Castro Valley Unified School District
4430 Alma Ave.,
Castro Valley, CA 94546-3104
(510) 537-9534

CC: Andy Popper, CVHS Athletics Director

RE: Al Palacio and Use of CVHS Track

Dear Superintendent:

I am writing you in reaction to an incident today in which I was not so kindly kicked off the CVHS track by a member of your staff Al Palacio.

My husband and I purchased a home in Castro Valley right before Christmas 2009 and moved in January 2010. My son was merely 4 months old then and while I walked around with my son in a stroller I noticed that the high school track was available for public use. Not sure what the policy was for strollers, as it was not explicitly posted, I contacted Andy Popper, whose name I found on the CVUSD website as the Athletics Director. I explained that I was a new mom to Castro Valley with a weak ankle looking to exercise safely and asked Andy if I may have permission to use a stroller on the CVHS track. Mr. Popper kindly replied that I would be welcomed to do so and to enjoy my work out. Given that Castro Valley has so few sidewalks and every time I go out with the stroller I am risking someone hitting me because they are not paying attention, this was quite the heaven sent and made me feel a part of the community immediately. As a result, I always make a point in supporting any effort by the CVHS Athletics Booster, whether it be buying meat in front of CVHS, participating in the races to benefit CVHS Athletics, or just donating money.

I regularly use the track and see other moms do the same, but recently heard from a few other moms I know from Castro Valley Mothers Club where I am an active steering committee member that they were not so nicely kicked off the track. They told me that they were asked to leave immediately and not given good reasons. Hearing of this I wrote Mr. Andy Popper again recently to make sure that using the track in such a manner was OK, and was given the attached short email reply confirming again that it would be fine and to enjoy my workout. I went to the track again on Saturday with my 8 month old daughter and it was then I was ejected from the track by a very stern and somewhat rude Al Palacio who told me all wheeled vehicles are banned from the track and I must leave immediately. I informed him that I had obtained permission from Andy Popper and he shook his head and told me that he doesn’t care and that his authority comes from Castro Valley Unified School District. He said that due to some accidents that have happened strollers are not allowed. This does not make sense to me as your posted sign clearly states “Use field and facility at your own risk,” which I interpret that any accident or injury on the field does not hold CVHS or CVUSD liable.

The reason I am writing this letter is to inform you that your sign posted (see figure 1 below.) is not explicit about not allowing all wheeled things, like strollers and wheelchairs from the track. While is does mention no use of bikes or skates, it is not inclusive of all things with wheels, especially unmotorized strollers and wheelchairs which do not travel at the same speeds.

Figure 1: Photo of Sign posted at CVHS

I know that I am not the only mom in Castro Valley who is confused by this sign. Is it possible to perhaps use the stroller during certain non-peak hours? I had specifically also asked Andy Popper and he had mentioned that as long as it is not during school hours or if there is a game going on that it would be permissible, but perhaps your no stroller policy is so new that the Athletic Director is also unaware? I respectfully request and appreciate an explanation of the policy in writing, as I am also unable to find such information on the CVUSD website. I would also be happy to help publicize your policy to all the mothers in Castro Valley Mothers Club as there are a good group of us who exercise and use strollers with little ones.

Sincerely,

Irene Shen

I called the Castro Valley Unified School District a week after I sent the letter. I didn’t hear back from anyone but I was not going to allow that to deter me! I called the Superintendent’s office and ended up speaking to the assistant to the Superintendent, who heard my story and promised to get back to me after another week. A week later, I didin’t hear back so I called again. This time, I was directed to speak with the assistant to the Assistant Superintendent of Business Services, who told me that she believes that strollers are indeed allowed on the CVHS track, and that the staff member who kicked me out must have been misinformed. She indicated that she will make sure that the policy is communicated and at my request she sent me a short email confirming that strollers are allowed. I forwarded the email to the other moms that I know who also use the track during off hours with strollers, in case they are ever asked to leave the premise while exercising again.

So glad that I will be able to continue my exercise at the high school track! I plan on participating in a 5K benefitting the CVHS Athletic Booster in June!

If memory serves, I also recalled that there are also endearing characteristics, like that he is awkwardly honest. I am sure that most modern women would dump a guy who is so brutally honest he criticizes your attractiveness on first meeting, though. Mr. Darcy is like a lot of men (as he even describe himself as selfish and overbearing), until you consider that he is sensitive, a good listener, thrives on criticism, and changes for the woman he loves. This is where the fairy tale elements kick in — I know very few men (or women) who can sit there and take harsh criticisms without getting defensive, remain a gentleman, is deeply affected by the tongue lashing, good apologizing, and actually make changes based on said criticism. He does all this and yet likes Elizabeth Bennett just as she is. Very few men will have all those qualities and still be handsome, clever, and rich!

