Outrage, anxiety after Providence mayor 'fires' almost 2,000 teachers

It's things like this that make me worry about the future of America's education system. Society is begging the government for education reform, but it's falling upon deaf ears. Teachers are under paid and under appreciated; in many respects no job sector is safe. There was a time that education was considered "recession-proof" and immune for cuts and lay offs.

I graduate in several months, and frankly, terrified about the prospects of landing a job. The districts that are hiring are looking for math and science teachers. The fine arts are being drastically cut, and now one fine arts educator is responsible for teaching nearly 200 students.

The qualifications requirements for teachers are also becoming more demanding, and many districts are hiring teachers with Master's degrees or hiring. It is no longer satisfactory to merely have a Bachelor's degree.

Information about the Providence firings are below.

Outrage, anxiety after Providence mayor 'fires' almost 2,000 teachers

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/02/25/rhode.island.teachers.fired/index.html?hpt=Sbin

Corporate Grind. Part I

“Do you realize that if you choose to proceed any further, I can’t be held morally or legally responsible,” Stacy asked, her shockingly green eyes piercing through him. Walter felt himself shake, and he struggled to keep his tone steady. He’d never been so sure about anything in his life, before this moment. Walter ran his hands over her body, and her skin was electric to his touch.
“Yes,” he said, “I’m ready”.
*
Maybe I should look into Rogaine, Walter Legrange thought. He flattened his hair, combing the thin strains into rows. He adjusted his paisley tie, and frowned. It wouldn’t hurt to try, or maybe a new pair of glasses. Walter examined himself behind his thick frames, bitterly noting that women would never find him handsome. As a tired man of fifty his stomach bulged and flopped over his waistline, and he’d lost his hair years ago. He’d never been married and never had a girlfriend. All around him, people his age were married with children, and now becoming grandparents, while he begrudgingly stayed a perpetual bachelor.
*

The Future Face of Book Stores

So, the face of book stores are changing. As a company that couldn't adapt to the digital books, Borders has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection.

Retailers like Amazon, and Indie book stores are thriving. Maybe this is a change in the times. Have books become moot and pointless. In many respects, I believe that the classics are being replaced with video games and technology. Not to bash technology, I believe our society is relying more upon technology. And companies who can't keep up are left in the dust.


More information on the demise of Borders Group can be found below.
http://tinyurl.com/45g3bju

There is a couple who go to my gym, and I absolutely adore them. They've been married about twenty years, but the catch is that she's deaf. Being born deaf, the couple met in college and he learned sign language for her.

Frankly, that's devotion and love.

Valentine's Day

So, it's Valentine's Day. Today is the day that many people suddenly grow very cynical. Believe me, I understand, but don't think today should be a day worth boycotting.

“Do you want me to tell you something really subversive? Love is everything it's cracked up to be. That's why people are so cynical about it. It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for. And the trouble is, if you don't risk anything, you risk even more.”

A new challenge

My parents are my heroes. They've been an important part of my life since I was a child. As an only child, they've been an influential part of my life.

Today, I had an awesome conversation with my Dad. He asked me why I'd stop writing on Project 365, and I honestly didn't have an answer.

Over the past few weeks I haven't had the motivation to write. I haven't had the motivation to talk.

He reminded me of all the people who've read my writing. He reminded me of my internationally published stories. He reminded me of the people who've read my work from other countries.

He suggested that I write about the beauty of life and the quirks of the human condition.

His peptalk helped renew my spirit. So, I'm going to write. I can't guarantee I'll write everyday, but I'm going to write one day at a time.

Day Fifty-Two: A Whole Lot of Nothing

It's my first Saturday night off in months, and what have I been doing? Laundry. For the past few hours, I've been cleaning, because well, I don't really have the time when I am working. Yep, I'm not at some exclusive club, but doing laundry and watching Grey's Anatomy. Pitiful? Nope. Fantastic? You betcha!
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Although I did work this morning, and upon approaching one of my first tables, I did my standard introduction.

"Hey there guys, welcome to [name of my restaurant], could I get you something to drink?"

The family looked directly at me, making eye contact, and replied...
"Chips and queso".

Umm...I was asking about drinks. I explained this fact, and they slowly blinked some more.

"Oh, why didn't you say that?"

Dear patrons, freaking listen when I'm talking! Chances are, it's in your benefit. I'm not hovering because I want to make a new friend. I'm hovering beceause I just want to know what the hell you want to drink!

Day Fifty-One: The Bartender Still Hates You

It's Friday, which means another installment of "The Bartender Hates You"!

I absolutely hate when people (customers or other servers) eat my cherries, limes, olives, and oranges. I have to cut those oranges and limes by hand. That takes time and effort. The fruit is my garnish station, you know to garnish drinks, not as an appetizer. People will also put their dirty, grubby hands in the cherry container without using tongs. Frankly that's just nasty. People will waddle up to the bar thinking the fruit is free. No, this isn't like a community peanut jar; or that you can leave your discarded cherry stems anywhere. So keep your dirty hands out of my fruit!

Enjoy!

Day Fifty: The Menu Isn't Made of Unicorn Dust

Can I say that I hate people who come in, thinking they're gonna create a brand new menu. The menu is there for a reason. It's to help the kitchen make the food efficiently, and so I don't freaking lose my mind from all of the modifiers.

Example from a few days ago: "I'll have a chicken sandwich, but instead of grilled chicken I want fried chicken. While you're at it, toss the chicken in buffalo sauce. No lettuce or tomato. Grill the onion, and add mushroom. Grill those too."

Of course the kitchen hates me, because its the most modified freaking order, the patron comes to hate me too.

"Where's my food???". Well, if you ordered from the goddamned menu, instead of playing chef your food would be here.

