Bad Boys, Bad Boys, Whatcha Gonna Do?

So sorry, but I have absoloutely no horror stories to tell--yet.
Maybe later.

OK, here's what went down:
I got to the Police Station around 2:45. Officer Friendly wasn't there but he was due at 3.
OK, so I wait, smoking cigarettes one after another.
Finally, right on cue, he comes in and he states he "isn't ready for me yet" and "he needs to consult with the detective in charge of the case" and then told me he'll call me when it's time to come down. Probably around 6PM, he said.
What?! I wanted to get it all over with!
My manager said not to bother coming in to work, because what would be the point? Two hours after starting my shift, I'd be called into the station which means I'd have to turn over any tables I had to other servers, leave for the station, and who knows how long that would take? Plus, while I was waiting I wouldn't be much good for anything.
So I missed a day of work. On the one hand I hate that place, so it's a good thing. On the other hand it's money I could have made that I didn't. And that's a bad thing. A really bad thing.
So I wait for the call. Every fuggin' time the phone rings I jump outta my skin and it turns out not to be Officer Friendly when I answer, but somebody else.
To make a long story short(er): He didn't call.
I know they're anxious to wrap up this case, so I might possibly be called at some point today. Who knows?

Or they might have found some clues and decide they don't need me after all.
The worst part is not knowing what's going to happen.

Unless I hear otherwise I'm going to work tonight as usual.
Life goes on.

Just The Facts

I got a rude surprise when I went to work yesterday. Around 6PM the police showed up and wanted me to answer a few questions. They took me into the Banquet Room and had me fill out a 9 page questionaire about what happened on the night of the robbery.
(On Mother's Day $16,500 was stolen from the restaraunt safe. I mentioned it briefly in this post.)
The worst thing about it was that this occurred during the peak dining room time and I lost money answering their questions. While I could have been picking up new tables I was sitting there filling out forms.
Sure, I was there that night, but I don't know anything, and I didn't see anything. What are they buggin' me for?
Then Officer Friendly (I don't remember what his name is) said they needed to take me down to the Police Station to answer even more questions.
This is happening at 3PM today.
Images of me sitting on a stool in a dark room, a naked light bulb over my head, beads of sweat on my brow, being interrogated by shadowy cops smoking cigars like something from a cartoon or an old-timey movie.
I don't think they think I did it. I don't think they have any clues as to who did it or how, they're just grasping at straws.
Of course, I'll be sure to let you know how it turns out.

I went out last night.
I know, I know, I said I wasn't going to go out for awhile, but with all the stuff with the police you know I just had to go out for a cocktail afterward.
No big deal. I went to Leon's where Bert gave me a coctail on the house, which turned into 3 or 4. I wasn't counting. Everytime my drink was nearly finished Bert would snatch my glass away and refill it. I made sure I left a hefty tip and I got outta there before I got too sloshed.

I'm not nervous about going to the Police Station this afternoon. I'm a little apprehensive, though. I've never been in a Police Station so all I know is what I've seen on TV, and we all know how accurate that can be.

Baby, Remember My Name

Everything's been pretty OK lately.
At work I'm playing the "Waiting Game" counting down the days until I won't have to work at that place anymore.
It seeems easier when you know there's and end to it. For instance, you're having a horrible day at work, right? Everything that could go wrong is going wrong--way wrong. It's kind of comforting to look at your watch and think "Three more hours and I'm outta here!", you know?
I'm doing the same thing, only with a calendar.
"14 more days to go!" I said today as I put a great big X over the day on my calendar.

I was going to go out last night, but I decided not to. I'm kind of sick of going out. I need to take a break from it for a little while.
So, I stayed home.

Flipping through the channels I caught the first episode of Fame.
I had my reservations.
I was a huge fan of the movie and the TV show that came later.
The new Fame has been called a knock-off of American Idol by critics.
Guess what? It's better!

The judges aren't as smarmy as the one's on American Idol.
The worst part of that show was listening to the comments from Randy, Paula, and especially Simon. Every time that man would speak I would cringe.

Instead of music being piped in they have actual musicians and back-up singers. Idol seems like Karaoke in comparison.

The contestants are not judged by singing ability alone. They have to have the looks, be able to sing, and dance. It's alot more difficult for the contestants, but it's also alot more fun to watch.
The first episode was pretty good, anyway. We'll just have to see how it goes.
It was also good seeing Debbie Allen again.

