The Peace Lily Likes it Here

Bloom 1 - 4/2012

Bloom 2 - 5/2012

 About a month ago I wrote as part of another happy post, that the Spathiphyllum purchased as the first plant for this apartment was about to offer up a flower in celebration.  The plant arrived here in a tiny 4 inch pot and has been re-potted 3 times; is about ready for another in the near future.  Well, that 2 inch bud turned into a 4 inch flower and last week another bud made it's presence known.

As I said before, I have had many of these plants over the years, in all shapes and sizes, but this is the first that has ever flowered for me - now TWICE.

And so it goes.

*

Fab Friday, Sing-along Saturday, Shouting Sunday, & Mellow Monday

The sum total of my Memorial Weekend. No social activities; only long, long work days and little food. Rest & quiet are in order for this day off. Not a single fuck shall be given.

Friday:  a beautiful day, perfect top-down, at-the-beach, weather. The stream of visitors to the restaurant increased as the day worn on. All were joyful and ready to begin the summer - especially with margaritas.  Happy Hours are now 12 to 5 PM - the bar/lounge remained full throughout the afternoon.

Saturday: Setting the tone for the day, the Locos-guys tuned the Sirius network to 1960s American Rock and Roll.  As people left the beach for refreshments (hint, hint.  We offered $15. Pitchers of Sangria.) whether liquid or solid, those of a certain age began singing along with the music of The Beach Boys, and everyone else associated with that ancient time I remember oh-so-well.  It was surprising to note that those of later generations took part in the sing-along, claiming they grew up with the music being played by their parents. Made my heart happy, at least.

Had a 30 minute wait for a lunch table, and the entire weekend evening hours were totally booked.  I didn't get off until 5:30 PM. I had been there since 7:30 AM, so you do the math. Walked home under my own steam, but almost completely drained of energy. 

Sunday: 9 AM Brunch began well, with folks desiring a hardy breakfast before hitting the beach. At 9:30 three gals came in "starving" and having only just arrived, chose to have brunch at the bar, before heading to the sun and sand.  That last bit never happened. They were contacted by 2 friends, invited them to join in the brunch scenario, and those 2 contacted others; before you knew it the bar was full of guys and gals enjoying brunch, Bloody Marys, Mimosas and discovering our new satellite trivia game from a company called "Buzzline" or "Buzztime", or some such. You can tell how interested in all this I am, right?

They began to challenge one another, inevitably the shots began to flow; the cheering, shouting encouragement grew louder with each new game.  By 3 PM, (thanks to their many efforts) Dos Locos was among the top 20 venues in the US at that time. I had a splitting headache, diners up to my gonads, could barely see straight, and had not eaten all day.  Even with all the noise from the bar, diners remained jovial and enjoyed their own big parties, upwards of 8 to 14, by the time I left at 4:45. 

As the headache throbbed, I walked home in delicious silence, closed the door behind me, turned on the AC & fans (it was 90' outside & 82' inside), reached for a glass, ice cubes, gin, olives as the place cooled down, and turned on Pandora radio as I shed the work drag for shorts and a tee.   I enjoyed another cocktail as the headache subsided and I started creating supper.  Don't know where the energy came from. I. Was. Famished.  Then, still smelling like Fajitas, I took a long, hot shower and got into bed to read.

Monday: Regular hours meant arriving at 10 AM, though we knew it would be another big day.  Drunks recovering from the previous 2 days of partying, families grabbing a lunch before the long drive home, and those who would be staying the entire week all joined us for lunch.

There were many reservations for large parties in the afternoon & evening, but nothing like the previous 2, so I was able to waddle home at 4:30, having (again) had nothing to eat since breakfast of Oatmeal and cantaloupe, ( more than the day before) I chose leftovers, a salad, and a glass of Merlot for supper. Never tasted so good. 

It was a good weekend all round - at least every one of the drunks was a happy one - and now that it's over, there is a week of breathing space before the kids get out of school and the July 4th holiday is upon us.

Aside from a short trip to replenish the Bombay Sapphire, this post is all there is to show for today, the most activity I can muster up. I must be getting old.

And so it goes.
*

Homecoming: Spo Shirt Ends World Tour

This shirt has been on an amazing adventure since the fall of 2010; visiting bloggers and raising money for various charities.  It has finally found its way home to its rightful owner, Cubby over at Patently Queer, who had the idea in the first place and  Dr. Spo (the dear) jumped at it. Yes, that's me - with beard - in the famous shirt before sending it on.

I received the shirt and journal on 12/26/10 and a disastrous snowstorm brought everything around here to a halt for the following 3 days, meaning the shirt/journal couldn't get off to the next destination until January 3, 2011 when the post office re-opened.

I am grateful to have been included in this adventure. Ur-spo's post on the end of an epic tale.

Here's a teaser:

 The Shirt of Shirts went out on 9/9/2010; it finished it travels on 5/26/12 – 1.5 years later!  Who knew?  It visited 37 people (and a few dogs). It raised $370 for The Humane Society, Test Positive of Chicago, Doctors without Borders, and The Prostate Foundation.

While Cubby has the shirt, Dr. Spo will keep the journal written by those the shirt visited which includes their reflections on anything and everything.  Pure joy all round. 

And so it goes.
*

Memorial Weekend

No, this is not what I've been up to these past 3 days.  Seems the holiday has grown from a three-day to a four-day event and I hope I can last through this final day at work. It promises to be another long, stressful one.

Lots of stories, solemn moments, and craziness all round me.

