This Reminds Me

Archive for the ‘AT&T’ Category

Rachel has been our next gen early adopter of all shiny objects with buttons.  Here’s a four-minute jaunt through her technology graveyard.  Of course, she’s the one I took to the office at age 12 to help with a volunteer project -  mailing T-shirts.  At lunch she asked me, “Mom, have you ever heard of a typewriter?  It’s kind of like a printer but it’s just text.”

Lately, I’ve been reading about “nomophobia,” or the acute fear of being out of cell phone contact.  At first I thought, “That’s just one more twitch of the psyche for people without enough real problems.”   But Hannah’s question made me think, and I see that I, too, have succumbed to nomophobia. My AT&T iPhone is either in my purse, in my hand, on my desk or charging on the kitchen counter.  I’d be lost now without it – literally, and figuratively.

Last month, I represented AT&T at the Ft. Lauderdale  She Streams vlogging conference.  I shot this picture with my iPhone.  From a cab window!  In years past, I would have taken a camera with me.  Photobucket has a lovely app for direct upload.  You don’t lose your pixel quality like you do emailing and then uploading shots from a p.c.

My phone is my entertainment (Words with Friends).   Before I get to work in the morning, I’ve scanned my office and personal email using the WI-fi on the bus.  If I’m lost, I either use its GPS, or call Keith to direct me from his.  I use a credit card at Sam’s for the rebate, but don’t like the big bill at the end of the month.  Before I leave the store, I’ve logged into my bank account and sent a payment to cover the charged amount.  One of my older girls has an unexpected expenditure – I can move money to her account.  I don’t carry my bible to church any more – I use the app.  I text my “MyCokeRewards” now.  Heck, I text with my older girls all day.  Keith gave me directions within a building once using Facetime – I could show him where I was.  We’ve stopped printing Groupons, etc. – we use our phones.  The trip to Ft. Lauderdale was the first time I used an electronic boarding pass – swiped my phone, got on the plane.

I am not a fantasy book lover.  Hardly ever read the stuff.  But I did read Stephen King’s “Dark Tower” series, and there was a recurrent phase that totally resonated with me:  “The world has moved on.”

Our world really has moved on.  I have noticed that those most folks contemptuous/suspicious/irritated  of or by wireless smart phone (smart phone + has an operating system, uses a data plan) usually live in a very well-defined niche.   That’s not saying a niche is “good” or “bad” – simply that “it is.”   When we lived in Houston, I was more “niche-y” than anyone I know now.  If you’re in a niche, you know that one place to stop and get directions.   Email is something you might check daily – or not.  You carry paper pictures tucked in crevices of a wallet still sporting a check book.  You don’t shop much – if ever – online because you go to the same stores which likely feature paper coupons.   Your friends may be in the same type of niche, which works well.   The rub, of course, is that tricky next generation, and the one after that, and the one after that.  Because the next generation never goes backward on connection methods, and they don’t wait.  The world keeps moving on.

Because the world keeps moving on, I’d watch for nomophobia to become more and more prevalent – in fact, I think it’ll be the norm.

You could call your doctor about it, of course.

Just don’t try to use a pay phone to do it.

One of the tricks of managing a family is to offer “separate but equal” rewards, gifts, acknowledgements, etc.   With four kids in a wide age range – that’s easier said than done.  As I am fond of saying while explaining why we can’t do this or that, “You can’t do for one what you can’t do for four.”  But, of course, you don’t have to provide identically for the four – hopefully, though, you provide comparably.  I stress hopefully because really – who knows about tomorrow?   The best plans can be derailed with a lay-off, car repair, medical bill, etc., as all of us adults know too well.

Rachel, Lois and Hannah each got a special trip for their ninth birthdays.  I took Rachel to American Girl Place in Chicago.  Keith took Lois whale watching in Seattle, and Hannah to San Francisco.

Keith took my very favorite picture e-v-e-r of Hannah on her special trip.  He had a full day planned, but she saw the Pacific ocean and begged to stop.  That’s where they spent most of the day.  This pictures captures “her” – joy and abandon.

But for Julia’s ninth birthday – the trip just didn’t work out.  We had first-year college expenses for Rachel, plus we were saving vacation time and every dime for the family cruise in December.  Julia wasn’t home to hear about the trips of Rachel, Lois and Hannah so I’m not sure her being shorted was bothering her as much as it bothered me.

