Is it Time for Plan B?
Revert to Plan B (cc) Flickr user mringlein
This American Life did a fine show last year on Plan B:
There’s the thing you plan to do, and then there’s the thing you end up doing. Most of us start off our lives with some Plan A which we abandon…switching to a Plan B, which becomes our life.
Conan O’Brien got bumped to Plan B a few months ago. A lot of good people have had to revert to Plan B during this recession, and all the animals at the shelter are waiting for their Plan B to begin.
But Plan B doesn’t have to be a bad thing. How many of you have found that Plan B led to a better life than you ever imagined under the original plan?
I asked the Fools to share their plans for their lives before BookFool. It was an open-ended question, so we had a wide variety of responses. I’ll kick it with my short entry:
Luke
My plan went Motorcycle Driver > Chef > Radio DJ > Teacher > Videographer > Marketing/Strategy. When I was a kid, I thought that people driving motorcycles up and down the highway were being paid to ride. Then I planned to be a chef and talked about that plan a lot, so much that people I knew then still ask me when I’m going to culinary school. I guess now I’m on Plan F.
Kris
I’m on Plan B.
- Plan A: Play in the NBA.
- Plan B: Entrepreneur, which started when my father gave me a huge wooden desk around age 6 or 7.
Accountancy was the best avenue I saw to make Plan B work. From age 6 to 14, I went back and forth between Plan A and Plan B.
Like this, only much much bigger! (cc) Flickr user H is for Home
The Story of the Desk
My father’s office of Arthur Young was closing in Fayetteville, AR, I think around 1987. He chose not to move to Austin for the company. The office was giving away all the furniture and my mom pushed my dad to take something. So he snagged a desk. He didn’t take the nicest desk nor did he take something small.
The desk landed in my tiny bedroom and quickly became the fixture of my dreams. I would site behind this tectonic slab of wood and play “store.” I had old checks from my parents I kept in the drawers that felt like real money. There’s no telling what else I had in the drawers. I know I stored my basketball card collection there.
This is the desk I use today. The desktop needs refinishing, and I’ve never had a key to lock the middle drawer, but I hope to use it for many more years.
Casey
Still on Plan A. 
Nicole
Jet Fighter > State Senator > Political Legislative Assistant > Human Resources Manager > Customer Care. I thought I was going to join the Air Force and be a Jet Fighter. Then I wanted to be a SENATOR only to find that the Political World was too harsh for my kind heart, but I fell into HR, which has led me to Customer Care and I couldn’t be happier!
Lou
Well, it kinda went like this:
- In High School I wanted to be a starving artist.
- At the end of High School I was starving and in love!
- Married and had a child soon after graduating high school.
- Entered the Air Force where I would live my life with my family and the military…Plan A.
Plan B Happened….
- Marriage ended in divorce.
- Was introduced to Lisa, my current wife, who was also in the Air Force.
- Left the Air Force to go to college for Advertising Design (starving artist related!).
- Started a wonderful career in that field and progressed to management.
- Landed on BookFool.com mountain and am loving every minute of it.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
YOU!
How about you? What’s your Plan B?
We Have the Best Customers
Businesses are made up of individuals. Obvious, right? But how often do we forget this?
(cc) Flickr user Archie McPhee Seattle
When we complain about unfair treatment, we start off mean and super-aggressive, shaking our fist and raising our voice, as if that’s the only way to get our way. And then when we get what we want, we never go back to say thanks, even if it was our own mistake that caused the problem.
We forget that it’s a real person we’re complaining to on the other end of the line.
The textbook industry has notoriously bad customer service, which is something we’re trying to change. But considering how poorly our customers have been treated by other sellers, I’m always surprised by how generous and good-humored they are to us.
Just last week, Jenise and Ashley came by to pick up a book and brought cupcakes for the whole crew so we could help them celebrate their birthdays. Happy to oblige!
Last night, I received the following email from Aundrea:
I just wanted you to know that I have been using your service for quite some time and I am VERY pleased. This semester I bought all my books using the BookFool.com service and it saved me around $500!!! I also love the buy back service that comes around to my school. When I used it two semesters ago, I was able to buy my books for the next semester with the money BookFool.com gave me for my books! Again Thank you so much for your service!!!
Last week, we received this message from Alexandria:
I love bookfool.com! You’ve been to my school to buy back books. And I love it. And I’ve ordered my books through you guys for this semester. I’ve saved about $150 so far because of bookfool.com. Continue with your greatness! Thanks!
Needless to say, receiving compliments out of the blue really makes our day. Apropos of nothing, these customers (and many more) have taken a few minutes out of their day to send us a virtual cupcake. We forward them around the office, print them out, and then work extra hard to be worthy of such praise.
Question of the Day: Who should you send a virtual cupcake to today? I guarantee you will make their day.
