So the first day of the new job is in the history books. It was pretty uneventful, as a lot of people were either out sick or chose not to come in due to the snow that fell hard this morning. This drive should take me 30 minutes from St. Charles to Glen Ellyn and today it took 55. The funny thing was my manager and two trainers for the day were all out, so my plans changed drastically. I wound up spending most of my time setting up my computer, working on a report, and chatting with two of the financial aid reps about their specific roles within the department.
The department is comprised mostly of females and it's primarily on the younger side. I don't think there are many people over 50 years old there, which I suppose is fine. There are some student workers there, so there are people in their 20s. Most of the people in a position of leadership seem to be in their 40s. More importantly, just about everyone seemed pretty friendly and welcoming. I don't know for sure exactly how close people within the department are, if they do events together or anything like that. But it seems to be pretty cohesive.
The facilities were also pretty solid. The Student Services Center, which houses financial aid, admissions, counseling, etc. is only four years old and it's a very modern, sleek looking building. A whole lot finer than what I had at Gordon. It can be a little easy to get lost if you don't know where you're going, since there are a lot of little tunnels and passageways that connect one building to the next. Our break room is pretty small and not that clean. We get water out of the refrigerator tap and took a couple of minutes to fill my bottle, which is not exactly a gallon. It's closer to maybe 1 liter and I had to stand there, waiting for it to fill up. The office supplies are kept in a closet in the break room. They have a lot of useful items in stock as well as some non-essentials like dry erase markers. They seem to do a good job at restocking what they're running low on.
With the software, I'm not used to using Colleague, which is where I'll access student and financial information. It seems somewhat usable. I think the big issue will be learning where to go to answer the questions that students will throw my way. that comes in time. The big key for me is to be patient with myself. Day 2 starts in ten hours. I'm looking forward to it.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Dentists
I'm really coming to the conclusion that if you go to five different dentists, you'll get five different reports back. I went to a dentist in St. Charles, who I really liked for almost two years. They advised me to get my wisdom teeth removed and I planned on it at some point, but didn't go though with the actual procedure. Then, the pricks at Kaplan took my job and my benefits in the process. Thankfully, I'd had an appointment about a month before it all went down, so my teeth were ok. But there was no way I was going to any doctor without insurance, unless it was absolutely necessary.
So, then I got a coupon in the mail for this one dentist office that I won't name because I don't want to give them publicity. Let's just say their name implied they were cheap. They would give me a cleaning and X-rays for $59. Not terrible, but hey, my teeth had to be taken care of. They start of putting the jaws of life inside my cheeks stretching my face out to where my top lip was over my nose and my bottom lip was on my Adam's apple. They took about 10 x-ray pictures where I had to bite the tab, they adjust, I bite, they adjust, on and on. Then they measured all of gums with how far the had moved up and down. So they go to each tooth, measure both sides, and the hygienist is shouting out numbers for the lackey to write down. For five minutes, I was hearing "Two!" "Three!" "Two!" "Four!" It was like listening to the lottery winnings.
After all that went down, the dentist with this thick German or Swiss accent comes in and explain I need surgery. He goes on to tell me that even though my teeth are strong right now, the gums are a problem. He gives me the lovely analogy of if you have a beautiful house, but the foundation is no good, the house will crumble. He and the hygienist proceed to lay out surgery dates and options and they recommend two different surgeries so my mouth can heal. they promise they'll try to work with me since I have no insurance. they lay out a plan that would cost over $1,000 and I'm shuddering inside. I paid my $59 and left.
So eventually, I got dental insurance through Guardian, who has some very questionable customer service policies. Don't pick up the phone when I call for help and tell me you'll call back in 45 minutes. I know you're not going to call back, so don't lie to me. I set up an appointment with a different dentist in downtown St. Charles, since my previous one had moved to Palatine. Before that though, I received two e-mails and three phone calls from the previous dentist who wanted me to come back. There was no way I was going back there. Now I had an HMO plan, so I'm supposed to pick a primary care dentist. There was no place on the website to do that. Even the receptionist at the office had no luck contacting them or finding anything on the website.
So I showed up and we went ahead with the appointment. I filled out the obligatory paperwork and sat in the chair. The dentist came right in, did the iron hook, flossed my teeth, polished them, took two total pictures, said my teeth looked great, and I was out of there. 25 minutes, in and out. I walked out of that office laughing. How could my teeth be that much better six months later. The answer is they weren't. The answer is because before, I went to an office were people were trying to exploit me and get as much money from me as possible.
So, then I got a coupon in the mail for this one dentist office that I won't name because I don't want to give them publicity. Let's just say their name implied they were cheap. They would give me a cleaning and X-rays for $59. Not terrible, but hey, my teeth had to be taken care of. They start of putting the jaws of life inside my cheeks stretching my face out to where my top lip was over my nose and my bottom lip was on my Adam's apple. They took about 10 x-ray pictures where I had to bite the tab, they adjust, I bite, they adjust, on and on. Then they measured all of gums with how far the had moved up and down. So they go to each tooth, measure both sides, and the hygienist is shouting out numbers for the lackey to write down. For five minutes, I was hearing "Two!" "Three!" "Two!" "Four!" It was like listening to the lottery winnings.
After all that went down, the dentist with this thick German or Swiss accent comes in and explain I need surgery. He goes on to tell me that even though my teeth are strong right now, the gums are a problem. He gives me the lovely analogy of if you have a beautiful house, but the foundation is no good, the house will crumble. He and the hygienist proceed to lay out surgery dates and options and they recommend two different surgeries so my mouth can heal. they promise they'll try to work with me since I have no insurance. they lay out a plan that would cost over $1,000 and I'm shuddering inside. I paid my $59 and left.
So eventually, I got dental insurance through Guardian, who has some very questionable customer service policies. Don't pick up the phone when I call for help and tell me you'll call back in 45 minutes. I know you're not going to call back, so don't lie to me. I set up an appointment with a different dentist in downtown St. Charles, since my previous one had moved to Palatine. Before that though, I received two e-mails and three phone calls from the previous dentist who wanted me to come back. There was no way I was going back there. Now I had an HMO plan, so I'm supposed to pick a primary care dentist. There was no place on the website to do that. Even the receptionist at the office had no luck contacting them or finding anything on the website.
So I showed up and we went ahead with the appointment. I filled out the obligatory paperwork and sat in the chair. The dentist came right in, did the iron hook, flossed my teeth, polished them, took two total pictures, said my teeth looked great, and I was out of there. 25 minutes, in and out. I walked out of that office laughing. How could my teeth be that much better six months later. The answer is they weren't. The answer is because before, I went to an office were people were trying to exploit me and get as much money from me as possible.
Sign of spring
1) It's a joyous occasion when I can walk Maggie and no longer have to completely bundle up. The last two days, we've gotten into the 40s, so I ditched the winter coat, gloves, and hat. Gosh, it feels so liberating. Then I went out running for ten minutes and my ears starting ringing. Just a reminder from Mother Nature to me that if I'm going to run outside, it better be at lest 50 degrees!
2) In a span of 4 days, the New York Rangers defeated Chicago, the Islanders, and Washington all on the road and all by one goal (except for one empty-netter). The hockey this team is playing is just awesome. Now to get the power play going...
3) Mike MacCagnan is doing an incredible job as GM. He trades for Brandon Marshall, keeps David Harris and Bilal Powell, signs help at G and CB, and then brings Darrelle Revis back to the Jets, where he always should have been. To be honest, I'm still bitter over him winning a Super Bowl with the arch-rival, the evil empire of football. I'm happy because the Jets needed a cornerback in the worst way. But can I truly accept Revis as my guy the way I have with a Mangold, or a Pennington, or a Mo Wilk? I don't know if I can ever do that unless they win a Super Bowl.
4) Made sour cream coffee cake for Alpha. Half of it was eaten that night. I think I may polish off the other half by tomorrow...
