Excellent Customer Service!

As a counterpoint to the post below, about a year ago I bought a "Jimi" for Dar and one for me.

What's a "Jimi," you ask?



It's a slim wallet that I carry in my front pocket. Being a "Bodywork" kind of guy, I took my wallet out of my back pocket years ago - saves one from back pain...really!

I was reading an article on wallets on "43 folders" and realized I was carrying way too much stuff. People were raving over this "Jimi" thing. I bought one, and loved it.

Then, a hinge broke. I loved it so much I taped it together with duck tape! Dar's is perfect - looks new. Hmm.

A week or so ago I got an e-mail from the company, mentioning a new Jimi. I went to the site and while browsing around, saw that they'd tested the hinges and they worked 1,000,000 times!

I wrote to the president. I told him how much I liked his product, about the hinge failure, and about how I was going to order a replacement - and that Dar's is perfect after a year (she loves hers too!)

I got a reply from the president of the company. He indicated that occasionally there is a bubble or speck in the re-cycled plastic they use. He then indicated he'd sent me a replacement.

Now, this product is guaranteed, but not for a year. I was impressed!

My new Jimi arrived yesterday.

I love this wallet, and the company!

Go buy one!

On Doing Business

I suppose most of you know that I've recently created a "side site" to market my books, CD-Rs and e-books. I will admit that I much prefer writing to administration, and I've come up with a rather elegant system of distribution.

Now occasionally, things go off the rails. Once in a while, someone orders an e-book, and then realizes that an e-book is a download, not a real book - or, one woman used her office address for delivery of a book, and the system popped out her home address. I got the book back, contacted her, and re-mailed the book. I ate the cost of re-mailing the book, which meant I lost money on the sale.

You may be wondering why I'm mentioning this. Well, if you've looked at the "sales page" for my book, This Endless Moment you'll see a review of the book by Joe Vitale - a guy I respect. I subscribe to his blog feed, and today he was talking about good customer service. He'd sent for a product, gotten half of it, fired off an "irate" e-mail, and received a marvelous reply.

So, what am I on about? Yesterday, I bought a piece of software designed to make writing follow up e-mails easier. It came through what is called a "dime sale" - the price goes up (by a dime - get it?) every few minutes. The payment was processed through PayPal.

Then, nothing.

Nadda.

No link. No page forward. No e-mail confirming (other than from PayPal - who immediately sent my receipt.)

I waited 30 minutes, then fired off a slightly annoyed e-mail:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So, I ordered ****************.
I received my receipt from paypal, and NOTHING from you! No link to a download, no explanations, no redirects, and NOTHING 30 minutes later by e-mail.
The system I use for my stuff deals with everything automatically, including the downloads.
This is kind of sloppy, don't you think?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OK. So you know I teach communication, and that was kind of direct. Still, I recognize how much effort I put into working with my clients, providing value in my books, etc. And even though the whole thing was over 11 bucks, I was a bit cheesed off.

When I get "cheesed off" e-mails (only 1 or 2 a year, thankfully) I have a breath before I reply, and try to make the situation better.

Here's the reply I got from the obviously over-wrought marketer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi Wayne,

I'm pleased everything always goes perfect for you; that must be a pleasure indeed.
I would guess however, that your system does not do dime sales.
Obviously you were SUPPOSED to be redirected, and I have no way of knowing
that didn't work.
Here is the link you need to continue:

**********************************

Thank you so much for your generous patience and understanding.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Needless to say, I'll not be buying from him again. He likely doesn't care.

Read the post above to see how this should really be done!

Finding EXACTLY the Relationship You Want

Back in 1999, when I first launched The Phoenix Centre Website, I created a series of FREE booklets readers could download.

Two were on Relationships,(1) (2) one on dealing with depression, and the fourth was called "The List of 50." It was about using your head to intelligently find a partner.

Last year, I began a major re-write of The List of 50, and just recently turned it into a full-fledged e-book.

If you're looking for the "right someone," I encourage you to click this link and have a look at this great new resource.

