Memorial Day: Moving, Memorable, and Motivating.

What a rip-roaring blast this weekend has been! Mostly great beach weather and folks eager to enjoy the sun after the brutal winter here in the mid-Atlantic states.

The restaurant was stuffed to bursting from Friday through today with parties of two to parties of 20 or more. On average we served 1300 meals daily (lunch & dinner) with an all time record made on Saturday.  Lunch = 500+ Dinner = 1100+. That's right almost 1700 diners passed through the doors and tonight I am totally exhausted, but in a good way.

Everything went remarkably smoothly until last night when the "restaurant management" computer system experienced a nervous breakdown and sent everyone reeling for over two hours. Still, they pulled through.

A few items of note this holiday weekend from the "nation's summer Capitol":

More large family groups dining together than in past years.
Veterans from WW2, Korea, Viet Nam, Kuwait, as well as Afghanistan and Iraq were in town in full uniform and honoured with a special program dedicated to their service and sacrifices. (I got to shake hands with a few and thanked them for their service. Very moving experience.)
Many gay and lesbian couples holding hands openly on the streets. (They always did in the restaurant, so to us this was nothing new.)  A bold statement to the other visitors, to be sure.  No one seemed to care.
Many DC government workers sporting tattoos and multiple piercings.  This would have been a scandal a few years ago.
The obnoxious parking meters were operating properly, as opposed to last year when they bilked many out of their money registering no time and coughing up parking tickets by the dozens.
More people of colour are visiting the town. Now that's a nice change.

On a personal note I noticed that my quiet street has no sidewalks, so everyone walks in the street and still feels perfectly safe.  Now that's saying something! Click on the image above to embiggen.

Suppertime, and the livin' is easy.  No, wait! Never mind. I smell olives. I am one tired stump-jumper!

Cheers!

And so it goes.

Memorial Day - Remember Them All.

NOLA: BP Oil Protest

Click to embiggen.
h/t adrastos

More later.
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Just Another Invasion at the Beach

The rain began falling a half hour before I left for work. It stopped as I walked out the door. Started again as I reached the restaurant. Miracles, miracles. The kitchen staff, bar staff, and the bosses were right behind me. Good thing, too.

Wait staff began arriving 15 minutes early to prep for the day.  Good thing, too.

We were ready to open 15 minutes early, good thing too, because the deluge began at that moment and didn't let up all day. The rain and sun played tag and by 1:30 there was a 20 minute wait for a table. By 2 pm, it was an hour as larger parties of 8, 12, and 20 arrived. At 3:30 the wait for service was over,  things slowed down long enough to get our second wind, regroup, and introduce the dinner staff to the mix while phasing out the lunch crew. Sounds complicated, but it worked very smoothly today.

Tonight is totally booked and I am happy to live on a quiet street in a quiet building where I can now review all I learned today, which includes having more authority and responsibility for the front of the house - as it is called. I have been endowed (well, that too) with special computer privileges to correct or delete minor errors made by servers. Who'da thunk it?   This was an absolutely fascinating experience!

I had a ball and it's only just begun!!!

Tired?  Yes, but exhilarated and happy that our friends are back for another season at the beach. And, as we say in NOLA, "A good time was had by all."

In the excitement, I spilled half my shift cocktail on the bar, so I am enjoying a FULL martini as I compose this and prepare supper.  A Good day, for the most part.  Damn! I hate spilling good Gin!

Cheers!

And so it goes.
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Celebration Caturday

I am sure there are a lot of tourists in this position this morning. There were some clouds, but no rain and spirits (both kinds) ran high yesterday beginning at the restaurant at 11:30 am and well into the night. Can't wait to see the remains of the chaos when I arrive this morning.

More later.
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A Walkin' Man, and Just in Time!

Second night sleeping on the new mattress.  Initially attributed yesterday's back pain to the last move on Tuesday, but today I am not quite sure - the pain is still with me.  Getting used to this new bed may take a while.

Had blood work the doctor ordered yesterday morning, followed by breakfast at the Filling Station (the other restaurant owned by the dos locos), then hit every thrift/consignment store I could find in an effort to find a small kitchen set and/or living room chairs and loveseat.  Everything worthwhile was already sold and awaiting pickup. This kind of shopping isn't a viable option for a guy with one day off each week.


 Did 2 loads of laundry when I got back to the apartment. What a luxury to have a laundry room right downstairs instead of driving 15 miles each way to do the deed. Emptied more boxes during washing and drying cycles. Nice!

On the next day off the search will continue for a computer desk so the printer and speakers can be connected, and a chair as well.

Enjoyed a festive martini followed by a supper of broiled rosemary chicken and my grandmother's artichoke salad last night.

The move concluded just in time.  The tourists begin arriving this evening to kick off the Memorial Day weekend - the official start of Summer. The car is parked across the street. Walking to work for the very first time today. With my luck I thought it would be rainy, but the forecast is for sun and warm temperatures with light breeze. The new life begins now.

More later.
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I'm Back! Well, Only Just.

I must be a resident of the City of Rehoboth Beach. My polling place information card arrived in the mailbox today! I guess it's true.

