Palestine and Israel

Currently, what's going on between Palestinians and Israelis is utter disaster. Is this about land and religion? If that's the case, then EVERYONE owes EVERYONE: The US owes the Native Americans, the Turks owe the Armenians, The Germans owe the Jews, the Jews owe Palestinians, and so on and so forth. So stop. It's NOT my land, it's not yours either. The same clay that you were made from and walk on, is the EXACT same clay that will cover my body and yours one day. Finally, as Katharine Hepburn once said, "If I do good, I should feel good. If I do bad, then I should feel bad. If I cannot tell the difference, then I am sick. That is my religion."

#palestine #israel #gaza #hope #peace #stop #truce #change 

No more moping around.

I walk over two guests, one of them in a wheelchair.   They were both adamant about sitting at the bar and I was more than happy to seat them there.  I asked the young lady in the wheelchair if she wanted me to help her get on a bar stool.  She said, "Yes, please."

As I looked at them from the host stand every now and then, their fun was undoubtedly genuine.  But my soft spot for the young lady only grew when she turned to the bartender and said, "I love this.  This is all I wanted." 

For years, I have ALWAYS had an appreciation for people who have to physically make an effort to go out.  Mainly because they make the most out of their stay.  But today was different.  When I heard the lady mention how happy she was, my appreciation for her grew.  Unfortunately, my disappointment for the people who mope around and complain incessantly about things they have control over also grew.  The people who can get up and effortlessly do things for themselves, are usually the ones first to complain.  And those who have to make the effort, are the ones who make life seem effortless and not worthy of a complaint.  

Isn't life interesting.

The Cheaters

My heart is so heavy today.

My week was already on a rough start and basically doing a mighty fine job of keeping it that way.  To the point where I barely slept for days at a time, tossing and turning, and waking up with chest pains.

Then I come into work and my heart was relieved.  Relieved at the expense of someone else's hardship and pain.  I wasn't sure whether I should feel happy that I was finally relaxed for the first time in over a week, or should I mourn for the person who took away my pain.  The same person who just proved to me that if I had it bad, she had it worse.  And rightfully so.

As I was at the host stand, letting time pass me by, fanning myself with a Happy Hour menu, a young lady in a nurse outfit walks in and asks for "Jill."  Let's call her Jill to help protect her and everyone else too.

I respond to the young lady and say, "I'm so sorry, Jill is gone for the day."  Then she says, "Sarah."  I say, "Yes, Sarah is here.  Let me get her."

The young lady takes Sarah to a corner of the restaurant and begins to cry.  There she was.  Pregnant.  Crying.  Losing control.  Losing control of everything she apparently has tried to build and hold on to.  Crumbling and turning to sand.  I stand there wondering what was going on.  Resting my chin on my hand, staring and waiting.  

My manager interrupts "Sarah" and tells her, "It's down to closers."  So she wraps up her conversation with the young lady, only to continue her story with one of the bartenders.

As Sarah walks to the back of the restaurant, I walk with her.  Intrigued, but concerned.  Hungry for the story, but not happy with the tears I saw earlier.  It's as if I wanted a story to help take away some of my pain.  As if I wanted the world to prove to me that it wasn't just me with problems.  And that's exactly what I got.

That young pregnant woman in the nurse outfit, is the current wife of a former server at that restaurant.  It turns out that he was having an affair with another former server (who was also married with children).  Let's call her Trisha.

Trisha was all about family, faith and saving face.  I can even attest to that.  But there was something dissuading about the incessant reminders about how much she loved her family, husband and children.  Personally, I live by the motto: "If you have to talk about it all the time, then you probably don't have it or live by it."

Anyways, I continue to get more information out of "Sarah."  She tells me that the affair has been going on for a while and the young lady being cheated on, surrendered to the people whom she thought were her enemies (i.e, her husband's coworkers).  She AND Trisha's husband ("Mike") hired a private investigator to help prove that Trisha and the young lady's husband were cheating.

