10/27/08 - Come on Subway...Really?

So after churchon Sunday, I was craving Subway really bad. What I was really looking forward to was a Pizza Sub, but going in, I knew I was going to have problems because it is not on the $5 sub list, and I don't want to spend more than I have to.

A 6" Pizza Sub costs $3.69. To make it a foot long, you add $2.50 for a total cost of $6.19. This of course is $1.19 more than the list of $5 subs which includes Meatball Marinara and the new Chicken Pizziola. I had come up with several thoughts on how to get my Pizza Sub, so here is what happened.

1) I asked if the Pizza Sub was on the $5 menu in hopes that it had made it on since the last time I made it to Subway....no deal.
2) I asked if I could order a Meatball Marinara and just replace the meatballs with pepperoni (the meatballs vs. pepperoni being the ONLY difference between the two subs). They said that that would constitute some sort of replacement fee....no deal.
3) She said I could get a Chicken Pizziola, so I asked if I could get the Chicken Pizziola and just leave off the chicken, since the only difference between the two is that the new sub is a Pizza Sub plus chicken. She said that she could not do that....no deal.

Now, let me get this straight, I can almost understand the replacement thing, but you can't tell me that one of those meats they offer is so much more expensive than another that they have to charge to cover costs. But the last scenario is RIDICULOUS. I was going to have to pay an EXTRA $1.19 to get less food. I was willing to pay the price for the Chicken Pizziola and only get a half of the total meat, which if you double your meat is an additional couple dollars.

I am positive that at least one of the guys that works for Subway corporate offices took a math class in college. At the very least, they took Intro to Algebra or something. And yet, they have rules in place that prevented me from saving them money. It might be one of the stupidest things I've ever encountered.

I will say this, the Chicken Pizziola is one of the best sandwiches I've ever had, and unfortunately, it is only on the $5 menu for a limited time which means that this was probably the one and only time I'll ever order it. But come on Subway...let's put the 2nd cheapest sub you can order (2nd only to the veggie sub) on the $5 menu...it just makes sense.

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10/14/08 - Airlines and airports

Cristi and Makenna flew out of Little Rock Airport yesterday morning to spend the week with Cristi's mom in Florida. I was reminded why I hate the entire airline industry during the entire process.

First, ticket purchases. Granted, her mom was wonderful enough to buy the plane ticket for us, but in general, I have a problem with the business model. Why are they non-refundable, transferrable all that jazz? When you buy a ticket to watch the Razorbacks, they don't care who eventually sits in that seat, if anyone sits there at all. Airlines, though, insist that if you buy the ticket, you are the only person that can sit there. They get there money no matter what, what should they care? Don't tell me it is for security, because the security checkpoint verifies that the person going through is not a terrorist (more on this later) regardless of the name on the plane ticket. Here is where it gets worse. It is my understanding that EVERY plane is intentionally overbooked with the assumption that a couple people will either forget their flight, or just miss it for one reason or another. This happened to Cristi on her second flight yesterday (where she was actually bumped to first class, a nice little perk, but still doesn't make up for everything else). So, the airlines overbook on purpose, and then force people to either pay another fee to cancel/transfer, and then it's possible you might get bumped from a flight because they sold too many tickets (this happened on three of the four flights I was on during the New York trip.)

Second issue. The airlines have a 50 pound limit on luggage. That's fine, I can kind of understand that for safety reasons for people loading the luggage and as my wife mentioned, possibly due to flight weight and fuel usage (but don't tell me a bag 5 pounds over is going to cost the $50 fee for an oversized bag). So before we left, I weighed each of her bags and made sure they were underweight. To reach this weight however, I had to remove some of her toiletries and without thinking about it, put it in her carry on because she had some extra room in there. When we checked in, the attendant walked over and picked up each bag seperately and then told us to take them to the scan place. You are going to tell me that this lady who might have weighted 120 pounds can tell the difference between a 45 pound bag (which is about what her's weighed) and a 55 pound overweight bag? That upset me that I went to so much trouble to fit into the airlines policy, and then they don't enforce it.

Third issue. She checked two bags, that cost us forty friggin dollars. For smaller bags, it would be cheaper to ship the things overnight then check them with the airline. Not to mention, you have a better chance of not having your luggage lost, broken, scuffed or broken by shipping it. I don't know who thought it was a good idea to add the luggage fee, but regardless of the fact the airlines are making money hand over fist, it upsets me greatly because there are no other options. Overnight or weekend trips for a guy can fit in a carry on (with one exception, more on this later) but most females require more than will fit in a carry on and therefore it is almost required they check one bag.

