Wait staff

I enjoy dining out. I especially enjoy dining out where the waitstaff is on top of things. No need to request more water, it just magically appears. Butter dishes are refilled when needed. Coffee is refreshed just as the cup is cooling too much. Orders are taken when one is ready to dine.

Why is it that some waitstaff "get it" and others don't. Tonight I was served by one who didn't get it. We had to ask to order our food. We had to ask for another round of drinks. After we ate our savory dishes, we had to ask in order to order a sweet (which wasn't very sweet, but we dined at a tapas place. Goat cheese in the center of the dish, slices of poached pear around the cheese, with honey and almonds sprinkled around. It was just enough sweet to satisfy and, shared, wasn't too filling). We also had to ask to order an Irish coffee after the meal. Just the week before Carrie and I dined at the same restaurant, with a different waiter. Our former waiter got us drinks right away. He suggested items on the menu, when asked to give an opinion. He checked in with us, and was prompt and chatty. Is it the number of tables the wait staff have to cover? I don't think so. This is a cozy place and both waiters work at the same restaurant, covering what appeared to be the same number of tables. Time of day? General attitude? A job vs a career?

Whatever the reason for the difference, the tip did differ. Markedly. 12% vs 20%. I wish more waitstaff were better at their jobs. In Europe there is a huge difference in the restaurant quality. Waitstaff don't just pick up a job while in school. Waitstaff are apprentised. The waiters and waitresses work with a host and learn how to set a table, what utensiles are appropriate for which dish, how to serve wine properly and how to know the difference between a water goblet, a red wine glass and a white wine glass. How to pick up plates unobtrusively, and without having the guest pass plates for clearing. Staff are taught how to sell/suggest items to make a meal more enjoyable (and profitable for the premises), and staff apologize when some kitchen issue delays a meal.

I distinctly remember a wonderful place in Switzerland where I dined in utter comfort. Our waitress was the wife of the cook, and it was their restaurant. They lived above their place, with 4 children. I ordered a wonderful seafood risotto. Jon ordered a Thai chicken meal. I don't remember what Dad ordered. Ben couldn't order. Nothing sounded good to him. This didn't phase the hostess. She has her own children. Seeing him stymied, she offered chicken nuggets and fries to him. He was delighted! Of course this wasn't on the menu, but she knew what her own children fancied, and she wanted all her guest to enjoy the meal. Not only was this meal one of the best I've ever tasted, but it was delightful in the service.

Not so hot

Last week it ran temps in the 90's here. I have no air conditioning and a lot of windows facing west. This means my house was also 90 degrees indoors. I don't do well with heat. One of the days when it was cooler, I walked my sister's dog around Lake Merritt. Took about an hour and 20 min. I ended up hot, sweaty and with a blister on my foot. When I get hot, my skin, which is already sensitive, gets very sensitive. This is a pic of what my underwire did to me. Not only can you see where the underwire rubbed immediately under my breast, but also where the underwire rubbed during the course of the day, sitting and doing work at a desk. When I'm sitting, the curve of my back causes the underwire to rub against my upper abdomen. All I can say is that this was very irritating. A week later I still have a red area about the size of a quarter and that skin still feels a bit raw. I don't do well in heat! I do think, however, I'd do quite fine in Hawaii, on the beach or snorkling in the water.

Selfish

I'm feeling horribly selfish and I hate that part of me. My sweetie lives several states over. Somewhere back in the recesses of my mind, I have a fantasy that one of us will move closer to the other. Unfortunately, as I share kids with my ex, I need to be here for another 5 years- til the kids are done with school. This means my fantasy involves T moving closer to California. I know I can't ask this of him, though I'd love it. He has his job, which he loves there. And his bands, which are just becoming successful. Asking him to move would be too much of a sacrifice for him, thus I can't ask him to consider it.

After a yet another wonderful week together, he's home. He's looking for property to buy. I'm so happy for him on one hand, but I'm sad on the other. Fantasy is burst. On the other hand, this does mean he doesn't have a landlady with requests for him not to have overnight guests. This is a very good thing! It's challenging living life with such conflicting emotions all at once.

