The Dobrindt Family

Hope Is On The Way - J Edwards

According to John Edwards, you should try the following.

When you see someone laying next to a building in a dark alley, curled into a fetal position, groaning and bleeding from the head, walk up to him and tell him ?Hope Is On The Way?.

When one of your maxed-out credit card companies calls and demands a minimum payment, tell them ?Hope Is On The Way?.

When your second cousin calls, long distance, collect, to ask for bail money, tell him ?Hope Is On The Way?.

When you pass someone broken down on the side of the road, desperately trying to flag someone down to give them radiator fluid, shout out ?Hope Is On The Way?.

When a family of 4 gets bumped from their connecting flight to Chicago, as you pass them on your way to first class, say ?Hope Is On The Way?.

When you get laid off because of government oversight in corporate America is costing your company too much money, tell your family ?Hope Is On The Way?.

When your neighbor is having trouble paying her bills because she decides not to go on the dole and not accept social program money that others abuse, tell her ?Hope Is On The Way?.

When your paycheck gets reduced because of higher taxes and your HR personal tells you it?s because of the new administration, they will say ?But Hope Is On The Way?.

When you work harder and harder to support drug addicts and government free loaders, tell your kids that miss you ?Hope Is On The Way?.

Ok, the last few started to move from good natured joking to political attack. Sorry. I am apposed to people who abuse social programs and it costs me and millions of other hard working contributing citizens more and more money, I get vocal. I will stop now. One more.

When a big, drunk guy is at the bar pissed off the Red Sox blew another lead and didn?t make the post season, tell him ?Hope Is On The Way?. After you pick up your teeth, get out of the bar and go back to your safe suburban house.

Red Sox new approach

The Red Sox realize they cannot beat the Yankees using conventional methods, like good defense, good hitting and good pitching. They have a collective inferiority complex because the better looking and more successful older brother (Yankees) always get the girl and mom and dad?s attention.

So what do they do?

They have Bronson Arroyo hit Alex Rodriguez. They have their 27 year old 5.0 lifetime ERA pitcher hit Alex with a pitch and let?s be honest, despite that dumb farm boy humble act he put on, he DID hit him. Then tough guy Varitek, who I kind of like, or liked, goes after Rodriquez because he was jawing at the pitcher. Sure, I can see Varitek getting between ARod and the pitcher because that is how it?s done, but did he have to take a swing at him. Most fights in the majors today are push and shove and ?hold me back? crap. So it was a GREAT plan. Take out one of the best players to EVER play the game, lose your freakin catcher, and see what happens.

Well, it worked. They won the game. They BARELY won the game, but then went out the next night and won the third game of the series. Good for them. Good for them to finally realize playing baseball will not win them anything. After the first 5 or 6 weeks of the season, the Red Sox, second highest payroll in baseball, are a .500 team. Pathetic. So they start throwing the ball around and start fights and get all jazzed up and YOORAW!! And all of that macho crap.

I forgot one other thing. And this one is a bute that people are not talking about. The Red Sox tell the Yankees the game will not be played. The Yanks shower and head to the bus. At which point some 7 dollar an hour assistant assistant to the assistant comes running after the team bus banging on the side as it gains speed. The bus driver stops and the kid through huffing and buffing breaths tells them the game is on. Oh sure, like Francona said, I am sure it was a ?communication? mix up.

Meanwhile, the Yanks will continue to go out and win games. They will continue to take a very professional and winning approach and do their best. They have problems as we all know. Pitching is suspect, Giambi has that bizarre health issue, but the Yanks will be fine.

The Sox will use Saturday?s pathetic display of sportsmanship to go out and win a few games and feel good about themselves, but deep down inside they know they have to resort to sandlot foolery because they are just not in the same league as the Yankees.

