Tag: Chad

John Mayer As Role Model

I like John Mayer. I like how he sings. I like how he plays guitar (amazing). I like the songs he writes and performs. That he was a viewer growing up only adds to my fun.

We met and spoke a few years ago. I immediately liked him as a person. He’s really smart… really thoughtful.

Earlier today Helaine pointed to an entry in John’s blog. Whatever I thought before, I feel more now!

I’m taking to the blog today to share something with you that I feel more passionate about than I saw coming.

I want to make it short and sweet so that anybody who wants to re-print it can copy and paste without editing…

Went out to dinner Thursday night. My car. One glass of wine. Carpooled from dinner to go out to one more place. Everyone in my car. At the next spot, I do the Diet Coke with Lime thing. My favorite scotch (Lagavulin 16 year) arrives under my nose. “Can’t do it,” I say. Then I find out my friend has switched to Designated Driver and has a plan that involves everyone getting home safe. Cool. I love Lagavulin when the time is right. Now it’s the end of the night and I’m feeling wonderfully buzzy and ready to get dropped off to my house in my car, except the person that was going to follow my car in the DD’s car to drive him back isn’t in shape to drive either.

It’s 2 o’clock in the morning. I call my housemate Chad. Chad’s sleeping. He was in the studio all day. I explain to him that I need him to jump in the back seat of my car, ride to the DD’s car and drive me back home. Of course Chad says “yes” and comes through like a champ. A champ, I say.

Here’s what I want to tell you:

If I, incredibly hot/fugly John Mayer can make that call, so can you.

The distance from the parking lot to my house was about 5 miles, mostly straight shot up the coast of Santa Monica, zero traffic. And I didn’t drive it. Me. The guy who gets the VIP velvet rope treatment in life.

Oh, and the call? It’s not the coolest you’ll ever sound. And the logistics? It’s kind of inelegant. You trace the same route twice when all you want to do is fall into bed. But you gotta do it.

This is all coming from a guy who you can be sure would have found a sexier way to get home if there was one available. And there just isn’t, especially in LA. (You can be sexy again the next day when you wake up with the rest of your big, beautiful life in front of you.)

I’m not writing this to earn golf claps, it’s just that if I’m going to stand in any way as an ambassador of something cool or influential, this is more important than any pair of sneakers or a guitar.

And to give a big high five to the Chads of the world.

See you around

JM

There’s no obligation for a rock or sports or movie star (or even a weatherman) to be a role model. By the time you’re old enough to be one, you have no choice. You were either brought up that way or you weren’t.

I Am Currently Twiddling

Steffie’s laptop computer had a run-in with some juice earlier this afternoon. It works fine, with the exception of the Enter, space bar, and some other keys.

OK – under those circumstances it might as well be dead.

I need to contact Dell for service, since we have the ‘all hazards’ protection. I thought, with a college student, this was a good idea. Two points for Geoff.

I went to the Dell site looking for support. Buying it was much easier than finding it!

I waited on the phone, but it’s tough to stay on the phone when you’re at work. Instead, I’m trying their on-line chat function.

There’s obviously a lot of estimating going on. At one point it told me I had 5:12 to wait. A few minutes later it was up to 5:44, even though there was one less person in the queue.

On-line chats have many advantages. For instance, I’ll never know if “Chad” or whomever I get to talk to is really in India or closer to home (don’t bet on closer to home).

02/13/2006 08:26:32PM Agent (Gaurav_01113232): “Thank you for contacting Dell Consumer Hardware Warranty Support Chat. My name is Gaurav. Please give me a minute to review your question.”

He’s here. It’s Gaurav. Where’s Chad?

Chatting for tech support is like living life in slow motion. It’s excruciatingly slow. On the other hand, with my typos from time-to-time, he’s not the only one who is speaking like a foreigner&#185.

02/13/2006 08:38:56PM Agent (Gaurav_01113232): “I request for a minute more please.”

I’ve just paused while finishing my chat. I am pleasantly surprised. Again, we bought the full, no holds barred coverage.

02/13/2006 08:30:55PM Agent (Gaurav_01113232): “Well as per you warranty there are two option first to send the system to depot for complete check, it will take 6-8 days.”

02/13/2006 08:31:20PM Agent (Gaurav_01113232): “Or I will send technician or the key board with proper tolls and lay out to get it replaced.”

02/13/2006 08:32:00PM Agent (Gaurav_01113232): “Technician will not examine the system completely as it can only be done in depot , he will only replace the keyboard of the system.”

02/13/2006 08:32:14PM Agent (Gaurav_01113232): “Please let me know what service call should I create .”

I chose Stef’s dorm. Trust me, this is much better than it could have been and certainly easier than taking it or sending it to a depot.

I think Steffie is impressed. I am certainly impressed. I’ll report back when the laptop is fixed.

Oh – if you’re hanging around and run into Gaurav, let him know he made a friend in Connecticut. I just wish he worked here too.

&#185 – Gaurav, as it turns out, is in New Delhi.