ReBlogibility

My oh my, its amazing how things change fast.

Been a bit of a whirlwind in my neck o' the woods lately. Guess I'm due for some bloggin'. Some would argue that i'm overdue for some bloggin'. Funny thing how these blogs work. You start one when you have too much time on your hands, and next thing you know, you can't seem to find time to visit your own poor neglected blog, let alone update it, and then when you do, you have to catch up from where you left off.

Right now, though, as I am awake at 5 in the morn' and still and cant seem to take a nappy-poo, I can't hide from my blog any longer. And, actually, it may help me get a grip on the last few weeks. Gonna break out my tech-soap-box for some therapy.

So....away we go.

Saturday, Oct 28th:
I finished up my job in Seattle on the 28th. My boss didn't get a chance to say goodbye, as he was out sick. My GM, (my mother in Seattle) wasn't there for my last night, and before I left my workplace, I had to "remind" the managers on duty that there was closing paperwork to do in my file. That's how much of a stink they made about me leaving.

After 6 years with this company, you'd think I wouldn't be surprised about how my leaving was handled. Everyone in the food service industry is expendable, and I've seen plenty of people come and go, no one misses them after a couple of days. I'm not sure why I thought that my leaving would be any different. My best friend Sean told me that "they'll get you a cake or something". Another friend told me that she was thinking about what she would write in my going away card. Sean said "You'll get all the good karma that's coming to you." I told him that they wouldn't, but a small part of me thought that it would matter, that there would be a cake, card, or something like that, but the biggest hubbub that night was a bartender made an anouncement in the bar shortly before hosing me down with a bottle of soda water.

So, I left my workplace for the last time that night soaked, slightly empty, and a bit drunk. I still miss all those people. I'd forgotten how hard it is when you see a crew everyday for 5 years, and then they are suddenly not there. I planned my own "offical going away" party at our local watering hole, but it was second to a halloween party being hosted down the street at one of our bartender's houses. My party was a pit stop to that party. However, at the bar I was overwhelmed by the turnout of all my close friends, who told me "Screw that other party, your leavin' man!!!" I left the bar (quite drunk at that point), stopped by the other party for a few minutes, then said my goodbyes (no tears, but close) and shut the door on that phase of my life.

Sunday, Oct 29th
The next morning, (as in, 6am morning) we were down at the Penske office renting our truck. She was a 16 foot beauty, accessorized by the car towing trailer and dolly. First stop, a lot by my apartment, where we unhooked the trailer and left it. Then back to E's apartment, since she had to be out by the end of the day. We had all her stuff packed by about 4ish in the afternoon, then took the truck back to my house where we packed my stuff (finishing at about 10pm). Erin went to bed, and after playing a final game of video game golf with Sean, I crashed too. (around 2am)

Monday, Oct 30th
We woke up at about 8ish in the morning. After saying my goodbyes to Sean (tough) we took the cars and truck down to the lot at the end of the street, hooked the trailer back up, loaded Erin's car onto the towing trailer, and set off. When we reached I-5, we noticed a ceartain flaw in our set up. The trailer (with car) was as long, if not longer, than the truck, so any time Erin (driving the truck) went above 50, the trailer started to wobble back and forth, which therefore would cause the top-heavy moving truck to start wobbling back and forth as well. It might sound confusing, but all you need to know is the sheer terror of watching this take place for the first time and thinking "Oh god, that thing is gonna tip!" The first hour or so was pretty nerve racking from my position in the Honda, chasing the unsteady rig (and obviously more so for Erin, the driver). Erin and I talked back and forth via cell phone, and took frequent breaks to eat and just stretch. After Portland (some scary narrow lanes through there) things seemed to get a bit easier, although slow. I was armed with 8 red bull energy drinks, and a 6 disc changer loaded with CDs. Our desire to get back onto California soil got us to Weed, CA that night by approx. 11pm, where we stopped at a cheapo Motel 6.

Tues, Oct 31st (Halloween)

We woke up early (again) and were back on the road by 8ish. It took us about 5 more hours to get to our apartment in Natomas (North end of Sacramento). I'm sure we were both a pretty sight to our landlord when we staggered in to fill out the leasing papers. We settled on a 2 bedroom apartment in a complex-like setting, with all the trimmings. It's big, much bigger than any previous apartment I had lived at, so I was fairly impressed. Erin's sister, Katie, was quick on the scene with bottled water and Pepsi for us to recharge with, and then we started unpacking the beast of a truck. We worked as long as we could, until we both were just too tired to pick up another box. We did have halloween candy for the kids, but none stopped by. (aw shucks...what am I gonna do with 2 bags of fun size Snickers bars?) We got a take-and-bake pizza from the nearby Raley's (walking distance), split a bottle of wine and watched Donnie Darko on E's Laptop for a while, then passed out on a makeshift bed on the ground(we hadn't reached the bed unpacking).

Wed. Nov 1st
Why is it the days you get to sleep in, you tend to wake up early?
Up around 8ish on Wednesday, this day's event being an "unpacking assistance" visit from Dad and Jan. (Thank you very much you 2) We got the truck fully unpacked, went out for Coronas and some food, came back, Erin and I shuffled some boxes around, pretending to be making progress, and crashed out early.

Thurs. Nov 2nd
Unpacking...and Unpacking...and more unpacking. For lunch, Erin and I met her parents at a place recommended by our landlord (rather than go to the same place that we went the day before). Visited with them for a while (a bit nerve-racking, considering I hadn't really met them before), and then....unpacking.

