La Bene Vita

Sunday = Sickyday

It doesn't really matter what I ate yesterday, because it's gone now. Today, I've eaten about a dozen Cheez-Its and a PB&J, which was decidedly delicious, along with tea, water, and diet Sprite. Stomach flu = crash diet?

We had a withdrawal today that makes me very happy. Some customers are more of a liability than an asset. This particular customer bitches - loudly - in the lobby about things that "suck," like lack of a make-up lesson for her daughter when she missed a class (what do we do? Pay the teacher just to teach her, since we already paid the teacher to teach all the other students who actually showed up for the scheduled class?), the lack of a make-up lesson for a no-call/no-show (clearly identified in the policy document), and our refusal to remove her late fee.

This was the conversation on January 30th:

MTMS: Hey your tuition is due this week.
Customer: No, it's not due til the first.
MTMS: Your next lesson is on the 3rd. You won't be here again before the 1st.
Customer: I'll call with my card information on the 1st. (Technically, it's due BY the 1st, not ON the 1st, but that's another story.)
MTMS: Okay, don't forget that we charge a late fee if we don't receive your payment by the 1st.
Customer: I'll call you.

This was the conversation on February 3rd:

Customer: Can you take off my late fee?
MTMS: Certainly, if you would be so kind as to set up autopay.
Customer: No, I don't want to do that.
MTMS: I'm sorry, we can't remove the late fee. Your payment was late.
Customer: That sucks. (Everything "sucks".) Even the banks give a 15-day grace period. Besides, we didn't get a make-up for the snow day two weeks ago.
MTMS: You were a no-call/no-show. We were open.
Customer: I told you I wouldn't come in bad weather, and Michelle talked to my daughter. We called you.

After some dragging out of information, the daughter admits that, no, Michelle sent a text message to say, "Are you coming?" but the daughter didn't reply, because she didn't get the text until the next day. Mom says, okay, I guess we were wrong, we didn't call. But she must have let it go because she'd decided she'd had enough anyway. Today, she sent her intent to withdraw at the end of the month.

I like the kids. I even like the mom. I just can't have customers griping in a loud voice in my quiet, comfortable lobby about how everything sucks. You know what sucks? Paying teachers by the 1st when I don't get the revenue to pay them until the 3th. That sucks.

So, this withdrawal notice doesn't particularly suck.

Reach 300 students by 12/31/11:
We're at 133. Make that 132.

Customized database by 12/31/11: Design web page interface for potential form.
Pending.

Potbelly: : Add one repertoire song per week
I'm listening to some new songs off of my request list today. One is a song called "Forgive Me" by Missy Higgins. I had never heard of her, but I can see why the song was requested. It's acoustic, haunting, poetic, and very much my style.

Messiah: One noteworthy accomplishment per month:
Three consecutive sound system work days and a new song arrangement are most definitely noteworthy.

Reading: One book per week.
I read quite a bit while trying to sleep last night: Chapter 30, 63%.

Writing: Goals TBD:
(1) Blog at WDC daily - I missed yesterday again.
(2) Blog at MT.com   weekly: *grits teeth* This is NOT coming off of my list.

Count points: TOTAL POINTS YESTERDAY: Net or gross?