Our festivities, which have become weekly events in the recent months, landed us at KatManDu in Trenton last night for Halloween. Yes, Halloween is on October 31st, but many adults celebrate Halloween the weekend before the actual holiday. That is the very first time I had ever been at KatManDu and I had a total blast being there. People who came out for the night consisted of Laura, James, Gena, Lauren, Jason, Charlie, Pete, Dan, Alicia, Caroline, Dave, Lindsay, Marissa, Jaime, myself and some others that I may have failed to mention.
Oh yeah... Jodie and Laurie, now happily engaged, made a special appearance later in the evening. I loved the devil/Will Ferrell look that Jodie sported for Halloween. Priceless. Congratulations to both of them on their engagement. They are a terrific couple. Great people.
The evening began with Jaime and I ordering some Chicken Quesadillas at the bar. They were delicious; they served as a the perfect absorbant for my alcohol consumption. For Halloween, I was dressed as Napoleon Dynamite and Jaime went as Deb. James and Laura were doctor and nurse. Laurie, Jodie's fiancee, was an angel. We all had a whole lot of fun dancing, drinking, and chatting with each other as we looked around and noticed all of the people wearing their creative costumes - many of them homemade. There was a Martha Stewart, framed in a prison photo shot with her ID number going across her chest. There was also an anchorman crew from the movie "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy."
The dude who was dressed as Ron Burgundy looked more like Brian Fantana than Ron Burgundy. A Frankenstein on stilts was also sighted in the club; he came close to winning the costume contest and I felt as though he should have. Dressed as Napoleon Dynamite, I gathered plenty of attention to myself. Girls came up to me asking me to take pictures with them. A few people took pictures of Jaime and I dressed as Deb and Napoleon. Many of the people in attendance approached me and let me know that they felt I should have won the contest based on the comedic value of my costume. I was touched. LOL. All in all, it was a great time.
I have work at 4pm, so I must prepare for my shift. Hopefully, I have a successful shift. Wish me luck and feel free to comment.
Peace.
I am liking what I am seeing in terms of the internet traffic coming through this website. Everybody is coming here to read about me or check out the latest news and events! There has probably been a greater influx of traffic coming here in the past two months than there was in six months at the other page I had. I love attention and I am truly flattered. There are times when my posts contain something that could benefit you as well, so it is a plus for all of us. Good stuff ladies and gentlemen! Thank you very much. Keep coming, keep reading, and enjoy yourself by all means!
The world news on television can be so dark and depressing. Why watch the news, and learn that an impoverished, strung out, coke-head threw her infant in the garbage (as sad as that is), when you can come here and read something noteworthy about my life??? Granded, I do rant and rave about my job excessively, but I also manage to post some interesting, must-read material about my unpredictable life from time to time. There you have the good and the bad, but the news only gives you negative feed.
While we are on the topic of traffic, what is with the traffic on the Garden State Parkway lately? Does anybody else from Jersey notice the increased traffic we have been having on the Parkway?? Every single time travel on the parkway, whether I am going North or South, I run into traffic delays because of some type of automobile accident. More and more people are getting into car accidents on the roads and it is really an inconvenience to everybody else on the road. People have time constraints; they have to go to work or make serious appointments. Each time some jack ass gets into a car accident, as a result of scratching his ass, picking his nose, taking his eyes off the road to look at the broad in the car next to him, or whatever the case may be, other drivers are forced to wait in at least five mile back ups on the Parkway. This is inclined to happen anywhere on any highway, but it has been happening more often on the G.S.P. lately and it is so irritating because one can not do anything but sit in the traffic and waste time. One can hold the elderly accountable for this traffic dilemma as well. When one is too depleted of one's hearing, eyesight, or any other significant senses, one should no longer be driving on the highway.
Occasionally, there will be a justifiable accident that could not be prevented, in which somebody's car lost traction on a slippery pavement or their breaks gave in (I can totally understand this and I do have sympathy for cases such as this), but not every single car accident is necessarily an accident. Many car accidents result in negligence and inexcusable stupidity. Fortunately, I have been driving for seven years now and I have never been a legitimate automobile accident (cross my fingers and God Bless), but that is because I keep my eyes on the road in front of me (whenever I am not admiring at my handsome face in the rear view mirror at a red light) and I watch where I am going. If I could prevent car accidents for seven years, I think many other people can as well. Those who continuously cause car accidents, ones that they are legally accountable for, should be re-tested for their drivers licenses after a certain amount of collisions or violations. This is something that New Jersey, as well as the rest of the states, should take into account.
This is just heads up for everybody, including myself. Please be careful and keep your eyes on the road, so you are not liable for damages, you do not have to be inconvenienced by the situation, and you are not delaying others from reaching their destinations.
After venting about the meltdown I incurred at work yesterday, I drove down to Howell to meet up with Jaime and go to her job's manager's house to watch a movie with her friends from work. We watched Monster In Law, which is pretty much a girl flick starring Jennifer Lopez, but it certainly had it's comical moments.
Getting back to my job, the fact that one of the managers told me that I did not believe in myself really struck in nerve within me. She lit a furious fire under my ass; that is when I called one of the other managers and told him, "Give me three, if not, four tables on Friday!!! She pissed me off! I am going to show the entire restaurant who one of the best servers truly is!!!!" At times, I try to remain humble, but they awoke a sleeping giant yesterday. The manager who insulted me with that targeted insult was that of a mad scientist, who at that moment, created a monster that is going to be tough to deal with and will not simmer down until my business there is complete.