Friday, Nov 3rd
Unpacking. Also, this is the day that we had a wee bit of a bug problem. A few ants showed up in our master bathroom. Ceartainly nothing that we thought would be a big problem. Friday night, Erin took me into downtown for dinner with her sister, mother, father, aunt and uncle. They were on thier way to a show, but apparently had made it a tradition to have dinner beforehand, and we were invited. Got to meet her aunt and uncle, and after about 3 glasses of wine, I was yappin' it up and havin a great time with them, awesome restaurant too. Katie, (E's sister) told me about a new restaurant that was opening in Roseville, a sort of wine-themed-concept restaurant. Sounded like something right up my alley so I agreed to go in on Monday and check it out.

Saturday, Sunday, Nov. 4th, 5th
Nothing really happend during the weekend, except, well...unpacking. I guess I could add that also that weekend, we offically declared war on the ants in our bathroom.

Monday, Nov 6th
Drove down to Roseville to find out about the restaurant thing, filled out a application, dressed to the nines, talked to a manager, got a second interview with the GM scheduled for Wednesday (11/8).

Tuesday...nothing happend...well, something happend, but I won't go into detail. Let me just summarize by saying it involved Chili's Baby Back Ribs and me staying up all night wishing I were dead.

Wednesday, 11/8 (interview day)
I woke up from my short nap, my stomach still sore from excessive trauma the night before, dressed up and went to my interview, feeling a bit like a zombie (with a stomach ache). No need to go into specifics regarding the interview, I'll just say that I had the job clinched within 5 minutes. The GM told me that I had the best wine knowledge out of anyone that he had interviewed, and we spent most the time talking about how inferior Washington wines are to California wines. Training for the restaurant, Crush 29, was set to begin on the 27th of November. I would be called by the serving manager before then to arrange an orientation. I was pretty excited. It felt good to be employed again.

Ugh...gotta stop for now. Finally getting sleepy. Amazing what eye strain will do to you.
There is a part 2 to all of this, but I figured I put out a bit for ya all to chew at for today.

Triage Blogging

Ok, so I have exactly 10 minutes to fill everyone in, so I'm gonna cut right to it.

Moving. Soon. Like, in a week soon. We are leaving Oct. 30th, and hope to be in Sacramento either that night or early the next day. We can't get the keys to our new place until the 31st, so it's very likely that we'll stay overnight somewhere (probably Redding, CA). Our new apartment is a big (1,000ish Sq. Feet) 2 bed/2 bath place in the Natomas area (north Sac.) Its a new development and looks pretty clean and safe. The houses that E was able to look at were too scuzzy to really consider, so we figured that a 6 month lease at this place, the "Miramonte", was a good place to at least get us started. They have 2 pools (perfect for the Sac summer), 2 gyms, 2 clubhouses, and guest suites, where we will be able to put up visitors for 50 bucks a night. (of course we plan on having an office/guest room as well). You can check out pictures at www.forrent.com, just search Sacramento and you'll find the Miramonte.

My Job connection in Sacramento has pretty much dried up. The new Sacramento Mac & Schmacks isn't opening until mid January at best, so I'm on my own for employment when I get there. I'll figure something out, always have.

Erin's job is rock solid though. When she gave notice at her current company, they offered a telecommute option to her, since they can't really afford to lose her. So temporarily, she's gonna work out of the new home for the same company. Basically, without her, the business would be in complete chaos, so they are being very generous with thier terms of her continued employment.

I have only 6 more days of work at my restaurant. I may never serve tables again. While it kinda bums me out (because serving is something I could do in my sleep) I'm excited to maybe learn a new trick or two. This week is all about absorbing as much of my job as I can, and leaving on a high note.

Halloween will be unpacking boxes and passing out Candy over a bottle of wine...I can't wait.

Update

Not too much to report. E is grinding away at the job search, and I'm grinding away at the restaurant. September is well known as being the slowest month of the year for the industry, and this one is being particularly slow. I'm just trying to put away as much $ as possible. Yesterday Erin called me to tell me that she had been offered a job in SF, working as a project manager for a non-profit. After giving it some thought, she passed it up. The salary was not up to par for what we would need to live in SF, (about 20,000 less than would be nesscessary) and one of our goals is to get a place with more space (like a house) and that would just not be possible on that sort of income. We both feel like if we ended up back in SF that we would just be spinning our wheels for another couple of years. So Sacto is still the front runner, she's put out her resumes everywhere that she could think of there, and now we just need to wrap up things here, in seattle. We are estimating our time of departure to be Oct. 25-28thish, but that really depends on how the money situation goes.

Meanwhile, my life has turned into something of a boot-camp-style mentality. I get up, work, come home, cook dinner, sleep, rinse, repeat. I've given up fast food, and anything that cost money. Last weekend I spent 15 dollars all weekend, this week I've spent 6 so far. Everything else is going into the moving fund. Although this type of non-spending lifestyle is driving me mad, I am determined to be prepared to make the move on time. I'm spending alot of time with my DVD's.

SDOT got me again, another parking ticket. That day at work was super busy, and I couldn't leave the floor to move my car, so they got me.

alright, I don't usually post this kind of stuff (at least I haven't yet) but this thing is kinda cool. Thx to Janno


create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.

Holy Comcast!

