The Official Dillard's Boycott
I tried to return a shirt I received as a gift today. Dillard's carries the same shirt. The gift had the tag. Apparently it didn't match. Thus, store policy dictated they couldn't accept it in exchange. The sales lady said no. Then I convinced a manager to say yes. Then another manager came to process it and said no again. Okay. First, I'll skip right by the part where no reasonable store does that, just out of general princple. Remember, "the customer is always right?" Apparently Dilliard's doesn't.
Now here's why no store normally turns away such an exchange. This shirt retails for $50. That means it probably cost no more than $35 to the store. So, instead of putting it back on the shelf and actually reselling it, let's say they gave me a $50 gift card and threw away the shirt I was trying to return. I would have turned around and probably bought at least $100 dollars worth of goods, not to mention future purchases. Let's see, they give $50 but really only lose $35, but then make back an extra $65, which is probably $20 profit. That's may be a $15 loss, but what if I had bought $150, or taking into account future purchases? So why would they do this? Because they are short-minded fools.
Instead I walked out of Dillard's without buying anything and will never go back.
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posted by mW @ 7:17 PM
Now here's why no store normally turns away such an exchange. This shirt retails for $50. That means it probably cost no more than $35 to the store. So, instead of putting it back on the shelf and actually reselling it, let's say they gave me a $50 gift card and threw away the shirt I was trying to return. I would have turned around and probably bought at least $100 dollars worth of goods, not to mention future purchases. Let's see, they give $50 but really only lose $35, but then make back an extra $65, which is probably $20 profit. That's may be a $15 loss, but what if I had bought $150, or taking into account future purchases? So why would they do this? Because they are short-minded fools.
Instead I walked out of Dillard's without buying anything and will never go back.
Great New Music
A lot of people I know are always looking for good new music. Many are not impressed by new stuff and instead retreat to the comfortability of what they know and like. Nonetheless, sometimes there is some band, or some one, that comes along and is just so talented that they transcend social boundaries. A good example is John Mayer. People that dig so many types of music just dig his stuff. It goes down easy, kind of like expensive Vodka. Now, I'm not really a promotional kind of guy, but there is a new album out by a guy that is even more talented, and 100% less commercial, because each of his past two CDs have been self-financed. He does it because he loves the music. His name is Brian Vander Ark, and he's more like an 18-year-old single malt Scotch.
His website is www.brianvanderark.com Also, you can check out some of his music on Myspace.This former frontman and songwriter for the Verve Pipe is even more amazing in his solo career. His first album, Resurrection, put out independently, and available on his own website, was soon snapped up by Brash Records. It can now be found at most major retail music locations, including the iTunes music store. Not only a great melodic post-Beatles, post-grunge journey of music, this album offers searing lyrics of a relationship gone wrong and the stinging pain and hurt. Far from depressing, it is exactly that kind of record that says "I get your pain, because I've been there." It's completely brutal in its honesty and ability to tug at the heart. You can definiely hear that he put his soul into each song. Even if you don't listen to the words, the songs will still resonate in a way that makes each one stand above the rest out there.
Doing the near-impossible, Brian's follow-up studio album is even better than the first. Written in happier times (dedicated to his wife), Angel, put your face on is an amazing collection of pop songs that will please almost any listener. I find myself listening to the album over and over, even since I got it. Right now, it's only available at www.brianvanderark.com, but it is sure enough to get picked up by major labels soon. Although I have never seen him live, the songs I have downloaded of his live performances are amazing. (As was his album released last year, "Within Reach," that features just him and his guitar.) Brian Vander Ark is one of the unique talents in the music world. I really hope that this album brings him back under the spotlight for the music world. Even though he has been disenfranchised by "the industry," Brian deserves to reap enough profits from these albums so that he can keep playing as long as he feels the music. He's that good.
The bottom line is, if you like music. You need Angel, put your face on.
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posted by mW @ 2:39 PM
His website is www.brianvanderark.com Also, you can check out some of his music on Myspace.This former frontman and songwriter for the Verve Pipe is even more amazing in his solo career. His first album, Resurrection, put out independently, and available on his own website, was soon snapped up by Brash Records. It can now be found at most major retail music locations, including the iTunes music store. Not only a great melodic post-Beatles, post-grunge journey of music, this album offers searing lyrics of a relationship gone wrong and the stinging pain and hurt. Far from depressing, it is exactly that kind of record that says "I get your pain, because I've been there." It's completely brutal in its honesty and ability to tug at the heart. You can definiely hear that he put his soul into each song. Even if you don't listen to the words, the songs will still resonate in a way that makes each one stand above the rest out there.
Doing the near-impossible, Brian's follow-up studio album is even better than the first. Written in happier times (dedicated to his wife), Angel, put your face on is an amazing collection of pop songs that will please almost any listener. I find myself listening to the album over and over, even since I got it. Right now, it's only available at www.brianvanderark.com, but it is sure enough to get picked up by major labels soon. Although I have never seen him live, the songs I have downloaded of his live performances are amazing. (As was his album released last year, "Within Reach," that features just him and his guitar.) Brian Vander Ark is one of the unique talents in the music world. I really hope that this album brings him back under the spotlight for the music world. Even though he has been disenfranchised by "the industry," Brian deserves to reap enough profits from these albums so that he can keep playing as long as he feels the music. He's that good.The bottom line is, if you like music. You need Angel, put your face on.
