My mother recently took two unexpected trips to the emergency room at St. Joseph's hospital here in Tucson, AZ. She had never been admitted in emergency care before and was a bit scare, bewildered, and worried, not to mention - in health crises.
The local papers sometimes feature stories on the poor health care and worse customer service one receives in Tucson medical care. For those of you who read my blog, you know I'll often comment on restaurant service, so I felt "duty-bound" to share a bit of my mother's experience. For the sake of brevity, I'll leave out most details of her illness. (She is under medication and recovering nicely, thank you!)
During trip #1 - We encountered a young man who took her immediate vitals, etc. in emergency entrance lobby. Polite, funny, looked my mother in the eye. Wow. She was given a room in less than 20 minutes at a time many were suffering from swine flu. The doctor himself came and got me out of waiting after she was situated and assured me she was being taken care of. She went through a battery of tests and every clerk, assistant, technician, etc. was kind, thoughtful, and unhurried. I especially remember one wheeling her down for a CatSkan singing..."Money, money money money...Muh...neee (Pink Floyd)
Ten days later she was re-admitted again with immediate entrance and was situated in a ward room until admittance. During her initial ward visit she was seen by the general hospitalist doctor, the pulmanary specialist, an internist, a respiratory specialist, and her cardiologist from the previous visit was notified. All were polite, kind, thoughtful, unhurried, and many showed a nice sense of humor trying to help my elderly mother relax and recover. During her stay of two days the nurses were kind and quick to answer pages, cleaning staff hummed and talked to the patients politely, and medical staff explained things to my mother, complete with written instructions.
Sure, there were a few glitches and incorrectly written precriptions, etc. but for the sake of the overall experience, I choose to disregard those things right now. I am glad I was with my mother to figure out all the medications, etc. afterwards, for sure.
Bottom line?? Hats off to the staff of St. Joseph's hospital here in Tucson. Thank you for your bedside manner and humane demeanor. It's what hospital and health care SHOULD be, and for my mother's two experiences - was. May all of you experience the same care should you find yourselves in a similar situation some day. Thank you.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Kitchen Nightmares
I watch a lot of resturant/cooking shows on tv. I admit it. Hell's Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, Iron Chef, Next Iron Chef, Top Chef, etc. It's amazing sometimes what people will serve. I actually saw a contestant pick something out of the garbage and put it on a plate to serve to the public. (They were quickly eliminated) There's a quote out there I'm going to paraphrase from Jackson Browne, "Character is what you are when nobody is looking". I think this is really true in the kitchen!
So on with my story. My mother, a Tucson/Washington State snowbird, is down for the winter and on our first day together I invite her out to breakfast to a place we've been many times. We notice upon entering through the attached gift shop that it is now 50% in size, and many tables have been added in the back. The place just has a few late breakfast diners this mid-morning.
They seat us in the main isle across from the door, and being that it's a 50 degree "cold snap" here in Tucson, my mother asks for another table not so cold. We are seated at the booth closest to the kitchen. "Uh, oh, they're mad at me," my mother jokes.
Presently, we are served drinks and our order is taken. The place begins to fill with early lunchers as we visit and catch up on news. After awhile, it occurs to me that everyone who filed in after us is eating; I contact the waitress. I put on my nicest voice and ask if perhaps our ticket got lost. She jumps to the defense, although I am trying to calm her that we are not angry, we just hope we get our food eventually, and she shows us the ticket and says there was a computer malfunction. The ticket had indeed been submitted 25 minutes ago. We assure her it's okay...we just want to be sure it's coming.
We hear her yelling at the chefs in the back and soon have our meal. The plates are cold, the bacon is cold and chewy, the eggs are still raw in the middle (ordered scrambled and over medium) etc. We're hungry and decide to just eat anyway, mostly because the waitress looks beleaguered. I finish most of it and excuse myself to the restroom.
Well, if I'd have entered the restroom before our food arrived, we'd have left. The filth, the compounded dirt in the grout and corners and walls -- needless to say, my half raw scrambled eggs were no longer sitting easy in my stomach. A cursory check at things as I left the restroom had me wondering what happened to kitchen cleanliness. I began to visualize the Kitchen Nightmares discovered by Chef Ramsey in the tv shows....