So, I had this little trouble with my modem. It seems that the beautiful RCA cable modem I was using (in all its beige-ness) had a flaw with the power cable that made it short out periodically. Now, before, I would have just propped it up so it would work, but even if I touched it, it would short out, sending me into a frustrating cave man-like frenzy of hooting and hollering.

So, after a year or two of rigging the sucker, I decided to finally delve into the dark underworld known as Comcast Customer Support.

Swapping the modem was actually the easiest part. We (Sean - my new roommate, more on that later) went to the comcast place to swap the cable box for a High Definition box, which Sean's HDTV can accomidate, and the upcoming Football Season demands. I figured that I'd just swap the modem at the same time. No problem, did just that, and learned from the lady at the counter (who was very helpful, btw) that the short it my power cord was not unique, apparently everyone was returning these craple modems, because RCA sucks. So far so good. Lady gives me a "registration code" that I'm to enter in my browser when I connect the new sleek looking black motorola "Surfboard" standard modem, and Boom! I should be back in business.

Now, I can assemble a computer with my eyes closed, and it'd probably boot up too, but networking has never really been my strong suit. Basically, before, I would just plug away at the settings until something works, then never tweak with it. I figured that I was up to the task of installing it. Hooked it up, turned it all on, nothing worked.

No biggie, nothing ever works the first time. So, I checked my settings, power cycled the modem, rebooted the computer, cut out the router, and just went with the basic bare-bones internet hook up. Nothing. (more caveman like hooting and hollering)

Turns out, after repeated attempts, that I had to obtain a MAC address for the modem (which looks something like this: BL:AH:BL:AH:BL:AH:7 ) then enter my account number, then my registration code, then tweak my settings, then power cycle the modem, then reboot, THEN power cycle again, and finally I am back in the realm of the internet. Sweet, Beautiful, Internet.

Overall, I wonder if the world is becoming a bit too dependent on internet. I spent a couple of weeks without it, and I felt as if I was missing a limb.

So, now that I've explained my lame excuse for missing said limb, on to other news....

So, In case there's actually someone else who reads this other than family and close friends, here's whats been going on:

Moving - Back to California. Need a change, and to get back closer with my and E's families.
The full scoop on the current progress is this: Moved in a roommate into my 1 bedroom apartment here, my buddy Sean, who is going to take over the place when I move (bought the landlord lunch the other day and already put it in her head) Hopefully this arangement will help me free up some money to put away ($275 rent). Erin is currently in Calfornia on "vacation" to look for jobs and housing. Right now she has 2 or 3 strong references in Sacramento, jobs that she actually wants to do, rather than has to do. Other places she's checking out include: San Francisco, Santa Rosa, and everything in between. Today she was meeting with a friend of her Grandfather's to drop of resumes for a couple of places, so right now Sacramento is strong in the running.

Now, just in case it is Sacramento, then I can uses my strongest reference. Opening in November 2006 is McCormick and Schmick's Sacaramento. Coincidence, maybe, but fortunately my meager network of blue collar bastards extends even there. Chef Ray (don't ask me his last name) made his bones at the seattle restaurants (especially harborside) and is transferring to Executive Chef. At work, most people don't like Ray, in fact most everyone hates him. Although he and I have exchanged words before, we have a very professional work relationship. As I blaze by him on the floor carrying 4 heavy lead plates and tell him to "Move, You fucking Leprechaun or else I'm gonna step over you!" He merely smiles, slaps me on the ass, and tells me to "Go get 'em tiger". Total appropriate restaurant etiquite. (and he would be a leprechaun too, if he were irish-guy's like 5 foot nothing)

Now, just in case that reference isn't strong enough (being back-of-the-house and all) I went ahead and secured a few more. In talking to our RM, I learned that's a new restaurant in his region, (along with SF, Santa Rosa, Berkely, San Jose, in fact almost all of them except the LA area). He told me to just "let him know where I land" and he'd get me hired on. I then talked to my GM (my seattle mother) who was sad to hear I was going, but asked me about transfering insurance and the like, saying "They'll really need you at the new store to get the rest of the staff up to snuff, and you'll probably go straight to dinners." She too, told me to just let her know.

So, Sacramento is my re-entry point at this phase.

Of course, that was Erin's first day of "vacation", and she's taking 2 and 1/2 weeks away. I don't underestimate her G.S.D. ability.

SDOT STRIKES BACK!
only other interesting thing other than packing up my apartment is that I got a parking ticket, my first, in the Westlake lot 2 hour zone on Friday (35 bucks!). I couldn't get away from my tables to move my car a second time during my shift, and the bastards got me. As far as the parking meter saga, the community raised enough of a voice to delay the meters. The SDOT had to hire a mediator to meet with the westlake business owners and residents and to further implement the plan, but given that my situation has changed, they'll be installed after I'm moving, so I guess I walk away with a small victory all to myself. At least I escaped.

Love that Honda

Officially, I have now owned my new car for approximately 1 month and 12 days.

Today, I got pulled over.

Now, before I get into this story, It requires a certain amount of setup. Last night, I went from work to Erin's house (my girlfriend) and stayed the night. Whilst there, I remembered that I didn't have any sugar left for my coffee the next morning. I filled up a baggy with some borrowed sweetness from my sweet, and fell asleep.

Also, a new employee wanted to cover my morning patio shift today, but didn't bother to change the official "Master Schedule", so I assumed that a manager had vetoed her request, so I planned to go in to make sure that my shift was covered.

