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Somedays I wonder why I am still waitressing at the golf course. It's hard to believe I've been there since the middle of August! Granted, I know I want to use the pool and course this summer but more than that I like the fact I can walk in the door and not have to think for a few hours. No work or life stress. You just SMILE, take orders and serve food. And I always walk out in a good mood. Stress release where you get paid? Maybe. Probably. The more I think about it, the more I know the answer is yes.
Last night was extremely refreshing because I just found out one of the waitresses was fired... the white trash one who complained about how hard she had to work... the one that only worked 16.5 - 20 hours a week as it was. The one no else felt sorry for. The that looked like she was dressed for East Siders night at the State Fair - EVERY night. Well, she's gone now, and the whole place is happier.
Cheers to that! And I am sure she can find a new job where she'll get to ask 'do you want fries with that.'
Nothing shows friendship more than neon colored friendship bracelets from the 80s...heck, anything from the 80s is cool. And did you know those bracelets are still around? Yup, you can buy them with tickets from AllPlay and that is what we did Saturday night. They only cost 5 tickets each so needlss to say, we aquired a ton of them. But that was OK because we used them at other bars to meet some very nice gentlemen. It was awesome.
(And no, these aren't any of the men we tried picking up...we're just modeling how 'cool' we are). Now, it's not every day that we make it to AllPlay. In fact, it was my first time there. Can't say I am going to rush to go back, unless its to get more bracelets. But, if you see anyone walking around the streets of Des Moines wearing one of these super hip bracelets, you know that I'm BFF with them :-)
Saturday night was fun. It was great to hang out with everyone. I've been so busy lately that it doesn't happen much anymore and hopefully this summer I'll be able to take a deep breath and do more fun things like this on a more regular basis without a reason...not that Saturday night's last hurrah for Will and Amanda wasn't enough.
I worked at the Club last night and most of the staff is part-time and we all work other full-time jobs....except for one waitress. The UGCC is her only job but since the restaurant is only open T-F from 5 to 9 it is not a full time job. This waitress gets anywhere from 20 to 30 hours a week on average. She is fine with that considering she lives in her sister's basement or with some guy. She didn't have a car until a few weeks ago when she bought an Oldsmobile for $400 or $500 dollars.
Anyways, there were three of us on last night but we had to get set up for a lunch party today so after our tables were gone, we busted a$$ to get everything accomplished. Even before our tables left we were getting stuff ready and the entire while she bitched about how hard she works. WTF!!! No one at the club feels sorry for her. We all work 50 or 60 hours and she maybe gets 30. She has no right to complain.
She went to vaccum. Well, there was nothing to do until she finished so I went back into the kitchen to roll silverware, and the other waiter went to check on the bartender. Then we hear this big boom and we go out there. The long rectangle table she was trying to move herself broke and the legs had been pulled off. The best part was she went on off us for not being there to help (inferring we were lazy or something!). I was pissed but kept my mouth shut. The other waiter didn't and yelled back. She was then all apologetic. Whatever. Get a real job is all I can say and then you can complain.
Ahh, the stories of working with white trash!
Spring is my favorite season. It means winter is finally over and winter is the season I dislike the most. I don't mind hot weather so yeah, some days I wonder what I am doing in Iowa :-) This week has definitely been spring. On Tuesday I had the opportunity to stop at Williamsburg on my way home from Davenport. I got to walk around the outlet mall in the nice sunshine but most importantly, I did my first spring shopping for the year - well a few clearance winter items and a couple good deals along the way.... like my new Coach purse. See photo below. It will be perfect to bring along for my spring vacation to Washington DC.
So, to match the purse, I dug out my favorite pair of flip flops. They, of course, are green too! And luckily I was able to get my toe nails painted so they don't look so bare anymore.
Flip flops are another reason I love spring so much. I hate socks, and I hate winter shoes. I am so tired of socks by now that I am overly excited to not have to wear them anymore. I could go on and on about the reasons I like spring...but I won't but I do hope everyone gets a chance to get outside and enjoy the first few days of the truly springy weather!
