scottboyarsky

Best of 2009 - Music

I’m not so sure 2009 ranks among the tops when it comes to music, though looking back on the year, there are definitely some gems. If you asked me at the beginning of the year if Phish would be back, I would say not a chance. If you asked me if I could have imagined seeing 7 shows this year, including a two night stand at The Gorge, I would have also said no way. And if you asked me if I would have a Phish album in my top 10 list of 2009, I would have said, not a chance in hell.  But, here we are, about to end 2009, and not only did all of those things happen, but a whole lot of other great music made its way into my rotation.  So, without further ado, here is my top 10 albums of 2009:

10. The Bird and The Bee - Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future

9. Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears - Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is

8. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion

7. Wilco - Wilco The Album

6. Neko Case - Middle Cyclone

5. Phish - Joy

4. The Avett Brothers - I and Love and You

3. Monsters of Folk - Monsters of Folk

2. The Felice Brothers - Yonder Is The Clock

1. The Derek Trucks Band - Already Free

Honorable Mention:

• Silversun Pickups - Swoon
• Bob Dylan - Together Through Life
• Allen Toussaint - The Bright Mississippi
• Swell Season - Strict Joy
• M. Ward - Hold Time
• The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
• Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit
• Arctic Monkeys - Humbug
• Coconut Records - Davy
• The Dead Weather - Horehound
• (late entry) Mayer Hawthorne - A Strange Arrangement

Here’s a look back at my 2008 list

My Classic Thanksgiving Day Menu

So excited for Thanksgiving this year.  I’m hosting, and doing just about all of the cooking.  It’s Sunday night and I’ve already begun… here’s what’s in store for my guests…

Wine Selection:

• 2006 Jean Louis Chave Offerus St. Joseph

Appetizers:

• Antipasto Tray (salami, prosciutto, mortadella, provolone, parmesan, olives, peppers)
• Shrimp Cocktail - Alton’s recipe
• Crostinis
• Hummus and pita chips

Sides:

• Butternut Squash Soup
• Smashed Yukon Gold Potatoes
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts with pancetta and shallots
• Sweet Corn Bread Pudding

Main Course:

• One 15lb organic free range turkey - meticulously prepared following Alton Brown’s perfect turkey recipe

Accompaniments:

• Turkey Gray
• Tart Cranberry Dipping Sauce

Dessert:

• Libby’s Classic Pumpkin Pie

After Dinner Drink:

• Dow’s 1994 Vintage Port

CenterStage with Andre Agassi

The Continuing Story of Twitter and General Electric Customer Service

This post is a continuation of my earlier post about my customer service experience with GE.

About two weeks after my email exchange with GE customer service, I was delighted to receive a check for $176.50.

Subsequently, I exchanged emails with the customer service rep, thanking her for helping me out, and going above and beyond. I also used it as an opportunity to express my continued disappointment with the quality of my GE appliances, and explained to her that there were other problems with my fridge, namely a broken ice maker.

The replacement parts are quite expensive - about $275 - and so I have been using an old-school ice tray to make ice. I wasn’t asking GE to do anything about it.  I just wanted them to know that for such an expensive part, it should last longer then just a few years.

I received an email from GE customer service this morning informing me that I should be on the lookout for brand new replacement parts for my ice-maker and bucket assembly.

This generosity came unexptidly, out of nowhere.

While I can’t help but be frustrated by the issues I’ve had with my GE appliances, I have to admit, I think they have earned a customer for life… or at least someone that will always keep GE on the list of choices when shopping for a new appliance.

Twitter and General Electric Customer Service

I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with a recent experience with GE customer service. It’s not often that I go out of my way to talk about a customer service experience, especially when it’s good.  If you know me, you know that you usually only hear the gripes.  Well, let me tell you why I feel compelled to share this experience with you.

About a week ago, my 7 year old GE fridge unexpectedly stopped working. I had tried everything I could think of to get it working, but when I realized the issue was not something I could fix, I had no choice but to schedule a service call.  I was able to schedule the service call online, through GE’s website.  It even let me pick the service day and time.  It was quick and easy, and actually worked as expected.

The GE service technician arrived on time, as scheduled.  After running some tests, he determined that I needed a new control board (basically the brains of the fridge).  It ended up being a $353 repair - $110 for the part, $60 for a set of new water filters, $160 for the service call, plus tax.

What upset me was that it was the 3rd major GE appliance I’ve had repaired in the last 7 year. Given that my house is only 7 years old, and all of my major appliances were purchased brand new with the house, and are all GE, I was pissed.  Not knowing who to even gripe to about the disappointment in quality, and all the expenses I’ve incurred, I turned to Twitter to see if GE had a customer service twitter account.

The only GE twitter account I was able to find was for Megan Parker, who runs a blog for GE called GE Reports.  Well, I decided to send Megan the following tweet…

I was just venting, and did not expect anything to come of it.  Well, to my surprise, I received a reply from Megan asking me to send her my contact info so that she could pass it to the right person within GE.

I did just that, and this morning I received this email from a GE representative.

I quickly responded to the email with all of the pertinent information.  To my surprise, the rep told me that they were going to send me a refund for half of the service call.  While it does not address the quality issues with my GE appliances, it does tell me that GE does care about their customers.  For this to happen so quickly, because of a 140 character twitter post that I fired off, speaks volumes to the power of social networking, and to the value GE places on their customers.

11/11/09 - Read the latest update on my GE customer service experience.

US Open 2009

Phish - Merriweather Post Pavilion - August 15, 2009

Phish - The Gorge - August 7 & 8, 2009