| Thank you, Veterans. |
[Nov. 10th, 2009|10:02 pm] |
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Wednesday is Veterans Day. Applebees is giving a free meal to all vets and Active Duty military personnel tomorrow. |
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| What the hell??? Crazy dream. |
[Nov. 10th, 2009|08:06 am] |
Remind me never to commit any murders. I dreamed I was in some kind of plot out of a John Hughes road trip/teen movie.
I bought the blanket we used to wrap up the body with at the gift shop of the place we murdered the victim at... using my credit card. I've got the receipt. We realize that this screws all of us, and one of the other guys gets the bright idea of just throwing away the evidence in the garbage can on the way out of the Visitor Center. Except it wasn't a trash can, it was a US Mail box!
I know due to dream logic that the victim wasn't really dead, and that everything worked out using movie logic in the end, but still. |
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| Congrats, Gneech |
[Nov. 9th, 2009|08:10 am] |
On your run of your comic strip, Suburban Jungle. I've read your comic strip since the beginning. 10 years ago, I was still in undergrad. I've watched your characters and your artwork develop over that time, while both you and I experienced a LOT of living.
Your strip has meant a lot to many people. Thank you for ten years (counting hiatii) of stories. Good luck with your future endeavors, whatever they may be. |
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| Sonic Experiment, Week Two |
[Nov. 7th, 2009|11:24 pm] |
I skipped Thursday and Friday nights so I could study for the Ethics Bar.
I made $24.81 in tips on sales of $256 dollars even (255.98 but whose counting). $11.81 of those tips were in the form of coins. This is in line with the tip rate I've been getting, around 8 or 9 percent of sales. I did this in about four and a half hours... or about 1 hour of my day job. I got my first "paycheck" today also. These kids get paid twice a month. I was glad to see that they added an adjustment to bring me up to minimum wage for the hours I worked, so I got a check for 42 bucks and change. It sure as hell ain't much, but it adds up over time, and it's not like I'm doing anything else on a Saturday night.
I wasn't doing anything tonight anyway. |
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| Done with test, MORE loved ones in the hospital... |
[Nov. 7th, 2009|11:55 am] |
Good grief, what is going on???
Ben, my old boss when I worked as an electrician's helper while I was in undergrad at Ole Miss, and who is in many ways like a father/older brother to me, had a planned triple bypass on Wednesday... and an unplanned stroke. He's still unresponsive. FUCK!
He would be tickled to hear that I offered up a prayer to the god in whom I do not believe that he be okay.
In less important news, I took the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam, or "Ethics Bar" as we call it today at the law school. The Jackson State University marching band, the aptly named "Sonic Boom" were having a parade one block over. It was very distracting. On the way home, I stopped at Wendy's for a burger but their computer was down so they couldn't take orders. So I went down the street to Back Yard Burgers where they apparently couldn't find their ass with both hands, and it took them 15 minutes to give me my carryout order (burger, plain w/ mayo mustard and cheese).
But all in all those are minor annoyances. I'm much more concerned about my friend Ben. This is a guy with whom I have bled, sweated, and shed tears. |
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| Update... |
[Nov. 6th, 2009|07:21 pm] |
Jok continues to improve, and is now up to a liquid diet. Apparently she's a train wreck. Still no word on what the problem is. Other than poor diet and lack of exercise of course, and years of smoking.
Tomorrow is the Ethics Bar. Hooray. Have studies for it, am still studying for it... I will go to bed early, dammit. I will pass it this time. I was an idiot for not studying for it last time, but this time I've actually put forth effort.
One more challenge. |
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| Older sister still in hospital... |
[Nov. 4th, 2009|09:29 pm] |
Still no diagnoses, but they're treating her symptoms, which is what you do, I guess. She sounded okay on the phone when I spoke with her.
Took a half day off work today and went to the Law School to study for the Ethics Bar. Today was First Wednesday, a free luncheon we do once a month for alumni of the law school. I sat next to Placement Lady.
Came home, studied some more. Watched the new "V". It's interesting to see a new take on it. It's notable that the people in the show are not "genre blind", they've grown up with alien invasion movies, so there should be some pretty healthy skepticism about these impossibly attractive, impossibly human-looking Visitors.
Back to studying. |
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| update |
[Nov. 3rd, 2009|07:52 pm] |
Older sister not dead yet. No diagnoses or test results, but breathing treatment seems to be working well.