Random Numbers

16 days 'til Baltimore's Gay pride weekend.
2 drinks consumed last night.
20 minutes spent today grooming myself.
9 hours of sleep last night.
25 Spam messages deleted from my inbox.
2 messages I was happy to recieve.
1 cup of coffee (so far) today.
30 minutes wasted chatting on Gay.com this morning.
15 more days at my current job. (YAY!)
0 loads of laundry washed today.
3 (at least) loads of wash I need to get done today. (I better get crackin'!)

Itchy, Itchy Ya-Ya

I shaved my (ahem) "nether region" and trimmed the ol' bush last week.
Shaving "down there" gives me that Porn Star look and feel that I love so much.
I may not be a Porn Star, but I can be hairless like one, dammit!
Anyway, hair down there doesn't really serve any real purpose, you know?

Only now I'm paying the price -- I'm itching like mad!

And it's not like I can just scratch any time I want to.
At home, sure.
In a public place people would think something was wrong with me.
I can just see myself walking down the street digging at myself.
It's not going to happen.

I have two courses of action at this point:

shave again

deal with it

I think I'm going to shave again.

Rain, Rain, Go Away . . .

Happy Memorial Day, everybody!
It's been raining for the past 5 days and I'm getting pretty sick of it.
If it keeps raining like this I'm going out and buying a scuba suit!

I have to leave for work soon, because I'm working a double shift today.
I was scheduled a regular shift and one of the Associate Managers asked if I would work a double, 'cause we're probably going to be busy.
I was going to be a prick and say no, considering the stuff that went down recently, but then I thought about the money, so I said OK.
(I'm such a whore.)

I've got my "2 week notice" letter all printed up, all I have to do it put a date on it and sign it. I'm going to talk to Jeff tomorrow and see when he wants me to start.
I was considering not even giving them notice and just not showing up one day.
I can see their anxious expressions now: "Where's Jim? What's the matter with Jim? Why isn't Jim here?"
As much as I might dream of doing something like that, I just can't bring myself to do it, it's not in my nature.
Why must I be so responsible?

Madam 8-Ball's Horoscope

"Do you have free will?"

AQUARIUS: Very doubtful.
PISCES: Yes.
ARIES: My sources say no.
TAURUS: Cannot predict now.
GEMINI: Outlook not so good.
CANCER: Yes, definitely.
LEO: Reply hazy, try again.
VIRGO: Very doubtful.
LIBRA: Most likely.
SCORPIO: Reply hazy, try again.
SAGITTARIUS: Concentrate and ask again.
CAPRICORN: Better not tell you now.

Public Restroom Rules - For Men

These rules are "unspoken" and while your father may not have sat you down and said "Son, these are the rules for using public restrooms", most men know these rules, so this is merely a refresher.

Public Restroom Rules For Men

1. The "Distance Rule":
If you walk in and a guy is already standing at a urinal, leave an empty urinal between yourself and him if possible. If it is only a double urinal, use an empty stall.
If there are no empty stalls, see rules #2 and #3.

2. The "Stare at the Wall" Rule:
If you are next to someone else at the urinal, do not make eye contact with this person.
NEVER make eye contact!
In fact, don't even look over there at all.
Stare at the tile, read the graffiti on the wall (if there is any).
If you read something funny don't tell anyone about it, guys do NOT talk about
this!
Which brings us to . . .

3. The "No Speaking" Rule:
A bathroom is a place to "do your business" and get out. It is not a place for idle conversation. You're not at a cocktail party -- you're in a restroom, dammit!
Talking usually usually involves eye contact and eye contact breaks rule #2.
Plus who wants to make small talk holding their Johnson?

4. The "Flush, Goddammit!" Rule:
Always flush.
Always.
No exceptions, unless the flusher is broken and the toilet won't flush. I don't want to walk in a stall and see someone else's "unfinished business"! That's just nasty!
Use your foot to flush if the flush handle is gross. That's what I do.

5. The "Step Up To The Plate" Rule:
Step up as close to the urinal as you can get. This helps with Rule # 6, and prevents temptation for those who might want to break Rule # 2.

6. The "Aim For The Target" Rule:
Pretend there's a fire in the urinal and you have to put it out. Try to hit the center of the toilet bowl (if you're in a stall).
I know it's hard to aim when you're staring at the wall reading the graffitii, but do your best to hit your mark.
Using a restroom with puddles all over the floor is disgusting.
(Presumably, ladies don't have this problem since their sitting right over the target.)

7. The "Three Quick Shakes" Rule:
When you're done urinating, three quick shakes is that's needed to remove any lingering drops--then put that thing away!
Shake it more than three times and you're
playing with it--you pervert!

