Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Review: Windhaven
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
One of the rare stories that I introduced to our family lore, Windhaven takes place on a distant planet with a never-resting, thick atmosphere, where a few select families pass down wings made of materials scavenged from their colony ship.
I even wrote a song for it, because songs are so important to the story AND IT HAS NONE IN IT! My son sings it better than I do, and I would have loved to present it to Lisa Tuttle.
On the planet of Windhaven, the atmosphere is thick and the winds (almost) never stop. The colonists who settled here scavenged their ship for usable parts, and a lot of it went into the manufacture of sturdy, lightweight wings. The current level of technology can't reproduce them, and they are handed down within families.
The book follows the life of Maris, a little orphan child who was semi-adopted by a Flyer. He even taught her to use the wings, and then, when his son by blood comes of age, they are snatched away from her. The original short story ends when she manages to get the laws changed, and wins her wings back. The rest of the book shows that changing the law doesn't change people's attitudes.
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Friday, April 19, 2024
Review - Tzumi.com
There is (or, at least there used to be) a New York style delicatessen in downtown St. Louis. Customers receive authentic New York rudeness when they first enter the establishment. Some people find this quirky and fun. Personally, I didn't care for it, but the sandwich was good.
This week I experienced a flashback of that mixed bag of emotions, when I contacted Customer Support at Tzumi.com.
Let me back up a little.
A few years back, my daughter-in-law procured for me an Ion mug. This cute little gadget contained its own warmer and battery. It charged on a coaster made just for it, and off the charger would keep my coffee hot for at least a couple of hours. It was a delight, and I used it constantly at work.
At least, I did until the contact pins of coaster lost their spring, and then I couldn't charge the mug anymore. I couldn't find replacement parts anywhere, so the mug went into my desk drawer, and I found other ways to keep my coffee hot.
A couple of weeks ago, I was tidying up and found the mug. I decided to give it one last try before throwing it out. Lo and behold, I found replacement coasters at Tzumi. At less than half the cost of a new mug, I figured I give it a shot.
The coaster arrived when promised (always a concern when shopping at a new place), and I eagerly took the box to work. There, I learned that the coaster did not include the charger adapter. This did not necessarily mean that all was lost. The bottom of the coaster included the voltage (12) and amperage (1.5), which is half the battle. However, it said nothing about the type of tip needed. I could tell that it was round, and on the small side, but it was anybody's guess whether the center was supposed to be positive or negative.
Back to tzumi.com I went, but could not find the charger on their website. I did, however find a chat button, and (guided by menus) managed to convey the following information:
Customer Issue : Re: order 66888 - bronze ionmug coaster This item apparently does not include the charger. I need to know what charger to get for it. The coaster includes voltage and amperage information, but not what type of tip is needed.
Customer Serial Number : Do not have
I thought that was fairly clear, but the reader may disagree. Certainly Mike Smith didn't think so.
This is where things started to go south, and I must admit that the next misunderstanding is mine. I thought he needed my proof of purchase of the coaster I had bought from them, although I had included that information before. At any rate, I sent it again, copied from the email receipt. Sure enough, that was the wrong thing to do.
I already have access to the purchase of the coaster.
Yep, okay. But he didn't say "mug" in the first place, he said "complete coaster set."
I thought I'd set this back to my original request, which was only for information on what charger I needed. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of sending my reply on my phone, while half-groggy from sleep. I had intended to say,
But what came out was:
And then I went back to bed.
This confused Mike a great deal. The snarkiness began to emerge.
Can you amend this grammar for.... clarity?
I'm not sure what you're getting at.
This is starting to feel less like a customer service request, and more like the comments on a Facebook post. I replied:
I admit, that last sentence was uncalled-for. I often do the same thing on Facebook comments.
Mike's reply:
This was never mentioned.
I have a gift for you.
A "free" charger.
May I please have your mailing address?
No, I hadn't mentioned this originally. Why would I? This entire exchange was over a request for information. Why does it even matter where the original mug came from?
At any rate, I sent my address, with no further comment, and received the following:
My guess was Oklahoma.
This courtesy will go out later tomorrow.
USPS - 9400111206239550276267
I want along a great weekend.
-Mike
Now he has crossed the line into rude. Did no one ever train Mike for a customer service position? Does he have no idea how to make an email exchange professional, or does he just not care? I suspect the latter, for a quick Internet search revealed a history of terrible customer service.
To sum up: I (perhaps) will get a free charger that I didn't ask for, and all it cost me was enduring oblique personal insult.
What a bargain.
I rather doubt that I will get a request for feedback on the handling of this ticket, but if I do, then I will recommend that CS reps refrain from using the word "courtesy."
I will wait a day before considering any further reply. Will update when I know more.
At any rate, don't buy from Tzumi.com -- unless you're into that kind of thing, no kinkshame here.
Thank you for your attention.
Saturday, March 30, 2024
Librivox - The Prince and The Pauper
This was a lot of fun to narrate. I got to pull out my native Missouri accent.