I do enjoy the witty banter, and I love a good sparring of wit. However, I wonder if Elizabeth Bennett and Fitzwilliam Darcy would have made it happily ever after as a modern married couple. If you want to have a good relationship, John Gottman, the foremost relationship expert and researcher warns one of the six predicting factors of divorce is ” harsh startups,” or the use of criticism, sarcasm, or harsh words. In fact, he calls Criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling (withdrawal) the ” four horsemen” of marriage apocalypse. Of course, the number one predictor of divorce is habitual conflict avoidance, which is clearly not a problem for Mr. Darcy and his Elizabeth.

Here’s the entry for First World in Wikipedia:

The concept of the First World first originated during the Cold War, where it was used to describe countries that were aligned with the United States.

Recently there is an internet meme going around called “First World Problems,” which is about about whining by the affluent. Now the term is taking on a whole new life.

Here’s an example: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/first-world-problems

Here is a site about “White Whine”: http://whitewhine.com/

The general ignorance of the term “First World” is probably due to the fact that it is a relic of the Cold War. However, it chaffs me even more to hear people refer to Asian countries like China and Taiwan as third world. I even read a popular baby book refer to countries that practice co-sleeping (as practiced in Hong Kong and Japan) as a practice from third world countries! Seriously, even the dictionary.com definitions for First World, Second World, and Third World are all screwy.

ARGH!

January 10, 2012

Office of the President
AT&T
308 Akard Street
Suite 1110-C8
Dallas, TX 75202

Dear AT&T:

Today I called AT&T UVerse Support, and after 2 hours and 57 minutes on the phone, the simple problem of a mistake in account configuration on your part was finally fixed. The call started around 10AM and ended at 12:57PM. From the very beginning, I communicated that the problem was due to an error in how my account was configured on your end, and while the solution was simple, getting to it was quite a trial in patience and a very frustrating experience.

For two weeks, I had not been able to login to UVerse Mobile or online. The account login did not work as it should have as it did not recognize me as having UVerse service, so I placed the call to AT&T UVerse support. After 23 minutes (with 10 minutes of hold time) of on the phone with someone in India who had issues understanding me and was clearly trying to pass the buck, I was told that since the problem is with UVerse Mobile, I had to be transferred to someone in Wireless and not the UVerse department. I was then place on hold again for a few more minutes before speaking to someone at AT&T Wireless (also seems to be in India) who I spent 18 minutes on the phone with only to be told that the problem cannot be resolved by AT&T Wireless because it is a UVerse problem. She asked me what phone I have and asked me to reinstall the apps (which did not help the issue) then transferred me to another department. I was transferred to an American support technician; however, he was in the Android support department, which was odd because I was explicit that I had an iPhone. I spent another 16 minutes or so with the Android support person who told me that he could not help me and had to transfer me to another department. I was then transferred to a “manager” Sherry (sp?) who spent 20 minutes asking me a bunch of account questions yet again attempted to put me through the automated system with UVerse, telling me she cannot help me, so I asked to speak with her supervisor. Then I spoke with Kelly, who spent 25 minutes on the phone with me while she tries to reach someone at UVerse. She told me that she is sorry that she cannot help me. I asked Kelly if I can speak with her supervisor, but she indicated that it was not possible, so I asked Kelly if she can try to locate someone who can help me and call me back later. By that time I had to get off the phone because it had been 110 minutes I had spent on the phone on hold and trying to get someone to help me without being any closer to anyone able to help and I was really frustrated. She said she would call back in 15 min. 21 minutes later she calls back to apologize saying that she is having trouble finding the right person who might be able to help me. She then transfers me to UVerse support in India again. This time the young lady tried a few tools that didn’t work so she says she has to transfer me to Tier 2 support. I was on hold for 38 minutes before a Tier 2 support person picked up and spent 15 minutes to resolve my problem. The gentleman in Tier 2 told me that the previous reps did not leave good notes; apparently only one had left some note at all, and it was very unhelpful.

I know that I must not be the only one who has experienced this, because quite a few AT&T reps I spoke with had trouble finding the right person to fix a simple UVerse Mobile problem. Worst of all, I know that most of them were reading a script and not really listening to me. Most of them just wanted to pass the buck to someone else. I literally spoke with 7 different people at your company to resolve this problem. I had been trying to tell them that I believe my account is not configured or registered correctly since I do have UVerse service. It is quite a simple problem and should not have taken 2 hours and 57 minutes of my time to get a solution. At this point I am seriously contemplating whether it is worth it for me and my family to spend the money on cable and internet service when there is such a pain in dealing with support for the simplest of issues. What’s going to happen the next time I need support, for a more complicated problem? Will it take 6 hours on the phone? Worst of all, the only way to complain is to keep talking to the people who cannot help me and who are not listening anyway. This is sad indeed. Apparently my only recourse would be to post my experience on a blog or complain on Twitter. For good measure I did both in addition to sending this letter. I hope that this letter will reach a person that can do something to improve Customer Service. I hope you will respond to me in a timely fashion.