5) It absolutely sucks about the Squared Circle restaurant in Chicago on the verge of closing down. It was so great to go there, eat some great pizza or decent stuffed burgers, and watch wrestling. Several times, I got to meet some great wrestlers like Jay Lethal, Gail Kim, Shark Boy, Tommy Dreamer, and Tommaso Ciampa. And now, thanks to a bartender having an affair with the owner's husband, it's ruined for all of us. It is terrible. Also, I have a $15 groupon there. I hope I can get it refunded...
6) Coming close to the end of my 12th class; just two weeks left. Got an 8 page paper due Friday and a Power Point due Tuesday. This finish will be pretty intense. But the professor is pretty lenient. Really, as long as the work is done on time and is done decently, she won't take any points off. I'm pretty confident.
7) Ring of Honor Saturday night. Can't wait. The match I'm most excited is definitely Samoa Joe vs. Michael Elgin.
8) I defend Doc Emrick has a hockey announcer against a lot of detractors. But enough with the porn references. "The probing continues." The Capitals are pounding away."
9) Going to a boxing club tomorrow night with the Yelp group for a workout. I have never boxed in my life. I don't know what this will be. Maybe I'll be in a ring, maybe I'll be hitting a bag, maybe I'll be doing Taebo, who knows.
10) I miss someone in Lebanon. Even if she is engaged now. But it's ok. It is.
Song pick: "The Painter" Neil Young
2) In a span of 4 days, the New York Rangers defeated Chicago, the Islanders, and Washington all on the road and all by one goal (except for one empty-netter). The hockey this team is playing is just awesome. Now to get the power play going...
3) Mike MacCagnan is doing an incredible job as GM. He trades for Brandon Marshall, keeps David Harris and Bilal Powell, signs help at G and CB, and then brings Darrelle Revis back to the Jets, where he always should have been. To be honest, I'm still bitter over him winning a Super Bowl with the arch-rival, the evil empire of football. I'm happy because the Jets needed a cornerback in the worst way. But can I truly accept Revis as my guy the way I have with a Mangold, or a Pennington, or a Mo Wilk? I don't know if I can ever do that unless they win a Super Bowl.
4) Made sour cream coffee cake for Alpha. Half of it was eaten that night. I think I may polish off the other half by tomorrow...
5) It absolutely sucks about the Squared Circle restaurant in Chicago on the verge of closing down. It was so great to go there, eat some great pizza or decent stuffed burgers, and watch wrestling. Several times, I got to meet some great wrestlers like Jay Lethal, Gail Kim, Shark Boy, Tommy Dreamer, and Tommaso Ciampa. And now, thanks to a bartender having an affair with the owner's husband, it's ruined for all of us. It is terrible. Also, I have a $15 groupon there. I hope I can get it refunded...
6) Coming close to the end of my 12th class; just two weeks left. Got an 8 page paper due Friday and a Power Point due Tuesday. This finish will be pretty intense. But the professor is pretty lenient. Really, as long as the work is done on time and is done decently, she won't take any points off. I'm pretty confident.
7) Ring of Honor Saturday night. Can't wait. The match I'm most excited is definitely Samoa Joe vs. Michael Elgin.
8) I defend Doc Emrick has a hockey announcer against a lot of detractors. But enough with the porn references. "The probing continues." The Capitals are pounding away."
9) Going to a boxing club tomorrow night with the Yelp group for a workout. I have never boxed in my life. I don't know what this will be. Maybe I'll be in a ring, maybe I'll be hitting a bag, maybe I'll be doing Taebo, who knows.
10) I miss someone in Lebanon. Even if she is engaged now. But it's ok. It is.
Song pick: "The Painter" Neil Young
Thursday, February 19, 2015
MLB Predictions
After suffering through abysmal football and basketball seasons, I am ready to look forward to the baseball season and the Mets getting back on the field. Thank God I have the Rangers for a few more months. This feels like one of those seasons when a lot of established teams look to be taking a step back and a lot of up and coming teams may finally break through and get to the playoffs. Here's how I see the final standings breaking down.
National League
East Central West
z-Washington y-Chicago y-Los Angeles
Miami w-St. Louis w-San Francisco
NY Mets Pittsburgh San Diego
Atlanta Cincinnati Colorado
Philadelphia Milwaukee Arizona
East Central West
y-Boston y-Chicago z-Anaheim
w-Toronto Cleveland w-Seattle
NY Yankees Detroit Oakland
Tampa Bay Kansas City Texas
Baltimore Minnesota Houston
National League
z-Washington y-Chicago y-Los Angeles
Miami w-St. Louis w-San Francisco
NY Mets Pittsburgh San Diego
Atlanta Cincinnati Colorado
Philadelphia Milwaukee Arizona
East Central West
y-Boston y-Chicago z-Anaheim
w-Toronto Cleveland w-Seattle
NY Yankees Detroit Oakland
Tampa Bay Kansas City Texas
Baltimore Minnesota Houston
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Tonight's playlist
Six hours on my feet, serving pizza, refilling beverages, and cleaning the salad bar. My first shift is over. I feel pretty good mentally, but my feet are pretty exhausted. Right now, I think I'd prefer to date a female professional foot masseuse above all other jobs. Chilling with two pieces of deep dish and two cans of Bud now. By the way, there is no more annoying tweet in the world than two people talking about how much they adore each other on Twitter! That's what you have texting, phone calls, and friggin face-to-face conversations for!
Anyway, on a freezing, cold, tiring night, it's time to play mellow music and a lot of country.
1) "Till I Get It Right" Tammy Wynette
2) "Stardust" Nat King Cole
3) "Old Man" Neil Young
4) "Out on the Weekend" Neil Young
5) "Somewhere In My Broken Heart" Billy Dean
6) "Good Ol' Fashioned Love" Tracy Byrd
7) "Going Where the Lonely Go" Merle Haggard
8) "You Take Me For Granted" Merle Haggard
9) "Last In Love" George Strait
10) "Living For the Night" George Strait
11) "Dreaming Again" Jim Croce
12) "Valentine's Day" Bruce Springsteen
Anyway, on a freezing, cold, tiring night, it's time to play mellow music and a lot of country.
1) "Till I Get It Right" Tammy Wynette
2) "Stardust" Nat King Cole
3) "Old Man" Neil Young
4) "Out on the Weekend" Neil Young
5) "Somewhere In My Broken Heart" Billy Dean
6) "Good Ol' Fashioned Love" Tracy Byrd
7) "Going Where the Lonely Go" Merle Haggard
8) "You Take Me For Granted" Merle Haggard
9) "Last In Love" George Strait
10) "Living For the Night" George Strait
11) "Dreaming Again" Jim Croce
12) "Valentine's Day" Bruce Springsteen
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Happy Singles Day
1) Thank the Lord that it is Valentine's Day. For one reason. The incessant jewelry and flowers commercials will now go away until next November.
2) There is no fitting music than old country music on Valentine's Day. Keith Whitley's "I Never Go Around Mirrors" and "Addicted" by Dan Seals work especially well.
3) So I've worked five shifts at Gino's East in the week since I've been hired. I certainly feel like I'm getting more ready to go on my own and wait on tables. I still need to get a server number, apron, and all that jazz. Oh, and can they order some company t-shirts? I mean I have a few black t-shirts I can wear, but I would like to wear a company shirt. I really feel my biggest issue will be knowing that I can't be everywhere at once and just learning to stay calm. But as far as the menu knowledge, I'm feeling very confident.
4) I tried tending bar for the first time too. I was hoping watching all those episodes of Bar Rescue would pay off. I must have spent about a half hour free pouring for the first time, trying to master the 4 count that should equal one ounce poured. It wasn't easy; too many times, some water fell on the bar top. But I enjoyed doing it and I kept getting better with my technique.
5) Will I really try to do another Fuddrucker's challenge Wednesday night??? Last time, I went after 7 pounds of food, five pounds of burger and two pounds of bun. I got through about 3/4 of it in 50 minutes. before calling it quits. This time, it's a mere three pounds of beef, but there's also a pound of fries. I'm seriously debating...