Directions?
It's funny. I started this blog because I thought I'd have all kinds of stories to share. I thought I had a crazy enough now and then to justify this experiment. But then, as a prospective lawyer, I realized that that was really more likely to just create a tidy collection of self-incriminating statements that may or may not be used against me in either the court of law.
Lame, hunh? Oh well. Over time, it seems that this blog has become much more intellectual. Kind of my own personal rant zone. I'm not sure if that will keep up now or not. I guess some of the rant-based stuff comes from doubts. Questions. For better or worse, I seem to have a lack of preconceptions in a variety of ways. This can be bad, because sometimes I don't get the things that others get instinctively or nurturedly (whichever). But it also gives me a unique Decartesian freedom to ask why and not be biased by what others presume to be the answer. This quite often leads me to offend people. Sometimes I just do it to play "devil's advocate." But I don't do it to pester, but rather to test the theory. I guess something of Socrates rubbed off on me. I just want to interrogate all wisdom. If the thing is truly representative of wisdom it will stand up to the questions. If not, then it was never that special -- but as Socrates found out, people don't like conventional wisdom being questioned, even if it is wrong.
As a youth, when I was an avid comic book collector, I always loved the character Wolverine (now played by Hugh Jackman in the X-Men movies). He had this devil-may-care attitude and when asked if he wasn't more curious, would just respond that there was too much to know in one lifetime, so he was content with what he did know. I think I loved him in part because he embodied everything simple that I knew I could never be. Life is complex. And when you see the infinite shards splintered across your consciousness, you sometimes want to let everything be black and white, simple and clear. But few things really are that way. If everything was "clear," "obvious," or even "black and white," I don't think we would disagree on things. We would all just agree on everything. I guess the trick is making things work anyway, by relying upon the differences between others and being willing to bridge the gaps between views. At our law school graduation, Bill Clinton called this "interdependence." That works for me.
I don't feel bad when I offend people when I ask why. All I'm doing is searching for truth. Sometimes you find it in weird places.
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posted by mW @ 7:25 PM
Lame, hunh? Oh well. Over time, it seems that this blog has become much more intellectual. Kind of my own personal rant zone. I'm not sure if that will keep up now or not. I guess some of the rant-based stuff comes from doubts. Questions. For better or worse, I seem to have a lack of preconceptions in a variety of ways. This can be bad, because sometimes I don't get the things that others get instinctively or nurturedly (whichever). But it also gives me a unique Decartesian freedom to ask why and not be biased by what others presume to be the answer. This quite often leads me to offend people. Sometimes I just do it to play "devil's advocate." But I don't do it to pester, but rather to test the theory. I guess something of Socrates rubbed off on me. I just want to interrogate all wisdom. If the thing is truly representative of wisdom it will stand up to the questions. If not, then it was never that special -- but as Socrates found out, people don't like conventional wisdom being questioned, even if it is wrong.
As a youth, when I was an avid comic book collector, I always loved the character Wolverine (now played by Hugh Jackman in the X-Men movies). He had this devil-may-care attitude and when asked if he wasn't more curious, would just respond that there was too much to know in one lifetime, so he was content with what he did know. I think I loved him in part because he embodied everything simple that I knew I could never be. Life is complex. And when you see the infinite shards splintered across your consciousness, you sometimes want to let everything be black and white, simple and clear. But few things really are that way. If everything was "clear," "obvious," or even "black and white," I don't think we would disagree on things. We would all just agree on everything. I guess the trick is making things work anyway, by relying upon the differences between others and being willing to bridge the gaps between views. At our law school graduation, Bill Clinton called this "interdependence." That works for me.
I don't feel bad when I offend people when I ask why. All I'm doing is searching for truth. Sometimes you find it in weird places.
New Beginnings
Spring is in full bloom, law school is over, and life goes on. Sarah and I are happy to say I now have a little time to breathe each day, which makes us both happier. Louisiana bar review classes have begun, and all I have to do now is remember everything I learned in the last three years, cram it into six weeks, and then learn to memorize it all for three blistering days of testing (three tests per day). Good times.
Until then, I'm eagerly awaiting the publication of my first article, due out in a few weeks, looking for places to publish a new paper, and then maybe taking a look again at short fiction. Surprisingly, my law studies have been a tremendous help to my overall writing. Anyway, it's nice to be able to breathe.
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posted by mW @ 6:05 PM
Until then, I'm eagerly awaiting the publication of my first article, due out in a few weeks, looking for places to publish a new paper, and then maybe taking a look again at short fiction. Surprisingly, my law studies have been a tremendous help to my overall writing. Anyway, it's nice to be able to breathe.
Day in the Life
As hard as I was worked this past semester, it was full of several rewarding experiences. For example, yes, I have had correspondence with all 9 Supreme Court Justices. Consider this example.
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posted by mW @ 1:57 AM
Not bad, eh?
Finally . . .
I'm done. It's over. It was only appropriate to end with a grueling 24-hour, excruciating final. Fuck law school. The worst three years of my life just to get somewhere I want to be. I wouldn't change it, but I can't put it behind me fast enough.
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posted by mW @ 7:46 PM
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