Don't you know that the dirt's on fire down here

I HATE change. I'm really stubborn, too. However, I recently had to make a change that was actually less painful than I thought it might be.

I'd been doing my wireless phone service with Cingular for a billion and a half years, but I was having serious problems with their service. Every time I would call the local office to bitch about the network being down all weekend, they would pretend that they had no idea what I was talking about. Meanwhile, none of my calls were going out or coming in. My Cingular contract had expired earlier this month, and I knew I would have to get a new phone anyway, so I was faced with a decision. Stay with Cingular because it's easy to maintain the status quo, or make a change. I knew that any change at all would be an improvement. Surely none of the other providers' networks repeatedly go down for entire weekends. However, change is still change, and I don't like it. In the end I decided to go ahead and make the change. At the suggestion of several friends, I went with Verizon. I actually had no idea it would be so easy. I was in the office for about 15 minutes, and I got to keep my old number. The first phone they put me in ended up not working for me, and they happily honored their 15 day return policy, putting me in a much better phone.
Anyway, I made it through the change just fine. So far, I'm happy with my choice.

Speaking of cell phones, does anyone else have Harry Connick Jr. hounding them to sign up for SunCom? I swear he's after me personally. He's on the radio like 40 gozillion times a day, and he's on billboards all over town harassing people in the name of some provider I've never heard of. The funny thing is, I wouldn't consider him to be all that valuable as a "celebrity spokesperson". Maybe I'm out of the loop or something, but didn't he lose his celebrity appeal sometime in about 1993? They might as well use Arsenio Hall or for that matter Anthony Michael Hall or Darryl Hall. They each have about as much star power as Harry Connick Jr.

now playing:

The Shins Chutes Too Narrow.

... and she's eating her fingers like they're just another meal

Since I was a retard and I slept till noon yesterday, I couldn't get tired at the normal getting tired time. So I was up until like infinity o'clock just watching teevee and stuff. I was a little late getting out of bed this morning. Actually, I was a lot almost an hour late. I don't seem to learn about this Tuesday night thing. I have to be up and at 'em on Wednesdays, but I've been having trouble with that. I had full intentions of going to bed early, forgoing a trip to Chapel Hill in favor of bed, but that obviously didn't happen.

I've been watching the first season of Six Feet Under on DVD. I stated watching early in season three, so I thought I should get seasons one and two from Netflix. I really love that show, and now that I have more back story stuff, some things are making a lot more sense. Nate makes a lot more sense to me. Brenda makes more sense to me. Claire makes a little more sense. I can't say that I know Ruth any better, but oddly, I think David makes less sense to me now than before. I still don't know when season five starts, but I'd like to be completely up to date when it does. I'll assume that it starts in June.

In the meantime, however, it'll be March Madness out the wazoo. I'm getting really pumped up now. I know it seems bandwagon-esque, but those of you who know me know that I'm a Heels fan through and through. It's also looking like I should come out tops in one of the pools I entered. No money, but the bragging rights are kinda cool. I don't have any chance in the one at work. There's money on that one, but almost everyone picked an Illinois v UNC final, so I can't possibly make up any ground on anyone.

I'm not really a baseball fan, but there's just a few days 'til opening day, and the fantasy leagues I'm in should keep me occupied until fantasy football (and more importantly, real football) starts. That will, in turn, keep me occupied for a few more weeks until the NHL gets the 2005-2006 season going. I'm thinking they'll get started on time, even if it means they have to use "replacement players".

now playing:

Viva Voce The Heat Can Melt Your Brain

did you give up punk for lent?

Today is the first day I've had off in two weeks. I'm enjoying it. It sure was sunny and pretty today, but I didn't spend much time in the out of doors. Maybe it's time for my to buy a dog. If I had a dog, I'd have been outside all day long. And if a bullfrog had side pockets, he'd carry a handgun, and he wouldn't be afraid of snakes. You all probably think I'm on crack, but I learned that one from Dan Rather. He always cracks me up doing election night coverage. The deeper and deeper he gets into his marathon shift, the more bizarre his commentary gets. He said that last one during the coverage of election 2004.

I went out with Karen again last night. She came to Greensboro this time. We went for dinner, then to see a couple of bands at Gate City Noise. I thought we'd go to Southern Lights because it's nice and not too spendy, plus I can usually eat there in peace without running into fifty billion people that I know. We hadn't been there three minutes when Karen ran into a person she knew, and we were seated right next to my friends Kevin and Jana. So much for that. Dinner was nice, though.