Regular readers may be surprised by this, but I came to realize (late, of course) that there are only 2 three-prong outlets in the apartment - one in the living room, the other in the bathroom - and I was too tired to face traffic to get to Lowe's for more after a long day at work. There was a voicemail waiting from Verizon informing me that the DSL was up and running.  Not to be deterred, I checked out extension cords and telephone cables and came up with a makeshift solution for the evening. Plugged the surge protector into the living room outlet, connected the computer, monitor, mouse and DSL modem to it, then ran a 25 ft. phone cable from the bedroom to the modem.  Worked immediately and I cannot detect a difference in the speed.

Anyway, I finished the move this morning before work before returning the key to the landlady and shedding a few tears with her. We're both moving on. I'd known that she was my angel these past three years, but I didn't know that I was also hers. Both of us getting over broken marriages, I can't imagine being an angel in the state I was in back then. If I overlooked anything I am sure she'll call.

I am having my first martini in the new place, and will prepare a first meal, too. Tomorrow is the only day off and I am sure you can guess what is at the top of the to-do list. Yes, three-prong outlets!!! There are also a few leads for furniture at thrift and consignment stores in the area.  I'll check them out and see what I come up with.

The sheets are on the bed, more boxes emptied and ready for the recycle center, which is actually the top item on the list, but closely followed by the damned outlets. I hope I remember how to replace them. Without cable or other service, I have That's Entertainment running in the background to keep me going.

This building is old and there are things requiring adjusted thinking (see outlets above) nothing that can't be worked around in the future. Whatever. For now I am thrilled to be close to the Atlantic and work; not dodging tourists in traffic; and the possibility of getting out more socially. We'll see.

For now, I want to furnish the place sparsely with things that strike my fancy.  My fancy what, I don't know, but I'll know it when I see it.


BTW, thanks to everyone for the good wishes, comments, and offer of a home blessing.  I am overwhelmed.

And so it goes.


Image by friend Ron. Click to embiggen.
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Move Planning on the Fly

For some strange reason things have been falling into place regarding the final days of the move. Seemingly, without thinking about it too much, I have planned pretty well as to what to take to the new place, when, and what to leave behind as I get the place cleaned and ready to vacate - hopefully by Tuesday.

Cabinets are empty and clean, bathroom is too, except for shaving and showering stuff for the next two days. Stainless steel kitchen sink is sparkling this evening. The bathroom fixtures are clean; only a vacuum and mop are needed by Tuesday.

Taking things day to day and keeping the few necessities required as I continue to sleep in the old place has worked out quite well, so far.

Took half of the refrigerated items to the new place this morning - leaving behind a few things I will need - and leaving the other half for tomorrow. More clothes, food, artwork, and file cabinet moved today, too.  I spent 2 hours putting things away in cabinets, refrigerator, closet, and linen closet. Took flattened boxes to recycle center and marveled at the progress made it the past week doing this daily routine. This offhand planning is working and I am enjoying the process and progress.

Tomorrow the TV, stand, and DVD player find their place in the apartment, along with the rest of the clothes, knives, utensils, and remaining refrigerated foods.

Feeling good and the martini hit the spot. Some more light packing and a viewing of "The Story of Us" on History - one last time. All plugs are pulled tomorrow.

I'll be offline for a day or two. If you are so inclined, please keep me in prayer.

And so it goes.
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Happy Birthday, Harvey!

What would our world look like if you had lived, we will never know, but we were fortunate to have your insights and courage to push us forward. We may not be where we ought to be, but we're on the right path.

Thank you, Harvey.

And so it goes.
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Wishful Caturday

So close to the finish line with the move and all I want to do is curl up and sleep. Working every day this week (and longer hours with the season upon us) means little time to move things and clean the old place up to return it to what it looked like three years ago. Once the personal stuff is out I can begin the mopping, sweeping and vacuuming.

And so it goes.
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Gallows Humor - NOLA Style

A gift to BP, perhaps?  When you've been through what these folks have over the last 5 years, you know it's their sense of humour and the love of their land (and coastal waters) that keeps them going.

From what I can find, this is a real cake on sale at Beaux Mart on Magazine Street in NOLA.

And so it goes.
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Moving, Imagining, and Taking Ownership

Counting the days, hours, minutes until I am entrenched in the new digs. Brought more things over early today, then spent 2 hours unpacking boxes and putting things away; taking ownership of the new place, I guess.  Doing this relaxed and took me into another place. I began to imagine what the place will look like when all the pieces fall into place.  Probably not until after the season. I am in no rush, but I would like a chair or two and a small table.

Though I had to be super careful about the weight I was lifting, that didn't dampen my spirits. I took great pride in collapsing the boxes and taking them for recycling - there are 7 fewer boxes than yesterday - along with my usual recyclables.

When I arrived at the restaurant I was calm, energized, and ready for the day ahead.

I'm taking a break tomorrow and only running a few necessary errands before work. I just can't run up and down that flight of stairs another day without a respite. And, the errands are an important part of the process, as well. No guilt here.

Didn't sleep well last night, so following a festive cocktail and a light supper, it's off to bed. I am really exhausted

Image by friend Ron, who helped with the move on Wednesday. (Click the image to embiggen.) Yes, the apartment boasts 2 skylights - 1 in the kitchen and another in the bathroom.  I love them...so does Ron.

An so it goes.
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