As soon as I begin to reminisce about Shania Twain's story, little did I know that even Shania had a better ending than the young lady.  When Trisha was with her 1st husband, she was cheating on him with Mike (her soon-to-be and current husband).  But at that time, Mike knew very well that Trisha was married.

Thus, finding a faithful couple to help make this story better seemed inevitable.  It seemed that that young lady was standing alone.  And little does Mike know that his last child may not be his.

The more the story unraveled, the calmer I got.  I got calm, but cold.  I eventually sat down, far away from the host stand, thinking about how horrid this story was.  How stressful this story was.  How heavy this story will be.

Here is a pregnant working woman, trying to deal with a soon-to-be broken family.  With no one on her side, but a husband who cheated with a married woman (only to be cheated on now).  Who do you trust and who do disregard?  Who do you forgive and who do you side with?  Who is who?

Freedom and Democracy

"I believe that people have a right to decide their own destinies; people own themselves. I also believe that, in a democracy, government exists because (and only so long as) individual citizens give it a 'temporary license to exist'—in exchange for a promise that it will behave itself. In a democracy, you own the government—it doesn't own you."

-Frank Zappa.

People just don't get it.

It is so interesting how hateful people become right when you give your employer notice that you're leaving.

Some wish you well, some are genuinely hurt and unfortunately for them, some return to their old habits: trying to make your exit awkward.  But what's the point?

For instance, last night, a guest walked in and I greeted her.  Her and I began talking until one of the managers interrupted me and re-greeted the guest.  The phone began to ring and I simply took the phone-call, only knowing that the guest was obviously taken by another individual.

A few minutes later, a female manager walks over and tells me, "Just an FYI, if you're talking to a guest and the phone rings, just let the phone ring...don't ignore the guest."  I said, "Uh, no one ignored anyone.  We were interrupted and I took the phone call.  I was no longer speaking to the guest.  I was rudely interrupted."
She (the same manager), gives me a disappointed look and said, "I figured that's what happened."

Today, I was approached by the Events Coordinator and she said, "I heard about last night."  I said, "What did you hear?"  She said, "[he] said you 'rudely' ignored the guest to take a phone call."  Before I even say what really happened, the events coordinator says, "It's all a lie."

So what is the point.  What is the point in lying and making up fairy-tale stories.  What is the point in re-creating animosity and hatred, when a worker is leaving in less than 4 weeks.  What is the point in causing trouble for a person who has given guests too much than he should have.  You are getting nothing out of it.

This blog is less of a vent and more of a question that asks, "Are people really that petty?"  I guess they are and people like that will never change.  The people who have shown you nothing but love and respect, will always remain that way.  And the people who live for damage, will always be that way, only damaging themselves in the long-run.  It's like a sickness; an ailment that has been suppressed for so long that was forced to come out.  For people like that, I cannot wish you ill nor well either.  

Re: Soldier who helped capture Saddam Hussein, running for Congress.

Good Friday Morning everyone,

Regarding the former soldier who helped capture Saddam Hussein and now running for Congress: It is such a shame and oh so pathetic.  Hailed as a hero for a war that was waged, while there was never a direct threat or fear from them. Forced and pressured wars CREATE terror and terrorists. And look how we idolize and/lionize such people, making them think what they do or did was right. Most people who go to war are middle-class citizens and/or (and I say this kindly), are ignorant, because they equate patriotism with war. The media is to blame because they work with the government, the people are to blame because they believe everything they see or hear on the media and the government is to blame for having no feelings. Do your part and stand up for what's right, NOT because people tell you it is.

Planet Earth

In the midst of all the problems happening in the world, it really isn’t worth it.  People are so busy controlling, killing, taking land, giving it back, making promises, breaking them, doing good and later contradicting it.  What ever happened to basic human relations and respect?  Whether you believe in the afterlife or think there is only one life to live, we will NOT be returning to Earth.  Understand that.  So enjoy and respect one another, and respect Planet Earth, a land that is technically NOT yours or mine.  Because if it was, we would live and die, and take Earth with us.  Instead, Earth takes us under, many times with no warning…just to prove that Planet Earth is powerful and we are the powerless.  So give it respect.