Moved

This blog has moved to http://jamesarosen.com/.

Customer Service WIN

I just took a look at my cell phone bill. I went 254 minutes over . . . which is quite surprising to me because I never use it during the day and I have free nights and weekends. Or so I thought. It turns out I only had 400 night minutes and unlimited weekends. (I was sure I was right, but, of course, we know that human memory is quite fallible.)

So I called up T-Mobile to bitch about them changing my plan on me without me noticing. But it seems they did not. I was just wrong. Nonetheless, they offered to add their "faves" plan or whatever it's called so I could get free calls to my five most frequently called numbers, which, given my bill looks like a power law, will help substantially.) Normally they want a 2-year contract for that plan, but they knocked it down to one AND BACK-DATED IT so it applies to this bill and I get out of the contract sooner.

Major win for T-Mobile. I've always said I liked their customer service. Now I remember why I'm not getting an iPhone: stupid AT&T couldn't even tell me my credit card wasn't processing; they just racked up lots of late fees.

My Dream Menu, take 1

Mélange

Salad of frisée, radicchio, chive, cucumber, pecans, honey garlic dressing and coconut shavings.

Kanso

Fresh whole wheat pasta, olive oil, fresh cracked black pepper, sea salt. Served with a side bowl of Parmesan snow.

Forte

Four ounce flatiron steak with two grilled jumbo shrimp, drizzled in walnut oil.

Concision

Lime sorbet scooped with a melon-baller into a rocks glass.

(needs a name)

Bacon and leek consommé.

(also needs a name; austerity?)

Trout and asparagus almondine.

Indulgence

Double chocolate bombe with cappucino ice cream.

Digestive

Krupnik, Limoncello, etc.

I might like to fit in a tempura somewhere. Thoughts? Also, bacon is particularly tough to do consommé with because it has lots of fat and little to no cartilage and tendon (needed for the gelatin) — perhaps there's another interesting meat to be used?

English as She is Spoke, Part 3: the Ugly

Today was a joyous day in our country. It was also both a monumental and momentous occasion. It was not a "monumentous" one. The opinions of multiple callers and pundits on NPR today notwithstanding.