8. The "Cough" Rule:
When you're in a stall and someone
new comes in the restroom give a cough Â? a simple *ahem*- to alert the new
bathroom guest of your existence. It's just common courtesy.

9. The "Hand Wash" Rule:
Hopefully, you were taught this as a child: Wash your hands, you pig! !
When I see someone exit the men's room without washing their hands the first thing I think is, "Gross."
The next thing I think is "I'm not shaking hands with him!"

10. The "No Noises" Rule:
When you are standing at the urinal or sitting on the toilet do not make any "Oooh", "Aah", or "Oh, YEAH!" noises, even if you've had to go to the bathroom for three hours and have been holding it all that time.
Be quiet!
A barely audible exhale is fine, but no noises! You are not there to enjoy yourself, and nobody wants to know how long you've been holding it, or how good it feels to get rid of it.
You are there to do your business. So do it and move on.

As I stated, most men know all this.
Ladies, you now know more than you ever wanted to know about what goes on in the Men's Room.
Congratulations!

Stripped

Well, yesterday started out OK.
It all totally fell apart after I got to work, however.
It only takes a minute for things to Totally Turn Around, as I was about to discover.

Here's the story:

As soon as I walked through the door I was told Mr. C. (the General Manager) wanted to see me in his office.

"I wonder what this is about?" I thought.
I wasn't worried, just curious.

So I knocked and walked in and Mr. C. is at his desk in the "power position", leaning back, feet propped up, hands clasped behind his head.

"Hey, Mr. C. What's up?"

"Jimmy, I hear you're not happy here and you're looking for another job." he says.
I guess I shouldn't have been surprised it had gotten back to him. I had only told a few people, but gossip spreads like wildfire at any restaraunt, especially ours.
But before I could reply he continued.

"So, for the remainder of your time here I'm taking away your position of Crew Leader. From now on you'll just be a Server with no other responsibilities."

I was speechless! I literally had no words. He didn't even bother to ask why I was unhappy, or even try to see if there was anything that could be done to rectify the situation!

"What?!?!" I finally managed to say. "Haven't I been doing a good job? I come in early, off the clock I might add, to make sure everything is OK. I do everything expected of me: I train new servers, assign side work, assign closing duties, run breaks, check out the dining room at the end of the night. Anything asked of me I do and without any fuss! I was Employee of the Month twice for Christ's sake! Have you had any problems with my performance? Why are you doing this?!"

He completely sidestepped my questions and replied:
"Well, you're not happy here, you as much as admitted that. Maybe being a Crew Leader is what's causing your unhappiness. Regardless, I don't want someone who isn't happy here in a leadership position. That's my decision."

So what could I do?
I took off my badge and Crew Leader pin and placed them on his desk.

"Great! Less work for me!" I said as I exited.

I was being flip, but that was just a defense mechanism.
Inside I was hurt and upset. It was so unfair!

My crew, God bless 'em, were on my side totally. I half-expected them to break into a chorus of "Ding-Dong, the Witch is Dead!" when they got the news, but they were almost as upset as I was! Kind of surprising, since I had been so hard on them in the past.
But they maintained--every one of them--that it was totally unfair and that Mr. C. was a big asshole. It almost brought a tear to my eye.

Part of me is thinking about taking this to the Corporate Office, or talking with the Regional Director about it, because it really was unfair.
Another part is saying forget it, I won't be there that much longer so why bother?

I don't know what I'm going to do about it yet. The idea of taking this lying down leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

On a lighter note: I'm off tonight and I'm defin'ly going out tonight! I think I deserve it, don't you?
I might possibly be going to The Allegro, but you never know.

The Friday Five:"And Now A Word From Our Sponsor . . ."

1. What brand of toothpaste do you use?
Peopsodent. I love it. It's so tasty too! Just like candy!
They have Regular, Whitening, and Baking Soda varieties--I use the Whitening.

2. What brand of toilet paper do you prefer?
Scott. It's inexpensive, does the job, and there's 1,000 sheets on every roll!

3. What brand(s) of shoes do you wear?
Nike, Adidas, Fila. The shoes I wear depend on the color, style, and the rest of my outfit--not brand names.

4. What brand of soda do you drink?
I've been groovin' on "Pink" by Jones Soda, which tastes like bubble gum. I love all the Mistic juice drinks, also, especially "Purple Reign".

5. What brand of gum do you chew?
I don't buy gum, I mooch it off other people, so I chew whatever they're chewing. I like Fruit Stripe gum the best, though.