Fourth issue. Clear is a new "feature" airports offer to bypass the security lines. You can pay a yearly fee (I think it's like $50 a year or something), and this allows you to scan your little credit card looking thing, a fingerprint or something and you can go straight to the metal detectors and skip the whole checkpoint line. This means that because of the terrorist fear (again, more on this later), this company, regardless of who they are owned by (airline, airport...whatever) are making money on the sensationalized fear that main stream media has plugged into the average American.

Fifth issue. After Cristi got through the first checkpoint, I went ahead and left since there was nothing more that I could do. When I got to the truck, I checked my parking ticket and realized that I was at 59 mintues so instead of sitting in my car and waiting for cristi to call and let me know she got to the gate, I went to the parking attendant and paid. It cost $2 for one hour of parking. I understand why they do it, obviously to make money, but I feel that that is a bit excessive and somewhat taking advantage of people. Most people who are flying are businessmen and they have to park their cars overnight and stuff like that, but there is also a percentage of people who are dropping off or picking up a loved one. If you want to escort them to the gate, or pick them up at the gate (or at least to the security checkpoint since no one is allowed near the gates because that could cause the country to be blown up) you have to park and pay. I feel the airport is taking advantage of this. I don't like it.

Sixth issue. As I mentioned, I went ahead and left once Cristi got past the first (of several) security checkpoints. I had just gotten on the interstate when she calls and asks if I am still there. I say no and she says, oh...then nevermind. I asked what was going on and she reminded me that I had put...GASP...liquids in her carryon when I moved over the toiletry items. They were, among others, baby bug spray, baby sunscreen, baby lotion and baby shampoo. The bug spray and sun screen were in a 8oz container, no way can this be allowed on an airplane. The other two were in 4oz. bottles...HEAVENS NO...not 4oz. Anything larger than 3.5oz is considered suspect and must be confiscated. I do not blame the people making the decisions that local airports, I do blame the rules in general and the people making these rules. What is frustrating is simply the fact that it will cost us probably $15-$20 to repurchase the items that they took...a small price to pay for the knowledge of knowing the plane won't blow up, but I don't see it that way.

Here's why. The reason, from my understanding, that liquids aren't allowed is because a while back there was a suspected terrorist that had a gatorade bottle filled with a liquid that might have been explosive. I don't think anything was every proven that it was in fact going to be used as a bomb. Right after that, you were not allowed to have ANY liquids in carry-on. They then changed that to be only liquids that fit in a 3.5oz container or smaller and they all must fit in a quart size bag. Give me a break. I don't have any desire to carry explosive materials on a plane, but even I can figure out that those rules means that I can basically carry a quart of any liquid on a plane, as long as they are in seperate small bottles. I can also figure out that if I have 10 friends fly with me, I can get 10 quarts of any liquid on the plane. The rule sucks, there are too many ways around it, and besides that, your bags are "randomly" tested for explosives and if you looked suspect or your luggage looked suspect, you would "randomly" be tested. They need to remove the liquid ban now.

It is because of this rule, it is virtually impossible to travel for more than a day or two without having to check baggage. I don't think you can find shave gel in containers smaller than 3.5oz. If you are on a business trip, how are you supposed to shave? Besides that, you have to have a razor...oh yeah, that's not allowed on a plane either. Were you considering that you might need to file back a nail or cut your nails...forget that, you can't take a file or nail clippers either. That has to be checked in with the airlines, which means you are going to have to pay their checked baggage fee. (except Southwest....they don't have these fees....yet).

Here's another thing, when we went to New York, Chris and Geoffrey both had containers of toothpaste larger than 3.5oz....they never said a word to them. If the rules are going to be there....for crying out loud, actually stick with them.

Another reason. After the 9/11 attack, security got locked down on airlines and airports. Why would a terrorist group even consider going this route again? They knew we would start watching closer. By adding all the security, I truly feel like they have taken away some of my freedoms. That makes me sick because basically (it's a cliche, I know)...the terrorist have won.

Seventh Issue. I got sidetracked, but there is one more reason. Again, related to the above security checkpoint, you can't take in food or drinks (with the exception of baby food and medicine...which seriously, if you are a terrorist, you know these rules, they are TOO EASY to get around). So if you have a long layover, running late and need to eat before or between a flight...you have to buy the food in the airport. Guess what, those places jack up their prices through the roof. Cristi got a sub from Quizno's yesterday and since she was in a hurry, she didn't realize until after she had paid that she dropped $10 for a sub. A sub that would normally cost about $5 and some change in a normal Quizno's. I know that Burger King is the same way. You pay an extra 3 or 4 dollars in an airport BK than what you would at the BK around the corner from your house. I understand companies need to make a profit, but I believe the term for that is price gouging.

