Shopping and Singing in the Rain

It had to be done.  The shopping, that is.  So, off I went with the latest Pet Shop Boys "Elysium"  playing, in rain even heavier than the storms yesterday. And I got wet, big deal.  At least it couldn't ruin my hairdo! If you get my drift.

Blueberries were BOGOF and I couldn't resist. Olives too, were at a low price, so I stocked up.  One can never have too many olives around the house. Now I am loaded for bear.

It was decided by popular vote that the to-do list would remain just that, a list until next week, or whenever I get around to it, or if something becomes an emergency. I didn't pick up the dry cleaning as it would have been a soggy mess by the time I wrestled it indoors.  I can pick it up any morning before work (they open at 7 AM) when the weather finally clears.

Besides, the flu must be getting worse, next to the keypad at every checkout I hit today was a large bottle of Hand Sanitizer. I don't want to deal with the flu.  Not a good way to start the new year.

Purchased a pot roast and will likely spend part of the afternoon working on that.  Makes the place smell like home and it's been a while since I made one. Pot roast, roasted baby red potatoes and a salad sound like good old winter comfort food to me, so that's all there is on the gay agenda today.  By the time it's done it will be cocktail hour.  Yay for me!!!

And so it goes.
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Day Dark and Drear & Cheerful Blog Posts

A steady rainfall since yesterday and all plans for the days off have washed away, so to say. Not up to doing chores on my to-do list, so I've read a bit, listened to music, cooked up a few artichokes for salad, and settled down to enjoy blogs that I read pretty regularly.  I may not comment on particular posts, but I enjoy the reads nonetheless.

Peter is home from hospital and on the mend following successful surgery. Snoopy Happy Dance!

Mark and his spouse are having issues over electric heaters.  Don't ask. Funny, though.

Ron is recovering from the demon disease spreading throughout the country, and having visited his past, is enthralled by the discovery of an actor he knew nothing about. We learn something new every day, right?

Anne Marie is dancing her tits off at her Saturday Night Dance Party. Making me feel very old, too.

John presents various opinions in the "heated debate" over Jodie Foster's GG speech. Yawn.

Urspo is weighing the potential benefits of a bit of booze deprivation before vacation. Made me giggle, too.

Cubby, in true gay fashion, is cooking up some fab appetizers for a work potluck. After all, what is life without bacon?

Jeep Guy continues his weekly TMI questionnaire with "WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER?" Where does he come up with these things???

3rdnlong is pissed about the safety seals on jars and bottles that are more trouble to remove than a plaster cast. I know his pain.

I hope to meet a few of these bloggers in March when Ron hosts a Meet-Up dinner party.  He's really good at organizing these events. His family reunions are legendary, joyful events.

And so, I continue to watch (and listen to) the rain fall, being grateful for cheerful posts, and that it isn't cold enough to turn that rain to snow.

Plan to view a couple of documentaries after supper this evening presented by handsome historian Michael Wood of the BBC. For some reason, I think I met him back in the 70s in NYC at the Hayden Planetarium, but memories play tricks at times, don't they.  He looks awfully familiar to me.

Still holding out hope that I may have the good fortune to join a few customers/friends on a 10-day Caribbean cruise in March.  The cruise line told me that I may be allowed a stateroom alone, if I pay 1.5 of the usual 2-person occupancy rate.  This may be a way to make it happen. The only kink is that this rate may not be available if the cruise is close to being sold out.  It is what it is and if it's going to happen, it will happen.

Update that made my day:  Just received a phone call from a chap at Nielsen's - the TV ratings company.  Right out of the box there was dead silence as I answered the first questions on his survey:  Q. What sort of TV service do you subscribe to?  A.  I don't subscribe to any TV service. (Long pause) Q. Do you use an indoor antenna? A. No. I don't watch Television. (Very long pause) "Um, thank you for your time."  Sometimes answering the land line can be so rewarding.  Just sayin'.

Note: I didn't link to the blogs above, but if you want them, I'll take care of it.  Just let me know in comments.

And so it goes.

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The Restaurant's New Toy.

...Or how to create twice the workload for front-end managers.

The restaurant has signed up for Open Table, the online reservation giant that allows for making reservations at thousands of restaurant all over the planet. (The image at left displays the seating chart of the dining room and lounge along with a column showing any reservations - at right. The private dining room and bar have been omitted.) While reservations may still be taken by phone, the seating chart also appears online where someone can reserve a specific table or booth.  Can you see the potential problem here, class?

In the 20 years of operation, there are perks offered to regulars and longtime friends of the place and that could all go up in smoke with the new system.  Regulars have favourite tables/booths, favourite servers, and many have special needs, like wheel chair access.  Also the Delaware fire safety laws are strict and unforgiving. No strollers allowed, no high chairs at booths, no children in bar or lounge area.  But, the potential customer making a reservation online doesn't know any of this. The complications with the online service could be overwhelming.

