Musings and Quizzes

12 more days til I leave for London!

I'm starting to seriously annoy my coworkers with the repeated jumps for joy and random exclamations.  Still, it's helpful to fall back on the innate self-centeredness of the other MAWs I work with, mainly because that means I get a lot of "Oh yeah, that's right, you're leaving?" even though I know I've told them at least twice before. It's like having a whole new audience every day! Must be like talking to the guy from Memento. 

Honestly, I can't freakin wait to leave.  I haven't had a full day off in I don't even know how long, weekends have no meaning for me whatsoever, and half the time I barely know what day it is. Add that to the messages I get from photographers:

sweetheart, I am honored and would love to work with you. actually let me rephrase that, play with you. (yeah, ok, his first language isn't English, but you can't tell me that this guy doesn't realize the double entendre in THAT one)
stop by when you have some time, we eat, drink and make art. (I nearly spat out my drink at this one. 'Make Art.'  Is that what they're calling it these days?)
I want to try a relaxed session, (I bet you do.)  very natural (What the fuck is natural about a nude photo shoot? I do not walk naked around strangers, no matter how much begging they do), no inhabitations (Oh, good, I hate pesky houseguests), no spectations (.....I got nothin'.) , we then look at them, learn from them, and erase them! (Oh good....I can look at my naked body, which I could do in a mirror at any point in time if I were so inclined, learn.....what, exactly? That my freckle on my stomach that I can't see from above because of boobage is still there? Oh, and I have your *word* you'll erase the incredibly revealing photos afterward! I feel SO relieved.)

The guy actually had the nerve to bring up this topic when I picked up my rings and the CD from the last (completely non-nude, opposite of nude, fully clothed....did I mention no nakedness?) photoshoot. Rather than laughing in his face, I demurred I didn't think I'd have time before I left for London.

What can I say, I suck at confrontation sometimes.

My latest issue with The Restaurant is that one of the managers has become increasingly annoyed with the number of shift changes we the servers do.  Now, yes, we do usually put in schedule requests when we know we need days off. But these requests are not always honored, and in the case of shift changes, shifts are covered, it's not like people are flaking out.  I truly don't see the issue, yet this manager acts as if we're putting them through a huge inconvenience when we change or pick up shifts for one another.  You would think they'd be a little happier; we're taking care of scheduling issues ourselves instead of complaining to the managers to take care of it, or simply not showing up for a shift, telling them "Well, I TOLD you I had class at this time!"

We don't particularly understand their issue.   For instance, this Saturday, I have an extra Cold Reading class scheduled during the day. I'd forgotten to request the day off, so naturally I was scheduled. This wasn't a huge problem, as another coworker's Christmas party was scheduled for Saturday night and therefore Kristina was easy to convince to switch with me so that I could work the night shift and she'd take my day. Her concern, however, was that it meant she had no night shifts at all that week (despite the fact that she'd used to work three nights a week and make far more money than she was making doing the day shifts).  So I agreed to switch a Monday shift with her so she could have that night to work and hopefully make a bit more money as a fair trade for helping me out on Saturday.  This manager allowed the shift change on Saturday because I had class, but wouldn't let us switch on Monday because "...there was no reason to."

She's also the manager who will point to dirty dishes that we may leave on the counter when we're in a rush and can't run all the way back to the dish room (no bus tubs in our stations, we bus our own dishes back to the dish room, which, if you're on the other side of the restaurant, can take more valuable time than it's worth) and will call out any random nearby server's name with 'dirty dish' attached to the end of it:   "Shana dirty dish!", "Jack dirty dish!", "Shawn dirty dish!".  She will continue this until she has exhausted all the names of the servers working that day, then look frustrated because, again, we have no time to run those dishes back to the dish room at that particular second, and head over to the hot line to start the list of names over again, this time with "in the window" attached, to signify to those of us in the weeds that yes, indeed, we have food waiting on us.  As well as dishes. Because we have no food runner, either.

Sigh.

Unfortunately, it's managers like that that make our job harder, not easier. Not that I'm suggesting that's what they're there for, exactly, but shouldn't part of being a good manager include knowing how to....manage?

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I'm at that point in my life where a good portion of my friends are married.  I'm getting Christmas newsletters, requests for home addresses, pictures of husbands and babies, and one particularly horrific picture montage via email of my friend's wife giving birth to their firstborn son.  Not only would I have strangled my husband with an umbilical cord if he even THOUGHT of bringing a camera near me directly after giving birth, but what possesses a person to think that anyone would want to SEE an infant in that state of screaming, bloody, liquidy mess?  Dear GOD. I felt like I needed to scrape out the insides of my eyeballs.

I must admit, however, I've been doing the newsletter thing for a few years now, restricting it to family only for everyone's sakes.   I use a handwriting-looking font on some pretty Christmas paper and every year get responses back from family marvelling at this wondrous usage of technology. But this year I expanded the list to my friends who I haven't seen in ages (primarily because I figure if they are at the point of sending me newsletters, the least I can do is return the bland favor), and I'm noticing the amount of 'and's involved.  "Keith AND Rochelle Vandekamp", "Aileen AND Francis Motojo", "Carol AND Casey Philops"

Not really going to take that line of thinking any farther for fear of feelings of melancholy and self-disgust, but I thought it interesting all the same. Let's not even TALK about my female coworkers (ok, some of the males too, I'm fair) poring over Tiffany's and Harry Winston catalogues that get dropped off at The Restaurant for us to peruse.  As beautiful as those things are......Eek. I'm too immature to even think about it.

Random quizzes because it's 2:40am and I'm still awake:

Your Rising Sign is Gemini

You often feel torn between two dominant personalities. Sometimes you're adaptable and friendly; other times indecisive and unsure. No matter what, you're the life of the party or conversation. Witty and talkative, you entertain with your stories and gossip. It's a bit difficult for you to finish what you start - jobs, friendships, relationships... There's so much you want to try. You often bite off more than you can chew.

Your Stripper Song Is

Master and Servant by Depeche Mode "There�s a new game We like to play you see A game with added reality You treat me like a dog Get me down on my knees" Yawn, dancing is so boring without a little spice.

Your Birthdate: October 29

You have the mind of an artist, even if you haven't developed the talent yet. Expressive and aware, you enjoy finding new ways to share your feelings. You often feel like you don't fit in - especially in traditional environments. You have big dreams. The problem is putting those dreams into action. Your strength: Your vivid imagination Your weakness: Fear of failure Your power color: Coral Your power symbol: Oval Your power month: November

You've Changed 64% in 10 Years

Compared to who you were ten years ago, you've changed a great deal. In fact, you're probably in a completely different phase of your life - and very happy about it!

What Your Soul Really Looks Like

You are a wanderer. You constantly long for a new adventure, challenge, or eve a completely different life. You are a grounded person, but you also leave room for imagination and dreams. You feet may be on the ground, but you're head is in the clouds. You see yourself with pretty objective eyes. How you view yourself is almost exactly how other people view you. Your near future is still unknown, and a little scary. You'll get through wild times - and you'll textually enjoy it. For you, love is all about caring and comfort. You couldn't fall in love with someone you didn't trust.

You Are A Walnut Tree

You are strange and full of contrasts... the oddball of your group. You are unrelenting and you have unlimited ambition. Not always liked but always admired, you are more infamous than famous. You are aggressive and spontaneous, and your reactions are often unexpected. A jealous and passionate person, you are difficult in romantic relationships.

Your Personality Is Like Acid

A bit wacky, you're very difficult to predict. One moment you're in your own little happy universe... And the next, you're on a bad trip to your own personal hell!

You Are Corona

You don't drink for the love of beer. You drink to get drunk. You prefer a very light, very smooth beer. A beer that's hardly a beer at all. And while you make not like the taste of beer, you like the feeling of being drunk. You drink early and often. Sometimes with friends. Sometimes alone. All the party needs is you!

Your Taste in Music:

90's Alternative: Highest Influence Alternative Rock: Highest Influence Ska: High Influence 80's R&B: Medium Influence 90's Pop: Medium Influence

You Are a Warrior Soul

You're a strong person and sometimes seen as intimidating. You don't give up. You're committed and brave. Truly adventuresome, you are not afraid of going to battle. Extremely protective of loved ones, you root for the underdog. You are picky about details and rigorous in your methods. You also value honesty and fairness a great deal. You can be outspoken, intimidating, headstrong, and demanding. You're a hardliner who demands the best from themselves and others. Souls you are most compatible with: Old Soul and Peacemaker Soul

You Are a Auditory Learner

You tend to remember what you hear, and you have a knack for speaking well. You excel at debating, foreign languages, and music. You would be an excellent diplomat - or rock star!

You Are Blitzen

Always in good spirits, you're the reindeer who loves to party down with Santa. Why You're Naughty: You're always blitzed on Christmas Eve, while flying! Why You're Nice: You mix up a mean eggnog martini.