First of all, my Thirty Days of Thanks.
November 6th - Do you drive a car (or have you seen one) that has radio controls on the steering wheel? I realize that cars have come a long way since 2008, and there are even cooler features, but I am thankful for the little radio buttons on my steering wheel. A self-proclaimed "flicker," I am constantly looking for something different to listen to. Without taking my hand from the wheel I can change songs on my CD, scan stations, and adjust volume. When my passenger changes my radio, I can flick it back without ever even moving my thumb :)
November 7th - Ohhhh Ben (Franklin, that is). I'm so thankful that this very man (the same one I will curse in April) allowed me to sleep another hour this morning. I like the earlier daylight (I actually wake up earlier now), and while I don't dig the 5:30 darkness, I LOVE setting the clocks back and look forward to it every year.
November 8th - I'm thankful for my washer and dryer. Even though it's not the biggest, or the fastest, it saves me from toting the MONSTROUS pile of laundry down to the crick and scrubbing my clothes out by hand. As I stare at the ridiculous Vesuvius we call a laundry basket, and it's spewed clothes in a lava lake around it, I must be thankful for my washer and dryer. It's the only thing that keeps me from going completely insane looking at it :)
Now, for update number two. Remember how I have a problem? Well I have been working on that. I haven't done anything drastic or crazy, but I admitted my problem and am trying. The first step of my journey was phasing out the grilled cheese. I started this on October 13th by replacing my daily Doritos with a small salad. By the end of that week, I'd cut to half a sandwich and a slightly larger salad, and by October 16th I had switched solely to salad. I have now been grilled-cheese free for 24 days (counting today). I had a minor slip-up one late Friday night and had a sandwich then, but I hadn't had dinner so I didn't count it. From what I can best calculate, with my real butter and all, each sandwich was about 264 calories, and 12 grams of fat, and that's without Doritos. I haven't seen a huge weight loss, though after day 10 I was down two pounds (I steer clear of my Wii Fit when I'm eating well, because if he tells me I gained, I go on a bread binge ;) So even if I'm not losing weight (yet), I am cutting some calories and fat, and I'm getting a good hearty veggie serving that I was missing before. Yay me.
Finally, Apron Strings :)
I don't have a "generalized" topic today, so I thought I'd entertain you with the tale of one of my tables. This isn't an outrageous table, and one day I will do a "Fly on the Wall" post with some of my favorite quotes, but for today, here is a table tale fresh in my memory.
It was a busy Sunday morning when my 5th table was seated. It was an older man and woman, and there were four menus. I always like it when a couple of people are waiting on a couple more. I can greet them and know I have some extra time since their party hasn't arrived. I greeted the guests and asked what they'd like to drink.
"Two waters with lemon," the old lady barked. Did you know we are "judged" by how many waters we serve? It prints out on our "stats," so to speak, so waters annoy us a little. Just saying. Anyway, then the gentleman chimed in.
"Actually, uh, one water with lemon, one without." Being the "ass" I am, I assumed he was correcting the lady, and I wrote down W and W/L. I took some food to another table, and took an order from another, then grabbed the two waters. When I arrived at the table, another guest had arrived. I placed the drinks, then asked that guest what she'd like.
"Water," was her reply. ".....with lemon." So I scurried away and brought back her drink. By that time the fourth guest had arrived. Apparently the husband of the barker. I set the water in front of guest number three.
Barker immediately barked, "We need one more of those. There are FOUR of us." I then realize that she had ordered two waters with lemon, and Gentleman wasn't correcting her. He was ordering IN ADDITION to her. As I processed that in my brain she said, "I TOLD you two waters with lemon." Cringing on the inside, I similed and returned the fourth water. They were looking at the menus, so I didn't bother them (SIDE NOTE: if you're ready, close your menu. I can usually tell when you're ready, but if you're reading the description of Fiesta Lime Chicken while you wait for me to come over, I might think you're still deciding and give you extra time).
Did I mention I had four other tables? Each of which had 4-7 guests? So in addition to these four grouches, I had 21 other people to please.
I finally made my way back to the grouch table. "Have you decided what you'd like to order?" I asked politely.
"Do you do senior discounts?" Barker barked.
"Yes, we do." I replied.
"Ten percent, right?" Barker.
"Yes." I answered.
"Ok, well we're ALL seniors so we all GET it," she demanded.
"Alright," I replied cheerfully (well, fake cheerful) "what can I get for you?"
Let's not make this any longer than we have to. They ordered their food. Half salads and burgers and such. One lady wanted the Oriental without (86 we say) rice noodles. I ordered it that way, I did. The new cook overlooked it, and while it only took a minute (LITERALLY) to fix, the lady said, not-so-quietly as I walked away, "She's not very good at this." Oooooh you got me lady. That hurt right to the core ;)
Barker demanded more dressing, they wanted water refills, and they wanted me once to stop and listen to their request for more water when I was passing by with three plates of hot food.
Evan discounted the ticket for me, and I split the check, as I was
"I can take care of that for you, Sir, I'll be right there," I explained as I balanced two full drinks in one hand, one in the other.
"I want to pay for all of it," he said.
"Ok," I said as I walked away. I came right back and took his card. He had both detailed checks in his hand, added them in his head, then I returned the credit slips. He signed my copy, and I left him with the detailed check (which also showed the exact discount).
I was so glad for them to be done and gone I didn't even care if they stiffed me. I was expecting it. I went back to the kitchen and loaded up with hot plates for another table when Jessi came back.
"Hey, Andrea? There's a guy out here looking for you," she said. I thought maybe Bryan had come to eat. I wondered who had stopped to speak to me. As I emerged from the kitchen, Gentleman was approaching me. GREAT.
"Did you give us the senior discount?" he asked, hatefully.
"I sure did," I replied, not-so-cheerfully.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
"Yes. It was on your checks..." I told him.
He walked back to the table and announced to Barker that I did, in fact, give them the discount. I don't think she believed him.
Note for the day: Be nice to your server unless she is a bitch first. Oh, and don't turn grouchy when you get old.
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