2) There is no fitting music than old country music on Valentine's Day. Keith Whitley's "I Never Go Around Mirrors" and "Addicted" by Dan Seals work especially well.
3) So I've worked five shifts at Gino's East in the week since I've been hired. I certainly feel like I'm getting more ready to go on my own and wait on tables. I still need to get a server number, apron, and all that jazz. Oh, and can they order some company t-shirts? I mean I have a few black t-shirts I can wear, but I would like to wear a company shirt. I really feel my biggest issue will be knowing that I can't be everywhere at once and just learning to stay calm. But as far as the menu knowledge, I'm feeling very confident.
4) I tried tending bar for the first time too. I was hoping watching all those episodes of Bar Rescue would pay off. I must have spent about a half hour free pouring for the first time, trying to master the 4 count that should equal one ounce poured. It wasn't easy; too many times, some water fell on the bar top. But I enjoyed doing it and I kept getting better with my technique.
5) Will I really try to do another Fuddrucker's challenge Wednesday night??? Last time, I went after 7 pounds of food, five pounds of burger and two pounds of bun. I got through about 3/4 of it in 50 minutes. before calling it quits. This time, it's a mere three pounds of beef, but there's also a pound of fries. I'm seriously debating...
Thursday, February 05, 2015
All at once
Well, in the last 48 hours, my life has changed quite drastically. It looks like we are reaching a conclusion to the eternal job search. I'm not going to mention specific company names as there are several situations that are still pending. It's a lot to keep up with, but it's a fun ride to hop aboard.
I was supposed to do a phone interview with School A, but I found out it had to be rescheduled to Wednesday. Another day of finishing homework.
I interviewed with School B on Tuesday in person. Now this is a good school on a local campus. It's a financial aid position and it's full time. The people in the office are a great group too. However, there are a couple of drawbacks. For instance, the hourly wage is a low range and even if I got the upper end of it, it would not be a great amount of money. The truth is it is a receptionist job within the office and I am overqualified for it. I felt okay about the interview process and I felt if they would offer me the position that I would accept it. But I knew they had more candidates to interview throughout the course of the week, so I couldn't feel too confident about it.
Later that afternoon, a temp agency called me. They asked if I could come in and meet with them to discuss my skills and see if there were any matches. So even if there wasn't a specific offer, it could lead to some possibilities.
So we come to Wednesday morning. I didn't wake up overly happy. I scoured the job sites and the college employment pages, looking for whatever I could find. That afternoon, I had a phone interview with School A. I have a manager who I used to work with who recommended me for a job at this school. I spoke with the employment manager, who was a really nice lady. She thought I might be suited for another position at School A. So we had Job A1 and Job A2. We talked about the first job, which is what my boss does. It's full time and I could develop a career doing it. I liked that I could get up to six weeks of travel, going to other campuses around the country and I would have my expenses covered. However, the more I thought about it, the less enamored I felt with it. For instance, I'd be working between 11-8 four days a week as well as every other Saturday. And the hourly wage wasn't phenomenal. So I felt better about A2, since it was less of a call center environment.
Fifteen minutes after hanging up with School A, I got a call from School C. They wanted to offer me a job. It's a very good school and I would be an FA representative, which is what I want to do. However, there are two issues. One, it's part time; I can only work 29 hours a week. But that's how companies avoid paying benefits. Two, for legal reasons related to the college, I can't start until March 23. That's six weeks with no pay. So I realized I would be wise to get a part time job in the interim. Even better, it would help if I could keep it a night job so I could do both jobs simultaneously. I promised the employment manager that I would call back with a response. I felt confident I would accept it, but I wanted to know more about what would happen with School A. After all, I wasn't looking for a part time job. But I'd take it if it could lead to a full time job.
Twenty minutes after that call ended, guess what. Another phone call! This was from a mortgage company that I had never heard of. The position was a research staff writer. I have no experience with the mortgage or banking industry. 40 hour week, 8-5, in Lake Zurich, which is about 40 minutes away from my house. We arranged for an interview on Friday morning. The pay is better than the other positions, but since it's such a stretch, I wonder if it's the right fit.
So all those phone calls happened in the span of 90 minutes! It was pretty crazy. Part of me was really happy, but I couldn't help but wonder why this didn't happen sooner! I decided I needed to call School A the next day, as well as look for some part time jobs to do until I could start at School C. I started considering coffee shops, grocery stores, and restaurants. I needed something that wouldn't take a while to learn and could also offer me flexible hours. After all, this job is just a supplement. I drove to a local grocery store and dropped off an application and planned a few other places to go on Thursday morning. Keep in mind, of course, that I had an appointment with the agency on Thursday afternoon.
Now we get to Thursday. I applied at three grocery stores, two retail shops, a restaurant, and a local restaurant. Some seemed promising, some not so much. During the course of the drive, I called School A. I told her about the other offer I had from School B and she felt it was best for me to accept it, especially if I preferred job A2 over A1. She gave me some new news, which was that they were looking towards some internal candidates to fill position A2. And the other factor when I calculated my wages for the year, the part time job at School C was only going to pay me about $200 less than Job A1. And that's working 10 fewer hours a week with a shorter commute. The only advantage of Job A1 was I would have benefits.
I felt best about the liquor store, but I decided to check Pizza place B. The owner greeted me at the door and immediately invited me to sit down. He then offered me a soft drink, which was really great. I sipped on iced tea and he came over and asked me a few questions. He asked everything from if I had transportation, to what I knew about the company, to if I hated any groups of people, to my favorite movie and music. I made sure to tell him I used to work at California Pizza Kitchen and I was an elite Yelp reviewer. After a 15 minute conversation, where he didn't even look at my application, I walked out of that pizzeria with a job.
I then immediately called School C and told them I would accept the position. I asked about what hours I was to work, so I could coordinate the two jobs if necessary. I don't have set hours yet, but the manager is willing to be flexible. The only catch is I must work one evening a week. At this point, since I have Alpha on Tuesday nights, I'm thinking I might try to keep it on Thursday nights. But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. As it stands, I have six weeks to figure out the pizzeria before I have to scale back my hours.
But the story doesn't end there. I still have the mortgage interview on Friday morning. And then, I'm making lunch today, on Thursday afternoon. I get a call from an 815 area code. I know that's the south suburbs of Chicago. It's School D. They want to set up a phone interview with me for Monday. It's a full time job that can pay a little less, the same, or a little more than School C. I know I'd have to pay highway tolls to drive there. Of course, there is the possibility of benefits and it's also a financial aid job. Right now, I'm planning to explain that I have another offer, but it's part time. If they want me, then I'm going to need the highest end of the range. I really have nothing to lose by telling them that at this point.
So after 48 hours of insanity, here's what I'm thinking. I'm putting Schools A and B on the backburner. I can't imagine going with them now. As for the mortgage, it's kind of a wild card. I don't know if I'd accept it, unless it felt like a perfect fit in the interview tomorrow. I can only see this going two realistic ways. I take School C and the pizza combination or I will just take School D.
It's taken a long time to get to this point. Nine months of pain, rejection, and frustration. But the end is in sight. Better days are ahead.
I was supposed to do a phone interview with School A, but I found out it had to be rescheduled to Wednesday. Another day of finishing homework.
I interviewed with School B on Tuesday in person. Now this is a good school on a local campus. It's a financial aid position and it's full time. The people in the office are a great group too. However, there are a couple of drawbacks. For instance, the hourly wage is a low range and even if I got the upper end of it, it would not be a great amount of money. The truth is it is a receptionist job within the office and I am overqualified for it. I felt okay about the interview process and I felt if they would offer me the position that I would accept it. But I knew they had more candidates to interview throughout the course of the week, so I couldn't feel too confident about it.
Later that afternoon, a temp agency called me. They asked if I could come in and meet with them to discuss my skills and see if there were any matches. So even if there wasn't a specific offer, it could lead to some possibilities.