Sing A Song

Well, America got it right for once. Ruben won American Idol! I think he truly deserved to win, he had an amazing voice.
Don't get me wrong. I think Clay was pretty good too, but his voice is more suited to Broadway.

I didn't even start watching American Idol until a few months ago. I was just flipping channels and there it was, and a little voice told me to watch and see what all the buzz was about. Before I knew it I was hooked.
This is why I don't watch much TV. It's a rule of mine. It's too easy for me to get sucked in and I'm either watching every day or my VCR is taping like mad all the time.
One thing I found annoying: Did the Finale have to be two fuggin' hours long?
It was all filler cut with commercials, fan reactions, and Ryan Seacrest mugging for the camera. It should've been an hour, tops.
Anyway, congratulations to Ruben!
Woo-hoo!

The Truth

This girl at my restaurant, Kim, is extremely religious and she's been asking everybody if they've taken Jesus Christ as thier savior and inviting them to go to church with her, so I knew it would only be a matter of time before she cornered me.
I don't blame her really. In almost every religion there's something in there that tells people to convert others.
It's like this:

Step 1: This is THE TRUTH (the way, the salvation, enlightenment, what have you)
Step 2: Learn all you can about THE TRUTH to better understand how it works.
Step 3: Now that you know and understand THE TRUTH go out and educate all the people who are unaware of THE TRUTH and bring them into the fold.

Conversion of the "unsaved" is part of almost any religion you can think of.

Anyway, she made her move yesterday, cornering me in the Wait Station.

"Jimmy, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Have you taken Jesus as your savior?"

I replied: "Listen, I'm not trying to be rude or anything. You have your beliefs and I respect that. Some people don't believe in anything, so the fact that you believe in something that strongly I think is wonderful.
However, I don't believe what you believe. I'm not trying to belittle you or say what you believe is wrong, I just have my own ideas about God and how this universe works."

She stood there blinking at me for a minute and then she said, "Oh. Sorry to have bothered you."

My way of handling it was alot nicer than how this girl Holly dealt with it. When Kim asked her if she accepted Christ she replied:
Oh, I can't do that. I worship Satan."

It's All Right

OK, the sun finally came out and I'm feeling back to normal.
Whew! Thank goodness. I was getting pretty tired of feeling tired.
My resolution not to drink any coffee after Noon, and no caffeine at all after 5 PM seems to be working because I've been sleeping really well lately.
I wonder if there's a connection between caffeine and dreaming because ever since I started regulating my caffeine intake I've had these really vivid dreams almost every night.
I won't bore you with the deatails. Dreams are only really interesting to the person who dreamed them usually.
It's just strange to be dreaming again. It's kind of nice.

Stop The Press!

Who's the sexy guy in the jockstrap?
Believe it or not, it's Joey!
You go, boy!

Fun With Words

I was talking with my coworkers yesterday and we were discussing being "disgruntled", and it occured to me that people use that word, but you never hear about someone being "gruntled".
Are you gruntled? How long have you felt this way?
And "gruntled" has got to be a word, right? You can be "dissatisfied" or "satisfied", right? You can "appear" or "disappear", right? Right?
Weird.
Our language is just bizarre.
Like this for example:
You hear about people regurgitating, right? But in order to regurgitate, it stands to reason you must gurgitate first!
How can you regurgitate something if you haven't guritated it first?
Have you gurgitated today? How did you go about it? Please tell me, so I can go about guritating as well.
And I actually looked up "gurgitate" and it's not even a word!
How in the hell is that possible?

Hi Ho

It's been rainy, overcast, and dreary for the past few days.
Where is the sun?
This weather is making me want to play Morrissey and Suzanne Vega, wear black and stay in bed all day. Yuck.
Off to work in a few minutes.
They didn't ask me to come in early, but I know they can use me so I'm going in to help out.
See how concientious (sp?) I am?

I've been kind of blah lately and feeling tired and rundown and I just know it's this crappy weather.
I must be solar-powered.

Note to Fireguy: Happy Birthday, sweetie! I'm sending you happy thoughts and warm wishes today. Have a good one!

Ask Me

Busy, busy, busy. That's been me lately.
We've had a "mass exodous" at work and lost 3 more servers. Servers don't stay very long at most restaraunts, but the way we go through people is ridiculous.
I was supposed to have yesterday off.
I can't even remember the last time I had a Friday night off so I didn't know what to do with myself. I had visions of going to the Allegro, hitting the dance floor, having some cocktails -- It had been awhile since I did that.
Yeah, right!
Friday morning my phone rang and it was my manager: "We need you tonight!".
They don't even bother to ask anymore, they just summon me like Commissioner Gordon calls Batman on the Bat-Phone.
It's great to be needed and I could certainly use the money, but it still would be nice to be asked!
I didn't have any plans --but I might have. It's just common courtesy, something my Manager lacks, which was part of the reason I went looking for a new job in the first place.

