A somewhat desperate and vain attempt to quiet the naysayers in my head
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
End of an Era
I have been waiting tables at CPK for eight years this month. 25% of my life has been spent working for this company. I have no idea where the time went. I started in 1998 and it is now 2006. Working for this company is like having a bad crack habit. No matter how hard you try to quit, it keeps sucking you in. I have had a wonderful time over the years and met some of my best friends through this company. Still, it is time to go.
Some random thoughts that I have regarding CPK.
1. You do not want a half and half pizza. Combining BBQ sauce and Hoison sauce on the same pizza is a recipe for disaster.
2. Does it really matter if you carry straws from your pocket? The beverage trays are so disgusting, I think a clean apron pocket is a much better place to keep them.
3. No we won't split your salad for you. I don't know why we don't, you'll have to ask the two multimillionaires that own the company. They make the rules (and the profits).
4. Yes, your salad has cilantro on it. Yes, your pizza has cilantro on it. Yes, everything that CPK serves has cilantro on it. I don't know why. (Reference #3).
5. We are instructed to give one piece of bread per person at the table plus one extra. CPK is extremely cheap and buys the bread, thus they are trying to keep their costs down. Then again, how much bread can you really consume before eating a pizza? And if you come in at 9:59 PM, then yes, we will likely have run out of free bread. Deal with it people, deal.
6. On that same note, if you enter any restaurant one minute before closing, your food is going to be shitty. Everyone in the restaurant wants to go home and they are pissed you just walked in the door. They have already started cleaning and putting away everything and they're not going to start digging stuff up for your food again. You have been warned.
7. Wine glasses do not get clean in a dishwasher by virtue of their shape. The bartender has to hand wipe each one individually to get rid of the spots and lipstick stains from the previous user. Yes it's nasty and gross, but deal with it people. Life sucks and so does being a server in a restaurant.
8. Keep in mind when tipping that not everything is within your server's control. If you modify your salad horrifically, then don't get angry when everything is wrong. There are several factors in play here. Number one is how much english the person making the salad speaks and how much food spanish your server speaks. The second is how much said food preparer likes said food server. If you have a good relationship with the kitchen, then the food might come out right. If you not, good luck. Also, if the kitchen crashes because too many orders came in at the same time, then be patient and don't dock your server's tip because of it. Tipping should be based on your overall experience, the quality of the food, and your server's attentiveness and attempts to rectify situations if things don't go well.
There are hundreds more things to share, but I shall stop here. I have had a wonderful time working for CPK overall. From San Mateo, California to Paramus, New Jersey, from Schaumburg, Illinois to Phoenix, Arizona, I have worked all over the country and they have always happily accepted me and my crazy work schedule while I was flying. For this and many other things, I thank you CPK. But like any dysfunctional relationship, we all reach a point where it must end. Monday is that day. In a funny way, I will miss the craziness of it all. At the same point, I am definitely ready to hang up my filthy tie and apron.
This week, I am recommending Munich. This film is loosely based upon the Israeli reaction to the terrorist attacks on their Olympians during the 1976 Summer Olympics. That Israel sent Mossad agents after the masterminds of the terrorist plot is not in question, but whether or not there was one team or several is where the line begins to blur between fact and fiction.
Steven Spielberg directed this film and he is the master of the camera. He collaborates on the score with John Williams, producing a score that is haunting and evocative of the grief that surrounds this whole event. Eric Bana gives an excellent portrayal of Avner, the team leader. The script was written by Eric Roth and noted gay playwright Tony Kushner and it does its best to not take sides in the conflict, but rather show that we are all human and that there are no easy answers or solutions. Geoffrey Rush also plays a key role and, in typical Geoffrey Rush fashion, blends into the film like a chameleon. I didn't recognize him until the second time I watched the film and was like, "Oh my gosh, that's Geoffrey Rush!"
This is a very powerful film, but the subject material and the film are pretty heavy stuff. It's not a happy go lucky, feel good movie, but one that you should definitely take in.
On a personal note, it's my parents 45th wedding anniversary tomorrow. Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!
I had a great time visiting with my brother and his family. My sister-in-law and I hit Michigan Avenue on Friday and went crazy. I haven't been shopping in a long time and she had not been there before. We had a fun filled day and hit almost every store there! I finally surrendered (or rather, my feet did) about 8 PM. I lived in Chicago several years back and was a frequent visitor in my airline days. The one thing that I miss is Marshall Field's! I put a nice dent in my seldom used charge account with them, that's for sure. I ended up with two pairs of shoes, a new pair of jeans, several shirts, some new boxers, and some other cool stuff. After we hit the shops, we stopped by Hunter's on the way home for a drink. I first went to Hunter's in 1998 when I was in flight attendant training with United. (That's where my ex-husband and I met.) The bar has been completely redone in the last few years, but it's still recognizable and still has a fun crowd. My drink of choice for the evening was the Washington Apple Martini. I downed a few of those and my sister-in-law people watched with great interest as she nursed her margarita. There was a trashy drag queen in a kilt that was sitting next to us at the bar and letting multiple men feel her up. My sister-in-law was like, "This is great! You have to bring me back here again!" God love her, she's so cute.
