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October 31, 2005

Cruel and Unusual Punishment from NYT

I'm labelling this Media News even though it is Personal. Here's the deal: if you create online access to your home delivery account with the NY Times, you can absolutely never delink your account. That means that your Member ID must remain the same. You can change your email address and you can change your password, but you can really never change your Member ID.

Why should this matter? Well, suppose your home delivery is a gift. And then suppose you stop talking to the person who gave you the gift. See my emails with NYT Customer Care for more on this conundrum...

I think this is a ridiculous system. My problems began because my home delivery service was a holiday present last year from my boyfriend, who managed my account through his Subscriber ID. We broke up and I wanted to continue my subscription - and pay for the months he didn't pay. So first I was told there was no way to transfer the home delivery account to a new email address. Then I was told if I had access to the account, to change the email address and password. Now you're telling me that for the rest of my life I have to look at my ex-boyfriend's Member ID because I want to continue uninterrupted home delivery of the Sunday NY Times.

This is cruel and unusual punishment and honestly, your system cannot be that archaic that you truly have no way to change my Member ID. Doesn't the money I pay every month count for something when it comes to Customer Service?

Your extremely frustrated loyal reader,
Cynthia J. Minster
Chicago, IL
-----------
On 10/31/05, NYTimes.com Customer Service wrote:
Thank you for contacting The New York Times on the Web.

Unfortunately, we are not able to change Member ID's.

There are two options: in order to change the Member ID that you registered with, you will need to cancel your existing subscription and re-register with the same e-mail address.
Alternatively, you could register again with a new e-mail address and request that we cancel your old ID.

Please note that if you have a home delivery account and access NYTimes.com with the same information, you can not cancel your ID at this time. Additionally, if you have purchased products or services on our site, those services are valid based on your current ID.

If you wish to cancel your current Member ID, please e-mail:
cancelcs@nytimes.com

and write:

Cancel Member ID
in the Subject line AND in the body of the message.

Once your original ID is cancelled (usually this is processed over night), you can then re-register with the same e-mail address.

We regret the inconvenience and hope you enjoy using our site. Do let us know if you have any additional questions or concerns.

Regards,

Leo Jones
NYTimes.com
Customer Service
www.nytimes.com/help

-----Original Message-----
Date: Monday, October 31, 2005 07:11 PM
To: help@nytimes.com (help@nytimes.com)
Subject: Registration

How can I change my Member ID? I would like it to be cjminster instead of carsp98. Thank you.

Posted by cj at 08:57 PM | Comments (0)

October 30, 2005

Good Night, and Good Luck

My first foray into seeing A Really Important Movie Likely to Be Part of Awards Mania came this evening. First, when did movie tickets go to $9.50? Sigh. I'm trying to stay away from the theater for many reasons - the obnoxious talkers, the overpriced junk food, and the crazy ticket prices. But there are still other movies I want to see Now - Capote and North Country and maybe one of the lighter movies (In Her Shoes or Shopgirl)....

So there was plenty I knew about Good Night, and Good Luck before seeing it: its shot in black and white, Clooney directed and co-starred, and McCarthy is played by himself via footage from the time. I didn't realize that it was completely about news room politics. For a movie about the creation of a volatile program during a difficult period, it sure as hell was slow. Yes, it was an artistic decision. But seriously, the long fade outs and the steady monologues just weren't that interesting. Someone behind me asked her companion if she had learned anything from the movie and the second woman replied in the negative. Personally, it reminded me of all the problems I already know about between the editorial and business side of media companies. It also reminds folks of the impetus of true journalism to report the truth, not necessarily giving equal time to "both sides" of a situation. As Roger Ebert pointed out, very few journalists heed that call to duty nowadays. I was also reminded of when I first learned about McCarthyism, in AP US History in 11th grade. I remember watching some of the same footage used in the film, along with bits from the Murrow show that exposed McCarthy. I remember thinking that the documentary I watched in high school was more riveting, but maybe because it was my first exposure to the story.

I don't understand why the film is so myopic. Its difficult to understand Murrow's impact without seeing any public reaction shots. How did Joe and Jill America respond to the broadcasts? How many Americans were watching the programs? What else was on at the same time? I thought the film lacked these vital aspects of the story. I was fine with it focusing on the process of creating media, but I have to say that Control Room was far more gripping and made watching the process of relating the news much more interesting. Perhaps it seems like an unfair comparison - a dramatization of the 50s with a doc about the Iraq War. But since Clooney's primary reason for making the movie was to Remind Us What We've Been Giving Up For This War On Terrorism, I think it is a legitimate comparison.

Nevertheless, I look forward to seeing the film again (on video) to determine whether or not I've been unfair in my criticism due to extraneous circumstances.

Posted by cj at 12:48 AM | Comments (1)

Random Sink Update

My refurbished sink basin got a new friend on Friday - a new faucet! I don't care anymore that the basin should have been replaced because the grating problem remains and water pools on one side of the basin because I have a beautiful new faucet that has plenty of hot water pressure. Yahoo! I think the sink is enjoying my beautiful new dishes too.

Posted by cj at 12:38 AM | Comments (0)

October 26, 2005

Congratulations, White Sox!

Wow. They actually swept the Astros. My friend just won a ten dollar bet. Amazing. Congrats!

Posted by cj at 11:06 PM | Comments (0)

Dissection of a Broken Heart

Oh hell, it is still too soon for this post. The detritus of my past life surrounds me. It's all a memory of what once was, what I clung to desperately long after my head knew it was over, where I dreamed for four months for completion.

I would give up all the material crap he left me in a heart beat, if I had only gotten what I waited four months for.

Lessons Learned:
1. Have your own friends in the city you live in. Doesn't matter if you stumble and spend time with crappy people for awhile, make time to find your own peeps where you live.
2. Put yourself first. Always. At the end of the day, no matter how much you think you're in love, you are the only person you can depend on.
3. Do not denigrate your friends and family. No matter how special you think your relationship is, the people who were with you before it started are the ones who will be there after it ends.
4. Never lose yourself in someone else's opinions or dreams. They are not your dreams. If you forget what your dreams are, you need to end the relationship - a person always needs her own dreams. And living happily ever after with your partner cannot be your only dream.
5. Try not to berate yourself for taking time to grieve the end of a relationship. The more you gave away during the good times, the harder it will be once its over. Eventually, you'll be able to control your tear ducts and emotions.
6. Keep moving foward even while following lesson #5.
7. Life is too short to lack in any area of a relationship. Do not accept mediocrity and do not get so comfortable being miserable that you forget how fabulous you are as an individual.

So obviously, I still need to remind myself of these seven lessons. Its hella hard. Best and worst advice I took from that guy was getting my own apartment. Right now, it's the loneliest place in the world.

Posted by cj at 08:08 PM | Comments (2)

October 23, 2005

Good Snarky Copy

The Aardvark inspired me to speak.

Okay, so what the hell is up with artsy films? Slice of life meandering without a real beginning and never a full conclusion seems to be the new formula for ab fab "perfect" films. And of course they're perfect because the masses have no interest.

My most recent foray into this genre was Me and You and Everyone We Know. The vast majority of film critics creamed themselves over this movie. There were definitely aspects of it I enjoyed. And it makes more sense now that I know the writer/director/star is a performance artist and this is her first film.

Let me explain - I understand why this film got an R rating. I do not understand why the writer chose to write the akward, uncomfortable to watch scenes. I had to read a review to understand how those scenes were palatable to anyone. Supposedly, they represent a child's complete lack of knowledge about all things sexual and his innocent foray into instant messaging and meeting your messaging partner. I'm sorry, but it was just too gross and pulled me right out of the movie experience. And what kind of older brother (age 14) allows his 7 year-old younger brother to help him engage in virtual sex?

Yes, the main story line was sweet and interesting. But what the hell was the point of this disturbing secondary story? I am not as easily convinced as Roger Ebert. And I'm sick of the formula. Instead of just creating interesting characters, how bout having a story? Why is the indie formula to simply show part of a life? They remind me of short stories: interesting for as far as they go, but never a complete story. I don't need a linear story, but I do need a complete one.

Catch-22, on the other hand, was a good dramatization of a classic novel. Mike Nichols is one of my favorite directors. Alan Arkin was a perfect Yossarian. I also enjoyed Art Garfunkel, Martin Sheen, Jon Voight, and Orson Welles. Now there's a fabulous completely non-linear, absurd story. It packs a bigger punch as a novel, but it was still great as a film.

Posted by cj at 10:11 PM | Comments (1)

October 20, 2005

Life Without a Sink Sucks

Eating microwaved food on paper plates sucks. Defrosting your crappy freezer by scraping the ice build up off sucks. At least I can use the reconstructed sink tomorrow...

Its interesting when you have bad news in your personal life - who you decide to tell first, how you tell people, how many people you tell, when you tell them. When you get exhausted talking about it so you turn to thinking about it and staring at the black box and wondering when Thursday went from Must See TV to "only a half hour you have to see" tv (that'd be Everybody Hates Chris).

...back to the Daily Show...

Posted by cj at 10:10 PM | Comments (0)

October 16, 2005

Emerging from Sickness, Wondering About Work

I spent most of the last week sick with a bacterial throat infection. Mi chavo was amazing - he even lied and said my breath didn't smell while nursing me back to health. (One small tid bit from last week: my breath reeked so badly it made me nauseous and caused me to stop eating.)

So, I've been relatively healthy since Friday. Which brings me back to wondering about my future career. I had a convo at work with a woman who said she would only hire people for my job who want to make administrative assisting a career. It makes sense, but also made me wonder how I've thrived in the position - I never had dreams of being a secretary growing up. Granted, unemployment will make you either never able to hold onto a job or a loyal, helpful employee. Lucky for me, it helped me become a good employee. But what am I striving to do with my life? A job in corporate America or nonprofit America?

I read this article in today's NYT, about a pair of Asian sisters who wrote a book on how to create over-achievers the Asian way, and it actually made me feel bad. Ridiculous how tiny things can set me off, but I did go to school with many over-achievers of all ethnicities. And I always thought of myself as one of them, until things changed in college. I've been a bit directionless every since then. I know this is just a bunch of garbled rambling, but hopefully, one day soon, I'll know what I want to be when I grow up. Either that or I'll just be comfortable with my decisions for the next few years.

Posted by cj at 05:39 PM | Comments (0)