The Fred Langa Blog

I've been a paid subscriber to Fred Langa's e-zine for a long time. Fred's been a part of the computer information industry for a long.g.g.g.g. time, and best of all, he's right on when it comes to suggestions, advice, and recommendations.
A couple of weeks ago Fred started blogging, and I of course plugged his blog feed into my present favourite newsreader, "GreatNews."
If you're at all interested in staying on top of computer issues and fixing the endless things that crop up at the "demon in the machine" level, you owe it to yourself to at least subscribe to his blog feed. I'd also recommend you sign on to receive his e-zine.

Imagining the 10th Dimension

I got an e-mail today, with a link to this site. Now, in order to "get this," you need a little background in Quantum Physics.
One of the most important "subatomic concept" is that of parallel universes. It is assumed that, far from there being one universe, there are infinite one. Each choice we make creates a "road not taken" universe, and all the exists in our present universe is what we see.
String theory is one of the ways physicists are attempting to order this reality with our everyday reality, where there only seems to be one universe. The effort is important for our understanding of why the subatomic universe seems to operate under a different set of "rules."
This site is a flash enabled graphic presentation of the 10 dimensions proposed in String Theory. Have a look - it's fascinating!

So, I'm posting, already!

I gotta admit that I'm not doing all that well posting to this blog. Part of the reason is that I have 3-4 websites I'm updating. On the other hand, I certainly found a recent comment ("Update the damn blog more often.") actually heartening. Someone actually reads this!
So, here are some things I've been working on since last I posted:
1) I finished a complete rewrite of my booklet, "The List of 50." It's now a 100 page e-book, and is for sale on my site. It's a great e-book, dedicated to the idea that finding an excellent relationship is something best thought about. The e-book presents a plan and structure for getting EXACTLY the relationship you want (coincidentally, the title of the e-book...)
If you decide to buy a copy, when you get to "the store," enter the following code on the 2nd page, where it says coupon. LOYALREADER50 You'll get a 50% discount!
2) I'm converting the videos on our Bodywork CD-R to flash files, in hopes of getting the disc to work on MACs. Quite the challenge - the software is processing files as I write.
3) I recorded mp3 of a heart meditation I wrote. It's a free download, or you can listen to it as a stream. The easiest way to find it is to go to here.
4) I'm busily re-designing web pages on the main site, primarily in the Bodywork section. See especially the "Chakra" pages.
5) I'm planning to establish a separate website for "The Phoenix Centre Press," so as to make ordering my books easier. Should be "up" by year-end.
And, I'm hanging out with Darbella, planning new events, thinking up new projects, and doing yoga (1 year and counting...)
I'll see if I can't make this posting thing happen more often!

Travelaxe

Darbella and I are back from Haven, had a great time, and are scheduled to lead our course, "Simple Presence" two times in 2007. More on that later.
I'm catching up on e-mail. One was from Travelaxe. I use this site and their desktop software for booking hotels. We booked a night in Vancouver through them. I just got an e-mail welcoming me home and asking for a Hotel review. What a great thing for them to do!
I'd suggest you have a look. It's a FREE service, giving side-by-side price comparisons on everything travel related.
Great site, great service.

Bianca Ryan Wins!

A couple of posts ago, I wrote about Bianca Ryan and her amazing voice.
Darbella and I are at The Haven, having just taught a course. We got back to our room last night, and caught the finale
of "America's Got Talent." We saw Bianca win a million dollars. She was just stunned. Couldn't talk. Regis asked her to sing.
She seemed shell shocked, and the program ended without showing her song.
I just googled and found it.
YOU HAVE GOT TO SEE THIS.
Go here: click
Amazing, simply amazing.

More soon!

Excellent Book

Darbella and I listen to tons of audio books. We heard the introduction to Teri Hatcher's "Burnt Toast," and loved it. We downloaded the abridged audio book, loved IT, and now have ordered the hardcover.
Hatcher is very Zen-like in her writing. She has come to the conclusion that she alone is responsible for both the direction of her life and how she chooses to feel = shades of my own book, This Endless Moment.
I encourage you to read this book for the simple, profound and of-times hilarious lessons.

11-year-old ABSOLUTE Diva!!!

OK. I admit it... I LOVE TV variety shows, like American and Canadian Idol. The other day, by a fluke, I caught "America's Got Talent." (I was bored...)

