Why tipping is an art form May 9, 2008

This may anger some people. Especially those that work, or have worked, in the food service industry.  But Please let me say that I have worked for the world famous El Morocco and Dunkin’ Donuts and a HUGE portion of my pay from both of those places was from tips.

I always got good tips… A. Because I never felt like I deserved one, and B. because I worked hard to earn one.

Somehow we have gotten to the point that a tip is expected, and not earned.   I reject that notion… Please note I do tip at every sit down meal.  But if your service sucks your tip sucks.  If it takes you 15 minutes to refill my drink, and when you do you are carrying the glass with your finger inside… (like what happened at this nameless restaurant) then your tip is really going to suck.

We need to reclaim the power of the tip.  bad service = a bad tip (oops try this one),  good service = Good tip.  Back when I waited tables a customer gave me a $45 because I went next door and bought them a $2 bag of pretzels when my restaurant had run out of “bar snacks.”  That tip was just for the pretzels never mind all the drinks and food I brought them during the 3 hours they occupied my booth.  They left happy and I bought a PlayStation with thier tips.

I know, I know, what about problems in the kitchen, or being short staffed, or having to many tables in different sections… I get it.  You can’t control everything.  But Let me know that problems exist.  DO NOT WHINE OR COMPLAIN, just say something like “I am going to put your order in now but the kitchen is a little backed up would you like some rolls or salad?”  or “someone called out tonight so I have a few more tables then normal, I will keep checking in but do not hesitate to grab me or any other waiter.”  Then you do need to work harder to make sure everyone is a least comfortable, drinks are always full, bread or salad to make sure the people aren’t starving, and just simply don’t ignore them… Especially when they look upset.  That is when you turn on the charm and earn your tip.

Some people will just be unpleaseable.  and some will be cheap.  You can’t help that.  Just keep smiling (a lost art in itself) and perhaps the happy customer behind you will be a little more gracious.

 

Billy

Why I will be Smiling all day on Thursday. May 7, 2008

Tomorrow is May 8th.  It is also Erynnes 3rd birthday.

This post will be significantly shorter than this one, only because the back ground story is already out there.

Erynne is simply unique.  She has a fantastic sense of humor, her comedic timing is exceptional for a 3 year old (her favorite line is that’s what she said… I can’t take all the blame for it.  but it is hilarious to hear from a 3 year old little girl).  She never ceases to make me laugh.  Her laugh is infectious, it is a blend of mischievousness, joy, and just pure fun.  Slowly she has com around to loving the Red sox.  Before she used to taunt me and say “I hate the Red sox I love the Yankees.”  Her Favorite player is Hideki Okajima, just ask her to say it next time your together and be ready for a laugh.  She loves playing Mommy almost as much as her big sister.  She Loves her Nana and refuses to eat lunch with me at home when it’s “Nana day.”  I am amazed at how much she is capable of manipulation… It truly is an art.  She is Jedi like with her ability to manipulate people. 

She is still waiting for her hair to “grow up” since Collin cut it last summer.

Erynne is a tough kid.  One of her favorite things to do is pin Emilie down until she cries.  notice the size difference.

Erynne and Emilie have blessed me so much, and in such different ways.  They are like a romantic comedy.  Emilie is a cuddly little love bug and Erynne is a great dose of comic relief.  I love my girls more than they could ever know. 

Happy Birthday Erynne.

Billy

 

I love my wife May 6, 2008

yep it’s true… I love my wife. 

I am not going to pull out some bible verses and tell you all the ways they apply to my wife.  Also I will not be telling you a sappy wove stowy that could onwy be wead by wepwacing aww the R’s and L’s with W’s.  Nor will I be writing a poem about how her beauty is like a million candles on a hill filled with wildflowers, butterflies, and rainbows.

(please note: she is not hold a loli-pop or anything for that matter)

I will tell you that she is one of the single hardest workers I know.  Not only does she work 40 hours a week or more and is the primary bread winner (what an odd term… think about it), but she leads the teachers of the 3-5 year old for our church, as well as all the other motherly responsibilities (kissing scrapped knees, cleaning, not so much cooking but you get the Idea).

(eating a wildebeest at the zoo)

She hates these pictures… And you may say that I am cruel for posting them but I love them.  This is what I see  that others don’t get too.  Everyone has a side that only a few really get to see.  It’s human nature to guard yourself.  That is why I am incredibly lucky that Colleen drops her guard around me, she doesn’t have to pretend, she doesn’t have to put on a show, she is who she is. 

That is what I love about her.

