Category: Uncategorized

So Brad and I were playing in the stand of trees that to us was nearly the size of a cathedral, and that is what we called it, The Cathedral. Between the tall trees with arching branches, and the vine-covered brush around the outside and the one tunnel in that you had to know was there… It always seemed that when we got on our knees to crawl in through the brush and thorns, and stood in the clear space with filtered light and the columns of tree trunks, that we had entered another place and time. Even that young, each of us knew it was a sacred place, one of those thin places in the world. Whenever we went there, we would stand quietly for a while, and when we played, we played quietly (as I am now sure our parents wished for when we played at home), and there was an unspoken agreement that older kids and adults were not ever invited. We always left The Cathedral feeling a little different, a little… Well, older, or more reverent, or spiritual, just a little, indefinably different…
So Jimmy and I were there, playing with the new B-29 model, and the Transformers, and the Star Wars heroes when he suddenly paused in the middle of a bombing-run. He looked around and said, carefully and quietly, “E___, you wanna see something?”
Of course I wanted to see something, because in this place it could only be something new and strange and wondrous. So I agreed, and he led the way through our Cathedral of trees to the far side. There, he found a particular tree with smooth silver bark and shiny green leaves. It was the first time I’d seen it, but it was young, barely as big around as my leg and maybe as high as the two of us, if Tommy stood on my shoulders. I looked at him with a question in my mind and he said very clearly, “I was here last week, and it was only this high,” holding his hand at his waist, “and this big around,” and he made a circle with his hands so his first-fingers and thumbs were overlapped. It was so much bigger than he said that I almost did not believe him and said,
“But that’s imPOSSible! Trees don’t grow THAT fast!”
“But it DID! I was here yesterday, and it wasn’t even THIS big,” and he stretched his hand over his head. “I had to show SOMEone!”
“But…” I had nothing to say, really.
“It’s bigger since yesterday, I can tell. An’ I bet if we sit over there we could even watch it grow!”
And we went and sat down, because I still did not really believe him, and we watched, and as we watched the tree grew. We saw branches grow out, sprout buds, and leaves emerge. We saw the top get higher, by inches. I still swear that I watched that tree grow with my eyes.
“See? I told you, E___.” Brad said a while later. We watched the tree grow, and the shadows move across the ground with the sun, and I though and said, “Yeah.”
A little later, I realized how long it had been, and jumped up, saying, “Brad, we havta go home. Our Mom’s’ll be worried!” So we scrambled out of our wooded Cathedral and ran across the length of the field, and as Brad veered off toward his backyard he yelled, “Tomorrow! We havta go back!” and I yelled back to him, “Okay!”

As you enter the restaurant, you are greeted by the smiling host and shown to a table. The server appears as you settle in, introduces himself and informs you of any special items for the day. He returns shortly with your drink order and answers your questions about the menu. The appetizer you ordered arrives in short time and the server engages you in a short, but entertaining conversation as you enjoy the perfectly prepared calamari. Just as your date licks the last crumbs off his fingers, the server brings your salad, split for you in the kitchen, the dressing on the side and without onions, just as you ordered. You leisurely enjoy the salad with the ice-cold pinot grigio you ordered and conversation with your date. Just as you are thinking the salad may be finished, your dinners arrive cooked and presented with perfection. Just as everything else, the server presents the lady’s food first, offers any condiments or refills you may want, and whisks away the dirty plates and utensils. Some time later he brings you boxes to take your leftovers home and talks about the football game on tonight, he hopes to see the replays after work, and then brings your cappuccino and desserts. The evening is lovely, the server is entertaining, prompt, and accurate, and you leave a well-deserved tip. From your server’s perspective, however, things are very different. Your server is not an autonomous robot; as a professional, hard-working individual, he deserves your respect and gratitude. He works in a dynamic, high-paced, stressful environment with many responsibilities; we shall examine these responsibilities with the goal of educating the general public who have not had recent experience within the industry.