Anyway, right at the end, they do a pre-interview with an 11-year-old, and she says something like: "Some people think there's a Black Blues singer in me."

I'm thinking, "Right. This ought to be good."

I'm not easily blown away, but I was that night. Thank god I was taping it. I listen, I get chills, I hear angels, etc.

Today, I found an online link for a video feed of her performance, and the judges' comments.

Check this out. If you are not blown away by Bianca Ryan, I can assure you... you are dead!

Yikers.com Video: 11 Year Old With The Most Impressive Singing Voice

Let There Be Music!

As most of you know, we really love music around here - it's a feature of our workshops and training events.

We have a bunch of resources on our main site, which include links to Amazon.com - for albums that are "must haves."

Now, let's talk about mp3 music.

A while back I downloaded my 25 free tracks from EMusic.

I loved the service so much, I joined. If you are a fan of independent music, or the Blues, or Jazz, you really need to check them out.

eMusic offers three low priced subscription plans.
All plans cost less than the price of 1 CD each month!

eMusic Basic

• 40 Song Downloads per month
• $9.99 per month

eMusic Plus

• 65 Song Downloads per month
• $14.99 per month

eMusic Premium

• 90 Song Downloads per month
• $19.99 per month

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I found both The New Pornographers, and Neko Case, (their lead singer - her albums are there too! I've blogged about her before.)

My latest "find" is a Blues concert featuring Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan. If you like BLUES GUITAR, this album is a must!

Have a look, try the free downloads, and see if you do not join!

Having a Meltdown

Well, only sort of.
About a month ago my main computer started acting up - not booting from BIOS, not finding the hard drives. Finally it got bad enough that I went scurrying back to the DELL Canada website. I found a Dell, called and got a great deal, and also bought an extra LCD Monitor for Darbella's computer. 5 days later it all arrived.
This past Wednesday, the weather shifted, and we had an amazingly severe thunderstorm. Really, the thunder sounded like is was in the house.
Apparently it was.
Later that day, I went downstairs, and tried to turn on the new Dell. Nada.
No Internet connection, either through our laptop or Darbella's computer. AND, no telephone.
Next day, I had to drive a mile to get my cell phone to work.
Amazing experience.
The storm knocked out my fax machine, and Bell fixed the line.
My computer was pooched, as was our wireless router.
I connected the laptop directly, did some fiddling and got my Internet connection back.
I called Dell using Skype. God, I love Skype. (You do know that all calls to landlines in North America from Skype are free through 2006, right??) I use Skype all the time.
Anyway, after some tech support, which determined that my power supply was shot, Dell let me know that another, replacement computer would be built and shipped and I should have it in 10 days. AND they'd then send a prepaid box to ship back the pooched one.
No wonder this is the 5th Dell we've bought.
I also bought a a new router and a surge suppressor with a $100,000 insurance guarantee.
Everything works again, just in time to box it up and move it next Wednesday.
The joys of the tech life.

Our New Place

The townhouse, or duplex we're moving to mid-June is quite cool. We'll have some great space in the lower level, and the top floor will have a counselling office, computer office, and Bodywork room. And, we'll be adding a meditation room, too, and will likely have times for you to come for Zazen.
This will be a great place for us to live until the big move to Costa Rica.
I'm especially looking forward to decorating the meditation room. Pictures to follow.

Another Tech Example

You know I love tech, and I've found a cool tech site that makes it easy to put a map on a website.
Dar and I are moving to our new place by June 15th, and people need to know how to get there (obviously.) In the past, I've printed directions on a web page, from Toronto and Port Elgin, where I used to have an office. The new tech lets me put an interactive map up, exactly like you'd get going to Google Maps. You can put in your address and get directions.
Click the link above, and have a look!

Manage Your SELF Instead of Your Pain

Instead of Your Pain

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I was interviewed on May 18, 2006, by Helen Dearman. Her radio show is

"Pain Tamers: Living with Chronic Pain"

If you'd like to listen to the show, here is a link to the interview.

I've put together a page of resources that you can have a look at, from mindfulness to meditation to Zen Bodywork to course offered. Have a look here.

I think you'll enjoy the resources available and will find the whole concept of managing yourself and your thoughts and actions a tonic to western pain approaches.

Bliss - the movie

And yet another resource for you.

