When your server says it's the kitchen's fault...

I have spent time as a server (which I was horrible at) and I have spent time in the kitchen, including my current employment at Original Joe's.  Something I must stress to you when you eat at a restaurant: when the server blames the kitchen they are trying to cover their own butt.  The modern kitchen system is designed to be error-free for the cooks preparing your food; unless it is rang in wrong by the server, which it often is.  One of my colleagues in the kitchen was furious because their friend informed them of a meal in our restaurant where the server tried to blame it on the kitchen instead of owning up to their mistake.  Let me tell you why it cannot be the kitchen's fault: When an order is entered it is printed on a ticket, not hand-written, and it is easy to read; if you made any special requests for your order it is printed on there as well.  The ticket is inspected by supervisor and directed to the kitchen.  When your food is plated it is double-checked with the ticket before going across the window to the expo to be served.  In the expo it is again inspected according to the ticket and ensured that all details are correct.  Then after all checks it is delivered to you.  I don't know how many times we will get food back in the kitchen and it is qualified with, "the server entered it in wrong", but I know the majority of the time the server blames it on the kitchen to save face.  I mentioned before that I was a horrible server, but one thing I can be proud of as a server is I never threw my kitchen under the bus.  So the next time your server blames the kitchen, don't be so quick to forgive and tip big.

Shame on you Ford

Shame, shame, shame!!!  Next time you hear "Built Ford Tough" you might hear me hysterically laughing somewhere.  I have discovered something that I have always somewhat suspected: Ford vans are not a superior product.  Don't get me wrong, our van has been in many ways a blessing: hauling kids for our jobs as children's worker/youth pastor, hauling equipment for our photography,  or just convenient when we overpack for trips.  I am always quick to encourage my friends that are treading the switch to minivans that they aren't really that bad to drive.  However, I had always heard that when vans go bad, they go really bad; they bleed your bank account out like a slaughtered pig hanging on a hook.  I've always understood that I had to keep this in mind and sell my van before such a time would befall me; which is why I put my van up this spring, hoping to get my money out of it before it took it out of me.  Recently my van began such a decent; it all started with something called the "Transmission torque converter"  This part was a recalled part from Ford and proved to be defective in my own vehicle; Ford agreed to fix it for free and I thought this was great.  However, when in the Ford dealership all sorts of problems arose, like the power-steering rack.  The power-steering rack was no surprise as I have had continous problems with the power-steering since my first winter owning the van, so when the dealership wanted to fix it I thought it was about time I do so.  Figuring that I escaped a major bill with the other problem, I could choke down the cost and get it fixed; ideally leaving me with a like-new van that will run for years.  However,  once everything was back together the transmission no longer shifted smoothly and now Ford wanted to take everything apart and fix the problem; it will only cost $1000 to take it apart and check.  $1000!!! Are you kidding me?!?  These dealerships have no real concept of money; they think everyone should drive new vehicles and upgrade their vehicles every-year, so the idea of dropping $1000 just to check a problem with no guarantees of fixing the problem doesn't seem unreasonable.  If you are someone who has spent the past year as a full-time student or just any regular person, $1000 diagnosis check is ridiculous; so I ceased such a procedure and picked up my van paying for the repairs up to date.  To make things worse my van only seems to lock with the remote, something new which the dealership is not taking responsibility for and blamed it on the guys that towed it to Moose Jaw.  Basically, my hope now is that the van will at least get through the summer while we need two vehicles and then change to a different vehicle. 
I am not shocked by the decline of my van; it is inevitable.  It is frustrating to hear a company boast about how great their product is, but not stand behind their defective piece of crap, and seemingly gouge their customers by running up a bill.  So if you are looking to make a vehicle purchase soon, you should in my opinion not buy a Ford.

The Amazing Brain (As revealed in the world of dreams)

I know many people have said it through the ages, but the human mind is something extraordinary.  I continually have a greater appreciation for what it does.  Lately, I have been fascinated of it through dreams; I don't always sleep well or deep enough to dream, but have been lately and been fascinated by the dreams that have accompanied such sleeps.  The other night in particular struck me in my sleep and after.  I was dreaming about being in the neighborhood I grew-up in, with some people that used to live there as well.  I am not sure what I was doing, but we all had tools and tool belts.  Then in my dream I noticed on one of the others tool belt a remarkable thing:  on their tool belt was a tool I used to use when I worked at the Nursing Home in perfect detail.  All of a sudden, it was like my brain was struck by this as well and thought, "What is that doing there in such detail?"  To explain, most people believe, including myself, that dreams are a collection of your sights, sounds, and thoughts of the previous day or so; usually anything outside of that realm has no detail.  I was in my old neighborhood that day, I had worked with my tool belt and these were in detail in my dream.  I had not seen the people I knew for some time and they were not in detail.  I had not seen or used the tool in some time and yet it was in great detail.  So back to the dream, everything went on pause and the focus shifted to this tool in great detail and an overall sense of how and why in the dream.  I woke-up still amazed that my brain for some reason chose to pull that image out of nowhere in great detail, and then still remembered the dream in great detail.  Dreams are a fascinating thing; I wish I remembered more of them or had some way of recording them.  Should people figure out a way to record dreams it would be phenomenal; TV as we know it would be dead, and perhaps people would be more self-reflective.  My other dream was about my brother and I opening up for the Rolling Stones in some weird castle.

Please Rain

I never thought I would utter such words as, "Please Rain.", but you see it is quite necessary.  Now that I live in Caronport, I have relinquished my house in Birch Hills and in exchange I live in a trailer; a trailer that was built in the 1960's that knows nothing of modern building standards.  This trailer is also situated in the middle of the flat prairie with one meager tree for coverage.  Essentially, considering what I live in and where it is, I live in an Easy-Bake oven; with the usual south-prairie winds it is a convection Easy-Bake oven.  And so while my plea in years past has been for rain to stay-away, to not dampen my events as a youth co-ordinator or a camp program co-ordinator, I welcome rain.  I long for the fresh shower to dampen the ground, and cool the air.  I would gladly endure days of rain, rather than slow-roast at 350 degrees and baste in my sweat.  I am a large Scandanavian man who was not genetically geared to humidity and sticky heat.  I marvel at least in the ability to own an air conditioner which I have set-up in my bedroom.  So while my house is an Easy-Bake, my bedroom has become the walk-in fridge used to preserve my body from spoiling in the heat, and to maintain some comfort to be able to sleep.  How did the pioneers survive?

Another Small Town

Ok, I know I've written this before, but I'm back.  Much has happened in my absence:  Rachelle and I moved to Caronport to return to school, I finally finished my Bachelor's degree, and now Rachelle is going to school across the border in North Dakota while I hold the fort in Caronport (sounds like a t-shirt)  I'm about to embark on a new mini-career as a cook, and still unsure what the future holds for me.  However, I have decided that I wish to write more, so I have jumped back into blogging...all of them, and have included a new one, "CaronBORED".  Hopefully I can provide some interesting thought and not just write to myself.