Anyhow, we went to Gino's East on Saturday night and had pizza, but it wasn't as good as it used to be. My brother's family all wanted a supreme style pizza, but when you put too many ingredients in deep dish pizza it doesn't cook as well. Still, it reminded me of my Chicago years. We then caught Mission Impossible III which has absolutely no point or plot, but has some cool action scenes. It couldn't have been worse than MI II which John Woo directed and that has to be one of the worst films in history.
I flew out of Oakland on Thursday which is pretty easy to do with public transportation, but I flew back into San Jose tonight which turned out to be a big nightmare. I caught the shuttle to Cal Train only to find out that there are 2 number 10 buses and I took the wrong one, so I missed the 7 PM Cal Train. I ended up on the 8:05 PM train (as there's only one an hour on the weekends), then transferred to BART at Millbrae. I ended up walking in the door close to 10 PM. Yeah, I don't think I'm gonna be flying into San Jose anymore. What a pain in the ass.
On the plane, I was flipping through Vanity Fair and came across a credit card ad which asked some interesting questions. I decided to answer them to pass some time and some of the answers proved harder to come by than I thought they would be. It's likely a MEME on someone's blog, so if you have a blog, consider yourself tagged.
Childhood ambitionphysician
Fondest memory my first airplane flight when i was 12
Soundtrack here with me, dido
Retreat anywhere with a commanding view of the ocean
Wildest Dream helicopter pilot
Proudest Moment the day i walked away from my airline career and believed in myself
Biggest Challenge overcoming procrastination
Alarm Clockpardon?
Perfect Day sleep 'til noon, have a lazy day, meet with friends, watch the sunset together while laughing, then eat some good food
First Job strawberry fields worker, age 13
Indulgence hair and skin care products Last Purchasekenneth cole shoes
Favorite Moviefrida
Inspirationpeople overcoming their upbringings and succeeding in life
My Life is a constant adventure, surprise, and evolution
So I'm taking off for the weekend, heading to Chicago. My brother and his family recently moved to the U.S. from Japan. My brother worked there for over 20 years and it's nice to be able to take a 4 hour flight versus a 12+ hour one to see him.
It's also very interesting to travel these days. After being a flight attendant for 9 years, to go to the airport and get on a plane with an actual seat assignment is something of a novelty. I enjoyed my time as a flight attendant, but I am much happier being home in San Francisco. I get to see more of my friends and can spend more time on things I could never do only being home 3 days a week as a cabin crew member.
So I am looking forward to a fun family weekend, flying away for a few days, and some good deep dish pizza.
Charlie Rose has an interview program on PBS that I watch with great frequency. There's no set to speak of, no commercial breaks, just Charlie and his guests and discussion. He interviews some of the most amazing people in the world. World leaders to artists to scientists to actors to journalists, he interviews them all. Simply watching the program makes me feel intelligent. This man gives a mean interview.
Sadly, Charlie underwent emergency heart surgery in France a month or two ago and he has had different guest hosts sitting in for him since his departure. It has illustrated, all too clearly, that Charlie is a master of his craft. The subsequent programs since his depature have been lackluster and lacking the draw of Charlie's interview style. Even though the guests are still magnificent, there's no Charlie. One gets the feeling that he approaches every interview like a master chef, meticulously preparing and planning every question like a savored ingredient in his perfect interview recipe. Thankfully, he is back in New York and states that he hopes to be back on the air next month.
Hurry back Charlie, Hurry back! And in the meantime, just air repeats.
This past week, I saw an amazing film called Born into Brothels. It took home the Best Documentary honors at the 2005 Academy Awards.
Set in the red light district of Calcutta, the film tells the story of a western photographer who moved to India to capture this little known segment of Indian life on film. As she states in the film, the only way she was going to get photos was to move into the slums with her subjects. Otherwise, she would never gain their trust and get a real view of their lives. As she began spending day after day in the district, she began to notice the children that were everywhere. Being children of prostitutes, they were basically street kids with very little in the way of education or normal lives.