So we come to Wednesday morning. I didn't wake up overly happy. I scoured the job sites and the college employment pages, looking for whatever I could find. That afternoon, I had a phone interview with School A. I have a manager who I used to work with who recommended me for a job at this school. I spoke with the employment manager, who was a really nice lady. She thought I might be suited for another position at School A. So we had Job A1 and Job A2. We talked about the first job, which is what my boss does. It's full time and I could develop a career doing it. I liked that I could get up to six weeks of travel, going to other campuses around the country and I would have my expenses covered. However, the more I thought about it, the less enamored I felt with it. For instance, I'd be working between 11-8 four days a week as well as every other Saturday. And the hourly wage wasn't phenomenal. So I felt better about A2, since it was less of a call center environment.
Fifteen minutes after hanging up with School A, I got a call from School C. They wanted to offer me a job. It's a very good school and I would be an FA representative, which is what I want to do. However, there are two issues. One, it's part time; I can only work 29 hours a week. But that's how companies avoid paying benefits. Two, for legal reasons related to the college, I can't start until March 23. That's six weeks with no pay. So I realized I would be wise to get a part time job in the interim. Even better, it would help if I could keep it a night job so I could do both jobs simultaneously. I promised the employment manager that I would call back with a response. I felt confident I would accept it, but I wanted to know more about what would happen with School A. After all, I wasn't looking for a part time job. But I'd take it if it could lead to a full time job.
Twenty minutes after that call ended, guess what. Another phone call! This was from a mortgage company that I had never heard of. The position was a research staff writer. I have no experience with the mortgage or banking industry. 40 hour week, 8-5, in Lake Zurich, which is about 40 minutes away from my house. We arranged for an interview on Friday morning. The pay is better than the other positions, but since it's such a stretch, I wonder if it's the right fit.
So all those phone calls happened in the span of 90 minutes! It was pretty crazy. Part of me was really happy, but I couldn't help but wonder why this didn't happen sooner! I decided I needed to call School A the next day, as well as look for some part time jobs to do until I could start at School C. I started considering coffee shops, grocery stores, and restaurants. I needed something that wouldn't take a while to learn and could also offer me flexible hours. After all, this job is just a supplement. I drove to a local grocery store and dropped off an application and planned a few other places to go on Thursday morning. Keep in mind, of course, that I had an appointment with the agency on Thursday afternoon.
Now we get to Thursday. I applied at three grocery stores, two retail shops, a restaurant, and a local restaurant. Some seemed promising, some not so much. During the course of the drive, I called School A. I told her about the other offer I had from School B and she felt it was best for me to accept it, especially if I preferred job A2 over A1. She gave me some new news, which was that they were looking towards some internal candidates to fill position A2. And the other factor when I calculated my wages for the year, the part time job at School C was only going to pay me about $200 less than Job A1. And that's working 10 fewer hours a week with a shorter commute. The only advantage of Job A1 was I would have benefits.
I felt best about the liquor store, but I decided to check Pizza place B. The owner greeted me at the door and immediately invited me to sit down. He then offered me a soft drink, which was really great. I sipped on iced tea and he came over and asked me a few questions. He asked everything from if I had transportation, to what I knew about the company, to if I hated any groups of people, to my favorite movie and music. I made sure to tell him I used to work at California Pizza Kitchen and I was an elite Yelp reviewer. After a 15 minute conversation, where he didn't even look at my application, I walked out of that pizzeria with a job.
I then immediately called School C and told them I would accept the position. I asked about what hours I was to work, so I could coordinate the two jobs if necessary. I don't have set hours yet, but the manager is willing to be flexible. The only catch is I must work one evening a week. At this point, since I have Alpha on Tuesday nights, I'm thinking I might try to keep it on Thursday nights. But we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. As it stands, I have six weeks to figure out the pizzeria before I have to scale back my hours.
But the story doesn't end there. I still have the mortgage interview on Friday morning. And then, I'm making lunch today, on Thursday afternoon. I get a call from an 815 area code. I know that's the south suburbs of Chicago. It's School D. They want to set up a phone interview with me for Monday. It's a full time job that can pay a little less, the same, or a little more than School C. I know I'd have to pay highway tolls to drive there. Of course, there is the possibility of benefits and it's also a financial aid job. Right now, I'm planning to explain that I have another offer, but it's part time. If they want me, then I'm going to need the highest end of the range. I really have nothing to lose by telling them that at this point.
So after 48 hours of insanity, here's what I'm thinking. I'm putting Schools A and B on the backburner. I can't imagine going with them now. As for the mortgage, it's kind of a wild card. I don't know if I'd accept it, unless it felt like a perfect fit in the interview tomorrow. I can only see this going two realistic ways. I take School C and the pizza combination or I will just take School D.
It's taken a long time to get to this point. Nine months of pain, rejection, and frustration. But the end is in sight. Better days are ahead.
Monday, February 02, 2015
Five quick hits
1) I'm disgusted with this government. I should not have to pay for health insurance if I don't want to. Especially if I'm young and in good health. It is nothing more than an added expense that I don't want and currently don't need.
2) I want the doctor to tell me I'm not getting enough gluten in my diet.
3) Grad school update: 11 classes down, 3 to go. In terms of time, it's 16 months down and 4 to go.
4) Going to take a break from social media. As in Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Plus sports radio. Anyone who knows me knows that's a huge thing for me to give up. Basically, it's a way to avoid the bullshit about the Super Bowl and Satan winning it. I'm going to try to make it through Tuesday night, if not longer. We'll see how it goes.
5) I should have been heading to Nashville this coming Friday for a couple of fun days watching the Rangers play the Predators, listening to country music, and visiting a lot of museums. I was really excited about it. Instead, I'm staying home. Thanks for screwing it all up Dad...
2) I want the doctor to tell me I'm not getting enough gluten in my diet.
3) Grad school update: 11 classes down, 3 to go. In terms of time, it's 16 months down and 4 to go.
4) Going to take a break from social media. As in Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Plus sports radio. Anyone who knows me knows that's a huge thing for me to give up. Basically, it's a way to avoid the bullshit about the Super Bowl and Satan winning it. I'm going to try to make it through Tuesday night, if not longer. We'll see how it goes.
5) I should have been heading to Nashville this coming Friday for a couple of fun days watching the Rangers play the Predators, listening to country music, and visiting a lot of museums. I was really excited about it. Instead, I'm staying home. Thanks for screwing it all up Dad...
Miserable
Fuck the New England Patriots. From their bombastic owner, their asshole coach, their queer, overrated QB, the Judas that plays cornerback, down to the ballboys who cheated. All of them can go straight to hell. If there was a way that I can have some kind of operation to forget everything I know about sports, I would sign for it today. My life has enough pain as is. This shit only magnifies everything that is bad in my life and in this sorry, dark, disgusting world.
Communication
I have no respect for a company that makes promises and offers potential, but has no clue how to communicate with its employees. Not to mention having a communication system that is so flawed that it hampers the ability for its employees to make a living. Let's break this down.
In this joke of an insurance job, I get a pack of leads to call and set up appointments. These are from people who have filled out a little yellow union card, indicating that they want someone to call them and speak to them about receiving their benefits. There are about 40 pages in each pack, 3 leads on each page. So it's about 115 leads total, when you factor in duplicates and what not.
Here's the issue. A lot of people call someone, do the appointments, and never turn the pack back in. So when I request a certain zip code, I'm getting some of the same leads that some other agent just worked over. When I call someone, and they actually pick up, I frequently hear that someone was out to see them just last month. I wish I had five bucks for each time I heard that. I would have made enough money to pay for my laptop computer that I had to buy to do this joke of a job.
