Category Archives: Travel

Midwest Airlines must remain in Milwaukee

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I have always admired Midwest Airlines for its unwavering dedication to customer service. I have flown Midwest a number of times, and I admit that I’ve always enjoyed it. Its wide, two-across seating and excellent service make flying a worthwhile experience.

Enter AirTran Airways, who wants to have Midwest’s shareholders vote to allow it to purchase Midwest Airlines. AirTran’s president argues that Midwest will not survive in today’s competitive airline market with its philosophy.

It reminds me of another small company that, despite recent acquisitions, still manages to put customer service and satisfaction before the quick buck. Over 40 years ago, Gary Comer started a small, sailing supply mail-order company that focused more on service and quality than just a product. It soon became a clothing company, but Lands’ End never lost its philosophy of service and quality. Midwest Airlines carries the same philosophy of making the flight a pleasant experience. Other airlines focus on moving people efficiently, resulting in crowded conditions, poor service, and people that generally find flying a chore. Quite honestly, I dislike flying other airlines.

I hope that the stockholders will remember why Midwest Airlines is in business and its philosophy on providing its customers a positive flying experience. In today’s day and age of being herded through airport security and sitting elbow-to-elbow with strangers, Midwest Airlines needs to remain independent and continue its practices of wide, two-across seating and fresh-baked cookies. These are the touches that make it a better airline.

Midwest Airlines: Customer Experience

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel article: Midwest sale may hinge on price

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel editorial: Big Questions for AirTran

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article: Independence will save Midwest, chief says

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article: Airline plans to expand service

More pictures, new guitar strings

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I published yet another scrapbook page of my trip to England. I managed to convert more pictures for the page, but I have so many more to make web-ready. I hope to complete more in the next week.

I will be testing some new strings on my guitar. Elixir stings, made by W. L. Gore and Associates, are specially coated guitar strings that have a micropolymer layer over wound strings to allow them to resist contamination and corrosion over a period of time while providing the same tone as regular strings. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be playing them and making notes about what I think about them (as required by the survey). The first portion of the survey is due in a week, and the second is due eight weeks after I start playing the new strings. Although Gore makes two types of strings, the set that I received does not state which type I have. Instead, they’re called a “Developmental Sample,” which could be the type with “nanoweb” technology. It would seem unusual that a company that basically developed Gore-Tex would move into guitar string manufacturing, but Gore is known for its innovation with plastics.

Summer 2003 is officially over

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Happy Labor Day! This hasn’t been a quiet weekend for me. Although I didn’t find time to really update the site much, I did get out and have a little fun. I’ve added pictures to my scrapbook. I really spent most of the weekend cleaning the apartment and taking it easy. So, for those of you keeping track, I still have a lot of work to do. I hope to have some web projects done in the next month, such as the web site evolution and the guitar pages.

Summer is essentially over. I couldn’t help but think about some of the cool things I did this year. I spent two weeks in England, I went to Minneapolis to see Metallica, saw the Packers play a preseason game at Lambeau in Green Bat, and I made progress on my desk. I also bought a third electric guitar, a new digital camera, and computer upgrades. All of this was worthwhile, and I hope next summer is just as fun and exciting. Next year, I’m thinking about taking a road trip to the East Coast, visiting Irishfest, and upgrading my PC’s sound processor so that I can record music into it. And of course, I’m looking at buying a house by next fall. But do me a favor… don’t wait for a year to see what I’ve accomplished, since I’m always updating (or at least trying) this site.

UK pictures delayed

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I changed my mind. A few days ago I stated that I would work on the England pictures before the web site evolution stuff. But after thinking about it, the England project will take me some time. So, I’ve decided to work on the web site evolution stuff instead. I’ve looked at the old content and formats, and I’m ready to put stuff together. They will all be screen shots, so keep in mind that the hyperlinks embedded do not work. But it gives you an idea of how both the content and the formats have changed. Gosh, I’ve gotten darker since, haven’t I?

Pictures from the UK

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I received my pictures from my UK trip yesterday. After thinking about how to get them from print to electronic pictures, I decided to scan them in using my scanner (the other option was photo CD). After scanning the first set tonight, I realized that this is going to take a while. I’m scanning them at the highest resolution my scanner will accept (600 dpi… it’s a three-year old scanner), and converting them to a web-friendly format using Adobe PhotoShop Elements (version 1.0; it’s an older version, but it suits my needs). Due to all of this work, I’ve started looking at digital cameras.

I’ve added a picture of Leeds Castle to the Scrapbook. As I continue to work on scanning pictures and writing my travel logs, I will begin to put together a section in my scrapbook of my trip. However, it will take a lot of space, and will require me to clean up other areas of the scrapbook (the other option is to find a larger server). Of course, this means that the web site evolution page will be delayed.

Back from England, New Metallica album

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I just returned from a two-week vacation in England. It was a fantastic time. I saw so many things and took so many pictures, I’ll be putting together a montage of my trip. Places I visited range from prehistoric times (Stonehenge) to ancient times (Bath) to historical times (Edinburgh Castle, Palace of Hollyrood) to modern times (Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, the London Eye). I also rode just about every mode of transportation available. I even went through 16 rolls of film and three disposable cameras. I look forward to putting together the scrapbook.

Of course, the first thing I did when I returned home was bought a copy of Metallica’s “St. Anger” album. I’ve already listened to the first two tracks, and all I can say is: Holy F%$#!!! There’s no selling out here, and the boyz are back!! For those who think Metallica is all washed up, you need to hear this album.

Planning a trip

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I dislike writing this when there isn’t much going on. The site has remained stagnant for a while, but I expect to have new pictures up soon (perhaps by the end of next month). Two new pictures are available… see My Scrapbook.

I am checking out airline fares for an overseas trip. If I go, I plan on visiting some really marvelous, historical places in Great Britain and taking pictures. Naturally, I’ll add things to My Scrapbook. Stay tuned for more information.

Other than budget woes and guitar blues, not much else is going on at the moment. I did spend some time cleaning the apartment for my family to visit. it’s in such good shape, I can move that desk in at any time. Of course, I’m looking to complete it by the end of June.