Went after work and had some sushi. At last. |
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| Gah. |
[Nov. 2nd, 2009|11:13 pm] |
Ok, so, first Maverick was in the hospital with viral meningitis. Then Mom got taken to the ER with some kind of blood pressure problem secondary to IBS. Now older sister Jokamo is in the hospital, something about not being able to breathe? Mav and Mom have gone down to H'burg to check on her. I got a call a few minutes ago, Jok's getting a CT scan.
I'm rattling around in the house all alone. Mom even took the DOG with her. What the hell?
I went to derby practice tonight. I wanted sushi, but every place was closed. I still have yet to get any. I could have gone out today and gotten some. BUt I didn't.
I went to the Books A Million and looked for a book on Flash, but found nothing.
I ate a sonic-burger. Couldn't get an employee discount, because it wasn't my store and I hadn't worked THAT DAY. Man, how lame is that.
I hereby pronounce the day OVER. It SUCKED. |
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| Ugh. |
[Nov. 2nd, 2009|08:50 am] |
Did not have a good day yesterday. Bad case of the Sundays. I am taking a Mental Health Day.
I am going back to bed, will sleep till noon, then will go eat some sushi (which I *still* have not managed to get!) and then go to the library and study for the upcoming Ethics test this Saturday. |
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| Sonic Experiment Day Three: I made $14.88 in tips tonight in about 3 hours of carhopping. |
[Oct. 31st, 2009|11:18 pm] |
I spent the first hour sweeping the parking lot, emptying the trash, and carrying the "courtesy tray" (a tray of nakpins, condiments, and mints). Carhops generally do not like doing the courtesy tray because most of our customers treat the drive-in like a drive through. That is, they are either waiting to order, (in which case they don't need anything), have ordered but are waiting for their food (and still don't need anything), or have got their food and LEFT. Only a few people actually stick around to eat in their cars. So most carhops think it's a waste of time to even bother with the courtesy tray.
My PRESENCE there is a waste of my time, technically, so it's fine with me if I waste it skating around with that stupid courtesy tray.
Time was, there were no drive through restaurants. All burger joints were actual restaurants, although of a fast-food variety. Then came the drive-in, which were a big deal in the 50s and 60s. Now all fast food chains have drivethrough windows. Some places, like the Krystals down the road, are nothing BUT a drive through, with no dining room at all. Sonic may be clinging to an archaic business model, or our culture has changed. Or both.
I miss the trays that they would hang on your driver window.
We had a fire tonight. It was hilarious. A bag of food was too near (I'm guessing) a heat lamp and it burst into flame. The young ladies panicked, the other guys carhopping with me burst into laughter, and the manager and to beat the fire out.
We had a couple of trick or treaters come by. The manager gave them toys from our "Wacky Pack" box.
I showed one of the guys how to T-stop. The manager was asking me about the skates. I took a look at the skates they had bought. ATTENTION MAGNOLIA ROLLER VIXENS!!!, someone is ripping Sonic OFF. Seriously. They're paying a hundred dollars for nylon boots that can't be changed, single-action trucks (or even solid-plate Cobras!!!) and these narrow-ass wheels (3/4 or less of my wheel width) that feel like solid rubber. The trucks were tight as hell, also. The manager guy was worried about the way the toestops were being eaten through in a VERY short period of time. Also, the way the toes of the boots were being shredded. I told him that his carhops were not T-stopping, tomohawk stopping, or snowplowing. I had observed them relying solely upon dragging their toestop or the toe of their boot itself to kill their forward velocity. The answer of course is to teach them how to T-stop at the very least, and the skates are junk. And buy toeguards.
Sonic wheels: 85A 62mm x 32mm
My wheels: 93A 62mm x 44mm. (half again as wide and MUCH MUCH harder)
Maybe my roller derby league could offer training, for a price. It would pay for itself in less wear and tear on the gear, and less workers comp claims. |
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| That was better.... (Sonic Experiment Day Two...) |
[Oct. 31st, 2009|10:56 am] |
It was a dark and stormy night.
No, really. It was. Severe thunderstorms and heavy rain. Yet we still skated. But we weren't very busy. I told the general manager that if he needed to send someone home due to his labor costs, to send me home before he sends home one of the kids that actually need the money.
Keeping my ones, fives, tens, and 20s in seperate pockets did help immensely.
Manager Guy wound up sending some of us home early, including me. Not before I had done 86 dollars worth of runs and collected $6.91 in tips during the 2.5 hours I worked. It's 7 more bucks than I would have had.
I go back again tonight from 6 to 10. Today I'm going to get some more studying in for the Ethics Bar, which is next saturday.