A server’s responsibilities are wide and varied in the majority of restaurants. He is responsible not only for his tables, but also various tasks in the “back-of-house.” But let us start with the “Front-of-House,” which is what the guests see of the restaurant. Most establishments divide the dining room into sections of between three and seven tables, depending on server strength, the day and time, and holidays. With an average of two to five guests per table, this means “your” server is responsible for between six and thirty-five individual guests, each of whom has different communications styles, requests, drinks and entrees, paces of eating, and, yes Virginia, demands. With each guest the server is responsible for timeliness, including: the greet (saying hello, informing of specials, the drinks order), each of the one to eight different courses, refills, and check presentation and return. Each ordered item is expected to be presented correctly as ordered. A pleasant demeanor is also a must for interacting with each and every guest, no matter their attitude or rudeness. The server is also expected to maintain the cleanliness of his section, and tables, keeping used plates, utensils and glassware to a minimum on the table. Finally, in the Front-of-House, the server is expected to help when necessary his fellow servers, the bartenders, and even the hosts. That is quite a load, right? Well, your server’s tasks don’t end there.

In the Back-of-House, most restaurants also have server responsibilities. Coffee and iced-tea must regularly be brewed; coffee mugs, soda and bar glassware, and silverware must be cleaned and restocked; the ice-bin needs to be refilled sometimes ten times a night; the bread warmers need to be stocked with freshly cut bread; all the to-go boxes need to be stocked; all of these server areas, including the dish area and food pass-through area need to be kept clean and usable; finally, food needs to get run out to the dining room. Each of these duties is shared between the servers on shift, and each is concurrent with his Front-of-House responsibilities. Now things are starting to look like a difficult job… Servers tend to be exceptional at juggling responsibilities in a high-paced environment, and also at communicating with many people in rapid succession.

For all of this intense work and stress, in most states the server is paid a measly $2.xx per hour. Few states require that tipped employees earn minimum wage; one I know of is Washington State. Generally, that $2 per hour covers income taxes on tips the server earns through working. Most restaurants stick to that amount, excepting some five-star restaurants that charge much more than the average person is willing to spend on Monday-night dinner. Additionally, in many establishments, a tip-out is assessed to the server at the end of his shift. This is generally around three percent of the server’s sales for that shift, and the money goes to pay the busboys, the bartenders, and in some places, the hosts and other staff. The result of this practice is that any individual tip is reduced by three percent of the check, or in other words, a 10% tip becomes a 7% tip, while 15% and 20% tips become 12% and 17%, respectively. All this adds up to a server making less than the average person realizes, in a job that is both more demanding and more stressful than many desk jobs (having done both, believe me, I know).

In an effort to have the most pleasant dining experience possible, there are several things a guest needs to keep in mind. The first is an elementary idea, the Golden Rule. Servers are most definitely people, and return treatment in favor: the more you leave your deplorable day at the door, the more likely you are to receive wonderful service. In the same vein, if there is one particular thing you look for in “excellent service,” if you let your server know in a pleasant way, he can see that your needs are met. A good rule of thumb for interacting with your server is to think of the experience as a first dinner with your girlfriend’s or boyfriend’s parents. You would not suck a soda down when the host sets it down, do not do it at a restaurant. If you do plan on emptying your glass thoroughly and quickly, ask for a carafe or pitcher, or for two sodas. As long as the establishment offers free refills, you should only be charged for one drink, since you are making the server’s job easier. Keep in mind as well, that your server more than likely intimately knows the menu and food at the establishment. When recommendations are presented, they are for your benefit to enhance your dining experience. Finally, please expect a level of service appropriate to the prices you are paying. Five-star restaurants provide that level of service because they charge enough to pay more servers, to provide busboys and food runners, and a larger kitchen staff, not just because of the food. A server at a restaurant charging between ten and thirty dollars a person has many more responsibilities than at a restaurant charging fifty to one-hundred-fifty dollars per person.

As far as splitting and paying for the check, keep some things in mind. For a party of five or fewer people, most servers and restaurants will gladly split the check individually. However, for larger parties (especially if bottles of wine or salads are shared) splitting a check more than four ways will delay your party and hobble service to other guests (splitting a check for a party of twenty can easily take up to twenty-five minutes). In most cases the guests, the server, and the restaurant are better served by evenly divvying up the check at the table. Also, one person should be selected to deal with the money and the server. This ensures the check is completely paid (the remainder often comes out of the server’s pocket), as well as an appropriate tip is rendered (more on that shortly). If a server agrees and goes above and beyond by splitting individual checks for your large party, an additional tip is appropriate.

