Taproot

Last year, in my annual review, my boss asked about my plans for professional development.  I had a list. One of the items was doing pro bono work.  I had stumbled across the Taproot Foundation last fall while researching resources for a retirement planning conference we hosted.   Their mission is, "to lead, mobilize and engage professionals in pro bono service that drives social change." 

While I do my share of volunteering, I haven't tried anything that involves using my professional skills.  The deal is that "pro bono consultants" sign on to a six-month project using their expertise to help a non-profit that needs the resource.  They estimate about 100 hours of work - 3 to 5 hours each week.  And would you believe that HR people are in demand?

My boss thought it was a great idea.  I have been with the same company for 14 years - my entire career - and I could really use a reality check on the real world.   Yes, I do realize that the Land of Non Profits is not quite the Real World.  But it is close enough.

I applied, was accepted and attended the orientation session today.  They are trying to up their game by increasing the number of projects this summer.  Right now, they have about half the volunteers they need to staff them, so the facilitator begged us all to spread the word.  The website specifies web/tech, marketing/creative services, strategic/financial and project managers.  They work out of Chicago, Washington, LA, San Francisco and New York.

I have now completed my first assignment.

Apple Tech Support

Somewhere resembling Day 4 with the MacBook, I noticed that the charger wasn't charging.  Jiggled the cord and it worked fine.  Over the next day or so, I had the same problem and ran my own personal diagnostics involving different electric sockets and swapping in and out the extension cable.

Jiggle the cord seemed to be the fix.

Late-ish last night, I called tech support to make sure that "take the bad cord into a retail store" was the correct answer.  It took 30 minutes and two techs to tell me it was.  But I was to take the entire machine with me also, just in case.

Just in case of what?  In case it isn't just the cord and they have to replace the entire machine.   Apparently, Apple has a 30 day DOA policy.  In fact, last night, the guy offered to send me a new machine right then. But that seemed like a waste.

They made me an appointment in the store by my office.  This store is in what I think is still the largest shopping mall in the state of Illinois.  The store was packed at the lunch hour, so they were a few minutes late to my appointment.  Nothing tragic, but it bothers me to have an appointment and then be sent to the queue.

Appointments are for the purpose of avoiding the queue.

The tech in the store didn't ask to see my machine, she just said that she would go get me a new charger.    Several minutes later, she came back and said they did not have any in stock.  She would order one and call me when it was in.

Um..no.

I asked her to call the store nearest my house.  Several minutes later, she confirmed that they had one and they would put my name on it.

I arrived at the store after work.   The store was packed.  The first guy that intercepted me had no record of a call on my behalf, so he put me in the queue.  20 minutes later, a guy arrived to help me.  Then another customer, one who had made an appointment, got to budge.  Whatever.

When it was my turn, I explained the problem.  Tech wanted to run a diagnostic.  He said, "if it is the charger, we will replace the charger.  If it is the computer, we will replace the computer."  He gets a network cord, plugs it in, then thinks again.  Test the charger first.  Mine - bad.  Store sample - good.

"I don't think I need to run a diagnostic."

He made all of the notes on my original case file, gave me a new charger and sent me on my way.

Summary:

Sunday night:  Two techs, 30 minutes
Monday lunch: One tech, 30 minutes
Monday night:  Three greeters, one aborted attempt, one tech - 40 minutes

Every single person I spoke with was perfectly pleasant.  They were all interested in solving my problem.  But really, this was a lot of time and effort for a charger.  I guess I should be happy that they were all trying to be absolutely sure the problem was solved the "first time", and not taking the User's word for it that it was just a charger cord.  But really.  A lot of time.

Note to self:  The thing costs $61, in case you just want to buy a new one and be done.

Weekend Assignment #365: Tax Time

What is your strategy for doing your taxes? Do you get them done as soon as you can get hold of the paperwork, put them off to the last minute, or something in between? Do you hire someone, do the work yourself, get your spouse to do it, or share the load? Do you mail forms or e-file?

Extra Credit: Have you ever had to revisit a tax return after filing, due to an audit or other circumstances?

Once upon a time (read as: up until this year), I pulled my paperwork together as soon as humanly possible and loaded up the Turbo Tax.  The faster one files, the faster one receives the refund.  Assuming that one is entitled to a refund.

I always found it fun - Turbo Tax is good stuff.  While I am not the most organized person in the world, I can generally keep my tax information in one place.

This year, for the first time, I used an accountant.  My finances became a bit more complicated and I figured it was time.  Here is how it worked:

First, the accountant reviewed my last two returns.  He asked a couple of follow up questions, to be sure that I had claimed all of the deductions possible.  I might have missed something for an energy efficient improvement to my home.   But otherwise, I seem to have nailed 'em.  Ha.

The next thing was to pull together my 2010 information and complete the questionnaire.  At the time, it felt like..If I am going to complete this thing, I might as well do my taxes myself!  Then I mailed it to the guy and waited.  I required no in-person appointment, or even follow up phone calls.  Just a couple of e-mails.

A few weeks later, I received the return and the instructions for filing.  Well before the 15th, thank you. And once I read the thing, I realized that I made the right decision.   

BTT - Visual

"So … the books that you own (however many there may be) … do you display them proudly right there in plain sight for all the world to see? (At least the world that comes into your living room.)

Or do you keep them tucked away in your office or bedroom or library or closet or someplace less “public?”"