I didn't know anything at all about the bands playing, but they don't have sucky bands there, so I thought it would be worth checking out. The opening band, Viva Voce was really good. They were just a two-piece. I think a married couple. Anyway, during the first song, I thought they were a Helium rip-off band, because the girl was singing a bit like Mary Timony and the guitar was kinda Helium-ish. Later, they started to sound a bit like Butterglory, which made more sense in that they, too are a two-piece. Then, later they played a song that could easily have been a Versus cover. Instead of getting mad at their derivative-ness, I embraced it. I had a really good time.
We killed a little bit of time across the street with a drink (and the use of their restrooms) before seeing a local band, Citified, play for a really short time. I liked them too, but we must have missed some of their set because we only saw them play like three songs.

Anyway, it was a good time overall.

now playing:

Sparklehorse It's a Wonderful Life

... and the four walls, they collide until the blue-eyed girl decides to let me go home

Don't say I didn't warn you.

I said I wouldn't be able to feign indifference forever. I had to give up the ghost last night. I now have March Madness.

We were painfully slow at work last night, so I was able to keep one eye on the NC State v Wisconsin game, one eye on the Duke v Michigan State game, and still work. Although it isn't proper to root against ACC teams, you have to remember the cheer all good Tar Heel fans learn at a young age:

Duke is puke, Wake is fake, but the team I hate is NC State.

I was ecstatic to see Duke go down. In all three of my March Madness pools, I picked this to happen just like that. I had already picked NC State to be done, so my bracket had no bearing on my interest in that game. Just that the team I hate is NC State.
I actually wore my WISCONSIN t-shirt under my work shirt, so I could wear it out after work. This was much to the consternation of many of our regular customers who are Pack fans. "You're not even from Wisconsin! How can you wear that?" I don't really have an explanation of why I own the shirt other than I visited Madison one time and liked the town a lot. Anyway, it was good that State lost, and even better that Duke lost.

I was off early enough to watch the Carolina game in its entirety. I was, admittedly, worried in the first half, but everything turned out just fine.

More later... It's almost time for work.

Now playing:
Hayden Elk-Lake Serenade

did i strike the right set of chords

You know, you hear a lot of people talk about how lazy and stupid Americans are. You hear it from a lot of screaming Democrats who think the cause of stupidity or unemployment is a President who they didn't vote for. In all actuality, the nationwide unemployment rate has corrected itself within two percentage points over the past couple of decades, and according to the US Department of Labor, is exactly where it was 10 years ago, when a President you did vote for was in the White House. The latest release says that unemployment in the US as of February 2005 was 5.4%.
Many of these same angry Democrats talk about moving to the Great White North, where the unemployment rate is on the decline, but is still above 7%. I don't suppose that has anything to do with anything. Except that moving to Canada wouldn't be a better thing in terms of being able to find good work. The job market is slightly more tight.
That's not at all what I wanted to write about, though. I really wanted to write about the French people, but I suppose there is a connection here (albeit a weak one), with those damned Quebeçois. There was an article in the paper today about how France is abolishing its 35 hour work week. Got that? They used to have a national standard of 35 hours for a work week. Compulsory days off, extended holidays, and the like. According to the new outline, workers will be permitted to work as many as 48 hours in a single week. Evidently, this is the maximum allowable in the whole of the EU. In comparison to Koreans, who work an average of 2,390 hours per year, Frenchmen work an average of 1,431. Meanwhile, Americans are working 1,792 hours. Oddly enough, that American figure comes to 35 hours a week, but at least it isn't compulsory here. Seems the froggies were getting tired of a lagging economy and an unemployment rate of more than 10%. Lots of firms were putting new jobs in other countries where productivity (read : profits) would be higher. This move, of course raises the ire of the left leaning French, who perceive this as nothing more than a Capitalist way to exploit workers. It also angered the folks who had become accustomed to having a gravy work week. So the Socialists and the Lazy have been joining forces by marching, protesting, striking and whatnot.

I guess this post isn't very entertaining.
Sorry.