Finally, we come to tipping. As mentioned above, most servers are not paid a mentionable hourly wage. Additionally, they often are provided no benefits, and assessed a ‘tip-out’ at the end of the night. Keeping these things in mind, a general guide to tipping is provided here. When planning on a budget, try to keep a twenty percent tip in mind. Call the restaurant to determine the price ranges, and if you cannot afford the prices with that tip in mind, you can choose another restaurant, or wait a week until you can afford the prices. Given the wages and tip-out servers have, a fifteen percent tip is now an appropriate standard tip for service in a dining restaurant. This indicates average service with few mistakes, and few or no special requests or orders. With good service, special orders, a busy night, and/or few or no mistakes, a twenty percent tip is appropriate; finally, when excellent service, no mistakes, correctly delivered special orders and a busy night are involved, a twenty-five percent tip is appropriate. Remember that these are the server’s earnings, and that he works very hard for them. A couple of other things to keep in mind when figuring the tip: remember you are tipping for service, not necessarily by the total of the check. If a coupon, free (birthday or other) dessert, or half-priced bottle of wine (often found in neighborhood, family-style restaurants on Mondays or Tuesdays) are involved, it is appropriate to tip as if you are paying full price on those items. With split checks, be sure to check the total of the tip and the check, the server will often provide a full check if asked, and your friends might surprise you unpleasantly; also, as mentioned above, when a server goes above and beyond, and splits a check individually for a party of more than six people, it is appropriate to tip an additional five percent on top of the gratuity (if included), or otherwise to tip a minimum of twenty percent. Finally, people will often provide written or verbal compliments in addition to tipping, and while these are well-received, if they are not backed up by a monetary tip, then they are not good for very much, and make the individual look cheap or rude.

For your ease, I am providing a simple math to help figure out the tip:

Based on a check total of $100.00,

10% can be found by moving the decimal one place to the left:
$100.00 becomes $10.000

15% is 10% plus half of 10%, or:
$100.00 10% is $10.00, plus half of 10% ($5.00, in this case) = $15.00

20% can be found by doubling 10%:
$100.00 will be 10% ($10) x 2 = $20

25% is 15% plus 10%:
$100.00 10% is $10 plus 15% is $25.00

When dealing with change or not-neat totals, two methods are appropriate:
1) Figure the approximate tip first, then round to the next whole dollar, or
2) Round to the next whole dollar, then find the percentage.

I hope this essay has enlightened you to the duties and responsibilities of your favorite server, as well as provided a realization that your tips are all the money he sees.

Next Week, I will take up some great free utilities available online, that can replace everything from your $300 Operating System to your expensive subscription-based antivirus program. See you then.

Last Monday I wrote a propposed schedule for updates. While I am trying to stick to this schedule, I am a little late on the Friday post. But I have made the intention of writing essays for the Friday post a reality. These will be on a variety of topics, and the first is getting posted tonight. Tomorrow, I again hope to post a new or revised poem. Again, the proposed Schedule of Posting:

Mondays: A new or revised Poem

Wednesdays: An overview or review of something I have recently read

Fridays: A short essay on various subjects.

Yes, it’s a made-up word. Of the several books I have read since my last regular postings, I have found one new-to-me author who has really stirred my imagination. He writes science fiction in the vien of William Gibson or Bruce Sterling.
I must warn that I enjoy reading science fiction and it functions as one of my favorite pastimes. The opening of the near and far-future intrigue me, challenge me, and entertain me. Often I cannot get enough of a book, and then the challenge is putting it down so I can really get on with my life (including writing my own science fiction). So, after reading one of his books, I could not help myself from continuing in seeking out the others.
Charles Stross is a writer who seeks out the human stories in the near and far futures, as one can tell by his treatment of characters both human and no-longer human. Where will evolution take the homo sapien, when he can create tools to meet nature’s challenges? Mr. Stross provides a new angle of vision on that question, as well as creates characters who lure your mind and heart into caring. Accelerando was the first book of his I read, and since then I have sought out and read each of his other novels. I await anxiously for more.

