30 GB Zune portable music player

Rating:	★
Category:	Computers & Electronics
Product Type:	Other
Manufacturer:	Microsoft

As though a great disturbance had happened in the Force... There was a great cry, as though millions of Zunes had suddenly gone silent...

...But wait,

they did.

Bwa ha ha ha ha!

...And there was a great wailing, and gnashing of teeth...

A New Years' Treat (Now Updated With More Boozy Goodness)

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Other

For those of who who are teetotalers, this post will not have anything for you really to enjoy.

Right.

It's New Years', traditionally a "get blitzed" holiday, at least in my house.

So, because my coolness truly knows no bounds, I will share with you one of my favorite drink recipes; a twist on a lesser-known recipe called "Cinnamon Toast."

First, get some of the pre-mixed "pumpkin pie spice." Or mix your own; it's cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.

For each 8 ounce mug:

3 1/2 ounces Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum (specifically; it's worth it.)
6 ounces hot apple cider
1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp honey

Serve hot.

I can't call it Cinnamon Toast, because of the ginger and nutmeg, and it's made from friggin' apple cider.

So I'll call it Xenocider.

The irony.

Oh, the horrible, tragic irony.

At any rate, trust me, it's a good way to start off the year.

Christmas.

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Other

This year has been a challenge, that's for sure.

And God knows, I've never been much of a holiday person. Yesterday was the third anniversary of my father's death, and that's another strike against Christmas as a holiday.

But you know what?

I have fucking FANTASTIC friends.

This year has been very, very challenging for us, and all of you have been there for us in one way or another, big or small, when we needed it.

Normally I hate on the holidays and act like the Grinch.

Not this year.

Merry Christmas. Thank you all for being who you are, and sharing some of that with me.

I hope, for all of us, that this coming year proves to be better, and brighter, than the years before.

And I know if it isn't, you guys will be there again.

The bar's open. Go party.

Tom Cruise On Broadway!

Rating:	★
Category:	Other

Fark.com nailed it: "Tom Cruise puts to rest the questions about his sexuality by saying he wants to sing on Broadway" with a "fail" tag.

My wife said, "You should see the clip. It was too painful for me to watch and I like Ben Stiller movies."

...So, here it is:

I would say "Enjoy!" but that would be impossible.

Amazon.Com

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Other

Let me relate to you a little story.

My birthday was last month.

I have friends; strange, i know. but one of them decided to send me a gift.

So, she went to Amazon.Com - a place we both shop at quite frequently - and bought me two movies and a box set (season 3 of Battlestar Galactica.)

Except, they never showed up.

Some time after the date they told HER they were delivered, we put our heads together and it came out that they had never been delivered.

So, she emailed Amazon CS - Friday night - and said:

This order was a gift, and the estimated delivery date was 21 October. Sadly, i've been informed that it hasn't arrived yet, and was wondering what happened to the order.

Thanks for any help.

They replied Saturday morning - 11 minutes after 8 - with the following:

Thanks for writing to us at Amazon.com.

First let me apologize for the inconvenience caused due to this order. I realize that you have been greatly inconvenienced by this situation.

At Amazon.com, we value your trust above all else--it is the foundation our company was built on. We certainly didn't intend for this to happen.

I'm sorry to hear that your gift order was lost.

Usually, I'd be able to create a replacement order that would be shipped to you as soon as possible at no additional charge.

Unfortunately, I can't do that in this case because the item " Audition (Uncut Special Edition) " is now unavailable from our supplier. I am sorry to inform you that our supply of some items is limited and these products sell out quickly.

Instead, I've requested a refund of $11.65 to cover the cost of the item and associated shipping costs. We'll send you an e-mail to confirm the refund once it has been processed.

For your convenience, I have listed the related items given below.

However I have replaced the remaining items in your order without any cost.

we'll ship it to the same address as soon as possible.

Here are the order details:

Order Number: 002-9195994-4442603
Estimated Delivery Date: December 1, 2008

There's no charge for this replacement order. I've also upgraded the shipping method to One-Day Shipping at no additional charge.

I'm sorry that I wasn't able to be of more help.

Please understand that even though you have experienced problems, it is not a common occurrence within our company. We pride ourselves on the quality and reliability of work on making improvements.

Thanks again for letting us know how you feel about this issue.

I hope you will give us a chance to serve you again in the future.

We are very sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you. We appreciate your business and hope that you will give us a chance to serve you better.

Best regards,

Meril Mathew

Tonight, as of about 15 minutes before I started writing this, I got the DVDs.

This is what customer service is supposed to be, guys. No questions, no hoops to jump through, just "We're terribly sorry, and here, let us fix it for you."

Is there ANY question that I will buy from Amazon.com in the future?

Not a one. I assuredly will.