Then I discover yesterday that the ants are back in the apartment.
I was ready to go to bed last night and I noticed them crawling all over the wall near the upstairs bathroom.
So there I was at 1AM, in my underwear spraying the ants with a can of incecticide.
I need to call the leasing office and have them exterminate.

Today's Friday Five:

1. What drinking water do you prefer -- tap, bottle, purifier, etc.?
I don't really drink water unless there's absoloutely nothing else to drink. I've had Dasani purified water, that wasn't bad but I prefer my beverages to have some sort of flavor. Tap water? Ick! That's just nasty.

2. What are your favourite flavor of chips?
Sour cream and onion.

3. Of all the things you can cook, what dish do you like the most?
Spaghetti. It's easy and you can experiment with the seasonings for the sauce.

4. How do you have your eggs?
Over easy.

5. Who was the last person who cooked you a meal? How did it turn out?
My husband. It turned out very well. He's a very good cook. Neither of us cooks that often, though.

Who's That Guy?

You might have seen his modeling photos in Vanity Fair (and other magazines) or seen him in the short-lived series The Young Americans, or in the major motion pictures Life as a House and The Rules of Attraction (his on-screen liplock with James Van Der Beek really caused a stir).

He's Ian Somerhalder and he's definitely a young man worth keeping your eye on.

Out For The Day

I went to Lambda Rising yesterday afternoon. I still hadn't decided whether or not I wanted to go out for Happy Hour, but I wanted to pick up some magazines to shove in my bookbag.
(I always have to have some kind of reading material in my backpack.)
I picked up the latest copy of Out and a new magazine called Xodus.

Since I was in the area I decided to pop in The Drinkery for a quick one.
(Some old queen had put Doris Day and Peggy Lee on the jukebox and I wondered briefly if I shouldn't have gone to Leon's instead.)
Anyway, I drank my cocktails (it was 2 for 1), chatted with Hal (the bartender) for awhile and then I went home.
I had a small little buzz, which was just what I was after.

So anyway, I'm walking home and this guy in this black BMW shouted "Hey!" at me and waved me over to him so I went over.
I was a little leery, but I figured he needed directions or something. So I walk over and he says "You want to come over to my place for a cocktail?"
"Uh, no thanks."
"Are you sure? I don't live that far."
"No, sorry. Better luck next time!" I replied and started walking away shaking my head, thinking how reckless that was.
For all he knew I could've been a psycho killer or something! A Jeffrey Dahmer type that cuts people up in little pieces and makes jambalaya out of them.
Then I thought he could've been a psycho trying to lure me in his lair, and that was even more disturbing.

The sad thing is, as a younger, single man I probably would have went with him. I mean he was young, and kind of cute. In his dark gray business suit suit he looked like he could be a lawyer or an accountant or something.
Thank God I'm not as stupid as I once was!

See, when you're young you feel like you're immortal, untouchable. Then with more life experience (hopefully) you wise up and realize just how fragile this existance can be and you realize how dumb you were when you were younger.
Well, not "dumb", really.
You just don't know any better.

I went home and futzed around the house awhile. Watched a little TV, flipped through my magazines. A little later I was feeling restless so I decided to go out for a cocktail.
I went to Central Station totally forgetting it was Karaoke Night. There was nothing else going on so I steeled myself and went inside.
Once more into the breach!
What a surprise I had when saw the bartenders were wearing only thier underwear!
Chris was working and he came over to say "Hi" and after I cught my breath I asked him "Why are you guys in your underwear?" and he said it was something they were doing on Tuesdays for Karaoke Night.
Chris looked effin' hot in his Calvin Klein tighty-whities, by the way!!!
WOOF!
As much as I enjoyed the view, the queens wailing Celine Dion songs were getting on my nerves so I went upstairs.
Iker was tending bar and I wanted to go over to say hello, but he had a big mob of admirerers around him and anyway I already had a drink that I had gotten downstairs. I finished my drink and debated on whether I should get another, but I decided against it and just went home and crawled into my bed.

I'm glad I did, because I woke up refreshed and alert and not the least bit hung over!

Now I have to figure out what I'm going to do with the rest of the day.

It's A Mystery

I'm debating on whether or not I want to go out for a Happy Hour drink.
Or not.
I've had the day off, and I've been really laid back (i.e lazy) today.
This is a good thing.

