Author: Lisa

Hold that music!

How long now have companies had customer service lines? Fifty years? Eighty? So why is it that they have not yet figured out hold music? Anyone who’s calling customer service already has a problem. So a company should start the conversation pleasantly, right? But no. We’re already irritated with the product, service or website when we pick up the … read more Hold that music!

Separate but not equal

The northern suburbs of Atlanta don’t actually end. They just hit the mountains and crawl up the sides of them. In nearly nine years that I’ve lived here, I’ve watched new housing developments fill in land that was farms and forest. The prices on the billboards run from “the $200s” to “the $700s”. All the … read more Separate but not equal

Moving into a slower space

When Tom and I first returned to America after living overseas for five years, we couldn’t stand to drive on the freeway. Everything was so fast! It was unbearable. We’d been living in Kabul, Dubai, and Dili, where auto travel was closer to the speed of horse and buggy. Now, I catch myself doing 80 on the … read more Moving into a slower space

List oppression

Some days, when the to-do list is long, I end up feeling that I’ve accomplished nothing. I didn’t finish that research project. I didn’t write that column for the local newspaper. I didn’t respond to three of my friends. I didn’t catch up on my blog posts. I didn’t mail those packages to my sisters. … read more List oppression

Inside and out

They ask how I am. I say that I’m OK. They compliment my haircut. I don’t show them the five-inch scar it hides. We talk for awhile, and they say it’s amazing how well I’ve recovered. Fooled ’em again. It’s been more than four months since the brain surgery, and most people can see no evidence … read more Inside and out

Building a business around one question

You’ve probably gotten this email: “We value your business. Please answer our one-question survey…” The survey question is, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely are you to recommend this product to a friend?” Take care how you answer. Someone’s job might be riding on whether you pick an 8 or a 9. In … read more Building a business around one question

Anger isn’t stupidity

A popular meme from a liberal writer, Andy Borowitz, today: Stopping Trump is a short-term solution. The long-term solution, and it will be more difficult, is fixing the education system that has created so many people ignorant enough to vote for Trump. Here’s the problem with that statement: It’s playground name-calling dressed up in a grown-up … read more Anger isn’t stupidity