Bliss is a movie that I highly recommend.

As you know, we focus a lot of attention on Bodywork In the last 2 years or so, (since the tsunami, which nudged the magnetic poles a bit) I've noticed that many clients feel "out of balance." This feeling is often the result of a first Chakra issue.


Almost always, there are also sexual issues, (Chakra two.)


Bliss addresses this second issue. The movie was made in 1997, and concerns the work of a sex therapist, as he helps a couple deal with sexual dysfunction - using a decidedly "hands on" approach that is similar to our own. Here is a review, and the text from the back cover, from Amazon:

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Amazon.com
It may not be a great movie, but Bliss could be one of the greatest marriage-boosters ever filmed. This curious drama fits into the too-familiar form of the "therapy movie," but it's acted with intensity by a committed (and rather brave) trio. Craig Sheffer plays an uptight Seattle husband who discovers his neurotic wife (Sheryl Lee) visiting a radical doctor (Terence Stamp) who has sex--therapeutically--with his patients. After briefly flipping out, Sheffer finds himself buying into the doctor's remedies for a sexual and emotional make-over. The silky-smooth Stamp is perfectly cast: with his enthusiasm for chakras and fine cigars, the doctor is both spiritual guru and the kind of man who reads Playboy. The film veers into ridiculousness at times, yet there is something intriguing about its how-to frankness. Home viewers may find themselves embarrassed and maybe just a little bit liberated. --Robert Horton


From the Back Cover
Craig Sheffer, Sheryl Lee, Terence Stamp, and Spalding Gray star in this audaciously honest look at sexual intimacy and emotional risk. On his wedding day, Joseph (Craig Sheffer) nervously admits that his wife (Sheryl Lee) is not quite like other women. But his beautiful bride is more than just the "impulsive, compulsive, obsessive" woman he thinks he knows. And when Joseph discovers she is hiding troubling secrets, it sends them both on a sexual odyssey that will either destroy or redeem their relationship. Erasing all boundaries between sex, love, and commitment, "BLISS may be one of the most daring and explicit films ever made." --William Arnold, Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

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The most intriguing element of the movie is the use of "G-Spot" massage to release past sexual trauma. This fits with Chakra theory, which describes this area plus the root Chakra as holding both sexual and life trauma.

Check it out here!

A Package Deal

New for 2006!

We're pulling together a great deal on several books and additional resources.

We've combined "This Endless Moment," our excellent "Living Life in Growing Orbits" (re-written for 2006) and several supplemental items into one great, downloadable file.

Check it out!

Blonds on Computers

A friend was over the other day, and was frustrated with the sudden appearance of a window on her computer, containing a large-breasted blond. It seems my friend's hubby had been visiting porn sites , and suddenly, there was the blond. She demanded payment for continued membership in her site. No matter what they did, they couldn't get rid of her.

Great was their frustration.

I suggested CounterSpy, a quite amazing and inexpensive spyware remover. I receive Sunbelt's security updates, and of course run CounterSpy myself.

They tried the software (it's free for 15 days) and low and behold, the blond disappeared.

It's important to have adequate protection - in many areas. There are so many viruses and trojans and spyware about, and it's just silly not to use excellent software. Have a look at CounterSpy!

A Healing Commitment

Over the years, I've noticed that clients seem hell bent on taking short cuts, or finding ways to delay dealing with issues. Typically, clients make themselves both uncomfortable and sick.

I'm lately working at helping my clients to notice "a little sick" and "a little distressed" as good points to do something different. This, as opposed to talking things to the extreme of actual physical illness or extreme mental distress.

It's very "western" to put things, including our health, in boxes, or categories. One friend wrote a while back and said she'd had migraines for several days, and chalked it up to exams. I'm like, "You gotta be kidding! Let's do some Bodywork and get past that!"

I've included a Chakra chart today, which is a pretty good guide to different areas of the body that get affected by specific stressors. Hopefully, you'll find it helpful. If you want more detailed descriptions of the Chakras, you can go here.

Yoga for Life

Darbella and I have always done some form of Eastern physical practice - Ninjitsu, Tai Chi, Ki Gong, whatever. Back in September, a friend suggested we check out her yoga class. We'd done some yoga back in 1987, and we loved it, so off we went to a beginner's class.