Summary: Wow, I didn't realize this post was going to be so long, but apparently I have serious issues with the whole system. Outside of not flying (which I don't do enough to make a difference to the airlines or the system), there is nothing I can really do. It just makes me sick that if you are traveling a long distance, this is basically the only way to go. Because of this, you don't have choices in the grand scheme of things. I guess you could just buy your own plane and build an airfield in your backyard (see: John Travolta) but that doesn't fit in most people's budget. I wish I could say I feel better after typing all this, but I don't, it still make me sick. And it's going to cost another $40 to check the same luggage coming back home, so I'm already upset about that. Not to mention the parking for when I go pick them up at the airport.

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4/7/08 - Bottled water is not good. Period.

Here's the thing. I don't have any scientific proof for what I'm about to talk about. I don't have any fancy charts or pretty graphs. My research is limited to only what I've read in passing over the last however long I've cared about this topic. I am not an expert on the environment. I have not won a Nobel Peace Prize or studied the effects of "Global Warming". I have never studied directly under Dave Ramsey. I am not a CPA and have never invested in Mutual Funds.

What I do know is that bottled water is NOT good for the environment and is financially "not smart".

I'll hit on the environmental aspect first. Plastic is not biodegradable. Water comes packaged in plastic bottles which are single use entities. Every time you finish off a bottle of water, it gets thrown into the trash, which is then taken to a landfill (or in some cases, dumped somewhere you wouldn't expect). Once in the landfill, that bottle will be there for years to come. I have no data, so I'm not going to throw out any specific time, but I would guess that it will be there for your grandkids grandkids, if not longer.

Financially, it just doesn't make sense to me. I recognize that bottled water is not incredibly expensive and is much cheaper than soft drinks. This does not change the fact that there are other MUCH cheaper options than bottled water. Your kitchen sink is the first that comes to mind. Recently, I decided that I would start drinking a glass of water every night. I have no idea why I decided that, but it seemed like a good idea. Instead of going through a bottle of water, I chose to actually drink tap water, out of a glass and I was amazed that I actually enjoyed the taste better than the bottled stuff. What's even better is that I can add ice cubes in a glass of water, but I have to refrigerate the bottles for several hours to get them chilled.

You might say immediately that to you the quality of the bottled water is much better. I find it hard to believe that that is truly the case. Their are two different bodies that govern and regulate the quality of water both in the bottled water industry and the municipal water sources. From my understanding, tap water is held to a higher standard and is much more readily monitored. I wish I had better facts, but as I said at the beginning of this post, I'm just regurgitating what I've heard in the past.

Evian spelled backwards is Naive. The entire bottled water industry has been increase in popularity primarily from marketing which emphasises both the convenience and the "higher quality" of the companies product. Marketing is an amazing thing, it works, but I believe that this country should be more educated regarding bottled water.

I recognize that bottled water is very convenient. It comes prepackaged, you don't have to fill up anything or worry about spills. But at the end of the day, how long does it really take to fill up a reused bottle. This is what I would recommend, go ahead and buy a pack of bottled water. Put three or four in the fridge and when you empty one of them, fill it back up with tap water (or filtered water, more in a second) and put it right back in the fridge. It takes all of about 20 seconds and in that time, you saved a little bit of money AND helped out Mother Earth. Now, I have read research that states after about 5 or 6 uses, the plastic can start to degrade. I don't even reuse a bottle but maybe four times tops. After that, I throw it away and put a new bottle in the fridge. This is still slightly wasteful, but four times better than not doing it.

Several years ago, Cristi and I realized how silly it was that we were going through so much bottled water. What we did is went and got a Brita filter. It had an easy dispense spout on the front and held a gallon and a half or something like that. We would use that to fill up our bottles and that way, we had the convenience and had the "clean" taste that some people prefer. (I still can't tell the difference between cold filtered water and cold tap water).

Last but not least. Something that I've found works really well to increase the flavor of water that doesn't require any bottles, filters or anything like that is ice. By getting the water as cold as possible (obviously without freezing it) the flavors almost completely go away. Here's my favorite recipe. Take a regular glass, fill half way with ice cubes or crushed ice, top off glass with regular cold tap water and enjoy. Give it a try, see what you think.

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3/24/08 - You don't own the road

This is going to be one of my personal rants. If you don't really care how I feel about things, you can skip this post altogether and visit Rainbow Land. This particular situation has not come up in quite some time, simply because I haven't been shopping or in an area where many people are gathered.