Then, there is the factor of internal communication. Twice, I have gone to do appointments and a manager promised they'd be there...and then they weren't. That left me on my own. If that's not enough, I had a Thursday afternoon presentation at 12 pm. I had a different manager who promised to meet me there. So it's 11:58 AM. I'm waiting in front of the house in Bartlett, waiting for Oscar to show up so we could go in together. Two minutes before the appointment is set to begin, my phone buzzes. It's Oscar. He tells me that his daughter just got sick at school and he had to head home. He said he was one minute away from the house when he got the call. I hate to call out the integrity of someone I don't know. But the timing was just too perfect. Two minutes before, and he gets the phone call?! After some serious reflection, I think it was a setup. I understand the need for me to grow and the need to get comfortable doing insurance presentations on my own. But I don't appreciate the swerves.
Then, it's today. We just had a pretty big snowstorm that lasted about 36 hours. We always have a weekly meeting on Monday at 11 as a large group and then we have an agency meeting at 3 and then call night begins around 4 or 4:30. I drove 40 minutes to Lombard over a ton of ice. The lot was maybe 20 percent full. That raised my suspicion as the whole agency is there on Monday morning. By 10:50, parking is usually at a premium. So checked GroupMe, which is the app we use to communicate with each other and motivate one another and all that crap. I checked it and it said I had been removed from the group 28 days ago. I know that's not true, because I was on it two days prior. So, there's no meeting and I received no communication about it. If they decided not to renew my contract, which I'm guessing is the case, they could have had the balls to tell me. They didn't have the decency to give me the courtesy of an e-mail, which would have been low class to begin with. And I was pretty much ready to quit anyway. I'm better than they are and it's no wonder their turnover rate is higher than the Oakland Raiders head coaching position.
The bottom line is this. I didn't make a dime for AIL. But their crap communication system hampered my ability to make me money and help their business. So on that note, I would like to extend a farewell to this company. Thanks for costing me $700 and for letting me work for you for the last six weeks without a single cent going into my pocket. You are pathetic.
In this joke of an insurance job, I get a pack of leads to call and set up appointments. These are from people who have filled out a little yellow union card, indicating that they want someone to call them and speak to them about receiving their benefits. There are about 40 pages in each pack, 3 leads on each page. So it's about 115 leads total, when you factor in duplicates and what not.
Here's the issue. A lot of people call someone, do the appointments, and never turn the pack back in. So when I request a certain zip code, I'm getting some of the same leads that some other agent just worked over. When I call someone, and they actually pick up, I frequently hear that someone was out to see them just last month. I wish I had five bucks for each time I heard that. I would have made enough money to pay for my laptop computer that I had to buy to do this joke of a job.
Then, there is the factor of internal communication. Twice, I have gone to do appointments and a manager promised they'd be there...and then they weren't. That left me on my own. If that's not enough, I had a Thursday afternoon presentation at 12 pm. I had a different manager who promised to meet me there. So it's 11:58 AM. I'm waiting in front of the house in Bartlett, waiting for Oscar to show up so we could go in together. Two minutes before the appointment is set to begin, my phone buzzes. It's Oscar. He tells me that his daughter just got sick at school and he had to head home. He said he was one minute away from the house when he got the call. I hate to call out the integrity of someone I don't know. But the timing was just too perfect. Two minutes before, and he gets the phone call?! After some serious reflection, I think it was a setup. I understand the need for me to grow and the need to get comfortable doing insurance presentations on my own. But I don't appreciate the swerves.
Then, it's today. We just had a pretty big snowstorm that lasted about 36 hours. We always have a weekly meeting on Monday at 11 as a large group and then we have an agency meeting at 3 and then call night begins around 4 or 4:30. I drove 40 minutes to Lombard over a ton of ice. The lot was maybe 20 percent full. That raised my suspicion as the whole agency is there on Monday morning. By 10:50, parking is usually at a premium. So checked GroupMe, which is the app we use to communicate with each other and motivate one another and all that crap. I checked it and it said I had been removed from the group 28 days ago. I know that's not true, because I was on it two days prior. So, there's no meeting and I received no communication about it. If they decided not to renew my contract, which I'm guessing is the case, they could have had the balls to tell me. They didn't have the decency to give me the courtesy of an e-mail, which would have been low class to begin with. And I was pretty much ready to quit anyway. I'm better than they are and it's no wonder their turnover rate is higher than the Oakland Raiders head coaching position.
The bottom line is this. I didn't make a dime for AIL. But their crap communication system hampered my ability to make me money and help their business. So on that note, I would like to extend a farewell to this company. Thanks for costing me $700 and for letting me work for you for the last six weeks without a single cent going into my pocket. You are pathetic.
Monday, January 19, 2015
Not a good idea
I've had quite a few jobs now in my life, some full-time, some part time. Some I was good at, some I wasn't so good at. Some paid okay, some paid peanuts. And in the 15 years I've been working on some level, I've learned a few things. One of them is do not embarrass your employees publicly. And that just happened to me.
Basically, at this insurance job, the week runs from Thursday at 2 p.m. to the next Thursday at 1:59 p.m. Then, we get a check the following Monday...if we make any money, that is. So I've had no sales in the first four days. Today, we have our team meeting from 12-1. Our boss gives us one of his rah-rah, fire you up speeches where he talked about the opportunity that's out there. There's all this money to make, there are this people to see, this is what you're capable of achieving, start setting goals. All the typical BS. He gets through that and then two managers step up to the podium. They go through the halftime list. Now I've been at this company five weeks and I've never heard of this. They proceed to publicly call out every agent who has not made a sale in the last four days. They then ask them what is the reason and what our goal is. I knew I was getting called out. I haven't made a sale yet in the three weeks I've been doing presentations. Most of it is pathetic leads. But some of these pricks who started after me are making money and I'd be lying if I said it didn't burn me up. I'm hurting enough already inside. I don't need to be publicly embarrassed in front of 30 of my peers. I said my ALP goal was $1300 by Thursday. That would translate to me making about $310 for the week. The truth? All I want is to get a $600 check and get out of here. In other words, I just want to make enough to pay off my laptop, business cards, temp license, and gas money. I would be satisfied with just breaking even and getting the hell out of here. Because through five weeks, this job has cost me a whole lot more than it's given me. Hopefully, it'll work out, but right now, it's getting worse and worse.
Basically, at this insurance job, the week runs from Thursday at 2 p.m. to the next Thursday at 1:59 p.m. Then, we get a check the following Monday...if we make any money, that is. So I've had no sales in the first four days. Today, we have our team meeting from 12-1. Our boss gives us one of his rah-rah, fire you up speeches where he talked about the opportunity that's out there. There's all this money to make, there are this people to see, this is what you're capable of achieving, start setting goals. All the typical BS. He gets through that and then two managers step up to the podium. They go through the halftime list. Now I've been at this company five weeks and I've never heard of this. They proceed to publicly call out every agent who has not made a sale in the last four days. They then ask them what is the reason and what our goal is. I knew I was getting called out. I haven't made a sale yet in the three weeks I've been doing presentations. Most of it is pathetic leads. But some of these pricks who started after me are making money and I'd be lying if I said it didn't burn me up. I'm hurting enough already inside. I don't need to be publicly embarrassed in front of 30 of my peers. I said my ALP goal was $1300 by Thursday. That would translate to me making about $310 for the week. The truth? All I want is to get a $600 check and get out of here. In other words, I just want to make enough to pay off my laptop, business cards, temp license, and gas money. I would be satisfied with just breaking even and getting the hell out of here. Because through five weeks, this job has cost me a whole lot more than it's given me. Hopefully, it'll work out, but right now, it's getting worse and worse.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Drifting
1) And Satan defeats Baltimore in the dump known as Foxboro. Two wins away from the worst possible scenario. Please Denver...I'm begging you. Kill those bastards.
2) I have no desire to eat today. I know some people eat when they're miserable, because it helps them feel better. To me, if I'm not going to enjoy the food, why would I eat it?
3) 28 degrees today...and it seems warm.
4) I don't know about this insurance deal. Two appointments, no sales. Six door knocks...nobody home. In other words, I made zero money. My manager told me it's the first Saturday he's ever had where no one was home on a Saturday. Unbelievable. I'm looking at other jobs. Because I am not happy where I am.
