Renew Now!, and etc.

Has this ever happened to you? You subscribe to a magazine of some sort, and one day in the mail you get a letter saying “time to renew your subscription at special rates”, or maybe: “renew now and save”. Well, of course you can’t find the magazine, or the little label has peeled off, or the publisher cleverly puts the label on a clear plastic sleeve you have to destroy to get to the publication. And, you can’t really remember when you “upped” or how long it was. So, you go to the website to the “customer service” tab (if you can find the almost grayed out 2 point font link), to find a screen that says “please enter your 16 digit account code” with a little diagram showing you where that is—on the upper right on that label you don't have in the first place!! If I knew where the damn label was, I MIGHT be able find when my subscription expires. So, you go back in your financial records and find that you wrote a check last year for a three year extension. Whew. Into the trash. A month later: “time is running out! We haven’t heard from you”. Trash. Another few weeks: “William! This is your last chance at special rates!!”. You’re helpless.

Or, say that you give gift subscriptions for Christmas presents (which I do). Along about May or June they start coming! “Only six months till your gifts run out! Renew now!” along with a little form for checking “renew this gift” or “Don’t renew”. This year, I decided that I would not renew a couple, so just ignored the notice. Bad idea. A week later: “Tell us what to do about (Name)!!. Okay, I’ll spend 42 cents and check the “do not” box. Mail that. Uh uh. Next comes an envelope with “URGENT” highlighted on the front, with a little open window with your former recipient’s name. “Don’t disappoint (name)!. You can’t win.

And, although the magazines are bad enough, the kings of this practice are the non-profits, like the National Wildlife Organization or Save the Bay, things like that. Same scam. An envelope arrives with a “renewal” notice. They often even send a plastic “members” card. Think there’s an expiration date on it? Ha ha. Maybe a membership number, but going to their website gets you nothing. Send an inquiry to “customer service”? get real.

One has to wonder how many people blindly believe the publishers are ethical, and keep writing checks, resulting in subscriptions that expire beyond their reasonable life expectation. Ridiculous? I am sorry to admit that last year I had a membership in the Audubon society until 2015.

Time Marches On

Nothing is forever.. our (almost) nightly ritual of cocktails entails doing work or chores until about 7, sometimes watching evening news while constructing a dry Manhattan, on the rocks, with a twist, and a Bombay Gin Gimlet with fresh squeezed lime juice. Then perhaps some cheese (or Waffle Snax), chex mix, cheetos, cheeze its, (note orange theme) or lately MFO has found some breadsticks that are fairly tasty (see below). Then, depending on weather or season, we either settle on the porch or stay in the living room, switch over to channel five and enjoy re-runs of “Seinfeld”. Somehow no matter how many times you see it, it remains fresh and funny. Sort of like Mr. Silberschlag observed the other day, the more familiar you are with it, the more you appreciate the nuances. When you know a line is coming, the anticipation builds and the more you enjoy the delivery. Anyway (finally the nothing part…), Fox has decided that we would rather see syndications of “The Office” instead of the tried and true Jerry/George/Kramer/Elaine show. Sigh….

Oh, the breadsticks. We have found some fairly tasty ones available at Shoppers, shown below with a serving suggestion.



A word of warning however, if you enjoy them on the porch it might be wise to bring them inside because the overnight humidity is not kind to their structure. For evidence, here’s one we didn’t finish the previous evening..



At this point, the clever editor could insert slightly off color references to certain widely advertised products as seen on television mainly during manly events like pro football games that feature bath tubs. But, knowing the high intelligence of the loyal readers, it is, as they say, left to the reader.

DF?

Errata: it just might be that the august gentlement in feathered hats pictured in yesterdays Chapel just might be Knights of Columbus. Not brought up Catholic.....