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Sense of Urgency
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Miscellany
- Hits: 2151
We've been trying out a few waiter and waitresses to fill a new vacancy on the team.
Now this restaurant, it needs experienced waiters. People who know what they're doing. But we've tried a few that were experienced and they didn't work out. So we try somebody new. He's Chilean, good looking, young, "experienced" as he tells us.
I go through the drill with him today. I explain the rules, treat him as if he's never done it before. He has, in New Zealand, which is to say he hasn't really.
I explain "Sense of Urgency" and "Walk with a sense of purpose". He nods as if he's understanding, but he's not really.
It's a shame, I rather like him, he's amiable enough.
I explain to him the rule of never leave the kitchen empty handed, and never walk into the kitchen empty handed.
He doesn't understand this. I explain further, he gives up and pretends to understand.
Some people don't get it. They're suited for jobs that pay them a flat rate by the hour. They're innately laid back, nothing stresses them out. They'd be great on construction sites or working for the Union.
Waiters, they're not concerned with their hourly rate of pay, they get paid nothing per hour. They're concerned with getting the job done as quickly as possible and going home. The hourly rate, it's a pittance, it doesn't matter. They're paid (in theory) by the customers for how well and how swiftly they do their job.
The Chilean, he doesn't get it. I explain it to him again, I like him, he's personable enough, bright, and I try to share the "Sense of Urgency" with him, his job depends on it, he still doesn't get it, moseying slowly through the dining room, missing obvious details and service points...
He'd probably work out really well at an Earl's.
Day Off - January 24 - 2010
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Miscellany
- Hits: 2057
Last night, a late night at work, in bed by 2:00 AM.
This morning, up at 7:00. The cat's been scratching at her litter box for an hour, she won't quit, I need to empty it, and when it's done I resolve to stay up. Coffee. More coffee. Check email, enter a few online contests, another win, apparently, 3rd prize, need to call tomorrow and find out what it is....I don't recall having even entered their contest...Shovel sidewalk.
9:00 AM - Call friend for coffee.
Meet for coffee. He's into Deepak Shopra at the moment, it's all making sense, he mimes for me the attitude of perfect mental emptiness I need to manifest my dreams.
I give him a minute or two, ensuring I understand. He's got his eyes screwed shut, holding his hands in front of him, waiting....
I don't need lessons in mental emptiness at the moment. My mind, my head, is a vacuum.
After coffee a ride to the Hillhurst Flea Market, no great treasures today, the periscope, it's vanished, not sure if it's been sold or the dealer's simply forgotten to bring it with him, I don't ask, to ask is to reduce one's bargaining power...
I do find a made in Holland porcelain statue of the beloved virgin for a twoonie, I pick it up, sucker that I am for religious kitsch.
Then home, a sandwich and a nap.
Dreams, erratic, that my rosary collection has been vandalized, someone has stolen the crosses from them, broken jewellry, an old house in Moose Jaw, they, the thief/antique dealer, lives across the street, he agrees to pay for damages only he wants to take back an old round oak table he sold me, he'll pay me $1400, which is OK, wheeling it across the street, an Asian gangster is watching him...
The phone wakes me, tele-web-advice, provided, back to sleep...
...more bizarre dreams...
then up, exhausted, at 5:00, email, work, surf the net, writing, projects, laundry, pay bills online, the ever growing list of countless things to be done in a very limited time....
Now time for laundry, dishes, back to writing, watch the rest of the BBC special on Chaos...
Time passes.
BBC - The Secret Life of Chaos
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Link of the day
- Hits: 1534
A rather excellent documentary by the BBC on the history and science behind chaos. Great music & visuals, and if you're not terribly well read quite informative. Especially intriguing are Turing's illustrations of his theories as they develop.
Blind Date - High Performance Rodeo with Rebecca Northan
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: Theatre
- Hits: 1737
I woke up from my nap exhausted and half-talked myself into not going.
It would be easier to sit about and drink, there's lots to be done in around in the apartment.
But it's a day off, the last practical day off for a couple of months.
And so I dragged my ass out of bed and took a bath, grabbed a bus and found my way to the lunchbox theater. Where I discover that tickets have been sold out.
Now this was discouraging, especially given the enormous mental effort it had cost me to get out of the house.
Still, it's a night off, and I wasn't going to let it slip away as easy as that. So I popped into the Auburn Saloon next door for a drink. At the very least I could watch the people and the pre-show.
A lot of recognizable faces. People you recognize because you see them about at all the OYR and theater events. The community is small. There's the tall, thin guy with the pale face and dark hair and goatee, somehow associated with OYR. There's the dude with the shaved head and two little "wings" of hair left on his otherwise bald pate, it's a look for sure. There's the red headed guy who looks like James Spader a bit, I recognize him as well, but am not sure where. And Rebecca Northan comes in, dressed as Mimi the mime, and does her pre-show meet and greet, it's all pretty good and I'm damned annoyed I couldn't get a ticket.
She comes to the bar where I'm sitting. Now probably I should have brought wine and some flowers but as she has sort of called off "our" date by not holding my ticket and I hum and haw while she politely interrogates us ... "Brooding" she describes me, and I launch into a tirade about the "Grab your ticket at the lunchbox theater" that was posted on their website and I misinterpreted (rather naturally I thought) as "Buy your ticket", and she looks a little taken aback, then asks the older gentleman sitting next to me at the bar if we're together and I have another tirade about how we're dating and she better damned well keep her grasping paws off of him.
She wisely gets distracted by another table sitting near us.
Probably I shouldn't have done that. Certainly I should have had something to eat with my drinks....
The gentleman sitting beside me takes the opportunity to introduce himself. He's quite pleasant, civilized, we chat. I hope I haven't demolished his chance for a date with Mimi. And the customers with tickets line up to go to the play and I go to see if there are any returns at the ticket window. The little toad at the window tells me to wait, and at the last possible moment, when the doors have been closed, invites me up to claim my ticket.
It's my lucky night.
Now the show, I won't give it away. If your curious you can click here for a trailer interview with Mimi. Suffice it to say it's 5 star brilliant. Not the kind of brilliant that leaves you musing about the meaning of life, but a laugh-out-loud, gasp, cheer kinda great. And she does it well, Rebecca Northan, better than well, she's provocative, sexy, flirtatious, audacious, she engages the audience, her date, her date's date...
It's highly amusing. I'd give it 5/5 stars. And it's only in town a few more nights, so if you've a chance, catch it. It's very worthwhile.
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