One day, Keith and I would like to take her back to Russia to visit.  Let her see the beauty of St. Petersburg.  But that is a few years away, sooooo….

To celebrate her recent (12th) birthday, I took Julia to Space Center Houston to have lunch with an astronaut.  Rachel and Hannah couldn’t afford to miss work, school, Girl Scouts, etc. but Lois – grinning wickedly about “senior spring” – tagged along.

Julia’s fifth grade teacher  has their room decorated in “Early NASA.”   They’ve held several video conferences with NASA’s educational staff, and next week – they’re studying the moon.  Great timing for this trip, no?

When we lived in Houston, we visited often.  Lois (center) was only five years old in 1998 when “Space Family Woodworth” shot their Christmas card photo on site.

The three-story playground – a huge hit.   I, however, preferred the stairs to return to the ground level.

The older girls tease Julia about having a “six pack of abs,” but those weren’t much help lifting a planetary-adjusted weight.

While Julia spun around 360 degrees in this capsule….

…Lois and I could watch her on this exterior screen.  Omigosh!  Good that we did this before lunch.

Before enjoying lunch with astronaut Ken Cameron, we heard him speak for 30 minutes in the Blast Off Theater.  He spent a year training in Russia with cosmonauts.  My favorite Russian had a million questions for him – until he sat down at our table.  Then it was all “nodding of the head” and “chewing of the chicken strips.”

One small girl; one giant Saturn V rocket – part of the tram tour.  You may be asking, “Where are all the other people?”  Answer:  We went on a rainy Friday.  We had the place virtually to ourselves.  We never waited in line,  or had to elbow someone at a display.  It was awesome.  The perfect time to go!

The Saturn V building made great use of QR codes.  Lois and I got a huge kick out of scanning the codes for more info like…..

….a photo of and links to more info on the third stage.  Don’t have the AT&T scanner?  Well, heck - get it now!

The magic of a green screen!

We ended the day (5 p.m.) where we began (10 a.m.) – in the play area.  Julia absolutely loved building motorized “lunar rovers.”   This is my favorite picture of the day because it captures her fascination and concentration.

Next year, Julia will be a teenager and we’ll start those delightful adolescent experiences.

But for this year – I’m glad to still have a child to enjoy an out-of-this-world birthday.

Julia has announced her intended career.  She wants to be a dentist.  She’s been saying this for more than a year, and she’s sketched out line art and a time line to prove it.

That’s me represented in the reclining chair.  My child stick needles in my gums and run a drill in my head?  Ummm….I’m thinking not.

At age 11, I had no real idea what profession I wanted to follow.  History teacher?  Attorney?  Nurse?  I still ask myself from time to time what I want to be when I grow up, since many days, I don’t feel as much “mature” as just “older.”  I never pictured myself squeezing into panty hose, lugging a laptop downtown and managing various responsibilities for AT&T.  I think – over time – I’ve become what is essentially a “professional manager,” applying skills and knowledge acquired in one position into the next.  I’ve been very fortunate to have some great jobs the last several years, but still – I never pictured myself doing this.  In fact, I never pictured myself in most of the specifics of my life.  That’s not to say I’m unhappy with them.  I love my God, husband and kids; good books, gospel music and the neighborhood pool thrill me; I don’t envy much and I wouldn’t trade places with anyone.  But I can’t pretend my life is the result of a brilliant master plan that I’ve followed, or even that I’ve made all the choices God wanted me to make.

Hannah came to the office with me one summer day in 2004.  My good AT&T friend Vicki- always Hannah’s favorite – called her at my desk.  “My mom doesn’t really work,” Hannah told Vicki.  “She just types and talks on the phone.”

One of the events of my life I could never have foretold and had the most trouble dealing with was the death of my younger brother David in 2004.  You expect – at least intellectually – to lose your parents, aunts, uncles, etc.  That is the natural order.  To lose someone dear younger than yourself is not the natural order, and that upset adds an additional acrid layer of complexity to grief.  I’ve not been able to see his children Josh and Miriam too frequently, as they’ve moved about internationally.  But they are in Texas visiting family now, and we drove to see them yesterday.

(Clockwise from left) Lois, 17; Julia, 11; Josh, 16; Miriam, 14; Hannah, 15.  Wish Rachel had been with us, but she’s with friends from camp in Alpine this weekend.

