There's a Sur le Table in the ferry building (San Francisco). Occasionally the kids there buy my beans and ALWAYS ask for a discount. I always give them one. mostly to be nice and I figure they can't make much. Well, I asked if they would give me a discount to buy a clay pot. They said they had to check and see if I were in their database! They apparently have a database of "who's who" and if you are rated, you get a discount. If not, no go.

Hey Sur le Table: fuck you very much.

presumably, they ask you for a discount in personal mode, but are not enabled to hand out discounts in the store? especially if they're bottom feeders, as you imply? now, if it was a manager you'd have real cause to be angry.

Ask 'em to walk your dog or something.

I don't blame the workers at all. I think it's a stupid corporation with a butt-ugly logo and they were the ones to fill the gap between Williams Sonoma and and an industrial strength restuarant supply store. They have no particular gift.

Ahh yes. I remember whenthis went into effect (1967/68). It merged the lines (BMT,IND,IRT) and for a couple of days brought NYC to its knees with the ensuing chaos.

Jury duty. In a courthouse where they impounded my cell phone for the day because it has a camera in it.

Also, I'm currently not able to access my work e-mails at home. I wonder if it has to do with the recent upgrade of our e-mail system (Lotus Notes--feh).

Reaching for a bowl for cereal this morning, I brought down one of my favorite "odds and ends" saucers with a crash onto the countertop.

Finally falling asleep easily and on time only to wake up an hour early.

People who think it's neato to put loose confetti and stuff in greeting cards.

Thanks. Very clever. Now would you please vacuum out my car?

the fact that it is 3 degrees out, and i have to leave the house soon.

no, not them

Oh dear. Early start for you then?

You're so my idol.

Tenure must be getting easier to obtain.

I think he's a shoo-in, what with mongomania and all.

you know how it is in the humanities. i'll list it as an experiment in cultural studies and probably win a neh.

Some idiot,moron,jackass in the 631 area code (Long Island) keeps trying to fax to my direct phone line. This has been going on for hours and the fool has tried to do it from at least two different numbers.

Send a fax and tell 'em to stop.

That would be the solution of course, but the phone doesn't store the number--it just pops up on the caller ID for a second or two. And I have been on the phone most of the day so haven't been able to catch it.

plug a fax machine in?

I have a toothache. I think I'd rather have minor surgery than visit the dentist. Besides, I don't have time to go to the dentist.

Thanks, my dentist is a great guy and he's one block from my office. But, you know, he's a dentist. Not my favorite way to pass the time.

I am annoyed that I can't be in two places at once. (and i've seen the movie multiplicity)

For the second time in a month I have had to choose between two work related events that I both wanted to be at and felt that I should be at.

This time I was supposed to go to Chicago for 1 night to attend a company conference on thursday & friday for the project I am working on but then the industry group practice I am interested in working in at my firm is having a dinner event thursday night that I should go to to get to know the folks so they will "pull me in" when projects come up. So I cancelled my trip with my project team in favor of the dinner event.

Ugh. I was going out of town for 1 night and of course they schedule it on that one night. It always seems to happen that way.

Plus there is always company politics...

The overwhelmingly putrid stench of rotting gingko fruit. People who plant these trees in their yards must love the smell of vomit.

But the leaves look so pretty when they turn yellow. They were all over Palo Alto when I was there and it gave certain streets a god awful stink.

People who in the guise of offering advice are actually attempting, subconciously or not, to undermine you. And who go all patronizing when you confront them about it.

They are doing something to the water in my bldg today and told us it would be off from 9 am to 2 pm. No problem I thought. Wrong.

I went to take my shower at 8 am and no water! That really annoyed me. Why bother to give us notice if they aren't going to follow the hours they said they would?

Nothing takes me back to my poverty-stricken student days more than when the hot water is off and I have to wash my hair and shave with water heated in a saucepan. Seems to happen about once a year.

Bad blood test. Triple the dosage of Prednisone. Oh joy won't I be nice to be around.

Wow, everyone's annoyed. And so am I. Here's mine.

Some of you may remember that I accepted a line cook's position at the cafe I currently work at back in August. Then, on my first day, they asked me if I could barista for "a little while." Sure. I'll do that shit. In fact, I'll do it and enjoy it.

For the past few months I have been asking the owner, the chef, the kitchen manager, and the FOH manager to please fit me in for a couple prep cook shifts, just so I don't go insane. I mean, I know I do a great job in FOH, I know I'm The Shit, hell, I enjoy working FOH. Just please, please give me a couple prep shifts . . . or I might have to kill you.

Last week, the owner promises me at least two prep shifts a week starting in January, when I have a month off school. I can do BOH and FOH.

Great! I can't wait!

So later on last week, I come into work and there's a little boy working the line. Just standing there directly in everyone's way--he obviously has no sense of the space his body is taking up. Some 17-year-old kid.

I ask what's up with that and here's my answer: "Oh, he's in culinary school."

Really? Well, I also graduated from culinary school--coincidentally, from the same school this fucking kid is currently in his first semester at. Also, I have experience. Come to find out, he doesn't have any. He doesn't even pick up a bus tub when it's full. He's a princess.

What he does have, however, is a penis.

And what I have this week are serving shifts. Hello? Did they miss the memo? I am not a server. I am a cook.

I'm not asking to be put on the line. I don't want to be a superstar. Don't put me on your brunch shifts. I'm not interested in "rocking the house." Whatever. I'll wash dishes. I'll make your fryer sparkle, because God knows no one else here seems to understand how to do that. I'll swab out your walk-in. I'll cube tofu for seven thousand hours. Just give me a knife right now before I kill you.

But today was the last straw. Today was the chef's day off, but he came in to post the new kitchen schedule. I'm like, "dude, you gotta put me on that there piece of paper before I go crazy."

And he says: "Actually, Nick (the owner) just hired a new girl cook! So she can blaze the trail for you!"



The owner gave MY SHIFTS away to some fucking tourist that works in the bar he drinks in because he likes her and her bar shifts were cut. What the FUCK? If there's going to be a girl cook in that shithole, it's going to be me.

I have proved my loyalty. I have proved that I am a great employee. What the hell is he thinking, to hire outside, and to hire a girl at that, the TOKEN GIRL, and it's not me, after I've paid my dues?

The kitchen manager was furious. And I was so furious that when my shift was over I actually combed the neighborhood bars looking for the owner so I could wrench his beer from his ego-ridden hands and demand an explanation.

When I couldn't find him, I got on the bus and cried.

Now I'm at home wondering why I bother.

I need to get a job in a real restaurant. Fuck this.

This goes beyond annoyance.

You have to find another job.

You can always trust assholes...
to behave like assholes.