I thought yesterday was going to be a relaxing day at work. I figured everybody shot their wad (figuratively speaking) on Mother's Day and business would be slow.
Well, I was right about that, but there was all this stuff going on at work.
Here's the story:
Apparently $16,500 (all the money we made on Mother's Day) was stolen from the safe somehow and nobody could figure out how it was done. The security cameras weren't any help because for some reason they weren't recording.
It was a big mystery and I'm walking around like my hero Nancy Drew looking for clues.
If I were a character in a book I would have found some and solved the crime.
"And I would've gotten away with it too, if it weren't for Wonder Boy!"
No such luck.
Anyway, they searched every employee's bookbags --including mine. Luckily I didn't have anything to hide.
Anyway, after all that happened, it's slow, and I'm thinking I'm going to get away with hardly doing anything the manager comes up and says "Since it's slow, let's try to get some cleaning done!" so instead of standing around in the wait station, I'm standing on a ladder dusting light fixtures.
It's always something.

Anyway, the thought of a Happy Hour drink sounds good, but so does just sitting here on my rump.
Hmmmmm. What to do? What to do?
I'm sure I'll figure out something.

See You In Hell

"There is a place
Reserved
For me and my friends.
And when we go
We all will go.
So you see
I'm never alone."
---Morrissey

The Dante's Inferno Test has banished me to the Second Level of Hell.
Here is how I matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Low
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Low
Level 2 (Lustful)	Very High
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	High
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Moderate
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Low
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Low
Level 7 (Violent)	Very High
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	High
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Low

Where are you going?
Take the Dante's Inferno Test

Come Give Me A Hug

After work Saturday I was feeling kind of ugh for no reason I could fathom.
Yeah, I was tired from work, but there was something else there.
Not depression pre se. Maybe it was just the forboding I was having regarding the following day.
It also didn't help that I was walking past The Hippo and I was seeing all these people clubbing and having a good time and there I was, heading to Leon's in my uniform that was splattered with clam chowder and other various food spills.
So I walking, feeling down in the dumps and I hear "Hey, Jimmy!"
I spun around to see who was calling me and it was my boy Jason!
He comes dashing over to me and just gives me the biggest hug.
You know, that was the best thing that could've happened.
It changed my entire mood *snap!* just like that! So we chatted at the street corner by the City Cafe for a couple of minutes and then he had to go 'cause he was meeting friends at the club.
Five minutes and a hug. That was just the tonic I needed!

doom, doom, doom!
Mother's Day -- I dread it every year. It was mad crazy and it seemed like it was never going to end.
Having been through it several times before I was prepared for it and somehow that made it a little easier to deal with.
I warned the rest of my crew how busy it was going to be, but they didn't listen. I guess they thought it was just hyperbole or something.
HA!
When they saw for themselves how long the line was they knew I was telling the truth. Well, I tried to warn them.
Anyway, as rough as it was, we got through the day with (almost) no problems, although we did lose four servers during the shift yesterday for various reasons.
(One girl, Misty, grabbed her coat and dashed out the door like her tail was on fire! Some people can't handle the pressure, I guess.)
Afterward, I was feeling limp and boneless, like a dishrag that had been wrung out too much. But It was over.
Horray!

Back to work again today, but that's OK. After yesterday, I can handle anything.

WWCBD?

To all the mothers out there: Happy Mother's Day!!!

When dealing with a difficult parenting decicion, just ask yourself . . .

What would Carol Brady Do?

Choke Me In The Shallow Water

Mother's Day is tomorrow and anybody who works in a Family-Style Resaraunt (like I do) knows what that means:
It's going to be crazy.
"Pandemonium" is is good word for it.
Last year the line snaked all the way out the door and around the restaraunt and lasted all day.
I'm trying not to think too much about it. I'll just deal with it tomorrow and do the best I can.
What else can I do?
I'm stocking up on aspirin and grain achohol to help in my recovery afterwards.
(Just kidding!)

I saw Sebastian last night at The Quest and he looked right through me as though I wasn't there --which just proves to me he's the shallow queen I suspected he was when I first met him a little while ago.
And I hate putting labels on people, but in this case I think it fits.

Madam 8-Ball's Horoscope

"Will you be able to fit into last summer's clothes?"

AQUARIUS: As I see it, yes.
PISCES: Don't count on it.
ARIES: Yes.
TAURUS: Signs point to yes.
GEMINI: Don't count on it.
CANCER: Most likely.
LEO: My sources say no.
VIRGO: Yes, definitely.
LIBRA: As I see it, yes.
SCORPIO: My sources say no.
SAGITTARIUS: Reply hazy, try again.
CAPRICORN: Most likely.

