Blog Reflection

I felt that the blog experience was a very good one. I dreamed about writing a blog about my work for a long time. I wanted to let people know what servers like me go through on a daily basis. I wanted to put to rest any closed minded assumptions and misunderstood ideas about my job. I feel that I was able to express my feelings and accomplish these goals. If any body reads it, great, if not oh well. I said my peace and that’s that. I am going to continue to blog. I think it is a good and creative way to get your feelings out there.

My challenges were primarily laziness and procrastination. Here we are a whole two and a half weeks after this assignment was due writing the reflection. I also at this point have 11 blog posts. The few original blogs I have written up to now have been very entertaining and relieving. I got a lot of good writing down on “paper”.

I liked the freedom of this project. There was nothing I didn’t like about this project. I just made it a lot harder than it really was. You basically wanted us to free write for 10 minutes a day. Unfortunately, in the famous words of my electrical teacher, “Electricity is like Humans, it does the least amount of work to get the job done. If there is an easy way out, it’s going to take it.” I just didn’t do them. Well if you don’t get the blogs graded by the time you get back from Orlando, I will have made a pretty reasonable dent in my blog entries. Evidently, am totally cool with getting the low grade I deserve. I am an adult and I did it to myself and I understand the consequences of my actions and take full responsibility for them.

As far as changes, just from taking your class I feel more fluent about writing. I appreciate more than anything the idea that practice is what makes you great at anything including writing. You promote creativity before mechanics, and I appreciate that.

A time when I was nervous

A time when I was nervous… probably the most nervous I have been was when I was in my public speaking class. I used to be in plays in church and in school but now I just get nervous I don’t know if it is because I just got older but every time I get in front of people I get nervous the first time I spoke in my human communications class I couldn’t talk and my right my leg wouldn’t stop shaking it was terrible this is the only class in college so far that I have made a b in I want to try to overcome  my nervousness as my classes progressed I got lass nervous I think I am going to have to go back and take public speaking because I was supposed to graduate this year but I am going to stay in and take some business classes and it would be to my benefit to get over being nervous in front of people another think you would think that being a server for ten years that I wouldn’t be nervous, well that is my most nervous moment and that is all I have we all get nervous when we are in an environment that we are not used to I attended a phi theta kappa ceremony yesterday and when they said I was going to have to go on stage my stomach sunk into my feet I was scared.

My next door neighbors wanted to play in the back yard I asked my dad and he said no so went and let them in the back yard and we hopped in the back of my dads truck and started playing next think I know my dad comes out of the house wielding a huge stick he banged the stick on the truck and yelled I told you on they can’t come back here and play back here he banged the stick again and it broke me and the other kids scattered and ran out of the back yard that was one of the last times I directly disobeyed my dad my mom bought me a stool when I was a kid in said this stool is mine I used it all the time to reach the things I couldn’t and to reach the things I shouldn’t my mom was a way more harsh she went as far as to put my name on my paddle designated solly for my I think this was very effective because it was consistent every time I saw the paddle I associated it with the kind of pain it delivered and knew I didn’t want any part of it some parents like my dad’s parents made him go out back an pick I switch if he came back with a dead one he got spanked twice as hard I don’t think I would like this form of punishment  because if you were lucky it might not

Something that happened to me over summer break well I went to Europe over summer break for nineteen days for the record I am never practicing typing before I come to English again my hands hurt so bad now back to Europe my wife and I went on a 19 day 6 country tour we went to the united kingdom the Netherlands Germany Italy France and Switzerland it was a very fun trip in the united kingdom we visited Windsor castle the eye of London in the Netherlands we visited a diamond factory and took a canal cruise in Switzerland we visited a watch store took a cruise on lake Lucerne

The “Saving Private Ryan” Approach To Writing Part 2

Before I went and got my GED, I had not had to write a paper since I was in the eighth grade. I studied for about three months before I took my GED. The last few weeks were spent writing practice essays, and having my teachers critique my work. In the beginning, I had no idea just like Tom Hanks as to where to begin. In an essay or any writing assignment, you are given a topic to write on or a question to answer, but you cannot just answer the question, or simply say you like the topic you are writing about. You have to thoroughly explore all angles of the topic, or fully answer the question being asked and explain why with supporting details. This can be intimidating for someone who does not have a lot of experience with writing essays. Thank goodness for my teachers, who like Tom Hanks did for his men, showed me the way to approach the project and led my through my proverbial beach.