Now playing:

she didn't sign her name, she gave an autograph

I went to Durham last night to have some drinks with a woman who I've just met. I had a really good time, and I got to go to a cool place in Durham. I've always talked about Durham like it was the most awful place on earth, but I'd never really been to anything but the Duke campus and the Carolina Theatre. We met up at this bar called The Federal, which I liked a lot. They had some good beers on draft, they have a good menu (although we didn't eat), and the place has a lot of character. But the thing that did it for me was the music. They had really great music. I later found out that they use an iPod to provide the music, which sort of dispelled my "this place has a kickass jukebox" theory. Nonetheless, it was really good. I knew right away it was okay when I heard the Smiths, the Cure, the Dead Milkmen, Bob Mould and the Pixies. But I really knew that they kicked ass when I heard Bauhaus and The Wedding Present. I know it was a Monday night, and the crowd is always going to be really thin on Monday , but the crowd seemed really cool too. The bar isn't trying to be in your face trendy or super nice or anything like that. It just is what it is: a cozy little indie bar. I'm sad that there isn't a place like this in town. The places with my kind of music don't have good beer, and vise versa. Sometimes you can find a place that has a little of both, but this place had them both in full force. Being with a really cool girl made it cooler, too, I guess. I hope I get to go back there. With her.
Today, I was pretty tired at work, but things went smoothly. For the most part. I'm more than halfway through my string of 13 straight days, and so far I'm pretty much unscathed.
I was kicking ass in the "Two fer Tuesday" game. We always have the classic rock station playing in the kitchen because it's just about the only thing we can all endure without a lot of grousing. They have a twofer on Tuesdays, and we've made a little game out of it. During the first song of the twofer, everyone guesses what the next song will be. A correct guess is worth one point. During the second song, everyone guesses who the next band will be. That's good for two points. Each player has to make a unique guess, so only one player can score per round. Whoever scored the last point gets the honors on the next guess. Usually, it takes about 11 points to win the contest (bragging rights only), but it's not entirely uncommon for someone to score only one point all day. Today, I was off and running with early one pointers for "Why Can't This Be Love" by Van Hagar and "I Drink Alone" by George Thorogood, and a two pointer for Boston. Unfortunately, this was one of the weeks where nobody was really trying to play. It happens that way sometimes. I usually have Tuesdays off, so I was excited about playing, and a little disappointed that nobody else really wanted to play. Oh well.

Now playing:
Modest Mouse Good News for People Who Love Bad News

bloody your hands on a cactus tree...

Tonight was another one of "those nights". We were crazy busy at work, and we ended up running out of a lot of shit that we'll still be out of tomorrow. As much as I would like there to be, there isn't a tuna tree or a steak tree or a french fry tree out back. We're extremely lucky that our produce company delivers on Sunday, but these are not things they can help us with. I say it was one of "those nights" because people were complaining about everything.
We were getting the kind of people who order their steak well done, bitch about the cook time (sorry, but a one pound bone-in NY strip is going to take 20 minutes for well done), and then insist that they didn't order it that way. We were getting people who were complaining about the size and shape of our plates (11", round), that our water wasn't cold enough, etc. One of my favorites in quite some time came tonight. They said that our slaw didn't have any cabbage in it. I'm not sure what they thought it was, but I'm just guessing that they're not used to seeing Napa.

The icing on the cake was this large group that came in towards the end of the night. First, for some of you who may not know, I'll give some pointers.

Don't go out to eat dinner with a group of 16 friends. Certainly not on a Friday or Saturday night. You're not going to be able to be seated with any quickness. Just give it up and split into two or three groups. It won't be the end of the world if you can't all 17 sit together. You're likely to be having at least 8 different conversations anyway. When you put your name on the waiting list, be wary of the fact that the restaurant needs to wait for 5 side by side four-tops to free up in order to seat your party. This is going to take some considerable time. When that moment finally comes, you need to be wary of the fact that the restaurant generally, and your server in particular, is going out of the way to accommodate you. You need to treat your server well, and be as low maintenance as possible. He or she is already running their ass off (for $2.15 an hour) just to get your drinks to the table. Yes, your server may have chosen this as their career, but that doesn't give you and your friends license to be a dick. You should also be aware of the fact that it's tricky for the kitchen to have all 17 of your dishes ready and hot at the same moment. That takes precision timing to ensure that nothing grows cold waiting for other stuff to be ready. And for fuck's sake, when the food is ready and arrives at your table, remember what you ordered. There's no way your server can carry 17 things by him or herself. Other folks are going to be helping out, and they may need to auction the food off.
If you must go to dinner on a Saturday night with 16 friends, please treat your server and the establishment with respect. If the restaurant is packed, don't bitch and moan when you are told that it'll take 2 hours for a table for 17. Think about it. As a favor, be prepared by bringing cash. This will make everyone's life easier. If all 17 of you want separate checks and you're all paying by credit card, be wary of the fact that your server has to take the time (and it does take time) to run 17 cards through. Nothing is instantaneous. When you are paying your tab, remember that your server had to go out of their way to make your experience pleasant. There's a reason that restaurants usually have tables only for 4 or 6. Those are easy to deal with. 17 is not. 10% is not acceptable. 15% is not acceptable in a situation like this. You need to go at least 20%. If you don't like these suggestions, take your group of 17 to the Wendy's drive-thru.

