Last year I finally qualified for American Airlines top frequent flyer status, Executive Platinum. It was really a "hack" due to special programs AA had out. Over the summer and fall, there were several ways to double up on qualifying points. If it weren't for those programs, I wouldn't have made it. Having been at Gold and the Platinum for several years, I'd enjoyed many of the benefits, primarily:

On the way home, I ponder possible pasta dinners. To listen to the episode, subscribe to the podcast feed in iTunes or whatever, download the episode directly, or click play below to listen right here: Click here for episode MP3 I ended up cooking up some spaghetti, with ground meat! I had two servings a a side salad. Oh, and here's that expensive but good sauce.

On the way home, I ponder possible pasta dinners. To listen to the episode, subscribe to the podcast feed in iTunes or whatever, download the episode directly, or click play below to listen right here: Click here for episode MP3 I ended up cooking up some spaghetti, with ground meat! I had two servings a a side salad. Oh, and here's that expensive but good sauce.

This month started off with my birthday, as it does every year. Kim was kind enough to throw me a surprise party - the second she's done - and many people were kind enough to come. Some even brought gifts, one of which I quickly finished off, mostly on the night of the party with willing help. Getting back into the routine is what January is for. After a two week Christmas and New Year's break, you get used to the life of leisure.

This month started off with my birthday, as it does every year. Kim was kind enough to throw me a surprise party - the second she's done - and many people were kind enough to come. Some even brought gifts, one of which I quickly finished off, mostly on the night of the party with willing help. Getting back into the routine is what January is for. After a two week Christmas and New Year's break, you get used to the life of leisure.

This month started off with my birthday, as it does every year. Kim was kind enough to throw me a surprise party - the second she's done - and many people were kind enough to come. Some even brought gifts, one of which I quickly finished off, mostly on the night of the party with willing help. Getting back into the routine is what January is for. After a two week Christmas and New Year's break, you get used to the life of leisure.

It's hard to get good customer service, but it's hard to be comfortable expecting it. On a recent Robert Brook episode he complains at length about the lack of old school customer service in London book stores: at the grand old Foyles in London. At least, he makes it sound as if it had been grand in the past. In particular, the two Roberts were remembering the good old days of helpful, bookish employees who might say something like, "

It's hard to get good customer service, but it's hard to be comfortable expecting it. On a recent Robert Brook episode he complains at length about the lack of old school customer service in London book stores: at the grand old Foyles in London. At least, he makes it sound as if it had been grand in the past. In particular, the two Roberts were remembering the good old days of helpful, bookish employees who might say something like, "

It's hard to get good customer service, but it's hard to be comfortable expecting it. On a recent Robert Brook episode he complains at length about the lack of old school customer service in London book stores: at the grand old Foyles in London. At least, he makes it sound as if it had been grand in the past. In particular, the two Roberts were remembering the good old days of helpful, bookish employees who might say something like, "

This past Sunday, several Austin-based coffee roaster got together for a sample-fest over at Owl Tree Roasting. With a $5 donation to Urban Roots as part of Eat Local Week, I crammed myself into a packed old car garage and managed to try coffee from several different roasters and coffee shops: Little City, Third Coast Coffee Roasters, Caffe Medici, Texas Coffee Traders, and Kohana. Own Tree Roasting is situated on one of the more interesting, run-down sections of the I-35 frontage road: just down the street from a latina strip-club, a tad north of two adult book-stores, and once a near-neighbor of Collier's Caskets, the last of which seems to have moved.