5) I am amazed how some people can look at one incident and think they can tell everything about someone's character when they have no clue what else may be going on in that person's life. Especially slightly older females who live in the Midwest. Seems to be the norm...
6) 10 A's down. 4 classes to go. Can June 23 get here already?
7) Would you please come back...by the time I count to fifty?
8) Debating whether or not to see Taken 3
9) One month till Nashville...
10) I changed my mind; I feel like eating something incredibly unhealthy.
2) I have no desire to eat today. I know some people eat when they're miserable, because it helps them feel better. To me, if I'm not going to enjoy the food, why would I eat it?
3) 28 degrees today...and it seems warm.
4) I don't know about this insurance deal. Two appointments, no sales. Six door knocks...nobody home. In other words, I made zero money. My manager told me it's the first Saturday he's ever had where no one was home on a Saturday. Unbelievable. I'm looking at other jobs. Because I am not happy where I am.
5) I am amazed how some people can look at one incident and think they can tell everything about someone's character when they have no clue what else may be going on in that person's life. Especially slightly older females who live in the Midwest. Seems to be the norm...
6) 10 A's down. 4 classes to go. Can June 23 get here already?
7) Would you please come back...by the time I count to fifty?
8) Debating whether or not to see Taken 3
9) One month till Nashville...
10) I changed my mind; I feel like eating something incredibly unhealthy.
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Florida-Days 4 and 5
As I tend to do too often, I slept right through the alarm clock. So I rolled out of bed at 7:40 and hit the gym for a half hour, doing some abs, power walking, and a little bit of weights. Breakfast was whole milk and half a FitCrunch bar. We headed to Clearwater Beach around 9:30. This place was rated the top beach in America by USA Today. Well, we learned something. Never go to the place on a weekend. It is a thin inlet, with two streets going north and south. And I don't know if I have ever seen a place that is harder to get a parking spot. By 10 am, the traffic was bumper to bumper.
We wound up grabbing lunch at Frenchy's Saltwater Grille. There are maybe eight different Frenchy's restaurants in the area. This one is off the water, so the location wasn't the best. We had fried alligator to start. I've had fried gator a few times and this wasn't one of the best. The gator skin was dark and I had to chew pretty hard. It came with a BBQ sauce on the side, but I think remoulade works much better with gator. Mom got a Greek salad with grouper that had a huge hunk of potato salad in the bottom of the bowl. I'm sorry, but has anyone ever heard of a Greek salad with potato salad in it? Anyway, I had candied bacon wrapped Sriracha scallops. The scallops were flavored in Sriracha and lime, wrapped in brown sugar bacon, seared, and baked. They were sweet, salty, smoky, and spicy. Very good. I also ordered a side of steamed veggies: broccoli, cauliflower, and two baby carrots. They definitely needed seasoning, so I used plenty of lemon, salt, and pepper.
I knew parking would be impossible, so I took a quick 45 minutes or so to check out a few shops. I was sure to check out Hogan's Beach Shop. It was so much better than Hogan's Beach. There was tons more merch to buy. I really thought about getting a Hulkamania tank top, but for $20, I felt it was a little much. Instead, I get a yellow koozie. The funny thing was they even had dog shirts. If only I could have gotten one of those for Hogan when he was still alive. I also walked onto the beach for about ten minutes with my shirt and shoes off. Felt great to feel sand beneath my feet!
I went into two or three souvenir shops, looking for a decent tank, but decided against it in the end. So we headed out and checked out a dog parade at the Largo Botanical Gardens. Mom found out about it through the local newspaper. Unfortunately, the paper failed to mention that dog registration starts at 12. We took it to mean the parade started at 12. We got there and found out that it didn't start until 2. I took pictures of a couple of plants and just left. Since Mom had to do laundry for her upcoming tour, we headed back to the hotel around 1. First, we stopped at Rita's Italian Ices. They had something called a gelati, which is an Italian ice topped with soft-serve ice cream. I got the pina colada ice and vanilla ice cream. One of the most refreshing things I've had in a while.
Back at the hotel, I sat by the pool, mostly tanning and following the final Jets game of the season. We stayed till around 5:30, when we left for an evening service at BridgePoint Church. It's a growing church that had four services a day and is leasing their current space until they move to a new facility in three months. Great to see they're growing. Then, around 8:00 it was dinner time. Back over the bridge to Tampa for some pizza at Garibaldi's. The antipasto appetizer with Genoa salami, olives, fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers, fresh basil, and baked bread was great. All I needed for perfection was a few marinated artichoke hearts. For the pie, I appeased Mom and went with bacon, mushrooms, and tomatoes. I knew it was a mistake; I think their Italian sausage and meatballs are better. And I certainly feel roasted peppers add more flavors than tomatoes. The pizza was fine, but it should have been better. Also, there was not enough sauce, which always bugs me. And the fact that they charge $2 for extra sauce is a joke too. Anyway, I'll stop there.
Monday morning came. Mom was supposed to leave early in the morning for the tour. Unfortunately, this joke of a bus company never returned any of her messages regarding who the driver was and if she would be picked up, if I had to drop her off at a certain spot, etc. And she began leaving messages on Christmas Eve? It's just pathetic. So we had to wake up at 5:30 a.m. to call these fools again to find out where the hell we were supposed to go and at what time.
We drove ten minutes west to largo. Mom missed one of my directions and we band in from the north instead of from the south. And it's a good thing she did because as we were turning onto the street where the bus company is, we passed the driver in the bus! I saw the Mayflower tours sticker on the website and I knew it! Thankfully we got his attention and hooked up with him. It turns out this driver found out he was driving for this tour one night prior! One night! That's terrible communication and shows a total lack of planning and preparation.
Anyway I took the car, went back to the hotel, worked out, cleaned up, packed, and checked out. I headed to south St. Pete to get cash, gas up (only cost me fifteen bucks), and grab food. Mazzaro's opened at nine, so I figured why not. While I was in the parking lot, I got the great news that Jets general manager was fired and the terrible news that coach Rex Ryan had suffered the same fate. I'll have another post about that later. I had a sausage sandwich, which was really good and would have been great if they had put marinara sauce on it. And I had the pistachio cannoli, which was perfect. Back over the bridge to Tampa. I played the acoustic version of Hotel California and I felt so free, if only for a few minutes.
Nothing too exciting at the airport, except it was cool to have the TSA guy compliment my Mets cap. Time to go home and pick up my girl from the kennel
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Florida-Day 3
The second full day started with a two-hour drive south down I-275 and I-75 through Sarasota and Bradenton until we got to Punta Gorda, a town I had never heard of. But Mom is taking her next tour group over there, so we checked it out. We took a quick drive through the town and it seemed very old-fashioned and quaint. There didn't appear to be a ton going on and we were struggling to see why a lot of people had mentioned it as a good town to visit.
We had a 10 am tour at Babcock wilderness, which is a 91,000 acre property filled with wildlife and different ecosystems. It must have taken 25 minutes of driving from any hint of civilization until we got to the place. We took a 90-minute buggy tour with about 40 other people. One of the highlights for me was getting to pet a baby alligator. She felt very scaly and jagged, but still smooth. I also saw three-horned cows, wild turkeys, and an actual Florida panther named Ossie. In the sea, I must have seen 20 alligators. In the air, I saw a blue heron, a few hawks, and a group of circling vultures. It was a fun experience and was worth the time.
