Mmmm... Donuts

February 15, 2010

Ben Lemon
1234 Dreary Lane
Marietta, GA 30066



Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation
PO Box 83
Winston-Salem, NC 27102

Dear Krispy Kreme,

I am writing you in regards to the service I received at your Marietta, Georgia location (299 Cobb Parkway South). I have been frequenting this establishment for several years and have always been discouraged by the cold and callous demeanor of its workers. Unfortunately, this location is the only one near my place of employment. On my last visit, the lack of accountability and customer service was very unacceptable to say the least.

On February 10th, I stopped to get a doughnut and coffee as I do at least once a week on my way to work. On this particular day, the drive-thru employee was very rude. She has been rude in the past, but this time she was worse. I was given my doughnut and was asked to wait for my coffee. Upon her return to the window, she spilled the very hot coffee across my lap. This of course burned me, but it also damaged the seats and carpet in my car. I asked to speak to the manager and she advised me that he was not available. I asked, “why not?” The employee told me that he has not come into work yet and said the she does not know when he will arrive. I explained my disapproval and asked her to get me a new cup of coffee. Upon receiving the coffee, I informed her that I will be contacting the corporate office about this.

I must pose a few questions regarding my experience at this particular location. Why was the Marietta store without a manager? Who is going to pay to get this mess shampooed out of my vehicle’s interior? I enjoy your product, but I do not believe that it is worth the lackluster service and the chance that this may happen again.

Sincerely,

Ben Lemon



Krispy Kreme Customer


Additions:
1. I added the date at the top of the letter.
2. I added a new line to the last paragraph. (“I must pose a few questions regarding my experience at this particular location.)
3. I also added “Sincerely” to my closing.
Deletion:
1. I deleted a sentence from my last paragraph. (At the very least, I think that Krispy Kreme should pay to get the interior of my vehicle cleaned.)
Substitution:
1. I changed, “I asked to speak to her manager” to I asked to speak to the manager”.
2. Instead of posing a question on the last sentence, I changed it to a sentence. [(I enjoy your product, but is it worth the lackluster service….) to (I enjoy your product, but I do not believe its worth the lackluster service….)]

I think the changes that I made the letter a bit more precise and professional. I also think that by removing “At the very least, I think that Krispy Kreme should pay to get the interior of my vehicle cleaned” that I have reduced the chance that Krispy Kreme will do the bare minimum to keep me as a customer.

Title of Blog Citation:
“Lisa the Tree Hugger.” The Simpsons.FOX. KTTV FOX, Los Angeles. 19 November 2000

Honorable Discharge

http://www.time.com/time/picturesoftheweek/0,29409,1950092_2017278,00.html

Being a Sergeant 1st class, I have seen my fair share of flag-draped coffins. I will never get used to it. Tolerance would be the most accurate description of my state of mind. Conflict overseas has definitely had an effect on the number of brothers and sisters that receive this honor.

Who is it this time? Is this a male or female? Perhaps we were in boot camp together or served together on my last tour. Could it be Joseph Taylor? I remember not thinking that he was cut out for the military life back in boot, but to my surprise he ended up being a real asset to his company. Maybe it’s Heather Nash. She saved my life in Afghanistan. I didn’t think I was going to survive the explosion, but her selflessness in action got me out of the blast radius and behind cover. She was even able to suppress enemy fire while I fended off the effects of the detonation. Regardless, the person in this casket is somebody’s loved one.

It troubles me to have these thoughts, but it is difficult not to. I am honored to be a part of this man or women’s ceremony, but I would much rather be sharing life with them. Am I out of line having these thoughts? Am I going soft? I should be focused on my orders not on these trivial thoughts, but this is my fourth ceremony of this kind in the last month. I understand why so many see the honor in dying for their country, but should such a sacrifice have to be made in this day and age. Was the action and motive that took this life, necessary? What about all of the lives before? Some of the veterans think of this as the highest honor. I think of it as an honor that nobody wants to bear. Perhaps that is a difference between the generations. I guess it is pretty amazing to be immortalized within the history books.

As I suspected, there is media everywhere. (Keep your back straight soldier! Keep your chin up! Make this individuals family proud and for God’s sake don’t trip.) The flag perfectly adorns this warrior’s final place of rest. The patriotism is overwhelming as we march to the sounds of the bugler playing “Taps”. There is a sea of red, white, and blue that flickers in the wind. I think I will take a moment of silent reflection for another selfless act of one for the defense of millions.


Reichanadter, Jeri. "Coming Home." Photo. Time.com 21 Dec. 2009. 9 Feb. 2010
http://www.time.com/time/picturesoftheweek/0,29409,1950092_2017278,00.html

The Gamer

I have been a big fan of video games for as long as I can remember. It is definitely my favorite past time. My first experience with video games was the Commodore 64 home computer. Most of the games were pretty simple and lacked the technological strength that today’s gaming consoles and computers have. The home computers in that era were nothing like what we see today. Windows was not even invented yet. Programs were initialized by the use of DOS. Plus, Commodore’s had a built in cartridge peripheral to allow the use of game cartridges, which is pretty uncommon for home computers today. Though the Commodore 64 was fun, it lacked the immersion that later gaming systems adopted. The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is a shining example of this.

One of the most memorable games that I played was Super Mario Bros., which is a side-scrolling action plat former. The level design was unlike anything that the gaming industry had seen to date. The level of exploration and reward were second-to-none. I remember scouring the levels for new hidden levels and various other goodies, which was quite addictive. Not to mention, it made for some great bragging rights amongst my friends. I remember when I first found the “warp zones” on level 1-2 and that I was the first of my friends to find it. Unfortunately, I also found out that my older brother already found it and that he also found one on level 4-2.

Some of the most fun I had in my youth involved my older brother and I doing laps on the massively popular kart racer, Mario Kart. This game made its debut on Super NES, which was the predecessor to the NES. The exhilaration, comradery, and enjoyment that I experienced while playing this game have seldom been matched. The feeling of accomplishment when I was able to spin my brother out, as infrequent as it may have been, was one of the things that kept me coming back for more. Still to this day, I find it hard to re-create the special moments that the older NES and SNES games gave me in my childhood.

Games have changed allot over the years. So much, that the industry has lost vision on some of the simplistically fun things that made up the games of my youth. I still play and enjoy the games of today, but I fear that I will never restore those feelings that so many others and I experienced back then. Perhaps it is not just video games or video game developers that have changed over the years. Would I still give Super Mario Bros. a play in today’s market? Unfortunately, I probably would not.