When I come to work tomorrow, thunder is going to rumble and everybody in the restaurant will witness a God-given spectacle in front of their very mortal eyes. I am heavily heated. I am not even playing around. If they truly feel as though I lack self belief, they are about to see a food and alcohol serving proficiency, on the part of this human buzzsaw, who is going boast about his insurmountable sales, continue to take tables, and refuse to be topped or broken. No more being humble about my success. It's on tomorrow! They created a MONSTER.
I am FUELED. Yesterday afternoon, I was galvanized to demonstrate the gifts and talents of one of God's greatest works and I have been angrily fired up to do just that on Friday. After excelling at this and completing my internship, I am going to rub it in like salt in an open laceration, as I toss this serving position aside to do something that I actually want to do... something that I actually care about! I do not give a damn about a restaurant!!! I care about ME and my well-being. Guests come in and I sell shit. I talk about it, I sell it, I make money, I excell, and I get the hell out! As I stated in the previous post, serving as an intern was really my last resort. I am going to serve, complete this internship, blind anybody watching me with my God-given skills and talents, and take my business else where afterwards.
RED ALERT: HURRICANE BRYAN! Devastating!
I am trying to do this and get out! Serving is not for ever, but I am!
During today's lunch shift at the Olive Garden, I had yet another meltdown in which I lost control of my mental state and totally broke down in a fit of anger and frustration. Many of my fellow employees believed I was weeded (which means, "dealing with too much to handle" in restaurant terminology). The managers assigned me three tables today and I was clearly not ready for it. My experiences today, in my honest belief, go even further than just being frustrated or weeded.
My feeling is that I need to get out the restaurant industry A.S.A.P. before something negative happens. There is no sense in one sticking with a job or position that brings out the irrational side of one's personality and behavior. Insanity has never been, nor will it ever be, a prerequisite for progress and success. I literally blew up at a manager today and started hollering at her. Managers keep telling me that I do not believe in myself and that my lack of confidence is the primary cause of my dilemmas as a server. I disagree with that. I do not lack confidence or self belief. I did not lack either of those when I got a job at the Olive Garden as a server assistant. I firmly believed in myself when I revolutionized bussing and raised the standards for the rest of the server assistants, sending them home with little money because I earning so much of it. I was supremely confident enough to continue my college education through all of the rough times.
One would argue that I am having a difficult time with serving and that is no different than my troubling moments in college. There is a difference between those two scenarios. I liked college from the start; I do not necessarily like serving tables in a restaurant. Afterall, being a server was my last resort for an internship after all of the hotels in the local area failed to give me the necessary time and day. I do not lack confidence. What I do lack is patience and composure. I also have a temper, in addition to an insane alter-ego that occasionally surfaces, whenever I become frustrated from something not resulting in an outcome that is favorable to my interests. As a result of my anger, management cut me and let me go for the rest of the day. In no way, shape, or form was I in any type of stable mentality to continue my duties as a server. I suppose we'll see what happens come Friday (the next day I am scheduled to work).
I pray that I complete this internship before I lose my job as a result of these heated flake outs. If I can keep my head about me for just a little while longer, graduation is just around the corner. Easier said than done. Perhaps the Olive Garden woke up sleeping monster when they granted me this internship opportunity. Telling me I don't believe in myself? That is only going to make matters worse!
NOTE: In my archives, you will notice the additional months/years of blogs, which contain posts that I have transferred over from my Xanga Website. They are ideas, occurrences, and thoughts that I would like to preserve and present here at the Blog of Bryan. Therefore, feel free to read through some of those posts, decipher in your own interpretation what I am saying, and enjoy your own conclusions. Leave a comment if you wish!
Today I made significant progress in cleaning my room and doing laundry. That is always a positive thing. I would like to thoroughly clean and organize my room in an attempt to make it a more comfortable and presentable place to live. Perhaps I can buy some posters to hang up on the wall and put some pictures up there as well. My walls look rather bland, and I am anything but bland, so I am feeling the urge to embellish the look and vibe of my bedroom.
Whenever the rain chooses to take a break from making everyone's lives miserable, I will also begin cleaning the interior of my car. I also have to call the school to get update on the status of my graduation application.
At 4:30, I am heading to work, so it is time for me to prepare my outfit, eat, and get some coffee prior to my shift. Everyone take care and be safe.
Peace.
Laura, Jaime's friend and co-worker from Kohls in Mays Landing, arrived and joined us in the festivities. I drank quite a bit that night. I had a glass of wine, a Yuengling Draft, two Yager bombs, one Irish Car bomb, a Heineken, and a Disaronno Amaretto. Quite a load, but I did not get sick from it whatsoever. I did, however, pass out upon returning to the hotel room. I was tired, spent, and wasted. The makings of a champion. LOL. I had a lot of fun and you need to have fun to relieve yourself of the stresses that come with a work-filled life.
On our way home the next day, Jaime and I grabbed a bite to eat at the Galloway Dinner.
Also worthy of mention, last Friday night, Jaime and I stayed at Jeremy's and Keeley's place for the night. We watched television, had some drinks, and Aaron came over to hang out with us as well. Most importantly, Jeremy and I had yet another rematch in Fight Night Round 2. Jeremy used Muhammad Ali, which I used Kenny Norton. Using my knowledge of boxing coupled with my video game prowess, I dominated Jeremy from start to finish enroute to a 10th round knockout. Judge's scores at the time of the stoppage were 88-80 and 89-79 twice. So sad that I actually remember that. Jeremy is still up on me in the series, but as time goes by I begin to establish my acquaintance with this boxing game as well as the controls and the moves.
