I thoroughly enjoy when companies embrace the internets and drop all the stuffy parts of doing business.
(It was almost too “hip” at one point and I wondered if it was just a chat-bot or a 70-year old guy reading from a guide but it was still okay enough)

Here is an example of one such interaction:

Chat Transcript
Please wait while we find an agent to assist you…
Thank you for chatting it up with Zappos today, my name is Joey N. and I’m happy to assist you.
Joey N.:  Hey there, Matt! How’s your day going?
Matt:  It’s a slice of perfect… except for my zappos delivery I just got 🙂
Joey N.:  AW! Slice of Perfect is pretty amazing though! I’m sorry we dropped the ball of your order! I will make it right! Fear not!
Matt:  I got some lady pumps and ordered some running shoes. I’m going to print out a return label, but was unsure of the next step – do I just place ‘another’ order for the same thing while I wait to ship these back?
Joey N.:  Just process that return as if you are sending the correct item back, and I will send you out the correct thing right now! What was the order number on it? I’m guessing those wouldn’t help your running too much?!
Matt:  I could try running in them but then probably couldn’t send them back
Matt:  Order number: 131774745
Joey N.:  That is true!!! You would get the ULTIMATE WORK OUT!!! Thanks, Matt! Could you verify the shipping address and phone number on the order for me?
Matt:  <redacted>
Joey N.:  That is you, my friend! On the lady pumps that you got, what was the LPN on the shoe box they came in? Do you see that?
Matt:  2985955818
Joey N.:  Oh snap! That was the LPN for the Nikes, what I think happened was just a hiccup in the fulfillment center! I will send you out a replacement this second! Should I send them to that same address?!
Matt:  Yes please
Joey N.:  You’re the boss, applesauce! Your processing the return on your end, correct? Or, should I go ahead and take care of that for you?
Matt:  I have the form up, but there’s no third option for the refund
Matt:  So you can send the label to mattcornell@gmail.com if you want or tell me how to continue.
Joey N.:  You can just select to send that refund to your Amex!
Joey N.:  Just pretend we are refunding you!
Matt:  okay… will do that
Joey N.:  You’re ready to rock and roll, Matt! Your new order number is 131971510. You were not charged for this. We just moved the funds from the original order to the new order. The only thing that we ask is that you return the original order within two weeks.
Joey N.:  Also! Since we goofed up on you, I would like to welcome you to the Zappos family by doing something extra special for you! I have officially made you a member of our Zappos VIP family.
Joey N.:  This entitles you to free one business day shipping on all of your orders, along with some other awesome benefits! Please watch for a separate “Welcome to VIP email” that will have more information about what you can expect.
Matt:  I have my new order receipt email, my shipping label is printing out. I’m all set.
Joey N.:  You’re welcome. I also am putting a double check on the order! May I help you with anything else today?
Matt:  Thanks Joey N.
Joey N.:  Anytime!!!
Joey N.:  Those guys will be there Wednesday! Thanks again for contacting Zappos.com! If you need anything else, please feel free to contact us again by phone (1-800-927-7671) or chat if we may be of further assistance. Have a Zaptastic day!

Let’s be in a LIKE-LIKE relationship: http://www.facebook.com/zappos
Take a gander at what’s going on inside Zappos: http://blogs.zappos.com
Come take a tour next time you’re in Las Vegas: http://www.zappos.com/tours
Matt:  Great, have a nice day.

I had avoided the New Children’s Museum because I honestly didn’t think that it would keep my crazy kids entertained. I was wrong. It was awesome sauce with spice added. There were at least a dozen hands(and feets)-on activities. Stuff to paint, chalk, sculpt, blow up (bubbles) and climb on. The kids may have even thought a little about what art is while climbing all over some cool installations. They all wanted to point out stuff they thought was special and all three of them created their own stuff while we were there. We’re going back.

Album on Picaasa

These videos aren’t really getting any better with experience. Underwater video is not as easy as I thought it would be.

Summer time videos

Play on Youtube

With two carts that are self propelled I ended up getting more than usual

It’s hard to keep your shot in frame when the kids want to crawl into the camera. And keeping it steady without gravity is a new challenge. It’ll get better though.