Billy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

(one more why not?)

As Promised May 5, 2008

So as I promised earlier this is the first of a flurry of posts.  I decided to start off with one I had teased in my previous post about a dilemma I am having at work.

The dilemma is this,  Lately I have been given all of the closing shifts (4-8, 1-9, etc).  This of course stinks because my wife gets home around 4:30-5:00pm.  So we don’t get to eat dinner together, I miss out on tucking in my kids, and in general spending quality time as a complete family.  I do get time in the mornings with my girls but not with Colleen.  I have also been given the pleasure of working every Saturday…

I really do love what I do, and the people I work with.  But I love my Family more.  And when I am at work (especially on Saturdays) I am thinking about them and really resenting the fact that I am working.  That isn’t fair to the customers or to my employers.

I don’t want to leave but I can’t keep cheating my family.

So, what do I do?

Billy

Coming tomorrow… I Love my wife (with Pictures).

2 weeks May 5, 2008

So I haven’t written a post in nearly 2 weeks.  Things have been slightly busy but I hope to go on a posting frenzy this week.  Stay tuned and buckle up.

Some possible post topics… (I believe they call this a tease)

Erynne’s Birthday

Horrible service in restaurants

Work dilemma

I Love my wife (with pictures)

hmmm which will be first…

 

update to my last post. April 20, 2008

So in my last post I wrote how my oldest daughter was turning 5 on Friday.  And the many ways that her life has impacted mine. 

Well she turned 5 on friday.  And on Saturday We took her to the Boston Children’s museum.  We took the T into Boston and had a great day… That is until we got to the last room before we left.  We played for a bit then we are greeted with Crying and tears…  Apparently Emilie went down a slide and her shoe stuck on the rubber mat at the bottom and she broke her foot.

We didn’t know that yet so from there I had to carry a 55 pound lump 3 blocks back to the red line 2 stops to the green line and then a 50 min train ride back to our car that was another 45 minutes home.  Now it should be noted that I was not superman in this situation as I did make her walk a little bit of the way because Erynne was also tired and jealous that Emilie was getting carried.. 

So, Colleen brought her to the ER this morning for x-rays ($150.00).  Now she needs to wear that silly blue boot until it can be casted($???.??).

The morale of the story folks… Don’t plan a fun day in the big city with your kids with out being prepared to carry them.

Billy

This Friday at 6:30 am April 15, 2008

As Friday draws closer I stop and think about the last 5 years and how terrifying, life changing, incredible, and fulfilling they were.  And how all together privileged I am.

My journey over the last 5 years really started 6 years ago.  Life then was by no means simpler.  I was dating the women who would be my wife.  I was living at home, During School she lived a mile or so away in a cozy little dorm room.  When summer came she really had no “home”  She lived with friends a mile or so away from her parents house (because she just couldn’t live there anymore).  They all love/loved her but it still wasn’t home.  And she was an hour away from me  

We made it through the summer and the fall then late that winter January to be exact, I bought “the ring.”  Later that same day we would be having dinner with her parents and I decided that I would ask her fathers permission to give his youngest daughter the ring, and take her and start a new family with her.  That wouldn’t happen… As close as I can tell He died roughly 1 hour before I bought the ring.  He wouldn’t be found for another 6 hours. 

Well I decided to tell her sisters and thier husband and girlfriend, what I had planned and they all said go for it.  So I did.  Colleen and I made it through the next few months which were very rocky for her family… come to think of it they are still rocky with her family.

Then the day came when Colleen told me she thought she might be pregnant… and she was… WE were.  We upped our wedding date from June to November.  That brings me to this coming Friday.  April 18th is our first daughters 5th birthday.

I want to pause here because it occurs to me how often in this society young lives in so many homes are wasted.  They are ignored, neglected, abused… physically… mentally… spiritually… emotionally.  They are seen as ugly reminders of a father they will never meet.  They are treated like burdens, and blamed by their own parents for causing them to struggle.  They are even seen like meal tickets by some families.  and in the worst case they aren’t even given a shot at life, thrown in the trash with as much care and love as leftover meat loaf.

This Breaks my heart. 

5 years ago being a father was something I wanted… when I was older.  Not at the age of 22, not as a “nearly wed.”  I knew as a child growing up that I wanted to be a father and have 12 kids… We are done with 2 in case you were wondering.