We headed back to Punta Gorda and checked out Fisherman's Wharf. It was basically a pier with a bunch of local, unique shops. I really liked this place, as there was a nice blend of expensive stores and casual stores. I nearly purchased a really nice black, short-sleeved, button-down shirt, but since I already have one like it, I took a pass. We ate at a New England style seafood restaurant. Mom had a lobster roll, which was about as predictable as the sun going down come late afternoon. Thankfully, she liked it. We split an order of onion rings; this place makes over 25,000 pounds of them every year. They tasted light and had a nice crunch. Really good rings. Also, the portion size was manageable. Too many times, I order onion rings or strings and there are just so many that I feel full. Thankfully, that didn't happen. I ordered a whole belly Ipswich clam roll. It came on a toasted hot dog roll, with nothing. No tartar sauce, no lemon, no lettuce and tomato. Just the clams. They came out crispy and full of flavor. After all that fried food, at least I ordered a salad for my side. Unfortunately, the waitress never refilled our drinks. But she must have been in her 60s and I give her credit for learning to take orders on a tablet.
I did a little more window shopping. I went into an ice cream parlor and I was tempted to try either the orange pineapple or they key lime ice cream. I asked to sample them and I was told that the staff was not allowed to hand out samples. So I walked away. I liked the board game store too. I thought about getting games like Rook, Cribbage, and Sequence for Dogs. They even has bacon toothpaste, bacon bandages, and Jesus soap. I really wonder how excited the Lord is to know we're naming soap after him.
Anyway, we headed back north on the Tamiami trail. Port Charlotte was the first city over the Peace River after we left Punta Gorda. Suffice to say, there is nothing that would entice me to return there. It's just blah. Around Sarasota, there was some punk kid blasting his music so loud in the truck next to us that I felt my eardrums vibrating. Actually, I take that back. It wasn't music. It was vulgar rap. And our car windows were closed! I'm sorry, but that crap deserves a ticket. We eventually got back to the hotel around five.
After watching two episodes of Forensic Files, I left for Engine No. 9, a hockey-themed burger bar in downtown St. Petersburg. Of course, I wore a Rangers jersey and asked to watch Rangers vs. Devils. I had a Dogfish beer, which I enjoyed, before switching to a Yuengling draft. I ordered the Demi-God burger, which had Swiss cheese, cheddar cheese, bacon, portabella mushrooms, caramelized onions, and horseradish mayo. It came out cooked perfectly medium and juicy. This burger was absolutely tremendous and I would definitely order it again. The sweet potato fries were crispy and thick. They came with ketchup, so of course, I just had them as is. Also, they had a little bit of a vanilla flavor to them. As for the game, the Rangers were winning 2-0 when I left and wound up winning 3-1 as Derek Stepan notched a hat trick. And for dessert, I finished off that last cannoli. I might need to work out in the morning before church tomorrow...
We had a 10 am tour at Babcock wilderness, which is a 91,000 acre property filled with wildlife and different ecosystems. It must have taken 25 minutes of driving from any hint of civilization until we got to the place. We took a 90-minute buggy tour with about 40 other people. One of the highlights for me was getting to pet a baby alligator. She felt very scaly and jagged, but still smooth. I also saw three-horned cows, wild turkeys, and an actual Florida panther named Ossie. In the sea, I must have seen 20 alligators. In the air, I saw a blue heron, a few hawks, and a group of circling vultures. It was a fun experience and was worth the time.
We headed back to Punta Gorda and checked out Fisherman's Wharf. It was basically a pier with a bunch of local, unique shops. I really liked this place, as there was a nice blend of expensive stores and casual stores. I nearly purchased a really nice black, short-sleeved, button-down shirt, but since I already have one like it, I took a pass. We ate at a New England style seafood restaurant. Mom had a lobster roll, which was about as predictable as the sun going down come late afternoon. Thankfully, she liked it. We split an order of onion rings; this place makes over 25,000 pounds of them every year. They tasted light and had a nice crunch. Really good rings. Also, the portion size was manageable. Too many times, I order onion rings or strings and there are just so many that I feel full. Thankfully, that didn't happen. I ordered a whole belly Ipswich clam roll. It came on a toasted hot dog roll, with nothing. No tartar sauce, no lemon, no lettuce and tomato. Just the clams. They came out crispy and full of flavor. After all that fried food, at least I ordered a salad for my side. Unfortunately, the waitress never refilled our drinks. But she must have been in her 60s and I give her credit for learning to take orders on a tablet.
I did a little more window shopping. I went into an ice cream parlor and I was tempted to try either the orange pineapple or they key lime ice cream. I asked to sample them and I was told that the staff was not allowed to hand out samples. So I walked away. I liked the board game store too. I thought about getting games like Rook, Cribbage, and Sequence for Dogs. They even has bacon toothpaste, bacon bandages, and Jesus soap. I really wonder how excited the Lord is to know we're naming soap after him.
Anyway, we headed back north on the Tamiami trail. Port Charlotte was the first city over the Peace River after we left Punta Gorda. Suffice to say, there is nothing that would entice me to return there. It's just blah. Around Sarasota, there was some punk kid blasting his music so loud in the truck next to us that I felt my eardrums vibrating. Actually, I take that back. It wasn't music. It was vulgar rap. And our car windows were closed! I'm sorry, but that crap deserves a ticket. We eventually got back to the hotel around five.
After watching two episodes of Forensic Files, I left for Engine No. 9, a hockey-themed burger bar in downtown St. Petersburg. Of course, I wore a Rangers jersey and asked to watch Rangers vs. Devils. I had a Dogfish beer, which I enjoyed, before switching to a Yuengling draft. I ordered the Demi-God burger, which had Swiss cheese, cheddar cheese, bacon, portabella mushrooms, caramelized onions, and horseradish mayo. It came out cooked perfectly medium and juicy. This burger was absolutely tremendous and I would definitely order it again. The sweet potato fries were crispy and thick. They came with ketchup, so of course, I just had them as is. Also, they had a little bit of a vanilla flavor to them. As for the game, the Rangers were winning 2-0 when I left and wound up winning 3-1 as Derek Stepan notched a hat trick. And for dessert, I finished off that last cannoli. I might need to work out in the morning before church tomorrow...
Friday, December 26, 2014
Florida-Day 2
I woke up at 6 am and headed straight to the gym. I ran on a treadmill for the first time in maybe eight months. I really wasn't sure how my right leg would hold up after suffering my leg injury in May. I started with a brisk walk at 4.0 mph. Every quarter mile, I increased the pace by half a mile. Eventually, I got it up to 7.0, which is a pretty fast run, but not an all-out sprint for me. I stayed on the treadmill for about 21 minutes. I could feel a little tightness above my right knee, but it went away pretty quickly. I don't know if I'm ready to run a 5k just yet; I think I may want to wait until I actually have medical insurance again before I do that. I also hit the dumbbells or a half hour and went down to grab breakfast. As part of our deal with Courtyard, we got $20 worth of food every day. I got an OJ and a "healthy" breakfast sandwich, as well a smoothie for Mom.
The first stop of the day was St. Pete Beach which is off the west coast of mainland St. Petersburg. We drove down the inlets, noticing a lot of hotels, summer beach homes, and small shops. It would be a really neat place to spend a weekend. One part of the inlet where we spent a lot of time is called Pass-A-Grille. Very laid back area, that may be best known for the Don CeSar hotel, an enormous pink hotel that has a lot of history in the area. They only had a few places to shop and eat, but it was just a really cool beach community.
We headed back over to the east side of St. Petersburg to check out Mazzaro's Italian market. This was in a tough area of town, surrounded by car washes, empty parking lots, and the site of a future Dunkin' Donuts. But I could tell this place was the real deal because it had statues outside of lions and the Virgin Mary. We went in and I nearly fainted. The smell of garlic, roasted peppers, and Italian cheese permeated through my nose, just making me feel so alive. We went to the deli counter, where about 20 people were waiting for their sandwich orders. Mom got a roast beef while I got a salami and capicola. They topped the sandwiches with provolone cheese, Romaine lettuce, Italian slaw, tomatoes, red onions, roasted peppers, oil, vinegar, and Italian spices. First, having lettuce and cabbage was really different. I almost feel like I didn't need the lettuce with the slaw being on there. And the red onions didn't work for me, I felt they were just too strong. But the meat was fresh and that bread was just perfect. Soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside, and just thick enough to keep all those ingredients inside. Really good, though next time, I'd go for an Italian sausage or a chicken parmesan sandwich.