In reality, back in the 70's, Ali and Norton actually fought each other three times, with Ali taking two of the three fights. Many fans and experts believe Norton deserved two of the three as he was robbed of victory in one of the two decision losses he suffered. Last Friday night, there was no controversy, no judges decision, no doubts, and no regrets.
It was all in good fun! I still have a ways to catch up in our little series.
Tonight I am scheduled to work from 4pm until close. Last night was not a bad night for me in terms of serving. The guests were pleased with the service I provided for them. After work, I met up with some friends from work at Friday's by the Ledgewood circle. I was also served a complimentary Yuengling Draft by the the bartender. How hot is that?
At this moment, it is time for yours truly to get ready for work. Wish me luck in my pursuit to make sales. Money is key. I at least need to finish this internship and then I can take my business else where outside of the restaurant industry. Take care everyone.
Peace.
The 609 is fine by me baby!
As I walked around the various locations in Atlantic City, I was reminded of some of the fun times I had when I went to school for three years at Stockton. Atlantic City was the same as it has always been; various shows taking place, plenty of visitors gambling their money away in casinos, and people walking around admiring the hotel establishments and living life to the fullest as they emptied their wallets in exchange for some sort of amusement. I have to tell you; it felt great to be back! Your boy definitely did his thing in South Jersey and you are about to read about it.
James celebrated his 23rd birthday in Atlantic City this past weekend, so I had yet another opportunity to party in the magical city I once worked in for the better part of a year. People who were out to celebrate Jame's birthday included Laura, Lauren, Jason, Gena, Ken, Caroline, Pete, Laura (Jaime's friend from work during the college years), Jaime and myself. I may have failed to mention one or two people, but it's early in the morning, know what I mean?
Jaime and I rented a hotel room at the Best Value Inn on White Horse Pike. Our room was ghetto fabulous, but it served its purpose for the short period of time that we were there. We ended up meeting the rest of the group at Resorts. At that time, we took a walk over to the Trump Taj Mahal to grab a bite to eat at the Stage Cafe. Jaime and I chose not to eat anything; we each ordered a glass of Woodbridge White Zinfandel.
After our little dinner at the Stage Cafe, we were all off the casinos to do some gambling. Playing the slot machines, I lost a total of $6, which is not too bad considering the substantial amounts of money that people lose while playing Blackjack and Poker. There was not a single person in the group who won money on Saturday night; everybody lost! Jaime and I did not waste too much time in the casinos gambling; neither did the majority of the people who were out for the birthday celebration. While Caroline and Pete stayed in the casino for a little while longer, the rest of us walked to the Irish Pub to begin the alcohol consumption. The Irish Pub gets my vote as the best bar in the South Jersey area, but The Corner Tavern as well as Pitney Tavern(with the deals that they have for Stockton students) will always be admired for their convenience of being located so close to campus.
More to come at another time. Sleepy-eyed and getting tired of typing so much, heading to bed sounds like the perfect plan.
Take care and stay tuned for Part II of Atlantic City Revisited.
Peace.
by unknown
You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you do not realize is that they are realizing that too and are not really cold or catty or mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.
You look at your job. It is not even close to what you thought you would be doing or maybe you are looking for one and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and are scared.
You miss the comforts of college, of groups, of socializing with the same people on a constant basis. But then you realize that maybe they weren't so great after all.
You are beginning to understand yourself and what you want and do not want. Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging a bit more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and add things to your list of what is acceptable and what is not. You are insecure and then secure. You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.
You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you or you lay in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough to get to know better. You love someone but maybe love someone else too and cannot figure out why you are doing this because you are not a bad person.
One night stands and random hook ups start to look cheap and getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision. You worry about loans and money and the future and making a life for yourself and while wining the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender!
What you may not realize is that everyone reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out.
This little piece makes a great deal of sense and I can relate to most of what is being described. This stage of life is the most difficult for one to leave the past behind and to live in the present. I do still cling on to the college life and what it consists of because I am still fond of that life style. At this moment, I can not help that. I keep going back to my college for visits to see friends and old professors. However, I do think about my place of employment and notice that is not nearly what I envisioned two or three years ago. I want to be "more"; greater than just your ordinary average Joe. I believe I am destined for more. In that sense, my life's current state is comparable to that of The Quarter-Life Crisis.
Tomorrow I am scheduled to work the lunch shift. I am due in at 11:30am. Tomorrow I go to work in hopes of elevating myself to a higher level.
As you can see from last Saturday night, The last couple days have been rather catastrophic, following the enjoyable weekend I had in Hoboken for Jaime's birthday celebration.
My bad luck began on Monday afternoon when I lost my keys! Jaime and I did a thorough search of her house and bedroom looking for my keys. We also called Panera's, where we had lunch that day, asking them if they had found a misplaced set of keys. No such luck. At that time, we decided to check the parking lots of Panera's and Sovereign Bank, where Jaime had taken me earlier so she could make a transaction, but we could not find the keys under any circumstances.