Due to weather the February 13 Quiz Bowl was postponed for two weeks. It was a disappointment because I soo wanted it to be over! Our postponed QB went well except we had issues with seeing the screen. It's something to work on for next time. We had 36 tables (though we were suppose to have 40 for the original date). That's the most we've had yet. Our next QB is May 8. For mor einfo go to : www.beaconquizbowl.com .... though not sure when the new info will be posted. (we are looking for somoene to design the new web site). So if you are interested, please let me know!
I like writing the questions...so I thought I'd post a few questions!
1. Name the only Iowa town situated on an island.
2. What element is #2 on the Periodic Table.
3. Name the 2nd tallest building in the USA.
4. On May 2nd of what year did Tennessee Williams win the Pultizer Prize for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
5. What was the score of this year's Super Bowl.
6. What is the maximum speed limit on a gravel road?
7. What is the name of Julia Robert's husband?
Before I post the answers... thought I'd post a pic of the tables from that night.
Answers:
1. Sabula
2 Helium
3. Empire State Bldg
4. 1955
5. 27-23
6. 50 mph
7 Danny Moder
In January I received an email claiming $39 one way tix to Denver so I jumped at the chance to get $114 round trip tix to Colorado for a long weekend in February. I left Thursday nite and came back Tuesday morning and I had the greatest time hanging out with my family.
This is the view from the balcony of my room at my aunt and uncles. Depending on how you look at it... it is good or bad... because I never really got to sleep in much with sun shining in!
The most relaxing part of the weekend was Saturday night my cousin's wife and I went out to eat at a Vietnamese restaurant (the appitizers we got were amazing) and then we went back to my aunt and uncle, who were gone for the evening, and sat in their hot tub and drank beer. Since the house is in the mountains, we had a clear shot of the lights of Denver. Amazing!
Robyn and I also had the pleasure of going up to Breckenridge for the day to shop. Though it was snowing and I really couldn't see much of the mountains, we had a fab time!
Lastly, on Sunday of the trip my aunt and I took Robyn's daughter to the Molly Brown House Museum. It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot about the Unsinkable Molly Brown. She was an amazingly lady for her time and if you ever get the chance to be in Denver, I would highly recommend stopping by and taking the tour!
Brian and I had the chance to go to the Motley Crue/Hinder/Theory of a Deadman concert last night. I am starting to get a cold so I probably didn't have as much energy for the concert as I would have liked...but that is life. The concert was great! We had gotten the 'cheap' seats...up in section 320. But when we got there, we had to exchange tickets and ended up on the floor section - 120 straight across the stage. Yeah!
I've attached some pics....
I really like Hinder. maybe even more than Motley Crue....
They may have been around for a long time...but they could still move and sing.
And lastly, I posted this pic because I liked it. I of course took lots of pics in which only a handful turned out. Most are blurry. Of cousre that is what you are going to get when you can't use your flash. I didn't even realize Wells Fargo wouldn't let you bring in your camera. Which is so funny because most people had them!
Wow - It's hard to believe February is almost gone! It seems just like yesterday I was chugging wine and ringing in the new year! Life has been pretty darn hectic lately - which is good right???? The best part of it being the end of February means I leave in four days for Colorado! I am so excited to spend 5 days with nothing to do. OK, so maybe I'll be bored after the first 24 hours, but hey... its the thought that counts. The other exciting part is we are starting to plan our vacation to DC. Unfortunately that trip isn't until May. But as fast as Jan and Feb have gone, May should be here before I know it!
The last exciting thing I wanted to mention was the Super Bowl. I had another exciting successful SB party. I know it was successful because I felt like crap the whole next morning!!! Unfortunately the wrong teams were in the Super Bowl....
Yup, it should have been the Bears and the Packers and of course the Bears would have won!!!! Of course Jerre would tell you differently. I took some grief for not having my #1 Bears sign on the lawn... my landlord threw it away and I never got around to replacing it. I promise for next year!
