On Apple and the Importance of the Apology...

I have been musing lately on apologies. I think they are important.

Marriage has been a great learning ground for the art of the apology…I have yet to master it. J I have learned though that the simple and heartfelt words, “I am sorry” and “I forgive you” are SUPER powerful!

So when my husband overslept for work on January 2, 2011 because his iPhone 4 alarms failed to go off, and other people missed flights and work appointments for the same reason,  I kind of expected an apology for the blunder.

We weren’t really that upset over it. Thankfully, by strange and blessed Providence I woke up at 5:30am that morning, looked at the clock, and wondered why my husband was still in bed (his alarm was set for 4:20am and he should have already been at the hospital). He ended up rushing to the hospital and arriving in enough time to finish rounds and escape being yelled at. Huzzah! 

But, at hearing the response from Apple (CNN story about alarms and Apple statement)

We did get upset. We were let down. I thought they were a good company, who seemed to care about their customers and consumers (we are, afterall, the ones who pay their bills).

I realize their statement was an attempt to save face after royally bungling, and there are probably very good legal reasons for not coming out and directly acknowledging they messed up.

I would just like to say (since I can, and this is my own little slice of the public sector) I would have far more respect for Apple if they had said something like:

“We apologize for this oversight. It shouldn’t have happened. We are working on fixing the problem. Here is what you can do for now if you still wish to use your iPhone as your alarm. We will have a software solution by X date.”

Or something like that.

Instead, I heard “This is not a problem…you as the consumer can fix this if you all turn your alarms to repeat. Issue solved. Aren't we clever?”

As it is I still forgive them. But, I gotta say I think they missed out on the apology. 

New Years Resolution 2011

Happy New Year!

I usually avoid these. If I make resolutions, turn a new leaf, or repent (to turn from something) of something its usually at random times throughout the year. This one happened to come out of a few conversations with Drew (supplied by ample time to chat on our drives during the holidays) and coincided nicely with the New Year...so my New Year's resolution 2011 is:

To be more committed to blogging. I am going to attempt to post at least once a week. Hopefully more.

I think it will be a good opportunity for me to keep developing my writing skills. I have not ruled out the possibility of writing a book one day and while I am no longer in school I have found ways of developing my scholarly inclinations in other ways (primarily reading, watching documentaries, and asking lots of questions). Writing has been lacking.

Also, I would like to be better about keeping my friends and family updated on our lives, and the blog helps...if they read it. :)

Finally, my last reason is that I am developing into a better cook and baker. Not great, but better. I have been inspired by a few other food blogs. I would like to have a running account of my progress and what I have tried the I liked, and if other people like them too. And if anything I make helps my fellow man, thats great too. I can only assume there are others out there like me whose time and budgets are tight, but who love tasty, healthy food made in the comfort of their own home.

So, feel free to keep me accountable...or just expect to hear from me here more often. BTW, Drew said he would try to contribute every-so-often as well.

Poor sleepy Drew

Last week was pretty grueling for Drew.

He would ask me to check his alarm before we went to bed every night, to make sure it was set correctly...

Yes, thats right, 3:30am!!! Every morning last week.

This week is a little better, he gets to "sleep in" till 4:15am. However he is on call tonight which means he is working all night at the hospital and will not be home until 5pm tomorrow.

Please pray for him to have sustained energy. He is in really great spirits for as little sleep and downtime as he has. He is enjoying this week getting to work in the Orthopedic Surgery department.

He has a big exam coming up next week (just before Thanksgiving) and will be studying for that this weekend. Meanwhile, I will be working on fund raising...and possibly seeing Harry Potter?

Halloween - Roman Style

We decided to dress up for Halloween this year. We dont usually, but thought it would be fun this year. We also thought we were going to a costume party, but turned out we got a trick rather than a treat...no one else dressed up. :(

Can you say awkward?

Here's a shot of us all dressed up:

We are the worlds worst picture takers. We had to take at least 6 shots because one or both of us was not looking at the camera or it was out of focus or our faces were cut off. But I think we did a pretty good job taking it ourselves with my phone camera. :)

Fall is (Almost) Here!

We dont really get much of a fall in Texas. It kind of goes from summer to winter. But in honor of the season and the fact that we have had milder (70s) weather this week I am choosing to claim that its now fall. 

 To celebrate I got these cool decorative squash at HEB

House Plant update

I tend to kill plants pretty easily, but I really wanted to try again. I mentioned a few posts ago that I found $1 house plants at HEB and felt safe buying them. If they die, at least they were only a $1.

I thought I would give you an update:

2 out of the 3 are doing pretty well.

The third one, as you can see is sad, wilted, and appears to be dying.

Those of you with green thumbs out there...any thoughts?
Its pretty demoralizing because it started to look like this literally the day after it came home with me.

I have been watering each of them once a week, although the sickly one seems to dry out more quickly so I have watered it twice this past week.

My mom also passed on one of her basil plants to me. I baby it, because we love basil around here and it is way to expensive to buy fresh herbs. She told me it needs full sun, and our apartment doesn't really have a spot that gets full sun (most of the time this is great because it decreases our electric bill). So to keep my basil happy and alive I move it around throughout the day (on the days I am home) to catch full sun - by our front door in the mornings, on the patio table in the afternoons. It seems to be doing very well too. :)

Happy Basil in the Afternoon:

It is sitting on our porch table. When we first got the table and chairs (for free from my parents' neighbors!Thanks!) I had grand hopes of having dinners out there often...it has only happened once so far. But the weather has been nice lately so maybe we will get in one more patio dinner before the winter sets in - it literally moves from summer to winter here. 

Drew's 25th Birthday

We had a great weekend for Drew's 25th birthday (October 24th). Thankfully, he had the weekend completely off and did not have to go up to the hospital!

We kicked it off on Friday by going shopping and then had dinner at BJ's with some other med school buddies. And as we all know now, the Rangers brought down "the Evil Empire" (as Drew likes to call the Yankees) just for his birthday. :) It was alot of fun, especially since everyone in the restaurant was watching the game.

I was a really bad wife and neglected to bring the camera and then forgot to even snap a shot with my phone. I apologize.

Saturday we totally lounged around all day. Slept in, at least, as much as Drew's body would let him...when you only get 5-6 hours of sleep a night 8-9 seems truly indulgent. We watched the 3rd season of the Tudors, which we got as part of Drew's present.

That night I made one of his favorite meals: Fried Ravioli with Chicken in Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Marinara. It was tasty :) Drew didn't want any kind of dessert, even for his birthday. He really doesn't crave sweets like he used to - this is a terrible development for me because if I make something sweet I can no longer count on him to eat most of it so I dont have to.

Sunday was pretty routine - church, laundry, clean-up the apartment, studying, emails, work-out, and relax.

Hope your weekends were great too!