Jaime, who has a basic AAA membership, called AAA to come to my car and open the door so I could get my stuff out of there. Afterwards, we called a locksmith to make a key replacement. Fortunately, one universal key operates my ignition as well as the doors, so I only needed one replacement. Thanks to Jaime and her AAA membership, I paid $125 rather than $175. This past weekend was a fun and exciting weekend that was capped off by total madness and chaos. It can be compared to a delicious homemade-baked cake, fresh from the oven, which is topped with dogshit for icing.
As if that was not enough, I received a message from Mike the G.M. at work, telling me that I was on the schedule for Monday at 4pm. WTF???? After exchanging phone numbers with my certified trainer at Saturday morning's mandatory meeting, she informed me that she was going to call me and tell me when I was going to work as a certified server who had passed training class. She said it would most likely be Tuesday at the earliest. I could live with that. I stayed at Jaime's for the entire weekend, without a single until Monday night at 5:10pm, when the G.M. finally told me that I was supposed to work that night. The manager was not mad at me; he summed it up as a miscommunication and told me to come in the following night (Tuesday) at 4:30pm.
Driving home from Central Jersey, I ran into some God-awful traffic, perhaps the worst traffic I had ever encountered on the highways in my six years of driving. Apparently there was an overturned truck on Rt. 80, which caused a nine car pile up. I was backed up in traffic for at least eight miles. As a result, I was late to work last night. I was so fed up and frustrated that I knew I was not going to be able to server tables. Last night was supposed to be my first day of getting tables, but I declined and suggested that I undergo one more day of training. Sure enough, I still needed practice with the P.O.S. system, so it was a good thing that I chose not to accept my own tables yesterday.
After taking some time to think about the situation as a whole, I take into account that I was frustrated from driving home in traffic and losing my keys the previous day. I am off today and tomorrow, but I am scheduled to work Friday's lunch shift as a server. It will be my first day of getting tables. Either today or tomorrow, I plan on talking to G.M. about my experiences yesterday as well as training last week. He believes I am ready to work on Friday; he felt as though I was ready yesterday. We will talk about it very soon. On Friday, I will give it a try without any frustration or monkeys on my back. Afterall, I need to complete this internship and make some money. My G.M., just as he had planned to do yesterday, is likely going to let me start off with a maximum one or two tables at a time.
Until then, I am using these two days to cool off, relax, and gather myself. I must make sure that I am right for Friday afternoon, or else there will be another disastrous meltdown.
I look forward to returning to Atlantic City this Saturday night for Jame's 23 birthday. This will be the first of three weekends in an upcoming five week period during which I will be hitting up Atlantic City. I love Atlantic City; it has been a while since I have gone there. A conservative amount of gambling and alcohol consumption will be the theme of the evening this Saturday night. Supposedly, we are going to the Borgota to do the gambling and then we're all going to the Irish Pub for the drinking. The cheese fries at Irish Pub are slammin'.
At this time, I want to go to Panera's for lunch. This time, I'll remember to keep my keys in my pocket!
Take care and have a nice day.
Peace.
Jaime's birthday celebration in Hoboken last night was a blast!
Charlie, his friend Erin, Jaime, and I had reserved rooms at The Hilton Garden Inn. That hotel was so difficult for us to access from the highway. We must've gone around in circles for like half an hour. Eventually, one of the people attending the celebration found us at Outback Steakhouse, where we parked and waited, and led us to the entrance of the Hilton Garden Inn. After spending some time in our rooms waiting for everybody to get ready, we took a cab to the street in Hoboken that had all of the bars that we wanted to go to. Our cabdriver was Mexican, barely spoke English, and was speaking on his cellphone for a majority of the ride, so we were thankful that we made it to our destination safely without any problems. So it appears, a number of the stores and hotels in Secaucus/Hoboken area have letters missing or not lit up in the names on their buildings, so they look funny at night time.
CROWNE PLAZA, Hilton Garden Inn, Shoprite, etc.
Many people were out for Jaime's birthday, including Gena, Ken, Laura, James, Alex, Vito, Charlie, Dave, Erin, Bill, Pete, Alicia, and some others who I may have failed to mention. It was great to be back in Hoboken again; going to the Whiskey Bar and Bahama Mama's is always a great time. I met Vito, Alex's boyfriend, for the first time. He never really comes out to hang out with us, but I am glad that he did because he's a cool guy. Our night began at the Whiskey Bar with Vito buying Ken and I each a drink.
At Bahama Mama's, it can be a bit overcrowded in the front by the bar, so we always go to the back behind the dance floor where there is more room. I got really drunk at Bahama Mama's and I do not know why. I really did not have a whole lot to drink last night. Perhaps it was due to the fact that I only had five hours of sleep the previous night and had been up since 8am for the meeting I had at work. I still had a tremendous time with everybody in Hoboken and I look forward to returning really soon. Expect to see some pictures within the next few days.
Today, on our way home from Hoboken, Charlie, Erin, Jaime and I stopped at Baja Fresh, which serves Mexican food, for some lunch. I ate a charbroiled chicken quesadilla, which might have done more harm than good to my already aching stomach (as a result of last night's alcohol consumption). Now I am in the process of recovering from last night. In a few minutes, Jaime and I will be heading to the mall so she can pay her Macy's Bill.
More to come later.
Peace.
I just arrived at the birthday girl's house in Howell. She has received the gift I got for her, which happens to be an AIPTEK 6 megapixel digital camera that includes a taperecorder, MP3 player, and a feature that allows her to record video from DVD's, TV, and VHS. The camera is a really nice camera; she is delighted with the gift that I have provided. All she needs to do now is learn how operate it properly.