Our meal was only a grand total of $8.99. We told the waitress about the poor quality food at the end, just to let her know, and we said we were going to pay anyway. And I left her a tip over 15%. But we won't be back. We're telling our friends. We're disappointed that another locally owned Tucsonan resturant bites the dust that previously sat high on our "list".
My children said - (because I have a history of receiving poor service) - why do I even go out?
I guess I'm just looking for characters....
So on with my story. My mother, a Tucson/Washington State snowbird, is down for the winter and on our first day together I invite her out to breakfast to a place we've been many times. We notice upon entering through the attached gift shop that it is now 50% in size, and many tables have been added in the back. The place just has a few late breakfast diners this mid-morning.
They seat us in the main isle across from the door, and being that it's a 50 degree "cold snap" here in Tucson, my mother asks for another table not so cold. We are seated at the booth closest to the kitchen. "Uh, oh, they're mad at me," my mother jokes.
Presently, we are served drinks and our order is taken. The place begins to fill with early lunchers as we visit and catch up on news. After awhile, it occurs to me that everyone who filed in after us is eating; I contact the waitress. I put on my nicest voice and ask if perhaps our ticket got lost. She jumps to the defense, although I am trying to calm her that we are not angry, we just hope we get our food eventually, and she shows us the ticket and says there was a computer malfunction. The ticket had indeed been submitted 25 minutes ago. We assure her it's okay...we just want to be sure it's coming.
We hear her yelling at the chefs in the back and soon have our meal. The plates are cold, the bacon is cold and chewy, the eggs are still raw in the middle (ordered scrambled and over medium) etc. We're hungry and decide to just eat anyway, mostly because the waitress looks beleaguered. I finish most of it and excuse myself to the restroom.
Well, if I'd have entered the restroom before our food arrived, we'd have left. The filth, the compounded dirt in the grout and corners and walls -- needless to say, my half raw scrambled eggs were no longer sitting easy in my stomach. A cursory check at things as I left the restroom had me wondering what happened to kitchen cleanliness. I began to visualize the Kitchen Nightmares discovered by Chef Ramsey in the tv shows....
Our meal was only a grand total of $8.99. We told the waitress about the poor quality food at the end, just to let her know, and we said we were going to pay anyway. And I left her a tip over 15%. But we won't be back. We're telling our friends. We're disappointed that another locally owned Tucsonan resturant bites the dust that previously sat high on our "list".
My children said - (because I have a history of receiving poor service) - why do I even go out?
I guess I'm just looking for characters....
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Lovely New Listing
http://www.thelistingwidget.com/view.cfm?tourID=3083
Ok sorry...adding the sound back in....although not the song I wanted. :(
Ok sorry...adding the sound back in....although not the song I wanted. :(
Sunday, August 9, 2009
CUSTOMER SERVICE – A thing of the past???
Last night, my wonderful in-laws took my husband and I (and Jenna) to a very nice place to celebrate our anniversary. Because the hostess area was full, we sat outside in a fountain area to wait for the 30 minutes they said we had before a table would be free. We couldn’t wait in the bar area with a minor. Not too many Tucson restaurants take reservations, so we accepted a thirty minute wait as normal for a Saturday night. After 20 minutes, my husband went off to make sure they knew where we were. He was told it would be another 20 minutes.
During the next 45 minutes, both Jenna, and my mother in law also checked. We were told there was a party of 6 at the table we would be seated at, and had to wait for them. Now, this is a large restaurant, and they only had ONE table for more than 4??? As we waited outside, we watched dozens of people enter the restaurant. After an hour wait….they finally seated us…OUTSIDE!!!
Now this might not seem like much at first you think, many restaurants have attractive outdoor seating, and so does this eatery. However, bear in mind that we live in Tucson, and this is SUMMER. We were not seated in the regular restaurant garden seating with misters, fans, or anything like that, but instead in a far off solitary section of two tables set up next to the parking lot and the indoor restrooms. We politely asked to have an inside table as soon as it became available and they said “sure”. By this time our “Sunday best” dress clothes, hairstyles, and makeup were all much the worse for waiting so long in the heat.