Sorry again for the rant, but we had this 17-top come in at 9:30. The dining room was packed, we had other partied on a wait, but these people were outraged that they couldn't be seated immediately. When they finally did get seated an hour later, they were complete dicks to the server. I don't know what they did for her, gratuity-wise (we don't automatically 20% them the way some places do), but I'm guessing that they didn't do much.

Now playing:
Cowboy Junkies The Caution Horses

...your picture's in the paper being rhythmically admired...

I haven't caught March Madness yet. I don't know what it is. I've filled out my brackets on line, and at work, but I'm just not pumped up about it.
Yesterday, because of a number of circumstances, basketball was the furthest thing from my mind, so I actually forgot about the games. I'm sure there are games on right now, but I'm just not gonna watch. It's exciting as hell, but I don't like getting worked up over the games. I'm also using some sort of reverse psychology on the basketball gods. I'm going to pretend I don't care. That way, my Tar Heels will win. And if they get ousted, I can say "That's alright. I didn't care that much this year". I know I won't be able to not watch forever, but I can at least do it for these first two days of games.

I've always perfunctorally picked the Tar Heels to win the tournament. Except, of course, that year that they didn't make the NCAA. This year, though, I think they actually have a really good chance. If McCants can get back on his "A" game, and the rest of the fellas can play well. They cannot endure poor defensive play, or an injury to Raymond Felton. As long as neither of these things happen, I think they've got a great shot.

My hair is getting extremely long, and I've been talking about cutting it for over a week now. Today's the day.

Now playing:
Grenadine Goya

this never was one of the great romances

Last night was indeed crazy busy, and the rookies were out in full force. From a kitchen standpoint it wasn't that bad. For a Thursday, it was insane, but compared to how it could have been, it wasn't that bad.

I'm just the kitchen manager, but even I was getting the stupid questions.

• No, we don't have green beer. That's a retarded gimmick for fratboys and other jackass-types. We're so busy that you're going to have to wait five minutes for your beer as it is. Asking the barkeep to add food coloring would make everyone's beer take longer. Bring your own food coloring if you're that into it.


• No, we're not having any specials on that Irish stout. We don't even serve Guinness. We craft our own stout right here, and frankly, we think it has a richer flavor than Guinness and our stout doesn't have that metallic taste that Guinness has. Please enjoy one of our stouts, our one of the other six beers we make.


• No, we're not serving corned beef and cabbage. Another gimmick. Do you tell your wife that you love her only on Valentine's Day? Fucking putz. However, you can enjoy a tasty Reuben sandwich. That sauerkraut used to be cabbage. You'll like it better, and you won't get gas as bad.

Sorry again for the hostility. It has nothing to do with any of you, dear readers.

Now playing:
Luna Days of our Nights

ten bucks won't last you a very long way

Yeah, woo.

St. Patrick's Day is upon us. I could pretend to be Irish and have all sorts of pride for the Emerald Isle and celebrate its snake removal expert, but I won't.

I normally have Thursdays off, but this Thursday happens to be St. Patrick's. That means all the rookies come out. We're going to be crazy busy just by virtue of it being a faux holiday, a drinker's holiday, a rookie holiday. A seasoned veteran doesn't need an excuse to drink.

Added to that, we've got an Irish pub across the street. They're having an enormous party that usually brings thousands of people to a building that holds a capacity of 200. This is our first year being their neighbor, and we don't quite know precisely what to expect, but we're surely going to get lots of their overflow crowd.

I expect we will be insanely busy and the crowd will be insanely belligerent.

I'm not having the best of days to begin with, so if I sound cranky, I apologize. Hopefully my next post will have something funny or happy.