Here's the basic problem: There are some people in this world that thing they are owed something. People who think they have been wronged somehow and therefore think they own the place. Of course, there is a smaller subset of these people who just don't care, and they have other issues I don't care to deal with.

I believe that about every other time I visit Wal-Mart, Target, or pretty much any other large parking lot area, there is at least one person who things that those wide lanes were designed and created so that they could walk right down the middle of it. News flash people, those lanes are wide enough for two cars to drive down it, and they were not designed primarily for use by pedestrians. There have been times that I have come into this situation, and the person turns around to see that a car is coming and they get out of the way. This post is not about them. I'm talking about the person (typically with their five children) who does not even bother to look around to see if there is a car around. Not to mention the fact that unless you are driving an electric car, vehicles are not made to be stealthy. You can hear when a car is approaching. Now let's say that said person (with multiple children, none of which they are paying attention to) can not hear the vehicle and therefore is not moving. I'll give them a little bit of a break on this, but at the same time, why in the world are they allowing their children (assuming they are related somehow) to walk down a road (that's what it is, it's a road, a slow road, but a road with moving vehicles) virtually unattended, that's a different rant altogether.

But then there are those people who hear the vehicle, turn around and look, and continue to walk right down the middle...that really gets me, that gets me good. In fact, when this situation comes up, (and Cristi hates this) I will get basically as close to the person as possible (still with plenty of space to stop, of course we are only going about 5 miles an hour) and rev the engine. Basically, I'm tailgating the person/people, and they aren't in a car. I've been tempted to honk, but if I were to do that, Cristi would probably beat me to death with her backhand.

Here's another situation. Wal-mart has the largest pedestrian crossing area in the world. I think the entire area in front of the store is marked as pedestrian crossing. Now, I understand that they have the right of way, but out of consideration, there is no reason to take 5 minutes to cross a 20 foot space. When I come out of Wal-mart, I immediately look both ways to determine if there is anyone coming. If there is, I will simply travel down the sidewalk towards my car instead of impeding the flow of traffic. Once there is a break, I cross and head to my vehicle. Now, if it's busy, I will slowly creep towards the road and wait for someone to pause before entering the crossing zone. Once I'm allowed into the street, I will move at a brisk jog, or at a minimum a fast walk. I recognize that even though I'm not in a hurry, someone else probably is. I'm sure I've been guilty of the things I've mentioned, but I really do make an honest effort to prevent myself from doing these same things.

Last but not least, it's a similar situation in the parking lot, but then when you get into the store, and I'm using Wal-mart again as an example. I will be the first to admit that my wife is guilty of this just as much if not more than anyone else. When you are shopping, and the aisles are just wide enough for two carts to pass each other, DON'T STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF AN AISLE! If I had to guess, I'd say this happens anywhere from 5-10 times every single time I go into the store. What makes it even worse is when you are walking down a major aisle, such as the one in front of the check out counters, someone is in front of you, you've got heavy traffic going in both directions (everyone following the rules of the road, drive on the right), and suddenly the person in front of you, with there entourage of people stops. Comes to a complete stop and you've got to either swerve to avoid hitting them or come to a complete stop yourself and hope the person behind you doesn't hit you. The way I see it, treat the aisles just like you were driving. You don't own the road and you don't own the road, so why do you think you should own the aisle.

Let's say you need to get Tomato soup (a common item on our grocery list). If you have been to wal-mart recently, you know that there are roughly 725 different kinds of soup made by Campbell. And every time you go, they rearrange them. Chicken noodle is on the top row on the left one day, and the next day it's in the middle row on the far right. I understand you have to look for it. But I simply ask this of you, don't park your cart in the middle of aisle next to the macaroni and cheese 20 feet away and walk to the soups. Take the cart with you. Park directly across the aisle from the soup and search while still monitoring your cart. This way, you should be out of the way as people can still pass on one side of you. And if you are in the way of someone (say someone is looking for the tomato paste which you are now parked in front of), you can easily slide your cart a few feet in one direction and everyone is happy.

Some might think that I life a miserable life because there are some many things that get under my skin. I really don't, I just always expect the best out of people and do everything I can to treat others the way I expect to be treated. The above items seem like simple common courtesy and I don't understand why other's can't feel the same way. I do let these things get under my skin more than I should, and I'm sure my blood pressure rises. I would love to get feedback from anyone on why my feelings are wrong, what I should do, or basically whatever you think about what I've said.

Labels: rant