So...This morning I wake up, go out to my car, throw the sugar into the glove box, go to my apartment, do the triple S, and head off to work to find out that the new employee actually has reported for work, and that I am free to go home and enjoy my morning until my 5 o'clock dinner shift.

So I driving down my beloved Westlake Ave, in spectacular radio rockin'-sunroof open fashion. I'm doin' about 40. Posted limit is 35, no problem. I'm nearing the end of the avenue, and I pass what looks to me like a decommissioned cop car. ("Seattle Police" painted over, no lights, etc.) I remember thinking at this point "I hope that was a decommissioned cop car".

So, he turns on his well concealed lights, and pulls me into a little drive under the 99 bridge. I turn my radio and car off, and get into character - trying to act as non-threatening as possible. This is only the 2nd time I've been pulled over, so I'm a little rattled, but I felt confident that my secure license, Insurance, Registration, and good (that is non-existent) driving record would pull me through.

Guy walks up (a strapping young lad) and says "Morning, could I see your license...Etc etc." and I say (server style) "Yes Sir, absolutely". My job taught me how deal with people in the ultra respectful yet not cheezy manner, and it seemed to work, the guy's smiling. I scramble through my wallet, find the license, hand it over. Open up the glove box, grab the pile of papers and such in there, and start searching for the other paperwork as he's saying, "Do you know why I pulled you over?"
Trying as best as I can to make my own eyes water, I smile a weak, vulnerable smile and say politely:

"Probably because I was going too fast, sir."

He gives me a small "yeah, no shit" smile, and says "Yeah. you passed me, and I had to do about 50 to catch up to you, and we drove right past a sign posting the limit at 25."

At this, I act absolutely shocked. "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought it was 35 on Westlake." and hand him my Insurance card from the stack of papers I'm rifling through, still looking for the Registration. As he's informing me "Yeah, this last part right here is 25 because of the bridge construction..." I glance over at my glove box.

There, in all its glory, brilliantly reflecting the hot sun, is my little ziploc baggie of Sugar. Only thing in the freakin' glove compartment except for a couple of taco bell napkins and a straw a la McDonald's. Now, I know its sugar, and the sugar knows it's sugar, but to the cop, It probably looks like 7 with good behavior, so I reach over and shut the glove box in a panic. Fortunately, my friend in blue didn't notice my sweet stash or my sudden move to shut the glove box, and it didn't become an issue with him.

"When you find the Registration, just hang it out the window so I can see it" he says, and headed back to his car. After having done this, I sat back and tried to look extremely flustered, as to give the impression that I'm really shaken up, even though, I felt very calm, feeling as if that I was just "keeping up with the flow." (everyone in the flow except, of course, the cop)

He comes back, and breaks into the mysterious language I call "coptounge".

"Well sir, the city gives officers a lot of discression when issuing traffic violations. In order to make a proper assessment of a violation I have to consider 3 things; Previous driving record, overall attitude of a driver, and suspicion of further infractions. Given your clean driving record in the last 5 years, your cooperation and demeanor, I'm gonna issue you a warning today. "

Sucker!

I immediately broke into a babbling excuse machine. "I'm so sorry I just got this car and I'm not used to it and I work down here and I drive this stretch every day and I just got carried away and didn't know the limit was lowered and I...." but he was already giving me that cop "It's ok son, its ok..." Look and telling me to have a nice day.

Now don't get me wrong. I don't mind cops. We have a very "I don't bug you, you don't bug me" relationship. I'm glad they're out there. Never helped me out, but I'm sure they help a lot of people somewhere. I rarely get into situations when any law enforcement is necessary. And this one was a decent young "good" cop, rather than my other pull-over experience with the VPD, who just fishes for reasons to screw with the younger population. All in all, I don't have any general animosity towards him specifically or them in general . (keeps me from getting arrested)

However, I hate tickets. Rather, I hate unexpected expenses. A speeding ticket definitely falls into that category. Right now, I'm trying to relocate back to California so I'm on a strict budget. I also don't want to have to schedule some sort of traffic school. The thought paying a ticket or traffic school didn't really fit into my schedule. (hee hee)

And...Lastly, I was speeding. Absolutely. At least going 40ish, but probably more like 45. I'm not gonna claim that I'm a by-the-speed-limit driver, never have been, not even in my old car. I mean really, who is these days? People who drive the speed limit are usually the ones that you pass because they are going too annoyingly slow. I was not, however, going too fast as to cause any sort of danger to myself or other cars. I'm not gonna risk damaging the car I haven't paid for yet. Personally, I blame Fine Japanese Engineering.

To my mom: don't worry, I was wearing my seat belt.
To my dad: Thanks for the driving lessons.

Mountains and Valleys

Its amazing how things work sometimes.

These last 8 days since I blogged last have been some of the most jaded of my life. Let me take you on a short recap:

The Sweet (not fruity) Car:

On Tuesday, June 20th, I started my vacation from the restaurant in fine style. My Dad, Grandma, and Jan (my stepmom) arrived in Seattle, on the tail end of a long road trip from Santa Rosa, CA, stopping to visit relatives and friends along the way. Along with them was the 4th member of the party (and my new best friend), a 2003 Honda Accord EX V-6 (with leather). This is now my new car. It's sweet. REALLY SWEET. The lease was up on it so instead of sending it back, D&J offered to buy out the lease and then sell it to me on very generous terms. I couldn't pass it up then, and I'm glad that I didn't now. Anyways, that night we went out to Joey's, a meat-market-trying-to-be-a-respectable-restaurant kinda a place. We turned in pretty early thereafter.