Zana, the photographer, buys some inexpensive cameras and distributes them to the kids. She then starts a weekly photo class where the kids get to see their developed pictures and critique them. The children are intelligent, quick to learn, and become excellent story tellers of the world in which they live. She takes them on short field trips to the local zoo and to the ocean for the first time. Eventually, Zana realizes that the only way to help the children is to get them enrolled in good schools where an education will give them a way out of their certain bleak future. At the same time, she puts together an exhibition of their work in New York which draws rave reviews and critical praise.
This film is powerful on so many levels. The images of India are fascinating, disturbing, uplifting, and beautiful simultaneously. The children are profound well beyond their years and my heart was aching at the end of the film with the hope that some of them will make it out of the slums one day. With a small gesture like a photo class, Zana changes the lives of these children and shows them a way out of their dreary existence. It is nothing short of magnificent.
So I was reading The Advocate (the gay equivalent of Newsweek) tonight on my lunch hour. There's an article by Alec Mapa on the last page entitled Braver than I am. It's a very interesting article and something I give thought to often.
His argument is that it's pretty easy being gay in Los Angeles versus, say, Tulsa. Here's his take on things.
I've traveled around the country speaking at fund-raisers for LGBT causes. In Ohio a local politician told me, "I applaud your bravery. It takes a lot of courage to be who you are." My immediate response was, "Not really." I live in Los Angeles. It doesn't take courage to be gay in Los Angeles. It takes a good personal trainer, stylist, and Zone delivery person, but courage? Hardly. It takes courage to be gay in Williamsburg, Ky., where you can be expelled from college because of a gay MySpace profile. At LGBT fund-raisers in L.A., some reporter invariably asks, "Aren't we over this?" I usually reply, "Wouldn't it be amazing if we were?"
I definitely feel some guilt for living such a comfortable life in San Francisco. Being gay in this city is pretty much a non-issue. Truthfully, that's likely why I love it here so much. People are very friendly, open, and accepting of others. That's not to say that we don't have our share of homophobic people running around town yelling, "Fucking faggots!", but I feel comfortable being openly affectionate in public with men in the Bay Area. When I would fly around the country and layover in smaller cities in conservative states, it could be such a reality check. The one issue that comes to mind immediately is one time when I was in Hong Kong. I had forgotten the name of the local gay bars there and asked the concierge at the hotel. He quickly turned 3 shades of white and said, "Uh, I wouldn't know where those bars are." Undaunted, I countered, "Well, could you ask around the hotel? I'm sure there's someone on staff who would know." to which he replied, "No one here would know that kind of information!" I was very surprised because Hong Kong is very much an East meets West kind of city and this was a 4 star hotel. I fired off a scathing letter to the general manager about the lack of service and poor behavior of his concierge staff. It's funny because in much more macho cities like Buenos Aires or Dallas or Boston as an example, I had never had an issue.
It's definitely more convenient to live in a city where there are a large amount of gay people for dating, socializing, etc. I imagine living in a small rural town would cut down on your dating options. I know the internet has brought community to millions of people, but it's not the same as having places where you're welcome to gather and be who you are. I applaud those of you who have made the choice to stay and be out in your small communities. It's an option I never felt was valid for me, but I admire those of you that have the courage to do it. You inspire the next generation in more ways than you can imagine.
So I hung out with a cute boy on Friday, making out, some heavy petting, nothing too intense. Saturday, I started work at 4 pm. By yesterday, I was feeling like total shit. Sore throat, headache, just blech. I'm taking oscillococcinum which is the best French import since Veuve Clicquot. I'm feeling a little better, but would rather just sleep it off for the next 2 days. I've only got 3 1/2 weeks though 'til I'm off probation and I'd rather die than extend that by a day. So I'm toughing it out. Maybe Posh can give me some inspiration. ;)
My mother was feeling depressed a week or two ago. She's always been a martyr in the Catholic depression era sense and I've tried discussing this with her over the years. She's not having it. If someone won't admit they have a problem, then there's little anyone can do to help them. Well my sisters got on the e-mail frenzy and 25 e-mails later, they're convinced that they know what's best for my mother. So they attempted to send her doctor the e-mails that have been flying around, only to discover that the doctor doesn't have an e-mail address? That was my first real concern of the entire situation. Who the fuck doesn't have an e-mail address in this day and age? So I'm waiting for the e-mails to start flying around again after her appointment today.
My brother and sisters and I, as well as my parents, are a bunch of gypsies. We kids grew up Navy BRATs and moved every few years. I came at the tail end of my dad's military service, but I still did my fair share of moving as an adult. So we are spread from California to New Hampshire and get together once every year or two. (My brother recently moved home to the U.S. after 20 years in Japan.) It's weird when we get together because we're all adults now and everyone feels this need to spend 5 days or so reinforcing the fact that we're a close family when in reality we're not. It's not that I don't love my family, I just hate the whole Brady Bunch charade when we get together. At the same time, my mother insists that we all stay under one roof most of the time. I have 5 siblings, 4 brother- and sister-in-laws, 13 nieces and nephews, and counting. In the words of Victoria Beckham, "You must be outta your mind!" My mom's entire life was her family and now, she lacks any kind of basic interests of her own. One can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. I'm hoping that my mom will choose to get on a decent anti-depressant and start doing something meaningful to her, but I'm not holding my breath.