When I begin a writing assignment I usually use a writer’s web to expand my thinking. You could say this is like Tom Hanks getting his head together before ordering his men up the beach. After which, I take my ideas, and put them into organized paragraphs and sentences, and work my way slowly down the paper, just like the beach. Once I have placed all of my thoughts on paper, I tie it all up with my conclusion. This to me is like taking out the final German machine gun bunker. Of course this is not the end of the paper. I then go back and proofread and revise my paper and tie up any loose ends.  Just like the Americans taking control of the beach, and capturing or killing any Germans that were left behind.

If I had to say that there was anything I would like to change about my writing, I would like to break away from the five paragraph format, since that is all I know. Like I said in the beginning, I not only apply this state of mind to my writing, but I also use it every day in my life. I think as long as I always have an attitude that when faced with a project, no matter how big or small, is to attack it a little at a time and it will eventually get done, and I will have taken my beach.

I felt this assignment was fun and creative. As far as discovery; I discovered that it was easy for me to get my thoughts on paper, when I thought it would be difficult. This is one of the first times that I just started writing my thoughts down without any sort of genuine organization or pattern. It was very interesting, and eye-opening experience.

The “Saving Private Ryan” Approach To Writing Part 1

When you assigned this project; I was trying to think of a movie that would express my attitude and feelings about writing. I came to the conclusion that the beginning sequence of Saving  Private Ryan, the D-Day Invasion to be exact is the best example I can give. Like in the movie, if the soldiers were even lucky to make it off the boat. What they had in front of them to overcome seemed so overwhelming, they did not even begin to know where to start, or what to do. I had to watch this part of the movie again, because it had been a while since I had seen it, but what I remember most is that Tom Hanks and his men did not just storm the beach with guns blazing. They slowly and luckily made their way up the beach to take the German machine gun bunkers out. I look at my writing and a majority of the major projects that I do with the same view. When you look at the big picture, you may not know where to begin, but if you start small you can work through just about anything.

This film does a real good job from the beginning of letting the viewer know that this is beyond all recognition of the word easy. As soon as the door to the boat opens the first five or six guys are just mowed down by the German machine guns that are on top of the hill. The director shows you the view from the German machine gun’s position. The bullets are just flying out at an immeasurable rate. The Americans look like insects just sitting there, waiting to be squashed. By some shred of luck, Tom Hanks and his men manage to make it to shore. Tom Hanks looks at all the men dying around him and has a brief mental breakdown. He quickly pulls himself together, and orders his men up the beach.  Tom Hanks and his men find themselves taking cover behind a barbed wire barricade about halfway up the beach. They quickly engineer a long pipe to send a small explosive through to blow a hole in the barricade.  With the barricade gone, the men make a run for the nearest cover. Tom Hanks and his men find themselves pinned down behind a concrete wall being shot at by the German machine guns. With the help of a bayonet, a mirror, and some chewing gum. Tom Hanks was able to see around the wall to find the positions of the German soldiers. While providing covering fire, Tom Hanks sends his men around the wall. With the German soldiers distracted by his men, Tom Hanks sends his sniper into close killing range. The sniper takes the German machine gun soldiers out. Tom Hanks and his men shoot their way to the top of the hill to the main German machine gun bunker. With the help of grenades, and a flame thrower to burn the Germans out, Tom Hanks and his men take the bunker, and the Americans take the beach.

We are from out of town

“Your salsa tastes spoiled.” This is what they think of our salsa. “Actually it probably isn’t spoiled it just tastes different than what you are used to.” “We are from about five hundred miles east of here.” “Well before we go any further I am going to just tell you that we are not your normal Mexican restaurant. We don’t have fajitas, quesadillas, chimichangas, or margaritas. There is an authentic Mexican restaurant less than a mile from here that has everything you might want.” “The question is, is your food good?” “It is.” “Well we will give it a try.” I bring them their order, and they try it. The only food they liked was the children’s hot dog. I had to have a majority of the whole check comped.  I feel sorry for these people. Somebody recommended our restaurant to them and they woefully came to eat after a long trip. To travel so far and not have a satisfying meal is to me, would be very discouraging. I truly hope they found a satisfying meal later on in their evening.