Thirty minutes later my daughter went in to check on the status of “our table” and they’d given it to someone else. This was when my husband called for the manager. And before he got to the table, the entrees were served. Two of the five of us were served the wrong meal. Rocco was served the wrong sides with his meal. When we spoke with the manager, he said, “Oh, I’m sorry.” Asked what side Rocco had ordered, and left.
Our bill totaled over $150. There was no discount, no complimentary beverage, no dessert on the house, no coupon for return. Nothing.
Are we over-reacting here – or is this standard service now. This is NOT the first time we’ve had celebratory meals made memorable by bad service and a lack of care for the consumer. I figure, “they don’t care” = a nice blog, twitter, facebook and online reviews for all their
future customers. Oh, and watch out…the chicken SPECIAL is $26.00.
During the next 45 minutes, both Jenna, and my mother in law also checked. We were told there was a party of 6 at the table we would be seated at, and had to wait for them. Now, this is a large restaurant, and they only had ONE table for more than 4??? As we waited outside, we watched dozens of people enter the restaurant. After an hour wait….they finally seated us…OUTSIDE!!!
Now this might not seem like much at first you think, many restaurants have attractive outdoor seating, and so does this eatery. However, bear in mind that we live in Tucson, and this is SUMMER. We were not seated in the regular restaurant garden seating with misters, fans, or anything like that, but instead in a far off solitary section of two tables set up next to the parking lot and the indoor restrooms. We politely asked to have an inside table as soon as it became available and they said “sure”. By this time our “Sunday best” dress clothes, hairstyles, and makeup were all much the worse for waiting so long in the heat.
Thirty minutes later my daughter went in to check on the status of “our table” and they’d given it to someone else. This was when my husband called for the manager. And before he got to the table, the entrees were served. Two of the five of us were served the wrong meal. Rocco was served the wrong sides with his meal. When we spoke with the manager, he said, “Oh, I’m sorry.” Asked what side Rocco had ordered, and left.
Our bill totaled over $150. There was no discount, no complimentary beverage, no dessert on the house, no coupon for return. Nothing.
Are we over-reacting here – or is this standard service now. This is NOT the first time we’ve had celebratory meals made memorable by bad service and a lack of care for the consumer. I figure, “they don’t care” = a nice blog, twitter, facebook and online reviews for all their
future customers. Oh, and watch out…the chicken SPECIAL is $26.00.
Monday, July 20, 2009
The Blessing of Grandchildren
I read a blog on the subject of Grandparents today that was very sad. It is from an author I follow that I found through my part time job at the speakers bureau. Michelle lives in Green Bay, WI. She has written a number of books on parenting & pregnancy and a memoir, “Without a Net: Middle Class and Homeless (With Kids) in America,” - as well as articles on attachment parenting, gardening, raising teens, simple living, eating well, living cheap, homelessness and poverty, etc.
Her recent blog on absentee Grandparenting had me recalling some things in my own young mother experience, as well as thinking over my present, long-distance situation. Here is her blog if you'd like to read it: Organically Inclined
Being a long distance Grandparent is very difficult. I think because my own mother was always so far away, I didn't contemplate my own ramifications of distance. Thankfully, I was able to attend the baby shower, come about 10 days after her birth, see the baptism, and I just spent 9 days there in June. We hope to get out in October again, for a friend's wedding and to see our Grand-daughter. I am also a very poor absentee-Aunt - it is my supreme wish that my full-time career change will net the travel funds I need to be a present relative! The following is a short slideshow of birth to now. Enjoy!