We also got two cannolis. I had never had a cannoli quite like this. The cream wasn't bright white, as most are. This had some brown specks. Later, I found out the brown specks were cinnamon oil. The oil gave the cannoli a richness and sophistication that I have never had in another cannoli. Just tremendous.
We then headed over to downtown St. Pete. I wanted to check out Haslam's, which is the largest bookstore in Florida. It wasn't as big as Powell's in Portland, but they had some cool things. One was an assortment of vintage jigsaw puzzles with some unique themes such as pencils, vending machines, the 60s, the Three Stooges, and state postcards. One of the interesting books was titled "Things Every Man Should Know." It had everything from dressing to changing a tire to poker terms to how to fart in public...Then, Mom spent about 45 minutes checking out shorts and shoes in a local shop. Meanwhile, I sat outside watching five dudes walk into an antique store together. They were either queer or...nah I guess there's no other possibility.
It was around 3:30 and we weren't quite sure what to do, so we went over to Hogan's Beach to grab a drink. This place opened two years ago and is a shrine to Hulk Hogan. It is in Tampa, right near the airport and on the water. It's also attached to a Best Western hotel, which may not be the best hotel to be associated with! I walked in and it was like a museum. On the wall were Hogan's movie posters and classic pictures from wrestling and films. There were glass cases filled with action figures, championship belts, and plenty of other Hogan odds and ends. We went to sit in the outside bar, but it was totally filled with smoke and there was barely any room. I refused to sit around smokers unless absolutely necessary. So we went back inside and sat at the empty bar and were told it wasn't open for five more minutes. We did not care about that. Here's what we did care about. Numerous tables had empty plates and baskets on them and had not been cleaned. Also, all the liquor bottles at the bar were covered with paper cone cups instead of pour spout tops. Even worse, three girls were standing around at the merch table, just yapping away and refusing to clean anything up. And the inside dining room was way too dark. There are championship belts on the highest parts of the walls. The problem is the lighting is so dark that they can barely be seen. Outside though, there are three bars and two sand volleyball courts. I guess this place is just a nightspot. The drinks were fine, though they took about ten minutes, came in plastic cups, and weren't exactly large. I had a Hogan's punch, which was similar to a rum runner. And it was happy hour so I got it for $5.00 instead of $8.90. Nice discount. I went once and can't imagine returning.
After chilling at the hotel for a bit (homework time for me), we drove 25 minutes back to southwest St. Pete. We had dinner at Ted Peter's Smoked Fish. I can't imagine coming to this area and not eating there. I had a frosted mug of High Life $2.99. Mom's wine was served in a frosted mug as well, which was kind of crazy. We both ordered the mahi. It came with their German potato salad, which is unreal. It is loaded with bacon and bacon grease and had NO MAYO! It also comes with pineapple cole slaw and a slice of tomato, sweet onion, and a pickle spear. There are also sides of horseradish sauce and spicy horseradish sauce as well. I like to squeeze lemon on my fish and smear it with the spicy horseradish. Then I cut the tomato, pickle, and onion into small pieces and eat some of those with the fish. The mahi came out moist with a little bit of smoky flavor from the red oak that they use. It's just such a unique product and it tastes great and healthy at the same time.
The first stop of the day was St. Pete Beach which is off the west coast of mainland St. Petersburg. We drove down the inlets, noticing a lot of hotels, summer beach homes, and small shops. It would be a really neat place to spend a weekend. One part of the inlet where we spent a lot of time is called Pass-A-Grille. Very laid back area, that may be best known for the Don CeSar hotel, an enormous pink hotel that has a lot of history in the area. They only had a few places to shop and eat, but it was just a really cool beach community.
We headed back over to the east side of St. Petersburg to check out Mazzaro's Italian market. This was in a tough area of town, surrounded by car washes, empty parking lots, and the site of a future Dunkin' Donuts. But I could tell this place was the real deal because it had statues outside of lions and the Virgin Mary. We went in and I nearly fainted. The smell of garlic, roasted peppers, and Italian cheese permeated through my nose, just making me feel so alive. We went to the deli counter, where about 20 people were waiting for their sandwich orders. Mom got a roast beef while I got a salami and capicola. They topped the sandwiches with provolone cheese, Romaine lettuce, Italian slaw, tomatoes, red onions, roasted peppers, oil, vinegar, and Italian spices. First, having lettuce and cabbage was really different. I almost feel like I didn't need the lettuce with the slaw being on there. And the red onions didn't work for me, I felt they were just too strong. But the meat was fresh and that bread was just perfect. Soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside, and just thick enough to keep all those ingredients inside. Really good, though next time, I'd go for an Italian sausage or a chicken parmesan sandwich.
We also got two cannolis. I had never had a cannoli quite like this. The cream wasn't bright white, as most are. This had some brown specks. Later, I found out the brown specks were cinnamon oil. The oil gave the cannoli a richness and sophistication that I have never had in another cannoli. Just tremendous.
We then headed over to downtown St. Pete. I wanted to check out Haslam's, which is the largest bookstore in Florida. It wasn't as big as Powell's in Portland, but they had some cool things. One was an assortment of vintage jigsaw puzzles with some unique themes such as pencils, vending machines, the 60s, the Three Stooges, and state postcards. One of the interesting books was titled "Things Every Man Should Know." It had everything from dressing to changing a tire to poker terms to how to fart in public...Then, Mom spent about 45 minutes checking out shorts and shoes in a local shop. Meanwhile, I sat outside watching five dudes walk into an antique store together. They were either queer or...nah I guess there's no other possibility.
It was around 3:30 and we weren't quite sure what to do, so we went over to Hogan's Beach to grab a drink. This place opened two years ago and is a shrine to Hulk Hogan. It is in Tampa, right near the airport and on the water. It's also attached to a Best Western hotel, which may not be the best hotel to be associated with! I walked in and it was like a museum. On the wall were Hogan's movie posters and classic pictures from wrestling and films. There were glass cases filled with action figures, championship belts, and plenty of other Hogan odds and ends. We went to sit in the outside bar, but it was totally filled with smoke and there was barely any room. I refused to sit around smokers unless absolutely necessary. So we went back inside and sat at the empty bar and were told it wasn't open for five more minutes. We did not care about that. Here's what we did care about. Numerous tables had empty plates and baskets on them and had not been cleaned. Also, all the liquor bottles at the bar were covered with paper cone cups instead of pour spout tops. Even worse, three girls were standing around at the merch table, just yapping away and refusing to clean anything up. And the inside dining room was way too dark. There are championship belts on the highest parts of the walls. The problem is the lighting is so dark that they can barely be seen. Outside though, there are three bars and two sand volleyball courts. I guess this place is just a nightspot. The drinks were fine, though they took about ten minutes, came in plastic cups, and weren't exactly large. I had a Hogan's punch, which was similar to a rum runner. And it was happy hour so I got it for $5.00 instead of $8.90. Nice discount. I went once and can't imagine returning.
After chilling at the hotel for a bit (homework time for me), we drove 25 minutes back to southwest St. Pete. We had dinner at Ted Peter's Smoked Fish. I can't imagine coming to this area and not eating there. I had a frosted mug of High Life $2.99. Mom's wine was served in a frosted mug as well, which was kind of crazy. We both ordered the mahi. It came with their German potato salad, which is unreal. It is loaded with bacon and bacon grease and had NO MAYO! It also comes with pineapple cole slaw and a slice of tomato, sweet onion, and a pickle spear. There are also sides of horseradish sauce and spicy horseradish sauce as well. I like to squeeze lemon on my fish and smear it with the spicy horseradish. Then I cut the tomato, pickle, and onion into small pieces and eat some of those with the fish. The mahi came out moist with a little bit of smoky flavor from the red oak that they use. It's just such a unique product and it tastes great and healthy at the same time.
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