The weather here in SF today is stunning. Spring is finally here. Cuidate.
This week's movie pick is German. I recently saw it and was enchanted. Mostly Martha tells the story of Martha Klein, an eccentric and talented chef of a fine dining restaurant. She excels at cooking, but that consumes her life and she is obsessive about it to an unhealthy degree.
Unexpectedly, her 8 year old niece comes to live with her. Martha's life is turned completely upside down. She suddenly has no control over things she previously had time to obsess over. At the same time, the owner of the restaurant hires a sous chef to replace one going on maternity leave. Martha does not take to this well. The fact that her new sous chef is open to collaboration irritates her even more. In the end, Martha must either agree to give up some control of her life or loose everything.
Martina Gedeck, in the title role, gives a fine performance. Even though she's a complete control freak, I was a huge fan of Martha's throughout the film. (I'm sure I saw some of myself in her.) Sergio Castellitto is a wonderful balance to Martha's button up character in his role as Mario, the Italian sous chef. He has a sweet and endearing energy that would make anyone want to be around him. Maxime Foerste as Lina gives a credible and heartfelt performance as a young girl who comes to live with her aunt unexpectedly.
There's something about this film that works. There have been many other films along the same story line as this that have felt contrived and not realistic, but Mostly Martha rises above expectations. It's a charming and enjoyable film and I highly recommend it.
So I was out at The Men's Room, a local watering hole, tonight with a friend. Thankfully, they had the finale of Nashville Star on. The winner this year is Chris Young and he is HOT, HOT, HOT! Only 20 years old and from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, he is an amazing performer. At 6 foot 4, he towered over the other 2 competitors and in talent, he towered above them as well. He has the stage presence of a seasoned veteran and seems like a genuinely nice guy. Wynonna and Cowboy Troy were a bit too coddling and goofy (respectively) this season, but the show is a nice alternative to American Idol. One week of the competition, they must perform a song that they have written which I think makes it more of a music competition versus a singing competition. Anyhow, I am looking forward to hearing and seeing a lot more from this young man. The Nashville Star tour is coming to Santa Rosa in September, so get in line ladies and gents.
I love to travel. I was a flight attendant for almost ten years and very much enjoyed it. Post 9/11, everything changed in the industry. 30% pay cuts and the trips got worse and worse. Where one used to have 20 hour layovers in a fun city, you now had 10 hours at an airport hotel. I don't miss the day to day job at all. It's a very difficult job in the sense that you're always having to apologize for something - why there's no food anymore, why the plane is delayed, why the airline smashes in as many seats as possible, why the passengers around you become more Jerry Springer with each passing day. On top of that, you are responsible for implementing policies such as no PDA use, electronic devices off for the first and last ten minutes of flight, etc. It's a boring and monotonous job in that respect. I do miss the friends that I worked with a great deal.
I have been in training with my current job for almost nine months and not allowed to take time off, so I'm feeling a bit caged. Especially since my previous job required me to travel all the time. I am looking into several trips and trying to narrow down where I want to go.
I haven't been to Italy before, so I plan to head over there this fall. Europe has become so pricey with the dollar/euro exchange rate that it was always a bit out of my league in my flight attendant days. I'm also looking at visiting Guadalajara, Mexico in the next few months. That's not too far away and I do like my Mexicanos. ;) I've been wanting to visit South America again too, so that's on the agenda. I miss Bangkok and Hong Kong... The shopping, the architecture. So that's another trip. I haven't ever made it to New Zealand either, so yet another trip. I miss Halifax, Nova Scotia too. I flew there many years ago when I worked for Northwest and always had such a blast there. I suppose I could drive from Maine into Canada for a couple of weeks one summer. That would be amazing, for sure. A friend of mine is getting married Vegas in June too. I hate Vegas, but I could probably catch up with friends for a couple of days while I'm there. I'm not a big gambler and the whole town feels like such a bad commercial for American grandiosity.
I worked all weekend and now have a bunch of stuff to do this week, so I'm just feeling a bit sick of work I suppose. On the plus side, I have 16 work days left until my training period is complete. Almost there, almost there. That's my mantra for now.
On a side note, my friend and her cat Silvestro has been feeling kind of frustrated lately as well. Hang in there Silvy.