Oh! In other news, Placement Lady from the Law School called me. The FBI is looking for some techie lawyers, and I was at the top of her list, and she wanted to know if she could send them my resume. However, I think it's in my best long-term interest to stay with the VA for a good while longer. I'm just now starting to get decent at the parts of my job that I"ve figured out, and it's going to be another couple of years before I'm comfortable and feel really competent. Besides, the private sector possibilities of former VA experience are incredible, compared to FBI experience. When I leave the VA I will be able to represent my countries veterans and assist them in obtaining benefits that they have earned but been wrongly denied due to the mistakes we make every day at the VA. If I left the FBI with experience in computer forensics/prosecution, the only people who would hire me would be a few large wealthy corporations or the contractors who serve them. Hm... represent war heroes or slimy corporations trying to hide their misconduct, which to choose... So I told Placement Lady I was happy at the VA. She commented that a lot of people aren't happy where they're at. "But you seem to find a way to make the best of any situation," she said.
Anyway. Happy Halloween everyone. |
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| UUuugggghhhh..... *dies* or "Sonic Experiment Day One: After Action Report" |
[Oct. 29th, 2009|10:41 pm] |
Right.
Tonight was my first night as a Sonic carhop. In an effort to get better on my skates, make a little more money, and have some fun with the least possible amount of responsibility, I decide to work 4 hours a night a few nights a week as a skating carhop.
Observations:
Credit card customers generally don't tip.
But then again, neither do the cash customers.
People love to pay for two dollar items with twenty dollar bills, requiring a lot of change making.
Separate ones, fives, tens, and twenties into separate pockets of your carhop apron, so that you don't have to fish for the right size bills one handed (the other has the tray) from a wad of money in one pocket.
Losing bills because the wind blows them away sucks, and is embarrassing.
It's even better if you learn this tip at the BEGINNING of your first shift, rather than at the end. (How did I do it when I was a pizza delivery driver all those years ago?)
A carhop does not just take food from the kitchen to vehicles... they also make drinks and desserts. This is fine for small cokes or large sweet teas... but there's also mutant drinks with all sorts of flavor syrups, and several different types of ice cream dessert. Oh, and the ingredients aren't necessarily labeled.
The kitchen doesn't do those becuase they're in the back actually cooking burgers and tater tots and whatnot.
When the wind is blowing, sheperding a tray with several drinks and burgers and lightwieight items like straws and napkins is a real PITA.
There's no room between the car and the marquee, leaving a carhop a very small window to interact with the customer through. And I *like* interacting with people. I can't help but feel like this is not the way things used to be.
At the end of the night you have to feed your money one bill at a time into the drop safe, which counts it. Sheesh! You know those dollar bill acceptors on the drink machinss? Yeah. Imagine running 116 dollars through one.
The floors are GREASY. This is interesting on skates.
Ok, so, how much did I make in tips?
I'm not sure. I dropped some coins when my hand missed my pocket... and some bills blew away in the wind while I was counting out change...
Ok, fine, but what did I TAKE HOME in tips?
Um.... after paying back my starting change called a "50 roll" (50 dollars??? When I delivered for Dominos we had like 15 bucks!) and refilled my coin changer and turned over the $160.70 in sales that I carhopped... I had $1.38 left over.
In change.
Wheeeeeeee!!!
I was so embarassed when I had to report my tips at the end of the shift, I told the manager guy "Ten bucks. Even."
I'm going back tomorrow night, armed with lessons learned. :) |
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| God I hate Ethics. |
[Oct. 25th, 2009|07:25 pm] |
This is like the boringest thing EVER.
There's a REASON I failed it the first time. It was so damn boring that I couldn't concentrate on learning it.
Anyway.
I just finished 70 questions. Missed 13.
Now, as a reward for slogging through that miserable experience, I'm going to treat myself to some sushi. |
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| It is damn near FOUR and I am only NOW getting my day started. |
[Oct. 24th, 2009|03:47 pm] |
Thing is, I TRIED to get things going at 7AM this morning.
I was working on a hot file yesterday, an over one year old claim of a Global War on Terror veteran. I wasn't QUITE able to finish yesterday, there were a couple of issues still to decide. But I knew that half the team was going to be working overtime today for a few hours, so I figured I would slip in, finish up the file so my station could get it off its inventory, and leave. No, I wasn't signed up for overtime, but I figured since I wasn't going to claim overtime it wouldn't be a big deal. Right?
Wrong. My supervisors really appreciated my dedication, but they pointed out that it's technically ILLEGAL (like, not just against policy but actually against federal regulations that have the force of law) to be working on things whilst not in a duty status. And while the file is a hot file, it's not quite so hot that they need to look the other way while I do it today, and not so hot that it can't wait till Monday. So I had to leave a little bit after getting there.