DNC

DNC ? running log

<u>July 26, Monday, 9:20am:</u>

Today is the first morning of the DNC. The crazy, er, sorry, democrats were streaming in this past weekend. Last night there was a nationally televised Sox/Yanks game and the stuffed shirts were in attendance. This included Kerry who threw out the first pitch (like a girl) and ever-present Ben Affleck with his stupid white Boston hat with a green ?B?. I hate that hat. Anyway, today starts the mayhem. For those who do not live in this area, I plan on posting anything significant. So far, the local TV newscasts are reporting heavy traffic but nothing that was not expected. In case you have not heard, Boston is heavily restricting and finally shutting down the ONLY highway that runs through the city. In addition, they are shutting down Boston?s version of Penn Station and busing, yes, busing, in riders from a train station outside of the city. Basically, they are telling people not to drive in to the city and to take public transportation, but making public transportation a nightmare. But hey, we get to have the DNC so that the country can see the true Boston full of barbwire, fences, protesters and locals hiding at home in their basements working off of laptops and cell phones. It?s good for the local economy too when hourly workers are given the week off and local sandwich and pizza shops are scuttled because they do not serve grilled quail and foi gras and the convention is costing the taxpayers one cool mil an hour. Good times.

Martha Stewart = Nelson Mandela

Martha Stewart had this to say recently.

?I could do it. I'm a really good camper. I can sleep on the ground. There are many, many good people who have gone to prison. Look at Nelson Mandela."

Is she comparing herself to Nelson Mandela? No!?! No she didn?t. He was imprisoned for 27 years because of his fight against oppression. You are going away for 5 months because you tried to get away with insider trading.

During one of Mandela?s many trials, he had this to say

?I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."

Mandela spent most of his time on the Robben Island Prison run by brutal guards and encased in barbwire. From an article detailing the history of the island:

?Sixty prisoners were crammed into a cell made to house twenty men. They were woken up at 5:30 every morning and forced to leap across the compound naked. There was a strip full cavity search every morning. Breakfast consisted of a cold cup of coffee and porridge. Men were forced to eat on their haunches. Guards were instructed to beat anyone whose butt touched the ground. During the day the prisoners were forced to do hard labor on the mainland. Jobs consisted of moving a mountain of dirt from one location to another and then back again. Deaths from starvation and disease were common, and deaths from beatings were even higher.

Robben Island was said to be Hell, a place of desolate banishment from which few returned. The prison was an institution that perpetuated segregation and racism. Hundreds of thousands died for the color of their skin and the tenor of their ideas.?
Stewart has asked to serve her prison time at her 153-acre estate in the exclusive and very rich town of Bedford, N.Y., a property that features five houses. FIVE.

Martha, if you can read this, please never compare yourself to Nelson Mandela. He fought to free humans. You got caught lying about insider trading. He spent the better part of his life in jail, running from the government or on trial because of his beliefs. You have to pay a fine that is less than your monthly masseuse bill.

While I feel bad that you will not be able to helicopter to your place in the Hamptons while on house arrest, torture, I know, you could be much worse off. Never compare yourself to Nelson Mandela.

From Justin to Kelly

He's right there, Kelly, right by the palm tree. Just turn right and you will see him. Turn. Now! LOOK. HE IS RIGHT THERE. Come on Justin, stop singing and look to your left. Kelly is there. YOU WALKED RIGHT BY HIM KELLY. You were SO close. Justin and Kelly, you WILL find each other.

If you know what I am talking about, kill yourself.

Meaningless Update

Hello there! I know I have been writing a lot about baseball and Delta lately. Part of the problem is that I try to steer clear of work, family and friends. I don?t like to talk about work because?well?it?s work. I can?t make fun of clients (yes, that?s you Nick and Constantine) because they might read this. I can?t make fun of colleagues (Uncle Bill, Paul B) because they might read this too. And trust me, if I didn?t care about what they thought of me, I would have a lot of things to say. If you knew Constantine and Nick, I could write for days. Trust me. Weeks. But I can?t so anything bad so I will not say anything at all. Or something like that.

I sometimes talk about my extended family but not nearly as often as I should. I have two wonderful sisters (and wonderful brothers-in-law), great in-laws (outlaws), and wonderful parents (they still beat me). I will try to write more about significant events when I can.