(cc) Flickr user Bev (Sugarbloom Cupcakes)
Dormology Chapter 2: How to be a Roommate
[Series Table of Contents: The Fool's Guide to Dormology]
Chapter 2: How to be a Roommate
By: David, Intern to the Stars
Headphones: Good for everybody. (cc) Flickr user AndYaDontStop
I have found that it is in your best interest to be a good roommate. Often by being a good roommate, you will encourage your roomie to do the same, thereby creating an atmosphere of mutual goodness crucial to enjoying dorm life. During my freshman year, this is the kind of relationship I had with my roommate. We never really spoke, aside from the occasional “where are the paper towels?” but the mutual respect made dorm life quite pleasant.
Of course, there are other times when one might prefer to be a bad roommate. For instance, being a bad roommate can be the perfect passive-aggressive approach to convincing your roommate to move out.
Good roommates shower (cc) Flickr user dotbenjamin
I have three friends–let’s call them the powderpuff girls–who used this approach quite successfully. The powderpuffs were living in a suite-style dorm, which means two rooms are connected by one bathroom. Thus, one dorm room has four occupants, rather than just two.
These three girls requested to live together but were placed with another girl they didn’t know. They wanted to get rid of that girl. So they each played the “bad roommate” card (see the second list below). The fourth wheel simply couldn’t take living with three bad roommates and moved out. I’m not saying it was right, but it was a great victory for the powderpuffs.
Because different situations call for different responses, I have created two lists. The first will help you to be a good roommate. The second will provide tips on being a bad roommate. Use the one that suits you best.
How to Be a Good Roommate:
- Shower. Body odor is generally quite undesirable in a roommate.
- Do your laundry. The reasoning behind this is similar to the reasoning in #1.
- Buy some headphones. When sharing a room, headphones not only provide an escape from the noise of your roommate, but they also prevent you from being the obnoxious noise maker.
- Learn the appropriate time and place for long and intense telephone conversations. Hint: your dorm room is not the place and the middle of the night is not the time.
- Smile. But not too much. That would be weird.
- Wash your dishes rather than leaving them in the sink or elsewhere to attract bugs and create foul stenches.
- Take out the trash on occasion.
- Plan to go out of town every now and then.
- Try not to wake up Roomsie when you come in late.
- Don’t tell your roommate when you begin to notice their “freshman 15” happening.
How to Be a Bad Roommate:
Significant others make bad roommates. (cc) Flickr user Elmo Alves
- Get a boyfriend or girlfriend.
- Spend the majority of your time in the dorm talking sappy with your significant other. This can take place either over the telephone or in person.
- Borrow your roommate’s stuff, specifically food items and hygiene products.
- Party hard. Every night.
- Invite someone to move in with you for a while.
- Secretly tell your RA whenever your roommate breaks a dorm rule.
- If your clothes are dirty, feel free to wear your roommate’s.
- Follow your roomie when he/she leaves the room.
- If you break something that belongs to your roommate, quickly hide or dispose of it.
- During times of boredom, read your roommate’s mail or journal.
Scenes from Buyback Fall 2009
And now, a few of our favorite scenes from this year’s many Buybacks.
The Freed Hardeman Fool Crew @ Besso's
Buying for Ouachita Baptist and Henderson State at Dino's Main Street Cafe
Buying at the excellent Underground Coffeehouse in Searcy, AR. FUN FACT: Two of the full-time Fools attended Harding Univ. in Searcy.
Buying at Something Brewing in Conway, Arkansas
Getting Foolish with the water bottles at Hendrix.
Books at Dino's Main Street Cafe
Foolin' it up at NACC, Rainsville, AL
Making it rain in Searcy!!
Buying at Freed Hardeman. FUN FACT: One of our Fool's parents went to FHU.
And finally, a short video from our visit to Calhoun Community College in Tanner, AL:
Get Well Soon, Zach
We’re thinking about you, man. It won’t be the same around the warehouse until you’re back in action.
Manager Training Fall 2009
We want to say a big Foolish thanks to our managers who made it out for manager training this Saturday. You are now prepared to free students from the monopolies that pay them so little for their books!
Here are a few shots from the day:
The night before, everything ready for your arrival.
The big screen.
Some of us had to attend live via Satellite.
Trying to get the hang of these signs.
The view from the stairs.
And finally, a short clip from the day:
Casey: Tech Fool
Just when you thought we couldn’t grow any more, we’re adding our fifth full-time Fool! Casey developed and maintains BookFool.com and will be leading our tech dept. into the 21st Century. In his own words:
I’m thrilled to be the latest Fool! It’s really exciting for me to be able to join a team like this knowing that I’ll be able to have an impact from day one. I don’t think I could ever say that at any of my other jobs.
So, who am I? Well, I’d like to think of myself as an undercover nerd. At first glance, I might not look like a hardcore code jockey, but when caught off guard, one can often find me with my headphones on, listening to some of my favorite tunes, and coding up a storm in Notepad++ or Visual Studio. I consider myself multi-lingual when it comes to software development; whether it’s coding with open-source languages such as PHP or even (dare I say it?) Microsoft’s ASP.NET, I just like to use the right tool for the job.