Samson and Delilah

Three hostesses and one server got fired at work yesterday. As I get older, it is interesting to watch young boys and girls turn into young men and women. In this case, I’m going to call the boy in this story Samson. Samson got his job about five years ago bussing tables. He was a skinny quiet guy who got along with everybody and was a very good worker. As the years passed, I watched him grow into a young man that wound up becoming a server, dating a hostess for a couple of years, and pumping a lot of iron to build muscle.

I don’t know what it is about girls, but they definitely have a self destructive affect on men when their hearts get broken. His girlfriend broke up with him and I started to see a change in his attitude and behavior. Like a lot of young men, when they realize that there are a lot of “fish” in the sea, wound up catching a lot of fish. He would tell us all stories of his crazy drunken nights and the women he met.

We eventually hired three hostesses that were all friends. The ringleader of this little clique was a girl I’m going to call Delilah. Delilah is what I like to call a “teenybopper”, she was pretty and she knew it. Over time, she got Samson’s attention. They dated a little while and became good friends. This little clique of friends however seemed to think that since management liked them so much they could get away with anything. Delilah talked to Samson and asked him to buy her and her friends (who are minors) alcohol, which he did. These dumb twits decided it would be a good idea to drink these at work and brag about it. To say the least, management was not happy and fired the three of them, and since Samson bought them the alcohol, they fired him as well.

Personally if I was Samson, I don’t even think that there is a word to describe the embarrassment I would feel. It would definitely be no secret about what amount of character I had. It is just so sad to see such a phenomenal worker of whom I enjoyed working with lose his job of five years over some stupid high school female.

Joiners

It is Sunday, just before our lunch rush begins. My first table of the day is a twelve top. Only two people are here for their party. “The others will be here in a minute.” Is what they tell me. Fifteen or twenty minutes later, my next table of eight shows up, of which only two are present. Six more people for the twelve come in, I get their drink orders and then go and talk to the eight, of which all have arrived  and are ready to order. I then get another table of eight of which only four are present and I get their drink orders. My first table of twelve of which there is only nine is now ready to order and says  the other people are not coming. I go and put in their order, and then go to the kitchen and grab my first eight top’s food, and hand it out. I get them drink refills, more chips, and anything else they might need. I check on the three tables I currently have, and the go and get the twelve top’s food, and hand it out.

Up to this point everything is flowing OK. My twelve top and eight top have their food and are almost done, and my other eight top is still waiting on the rest of their party. I hand my eight top their checks, and my twelve top their checks. I now get my fourth table, which is a six. This is the first table where everyone for the party is present.

Here is where I lose control of my section. The other three people from the twelve shows up and the other four people from my second eight top show up. Within a matter of five minutes , I need to cash my twelve top out, cash my eight top out, take my second eight top’s order, take my six top’s order, and somewhere in between squeeze these three people in. So this girl (from the three that just sat down) raises her hand to get my attention. I tell her, “I will be with you in just a second.” I franticly cash out both of my tables. While I am doing this, I hear comments from the three people about how it is going to take thirty minutes before I get to talk to them. Because of this, I take their order first, and then my second eight top, and my six last. This is sad because the six top was the only table where everybody was here when they sat down and are probably going to get the worst service out of all these tables, and they did everything right. So I hand out all the tables food in succession, while juggling drink refills, chip refills, and trying to keep disgruntled customers happy, of which like I explained, came from the six top. Once I regained control, I handed out everybody’s checks, and cashed them all out at the same time, and they all left at the same time.

Usually this is how business flows when what I like to call “joiners” are involved. My definition of a joiner is a party that is seated and not all of their party is present. I am guilty of this just like all of us are. I am now aware of this, because am on the receiving end of this behavior. Most restaurants are now implementing policies to where if all of your party is not present you can not be seated. My restaurant has not.

This is probably not going to change how you handle things when you go out to eat, but just remember that if you are going to do this, the chances that you are not going to get good service drastically increase. Restaurants have a system for seating tables so that their customers get the best and most efficient dinning experience. When you throw a wrench into this system, it doesn’t flow correctly and that is when mistakes are made, and the quality of your dinning experience is reduced.