In another note, I am currently reading through the 2006 issue of The Year’s Best Science Fiction, 23rd Annual Collection, edited by Gardner Dozois. It is full of short stories from some of the biggest names in the genre, including Stephen Baxter, Alastair Reynolds, Bruce Sterling, and many others. For me, it represents an excellent chance to study not just the genre, but the current subjects and styles in a wide range of settings. Seeing how a breadth of authors deal with characterization, plot and detailing, for instance, allows me to make my own work that much better. Nearly all the authors are award winners, and for good reason, they are at the top of their game. For anyone interested in the science fiction genre, I highly reccomend this anthology.

Until next time,
Best Wishes.

edit – ps- a thought for the day:
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.
-Ben Franklin

Yes, by now I am down to zero readers. Updates have been few and far between. Now, hopefully, I will have a more regular schedule. Along with more frequent and interesting updates, I propose to also have a regular schedule of posts… I haven’t exactly determined what yet, but some things I am thinking: A regular posting schedule, with specific types of post each time. Something like this:
Monday, a new or revised poem
Wednesday, a new book or story review/impression/or something
Friday, a few open ended thoughts (maybe an essay?)

Start looking this week for more frequent updates!

April Fool’s Day

I would like to research
this holiday. Who
was the hapless fool who’s
foolishness caused a
celebration in his honor?
Or could it have been
her honor? We all
have been fools, and been fooled,
and so know how it feels.
Who was this person
who’s foolfulness transcended
the bounds of the average,
the mortal? I fear to look,
to find out: The fool is me.

First April Shower

Light April rain – almost
mist – falls with the sound
of a mis-tuned a.m. radio,
static of soft noise on
the asphalt, on the concrete.

It falls with a sshh…
like a shower in an open
bathroom three rooms
away. For a moment while
the roads and people
are silent, if falls like static
electricity on the radio
in the shower three rooms away.

For a moment…

Light April rain – almost
mist – falls with the sight
of a mis-dialed analogue TV,
static of soft snow on
the screen, on the CRT.

It falls in black and white…
like a video tape run out
in a darkened den three rooms
away. For a moment while
the roads and people
are still, it falls like static
electricity on the TV
in the den three rooms away,

For a moment…

Father

What I remember
about my father
is this: one afternoon,
it was spring or summer,
and he was on leave
from the iron-gray
floating dungeon fortress
that kept him prisoner
months on end,
which explains why
it was afternoon and not,
say, 0600 hours; why
he was shaving in his
bathroom in the afternoon;
also, possibly, why
he was drinking a beer
in an ice-cold glass
while he was shaving
in the middle
of the afternoon. That might
explain why, when
I wandered in, he lathered
shaving cream on my face,
shaved the peach
fuzz off my child’s cheeks
and allowed me a sip
of his beer, which
I promptly spat in the sink.

Later, I found his razor
refills, sliced open two
fingers on my right hand,
and before calling for Mom to help,
watched the bright claret run,
watched it splatter like light April rain in
the bowl of the white porcelain sink.

I’ve recently been debating whether or not to remove all the actual poetry from this site. This is my reasoning: I am preparing to begin submitting my work (some of these included) to journals or other publications. The question I am asking myself is this: If I placed a poem on this blog, would that count as “previously published?” While I intend this forum as more a place to get feedback on these poems, that has not really been happening… So would this count as ‘publication’ or not? I have no actual idea about the answer to that, but it has been bugging me, which is why I’ve not put several newer poems up… I think I need professional help with this one.