More important than all of that is the fact that I’m a husband to my beautiful wife, Mary Beth, and a father to my two sweet boys, Caleb and Josiah. I take my roles as their husband/father very seriously, as I believe they are the most important jobs I will ever undertake.
I’m also passionate about adoption. My wife and I recently returned from Ethiopia, where we adopted our youngest son. Faith is a huge part of my life, and I believe there is no better physical metaphor for the gospel of Jesus Christ than adoption. When I look at my youngest son and think of how much I love him, I am overwhelmed to know that my Father loves me even more and has brought me into His family as His own son through the sacrifice of Jesus. You can read more about our adoption journey on our family’s blog.
Finally, following in the footsteps of a recent BookFool blog post, I’d also like to share my top 5 movies of all time:
- Bottle Rocket – The Wilson brothers before they were popular.
- The Lord of the Rings Trilogy – I told you I’m a nerd.
- Braveheart – FREEDOM!
- Amazing Grace – William Wilberforce was an amazing man.
- O Brother, Where Art Thou? – The most quotable movie of all time. “We thought . . . you was . . . a toad.”
Want to know more about me? If so, follow me on Twitter!
Welcome, Pickers, to the BookFool.com family!
Nicole: Customer Care Fool
Please join me in welcoming our newest Fool. Nicole is our first full-time Customer Care Fool, which means her #1 job is making customers happy. We’re thrilled she’s joining us on our mission. And now, in her own words:
I come to Nashville from Alexandria, VA, but for brevity sake I’ll say DC. Before DC there was college at Purdue where I received my Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. (It is too a science!)
Long before college I spawned from two children (my parents were 18 & 20) growing up in a small town named Elkhart, Indiana in the 1980s. I was raised on good, NO, GREAT, music: The first cassette I ever owned was Pink Floyd’s The Wall. Following that with a deep love of The Muppets and The Grateful Dead. The first real MOVIE I ever saw was George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead; my parents are HUGE horror nerds.
In high school I aspired to be an astronaut, a Senator, a fighter pilot, and a video game tester; a school trip to DC led me to study Politics in college.
While in College, I partook of an internship (everyone needs at least one on their resume) where I worked for the Indiana State House of Representatives and had an amazing time but also learned that a life of politics takes a stronger backbone than I have. I realized in my latter days of college that I had a knack for making people laugh and feel great about themselves, especially because their happiness led to an extremely happy me. I decided to find a job where I could help people all day, and I’ve been working in Human Resources for Marriott since graduation. Although HR was something I “fell into,” it has been good to me; I’ve learned a lot and have had some amazing experiences.
After graduation and my move to DC, I fell in love with the raddest guy…which led me to Nashville (where a Country Music Roadie must reside), and I’ve been here ever since. In my spare time, you’ll find me playing video games, watching movies, reading, and attending concerts. I’m an avid gamer on all platforms though my favorite is Xbox360. Said Roadie and I have a kitten named Hitchcock who will talk your head off, and the two of us are an awesome duo at Halo3. My favorite book of all time is A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess.
All in all, I just want to be happy, have fun, and make sure my happiness rubs off on all those around me. I am thrilled to have been chosen as the first Customer Care Fool and I am SO ready to start a new career (still helping people!) with the ever impressive, awesomely fun BookFool.com!!!
Documentary: The Copper Basin Story
[Ed. note: We asked Davis, a talented filmmaker and long-time Friend of the Fool, to share one of his recent documentary projects with us. Here's what he had to say about it:]
The Copper Basin comprises Ducktown, Copperhill and McCaysville (GA), three small towns located in extreme Southeastern Tennessee about 60 miles due east of Chattanooga. Gold prospectors discovered copper in this area in the mid-1800’s. With the advent of better transportation and improvements in mining technology, the area boomed for more than 125 years before beginning a gradual decline in the late 1970’s. With industry shrinking and many core families fleeing the area, the residual people of the “Basin” are now often alone and forgotten.
These mountain people are further isolated in a county composed of more than 70% national forest, and by a dangerous two-lane road through the famous Ocoee River gorge. Polk County consistently ranks as the one the two poorest counties in Tennessee.
Today, like many other coal-mining and gold-mining sister towns scattered throughout Appalachia, the Basin reels with abject poverty, functional illiteracy, lack of jobs, and minimal human services.
My cousin, Andrew Brown, grew up in the Copper Basin roaming the hills as a young man, graduating from Copper Basin High School in 1991. While he didn’t know it at the time, he would never really “leave” the Basin. In the last 15 years, cuz has led multiple volunteer teams back to his hometown (with his organization, Catalyst Missions), seeking to make a long-term difference in the lives of the people both spiritually and physically.
He invited me along to help tell the story. Below is the trailer. The link to the full project is here.
Untitled from saul burke on Vimeo.
