I got home from work last night, bundled myself into my Dash-don’t-you-dare-lick-me outfit, and spent some time playing Shaws Monopoly and reading stuff and things on the intertubes. Some of them were awesome, some were thought provoking, others were troll/bless your heart you stupid little millennial magnets, and some actually made me want to comment. Here they are for your reading pleasure.
Continue reading “What we’re reading now – March 2016 edition”
I’m not writing this because I don’t think kids in school don’t work hard enough, because teachers have too much time off, or because I have some other ideas about school/teacher/union reform. I’m writing this because 1) I grew up without a vacation in February and since moving to New England and finding out about it I’ve decided it’s an absurd practice, 2) I work with the public day in and day out and the very worst times of year to deal with people are school vacation weeks, and 3) Climate Change.
If I lost you on that last one, let me go into a little more detail.
Continue reading “It’s time to end February School Vacation week, for good”
To most of us, most of the world even, this week is the festive week between Christmas and the New Year. Most Universities are in Intercession, some non-profits are closed, and many people choose to go on vacation. To those of us who work in education, this is School Vacation Week. To those of us who work in the Service Industry, this is Hell Week.
To those of us who do both, this is a tsunami of bad behavior, worse parenting, and unbelievable entitlement.
Continue reading “School Vacation Week: notes from the front”
December is upon us, we’ve survived Thanksgiving weekend and the Black Friday-Cyber Monday mayhem that ensued. I didn’t hear any stories about people getting trampled to death at Wal-Marts this year, but that just might be because I was working Fri-Sun and not watching the news.
To do my part to keep this month as harmonious and happy as possible, I’ve collected some tips and tricks from my own experience and from various individuals and places around the internet. Read these, learn them, and you’ll find that your shopping, dining, and general interactions with people will go better for the rest of the year and possibly into the next one.
Continue reading “The Holidays and Tips from your Friendly Local Service Industry Professionals”
Dear Carter,
I suspect you know all of this already. You probably know a lot of things I don’t, but I wanted to take a moment to write you anyway. I’ll tell you straight away, I’ve missed you. When you took ill a few months ago we all assumed that you’d bounce right. You were always amazing with your energy and tenacity despite your age.
But you didn’t get better. You got worse. And on Thursday, you died.
I know that there are a lot of people who follow this blog who understand this. I also know that there are a lot of people who follow this blog who might not. I’m asking you to read this post and try to understand before you ask the dreaded Holiday questions of one of us who works in the Service Industry, Retail, is in Food Service, or is a Professional Musician of some type.
Why I Can’t Spend the Holidays With You – A Guide
Continue reading “A Gentle Reminder as We Approach the Holiday Season”
The Books are Taking Over... 