Get It Together

Has everybody heard of blog.meetup.com where you can meet other webloggers who live in your area?

Live in Baltimore and have a weblog?
Sign up.
Vote for a venue/place to meet.
4,540 bloggers worldwide have signed up so far.
The next meetup date is Wednesday, May 21 @ 7:00PM (EST).

Maybe I'll see you there?

The Friday Five: Organization

1. Would you consider yourself an organized person? Why or why not?
I would, but I doubt anyone else would think so. I'm an "out of sight, out of mind" kind of person, so I like everything to be there, easily accessible when I need it.
For example in my bathroom my facial cleansers, razor, shaving cream, hairbrush, comb, hairspray, pomade, and everything else I use on a regular basis is sitting there on the counter by the sink. It looks like a big old mess, but I know where everything is.
I don't like to have to hunt through the medicine chest for my comb if I need it.

2. Do you keep some type of planner, organizer, calendar, etc. with you, and do you use it regularly?
I have 2. One is my Rolodex electronic organizer which has my phone numbers in it, which is also useful as a calculator. Then I have my planner which I use mainly for the calandar that's in it. There's a schedule option in the Rolodex, but it's easier for me if I can see the entire month, what day of the week an event falls on, and other things going on in the month so that's why I use the planner too.

3. Would you say that your desk is organized right now?
I don't use a desk, but if I did it would probably be like my bathroom counter--everything all over the place.

4. Do you alphabetize CDs, books, and DVDs, or does it not matter?
I don't alphabetize, but I do put them in catagories. Books I seperate into fiction and non-fiction and put different books by the same author next to one another.
CDs I divide into categories by music type, like a record store: Rock/Pop, R & B/Rap/Hip Hop, Soundracks, Compilations, etc. but I don't alphabetize them.
DVDs/Videos I do the same way, by genre: Action, Drama, Comedy, Family etc. I don't alphabetize those either.

5. What's the hardest thing you've ever had to organize?
My comic book collection.

*sigh*

My image server just notified me that I've exceed my bandwidth (by a measly .25 megabytes) so some images in the archives are MIA.
I'm trying not to get all upset and to keep things in perspective.
So some images aren't displaying? So what?
But it's not easy as that.
This blog is like my baby, you know?
I might have to upgrade my account to increase my bandwidth.
We'll see.
Other than that, not much is going on.
I'm still planning on working at Serendipity 2 when it opens.
It's still in the bag.

We Meet At First

Yesterday I met my online chat and email buddy Jeremy (AKA UrbanBaltoBoy) for the first time! We'd been chatting and exchanging emails for over a year.
It was good to finally see him face to face.
I had seen photos, of course, but seeing a picture isn't the same as seeing someone face to face.
Anyway, we met around 7PM at Central Station. It was "happy hour", so we got happy with some cocktails and had some pretty good conversation.
It was kind of awkward at first, though. You meet someone in a chat room and talk to them, exhange emails, and after awhile you feel like you know them but it's not as cut and dried as that. You know them, but only in a kind of superficial surface-level kind of way.
Plus, online you can't pick up suble clues like tone of voice, facial expressions, and body language.
Still, it was pretty cool to finally meet.

After that I went to The Hippo, but there was nothing going on there, so I quickly downed my drink and got outta there.

My next stop was The Baltimore Eagle. It's very dark and kind of sleazy in there, and the smell of leather is so strong it nearly knocks you over. (I love the smell of leather, though.) It had been awhile since I had been there, so what the hell?
After I got there I realized why I don't care for that place that much. Two words: the restroom.
I'm in the restroom for one reason and one reason only--to do my business. I'm not there to watch someone else do thier business, nor do I want anyone watching me.
And I'm defintely not there to do sleazy things with total strangers!
Anyway, I'm there at the urinal and everybody in there was staring at me! Not just looking, but staring, trying to catch a glimpse of something. They were all standing at the urinal, but they weren''t using it. (It doesn't take much thought to figure out what they were doing.)
It was too creepy for words.
Still, when ya gotta go, ya gotta go. I'm glad I'm not pee-shy!
Anyway, I only stayed for one drink and then I went home.

I got alot of stuff I still need to do.
On the top of my list is laundry.
The sooner I get started, the sooner I'll get done, so that's what I'm going to do now.

