Utinam barbari spatium proprium tuum invadant!
Which Weird Latin Phrase Are You?
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May Barbarians invade your personal space!
Another Blessing to be Thankful for ...
I told the manager at the restaurant that I need as many shifts as I can pick up to pay for travel expenses to meet my parents in Oklahoma. As a result I'm on the schedule every day through Monday. We leave on Tuesday morning. In addition to that, the assistant manager asked me if there's a Mimi's in OKC (there is) and gave me a gift certificate that will cover our dinner the night we meet.
That's the kind of really wonderful people I'm working with. They are supportive, encouraging, and do whatever they can to help each other out. Not just making salads and refilling drinks for each other. They get behind the hopes and dreams of the people on the team.
Right now, I'm not so much about dreams as just getting done the things that need to be done before we leave next week. The boys don't need to pack a lot of stuff, but they need to have clothes and accoutrements to get them through at least two months. SO I'm making my lists, checking them twice ... every evening we make another trip to Walmart to pick up something else I've thought of. My Mom told Tucker this weekend that while he's at her house they are going to paint the porch swing and that he'd need to pack appropriately for that activity. SO he says to me, "Mom, Grandma says you need to buy me some old clothes ..."
This afternoon, the Mimi's daytime crew is heading to the park to play softball and basketball and just hang out together. Tucker has a field trip today, he's going to the Butterfly Pavillion in Denver and he's been up with his lunch packed (yes, he wanted a ham sandwich ...) since 5:15. If he's not totally worn out, we'll go to the park and play this afternoon.
I worked over on Monday evening, so my Aunt picked up the boys from school. My uncle walked to the park with them while she was making dinner. Tucker was playing on the swing and when he jumped out, his shirt ... didn't. So I guess maybe I don't have to buy him old clothes after all. 
OH! and I have that loan that is scheduled to close next week. Lets keep our fingers crossed on that one! That would make my bank account a much happier critter.
New High Score
So how is it that I get BONDED, but I miss BOND? That's my downfall on every game. I start with the six letter word and invariably I forget that the root of the word needs to go in there too ....
This game isn't finished (btw) I played for a while last night but got sleepy, so I just minimized the window until I could get back this morning. I'm hooked on this I tell you.
And I need another word addiction like .... _____________________________
You fill in the blank - come on, how many cliches do we know? (oh no, another word game is born ... )
New Game
Yahoo has a new game - or at least one that I haven't played before. My friend Mary told me about it last night and I couldn't help myself, I had to try it again this morning. So I've done two loads of laundry, cooked a pot of spaghetti for later, and I've pitted my wits against Text Twist.
I got LINDEN and MENAGE and other words that escape my memory but JARGON stumped me. (And frankly I thought I should get EXTRA points for Menage because that's not even English!)
Really Depressed
I got a letter today from the state of Colorado informing me that my application for food stamps (last September) has been denied. o_0 And that due to my failure to provide requested information I must repay the amount they deposited into my food stamps account ...
There is a suggestion that if I believe that this is an error I can appeal. I'm to file the appeal prior to MARCH 1.
You know, I'd love to raise them a one-fingered salute but I'm afraid if I don't try to figure out how to jump through whatever hoops, I'll be convicted of some kind of fraud. Actually, given the timing of all the rest of this debacle, for all I know I was convicted last week and I can expect them to be informing me of that fact sometime in 2007.
I'm thinking this is another situation for my attorney at PrePaid Legal. By God - THOSE guys are earning their $17 a month.
The countdown until I take the kids to my parents for the summer is proceeding at an alarming rate. I took them shopping yesterday and bought them new sandals. I may be raising ... odd boys ... but I LOVE shopping with my guys. Lately, they are all about what *I* wear. Yesterday, they picked out their sandals and then they were saying - "Here Mom, try on these with the big yellow flower .... ooooooo ... aaaaaaaaah."
Some day they are either going to make their wives very happy or their grandparents very sad.
