Thought Stew
My new job is an interesting mix of the familiar and the new.
Familiar because it's a diner (actually "THE Diner"), and therefore much like Denny's and Friendly's, the two places where I first learned the fine art of waiting tables.
OK, perhaps not such a fine art at either of those places, but they were both certainly diners.
Then I moved on to "Blockheads" the tex-mex joint with the $3 frozen margaritas. Still, not exactly fine dining. But then again, I always knew that a stuffy restaurant with linen napkins and a matre'd was not exactly my kind of joint.
"The Diner" is a neat place, because it's in the heart of a very popular neighborhood, and has all the comforts of a traditional diner, but while still providing a higher level of service then your average corner greasy spoon.
The other night I learned how to do proper wine service (something I hope I'm not called upon to do that often, as things like that absolutely petrify me for some reason) and I'm currently in the process of memorizing our rather intricate menu (who knew that burgers and fries could be so complicated) as well as our wine list and a bunch of other factoids I'm expected to have a firm grasp on before a mandatory test all waitstaff will be taking next week.
I've been trying to keep up on the writing too ... there's much of it to be done. Not just the bill paying kind, but I'm also trying to push myself more towards the work that needs to be done for some projects I've been working around in my head for some time now.
I find myself once again reaching complacency... workin the jobs ... playin on free nights... and sleeping as much as possible so I can do it all again.
But there's more to life ... at least there's more to mine. I know that there is because I dream about it. I dream about the successes I've had and of the ones I still have ahead of me. But dreaming, contrary to popular belief, is just not enough.
Work. Concentration. Focus. Discipline. These are also key components in realizing your potential. And these are all things that I find myself trying to cultivate internally. It's not enough to just want these things ... I need to make them happen.
My biggest problems was never my ability to dream big ... or even the talent to bring my creations to fruition. Instead, my downfall has always been my inability to stay driven and focused enough to follow through.
I know this ... and therefore it's time to start acting on that knowledge.
It's time to heed those wise words that followed the end of every episode of GI Joe ... "Now you know. And knowing is half the battle!"
Familiar because it's a diner (actually "THE Diner"), and therefore much like Denny's and Friendly's, the two places where I first learned the fine art of waiting tables.
OK, perhaps not such a fine art at either of those places, but they were both certainly diners.
Then I moved on to "Blockheads" the tex-mex joint with the $3 frozen margaritas. Still, not exactly fine dining. But then again, I always knew that a stuffy restaurant with linen napkins and a matre'd was not exactly my kind of joint.
"The Diner" is a neat place, because it's in the heart of a very popular neighborhood, and has all the comforts of a traditional diner, but while still providing a higher level of service then your average corner greasy spoon.
The other night I learned how to do proper wine service (something I hope I'm not called upon to do that often, as things like that absolutely petrify me for some reason) and I'm currently in the process of memorizing our rather intricate menu (who knew that burgers and fries could be so complicated) as well as our wine list and a bunch of other factoids I'm expected to have a firm grasp on before a mandatory test all waitstaff will be taking next week.
I've been trying to keep up on the writing too ... there's much of it to be done. Not just the bill paying kind, but I'm also trying to push myself more towards the work that needs to be done for some projects I've been working around in my head for some time now.
I find myself once again reaching complacency... workin the jobs ... playin on free nights... and sleeping as much as possible so I can do it all again.
But there's more to life ... at least there's more to mine. I know that there is because I dream about it. I dream about the successes I've had and of the ones I still have ahead of me. But dreaming, contrary to popular belief, is just not enough.
Work. Concentration. Focus. Discipline. These are also key components in realizing your potential. And these are all things that I find myself trying to cultivate internally. It's not enough to just want these things ... I need to make them happen.
My biggest problems was never my ability to dream big ... or even the talent to bring my creations to fruition. Instead, my downfall has always been my inability to stay driven and focused enough to follow through.
I know this ... and therefore it's time to start acting on that knowledge.
It's time to heed those wise words that followed the end of every episode of GI Joe ... "Now you know. And knowing is half the battle!"
posted by Kevin at 4:26 PM
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