More later.
*

Captain Kitteh Caturday

Departing from Gate 10:

Well, it's better than the usual gibberish coming over the speakers...

And so it goes.
*

Interesting Reading Last Night.

Kind of sums up the last 6 years of this crazy life.  Thought I'd share.  "IF":

"If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on”;

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And - which is more - you’ll be a Man my son!"

— Rudyard Kipling, 1895

And so it goes.
*

Shop Local

This message should be taken to heart and cheap Chinese s**t and big box stores ought to be ignored. It really costs us much more in the long run. Think about it. This small resort town depends on locals and tourists to keep the whole thing thriving and humming nicely.  I know these people and all they do to keep this community thriving and moving forward. 

Malls and Outlet Stores can't begin to offer what local merchants can.   Yes, Think about supporting local businesses. It could save your town as it has mine.

And so it goes.
*

Tourist Tsunami on The Horizon

This is it.

Personally:  Spent most of the day off yesterday, tying up loose ends and praying that I didn't forget anything important. Fueled the car and parked it, stockpiled supplies that will be hard to find soon, washed, ironed, and prepped all summer shirts for the surge, er, month of June. Stopped at the liquor store for Bombay Sapphire and a few bottles of wine. Thought about buying beer, but the weather isn't warm enough and 3 bottles remain from last year.

At work: The new menus and Happy Hour Specials are ready to go; new cocktail concoctions have been approved and included on the Cocktail Menus. (Please don't ask. Many of these abominations can cause one to throw up a little in their mouth - just sayin') There are 2 new daily special menus (yes, the locos like to offer lots of choices) for Lunch and an Early Bird 'Dinner for Two' option.

The boss-loco took me on a dry run-through in the event that the Health Department makes an appearance.  This will be my responsibility if it happens.  But, since the restaurant is diligent about cleanliness, preparing and serving food in safe conditions, I hope the inspector will cut this novice some slack, since I have never had to accompany one on a tour.  My Serv-Safe certification may help a bit, but I am not sure what this 'tour' entails. I will find out in the near future.

One nice bonus is that I was able to make a pasta sauce yesterday, the 10-hour recipe, a small part of which will be consumed tonight with turkey-spinach-provolone sausage, Italian bread, and wine.  Nice!

And so it goes.
*

Pity Party of 12, Policy, & a Surprise Ending

A party of 12 rolls into the restaurant - 8 young boys (all under 10 years old) and 4 adults. The adults wanted to sit together away from the lads, but I explained that policy at this restaurant was that one adult must be seated with children under 18.   I guessed that they were part of a Little League baseball team;  who do not have a positive history with Dos Locos.

One guy stood up, puffed out his chest, all indignant and said he'd like to speak to the manager.  "That would be me," I said. And began to explain policy, but he would have none of it.  He ignored every word. Other diners were taking notice.

"Well, come-on guys", He shouted, "this isn't the place for us." The dining room was quite full and it had been a major effort to accommodate such a large group, but this was lost on the blowhard. (There isn't a restaurant in this town where this troop would be welcome, so they probably ended up with take-out from McDonald's out on the coastal highway.)

He offered a parting shot as they filed out the door; "You are one poor manager." To which I replied, "and you are a poor parental example."  The diners nearby laughed at the comeback and with that, Mr. Indignant left the building.

He tried once more by yelling through the open doors, "Hope you have a great summer."  And before I could reply, a customer seated close to the doors (our version of al fresco dining) said, "Oh, I am sure we ALL will now that you are not coming back. Please say you're not coming back."  The entire front of the house laughed, and hooted. I just stood there with my mouth wide open, staring at the jerk as his face turned bright red - and it wasn't a sunburn.

Sometimes, our customers surprise even me.

Over all, a delightful day with happy people enjoying a rather gloomy Sunday with friends and family, good food and drink.  It doesn't get any better than that, now does it?

Another long 9-hour shift and I am glad to be home. Supper is cooking, I am about to shower and have a cocktail before-hand.

One more day, then a precious Tuesday off. 

And so it goes.
*

Caturday Games Day

No fun, he always wins!

More later.

*

Cuisinart: Best Investment of the Year!

A while back I posted a surprise find while checking out a relatively new store called "Home Goods". It was a high-sided 5.5 Qt. Saute Pan (with helper handle) and glass lid, for $10.00. Although I promised only look-don't-buy, I am happy I didn't take my own advice.

 This is the best large pan I have ever owned and cleans up like new, thanks to the old stand-by cleaner known as "Bar Keepers Friend" which I had not be able to find here, until this store opened. No matter what I cook in this pan, not only does the food turn out well, but cleanup is a breeze. The pan looks as new as the day it came home with me. (The picture shown is the same pan with a steel lid rather than the glass vented one that I have.)

Last night I prepared a recipe of curry pork chops with apricots and onions. The meal was delicious, chops tender, and the pan cleaned up as usual. Tumeric is usually a killer and stains everything easily. Not so this time. Just thought an update was in order. I can't rave enough about this pan...or maybe I just did. Sorry.

And so it goes.
*

Donna Summer R.I.P.

Love to Love You Baby broke new ground, sent the Catholic League into a tizzy and had evangelicals writhing in pseudo-horror, but it was Donna's Love Trilogy released in the US 2 years later, (played mostly in gay clubs - well that was the target audience, after all) that really made her a star.

I'm thinking 1977 - 12West - last mix of the night. Crank up your speakers, grab a glass of something and offer up a toast to Donna and this incredibly well-mixed first side of the album.

It just didn't get any better than this - an astonishing 35 years ago. Amazing. And so it goes. *