Her recent blog on absentee Grandparenting had me recalling some things in my own young mother experience, as well as thinking over my present, long-distance situation. Here is her blog if you'd like to read it: Organically Inclined
Being a long distance Grandparent is very difficult. I think because my own mother was always so far away, I didn't contemplate my own ramifications of distance. Thankfully, I was able to attend the baby shower, come about 10 days after her birth, see the baptism, and I just spent 9 days there in June. We hope to get out in October again, for a friend's wedding and to see our Grand-daughter. I am also a very poor absentee-Aunt - it is my supreme wish that my full-time career change will net the travel funds I need to be a present relative! The following is a short slideshow of birth to now. Enjoy!
Full Time Work, Short Sales, and Down Time!
Hi everyone!
I apologize for not blogging sooner - it's funny how busy one can get when they go from part-time to full time!
This past week alone I picked up five buyers and got on offer on my listing -- very exciting! I've been updating my education like crazy and am especially focusing on an aspect of the market that has really hit Tucson - SHORT SALES. The statistics are staggering!
It's a great time for buyers and investors who have good credit and a down payment. FHA has some 100% options too. Don't forget that if you want to cash in on the $8,000 tax credit for first time home buyers you need to do so by November at the latest! Call or email me if you need more details!
Someone asked me this last week what I do to relax - what is my down time.
I've attached a little link to one of my hobbies. See it here: http://tinyurl.com/c8eewy
In June I had the pleasure to paint and create an entire bedroom set, complete with pictures for the walls. The theme was to fit into a hacienda guest house and to compliment her bedspread. See photos here: http://tinyurl.com/kvqkdb
Sometimes I take a trash can along to an open house and work on it between visitors. It's a great way to pass the time. I hope all of you have a creative week.
I apologize for not blogging sooner - it's funny how busy one can get when they go from part-time to full time!
This past week alone I picked up five buyers and got on offer on my listing -- very exciting! I've been updating my education like crazy and am especially focusing on an aspect of the market that has really hit Tucson - SHORT SALES. The statistics are staggering!
It's a great time for buyers and investors who have good credit and a down payment. FHA has some 100% options too. Don't forget that if you want to cash in on the $8,000 tax credit for first time home buyers you need to do so by November at the latest! Call or email me if you need more details!
Someone asked me this last week what I do to relax - what is my down time.
I've attached a little link to one of my hobbies. See it here: http://tinyurl.com/c8eewy
In June I had the pleasure to paint and create an entire bedroom set, complete with pictures for the walls. The theme was to fit into a hacienda guest house and to compliment her bedspread. See photos here: http://tinyurl.com/kvqkdb
Sometimes I take a trash can along to an open house and work on it between visitors. It's a great way to pass the time. I hope all of you have a creative week.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
How to Observe National Stress Awareness Day
I was planning the agenda for our weekly staff meeting at my part-time job I'm soon to lose, and discovered that April 16 is National Stress Awareness Day. Having a tendency to stress out myself, I decided it was a BLOGWORTHY topic and set to researching ways to reduce stress to pass along to my readers.
Here’s some steps for DAY ONE – Reducing Stress
Plan something relaxing for DAY ONE – Stay away from traffic: a picnic (indoors or out), a family SHARE time (everyone reads a funny Shel Silverstein poem, shares some music, etc) or browse photo albums or cookbooks.
Prioritize. Do the most important stuff first each day, and don’t sweat the small stuff! Schedule EVERTHING, so your priorities easily rise to the top. Lunch date with a friend, reading a book to your child, taking a walk with your spouse, lead generation calls, etc. If these things are listed, the truly MEANINGFUL things in your life won’t be missed and your life will have balance. Your bathtub can always be scrubbed tomorrow, or your weeds pulled over the weekend!
Think of ways to relieve your stress long term. Find meaning: Spiritually, expand your education, develop a new hobby. Make a long term decision: Read, "Who Moved My Cheese?" by Spencer Johnson, MD. It’s very short and may perhaps be life-changing.
Here’s some steps for Week ONE – Reducing Stress
1. Chat with your friends and/or family
2. Pray and/or meditate
3. Go see a movie
4. Read a book or magazine
5. Attend a community function
6. Play with your pet
7. Browse through your photo album
8. Exercise
9. Keep a journal or write funny little poems like limericks
10. Take a nap or go to bed an hour earlier
Here’s some steps for your first MONTHS – Reducing Stress
FUN ways to lighten the load, many found online:
Play some music and Clean House, or cook something fun
Watch Aquarium Fish(You can even download a screen saver!)