I should write more about my own family. My daughter turned 2 this past May and is a little terror. Oh sure, she is sweet and a joy and makes me so happy that I cry and all that crap, but she is a little monster. She gets that from her mother?s side. But I love her more than life. Patti is pregnant with our second child and is officially due in the beginning of August but is measuring like she can go anytime now. My current client, who I have been traveling to Florida to see, has been nice enough to tell me not to worry about traveling since she is almost due. The problem is now I feel pressure to have the child. The BIGGER problem is that it is not up to me to have the child. So we are on a wait and wait schedule.

The house is coming along nicely. I finished up the Ask This Old House project and it looks real nice. I?ll post some pictures. I finally built my grape arbor in the back yard and it looks nice. After taking 5 weeks to set 3 posts, I was able to get the rest of it done in about 2 long weekends. I?ll post some pictures of that too.

There is some stuff going on with my work but I can?t talk about it right now. I?ll post anything significant should any significant happen.

I am holding my tongue on the Martha Stewart thing. 5 months in jail? 30K dollar fine? I forget that crime does actually pay.

Anyway, I am done with this little meaningless post. I am going to start writing again and hope to have my best seller novel complete by the time our second born is christened. That way I can quit my job and build things around the house all day long.

Just joking about my folks. They don?t beat me. Anymore.

Time flies like and arrow, fruit flies like a banana.

- David

Delta battle - continued

I am in the middle of a battle with Delta. After my latest ?episode?, I decided to write a formal and structured complaint letter without my usual profanity and sarcasm. I did not include the letter in this posting. I sent in a hard copy to Delta and decided to email the letter as well. Below is the email response I got from Delta with <i>my comments in italics</i>.

Dear Mr. Dobrindt,

Thanks for getting in touch with Song. <i>Please. This is not the way to start a response. I see right through your BS.</i> We are delighted you have chosen Song for your flights to and from Orlando. <i>Damn right you are delighted. It?s because of people like me that you make up for those cheap fares you get from the sun birds and the Disney crows. </i> However, we are sorry your experiences with us have not been what you had hoped. <i>Hope?? Hope?? Hope is not the right word. Hope is what I do when I think about my daughter growing up healthy and happy or the Yankees winning the World Series. Try ?expected?. There is a big difference between ?hoping? for something out of my airline and ?expecting? something. I ?hope? for world peace, I ?expect? better treatment from Delta. </i>

As you know, Song operates as Delta?s low fare service. <i>So Delta is the high fare service? Delta should also be a low fare service.</i> Song?s objective is to offer our guests low fares and flights that operate safely and on schedule. <i>Safely, yes. On schedule, yes. Low fares, yes. I agree with all these.</i> To facilitate this effort, many of the amenities offered on our mainline service are not available on Song. <i>There you go again with using the wrong word. An amenity is something that brings comfort. It is something that brings pleasantness. I am talking about things that bring no additional joy, but bring things to the level I expect. Expectations, Delta, expectations</i>.

However, based on feedback received from Elite members like you, we have made a change to our preferred Medallion seating. <i>You did? No one told me about this.</i> Song implemented preferred Medallion seating in March of 2004. The preferred seats are rows 1-4. While there will not be a separate announcement for Medallion boarding, rows 1-4 will be included in zone 1 at boarding time. <i>Good. I like this. So why do I still get seat 27.</i> You may access these seats through reservations, the kiosks or delta.com (not flysong.com yet - but it's coming). <i>No, I mayn?t. I may not access these, or at least have not been able to access these. What I do get when I want to switch is an unpleasant experience dealing with a Delta employee telling me that if I do not behave better, they will put me in a middle seat near a toilet. I know to ask for rows 1-8 because I get off the plane quicker and will be in zone 1 or 2, but I certainly do not have access to rows 1-4. Maybe when you say ?Elite?, you are referring to everyone but ME. </i>

Please note - customers with disabilities also have access to row 1. <i>Understood</i>.