There have been 3 'incidents' already and this is in January.  I cannot imagine the possibly explosive situations come summer tourist season. The hands-on system is complicated enough that on a busy evening two people will likely be required to keep everything running smoothly.  God help them!

The system sounds simple enough but in reality, well, that's another story. I may get a call for a reservation for a party of 6 at 6 pm, requesting a specific table, and server.  They also need 1 high-chair.   Once that info is entered into the online system that table is blocked online for that time.  However, if someone is online at the same time with a similar party size and requests the same table - and they hit the enter key before I do - there will be trouble.

There were already 3 no-shows at the busiest dining times frustrating everyone because it puts parties already in the restaurant on a wait-list until the allotted time limit for that reservation expires.

Fortunately for me, long wait periods (up to an hour!) usually occur in July and August for lunch diners and by then, this whole system will have been worked out or thrown out.  I don't particularly care either way.

The locosguys had only a few hands-on days with the program before taking off for their holiday in Mexico. It is likely they will have forgotten what they learned by the time they return in 2 weeks.  Bad timing, indeed.

This weekend was busy and the repetition allowed me to get more comfortable, and make fewer mistakes, while juggling the phone, internet, and walk-ins. 

Oh yes, many olives have been consumed this past week. I look forward to the next 2 days off.

And so it goes.
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I Want to Have a Coffee With Paul Shawcross!!!

***Spew Alert!***
No, seriously.  This is an amazing/funny/serious response to a White House Petition:

Official White House Response to Secure resources and funding, and begin construction of a Death Star by 2016.

This Isn't the Petition Response You're Looking For

By Paul Shawcross
The Administration shares your desire for job creation and a strong national defense, but a Death Star isn't on the horizon. Here are a few reasons:

• The construction of the Death Star has been estimated to cost more than $850,000,000,000,000,000. We're working hard to reduce the deficit, not expand it.
• The Administration does not support blowing up planets.
• Why would we spend countless taxpayer dollars on a Death Star with a fundamental flaw that can be exploited by a one-man starship?

However, look carefully (here's how) and you'll notice something already floating in the sky -- that's no Moon, it's a Space Station! Yes, we already have a giant, football field-sized International Space Station in orbit around the Earth that's helping us learn how humans can live and thrive in space for long durations. The Space Station has six astronauts -- American, Russian, and Canadian -- living in it right now, conducting research, learning how to live and work in space over long periods of time, routinely welcoming visiting spacecraft and repairing onboard garbage mashers, etc. We've also got two robot science labs -- one wielding a laser -- roving around Mars, looking at whether life ever existed on the Red Planet.

Go read the entire document HERE, especially if you are a fan of the original Star Wars films.

More later.
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Caturday Wisdom

And so it goes.
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Zeitgeist 2012: Year In Review

Words Fail:


And so it goes.
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Observations of a Few Stupid Things

(In my best Andy Rooney voice) "Didja ever notice..."

Automatic DIY check-out lanes at the supermarket.  Wasting time looking up produce code numbers is bad enough, but items with no code, as well as cents-off coupons, require an override by a CASHIER!  And this is progress?

No more quart or half-gallon containers for items like mayonaise (now 30oz), ice cream (48 oz.), but the prices are the same or higher. A 5 pound bag of sugar now weighs 4, and costs more.  Paper products continue to shrink, as well.

Cable & phone companies and banks offer special deals to NEW customers while sticking their current ones with higher fees and lower interest rates on savings. Shouldn't loyal customers be rewarded?  Guess not.


Cell service providers offer a FREE phone with a two-year contract,  meaning that over those 24 months you'll probably have paid for the phone three-times over.  You're locked into a contract, but the carrier isn't.  That new phone without a contract would cost you up front, but save you big bucks in the end.  There ain't no free lunch, folks. 

Robo-calls from companies trying to sell something.  A recorded message that's supposed to give you a boner at the chance to do business with them. Who was the genius behind this one? If your company wants my business, you had better have a living, breathing, knowledgeable person call before I'll take you seriously.

Collection agencies do the same thing and expect you to return their call to prove you are not the person they're looking for.  WTF? Fat chance, that.

Fat-ass southern GOP congress-critters vote against an aid package for victims of hurricane Sandy, after pleading for aid for their red-neck, gambling frenzied states following Katrina. There is a special circle in Hell for creeps like these. 

I wonder.  Do these entities believe we're that dumb and don't notice what they're trying (and, in some cases, succeeding) to pull? Do we have such short memories? Or, is it that we don't care and just follow along like lemmings into the sea?

Oh, and I just bit the tip of my tongue and it won't stop bleeding.  Damn!  Stupid things, really!!!

Rant over.

And so it goes.
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PSB Live: Slaves to the Rhythm

This fits my mood of this day off - a very productive, satisfying one - and I had to post.  Crank up the speakers and dance like nobody's watching, 'cause they're not!