Tough Call
We have less than two weeks til school is out. I still haven't found affordable daycare for the boys. I didn't feel like I had an option. I called my Mom and asked if the boys can come to Arkansas for the month of June. They'll go to their Dad's for the month of July and then I'll pick them up the first of August.
It didn't take Michael long to realize that we'll be apart on our birthday.
It didn't take me long to realize how quiet it's going to be.
I'd better work a LOT to make it worth the sacrifice of being without my precious boys. .
We'll leave two weeks from today. ~sigh~
I don't feel much like writing.
And I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For ...
Wow, it's been almost an entire week since I've posted a blog. And I'm sitting here yawning and sleepy trying to think of what's the most significant thought in my mind. Some white rabbit of a thought that I can chase down the cyberhole and maybe come up with something worth saying in the end.
But the truth is that I'm tired and having a hard time focusing on writing. I keep thinking that I'm going to get into a rhythm of work and not-work. Build up a bit of endurance so that not-work time isn't all spent in recovery. But so far, I'm not there yet.
Yesterday was not a good day at the restaurant. It was a good day moneywise, I made decent tips. But it wasn't a good day for me personally. I was tired, I made mistakes that I don't usually make, and I wasn't smiling quite as broadly by the end of the day as I did in the beginning. Seriously, I was stressed enough that I had a conversation with my manager about it. Maybe I'm not as ready as I thought to assume a full load ...
She put her arm around me and said that in large part my bad day was her fault because they kept switching the room around. First I'd have this section with these tables, then I'd have that section and I'd have to transfer them off, then they'd move us back ... the whole day I stayed confused about which tables were mine and whether I was neglecting someone or horning in on another server's area.
But the other words she gave me; they're starting to sound like the chorus to the song of my life. "The only thing I'd say I've noticed that you can work on is this thing you have about thinking you have to do it all yourself. Ask for help. We're a team here and when you get busy it's not a bad thing to ask someone else to make your salads or get your set-ups. You do it for the other servers, Terri, and they don't mind doing it for you ..."
Do you ever get to a place where you're just tired of the fact that the whole freaking universe seems to be conspiring to teach you the same lesson? Over and over and over even though you think you're getting it but you still haven't made the grade the way you must before you pass?
18,410
That's the number of steps I took yesterday working the Mother's Day crowd at Mimi's. A good time was had by all (except my feet) and I think it went very smoothly. I'm officially done with my training approximately 2 shifts early. The asst. manager was working up the schedule for tomorrow and there was some discussion of Oh, My God - we have TOO MANY new people who can ONLY have three tables. So I leaned over next to her and said, "I'm ready to move up."
She asked me how many shifts I've had (8) but I've been pitching in as the other servers need a break so I'm regularly serving four or five tables already. I'm good to go. Tomorrow, I get the winery all by my little self. Come on down and ask to have my section. .
I know it's not most people's idea of a dream job, but I really LIKE being a server, and I'm good at it. I used to think that you could tell who were the good servers by how much money that make. That's not true. People really don't tip according to the service they receive, they tip according to their own idea of what constitutes a reasonable tip. I know this because yesterday, I ran my feet off giving incredibly extra over-the-top service to people in an effort to help make their Mother's Day celebration wonderful. I had total sales of about $700 and my gross in tips was $74.
Today, I had far fewer tables, meandered among them giving excellent service because its a Monday and I want to do my part to start their week off well. I had total sales of $260 and my gross in tips was $65.
Same service. I refuse to believe that I was THAT much better today. In fact I don't think I WAS any better today. Number of steps taken today? 5,618. (Yesterday, I worked an 8 hour shift, today I was only there for four.)
In other news . . . Tucker has two more weeks of school, that's all. (Well, Michael as well only has two more weeks but the point is ... ) you'd think that this close to the end of the year, he'd put in a LITTLE more effort trying to get along. But no. Apparently he told a little girl that he wished she would die. So I get the joy and privilege of going to the school tomorrow to have a conversation with the principal. Happy Happy. Two more weeks son, just try to behave yourself for Two More Weeks.
Happy Monday, Ya'll
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