Not that it means much, but I'd never heard of the style before. Iyengar yoga was an eye-opener. Named after guruji Iyengar, it's "yoga with props." The props are used to get you into the correct position. We absolutely love the class, and the instructor Fay Gascho, is amazing.

You can get a good description of this style here.

Class is this evening, and I woke up with a stiff lower back. As it turned out, the cosmos provided. I subscribe to a daily e-zine from Yoga Journal, which had a decided Iyengar slant. Today's article was on yoga positions for stretching at work. I gave them a try, and poof! My back feels better. Check it out here.

Much on Mindfulness

In my book, This Endless Moment, I make much of the concept, "The Way It IS, Is the Way It IS." Jon Kabat-Zinn is perhaps the best known recent proponent of this idea, and he writes about it in a series of books on Mindfulness.

If you'd like to read a bunch of mindfulness quotes, have a look here.

New Course at The Haven - Maybe Britney Spears will come!

Darbella and I will be leading a course at the Haven this summer, August 14-17.

It's called "Simple Presence," and it's broadly based upon my book, This Endless Moment. Have a look at the course description, and come join us for four days of learning, interacting, and fun.

Oh. And if you haven't read my book, here's your chance. Click here to read about it, then go to our store and enter the code CPN4780722959 and you'll get any version (paperback, audio book or pdf downloadable) for 20% off.

Last but not least, I got a mention in The Star Magazine. I know. How did I ever pull that off? I had a half hour interview with a staff writer... on the state of Britney Spears' marriage!! Rather than explain, just go read the quote…

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Neko Case is THE BOMB!!!

Some time ago, I got intrigued by reviews of the Indie Band The New Pornographers.

Then, lead singer Neko Case released a new solo album, which was available on EMusic. I downloaded it, and have been playing it religiously ever since.

(Zut alors, she's playing Toronto ON April 2, and I can't get tickets!)

Anyway, you need to check out her stuff. Her album,
Fox Confessor Brings the Flood,
is simply amazing. (By the bye, that link is to Amazon CANADA!)
The US site is:
Fox Confessor Brings the Flood - Amazon US

And, as a plus, she is definitely easy on the eyes.

Her site, (not much there yet, but you can watch a video) is here.

There's a good review of the album here.

Sensuality, Sexuality, Spirituality Entwined

The next issue of Into the Centre will continue a theme I started last week. We'll be looking at how our beliefs about sensuality and sexuality are a guide to our internal state of both awareness and comfort.

What, then, to my wondering eyes should appear, but an interesting article in Thursday's Toronto Star, on the sculptures at Khajuraho, India.

Here's a quote from the article:
"But whatever the reason, the sculptures and the temples never fail to overwhelm tourists with their beauty and their explicit sexual content. The sculptures capture a time in India's history when sensuality, sexuality and spirituality were all entwined, local experts said.
"The same is not the case today, said New Delhi resident Indira Wadhwa, a tour leader for Intrepid Travel, an Australian travel company that specializes in Southeast Asia. The influence of Muslim and Mogul rulers greatly changed the way Hinduism is practised in modern times, she said.
"The connection between sensuality, sexuality and spirituality that is depicted so strongly in these erotic temples has been lost in much of modern Hinduism, Wadhwa said."

We'll be exploring the link between sexuality and spirituality in the next issue of ITC.

The Secret - an amazing Movie

Blogging, Blogging

I've decided to start a blog, as a way for you to drop us a line, and for us to keep you informed about new things we're doing, seeing, and using. In a sense, the links to "stuff" I used to put in Into the Centre are now going to be here.

To begin, I've got a great movie for you to see. One of my good Internet friends, Joe Vitale, is one of the folk on the film, which is called The Secret. To watch it online you need broadband and a PayPal account ($4.95 US)

The movie, in a sense, picks up where What the Bleep... left off. You'll learn the secret to having the kind of life, relationships, health you deserve. I won't share the exact secret with you, but it so dovetails with what I write about in Into the Centre and in my book, This Endless Moment. Self-responsible behaviour is a key to everything.

Anyway, click the link to The Secret, have a look at the trailers, and let me know what you think!