Great BBQ Beefy goodness! :

Wed, June 21st, we went and did a few things around the city, mainly getting all the legal stuff with the car out of the way, but also some fun stuff (finally went up in the space needle!) and then ended up back at my place for a Prime Rib that I had been marinating in anticipation of the gathering. Erin having discovered that my oven was broken, we decided to cook it on the grill outside (also taking advantage of the good weather). It turned out really tasty, and washed down well with the vast amounts of wine that was consumed. Erin (broken oven and all) really put the nail in our coffins with a desert of what I like to call "Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes" with coffee ice cream.

Don't know why you say goodbye, I say Hello!:

Thurs, June 22nd, I started the day by dropping off Dad, Jan, and Grandma at the airport, then came back and took my new car for a wash, to really get a grasp on what a sweet ride it was. Soon after washing, drying, windows, rims, tires, and putting on my new plates, I fell asleep for about 6 hours (still shakin' a hangover). During my nap, Erin went to the airport and picked up Bo, a good friend of ours from San Francisco, and (after I woke up) it was groceries and back to Erin's house for dinner. A few days earlier, Erin's boss had shipped 2 live lobsters as a thank you for her hard work, and they had been chillin' (no pun intended) in her crisper, waiting for the eventually jacuzzi ride into eternity. That night, we ate ate like kings. Friday, we hung out with Bo out at golden gardens, and after a trip to the liquor store, we came back home to my place and did beef shish-kabobs that I did on the grill. Blythe, a Seattle friend, joined us and we swapped mp3s, drank, ate, and basically lived it up.

Vacation is over:

Saturday night, I went back to work. It was kinda a shock, and I was a bit sluggish, but it was nothing too dramatic. I made some good loot and my tables were pretty much layer cake. Also, to my pleasant surprise, I found out that despite my vacation (6 days off in a row), I still had retained my weekend (sunday/monday). After work, I met Erin and Bo back up at the D&H (our local dive bar), and had a few drinks before setting off to Erin's house to sleep.

Andrew Jackson is drowning and other tales of Patio Hell:

Now, I don't know what possesed me to do so, but the day before I went on vacation, I had offered to pick up a shift for a co-worker on Sunday morning. He was going to Seattle's Gay-Pride, and I figured that after having that much time off, I could probably use a wallet-infusion, so I casually said "If no one else can, I'll work for you". I should have known better, these are words of doom in a restaurant. It's what you don't say if you really don't want to work. But, I had said them, and, in consequence, found myself on a very hot sunday morning patio closing shift. The temperature got to a roasting 90 degrees (All my California friends are saying "hmmpf!" right now), and it was my definition of serving hell. Hot, and the only comfort is the brief period of time walking into the air conditioned restaurant, before running up and down a long flight of stairs to the kitchen. To make it really awesome, one of the cocktailers scheduled to work decided that she wasn't coming back in, ever, so we had to work one person short, and a trainee even got in on the action. A bit of comedy though: About halfway through the shift, one of the cocktailers ran over to me saying "my tip just blew into the lake!". "How much?" I asked, trying to stiffle a laugh. "40 bucks!" she said. I looked over to the lake, and sure enough, there's 2 twenties staring back, soggy and floatin' out to sea, just out of reach. I told her to just keep an eye on them, that they would eventually float back into shore, (not really sure myself if they would), but they eventually did, and one of the bussers fished them out with a long pole he had found in the bowels of the restaurant banquet shed. After work, Erin and I went up to a disc golf course that we frequented last summer, and played a few rounds before coming back to my place to watch some HBO and crash.

At this point, I was flyin' high, having the best time I've had in a while.

Casius Cole

On Monday morning, I awoke to a massive spider bite on my shoulder, which had swelled to the size of a Kummamoto Oyster. (that's a half-dollar for you non-seafood loving folk) I don't know what bit me, other than it happend apparently when I was sleeping, and was roughly the size of a bulldozer. After examining it for a while, and determining that it wasn't poisonous, I grabbed my phone and checked my voicemail. Sean, (one of my best friends and co-worker) had left me a message at 3:24 in the morning.

Cash, aka Cashbo, aka the Snuggler, Sean's boxer, loving friend and adopted "family dog" had died, apparently of a heart-related problem. He was buried at Sean's parents house Sunday Night.

Now, Cash, for those who didn't know him, was the most lovable, cuddly, awesome guy that I had met. I've never seen an 85lb boxer try so hard to act like a lap dog. Sean often brought him over to hang out with us "guys" and play video games, throw a frisbee, or just to hang out and slobber up a good rawhide. Never had I seen him angry or aggressive. I also had never seen any symptoms of a sickness. In all respects, he was a well loved, well cared for dog, and somewhat a celebrity in our tiny circle of the world.

It was a pretty big shock. We're all trying to collect ourselves and get used to life without him, but, being so unexpected, it's gonna hurt for a long time. We are all just spending some time with Sean and with our other friends that knew him best, and trying to find a bit of comfort in each other.

Everything in the last couple of days has kinda been a haze for me.

I really don't feel like blogging about it anyways.

Vacation!!!!