The Prince and the Pauper (Version 4 - Dramatic Reading)
The Prince and the Pauper tells the story of
two young boys who are identical in appearance: Tom Canty, a pauper who
lives with his abusive father in Offal Court off Pudding Lane in London,
and Prince Edward, son of King Henry VIII. After trading clothes for a
lark, misadventure results in trading places - the King must survive a
pauper's fate, and Tom becomes the presumed King. The book follows the
adventures as the two try to learn the world of the other, and strive to
find their way back to their true life. - Summary by Krista Zaleski
Cast:
Prince: llamaart
Tom Canty: Andrea Atwood
Henry VIII: AlgyPug
Tom's Father: Larry Wilson
Lord Hertford: Beeswaxcandle
Lord St. John: Kerry Adams
Miles Hendon: ToddHW
Hugh Hendon: Ethan Hurst
Lord Chancellor, Blind Man, Branded Lawyer, Archbishop and Boy 2: David Purdy
Humphrey Marlow and Prissy: Lily
Hugo and Page: Navin
Tom's Mother: WendyKatzHiller
Nan and Benevolent Stranger: The Countess
Bet and Princess Elizabeth: Victoria Alice Bell
Lady Jane: Dawn Sutton
Lady Edith: Devorah Allen
Father Andrew and First Lord of the Buckhounds: James R. Hedrick
Soldier: Philip
Boy 1: czandra
Crowd 1: Chuck Williamson
Crowd 2 and Goodwife: Marie Christian
Crowd 3: Ted Perkins
Official, Chief Equerry in Waiting, and Blake Andrews: redrun
Physician, Waterman, and Dwarf: Laurie Banza
Servant, First Lord of the Bedchamber, and Prisoner: Cavaet
Admiral: lorda
Female Prisoner and Baptist Woman: tinab37
Ruffler: Miller4815
Yokel: Jaime Kurzweg
Margery and The Fairchild: Mia Catherine
Hermit and Judge: Joe Bergin
Shopkeeper: Elyse
Officer: Inkell
Chronicler: Doug Fajardo
Narrator: John Payton
Genre(s): Action & Adventure Fiction, Historical Fiction
Language: English
Sunday, March 3, 2024
Audiobook - Things Left Behind
My newest professional narration is now available.
Things Left Behind, by James Glass
Narrated by John Lee Payton
When Lieutenant Mark Wheeler of the South Carolina Police Department arrives at a possible murder-suicide, he realizes almost immediately things are amiss. The crime scene is brutal, but upon further investigation, he unveils a sadistic killer at play who will stop at nothing to get away. As the case unfolds, nothing can prepare Wheeler for the gauntlet of turmoil and trouble.
Relentlessly pursuing a psychopath who has flown under the radar for years, Mark fights to keep control—driven to bring this monster to justice. Will the sadistic killer finally be caught or will his instincts which have helped him so far see him through to the end?
Tuesday, January 9, 2024
Librivox - Twilight Stories
I participated in this project as well. Download here: https://librivox.org/twilight-stories-by-various/
Twilight Stories
A collection of broad-ranging, mostly American stories and poems for children by various authors, including Margaret Sidney, Susan Coolidge, Joaquin Miller, Henry W. Longfellow, and Mrs. Amy Therese Powelson. Each poem or story is followed by an additional short rhyme, drawn from a variety of sources, but not attributed. Topics include history, war, school, everyday life, Fairyland, and more. (Summary by Winnifred Assmann)
Genre(s): General
Language: English
Monday, January 8, 2024
LibriVox - Hearts of Three
Hearts of Three
Genre(s): Action & Adventure Fiction, Fantasy Fiction
Language: English
Francis Morgan, a wealthy heir of industrialist and Wall Street maven Richard Henry Morgan, is a jaded young New Yorker. When his father's business partner Thomas Regan suggests that Francis take a holiday in Central America, ostensibly to search for the treasure of the Morgans' legendary ancestor, Francis thinks it's a splendid idea. But he never suspects what adventures await across the border... - Summary by Goodreads
Cast List:
Narrator: Lynette Caulkins
Francis Morgan: john warren hart
Henry Morgan: Benjamin Tucker
Leoncia Solano: Krista Zaleski
Parker and Priest of the Sun: James R. Hedrick
Thomas Regan: John Payton
Señor Álvarez Torres and Yi Poon: Wayne Cooke
Señor Mariano Vercara è Hijos and Bascom: Greg Giordano
Enrico Solano and Lieutenant Parsons: Todd
Alesandro Solano: Ted Perkins
Martinez Solano, Gendarme, Overseer Ramirez: redrun
Alvarado Solano: Andrew Gaunce
Ricardo Solano, Juchitán Haciendado: Inkell
Solano Maid: Eileen Ellen
Solano Servant 1, Trefethen's Sailor, Carib, Haciendado 3, Caroo, and Newspaper Pedlar: David Purdy
Solano Servant 2, Percival, Carib, Old Buccaneer Henry Morgan, Guillermo, Panamanian Judge, Lost Soul, and Canoe Indian: John Kennard
Mayan Lad and José, a Mayan youth: Elijah Fisher
Captain Trefethen: Max Magnus
Carib: Yuqing
Pedro Zurita and Police Lt. Burns: Scott Caulkins
Rafael and Charlie Tippery: Elsie Selwyn
Ignacio and Blind One's Leader: Joe Bergin
Augustino, Capitán Rosaro, and Johnny Pathmore: Bill Mosley
Haciendado 2 and Vicente: Major Toast
Oil Man and Peter McGill: Archives27
Beleaguered Peon and Bear Broker: Beeswaxcandle
The Blind Brigand: Larry Wilson
The Blind One's Daughter: Eliza
Old Maya: Sonia
José Mancheno and Old Wreck: Adrian Stephens
Daughter of the Sun Priest and Concordia: Marie Christian
The Sun Queen: Jenn Broda
Lost Soul: Kristin G
Lost Soul: Christine Bowden
Lost Soul: Michele Eaton
Nicoya: Miss Kay
Rodriguez Fernandez: Scotty Smith
Broken Woman: Dawn Sutton
Download all files here: LibriVox: