Monday, October 31, 2005

So now I get to make up for not posting pics for a bit by posting a whole buttload of pics. That's only because this last weekend was a buttload of fun.
I get to work my way backwards from Sunday because that's the order the pics were in. On Sunday the crew at the grill threw me a going away party (my last day was on Friday). We met at the restaurant, had food, drank beer and then went bowling. Food, beer and bowling, yep, pretty much perfect. We drank a bit and bowled and laughed at each others bowling. I must admit, I got pretty choked up at the end of the night. Too bad we can't make a living of just eating, drinking a bowling, then again I'd be four hundred pounds and well, look like the guys who just eat drink and bowl every day. Be careful what you wish for.
The second group of pics were from Saturday, our official Halloween. Jeff was Claus from Steve Zisou, Clint was the Hulkster, Dustin was Super Horny (a combination of muscles and horns, look at the pics for references) and I was Macho Man Randy Savage in theory. A few days earlier, Clint and I were looking at wrestling pics on the net and thought it would be great to go as wrestlers. Hulk Hogan and Macho Man sounded easy enough in theory but the actual application of the costume was much more difficult. There was a trip to Savers, another to the DI, to Kmart, then back to Kmart again, followed by me freaking out because of all the traffic. Fifty bucks later I had assembled a costume to make me ? Macho Man was not evident. I came out as more of a cultural mix of nineties and eighties trash stars. We decided I was a mix of wrestler, butt rocker and pimp. Some people dress up a a vampire, a gangster or a ghost. I always try to pick the unattainable-- I'll go as God or Macho Man Randy Savage. I think I'll tone it down next year.
However, Clint totally sold Hulk Hogan. At the beginning of the night he started out with five tank tops which he tore of as the night and drunkenness progressed, until he ended up bare chested and smoking in the shed (see pic). He was definitely the star of the show.
The quote for the night was when I was driving to the first party and Clint was getting into character. He looked at me and said, "You know Mach, can I call ya Mach?" Maybe ya had to be there.
It was a wonderful weekend to make things short and sweet. On Thursday I leave for Jamaica to study the finer aspects of Jamaican culture: listening to Reggie and visiting rum distilleries. There will be lots of pics to follow.
I'll make the last pics brief: a Friday night trying to get the cat to wear goofy glasses and the waining of a disc golf season.
Remember, Hulkamania Rules!

Boonis gives us a rare smile for the camera. Posted by Picasa

Filling up on bowling fuel. Posted by Picasa

Crazy Kids. Posted by Picasa

Radiating waves of bowling goodness. Posted by Picasa

Bowlin with the homies. Posted by Picasa

Apparently the camera had as much to drink as I had.  Posted by Picasa

I worked with these crazies. Posted by Picasa

Ready for a night out.  Posted by Picasa

The Hulkster and a hulkimaniac. Posted by Picasa

A rather odd trio.  Posted by Picasa

Zisou takin care of business Posted by Picasa

Jen caught a large ferocious skunk for Halloween. Posted by Picasa

Master Shake and Jose Cuervo. Posted by Picasa

Misfits, take your places. Posted by Picasa

Dustin demonstrates the eye gouge on a Hawaiian woman. Posted by Picasa

Instantaneous before and after shot.  Posted by Picasa

Happy group.  Posted by Picasa

The Hulkster in prime form. (Hide this pic from all the little hulkimaniacs). Posted by Picasa

Superhero on the loose.  Posted by Picasa

The crew! Posted by Picasa

Why cats should not do drugs.  Posted by Picasa

All the leaves are gone, and the sky is grey.  Posted by Picasa

A sport in a sport. Many techniques can be applied to retreive a disc from a tree in disc golf. Jeff demonstrates one of the more advanced ideas.  Posted by Picasa

Thursday, October 27, 2005

Clint called me today. I was at the gym and had to turn off my ipod to answer the phone. I paced the gym floor talking to Clint, and then it hit me: cell phone, gym, ipod-- have I become one of those people? My one saving grace is I never took a shower today.

--the smelly suedo-Yuppie

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

I promised myself that I wouldn't post any bitchy blogs, especially about my work and now I'm about to break all promises. Below reads a blog of restaurant bitchings. Disc golf ramblings and pics will resume.

When I first went to work today at the grill, there was an older couple that came in. They ordered some basic stuff, and I gave their order to the cooks. A few minutes later another man came in a joined them. He ordered water (can you really order water or is that just a request?) and then ordered a burger. I took out the first people’s food first and the second person’s food second. Standard protocol. The burger man requested some special items: onions, some mayo; which he received. The next time I checked on them they seemed irate and asked for the check. I thought this was interesting as most people come into the restaurant irate and then settle down once they are filled with food. Not so in this case—the food seemed to have made them angry. Not a good sign. I gave them change for their check, they walked to the front seating area and proceeded to tell the hostess what terrible service they received. From what I understand they peppered their complaint with a few explicative.
Now I am lost. I’m not sure what happened to set these people off that way, just as they couldn’t understand how I could do (or not do) whatever it was (or wasn’t) that I did (or didn’t do). Yes, confusing. It didn’t help either that the hostess decided to relate the comment to me when I was in the vincenty of the owners of the restaurant. It’s kind of what you call a bad night.
But this whole serving thing has me wondering as of late. If these people could be offended by something that I don’t even know what it was, well then how many people have been offended by the service I’ve given them? I’ve always thought of myself as a good waiter, but then maybe I’m not. Maybe I’m just average, or worse, sub-par. My saving grace is that these people swore at the hostess. That takes away a few points for accountability on their side.
It’s strange though, this whole restaurant game. I’ve been at it ten plus years and still don’t understand a lot of it. It’s mind reading in a basic sense, but what if you have a customer that’s insane? How do attempt to read their mind? Example: I had this woman ask me the other day which item I preferred on the menu: the turkey melt or the chicken wrap. I replied turkey melt (I just felt like turkey that day). She asked for the turkey but then said, “I don’t want the sauce, leave off the coleslaw and do you have a different cheese?” I want to tell her “If it sucks it’s your fault.” Yesterday a man whistled at me like you would for dog and then yelled across the restaurant that they were ready to order. I approached the table, took the man’s order and his wife replied, “I don’t know honey, can I have some of yours?” I believe the operative word in this man’s oration was “ready”.
But here’s where I’ll backpedal and say most customers are nice, and if they are curt or dismissive or just rude it’s because they’re hungry and once you get some food in them they soften up. It’s the 7.5% that make the job tough and give you a tough time. This is a rationality I don’t understand: Be rude to the person that controls your meal. Rethink that one, and no, I’ve never done anything underhanded to a dish; however, I have slowed up on a table. Once a tip is lost, it’s gone. No reason to dish out the service to a lost table when it can be expended on the winers and the diners. Screw it maybe I am a bad server. Depends on what kind of customer you are.
I’ll end on an anecdote. Another server, Susan, received a party of women and one of those women at that party had been served by Susan before and was not impressed by the service. She thought that she would humiliate Susan in front of all her friends and so said, “Oh, I remember you. You’re the server who wouldn’t take the cake off our ticket when we didn’t like it.” Susan replied, “I remember you too. You’re the person who ate all the cake.” Eat up and tip well.

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Ahh yes, more pictures of Fall, Fally goodness. Clint had Thursday off for Fall break so appropriately we went hiking to get pics of leaves and trees and such, which was followed by trip to the billiard hall and a pitcher, which was followed by a nap, and then bowling and another pitcher. Some days work out well.

I've been living a rather idealic life as of late. I've hit a semi-sort of retirement at the ripe old age of thirty. I spend my days hiking and biking, going to the gym, taking naps and then off to work in evenings. I hate to see the nice weather go, but summer makes an awesome display when it leaves (semi-sort of pun). I think the grand finally in a fireworks display mirrors itself from the fall season, only fall spreads it out by weeks and days.

I'm attempting to work myself out of this half wandering, half working sort of lifestyle. I've been applying for jobs teaching English in Korea (the southern half, not the northern half). I taught English to middle school students last year and I guess I need more chaos in my life. Might as well throw myself into another country where I have no incling of the native language and teach kids English. That sounds like that ought to do the trick. Anybody got any advice on that?

Anyway, enjoy the pics. I enjoy comments galor.

Happy maple in midst of solem pines (am I reading into this too much?) Posted by Picasa

Happy and confused in forest once again. Posted by Picasa