Instead of saying “Yes”, Just say, “I’m sorry. I can't do this right now.”
Take a Walk With A Friend or relative
Sing Along With and/or dance to Music
Set Up a Home Spa for yourself
Cut Down On Some of Your Commitments
Play a Board or Card game
Walk Your Dog (Don’t try walking your Cat – NOT stress-less)
Try Breathing Exercises
Draw a Picture
Visit the Elderly
Work on Becoming An Optimist(sign up for an optimistic quote per day and other
motivational tidbits!)
Put a Puzzle together!
Try Focused Meditation
Take a Mini-Vacation
Write down your daily blessings!
Surround Yourself with Positive Energy (Books, music, CD’s, people!)
Take a Nap
Reduce Stress At Your Job
If you suffer from illness, grief, or other issues – find a GROUP to share with.
Take On A New Stress Relief Habit and Stick With It!
Plan a progressive meal – appetizer at one place, entrée at another, dessert at a third!
Have a theme or idea in mind – a nice surprise for a loved one!
My stress buster for the day: A limerick :)
An underlying WHY must be lurking
That my boss is often sales shirking
Spending much of her day
A- “twittering” away
Social NETworking in place of just...working
Here’s some steps for DAY ONE – Reducing Stress
Plan something relaxing for DAY ONE – Stay away from traffic: a picnic (indoors or out), a family SHARE time (everyone reads a funny Shel Silverstein poem, shares some music, etc) or browse photo albums or cookbooks.
Prioritize. Do the most important stuff first each day, and don’t sweat the small stuff! Schedule EVERTHING, so your priorities easily rise to the top. Lunch date with a friend, reading a book to your child, taking a walk with your spouse, lead generation calls, etc. If these things are listed, the truly MEANINGFUL things in your life won’t be missed and your life will have balance. Your bathtub can always be scrubbed tomorrow, or your weeds pulled over the weekend!
Think of ways to relieve your stress long term. Find meaning: Spiritually, expand your education, develop a new hobby. Make a long term decision: Read, "Who Moved My Cheese?" by Spencer Johnson, MD. It’s very short and may perhaps be life-changing.
Here’s some steps for Week ONE – Reducing Stress
1. Chat with your friends and/or family
2. Pray and/or meditate
3. Go see a movie
4. Read a book or magazine
5. Attend a community function
6. Play with your pet
7. Browse through your photo album
8. Exercise
9. Keep a journal or write funny little poems like limericks
10. Take a nap or go to bed an hour earlier
Here’s some steps for your first MONTHS – Reducing Stress
FUN ways to lighten the load, many found online:
Play some music and Clean House, or cook something fun
Watch Aquarium Fish(You can even download a screen saver!)
Instead of saying “Yes”, Just say, “I’m sorry. I can't do this right now.”
Take a Walk With A Friend or relative
Sing Along With and/or dance to Music
Set Up a Home Spa for yourself
Cut Down On Some of Your Commitments
Play a Board or Card game
Walk Your Dog (Don’t try walking your Cat – NOT stress-less)
Try Breathing Exercises
Draw a Picture
Visit the Elderly
Work on Becoming An Optimist(sign up for an optimistic quote per day and other
motivational tidbits!)
Put a Puzzle together!
Try Focused Meditation
Take a Mini-Vacation
Write down your daily blessings!
Surround Yourself with Positive Energy (Books, music, CD’s, people!)
Take a Nap
Reduce Stress At Your Job
If you suffer from illness, grief, or other issues – find a GROUP to share with.
Take On A New Stress Relief Habit and Stick With It!
Plan a progressive meal – appetizer at one place, entrée at another, dessert at a third!
Have a theme or idea in mind – a nice surprise for a loved one!
My stress buster for the day: A limerick :)
An underlying WHY must be lurking
That my boss is often sales shirking
Spending much of her day
A- “twittering” away
Social NETworking in place of just...working
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