Letter to Starbucks re: Easily Broken Mugs (Spoiler re: reply: Refund within 60 days, though I'd stated that these were purchased in 2012)

From: Me To: Starbucks_________ Received: 11/24/13 4:11:37 PM MST To: Subject: Other______ I am very disappointed in the quality of the various mugs that we've purchased from Starbucks. Two of my Starbucks mugs broke today, which made me realize that most of ​our​ Starbucks mugs died an untimely death. I still have non-Starbucks mugs from the '70s, so how is that Starbucks ceramics that we purchased last year are shattering like glass? I was washing dishes today, and my soapy Starbucks travel mug slipped ​and fell about a half inch to tap another mug & snap in half like glass. Earlier this morning, I was drinking coffee from a different Starbucks mug, and noticed that the edge of the mug was chipped. The chipped pieces were in my coffee. I don't know how this happened. All I can imagine is that something happened when I microwaved the coffee/coffee mug? This particular mug says that it is microwave safe. My husband and I are disappointed in the quality of the mugs that we've purchased from Starbucks. ____ date: Tue, Nov 26, 2013 at 4:20 AM subject: Re: Other <<#526636-11389786#>>__________ Dear Monique, Thank you for contacting Starbucks. I am very sorry to hear about your experience with both of your mugs. Although we do not have a warranty for our serveware, please allow me to outline our return/exchange policy. Our stores will happily offer a full refund for the purchase price if the original sales receipt is presented with the merchandise within 60 days of purchase. If you ever have any questions or concerns in the future, please don't hesitate to get in touch. Sincerely, Mayra S customer service

[File under: for every action there is an equal & opposite reaction:]

I glance at errand list item 1: "Buy book of virgin mother stamps," as Filipina postal clerk announces, "Da baby Jesus is all dat we have left!" Which makes (only) me laugh out loud. I'm now so elated --- that the cosmos decides to squirt a dash of seasonal diarrhea on my Friday. A geriatric pervert in a yachting cap a couple of spots in line back strokes my upper bicep to alert me to my having dropped a paper scrap. Mid-flu & unable to muster up the angry response that a modern gal should give (I only yelped/jumped in surprise.), I'm obviously burned up as I eye the wastepaper, so the stern-looking creator of Mary Poppins-esque woman in front of him snatches it up for me. Though in my haze I failed to threaten to death-panel the resident-of-nearby-Leisure-World jack-off like I normally would...it all worked out, more or less. Nah, I should have kicked him in the junk. ...while screeching, "Da baby Jesus is all dat we have left!"

@37signals My entry for #WorkCanWait :: )

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/101401429083820767/

https://37signals.com/svn/posts/3688-show-us-how-workcanwait-and-win-a-night-out-on-us

It's Hispanic Heritage Month!

Happy National Hispanic Heritage Month 2013! Ignore the Cinco de Mayo hoopla --- Sept. 15 & 16 are the real deal. http://hispanicheritagemonth.gov

Get yours before the ALA bookstore sells out!

Snag a copy!
"YALSA’s new Practical Programming: The Best of YA-YAAC offers tried & true ideas for teen programs - ALA: http://www.ala.org/news/press-releases/2013/09/yalsa-s-new-practical-programming-best-ya-yaac-offers-tried-and-true-ideas."
(I'm not getting royalties; just really think you'll like it!)

Posted to YA-YAAC email discussion list:

Happy Labor Day weekend, Great Brain:

Tinna told me about her post re: the Practical Programming book to the email discussion list, so I'm checking in to address her excellent question for everyone. Yes, the book is now available/published (As of Thursday or Friday, I believe.), & I included as many of the list contributors as I could pack into the pages. ​(There are so many wonderful ideas & discussions here!)​

Practical Programming: The Best of YA-YAAC​ is presently being sold in the ALA store: http://www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=10707. ​

C​reated Twitter & Facebook pages for the book today, too:

• https://twitter.com/YA_YAAC
• https://www.facebook.com/PracticalProgramming (Pretty please press those "like" ​& "follow" icon​s for the book. Thanks!)

​I am grateful to everyone who contributed ​to this title by posting to YA-YAAC, or by working with me directly to share programming details. Am so pleased that the book that YALSA commissioned me to write --- is now published. (Hooray!) I invested 3 gorgeous SoCal summers in writing, researching, and editing, so I feel certain that teen programming planners will enjoy it and find the information that it offers to be useful!

Thanks, all! : )

Monique

___________________

Monique Delatte Starkey

Author, Practical Programming: The Best of YA-YAAC: http://www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=10707

Associate Professor, Fullerton College Library

Adjunct Librarian, Rio Hondo College Library

MoniqueDelatteStarkey.com

Belmont Heights Parrots

Belmont Hts. Parrots (Photo by Monique)

"Hi!" 

Shot of parrots in Long Beach (red-crowned parrot [mitred parakeet or maybe red-masked parakeet?])

Practical Programming: The Best of YA-YAAC

Mere hours before the dawn of my one millionteenth birthday, I learned that the book that I dragged--clawing & howling--from the depths of the primordial goop of my lower bowels is...available!
But, after spending a summer writing it (I'm off for the summers, but I pick up extra hours at Rio & FCL.), then working with the editing notes of several YALSA editors over a time span of 2+ years, I am elated to see this love labor arrive at fruition.
Here it is: Practical Programming: The Best of YA-YAAC

Christina's Rose

Project Runway: Season 11, Episode 4

Hey, Joe, Where You Goin' with that Cat Sweater in Your Hand?

We now have proof-positive that no good deed goes unpunished.
Like some beautiful, autistic genius, our darling cat sweater-recycling Joe turns to dull Amanda & tells her how to rectify that dying moss dress --- and, he gets eliminated for it. Poor Joe was tired of hearing that dopey girl cry and whine, and his mind landed on the solution that would shut her up quickest.
Cat sweater Joe was also punished because his sweater dress most closely resembled an '80s dress, too, and, after losing, his team should have fessed up to making up that theme after the fact, and forcing his rounded garment into a square chasm, so to speak.
Save the super-adorable cat sweater designer for us librarians! We helped you to discover new authors in your favorite genre. Now, rally for our kitty sweater guy!
Guest judge, Bette Midler, seemed to get Joe, as did Heidi. Nina was all up in Bette's juice; repeating Bette's adjectives, and turning as much toward Bette as she could without actually crawling into her lap.
Who knew Nina had a sweet side? Bette could ask Nina to act as a surrogate for her, and Nina would be like, "Let's go to the fertility clinic right now, Bette."
She'd get as stretched-out as octomom for Bette.

Also surprising that the judges liked Michelle and Richard's creation. Talk about unflattering! Appeared as though their model was surrounded in a giant gas cloud.

The judges did pick the right dress to win. Exciting to see how the winner, Samantha, re-thought the challenge by folding the flowers inside of the garment. After all of these years of Project Runway running the floral challenge, Samantha's dress refreshed the entire concept.

- Monique

Cat & Mouse

Cartoon by Monique Delatte Starkey and David Starkey, Photo by David Goto of Chapman U Library cat.