The only downside was the price...$11.99 per month.  I make a decent salary and so does my wife, but that price seemed a bit steep for something that I estimated at most I would listen to twenty hours a month, and more often about ten.

So for almost a year I hemmed and hawed about it, always trying to justify the cost.  But my fine protestant  upbringing always prevented me from making the leap and getting it.  Finally, almost a year later, my wife asked me what I wanted for Christmas.  There was nothing I could really think of but after a while it occurred to me...I want XM radio.

So she got it for me and we both enjoyed it so much she got hers a few months later.

Over the years there were issues here and there...the merger, the increase in fees...but it was always worth the money.

In September 2011, Sirius XM announced a price increase.  While the increase was minimal, like so many Netflix users responded to the Netflix price increase, for me this was the last straw on a once great product.

There are three main reasons I decided to cancel my subscription:

1)  They pulled their free internet streaming radio and made it a paid add-on.  I understand it was part of the merger, but to pull something that was purchased without compensating the user is just wrong.

2) While they were very quick to pull the XMRO (XM Radio Online) when the merger occurred, they were not so quick to merge their two accounting systems.  So when my wife got a car that only came with Sirius (and not XM like I had) there was no way to have a family plan even though we had two radios in the same family with the same company.  And I was okay with it...the first year.  By the time the third year came around, my patience with this issue was exhausted.

3)  Finally, the price increase.  As I said, its a small amount.  But history has show only a decrease in service, a decrease in programming line up, and an increase in "commercial" radio.  Add that to the economy of scales they gained through the merger and the fat that it's just a boneheaded idea to increase price on a non-essential service in the middle of this biggest economic downturn in the last 80 years.  Well, it all amounts to the appearance of just being greedy.

On the other hand, Pandora is very cheap and customizable and friendly and goes wherever I do.

SiriusXM needs to wake up...there are lots of choices out there and none of them treat their customers with as much distain as SiriusXM does.

I found it ironic that after I cancelled my account they sent me a survey to ask why I left.  It was a very blunt tools that really did not capture the frustration I have has with SiriusXM.

See ya, SiriusXM.  It's been fun.

18oz Frenched Rib ChopBefore dining at El Gaucho I thought the phrase "melts in your mouth" only applied to M&Ms and butter. Then I had the Frenched rib chop. I didn't think a steak could get this tender and flavorful. I asked for it cooked medium and it was perfectly done. But not only was it perfectly done color-wise, but the most amazing part was how it was perfectly pink in the center, but the was no blood at all. And while normally I would expect a steak this thick to be a little raw in the center, the cooking was done with such perfection that the texture was somehow firm but tender throughout. Simply put, perfection.

But the perfection didn't stop there...the Full Gaucho potato was phenomenal. Prepared at the table with cheddar cheese sauce, butter and scallions, it was light and fluffy and delicious. And the roasted corn was a sweet and tasty treat that rounded out the saltiness and pepper of the potato and steak nicely.

The service was second to none and the live piano added a charm that reminded one of a day long past. It was very much like stepping into a time warp. I really expected Frank Sinatra and the rest of the Rat pack to walk through the door at any minute.

I would have said Humphrey Bogart, but I think he might have actually been there....

So I am in Seattle for the Dexter and Chaney User Confrence, and it just reaffirms my last opinion...I really like Seattle. Very pretty and the people are very friendly. And the food is awesome. Just a great place to visit. I really want to bring my wife and kids out here to visit.

One thing that kind of suprised me (although I'm not sure why) is how many Apple products people are using here in the land of Microsoft.

Pike's Public Market is still a great thing to see. It is a maze of little shops and resturants and vendors and everything else that you can imagine. Salvidore Dali said that the train station at Perpignan was the center of the universe. I think he would change his mind if he ever went to Pike's Market.

But before I bestow this little pearl of wisdom (for which I am sure you'll thank your lucky stars you happened upon this blog) just a little background.  Early in my career I seemed to be doing the usual job hopping thing and going on a lot of interviews.  Like most people I was terrified of screwing up the interview and not getting the job.  Being in IT, the field is usually quite competitive, so to land a good job you need to look sharp.  The "Rule of Three" (as I call it) does just that.  I attribute it with landing at least my last two jobs.  But it is useful in many day-to-day situations as well.  I guess to be honest, I've used it more outside the job interviewing process that within, but I think you'll see it's value shortly.

So let's imagine you are in an interview and you are asked one of those questions that are just out of left field and you have no idea how to answer.  For example, say they person says something like "who are your favorite sports heroes and why?"  In your head, you are probably saying "what the hell is this guy talking about?"  But instead of getting flustered and babbling like a loon, just look at them and simply say "I have three sports heroes...." and then list them off.

The trick is to say "I have three (fill in the blank here)."  The blank is whatever question or topic the person asked about.  It can be three of whatever they asks...favorite vegetables, personal achievements, disliked colors,  grammatical errors, etc.  It really doesn't matter.  The key is to state that you have three of whatever and to gesture the number three with your hand.  Then explain the three items one at a time, calmly, and with enough detail to allow you time to think of the next one but keeping it concise as possible.

For example, it the question above, I would respond (and mind you, I am not a big sports fan) with something like this:

"I have three sports heroes.  The first is Wayne Gretzky because of his skill as a player and his determination to be the best.  The second is Walter Payton because of the love he gave to the game, his tenacity,  and the way he treated others.  And the third is, well, a team...the 1980's U.S. Olympic Hockey team, because of their spirit and the way they never gave up even when faced with much tougher opponents."

Now honestly, I just wrote that stream of conciseness style.  I had no idea what I was going to write just now.  I didn't think about it and, except for editing the spelling and grammar, it is just as it came out.

I'm not sure how it works but it does.  I have often put "on the spot" and used the "Rule of Three" successfully dozens of times and each time i develop more and more faith in the process.  The key to it, I believe, is that the exercise focuses your mind on the subject and hand, breaks down the question into "chunks" that are easy to handle,  allows you time to think about the points (while you are discussing the others), and makes it appear as though you are quite decisive, knowledgeable, and thoughtful about whatever subject you happened to be asked about.  

The hand gesture indicating the number of items you have is useful because it helps you focus and not stray from the topic at hand.  Additionally it helps you remember what the first two were when you get to the third in case you want to recap or they ask you about a particular point.

Of course, you can make it two or four or however many points you want, and I would encourage doing so (espicially if using the rule several times in succession, lest they think you're some deranged person fixated on the number three like Jim Carey in "23".)  And practice youring the rule in non-critical situations.  It's kind of amazing how well it works and how easy it is to use.

Give it a try.  What have you got to lose?

(I've got three things to lose...first, I have...)

:)

So I hopefully will have some more time to write going forward.