Tonight we are off to Hoboken for the birthday festivities. Along with Jaime, it is also Pete's and Alicia's birthday celebration. Hoboken is definitely going to be in the house tonight! We all went to Hoboken last April and it was a terrific experience. Hopefully we hit up The Whiskey Bar, Bahama Mama's, and many of the bars in Hoboken once again tonight.
I LOVE YOU JAIME! HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETIE!
This is a day that will be celebrated to the fullest extent.
Other birthday celebrations upcoming:
James on October 22 (Atlantic City)
Myself, The Great One, AKA The Uncrowned King of Life on November 5 (Atlantic City)
Anna on November 18 (Atlantic City)
Yeah, I will be going to Atlantic a number of times throughout the next four weeks or so. That is a good thing because it has been a while since I have been there. I truly miss the casino and restaurant atmosphere. One works in an area for an extended period of time; that area has a tendency to gradually lose its luster. That is what happened to me, more or less, when I worked at P.F. Chang's in Atlantic City. I was in Atlantic City so often that it seemed to get old. Now, it has been a while since I have been there. I am looking forward to celebrating all of these birthdays (especially mine) in Atlantic City in the coming weeks. Atlantic City is going to be in the house as well and the king looks forward to making his long awaited return. One could say this fall season is starting to get exciting.
For now, it is time for Jaime and I to head to McDonald's for a bite to eat before we all leave for Hoboken.
Take care, be safe, and have a great Saturday night.
Peace.
Throughout this entire week, two things have been rather constant.
Raining and training.
Eight (8) straight days of rain! I think it safe to say that the rain has overstayed its welcome. I am tired of seeing cloudy skies and getting drenched every single time I go outside. This rain definitely needs to stop! Since this past Monday, I have also been in server training. For the most part, I have made sufficient progress with my training. I am learning the ingredients for the appetizers, entrees, and deserts. As I sample each and every one of them in my training classes, I develop a personal foodbite (a small description) that I can suggest, inform, and endorse for the guests when I greet them at their tables. Most of the wines are really good as well. Tonight I did some floor training, as I followed a trainer, greeted guests, made suggestions, and took orders. As a ravishing young man who is charismatic, handsome, personable, and polite (wow, those qualities just happen to be in alphabetically listed!), I looked hot on that floor tonight!
Rain and train boldly describes my life as I knew it this entire week, but the weather is supposed to improve tomorrow. One can only hope that the sun comes out provides us with the brightness we have been thirsting for for almost a week.
Tomorrow morning, I have a mandatory meeting to attend at work at 8am. The meeting should be interesting, as we are going to have a raffle, enjoy some snacks and coffee, and cover some of the new dining and menu standards that will take effect beginning on Monday, October 17. The meeting will last until 10:30; after that I am off for the rest of the day. As a result, I am aloud to wear my regular clothes to the meeting. In addition to that, tomorrow is the ideal day for me to be off from work. Why, do you ask?
Tomorrow is my girlfriend Jaime's birthday!!!
Jaime, all of her friends, and myself will be heading up to Hoboken for the birthday celebrations. Barhopping, drinking, and dancing will be the activities of choice tomorrow. I look to provide Jaime with a fun and exciting birthday celebration. She is definitely going to love the gift that I have for her.
Hoboken, here we come!
That is all I have to say for now. Have a great night, be safe, and I will do the honors of blogging again very soon. Therefore, it is a wise decision for you to return soon. You do not want to miss a beat.
Peace.
Wow! The low price for New Jersey Gas today is $2.39. Gas prices are definitely going back down, which is good news for this Jersian.
Procrastination has the been the name of this big baller's game in the last couple days. Monday marked the first day of my Hospitality Management internship, which I am conducting as a server at the Olive Garden I work at. My internship deals with service, management, and Point of Sale (P.O.S.) systems.
One of my assignments has been to come up with a schpeel that I will be using to greet the guests as well as endorsing special foods and beverages. Such an assignment seems easy enough, but I must make sure my greeting does not sound too cheesy or corny. I also have to memorize the first 22 wines on the wine list as well as all of the premium (regular, super, and ultra) vodkas, rums, gins, scotches, etc. This takes time, but I will accomplish it if I really want to make money and ace this internship. Sitting down to go over the material and look over all of those products is the difficulty that I am having.
Before my ordeal in July, I was trying to land a server position at P.F. Chang's China Bistro. Those plans were altered when management totally overlooked my reliability, work performance, and devotion to their company. They chose not to promote me to server. As I result, I threw a fit and ended up losing my job there because I was no longer happy with the way I was being treated. Everything seemed to go down hill from there for the rest of summer. I would eventually work my way back to where I began on this journey by moving back home and applying for a job at the Olive Garden by my house. Fortunately, I was hired, but I was only hired as a busser/server assistant. For a couple months, from August up until the 2nd week of October, I set a precedent for the bussers by providing exemplary service for the servers as well as the guests. In management's eyes, as well as my co-workers, I stood out amongst the rest of my fellow bussers. Yes folks, I was viewed as The King of the Server Assistants just as I was acknowledged at P.F. Chang's for so long. As a busser, I came, I saw, I conquered. At the same time, I was desperate for an establishment to conduct my internship at and the hotels in the local area were less than courteous to accommodate my needs, so interning as a server at The Olive Garden [while being a last resort] ended up being the immediate solution.