But at least they know I was willing to do it for the Vet and for the station. So there's that at least.
So I came home and took a nap. Then I took big sister home, now that Mom is pretty much over her episode. That was a 3 hour chunk out of my day by itself, driving to Hattiesburg and back.
When I got back, I swung by Sonic, e-signed some forms, and picked up my Sonic Apron, Sonic Polo Shirt (it's blue like the manager was wearing, not flourescent colors like the other carhops were wearing), and a Sonic baseball cap. I promise pictures later.
What, y'all thought I was joking about the carhop thing?
I can skate circles around those kids. They're sharing Sonic-issued skates (lame!) and I think they're single-action trucks, so they're less maneuverable. They're clumsy on their skates, and the only way I ever saw them stop was by dragging their toe stops or grabbing hold of a part of the building. None of them were wearing any protective gear whatsoever.
Right now I'm going to take an Ethics Test. I shall report back my results later. |
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| Whiny post is whiny. |
[Oct. 22nd, 2009|09:21 pm] |
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I am greatly concerned about a large number of friends and family. Illness and issues seem to be falling on everyone around me. |
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| I got the job... |
[Oct. 21st, 2009|09:57 pm] |
Manager: *asks me about roller derby*
Me: *tell him about roller derby*
Manager: "Can you show my carhops how to skate and how to fall?"
Me: "Absolutely."
Manager: *asks me about my work*
Me: *explain explain explain*
Manager: "How did you land that job?"
Me: "They recruited students with my degree at my school."
Manager: "Which was?"
Me: "Mississippi College."
Manager: "In Clinton?"
Me: "Uh... no. Here in Jackson. Yes, it's the law school. I'm an attorney. I was trying to keep that on the down low. When I pass the Professional Responsibility test in November, I can get my license, but I plan on staying with the VA." I explained my career plan to him.
Manager: "Sounds like you've got a pretty good plan. Well, you're not really going to be the same as the rest of the crew, but that's okay I guess. Sounds like you're just doing it for a bit of extra money and some fun. And I could use someone that knows how to skate and can share that knowledge with my crew. And who understands "hustle" in this context. Tell you what, you can work as many or as few hours as you like, and I won't put you on the schedule as my only carhop. Come by Friday and we'll put you in the computer and you can start next week whenever you like."
We talked some more about business strategy. As I thought, the carhop initiative is a move to differentiate the drive in (which is what it is) from a zillion and one drive THROUGH's on the planet.
In other news, Mom is doing better. She's got plenty of color and seems a bit more peppy. I told her that the Internet wishes her well. :) Thanks everyone. |
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| Mom goes to the hospital... |
[Oct. 20th, 2009|05:01 pm] |
Mom turned gray and passed out, blood pressure 80/50, bad stomach pains. Mav was on the way to pick up Mom for a trip out of town, and Mom had called to cancel. Mav came by anyway to check on Mom and founder.
Ambulance called, they said go to the hospital, so off they went.
Phone calls made.
Tests run, diagnosis vas a vagal episode secondary to IBS. BP is on the rise now and Mom is sent home, now comfortably in bed.
I am now adding a new Concern to my List Of Shit To Worry About. Mom's health. I didn't think it was this bad. |
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| I like to skate. |
[Oct. 18th, 2009|07:32 pm] |
Love to, in fact.
Did you know that as a matter of corporate policy, Sonic Drive In is going to require their carhops to wear skates? They're aiming for a minimum of 80 percent skating carhops (but I don't see it happening). I believe it is an attempt to reboot/revamp/differentiate their image. At all times they want a minimum of one skating carhop. This is supposed to happen by November 1, 2009.
There is a Sonic just down the road from me.
As it happens, I need some extra money. Mom's house needs flood insurance, I need to finish paying for the termite prevention, and I would like to move out of here to a home of my own someday, complete with Bat Cave where I could conduct my mad science experiments.
I have decided to apply.
Me: "I can skate, and I can take food from point A to point B with a smile and can calculate change in my head. But I do not do kitchen stuff."
Manager Guy: "That's not a problem. Other than making the drinks, our carhops don't have kitchen duties."
Me: "I have a Monday through Friday 9 to 5 job. Can I just work the evenings and weekends?"
Manager Guy: "Sure, that's not a problem either."0
The pay is about as low as can be expected. Then again, so is the responsibility.
I'm going to try to keep the fact that I'm an attorney on the down low. I'll be vague about my day job and background. I'm just there to skate, have fun, and make a little bit of extra money with little effort.
The pointing and laughing may now begin. |
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