On vacation this week (6/20 - 6/24), so I may not be bloggin' much.

This is the first stretch of more than 5 days that I have taken in the last 5 years, and I'm looking forward to it.

First off, I'm having company in the form of my Dad, Stepmom, and Grandma (arriving anytime now) on the end of a road trip. They are also bringing me my CAR!!!! (super excited about that)

Then, when they leave on thursday, a friend from SF is visiting for the remainder of the week, and I go back to work on Saturday.

Hopefully, the money that I have scrambled to save will hold out until then.

I could Muddra Beaaah

Tonight I had a lovely 12 top of Austrailians.

Interesting table, easy enough, by itself, but the restaurant failed me. It was one of those nights where every thing that can go wrong does.

People kept ordering wine that was not in stock. It seems our wine program always is on the fritz, but tonight was particularly annoying. It's an embarassing thing to go to a table that doesn't speak really good english and say repeatedly 5 times, "oh...I'm sorry, we are out of that one too."

The computers went down. Right when my large aussie table wanted to split up their 3 separate checks, the credit card machine died, which meant we had to turn the ordering computers off as well. The result is that we had to figure everything out manually, also taking manual credit card transactions, which, for a table of that size, took some doing. Of course I keep telling them they just need a modem that can handle the bandwith that we are putting through it, but they just shrug it off. The tech guys at corporate tell them the same thing, but don't offer to send us one.

Also, we seemed to be out of everything that I needed at any one given moment. Need to greet a table? No waterglasses. Need Bread? No butter. Need Coffee? None brewed. Need a salad? No Chef. Need a computer? SOL

No big deal though, just some minor setbacks, overall it was a pretty good night. I just hope certain people can just step up their performances, but all in all, not too stressful, decent tables.

Aussies tipped me 20%, happy waiter.

Good Monday for me.

Grad-yoo-a-shun tables

Now, I never was much for books and such, and never went to colledge-skool, but I shure do love when they come into my sectshun.

This last weekend I had 3 large tables (15 or more) in a row, so needless to say I was tired by the end of the night, but it was all worth it. (and nothing a few stiff drinks and 2 days off couldn't take care of.)

These people spend ALOT. I think the moms and dads are just so happy to not have to pay for school anymore, and they go nuts. This last weekend was one of the busiest that we have had for a while, and I made some good loot. Amongst all the Phd's, MA's, and BA's was me, an N/A, quietly cleaning up. Good thing too, as I had a big 'ol piece of beef to buy. (Prime rib for my family visit next week)

On the Paul Allen front, no luck yet (who'da thought he was so hard to get ahold of?)
:) gonna try a few more times, before I throw in the towel on that angle.

Viva La Westlake! - Part 2

So the open house was over.

I think we may have actually accomplished a few things:

1. At Karen's suggestion, We urged the city to work with WANA (Westlake Ave. North Association) to build a comittee, based on 1 representative from each of the businesses, resident areas, and marinas on Westlake, and meet with them to develop the parking plan more fairly. Karen - "We would like the city to consider this the Beginning of the process, NOT the end." (stall 'em!)

2. We may have gotten them to think about the bus routes a bit more, possibly adding extra busses (or even bus lines) to the westlake area (stall 'em!)

3. They might publish their notices in Spanish, as no city official wants to be the one suppressing the minorities. (stall 'em!)

4. The residents plainly stated thier case, and want more time to get the word out and talk with the city. (stall 'em!)

One thing that I know for sure, the lots in front of our restaurant are DOOMED. The reports and proposal handouts all made it very clear to me that those 2 lots are the center of the whole "problem", according to the city. That 500 yards is the most fertile field in the farm for them, and will likely remain "Premium Parking".

So what now?

The SDOT is accepting comments until July 7th, WANA meets every Thursday night. I am continuing to spread the word to everyone in our area. We I am also possibly going to try to contact the owner of the South area, who will be developing it into a park-like area (to be completed by 11/07) and try to get him to see our side of the issue.
The problem with that is the owner is Paul Allen.

Viva La Westlake! (Pottis Vs. SDOT)

Today brought the SDOT's Open House on the parking issue on Westlake. I awoke early, ready to march in the protest rally that would end up at the South Lake Union Naval Reserve building. A good friend and co-worker of mine had offered to pick me up and march with me, but unfortunately, when we arrived at the starting place for the march, no one was around. We waited for a bit, then headed down to the Open House. Upon arrival, I was not really surprised at the scene that awaited us.

It was your typical "not too serious city issue" meeting. Everything about the meeting, even the setup of the information tables, was carefully laid out to snub any opposition. DOT employees in their expensive suits were hobnobbing about talking with each other, and staring intently at me and my co-worker (who happened to be the only non-city people there at the time). Cheap refreshments a la Safeway had been carefully laid out on the table, and we were herded through a line that allowed us to sign in, collect our pretty yellow "comment form", grab a cheap pen that didn't work, and sit down at folding tables that were still scarred with food from someone's reception/retirement/etc. Held in what looked to be an old Gymnasium, there were tables set around the perimeter, each one labeled for a different group (residents, non-residents, businesses, and one that was cheerfully marked "transportation alternatives"), and city officials who looked poised to answer any question that you may have asked. In the corner, standing like an Obelisk of greed, a brand spankin' new Pay Station, which was escorted by a higher up parking cop (who looked as if she hadn't worked a beat in ages) I started to lose a bit of faith. There were only about 10 of us there, (my friend and I the only ones under 60), and there were only about 15 minutes until they (SDOT) would start speaking.

Not to be a wasted effort, I finished my page long comment form, handed it in to the Rubbermaid box, and casually strolled over to the "non-resident" table, where I met with a Ms. Marni C. Heffron. (the person who took the survey that started this whole thing) Our conversation went something like this:

Me - "One of the goals of this program is to meet the needs of the community right, so why aren't employees of the area provided options such as Zone permits or subsidized bus passes?"

Ms. Marni C. Heffron - INSOLENT FOOL! How dare you speak to me! You know not of parking affairs you pleb! You smell of Fish and Sweat! Run back to your kitchen and offend not my nostrils! You are but a mere child, mortal; do not bother me with your ruckus! If you do not agree with my parking summary, IN TO THE LAKE WITH YOU! Soon, ALL your money will belong to us!!!! MUAHAHAHAHAHAH

Ok, so maybe it didn't go exactly like that, I'll admit my disgust for the way this has been handled by the city has slightly skewed my outlook on the city employees.

No, Ms Heffron was a complete professional, but did not have the answers that I was looking for. I stumped her quite a few times, especially when I busted out the numbers that I had crunched as examples of what we'll have to pay. Her inability to answer easy questions (ones I could have answered myself actually) meant to me that she must be in agreement with me. She "agreed" with me that employees are affected the worst by the plan, and she also "agreed" that the fees paid by employees are considered a "negative consequence" (her words) to the plan. She started stumbling....

And right at our most perfect moment, at the pinnacle of our relationship, something wondrous happened.

The protest march showed up. Late...but then again, right on time

Suddenly, I was flanked by 3 or 4 crusty old guys (presumably boat owners), all listening to what the lovely (and now very jittery) Ms. Haffron had to say to me. They were not pleased. Next thing I know, Marni started shrugging uncontrollably, trying to fight off the facts and questions that were being forced fed to her. Poor woman looked on the edge of tears. I would have felt sorry for her, but I was too busy making new friends.

After we had reduced Ms. Haffron down to a puddle of goo, the presentation proper started. It began with the Wicked Witch (Grace Crunican- Director SDOT), reading verbatim the handouts that we had been provided, followed by Jumbo Cop telling us how it was to be maintained (tax money). Then they opened it up for Q&A, and that's when the real party started.

At first, their microphone for the audience didn't work, and we all had a good laugh (fitting metaphor for this whole thing) I was hesitant at first to speak, I've never been one for an open stage like that, and I felt I needed my facts a little more organized, but that didn't matter. The 3rd person to get on the mic. was my friend Karen (our director) who began her comments by reading my email to her concerning the restaurant folk. The 4th person was the person I gave my petitions to yesterday. So, after a few more, I figured that I can' t be just this ambiguous server hiding in the audience, and I stepped up to the mic. I really had no idea what to say, but I just wanted to make sure that we, the poor blue collars, were represented. I said something like this:

"Hi...uh...my name's Scott, and I'm here to represent the restaurant workers."
(round of applause caught me off guard, probably started by my buddy in the audience)
"I work with a bunch of people who are hard-working blue collar people, many of which can't be here right now because they are on the clock serving the Westlake area. We cannot afford to pay to park every day, some of us commute from 1/2 an hour away to work basically minimum wage jobs. And also, I think that all your little notices and publications should also be released en espanol because there's a good chunk of the population of Westlake workers who are Spanish speaking, are not represented, and don't have a chance to give their opinion. Thank you."

And I stepped away.

The kitchen guys say that I'm never going to have to pay to eat at our restaurant again.
(to be continued)

Pottis vs. S.D.O.T. (round 1)

The battle against the SDOT continues today, as I gave up a portion of my day off to go to work and hopefully collect more petition signatures. Not very encouraging, as many of the staff haven't even heard about the developments. The SDOT finally posted plans detailing which lots will have which kind of parking meters, (link Here) and I was not surprised to see that our 2 main restaurant lots are going to be marked "Premium Parking", so we will, at the very least, pay a lower rate, and have to park farther away. Now I am shifting my attention to try and make the employees of the area eligible for "RPZ" permits, which would be a 35 dollar rate per year (still ridiculous if you ask me) which would allow us to park in the cheaper zones without paying daily.

The thing that bothers me the most about all this is that nowhere has the city offered information about where the money is going, or why it's nesscessary. They've offered up reasons such as "strive for simplicity" and "Balance a variety of user needs", but no real solid reasons why it needs to be done. For employees of the lake, especially the blue-collars, it's just going to be another expense.

Also, No one is representing the South Lake Union area. The North end of the lake has all the wealthy boat owners, sellers, and marinas (including the live-aboards). The South end houses the restaurants (4 of em), the offices, and more yacht and marina places, as well as the seaplane business. I suspect, (and I don't think i'm wrong in doing so) that the restaurants more than likely have the most vehicles (both employee and customer) out of the other lots on the lake. I almost feel that we are being kept in the dark about most of this on purpose, so there won't be too many voices opposing. 90% of the people at my restaurant hadn't even heard about this, and the other 10% didn't think it was significant enough to worry about.

They know now :)

Anywho, by the time I had turned the petitions in, I had collected 60 signatures from my staff (not too bad considering the main online petition has about 120) I hope there's more petitions out there, as I don't feel that 180 signatures are enough for the city to take notice.