Where did I want to be prior to the summer chaos???
A server at P.F. Chang's China Bistro.
Where am I right now?
I am working as a server at the Olive Garden, which counts towards internship hours that will lead to the completion of my internship. Following this, I am officially graduating from college this December. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, it was a bumpy ride, but here I am as a server, exactly where I belong (where I have belonged for the past five months) at the present time. P.F. Chang's management failed to realize the fact that I should have been a server, but they also have their own distorted definition of the word "communication". As a management team, they also stood alone with the bizzare and false belief that I was incapable of serving guests in a restaurant. According to them, I did not possess the skills or the communciation to be a server. In a monotone way of speaking, they attempted to explain this to me as they looked down at the table we were sitting at (not even looking me in the eyes as they were talking to me).
In the end, I would like to think that I always win one way or another. Afterall, I am The Man.
Speaking of winning, how on earth could I possibly lose by celebrating my girlfriend Jaime's birthday in Hoboken this Saturday night? That should be another memorable occasion. Whiskey Bar and Bahama Mama, here we come! I love Jaime very much and I will make sure that she has the best birthday she can possibly have come Saturday night. She is definitely going to be thrilled with her gift.
Come November 5, I will be having my gigantic birthday bash in Atlantic City, NJ. This is special birthday for yours truly due to the fact that I will have made it a quarter of a century through life. Huge birthday bash for quite a charismatic superstar such as myself.
After she gets out of work at 5:30, Jaime is driving up to spend the night with me. Our plan is to go to the Olive Garden for a nice romantic evening of dining. Not only that, but this week is the last week of the "never ending pasta bowl." I absolutely love that limited time offer and I must go to Olive Garden for dinner with the soulmate before that offer comes to an end this Saturday. I can not wait to see my girl.
As this moment, my focus (along with being concentrated on the love I have for that sweet lady of mine) should be on this internship and the work that I need to do for it. I need to start it at some point, or else I am never going to make it.
That is all for now. Everyone have a good night and always remember to come again.
Peace.
By golly, look at that kind and caring man. While survivors mourn over the loss of their homes, and more unfortunately, the losses of loved ones due to the devastating force of Hurricane Katrina, Bush finds a little time out of busy schedule of doing absolutely nothing [in what remains of New Orleans] to demonstrate his guitar-holding skills for the crowd at hand. I am not exactly sure if he is actually playing it, but he sure has a firm presidential grasp on the instrument [if not our country].
Look at that smile! Such a caring man. He managed to arrive at the scene in three short days.
Friday night was a terrific time that seemed to come and go way too fast. The Osprey Ball is always an exciting occasion, but I admit that it felt rather unusual omy my part going this year as opposed to other years because I am no longer a campus resident. Ray, Melissa, Jack, Mike, Anna, Erik, Colleen, Frank, Jaime, and myself were all present for the 2005 Annual Osprey Ball, which proved to be special a event in its own right.
Throughout the evening, I suddenly began to realize that I just might be growing out of events such as the Osprey Ball. Afterall, most of the people who were going to be there consisted mostly of freshman and sophomore students. After having a beautiful night with friends of mine from school, I reneged on the feelings I had earlier that day, only to discover that I will be returning to the Osprey Ball as long as I have friends who are still attending Stockton as students and are going to Osprey Ball in October.
As soon as Jaime arrived at Stockton, we proceeded to pay for a hotel room at the Best Western on White Horse Pike. We picked up some food from McDonalds and brought it to the room so we could eat prior to getting ready for the ball. Before heading back to the campus, we stopped by The Corner Tavern to pick up some alcohol, which we planned to sneak into the dance. As it turned out, we purchased a bottle of 99 Bananas as well as a bottle of water. We emptied the water bottle and filled it with the 99 Bananas so we would be able to carry it around on the dance floor.
While walking around at the ball, Jaime and I ran into familiar faces from the past such as Steve (who is now a complex director at Stockton), Junior (who is now passing Quantitative Business Methods), and Sara (one of Jaime's roommates from her last semester at Stockton). Good times. I must also confirm that Jack danced with ten girls. I am proud and happy for him!
After the dance was over at 12:01, we all headed to the Galloway Diner for a bite to eat. It wasn't just our select group of people who made the decision to go the Galloway Diner; literally half of the people who attended the dance went there as well! One could say that was expected to happen. Stockton students always go to the Galloway Diner; the night of the Osprey Ball is no exception. Anna, Erik, Jaime and I shared a booth that is fit to accommodate two people. The rest of the group sat up at the long, smoking table in front of us. Not exactly the best service I have ever had at the Galloway Diner, but I could understand how difficult of a time the employees were having due to the over abundance of Osprey Ball attendees who were also present.
Overall, this was a fun night with some old friends from school.
Jaime and I also had an amazing night at The Best Western. We made it a night to remember for a very long time.
At this time, I can barely keep my eyes open. This tells me that it's time to go to bed. Take care, be safe, and come again soon.
Peace.
Since it is Homecoming Weekend at Stockton, and I am spending this down time in the computer lab waiting for Jaime to get here, I figure I will devote a post to my five favorite professors throughout my years at Stockton. The list was not a hard one for me establish, as I know from personality, character, dedication, and devotion to me as a student, exactly who they are.
