oddly enough is RIGHT NEXT TO (even shares a parking lot with) McDonald's has closed.

So keep up the funny/weird/odd commercials guys, not sure if they're working or not.  Clearly in the Western Suburbs of Chicago, it isn't as yet another one bites the dust.