I WOULD NOT CHANGE A THING ABOUT THESE LAST 5 YEARS!  This last 5 years have shown me real friendship and Love from the people that stood by us and supported us through those crazy times.  It showed us how to rely on God.  We struggled and he lifted us up like a cheesy Josh Groban song.  It taught us the importance of Family.  Whether they are blood or friends that are closer than a brother.  We were shown plenty of examples of Family.  We learned from them and developed our own thing.  I am so thankful for the amazing and less than amazing examples we have had… It gave us hope and a direction, it also showed us what we didn’t want to be.

Most importantly I gained a beautiful daughter.  She brings be so much Joy.  She has taught be how to Love, and be loved.  She is Smart, Funny, Creative, Sensitive, Loving, Caring, Clumsy, and Cuddly.  She shares my love for Music, she makes up songs, dances around like a monkey, and begs me to teach her guitar.  She loves the Red Sox and Jason Varitek, and Hates “those yucky Yankees!”.  She wants to me a mommy someday and she will be great at it.  She loves God and our church family.  She makes deep connections with people and remembers them long after they are gone.  She still reminds me about her times with PaPa(my father who died when she was 2) with amazing accuracy.

She isn’t perfect, she spills, and makes messes, she fights with her sister, and doesn’t always listen.  But I Love her anyway.  And I thank God for her.

This Friday my little girl turns 5… And I am so blessed and humbled by it all.

 

Billy

Cherries April 10, 2008

Yesterday I picked up my youngest Daughter at my brothers house where his wife had kindly taken her in for the day so I could go to work.  When we got home she was asleep so I decided to cook dinner.  I made Chicken Parmesan with Ziti.  The Ziti was from a box the rest I made.  Well except for the sauce cheese and bread crumbs…  It was good. 

After We cleaned up from dinner I decided to take my family out for some ice cream.  now I know the rules when we go out and get ice cream, as soon as my ice cream is sat before me I get the puppy eyes from my girls until I agree to give up my cherry.  They always come prepared with the eyes and I always cave.  I think I even over heard them in the back seat plotting new ways to get the crowning jewel from atop my sundae.  I have kept a running tally in my mind for the past few years of whose turn it is.  (Colleen, Emilie, then Erynne (the order they came into my life).  Last night would have been Emilie’s turn.  I say would have because there was no Cherry on my sundae…  My wife got 2 and I got none….  Perhaps the waitress thought she would eliminate the need for me to hand over the tiny red piece of fruit by just giving to her to start.  But I was a little upset with her presumption.  My wife eventually, begrudgingly handed them over to the to sad puppies on the other side of the table.  So I guess all is well.

But I have to know.  To all you fathers out there.  Do you ever get to eat the cherry again?

Later,

Billy

Frustrating Christians Revisited. April 2, 2008

Ok some of you read this post.  If you didn’t give it a look it is short and, …, well it will help explain this one.

So I found out today that one of our stores managers Hired a girl who said that her favorite bible translation was… (I can’t believe I have to type this.) “Foot prints in the sand!”

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

For those of you that don’t know why that is upsetting let me help you out.  THAT ISN’T EVEN IN THE BIBLE.  I could understand if someone quoted a bible verse perhaps they misunderstood the question.  I probably would put them on the JV team but I wouldn’t cut them.  But I don’t know how you can HIRE someone that doesn’t even know that “foot prints in the sand” is a poem.

Another guy told me today that he has been a christian for 15 years and has never cracked the old testament.  When I tried to tell him the importance of reading and having a working knowledge of it he looked me flat in the eye and said, “no you don’t!  The Holy Spirit teaches me what I need to know!”  When I tried to explain that a lot of the new testament is directly referring to the old testament (prophecy) he told me, “well thanks but if it is between you and the Holy Spirit I will take him.”

Some days I love my job and some days…

Billy

And the Winner is… April 2, 2008

Some of you may now that we did a coffee tasting on Sunday at FC.  I talked about it here.  We were choosing the new official Fellowship Church coffee.  The Coffe comes from 963 coffee  a “fair trade coffee supplier that does a lot of work in the communities of the farmers.  They are a great company and I am excited that we can partner with them.  Well with out further delay I am proud to announce the New Official Fellowship Church Coffee.  And the winner is…

(drum roll please)…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 

“The Triple Tango” is a Latin american blend with a medium roast.

32 votes were cast in our coffee sampling and in a route 21 votes went to the winner.  We will begin brewing this coffee in our cafe’ hopefully on Sunday.  The order was placed yesterday now it is just a matter of roasting and shipping. 

For those interested we will have all of the different coffees for sale at the cafe’ or by clicking the link below. 

963coffee.com

Later,

Billy