When the food finally did arrive, the patron had the sheer gall to smere that sucker in ranch. Next time, wave your magic wand down to McDonalds.

Day Forty-Nine: Adventures South of the Border

The other day, I had these two hombres come in before closing. I say hombres, because they barely spoke english. I'm not being racist in any regards, but I didn't start getting annoyed until later. They only drank, and the entire time, they stared at me. One might think I was paranoid, and just happened to think they were staring; but then they started talking in Spanish. Loudly. In school, Spanish is my minor, so I could freaking understand everyting. They started talking about what they wanted to do to me.

Deseo tomar su hogar, la doblo encima, y la cojo.

You get the picture. I shot them nasty looks,and they wondered if I could hear them. Yes asshats, I know your language. You know, the language of beauty, not disgusting sex phrases.

Day Forty-Eight: Sign Language? Nope. Cue Cards? Intriguing...

So, the quack loaded me up on steroids, and my voice is finally coming back! No, I'm not gonna become jacked and ripped, but the steroids have been doing some major damage on those damn polyps.

But, it's a good thing that my voice is coming back. My acquatanices were having a field day on behalf of my silence. Coming up behind me and making me jump, but no scream would come out.

Above all, I'll be happy to go back to work. Management didn't know what to do with me. Honestly where do you put a person who can't talk? My solution was to hold little cue cards for the patrons, but that didn't go over too well with management.

Day Forty-Seven: Cart me to a nunnery

So, it's official. I can't talk. According the doctor, I have polyps on my vocal cords from overuse. If they don't go down soon, they're gonna have to be cut out. Ouch. Words can't describe how scary any medical procedures can be.

What makes matters worse is that I'm not supposed to talk unless absolutely necessary. Oh yeah, that should be no problem. Oh wait. I'm a bartender. We're meant to be loud and talk. Super.

This whole ordeal has made work a real bitch. I would try to talk as loud as I could and patrons would be cupping their ears and leaning in hear me.

Cart me off to a nunnery, because I'm taking a vow of silence.

Day Forty-Six: An Explanation

Well, I've been going through some personal issues, and as such, I've been away from a computer. Time away from the computer means that I broke the rules of Project 365. Well, I made it forty-five days straight. No bad, eh? Well, the rules have been broken, I'm going to try again.

Day Forty-Five: The Man Glass

Dear Gentleman,

Don't order a Hurricane or a Cosmo and ask for it in a highball glass. Wanna drink like a sissie, then you're gonna look like a sissie!

I've had the pleasure of having this happen, and I couldn't contain my laughter as I told the gentleman "no", and that he'd have to man up. His girlfriend found it hilarious, and I got a good tip.

Day Forty-four: Grad school jungle

So, I've been in the process of applying to graduate school and I gotta say, it's a mad mad world out there. I've been told a myriad of conflicting things and I'm at my wits end. I'm being told different things by different people. Maybe I'm out of my league.

-Gulp.

Day Forty-Three: Emerson is a genius

"The scholar must be ready for bad weather, poverty, insult, weariness, repute of failure, and many vexations. He must have a great patience, and ride at anchor and vanquish every enemy whom his small arms cannot reach, by the grand resistance of submission, of ceasing to do. He is to know that in the last resort he is not here to work, but to be worked upon. He is to eat insult, drink insult, be clothed and shod in insult until he has learned that this bitter bread and shameful dress is also wholesome and warm, is in short indifferent; is of the same chemistry as praise and fat living; that they also are disgrace and soreness to him who has them. I think much may be said to discourage and dissuade the young scholar from his career. Freely be that said. Dissuade all you can from the lists. Sift the wheat, frighten away the lighter souls. Let us keep only the heavy-armed. Let those come who cannot but come, and who see that there is no choice here, no advantage and no disadvantage compared with other careers. For the great Necessity is our patron, who distributes sun and shade after immutable laws." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Day Forty-Two: Prose

The sharp crackle of the speakers in the old bar had been phased out by the regulars. After night after night of attending the drinking establishment the white noise gets shut out, and copious amounts of liquor can't hurt either.
___________________
“Can you keep a secret? Would you die to keep your mouth shut? I figured as much. Pussy. You know when I was your age, I kept all kinds of secrets. You know, the kind of shit that would get a bitch locked up for murder or fucking treason. I can keep my mouth shut. My shit is like Fort Knox.”

“Really? You won't tell me anything?”

“Fuck no! But I want another pint.”

"..."

Day Forty-One: School Daze

School starts tomorrow for many major universities, and that means it's back to the books. College students across the country are returning to their Red-bull and Chinese Food diets.

We're young.
We're stupid.
We're arrogant.
We're trailblazers.
We're the future.

Time to go back to school. I'm ready to rock this.

Day Forty-Feminism and Reclaiming of the Workplace

I know I have visited this topic before, but I feel that more needs to be said.
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No one has the right to call women in the workplace derogatory and demeaning names. Don't call me sweetie, sugar-tits, sugar-ass, or sweetheart. Women in the workplace have just a right to be there as the men. We can perform (if not better) than the men. When I'm called a demeaning name in the restaurant industry my skin absolutely crawls. It's disgusting and downright insulting.

Women needs to take action in reclaiming the workplace. Men assume that we're complacent taking their demeaning comments. We need to show management that we're not satisfied being a basic grunt worker. We need to take steps to be leaders and change how the workplace is run. Women need to stand up and fight the men who view us a pieces of meat on display. We need to challenge social standards and fight.

I am a daughter, a friend, a writer, a co-worker, a college student but above all, I'm a person.

Day Thirty-Nine: The Bartender Still Hates You

Dear Patrons,

Don't think you have the bartender fooled. Don't think you came up with the awesome idea to trick the bartender.

Asking for a drink with no rocks (ice) does not mean more alcohol! You don't have us fooled.

Thanks!