I took three courses with this man (Intro/Management; Spring 2003, Business Policy and Strategy; Spring 2004, and Human Resource Management; Fall 2004) and aced all of them easily. My intuitiveness coupled with his teaching style, allowed me to produce such positive results. He is an outstanding professor who thoroughly reviews the material and he has a rather generous grading structure. If you want to learn about business management, and you are willing to study the material he provides you with, Dr. Worthington is your guy. He is a friendly guy who never hesitates to smile and say hello to the students he has had in the past. He is the best professor I have ever had in my years of college.
John Boyle
I had Boyle for Financial Accounting; Spring 2003; this is perhaps the only man on this planet who makes an accounting class (or even the accounting content for that matter) seem interesting. He made accounting an easy subject for me to understand. He practically gave the subject of accounting a mouth and made it talk to the class itself. Great professor (hard to believe he is only an adjunct), great person, very kind, and he has already offered to provide me a letter of recommendation for graduate school
Dr. Clifford Whithem
I had this man for half a class (Hospitality Control; Spring 2005) when Donna took a leave of absence for her surgery. This man was with me through and thin when I was having a difficult time landing an internship. This is the man who listened to all of my venting throughout my period of frustration. This is the man who limited my internship requirements to accommodate my needs of completing this internship by December and graduating this Fall. He is one hell of a guy; an asset to, as well as the director of, the Hospitality Program here at Stockton.
Donna Albano
She taught a number of my hospitality courses at Stockton (Hotel Administration; Fall 2004, Hospitality Information Systems; Fall 2004, Facilities Management; Spring 2005, and Hospitality Control; Spring 2005) and showed me a lot of course-related attention when it appeared as though I was bogged down with a heavy schedule. He gave me plenty of advise in regards to getting a hospitality job. Nice person; very generous.
G.T. Lenard
Is there a kinder, more warm-hearted professor on this campus than G.T.? I had her for Money and the American Imagination (a G.I.S. requirement) during Spring Semester 2005 and she was a bundle of energy throughout the entire semester. She is a positive person who instills confidence and enthusiasm in her students. She took dry material (such as Max Weber) and made it comprehendable by relating it to modern day life. Her course was virtually an open forum in which any of the students could talk at any time. Great class taught by a great professor. Everyone loves G.T.!
As I am once again here at The Richard Stockton College of NJ during Homecoming Weekend of 2005, I have the opportunity to once again attend the Annual Osprey Ball. This is indeed my fourth Osprey Ball, but the first one for which I am not a student residing on campus. Ray and Melissa are here for the weekend as well; Jaime will be coming down for the evening very soon. We are still trying to establish a place at which we can get ready for tonight's ball. Before the Osprey Ball, Jaime and I plan on going out to eat as we usually do when we see each other. Perhaps Jaime and I will pay for a room at Best Western on White Horse Pike. For the two of us, it will only be $60 tonight (tax included).
This has been another pretty decent time in South Jersey. As I have stated before, this is a place that firmly stands on its own pedestal. I arrived here around 7pm last night. After doing a whole lot of nothing in the computer lab for about half an hour, I came into contact with "The Hondawg" Aaron Honaker and he accompanied me to McDonald's so I could get a bite to eat. He was singing along to the "Diamonds" Song (featuring Sierra Leone) on the Kanye West: Late Registration album as we were riding along in my car. It was rather comical. Later in the evening, Ray, Melissa, and myself celebrated Jack's 21st birthday at his apartment off campus. He wanted Cari, a girl he used to have familiar relations with, to be at his apartment for his birthday party. Jack has been crazy about this girl, so Melissa called Cari and asked her if she wanted us to pick her up and bring her over to Jack's. Cari agreed and asked that we come get her and pick her up. Fair enough. Ray, Melissa, and myself all drove over to D Court to pick Cari up. Cari was not present in her apartment. Some guy answered the door and informed us that she was not there. Ray called her on her cellphone to ask her where she was. Supposedly she was at the TRLC (or TSC as Ray likes to call it) preparing her presentation for a class. In approximately nine minutes, Cari sprinted back to her apartment and knocked on the door rather than using her key to get in. How did this scenario turn out???
She spent more time in her apartment (never coming out of her apartment to go back to Jack's with us) than she spent racing over to D court from TRLC. Go figure. If you do not want to go a person's house for a party or anything else for that matter, why ask us to leave the party and go out of our way to come pick you up??? What a waste of time. It just did not make any sense whatsoever. When we returned to Jack's house, without Cari, she called Ray and vented about how we never came to pick her up. We were standing outside of her apartment for twenty minutes and she never came out!! Her roommate even tried to mislead us into thinking that she left. How could she have left when we were standing outside in front of her apartment the entire time? Did she crawl out of the window in her bedroom???? WTF? Whatever. That ordeal can truly be summed up as a waste of party time. This is not my problem, as I had a fine night of partying with Jack, his roommates Dan and Dave, Dave's ex-girlfriend Agnes, and Ray and Melissa. Too bad for Jack, but I predict he will eventually find the right girl.