I loved visiting with them about their school plans, and their career aspirations.  As I sat there, I thought a lot about my grandmother from the hills of Kentucky.  Barely literate.  Never flew on an plane.  And then my mom, a self-described “misplaced Hoosier” reluctantly dragged to Texas.  Voracious reader, and one of the first women to work for TWA.  She saw Charles Lindberg in the Indianapolis airport.  And now these kids – one born in Russia, two living in South America, all have traveled internationally, all with wider experiences than I had at twice their ages.

What will they be when they grow up?   Will Julia really be a dentist?  I don’t know.

What I do know is that life will deal these kids – as it does everyone else – some wild cards.  Circumstances, conditions and events none could not have foretold, and would not have chosen.  And like my grandmother losing her oldest son while rescuing her youngest from drowning, and my mother navigating the uncharted waters of rearing a disabled child – they’ll have to figure out who and what they are time and again.  Year after year.  Decade after decade.

Because no matter your profession or age, the ability handle the unplanned and unexpected is what really makes you a grown-up.

A group of friends at AT&T asked me to document my favorite bottom-feeding online shopping tips.  Any mother of four daughters has them.  

It’s been a few years since I’ve posted any, so, I thought I’d do so again.  And again, I must credit Sharon Durham with many of them.  Sharon and I spent many chuckling afternoons in the original SBC e-channel “tricking shopping carts.”  I still remember her talking about a $50 credit she finangled in the early days of Shutterfly and how she “ate off it a long time.”  My hero!

Here goes….feel free to add your own in the Comments…..I’d love to give ‘em a try!

Online Bottom-Feeding

Turn Me Loose – I Hear e-Shopping Music!  (Part Deux)

Join Online Loyalty Programs

Online loyalty programs reward you for clicking through from their site to an e-commerce site. The rewards accumulate, and the programs are free – so why not?! My personal favorites:

www.upromise.com – Perhaps the most famous. Started by the guy who birthed the American Express program. SBC was a member 2004 – 2006. Grab your wallet and spend about 15 minutes to register all your credit and debit cards. When you click through from Upromise to a member site, a timed mechanical feed updates your account with $x% of the amount you spent. Many restaurants and some B&M (bricks and mortar) stores rebate, too, so, when in doubt – pay with plastic. Be sure to get the Upromise credit card, not because you need another, but because they offer great promos, especially on Exxon gas. The marketing hook is “money for college,” but that’s bogus. It’s your money – for anything – and you can withdraw it any time. You sure don’t have to invest it in any of their college savings plans, but they’ll keep pushing them.

www.mypoints.com – Really growing the last few years. U-verse has had offers in its permission marketing emails. Points are awarded – each point is worth roughly $.008 (not quite a penny.) Redeem points for gift cards. Get points by (1) clicking thru from their one-time, daily emails – you get usually get 5 points just for clicking – don’t have to buy anything (2) clicking thru from their daily or weekly e-mail summaries of the day’s or week’s best deals (some are quite good!) or (3) going to their site and clicking thru to an e-tailer. Be sure to enroll in their daily and weekly email programs.

I always check both Upromise and MyPoints to see who’s offer the better incentive. 4% on Upromise = 5 points per dollar on My Points.

Lots of other loyalty programs, of course like www.shoprunner.com

 ALWAYS Look for a Promo Code

Even if you click-thru from a loyalty site – check for a promo code! Favorites (of scores):

www.retailmenot.com www.naughtycodes.com

No luck? Google for one. Surprising what you’ll find.

Daily Deals – They’re a “Must”

Register at these sites for their daily emails. Also, you can “like” many on Facebook and get their deals in your feeds.

www.woot.com One deal, one day – unless it’s a “woot-off.” In a woot-off, the one item changes as soon as the inventory is depleted. $5 shipping. Deal changes at 12M CST. Worth checking if you’re up anyway – don’t wait for the email!

www.dailydeals.target.com – Not fabulous but truly good and all have free shipping

Amazon  - The Big Kahuna

Groupon – Watch the expiration dates. They’re getting kind of snarky.

