The Natural Number Following 34 and Preceding 36

Google "35", and you'll find nifty trivia from Wikipedia like:

• In years of marriage, 35 is the coral wedding anniversary (uh, what am I supposed to do with that?!?)

• Interstate 35 is a freeway that runs from Texas to Minnesota (a drive I might punish Steve with if he buys me coral for our 35th wedding anniversary)

• 35 is the minimum age (in years) of candidates for election to the position of President of the United States (a position I can assume in a mere 3 years to enact further and more severe punishment upon Steve if he buys me coral for our 35th wedding anniversary and forces me to drive Interstate 35 from Texas to Minnesota with him)
  

Google "35 years old", and the oddities include:

• A Budweiser commercial showing how a clerk being diligent about checking ID can make a 35-year-old's day (darn, when was the last time my ID was checked?!?)
  

• A list of 35-year-old whiskies from Whisky Magazine, which exists to "celebrate whiskies of the world" (maybe I need to start buying whisky - or is it whiskey? - to test this ID thing)
  

• A Moscow news article reporting a 35-year-old man who underwent surgery to be relieved of what had initially been diagnosed as a tumor, but turned out to be the embryo of his unborn twin brother (gimme a whiskey NOW, or I will never recover from reading this article and seeing the picture attached to it!)
  

Google "Age 35", and this neat stuff appears:

• Lots of links to articles regarding pregnancy after age 35 (oh goodie, there's still time)

• Tips on how to stay young after age 35 (I'm betting the chances are lessened if one also has those previously mentioned children)
  

• More tips, this time on landing Mr. Right at age 35 (ha! same bet as above but this time I'm betting more emphatically)
  

• A website designed to help you meet and make a love match with an inmate who is, you guessed it, age 35 (a good backup plan in case Mr. Right is never quite landed, I suppose)

After I publish this post, I'll have to try all these Googles again to see if my blog appears. Happy 35th birthday, Steve! May this um, tribute of sorts remain in cyberspace for all eternity.

CSI: ND (Episode 1)

Just when you thought CBS had it covered with CSIs in Las Vegas, Miami and New York ... now, they're hitting North Dakota? Rumors are swirling that several cast members from the movie Fargo (including Frances McDormand, William H. Macy and Steve Buscemi) will be reuniting for the new series, their combined star power overshadowing the likes of David Caruso (CSI: Miami) and Gary Sinise (CSI: New York). My not-so-secret hope is that one episode actually guest stars Sinise as a sociopathic hit man who sends his victim, Caruso, through a wood chipper.

Kidding! (Except for that last part.) Besides, North Dakota is a state, not a town, so don't think I didn't know that. "CSI: Fargo" didn't exactly accomplish my purpose here, however, which was to create a nifty little acrostic for a new feature on our blog:

Customer Service Is Not Dead!

It's so easy to complain about poor customer relations, and I am far too often guilty of doing so. To help me achieve strides in my pursuit of greater positivity, I'm going to start reporting episodes of customer service ranking from PRETTY DURN GOOD to FREAKIN' FABULOUS.

Guest star: The Plant Lady from Home Depot

Action: I am carrying two ceramic pots that I picked up from the indoor selection of, you guessed it, pots. I wander out into the gardening area to peruse that selection, passing The Plant Lady who greets me warmly.

I find nothing of interest there, and wander back inside to look at potting soil. The Plant Lady has just hoisted a giant plant into a shopping cart. She sees me and asks if I'm finding everything okay. I have barely begun my search, but decide to let her point me in the right direction, which she does. I thank her and say something about just going to get a cart (since I'm about to wander off in the opposite direction of where she just pointed me). The Plant Lady immediately and cheerfully says, "Take mine!" She heaves the big plant out of the shopping cart before I can protest, smiles and waddles back out to the gardening area.

Rating: PERFECTION - What I wouldn't have asked for as a customer but most likely would have done as an employee. Lots of gold stars for you, Plant Lady!