Sincerely,
Irene Shen

Christmas Collage:Khaki Christmas Cards
Check out our collection of Christmas cards and holiday cards. ]]> http://www.ireneshen.com/2011/12/20/happy-holidays/feed/ 0 http://www.ireneshen.com/2011/11/04/flakelist/ http://www.ireneshen.com/2011/11/04/flakelist/#comments Sat, 05 Nov 2011 05:01:45 +0000 ishen http://www.ireneshen.com/?p=1059 »]]>
Unfortunately, this is the reality of the Internet Age.

When you use Craigslist or Freecycle even, you are opening yourself up to flakes at the very least, scams at the very worst. I am kind of glad that someone thought of this. I checked the list but it is very sparse so far, so the idea still needs some time to spread. Eventually there is probably a better way but since most of Freecycle is on Yahoo Groups instead of its own platform, it would be hard to incorporate a more useful solution.

Image via Wikipedia

My dear hubby James called me on Wednesday right after lunch. I knew it was not going to be good because he normally doesn’t call me middle of the day, nor does he call me during the work day unless to tell me he is going to be working late. “Hey, honey, I got laid off,” he said. Oddly enough, we went through this the same month exactly a year ago. I was first laid off in September and then he was laid off first week of October. Sign of the times, I suppose. They don’t call it The Great Recession for nothing.

“I had to call you — I was getting a little emotional. I feel like I let our family down,” James told me.

“You did the right thing, I am glad you called me. You are not letting our family down. I am proud of you and we will deal with this when you get home.” I told him. Then I listened to the little details of what he was told by management and I couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed with the employment environment today. James had just worked quite a bit of overtime launching the company’s games on Facebook’s brand spanking new mobile platform. There was a delay on account of Facebook and then Steve Job’s death. It was launched the following week on Monday… two days later he gets “restructured.” Baby Boomers may talk about job loyalty but they lived during a time when you can live on one-income, pay for college, and have a pension. James and I do not live in that world — we work in the tech industry and restructuring is a regularity. You are lucky if you get matching on your 401k.

At times like this I think back to my grandparents. I was raised by my grandparents so I hear about what happened during the war; during their youth they had to live through the Great Chinese (Hyper)Inflation. The recent economic times has been compared quite a bit to the Great Depression of the 1930s. A great many economists and experts can tell you about the difference between a recession and a depression, but here’s what it boils down to for me at a pedestrian level.

My grandparents lived through the days when your whole month’s salary can only buy you an egg. While we are seeing an increase in money supply, it is nothing like the hyperinflation that my grandparents lived through. That kind of upheaval is not something I have ever seen in my lifetime. Today, we have the Occupy Wall Street protests; back then there was the Bonus Army (43,000 people, 17,000 of them World War I veterans) march on Washington that had to be dispatched by U.S. Army tanks. Back then, only the man worked and women didn’t have any opportunity to go out and make a living. There was no unemployment, no medicare/medic-aid, no food stamps, no welfare, and most importantly, no FDIC.

Call it a hunch, women’s intuition, or just plain crazy, I feel that a better opportunity is on the horizon for my family. James’s resume is stronger than ever and the social and mobile gaming market seems to be doing quite well.  I have been decluttering like crazy for the past few months, and the whole family can follow James anywhere he finds a job quite easily. The kids are not in school yet so we can pick and and go anywhere. Anyone has a tip on a good senior/executive level producer job in the game industry?

Image via Wikipedia

I got an email today telling me that Netflix has reversed its decision to split off the DVD business. No Qwikster.

I had downgraded my DVD and streaming account after the announcement because I felt that Netflix was going too far. OK, I can deal with the 60% price hike given that I still found Netflix better than the alternative. I get A LOT out of the streaming, especially since they have a good selection of kids programs. I love nothing better than letting my son watch his favorite Thomas & Friends or Caillou without any commercials. I was also starting to enjoy watching TV episodes and documentary available on the streaming account commercial free.

When Netflix announced the price hike, I contemplated switching to streaming only, but it wasn’t until Netflix announced that they were splitting off the business that I decided to downgrade my account to protest the move. Clearly, I was not the only one. However, I am not sure that I will revert my decision as there is a major rethinking about our entertainment strategy at home currently. Netflix’s announcement about their price change has come along at a time when my family is giving our entertainment strategy and spending some serious analysis.

Image via Wikipedia

Today is one of those days I will remember. A past generation remembered the assasination of JFK and MLK, and my generation and those like me remembers 9/11 and today, the passing of Steve Jobs. I was on my iPhone, with my baby girl sleeping next to me, when I found out the news of his passing.

Being a computer geek/ internet fan girl, I am definitely going to remember Steve Jobs for his wonderful contributions, the way he impacted my life and the world, his amazing comeback story, and amazing entrepreneur leadership.

The speech below is one of my favorite speeches by anyone, ever. Even if you have seen this before, it is worth enjoying again.