Can I read you something?

I am constantly asking Melissa that question. I love to read, and when I find something particularly insightful, challenging, sad, or (most often) funny, I just HAVE to read it out loud to whoever will listen. I think it's because I want others to enjoy what I am enjoying. Melissa often puts up with me interrupting her in whatever she is doing (eating, reading her own book, working, cleaning, sleeping...) and only rarely gets annoyed at me. But, I realized that I've got a new outlet for those parts of books that I just have to share.

So Tired

Servers anywhere will tell you that Friday night and Saturday night are, barring some really weird occurrence, the best nights of the week to make money because so many people are out having fun on the weekend.  Last night was no exception.  I arrived at the restaurant to find it absolutely slammed -- at 4 o'clock in the afternoon.  There were about three or four of us who were supposed to start work at 4 pm so when we did that eased things up for a little while.  But then, starting around 5:30 the people just came pouring in...

Tip for Tipping

Those of you who have been a waiter before (and even those of you who have not) might think that you know where I'm going. You might think that I'm gonna rant and rave about how people these days don't tip enough, but that's not what I want to talk about. This is really more like a case study into the lives and psychology of waiters.

The job of serving food requires that a person deliberately choose to be on the downside of an unequal relationship: The power is all in the customer's hands. In any other setting the waiter and customer are (at least theoretically) equals, but not in this setting. In the restaurant the customer is always right.

My Sister's Photography Website

http://AleyaDuncanArt.webs.com

Nouveau who?

So it's been a week since I posted last.  I've got some stuff I want to write about, but I've been busy training for my new job at Red Robin (where they expect you to have everything memorized by ingredients and amounts after the first week).  It's hard for me and I've worked at Red Robin before.  Anyhow, I'm off today to a training for my other vocation, which isn't really a vocation yet because I've yet to even land a single day of teacher substituting, much less a job as a teacher.  Oh well, God knows what He's doing.  If He wants me to be a waiter all year then...I can do that.  Not what I had hoped for, but I'm not God after all so I will let Him make the plans.

And so, since it's the weekend, I figured I'd share a video with you all that Melissa's dad sent to us.  Knowing the internet and Facebook connectivity it's possible you've already seen it.  But if so, then you know that it's funny enough to watch again.  Enjoy.  (It's a little too wide for this blog and it won't let me resize the movie, but you can click on the "full screen" option in the upper right part of the video to watch the whole thing.)

Report: Growing Ranks Of Nouveau Poor Facing Discrimination From Old Poor

Furniture Project Update

So here are the basic plans, and two photos of some of the work in progress.  Did I mention it's gonna be made from cardboard?  Think cardboard can stand up under the stress...we'll soon find out.

the basic idea

Phoenix rises, Furniture updates and Musicians from the 80's

...The Dirty Bird rises from the ashes to clutch me in it's claws!

Yep, I've got a job at Red Robin starting next week. I never thought I'd say it but... I'm glad to be working at the dirty bird. Ok, I'm not there yet (I start training on Tuesday). But I've got a job! I will be making money next week rather than just spending it. And I'll have a flexible enough schedule to focus on teaching, building community, and volunteering (all things I'd like to do here in Houston).

And no, I'm not done with the furniture making yet --

Extreme Home Makeover: RPCV Edition

"In a race against time on a project that would ordinarily take months to achieve [never even be taken seriously], a team [duo] of designers, have just [enter some ridiculously short period of time here] to completely renovate an entire house  [find a way to seat more than three people in their home at any given time].  Can they do it?  Find out next on Extreme Home Makeover: RPCV (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer) Edition."

When I'm Found in the Desert Place

So if you haven't read Melissa's most recent post on Considering Loss, you should.  Cuz I feel like we both went through the same steps and came to the same conclusion...only she did it half a day ahead of me.

I don't know why or how I sometimes get so focused on money.  I don't do it so much with things, I tend to be pretty good about not really caring about things.  But money on the other hand, money is a control issue for me.  So all I've been thinking about is: if I don't get a job, and if we weren't surrounded by loving family and friends, then, worst case scenario, we could default on our lease agreement.  Therefore, I made a bad decision with my money.  Therefore I wasted all that money.  Therefore I've put us out on the street, with no money and bad credit and no job and...

Hahaha...he's trying to write another blog?!

Yeah, that's what I'm saying to myself too.  But it's the only way that I journal.  And even though I didn't do it alot on Xanga in college, I still appreciate reading what I wrote back then.  It gives me insights into what I was thinking and feeling, and it reminds me of events that I had long forgotten.  So here's my blog, reborn.