And lastly, I thought I would post a couple of my fav pics from that night. I tried taking the 'self portraits' that evening but did not have much luck!
Not even sure I can count that high but I know its my turn (or past my turn) to name 25 things about me. I've been thinking about this one for a while and here is what I came up with!
1. I've never lived outside of Iowa though I am sure I've traveled more than most Iowans...I've lived in six different cities with four of them being in the DM area.Yes, I'm continential! I counted it up...
2. I am addicted to Chapstick and if I was ever a Survivor contestant my comfort item would be Chapstick.
3. I play softball in college for 2 short months, then I hurt my back and had to quit. It was the end of a promising career.
4. I love smut books! For some odd reason I enjoy reading the romance genre. Go figure.
5. The next big vacation I am planning is to Washington DC. Never been there but am looking forward to it.
6. I hate vacations that require relaxation. I want to run around looking at things - touring places - experiencing all I can!
7. My first car was a 1975 Malibu Classic. It was shit brown and had a huge backseat. But boy was it fun!
8. My favorite board game is Scrabble.
9. I was the 1997 Audubon County Fair Queen. and yes, I know what the four H's stand for. Just ask!
10. I have the best friends and family ever.
11. My secret desire to own a big loud truck. A Chevy of course.
12. I hate dogs (except my parent's coon hound) and love cats. meow.
13. I've waitressed for 8 years of my life. Right now I am working at the Urbandale Golf and Country Club... and most days I wonder why I am still there.
14. My favorite band is Foreigner. I went to their concert at the State Fair last summer and it was the best concert EVER. I have the guitar pick to prove it.
15. I hate cleaning. and I mean I HATE cleaning.
16. I was an Iowa fan until junior high. Then along came Fred Hoiberg and I fell in love and became a Cyclone fan soon after that...and have been one ever since.
17. I would love to get my PhD but I priced it out at Drake and it would cost $30,000. I don't have that kind of $$.
18. I want to learn to scuba dive. I tried once but got a sinus infection and had to drop out of the class.
19. I am deathly afraid of mice.
20. Coach purses are my passion. And yes, I can stuff six of them into an already full suitcase. It's a God-given talent!
21. I suck at spelling...I know... not a good trait for being in the marketing/communicaitons arena.
22. Someday I want to visit Boise, Idaho. I know it sounds crazy but its been on my radar for a while now. Heck, I even looked for jobs there when I got laid off but there wasn't anything.
23. I am secretery of a non-profit in Des Moines - the Beacon of Life, which is a women's transitional shelter.
24. I like wine. A LOT.
25. Both of my grandpas were from Templeton...you know home of the famous Templeton Rye.
Tomorrow is a big day for me as the new ICS Web site is launched. I've been workin on this project from day one. It was one of those projects that your boss gives you, with very little guidance, and you go off and figure everything out along the way. Fortunately, we had a great Web designer and so far so good.
I've been working my a$$ off the last few wks trying to get everything ready for tomorrow. And what I mean is 10-14 hour days. I'd sit in front of the laptop at night uploading images, making links etc. But today around 3:30 I finished the site - at least to a point we're it's ready to launch. Granted, there is still lots of "coming soon" posted, but enough were everyone is gonna go wow when its launched tomorrow.
I did three things to celebrate the almost-end of this project. First I bought a plan ticket to Denver for the third week of February. Call it a mini-vaca or whatever you want but I got a roundtrip tix from Omaha to Denver for $114. Plus, I'll not be in Des Moines for 4 whole days! Yeah!!!! What a way to reward myself.
Secondly I am getting my hair cut and colored tomorrow. I've been putting it off for weeks now but with my crazy work schedule and the weather, there just hasn't been time. Best part....the appointment is at 3:30pm so I am leaving early. Sure it doesn't make up for the endless hours I've logged but somehow it makes it feel a hell of lot better.
And lastly I went out to dinner with my old roomie Christina. We hadn't seen either other since before Christmas. Heck, she paid for the meal as it was for my birthday that was what? over 6 weeks go. Oh well. It was a fun way to end the weekend.