Round 1 is over, the fight still seems slightly decided for the city.

Round 2 starts tommorrow, bright and early in the morning, when I will go down and help with the protest march, which will end up at the city's open house, and hopefully some of my questions will be answered. If nothing else, it will be satisfying to finally meet with the people I've been emailing this week, and discuss our course of action.

Tales of 12th grade hell

So I apparently didn't get the full dose of Prom just yet, as last night had a totally different kind of hell for me.

Our brand new host computer system decided to launch today, So host-bot told me that there would be 12 of them, at about 5:30, half an hour after I clocked on. Prom kids like to travel in flocks, so this is usually the case. So 4 of them showed up at 6:00, also not unusual for a prom table.

So, I throttle out the bread and water, and ask the 4 that were there if they would like drinks. "What do you have?" one of them asked. So, politely, I ran through the options for them, all non-alcoholic.

"Coke, Diet coke, Sprite, Iced tea, coffee. Lemonade- Strawberry, Raspberry, or regular, all fresh squeezed, hand shaken, Orange, Cranberry, Pineapple and Tomato juice. Thomas Kemper Root Beer and Cream Soda, Ginger ale, San pellegrino, Shirley Temple's, Arnie Palmer, and Roy Rogers.

The kid thought for a moment, then ordered a Strawberry Lemonade, the next kid asks:

"What do you have?"

I would repeat this list at least 8 more times, as they were incapable of listening while I was answering the question for one of them. Anyways, by the time it was all said and done, 5 more had joined thier ranks, they had 3 entertainment cards (45$ off total), and 9 seperate checks.

Total tip = $23 (punks!)

Funny thing happend though...

I took the 23 bucks and shrugged it off, after all, it was my Friday, and I had 2 glorious days of freedom after this shift. I worked the rest of my shift, which only turned out to be a few other tables, and was cruising around toward the back of the restaurant, when I noticed a bunch of $ on the ground. Now, I had just walked past that point, and it wasn't there on the way there, so someone had just dropped it. I waited in the area until the two girls that had just gone to the john were on thier way back, asked them if they were missing any money, and they both said "no", as if I were bothering them by asking. I checked with the cocktailer (who was closest to where I found it), an wasn't hers, I checked w/the manager at the end of the night to see if anyone was short, nope.

So, I got an additional $48 bucks.

Instant Karma.

In Other News...

I weep for the future.

I served 6 prom kids tonight, and 2 of the little bastards stiffed me. With prom tables, there's always that chance, but I really was pulling for these kids, I wanted to believe that they were "in the know" about dining out, but they failed me. Little punks.

So I roll in 20 minutes early, and Jo-Jo the boy wonder (host) says "you got a 16 top, and they're here already" So I hit the ground arollin'. I served the "16" (which actually was an 18) with my magical ninja server skills, and got 'em up to 764, which I figured was a good way to start the day, even if I succumb to the all to easy "Auto-grat." of the house, 15 percent before tax was something like 109, and it was still daylight. Anyways, hoping for the golden 140 (20%), I rolled the dice, and let the guest decide the tip...dude left me 110, I am happy.

Then, they showed up

They showed up, and I was ready for em'. (or so I thought)

I quickly and efficiently flew through them. 3 seafood fetts, a veggie pasta that I made up myself for a weedeater (Fett w/asparagus, brocollini, and bell pepper in an alfredo), 1 Large Caesar salad (no shrimp or crab or calamari, just the ceasar), 1 Shrimp Scampi, a coke, a diet coke, a sprite, an iced tea, and a "just a straw for my water", no appetizers, no dessert, 3 separate checks, 40.00, 21.07, and something like 36 er so, one credit card, 2 20's, a 20 and a few ones, and it's back to the table with the check presenters...And then...

10$ tip on the card (36$), 4 dollar tip on the 21.07, and then... nothing.

Bupkis. Whatever happend to manners? Don't the rich private schools up here teach kids manners? There ceartainly is a lot of them up here, and the publics don't look too underfunded from where I'm standing, so why are they churning out little brats?

Still a decent night. Put some money away for the car :)

Westlake ave parking

So, I was waiting for my bus outside my restaurant last week, and noticed flyers on the windshields in the parking lot. Apparently, Seattle's DOT (my new worst enemy) are planning to put parking meters outside our restaurant which, in turn, could cost me and my fellow employees mucho dinero. Now, maybe it's just the fact that I am getting a car at the end of the month, or maybe because I already see my friends getting tickets 2-3 times a month (the way it is already), but something about this rubbed me the wrong way.

Now, I'm not really the activist type. I figured, however, "not doing much else", so I went to work printing out petitions, building visual aids, and organizing a protest rally to arrive at the DOT's open house on the parking issue. When I started, the online petition from WANA (Westlake Avenue North Association) was a mere 80 signatures. I then printed out petitions and took them into my work, and in a few hours had collected about 45 signatures. I still have until Tuesday, June 6th to get more though, so I set myself to work tonight building a monster of a visual aid to hang on the employee bulletin board. While I was crunching the numbers, I realized this new plan could cost our employees up to $1600.00 a year!!!!! Even on the low end, it will still be $144.00 a year, which is nearly 4 times the amount of the "RPZ" permits that will be sold to the boat and business owners, but not availible for employees. GRRRRRR!!!!!

Guess I gotta wait until Tuesday to know how this is gonna turn out.