I have the great fortune of a room in my house that is..85% dedicated to books.  The 15% is that its closet holds most of my clothes.  And all of my chargers are in there, too.  

However, because this is a spare bedroom, it is on the second floor and thus "tucked away" so I am hardly showing it off.  Since I still have those old V.C. Andrews and V novels, I consider this a good thing.  

Further, the bookcase that holds my To Be Read books is in my bedroom.  You couldn't see the books anyway, because in front of them are..more books.

I don't think so much about whether anyone else can see my books.  I think things like, "Do I really want to have to run downstairs at midnight when I want to find something?"

Blanket Nine

This was my first Doing Something With Leftover Yarn project.  And I think it turned out just fine.  In fact,  I think I will try this "pattern" again (in as much as that brand of yarn was on sale  for real this week).

Loops & Threads Impeccable yarn in Seaside, Cadet and Forest.

Shout Out for Project Linus

William, who blogs at Philanthropy in Motion, took the lead from Carlo Garcia and is writing about daily donations to worthy organizations.  His angle is a bit different.  First, his focus is primarily on children's charities.  Second, he takes inspiration from the honorary days (and months) celebrating different causes.

He posted today about Project Linus, in honor of Stress Awareness Month.  Check him out!

Weekend Assignment #364: Ahead in the Clouds?

Weekend Assignment #364: Ahead in the Clouds?

Suddenly the marketing departments of Microsoft and other tech giants are all about "the cloud" or "clouds," the practice of storing large files online and streaming them rather than everyone storing them locally on their hard drives. Do you think this is a good idea, a bad idea or both?

Extra Credit: Do you still buy CDs and DVDs?

A few years ago, my laptop started sending me warnings that the hard drive was going to crash.  It was imminent.  I pulled my school assignments off to a thumb drive and my iTunes were backed up on an external drive.  But I had all those pictures in Picasa.  I didn't want them mixed up with iTunes and there wasn't room on the little drive with my stuff for school.  So I uploaded them to my web account.

Worked like a charm.  Such that this past weekend, when I bought the new laptop, I did the same thing.  And now I am wondering if I should bother to download those files again.

I have enjoyed streaming video from Academic Earth and from hulu.com.  But it is sort of like books.  There are things I borrow and things that I buy.  I still buy DVDs (though not nearly as many as in the past).  I still have a half-full DVR of things I am not watching.  I haven't tried Netflix yet because I don't want to add another monthly expense.  

Music is a bit of a different story.  Generally, if there is a song that I want, I will download it.  But if I want the entire album, I go with the CD.  The only exception was The National, whose CD was twice as expensive as the download.  So apparently, I have a tipping point somewhere.  But again, once it is "mine", I back it up on an external drive.

Overall, I still think of online more as a place of "sharing" rather than "owning".   So maybe I am just wading into the clouds.  But I certainly don't have enough experience to judge.

The Shack, by William P. Young

Book 23

I somehow missed that The Shack was a huge bestseller of the spiritual journey variety.  "Over one million copies in print."

I read a few of the reviews on Librarything, and it seems to me that readers judge the book based on how close Young gets to their own theology.  The Catholic really didn't like it.

The premise is that a guy whose young daughter was murdered receives a note in his mailbox, presumably from God, inviting him to meet up at the cabin in the woods where the daughter was killed.

This book is one guy's imagining of how God might show up an answer some questions and show the way back to a life filled with more love and less judgement.  While I found the narrative rather affected, and heavy-handed, it wasn't a bad imagining.

The one theme I found objectionable was that God continually repeated that people looking for "independence" were delusional and living in the matrix.  Actually said, "the matrix".

The best line was, "Mack wasn't sure what 'made it from scratch' meant when God was saying it."

Apparently, God likes to cook.  OK, then.

I am glad that I read this, but it didn't exactly change my life.

Again with the Cupcakes

About five minutes after professing that I am not a crazy cupcake lady, and that it is just a Washington thing, I saw a window sign in the Glen Town Center that a cupcakery  was coming.  Cup of Cake opened sometime when I was on the road and I went in on Thursday before heading to the Library.

They have tables, which is good.  And Hot Chocolate, which will make me very happy, assuming it is any good.  There are a few more bakery items along with the cupcakes.  The cupcakes are $2.75 each, which 25 cents less than the truck in DC and 75 cents less than the cupcakery on 7th street.

I ordered a cake pop, which seems to be the Next Big Thing (meaning that even Starbucks has them now).

I believe I read that it is cake mashed with frosting dipped in chocolate.  Read as:  sugar bomb.  I will not be ordering this again.

The really bad news is the operating hours.  They don't even open until noon and are closed on Sundays.

Happily, it seems I will not become Crazy Cupcake Lady.  But I am glad to have them.

Edit:  I just read that Facebook page that I linked to and it seems that their hours are changing and they will be open on Sundays soon.  Also, Friday and Saturday they will open at 11:30 a.m., which is better.  Somewhat.

Mac

I finally went for a new laptop and the crazies convinced me to go with Mac.  My brother called me a traitor.

I haven't done much with it yet.  I think I need a Dummies book for the operating system.  But I managed to connect to the Internet and transferred my iTunes.  The secret is to have your entire library backed up on an external drive.

Am I happy?  Not sure yet.  It has already dropped the wireless twice and don't know what the learning curve is like for people that have lived in Windows their entire lives.  But I can say without hesitation that this is the fastest machine I have ever worked with in my life.

That's good stuff.