2014
Despite Earlier Snark, I'm Excited for 'Star Wars'
Dec 01 2014 Filed in: News
I had some choice words for Abrams after he agreed to take on both Star Wars AND Star Trek. Now that he’s not directing ST III, I can focus on being stoked for this:
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Blogging @ Pizza for Good & ARTvision for the rest of 2014
Nov 25 2014 Filed in: News
I won’t be posting much to this blog page for the rest of the year. So make sure to jump over to these links:
• Pizza for Good by Will Pollock
• ARTvision Atlanta to benefit Positive Impact.
Hope you have a wonderful holiday season!
• Pizza for Good by Will Pollock
• ARTvision Atlanta to benefit Positive Impact.
Hope you have a wonderful holiday season!
Whole Foods: 'What Do You Need' vs. 'How Can I Help?'
I recently posted a review of Whole Foods on my Yelp! page that got some buzz on Facebook, so I decided to post it here, too. There is a good lesson in customer care that all retail places can learn from. The review follows in full below—you can also see and interact with it on the Yelp website.
Whole Foods is really not a place where one goes as a "need." Can we agree on that? Judging by other reviews of this location, everyone raves about the products and selection (accurate), but laments about the prices--also true, but its in-house brands are usually cheaper.
I wrote a line on my joke page, and I think it actually came true recently: "If Whole Foods' customers don't completely crush your soul, its employees will finish the job." Although not true in all locations, THIS location--about which I've written here before--has gotten. just. terrible.
On two successive visits to Whole Foods (referred to as "Food Hole" between friends), employees asked me the "need" question. After waiting for help in the meat section a few minutes, a guy dashed over and said: "what do you need?" I was taken aback. "I don't *need anything," I said in by best Manhattan attitude. "I'd just like some chicken cutlets."
A few days later, I was in the shopping center buying dog food so I ducked in The Hole. I really like WF's in-house gelato, so I went to the counter. Nobody there. I waited. Still nobody. I finally flagged someone down and asked them if they could help me, and she said she'd get someone.
A few minutes later, a gal with an apron came up to me in a rush. She didn't go behind the counter to assist, she just walked up to me and asked, "what do you need?" "I'd just like to taste the pumpkin gelato" I said. she walked behind the counter, dug out a taste with one of those plastic dollhouse spoons and started back to what she was doing. She left the counter, even though I was ready to buy.
These two experiences culminate in a check-out experience I had last week that was, in a word, surreal. The bagger and cashier had zero interest in me, what I was buying or how it should be packed to go home. Bagger Joe was retelling a story about his girlfriend and how she wasn't behaving right and how he was gonna set it all straight later. It was one, long, sordid, misogynistic, run-on sentence. The cashier said nothing, and I'm not sure he was even listening to him. (Bagger dude started to put the frozen stuff in the not-frozen bag, so I had to interrupt him.)
Mindfulness seems to be a bragging point of Whole Foods in general, with magazines at the check-out counters that urge you to become a vegan, cross-legged Shaman who only eats hemp, lettuce and twigs with an occasional organic fennel tea. But mindfulness and courteous behavior amongst employees at this location is not there, and I'm starting to lose hope it ever will be.
Will I still go for the product selection? yes. will I be ready for the "need" question? feels like I'll always need to be ready for that.
From 400 to 1,300: 4 Simple Rules Still Holds True
Oct 05 2014 Filed in: Social Media
Back in 2011, I wrote a blog post because I was so stoked about reaching 400 followers. Cut to fall of 2014 and I have a new handle (@bywillpollock) and I’m up to 1,300 followers—based on a lot of research and practice and advice I’ve weaved in along the way. But it all sits on the same foundation I had back then. Click over to my op-ed section to read the post and the update. Enjoy!
Cheers to my awesome followers, and those who are still to come.
Cheers to my awesome followers, and those who are still to come.
Robin Williams: A Death Hits Home
Aug 22 2014 Filed in: Guest Blogger
My good friend Leesa Brown has agreed to have her op-ed—originally posted to Facebook—appear on WP.com with a few enhancements. Click over to “A Death Hits Home” for more, and here’s an excerpt:
“I honestly wish that doctors and therapists would work more on healing, and less on just slapping a bandage on something to cover it up. Medications for depression may truly help some, but too often they're just a way to shove the problem under the rug so we can pretend it doesn't exist. Building self-esteem and repairing emotional injuries would go a long way. Therapy is often a lifesaver - literally.”
I am a huge proponent and supporter of mental-health services. ARTvision has raised more than $50,000 for Positive Impact, a critical agency that provides critical care for those affected by HIV in the Atlanta area. Leesa single-handedly earned $950 last year for PI with her piece, “Riding the Light.” We are grateful to her for that amazing donation of creativity!
Depression and other related ailments can be lessened if we look out for each other and try to get help to those who need it. As we close out 2014, please consider supporting PI and any other groups or agencies who help those suffering from depression, PTSD and other ailments.
Leesa’s personal experience is a wonderful read. Click over now and have a look. - WP
Blogging On Other Sites, Too!
Aug 15 2014 Filed in: General Posts
In addition to regular posts on the Pizza for Good book blog, I’m also regularly liveblogging CBS’ Big Brother for The Backlot.
Zankie fever has gripped fans of all stripes, so make sure to jump over to The Backlot if you don’t know what I’m talking about!
We’ve got a terrific guest blogger coming soon on WP.com, so stay tuned.
Zankie fever has gripped fans of all stripes, so make sure to jump over to The Backlot if you don’t know what I’m talking about!
We’ve got a terrific guest blogger coming soon on WP.com, so stay tuned.
When You Start A Sentence With 'You Need To...'
Jun 18 2014 Filed in: The Funnies | JokeBlogger
New On PFG: Only Child II: Gorgeous Gougères [VIDEO]
Apr 08 2014 Filed in: Pizza for Good | YouTube
'Chowfunding': Could It Catch On?
Feb 06 2014 Filed in: Pizza for Good
Please Sign Up For My Mailing List
Feb 06 2014 Filed in: General Posts
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The 'Friends' Theme Song Like You've Never Heard It Before
We’ve all been subjected to the “I’ll Be There for You” ditty a thousand times - and The Rembrandts will always be known for it (and try to live it down).
But these three Irish guys sat in front of a piano and remade the hit in to something completely memorable. Have a look:
But these three Irish guys sat in front of a piano and remade the hit in to something completely memorable. Have a look:
'Pizza for Good' Book-release Party Video Trailer
Jan 15 2014 Filed in: Pizza for Good | Streaming Web
What better way to tease the release of the book-release party video than to roast Penny Frulla?
Penny is the daughter-in-law of Lulu Frulla, the subject of Chapter One of Pizza for Good. For more on the book and to purchase, click over to the book blog.
Roasting Penny For Good from Will Pollock on Vimeo.
The set-up: we're about midway through the book-release party, and Penny is seated at the Troublemaker Table - a group of my friends in the back row who were giggling, laughing and generally causing trouble. I'm in the middle of a chapter presentation, and Penny's phone rang - and this is what happened next.
Full book-release party footage, including a short movie and a few other clips, coming soon.
Penny is the daughter-in-law of Lulu Frulla, the subject of Chapter One of Pizza for Good. For more on the book and to purchase, click over to the book blog.
January 2014 Header: "Empire of the Sun"
Jan 14 2014 Filed in: Captures | Photography
Shot in Costa Rica last summer - “Empire of the Sun” shows the end of the day in Tamarindo.
View or buy the 2014 header captures by clicking here.
View or buy the 2014 header captures by clicking here.