Additionally, we appreciate your comments regarding our promotion, "Random Acts of Coolness". <i>Is that really what it is called? ?Coolness?. How can an airline be ?Cool?. Come on Delta, you can do better than that. We all know an airline decision is based on three things ? price, price and price. Not about being cool. How about calling it Random Acts of Stupidity. Wait, that wouldn?t work, then you would be giving away free tickets every minute</i>. We are fortunate to have so many great passengers. <i>Stop. Stop. You are killing me with this. Laughing! Can?t stop laughing. Stomach hurts. Can?t breath. Must stop</i>. We wanted to say thanks in a way they'll remember. <i>Look. Some people will say thanks if the plane doesn?t crash. Some will never say thanks. I am not talking about them, I am talking about ME. It?s all about ME</i>. We know we're not changing the world or even airline travel, but we do want Song guests to know how much we appreciate all they bring to the experience whether they are new customers or loyal customers. Being nice is "Cool" and it does count, especially at Song. <i>But not on your high-fare carrier Delta? There it doesn?t count to be ?cool?? Or nice?</i>

This promotion rewards our guests who are "caught in the act" being nice or demonstrate a true love and enthusiasm for our product. <i>How about this. Next time I am on your flight, which will be in about 8 hours, I will grab a flight attendant and make him or her watch me pat a kid on the head, hug an old lady and refrain from strangling some idiot wearing a tank top and hat on backwards. Is that a ?cool? act? Then can I get something free?</i> I am sorry if our Song star's <i>Stars? Do you mean ?employees?? </i><i>This is not freakin Disney Land </i>decision to reward the family for their enthusiasm offended you. <i>You are not getting my point. What offends me is the way I get treated. Again, it?s about ME.</i> We realize we will be unable to recognize and reward all our guests and regret your disappointment. <i>Me. About ME. Not all guests. </i>

Further, we thank you for sharing your concerns regarding our SkyMiles program and the changes we have made to the Medallion qualification process. <i>You?re welcome.</i> <i>Just doing my part to make Delta a better airline. </i>

We understand that guests who qualify using segments or primarily travel on deeply discounted fares now will have a harder time earning elite status. <i>Stop calling us guests. We are passengers. Passengers. I am a guest at my sister?s house. I am a passenger on Delta. And I travel not by segments and my fare is definitely NOT discounted, and I am still having a harder time earning elite status. What do you have to say to that?? Hmm?</i> While it is unfortunate that some members will move down in status with the changes, we expect to maintain approximately the same number of total Medallion members if travel patterns continue as they have in the past. <i>How is that you will maintain the same total of Medallion members if some members will move down in status? Moving down means that some will drop off the Medallion status. Right? </i>We will monitor this situation closely and make necessary adjustments to ensure that our premium passengers are rewarded for their loyalty. <i>Don?t you mean premium ?guests?? And I am not being rewarded at all. </i>

All of our customers are important to Delta and Song and the decision to make the changes was a difficult one. <i>Again, stop with the BS. I bet making the decision to make passengers pay for food was not difficult. And by short changing me on my status, Delta does not have to give out bonus miles every time I fly. Those decisions are easy to make</i>. Given the current revenue environment, we felt it was essential to refine and clarify the many choices available to customers, as well as the benefits attached to those choices. <i>Now you are starting to be honest. Keep going.</i> We are confident the program modifications will better recognize and reward our premium passengers and help generate revenue through our most valued products. <i>Why couldn?t you have kept being honest? How do your changes reward premium passengers? Have you heard anything that I have said? Did you even read my complaint letter?? </i>At the same time, we are offering historically lower fares, in an effort to meet the demands of cost-conscious travelers. <i>I DO NOT CARE about the lower fares nonsense. I care about how I am being treated. I am not a cost-conscious traveler. I am a business traveler. When I fly on some 60 dollar fare to bring my kids to Disney, then you can treat me like a prisoner if you want. But as long as I am buying expensive tickets, I expect more. </i>

Mr. Dobrindt, we appreciate your recommendations and suggestions and will share your comments with our Song and Delta teams for review and continuous improvement. <i>Good thing this form letter cut and pasted my last name in the beginning of this sentence. That would have been embarrassing. </i>

We hope you will give Song on opportunity to serve you in the future. <i>I don?t have a choice at this point. I am committed to Song because I made the wrong bet in January and did not choose American. </i>

Sincerely,

Liz Lotter
Song Guest Relations
www.flysong.com

<i>www.dobrindts.com</i>