Here are the Boys LIVE at Wembley giving us a two-fer with backup singers and full orchestra.  During the break between songs Neil mentions producer Trevor Horn, who - if you look very carefully - can be seen singing backup (he's an older man with long hair and glasses who is having the time of his life) and at the end of the set, moving downstage to say a few words, or perhaps introduce another act.

I love both songs for very different reasons.  "It's gonna be alright" reminds me of "Hold on" from their new album, Elysium.  It's incredible that the PSB are still going strong after 30 years.  Their music seems to get better and better and their orchestrations and collaborations are always fresh and new.  Enjoy.

Tomorrow promises to be another beautiful day with highs in the upper 50s, perhaps hitting 60 by afternoon.

And so it goes, on and on and on and on......

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Grinches Steal Holiday Lights for Second Year

This is Gene Harris smiling at you with wire cutters and clipped wires in his hands. Gene is the Bar Manager at the restaurant and Tony is his other half.  They have been doing a light display for years, but the last 2 have been anything but festive.  From the local newspaper:

Tony Citrano has an idea who may have been behind a Christmas prank that ruined a section of his holiday lights.
After realizing someone cut the wires of a row of Christmas lights that outlines the property and left with a row of plastic peppermints that light up the driveway, all that Citrano and his partner, Gene Harris, found was a path of smashed bulbs, a woman's glove and a new pair of wire cutters running between two homes across the street.
The same thing happened last Christmas, too.
"Last year, they stole a bunch of items, but the items turned up in a shopping cart at Giant," said Citrano.
Citrano and Harris have lived in Stable Farms for four years and said they enjoy putting up a light display every year, especially for the neighborhood children. Citrano said he couldn't believe that someone would damage his display for a second year in a row.
"It's really sad with everything that's going on," he said. "It's disheartening that kids are doing this during Christmas."
Delaware State Police did not have further information on the vandalism. Citrano said vandals targeted one other neighbor in a neighborhood full of decorated homes, leading him to believe the perpetrators are connected to a nearby summer home. Citrano said he and his neighbor have complained about loud parties at the summer home in the past; the damage appears to be retribution for the complaints.
"I even tried leaving the lights on all night thinking that would deter them," Citrano said. "Things were busted up despite that."
Citrano was prepared this time, though. He installed new peppermint lights replacing the ones stolen along the driveway and quickly filled the gap of lights left empty along the roadway.
"I hope these last this time," he said.

And so it goes.
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Catnip Caturday: Sylvester's First Time

Funny.



If you've ever had a kitteh you know this to be true...and oh, so funny.

And so it goes.
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Captured Moment: Obama Learned of Sandy Hook Shootings

The President reacts as John Brennan briefs him on the details of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. The President later said during a TV interview that this was the worst day of his Presidency.  He looks as if he's been punched in the stomach and more is to come.

Compare his body language to that of G. W. Bush as he was briefed about the unfolding events of 9/11. The deer-in-the-headlights expression speaks volumes about his character, or lack thereof.

 

And so it goes.

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The New Year and a Holiday Surprise

Absolutely exhausted! My last 7-day work week of 2012 is over.  I am off today; returning to the restaurant tomorrow to train on a  reservations platform.  More on that after the training happens.

Christmas falling on a Tuesday threw the celebrations of some out of whack, but not ours. The restaurant was busy throughout Christmas-New Year's week.  Big family parties dined at lunch and dinner and even the foul weather on Dec. 26th and 29th didn't keep folks away. We served near record numbers up to New Year's Eve. Snow storms remained north and west of us and most were grateful to be here rather than at home where the snow was causing power outages and highway accidents.

We served a record number of customers on NYE - both lunch and dinner - and almost broke the record for New Year's Day.  Almost, but not quite. Still, it seems that everyone enjoyed a "quiet, peaceful, and happy holiday" and that's as it should be.

Oh, the Surprise...

For some reason, my name (or a good description) appeared in a number of restaurant reviews on such sites as TripAdvisor (sp?), YELP!, and others that I  know nothing about, so I was recipient of a Gift Certificate for dinner-for-two at Outback. (Don't ask!) There is one just outside of town where my (delayed) birthday celebration was held last summer.  One problem though, everyone I know works in the business and usually scheduled on the days I'm off.  Anyway, the gift is good through March 31st. so I am sure to come up with a dining companion before then.  Then again, maybe not.  We'll see.

So another year begins. Let me just mention that should the last of the 4 contradicting, conflicting letters received from the SSA (Social Security Administration) be accurate, I ought to begin receiving monthly payments at the end of January.  Something to look forward to, yes, but I'm not holding my breath.  It's not worth the stress or bother.  No one at the SSA seems to know what they're doing.

It doesn't matter since I'll have to work until I die, anyway.  Glad, for now, I have the energy. Glad I like my job.

And so it goes.
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