lame? most likely

It is almost midnight on a Friday night and I am ready for bed. What could be more lame than that? How about sitting at home writing a paper on a Friday night? Or rewarding yourself for finishing said paper with a trip to Target (I bought Juno, which was fantastic!) and then Baskin Robbins for ice cream? Yep, as you've already guessed, this was my Friday night. And now I'm off to bed...I'm also resisting the urge to tell the guys up stairs to keep it down...

Summer Reading List

I have always been an avid reader, but with my class schedule and homework load, reading is the last thing I've had time or want for lately. *sad face* I miss reading for fun and not being able to wait until the end to find out what happens; I'm tired of reading a book so quickly that I don't really know what happened or reading books that I don't really like. So, I have made it my goal to complete a list that I compile of "summer reading". I would like to average one book every two weeks, which means I could read about 7-8 books! How exciting!!! 8 books of my choosing...I am going to put a huge list on here and check them off as I read them.

Never Have Your Dog Stuffed-Alan Alda
Make Lemonade-Virginia Euwer Wolff
The Perks of Being a Wallflower-Stephen Chbosky
The Years of Extermination: Nazi Germany and the Jews 1939-45-Saul Friedlander
The Memory Keeper's Daughter-Kim Edwards
Their Eyes Were Watching God-Zora Neal Hurston
Fallen Angels-Walter Dean Myers
Shooter-Walter Dean Myers
The Awakening-Kate Chopin
Various books/short stories by Willa Cather

I'm sure I'll add more as I come across them or as people recommend them to me. I think I'll make it a point to write a review after I finish each one too.

Butterflies

Have you ever met someone that made you feel like you had butterflies in your stomach? Every time they say something the butterflies flutter around a little more and you get this feeling of elation. I had that feeling today. I went over to my mom's house this morning and while I was sitting on the couch, my favorite person in the entire world bounded up the stairs and came bursting through the garage door. She jumped up on the couch next to me and spoke the most heartfelt words I have heard in a long time "I miss you, Ashey". I pulled her into my arms and gave her a big hug and a kiss and told her that I missed her too. It doesn't matter what I have going on or how crappy my day is, seeing her or talking to her makes me smile. I often think that people (especially myself) get too caught up in the world around them and easily forget the things that are most important. I am often overwhelmed by my homework load or by the amount of hours I have to work in order to cover my bills and forget to take the time to spend time with my family or do things for myself. It is my new goal to take the time to enjoy the beauty in life. I want to remember for the rest of my life how I felt today watching that curly haired little girl with the beautiful blue eyes bounce into my lap and change my entire outlook on life. I hope that everyone can experience something as fantastic as what I experienced today.

If you don't like it, DON'T READ IT!

One of my favorite blogs is the L&D blog that I found through Amanda's site. I can't control my laughter every time I read a post; some of the people she writes about do some of the most ignorant things that people do. It is not malicious in any way, as much as some people would love to think so. There is nothing wrong with this nurse blogging about her job; everyone has to vent or they'll explode. There are some people who think that this blogger is being malicious and is making fun of women who are pregnant. This is not so, she is merely sharing funny stories that she has to deal with on a daily basis. The lovely thing about a blog is that it is optional to read, you don't have to if you don't want to. My point? If you don't like what someone says, DON'T READ IT!

Another one of my favorites is Jon and Kate Plus Eight. I don't know what it is about this family, but I just love them. The kids are some of the most adorable I have seen in a long while and Jon and Kate crack me up. There are some critics out there who think that the kids are brats. I defend this by saying two things: 1. All kids are brats and 2. you'd be a brat too if you were fighting with 7 other people for the affection of your parents. The kids aren't brats, they're children. Other critics say Kate is a bitch or she's mean to Jon. I defend this by saying: the producers of the show tailor things to look a certain way; we don't know the context of much that goes on. Also, you might be a little bitchy too if you stayed home all day with 8 kids; I don't care who you are, that would wear on anyone's nerves. My point here? If all you are going to do is criticize the show, don't waste your time watching it!

This is the glory of the United States: If you don't like something you aren't forced to watch or listen. You can shut off the TV or turn off the computer or shut the book. So next time something crosses your path that you don't like, shut up about it. No one cares if you don't like it because chances are, they do enjoy it and don't want you raining on their parade. That is all.

Pet Peeves Part Deux!

Many of you know that I started a new job recently. So far I really enjoy it, mostly it's the people not the actual job, but that's ok. That said, there are many things about the job that irritate me, here is a list:

1. Bartenders
Just because you can pour a drink doesn't make you better than me, so stop acting like you're some sort of gift from God.

2. Tip Out
I understand that I have to tip out bartenders/bussers/food runners, but when they don't really do anything for me why should I tip them out the full amount? When I or other servers deliver all of my food, shouldn't that mean I don't have to tip the food runner out less? And when the bussers barely wipe my tables off why should I tip them out $12 when I only made $60?

3. Being Cut
Rule of thumb, doubles get cut first. It doesn't matter if someone only has one table, when they got there at 4pm they do not deserve to be cut before the person who has been there since 10am.

4. People who "skate" on side work
No one wants to do side work or roll silverware, but it has to be done. So it really pisses me off when certain people always try to get away with doing little to no side work. Just do it so some people don't get stuck there til 4am.

5. The Good Ol' Front of House vs. Back of House Rivalry
At every restaurant job I've had, there is conflict between servers and kitchen staff. It seems to be worse here and I think it is due in part to the abundance of assholes on the Expo line.

6. Slackers
Most irritating of all are the people who constantly come in late and do a piss poor job while the rest of us get there on time and bust our asses. I am tired of cleaning up after people who obviously can't do the job.

This concludes my list of GB pet peeves, although I'm sure it is one that will be updated quite frequently.