Updates

School is going well. Monday I will have completed 6 courses, with 8 to go. My next one, health, law, and ethics should be interesting with a LOT of reading (three texts vs the normal one).
My tentative class schedule:

HCS/545	HEALTH LAW AND ETHICS	3.00	04/28/2009	06/08/2009
HCS/533	HEALTH INFORMATION SYSTEMS	3.00	06/09/2009	07/20/2009
HCS/514	MANAGING IN TODAY'S HEALTH CARE ORGANIZATIONS	3.00	07/21/2009	08/31/2009
HCS/535	CONCEPTS OF POPULATION HEALTH	3.00	09/01/2009	10/12/2009
HCS/552	HEALTH CARE ECONOMICS	3.00	10/13/2009	11/23/2009
HCI/510	SYSTEMS LIFE CYCLE	3.00	11/24/2009	01/18/2010
HCI/520	DATA MANAGEMENT AND DESIGN	3.00	01/19/2010	03/01/2010
HCI/500	CONCEPTS OF HEALTH CARE INFORMATICS	3.00	03/02/2010	04/12/2010

I'll be getting more of the informatics part of my degree soon, too, which will be interesting to me and which is the basis for my wanting to pursue a Master's degree.

In the meantime, its hot. I feel so unmotivated to work. It's 85 degrees in my room and I feel as if I have sleeping sickness. All I want to do is curl up and sleep. I try and can't do it very successfully - maybe 10-15 min a pop. One of my greatest desires is to go to sleep and wake up ONLY after I've gotten enough sleep and I feel refreshed. I dream big, don't I?

On the other hand, much progress is being made for the other aspects of my life. The divorce is close to being filed, the remodel is currently on track to being completed in October. I'm excited!

Oh, my grades so far:

Completed Courses (click on the grades below to view your official grade card)

HCS/504	INTRODUCTION TO GRADUATE STUDY IN HEALTH SCIENCES/NURSING	1.00	08/26/ 2008	A
HCS/587	CREATING CHANGE WITHIN ORGANIZATIONS	3.00	09/16/ 2008	A
HCS/531	HEALTH CARE ORGANIZATIONS AND DELIVERY SYSTEMS	3.00	10/28/ 2008	A
HCS/577	FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT IN HEALTH CARE	3.00	12/09/ 2008	A
HCS/539	MARKETING FOR HEALTH CARE	3.00	02/03/ 2009	A

Really Nice Week

There's not much more to say than I had a great week. Spent it with a dear friend. I'll miss him now that he's gone home, but .. well, it's different this time.

Blah

Bah. I have a manager. I love her as a person. She was never trained to be a manager, and she's not the best at it. I don't blame her. Who wants to discipline adults? Kids are hard enough to discipline and adults are 5 times the size of a kid. As such, work is a bit in disarray. People wear hand jewelry to work (not allowed due to risk of infection being passed around via fomites), people aren't being accountable for doing the work that should be done.

With the downturn in the economy and a low census (but very high acuity) the productivity at work is sucking. As such, cuts need to be made. I'm one of those cuts. I'll still have a job, but it changes my life, my work hours, the quality of life. I'll get through it, but I really hate the way my manager passed on the information.

Group email stating, essentially, that all "project time" was being suspended for 2 months. Okay, she qualified it, saying *most* project time was being cancelled. I'm paid through project time, so of course I'm thinking that I'm not to work any. I email her asking permission to finish up some current projects before the project time is on furlough, due to STATE deadlines. Her answer back was trite and condescening (in my opinion). She said, of course she knew that there were things that *must* be done, but that she needs to cut back the hours by 4 days every two weeks. My partner and I have been doing this work in 12 days every two weeks, so now we need to make due with just 8 days between us. A 25% cutback, without a decrease in work over the years. In fact, we are doing far more than we did when the job started with the two of us in 2000. She should have sent a personal email letting us know of the need to cut back, and by how much, rather than a mass email stating that it all would be cut. She's to let me know a time to meet on Thursday, "ASAP" although two work days later and I've not heard a time. I guess she will pull a meeting on us in surprise. As I said, "Bah!"

13

It's Friday the 13th. I have 13 posts here on blogger, so far. My boyfriend plays for 13 Mirrors (band). Since all of these things are a bit in common, I thought it was time to write something here.

Superstition. I don't find myself particularly superstitious, but I do follow certain rituals. If I see a penny on the ground, it's hard for me to not pick it up. If I give a knife as a gift, I ask for a small payment in return (German superstition that a knife, if not purchased, will only serve to sever the ties of friendship). I've been known to pick petals off of daisies, to avoid stepping on sidewalk cracks, and to say "squeeze that lemon" when running a yellow light (not sure if that counts as a superstition, but I learned that squeezing lemons is okay, but don't smash tomatoes (red lights)). I don't honestly think that leaving a penny on the sidewalk is a bad thing, its just become such a habit, that it's kinda fun to keep finding them, even though I'm well out of my childhood. I'm curious what others' superstitions are?