Living Social - As good as Groupon but not as well known.

http://deals.mamapedia.com – Mostly baby/toddler stuff

www.kgbdeals.com – Heavier on services than on products

www.midnightbox.com – Heavy on electronics

www.grouppigg.com – Heavy on services

http://www.dealofthedaysa.com/ – Lots of restaurants

www.urbandealight.com – Heavy on personal services like spas

www.dealster.com – All over the board

www.midnightbox.com – Heavy on electronics

www.angieslist.com – (“The Big Deal”) Major home services

During the holidays, www.samsclub.com has a daily deal which is excellent w/free shipping

MyPoints, Upromise & Daily Deals – An Sweet Marriage

Daily deals are sweet, but they can be even sweeter if either (1) the deal site itself is a standing member of MyPoints and/or Upromise or (2) the daily deal is being given MyPoints or Upromise credit. So don’t just “rush” buying a daily deal. Look at Upromise and MyPoints first to see if the deal site itself is a member and if so – click through to buy. If the deal site itself isn’t participating as an entity in MyPoints or Upromise – and you’re a MyPoints member – wait until the daily email arrives just to see if it’s got a one-day point assignment.

Just this week, there was a Groupon for Quiznos. Great! My family likes Quiznos. But by waiting a few hours for the MyPoints daily email, I also got 8 points per dollar by clicking through from it to buy the Groupon for Quiznos. Like that better!

Show Me The (Saved) Money

These sites all feature a variety of deals.

www.slickdeals.net This is my home page. I check it several times a day. It’s a bulletin board site for every kind of deal. The most-clicked deals float to the top, but you can search, too. Fabulous during the holidays. You know the lame “My Coke Rewards” redemptions? Well, sometimes Coke has good ones, like Home Depot cards – but you won’t find them poking around the Coke Site. You’ll often find that someone has posted the URLs in slickdeals.net, however. I <3 slickdeals.net.

www.theblackfriday.com Don’t stand in all those lines!

http://www.dealsofamerica.com/indexc.php Less user-friendly than slickdeals, but still good.

Favorite e-tailers? Register for Their Permission Marketing

Might as well get their coupons, etc. and if you’ve not bought in awhile, they might send you a tasty offer. Remember that your email address is almost always your Account ID. So if there is some great offer out there and you want multiples – you need a few throw-down email addresses handy to establish multiple accounts and take advantage of the offer multiple times. You can have 9 active subaccounts with a Yahoo! Primary account…just saying…..

Buy Gift Cards?

http://www.plasticjungle.com/ – They don’t always have what you want in stock but when they do – nice! You can also sell unwanted gift cards here.

The Best-Kept Secret in Online Shopping

www.auctions.samsclub.com – If I never set foot in a Sam’s warehouse, I’d keep a membership just for the auction site. Their prices are good anyway but add an auction layer – wow! Powered by eBay, but run by Sam’s. Terrific in the weeks after the gift-giving holidays. You pay $1 over the next lowest bid for what you purchase. (So if I bid $100, and Barbara bids $75 – I get the item for $76.) Their shipping charges are very reasonable. My strategy:

• First check http://www.google.com/prdhp and/or http://thisfind.com to find the going price.
• If I’m mildly interested, I’ll bid 1/4 – 1/3 of that price just to see what happens.
• If I am very interested, I’ll bid half.
• If I really want it – I’ll bid 2/3. And I’ll make sure I check my email frequently, because Sam’s will tell me when I’m being outbid.

 Now you do know that any price in a Sam’sstore ending in “1” is below their cost? Right? So be sure to cherry-pick through the store as well as sniffing around that dark back corner.

While We’re Chatting

www.restaurant.com has skyrocketed in popularity. Two things to remember about it:

• Never, ever buy a certificate without a coupon code. Register at their site for permission marketing, and/or check slickdeals.net. There’s almost always a 40 or 50% promo code floating around.
• They’ve gotten really restrictive the last few years. So check the restrictions carefully before you buy. The certificates are a good deal only if you use them.

 http://www.visitsanantonio.com/visitors/save/VisitSaveOnlineClub.aspx – If you host out of town company, you can save a few dollars with these coupons. They’re not great, but they’re better than nothing, especially when people show up without much notice. You need to register and start getting their permission marketing emails before you can get the discounts.

www.squaretrade.com – I totally swear by this company. Great warranty deals and their service is incredible. Yes, I’m raving. They deserve it. Be sure to “like them” on Facebook for exclusive offers. Also register for their permission marketing. They give a 90-day grace period on purchases, so, if you’re planning to buy expensive electronics, start watching for a coupon code, because they’re usually in the 20 – 30% range. After my first SquareTrade warranty purchase, they sent me a paper letter w/a code good for 50% off my next purchase. You do pay extra for breakage, but hey – AppleCare doesn’t cover that at all.

Happy e-$hopping!  And do post your favorite tips in “Comments,” okay?!