What is it we love about the mundane, the everyday, the commercialism? I love the beautiful weather, the flexibility of being in classes, and working part-time, and being able to appreciate that beautiful weather. I love the phone call of a good friend. It always comes at the right time. Sometimes, it doesn’t come when you need it. Or when you want it. Sometimes you just crave that contact, that honest interest in you. I crave that… It’s one of those things that makes your day wonderful, that takes the rain from depressing to something to celebrate. I am slightly needy. I need confirmation from people outside of myself. I have confidence, I know I am smart, and I know I am (somewhat) attractive, and I know that people like me. I know I am a good poet. I am a damn good poet. I know I could be a better poet though, also. Sometimes, I really need to hear these things. When I’m under a lot of stress, when the tests are all coming up one on top of the other (and not just school tests. sometimes friends like to test you, too). When work does not leave me time to study, when there are three dogs in the house that won’t stop barking, when the rent is due and the money isn’t there. That is when I need to hear someone say, “Hey, you are doing really well at _____,” or “Wow, you are really hot tonight,” or, say, “I read that new poem on your blog and I thought it was great,” or even “I thought you could work on that and that in your new poem.” Sometimes, I need to hear that, and believe it. I am not really a people person. My friends can be counted on one hand or so. I rely on them to know when I need to be needy.
I know you need to be recognized, too, and I try. Honestly I try to be earnest and listening and insightful for you when you need it. I am a good listener. I listen, and respond, and I try to use the effective communications techniques I have learned about in my Interpersonal Communications class. The problem is, we have to actually be talking to utilise those friendships in a way that is supporting and fair for everybody.
To be honest, I don’t even know why I’m rambling about this right now… I am kinda bored and when I get bored, I like to read or write. So I am writing.

There are times when everything seems to go wrong at once. When stresses approach a breaking point, when the crack of that breach seems to reverberate all through a mind. It is a point everyone reaches in life. We all handle it differently, as well. Some people cry. They stay home, buried under sheets and blankets and comforters and pillows and cry until life does not make sense. They continue to cry. It is a cycle. A spinning drier drum of despair. Eventually, the depression is only about being depressed and unable to pop the balloon of hopelessness. Some people eat. They eat because it is comforting, allowable. At least I’m not consuming alcohol at this rate. Some people do turn to alcohol. They nurse it, drink it, gobble it, savor and guzzle and shoot and sip and swallow it. They lust, crave, want, need, desire, and yearn for the nectar’s sweet escapism. This too is a cycle.
These cycles (there are many more) consume us in guilt. They cover us with the comforter of avoidance, and we are becoming more than adapt at slipping so easily beneath them, that like a comfortable friend whom we do not realize is essential until she is gone somewhere on vacation. It is not necessary to avoid problems. I think counselors and shrinks generally tell people to confront problems. But it is so easy to lay down. It is easy to not think about the problem. With avoidance, one can say, “I don’t understand,” “I don’t get it,” or any such variation of the same thing. In confrontation, one must be able to say, “Ah, I see where this is my fault.”
I personally do not like being at fault. But I often am. I find myself wondering about the whys and hows and often come to looking in a mirror. Not that I am to blame for someone dying, or someone quitting, or someone having a chemical imbalance, or someone not having a timeline for the project, or for conflicting schedules. I know I am not. But I can talk to someone more before they die. I could encourage better training at a job. I can offer suggestions for next year’s project. I could urge a visit to the doctor. I could offer a better schedule. I’m flexible. I don’t really think that is a problem though.
In a skidding car you turn into the skid to retake control. One must trust physics to accomplish what must be done. Number the mounting problems. Understand them. Begin with small, easy tasks and address them. Redress them. Take them to task for attempting to bring you down to the bottom, for offering the sweet avoidance in return for… What? In return for not sending them out of your head. But taken care of, they magically disappear, like the genie into his oil lamp when that last third wish has been uttered. Ah, magic.
I love magic. It makes me smile like a child. It makes me laugh, because everyone knows that the magician is also a comedian. Like God, sometimes.

After 2 hours of 24, and some random procrastination TV after, I finally got down to all my image editing I had lined up tonight. Just finished and burned everything about 15 minutes ago. Mostly rotating and cropping photos of paintings so they can look amazing when published. I used a couple of nifty freeware editors, GIMP 2.0 which I find just as useful as Photoshop, only more legal, and 11View, which I used for all my batch image conversions.
My biggest problem was that the images were all in jpeg format, though they were burned on CD before much degradation happened. So I copied and then converted them right away to bitmaps. The worst to deal with were those over email. But GIMP has a pretty good scaling algorithm, so I could bump them up a bit with not too much loss of detail. The final images are saved as bitmaps, tiffs, and uncompressed jpegs, just for compatibility purposes. Each should scale very nicely to fit on a 9×6″ page. At least I hope. I spent too much time for them to not. At any rate, time for a little nap before I get started on the copy editing for all the writing. I’ve already marked up hardcopies, just have to type the corrections in. Wish me luck for waking up early enough tomorrow. Err… Today.