Sestina

[ Below is my first (and probably only) attempt to write a sestina.
Be kind with your comments, please. ]

Becoming

If I'm myself they'll call me queer.
I'm wondering what I'm doing here
And I'm feeling so alone.
I'm hidden behind a fortress of stone.
There's fire locked inside my heart
But I'm the only one in the world.

Wandering lonely in my world.
My feelings are becoming stange and queer.
All the love that's in my heart
What good does it do me here?
I'm feeling as hard as a stone
Waiting in the dark, all alone.

I'm tired of living my life alone.
What use am I to the world?
I'm breaking through this wall of stone.
Why is what I'm feeling queer?
When will love find me here?
I ache inside my unused heart.

I'm so afraid to give my heart.
I've gotten used to being alone.
But what if love has found me here?
I'm sick of lonliness in my world.
Oh, it's not easy when your queer!
My shell is crumbling like a stone.

Resolve as solid as a stone.
There's so much love inside my heart.
I wonder why they call it queer?
No longer will I stand alone.
I need another in my world.
Come then, lover, find me here!

I've finally found my purpose here.
Not to slumber, cold as stone,
Or to wander lonely through the world.
There's so much love inside my heart
I couldn't bear my life alone.
I'm so glad that I am queer!

Here I am, and some call me queer.
Alone I'm hard and cold as stone.
I wouldn't change my heart for all the world.

Hola!

Happy Cinco de Mayo everybody!

I'm working tonight, but I plan on stopping somewhere after work for a margarita and/or a Corona.

(I don't know how true this is, but somebody was telling me last night that the reason people put lime wedges in Corona is to keep flies from crawling down the neck of the bottle.
Pretty gross, huh?)

ugh
I've had absoloutely no time for anything the last couple of days because I've been working so much.
I worked 8-4 Saturday and then rushed from work to go to a wedding.
My girl Tashea married her fiancee David on Saturday night!
They are so much in love and I love seeing that. It was very obvious how much they care for one another.
The ceremony was beautiful and I found myself tearing up when they exhanged vows.
I can't help it, I get weepy at weddings.

Congratulations Tashea and David!! The best of luck and every happiness to you both, you deserve it!

Alphabet Street

A - Act your age? Probably not. People think I'm much younger usually.

B - Born on what day of week? Wednesday.

C -Chore you hate: Cleaning the bathroom.

D - Dad's name: Harold

E - Essential make-up item: MAC oil-control lotion.

F - Favorite actor: Ryan Phillippe. (He's so sexy!)

G - Gold or silver? Definitely silver.

H - Have any pet peeves? People reading over my shoulder.

I - Instruments you play: None. I'm not very musical.

J - Job title: Crew Leader / Server

K - Kids? No. Not yet anyway. I think I'd make a good parent, though.

L - Living arrangements: My husband and I share a 1 Bedroom loft.

M - Mom's name: Carole.

N - Number of people you've slept with: I've never kept count.

O - Opinionated? There are few opinions I have that are written in stone.

P - Phobia: Cockroaches. (Cockroachaphobia?)

Q - Quote: "What does not kill me makes me stronger." --Nietzsche

R - Religious affiliation: Let's say I'm "spiritual" and leave it at that, OK?

S - Siblings? Nope. I'm the only one.

T - Time you wake up: Around 10 AM.

U - Underwear preference: Briefs. (Sometimes boxer-briefs)

V - Vegetable you refuse to eat: Brussels Sprouts.

W - Worst habit: Smoking.

X - X-Rays you've had: Who knows?

Y - Yummy food you make: Devilled eggs.

Z - Zodiac sign: Libra (on the cusp of Scorpio).

You Go, Girl!

You have to admire Nancy Drew.
She was "just a girl" doing what only boys had done in the past.
The Hardy Boys (who more often than not stumbled over their clues by accident --sometimes not even realizing they were clues for awhile) usually solved the mystery at the very end in a catch-as-catch-can sort of way.
Not Nancy!
She searched for clues, wrote everything down in her casebook, worked hard to solve the mystery, and wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty.
We could all take a lesson from her.
Plus she's 73 years old and still looks good.

Damn, girl! What's your secret?

Take A Number

This morning I was in a meeting about new menu items that are Coming Soon and right in the middle I had to go to the bathroom in the worst way.
I turned to Ebony, who's a Crew Leader at my restaraunt also and whispered to her,
"I hope this meeting is over soon. I have to go to the bathroom!"
She whispered back, "What do you have to do?"
"Number two!" I replied.
Then it hit me: I'm a grown adult and I still say "number one" and "number two" to indicate "toilet activities". How strange is that?
It sounds better than "I have to take a dump", though. Doesn't it?