At about noon today, Colleen, Frank, "medical" Jeremy, Jack, Ray, Mike, Melissa, and myself all had lunch together at G-wing. It was really a nice time that brought back some fine memories of when we all used to have lunch and dinner together. Oh how I miss the college life. Stockton really institutionalized me in a sense, to the point where I really want to be back here as a student. If I could just live here and be a part of the social events that compromise the campus life, minus the course work, I would be set. Throughout that time, I took some moments to see some of my old professors (Dr. Whithem, Donna, and G.T. Lenard [who taught Money and the American Imagination last semester]). G.T. suggested that I come back to Stockton for my M.B.A. As we sat and talked for a little bit in her office, she was pretty to see happy to me again. I even saw Dr. Worthington in the hallway and managed to say hello to him. Great people. Before the afternoon came to a close, I signed the contract for my internship with Dr. Whithem in his office and applied for graduation as well. After lunch was over, Ray, Melissa, Mike, and myself all went to the mall to look around in some of the stores (including East Meets West, Spencers, and some other places). I really liked East Meets West; they had some really interesting looking shelf statues and shirts and things of that nature. It felt good to be walking around in some of the stores and taking advantage of the leisure time that God gave us to spend. Working 40 hours a week at my job, I rarely get the chance to do that anymore (atleast with friends of minee). I got myself a Berry Madness Smoothie at the Food Court; they are always tasty. We also went to Target to look around for a bit. One could literally say that this has been a pretty eventful day.
Onto the Osprey Ball later this evening, which is expected to be a blast. Ray, Melissa, Mike, Colleen, Frank, Anna, Erik, perhaps Jhon, Jaime, and myself will all be at this year's Osprey Ball. The fact that I have to pay $9 at the door, as a result of missing the $5 ticket sale at the P.A.C. before noon today, erks me to some degree. Oh well, this is the Annual Osprey Ball and it is essential that I be there with my soulmate and good friends from school. May the festivities commence in just three short hours!
Ummm... where exactly are we going to get ready???
Blog you later.
Peace.
Just in case anybody failed to notice, the "Wake me up when September Ends" song is totally played out!!
That is just my opinion, but I firmly believe it is well shared. In fact, I know it is well shared judging by my fellow employee's responses when the song plays on the radio in the kitchen. September is over ladies and gentlemen. Today is October 6. Wake the man up already and stop playing that song!!!
Thank you.
I just returned home from having a stuffed slice with sauce at M&S II. Yummy.
Now I have to get ready for work in a few moments.
As I announced yesterday, I was recently promoted to server based on the fact that I am one of the best employees The Olive Garden currently has. I also need to conduct an 200 hour internship in order to officially graduate from college in December. I wonder just how well this serving stuff is going to go for me. I prefer serving to bussing any day of the week. I make a lot more money and the job appears to be a little easier.
- One is not constantly carrying heavy trays of dirty plates, glasses, and other garbage.
- One is not responsible to for wiping down every single table during a shift.
- One is not responsible for rolling silverware during a shift so tables can be set for guests.
- One does not have compete with co-workers for sections. They are pre-determined by management.
- Obviously, one earns more money as a server, which is always a plus.
- Perhaps the most gratifying, one does have to clean the filthy-ass side stations at the end of the night.
Serving is not even a job that I desire to have in the long haul, but I am delighted that I can fufill that position in the mean time and use it to complete my internship requirement. That is just grand! Overall, this is a more polished, professional, and clean-cut position than that of bussing. As a server, I will be able to let my personality come to the surface and show the guests who I am as as a result of that.
Considering all of that, you all may ask yourselves, "Why is he interning as a server???"
Because Dr. Whithem, director of the Hospitality Management progam at Stockton has allowed me to do so. In addition to that, this is perhaps the easiest internship in college history and it will over in four weeks. There is no doubt that I am going to be an excellent server; Lords knows I am an outstanding employee who is sure as hell good looking enough to be a server. In December, I look forward to my graduation and the celebrations that come with such a noble achievement. I prepare myself to ace the GMAT in January (either on January 13 or January 20 to be exact), so that I may apply to an M.B.A. program and go back to school in either September 2006 or January 2007. I plan to shock all of my detractors who are skeptical of such a high GMAT result. For some of you, it will appear as though I pulled a rabbit out of a hat. Those who are aware of my ability and determination will not be as suprised.
Come 2006, I am aiming for bigger and better things. In due time, you will all know exactly what those things are. Let me finish my internship, graduate, and take the GMAT first. All of those objectives will be complete by February. After that, the world is all mine. MARK MY WORDS.
MONEY ~ POWER ~ RESPECT
Tomorrow I am returning to P-town to visit some friends at Stockton. After six days in a row at work, this is exactly the relief I need to cool down and hang out. Ray is driving down with Melissa as well. Jack turns 21, so that should be a fun celebration. I would like to go to Pitney Tavern for College Night with some friends as well, but we'll see what happens. For the most part, I would like to go out tomorrow night. We'll see how I feel. One thing is for sure; I am definitely looking forward to two and a half days of fun-filled excitement.
OSPREY BALL on FRIDAY OCTOBER 7. My fourth Osprey Ball, and I will be attending it with my soulmate Jaime by my side. Great times cometh!
Until then, take care and come again soon. You do not want to miss a beat!
Peace.
Hello to all of my family, friends, and fans.
Two days ago, I was promoted to server at The Olive Garden [my place of employment]. I think that is terrific news, knowing how my work performance, efforts, and reliability were all shamefully overlooked by the management team at P.F. Chang's China Bistro in Atlantic City. Serving at the Olive Garden is a good interim job and it serves as the internship I need to complete in order to graduate from The Richard Stockton College of NJ this December. I will be graduating with a Bachelors Degree in Business Studies Hospitality Management.
More to come at a later time.
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