Bad day

You know how you have those days where everything goes wrong and you let everyone know the many ways in which the world has wronged you? And then something that is actually bad happens and it puts everything in perspective, and you feel stupid for freaking out about the other things.

And you feel sad.

Thankfully, that day is over in 20 minutes...(I don't think I could have taken much more).

The service

(In an effort to achieve the 10 posts I promised for April, I give you this rant).

Everyone gets bad service - the waiter that is unattentive, the waitress that messes up the order - shit happens. No big deal. But, in the past two months I think I've been witnessing the eradication of any kind of service that could be deemed "good" or "quality." I don't know if I've been cursed or what, but here are restaurant experiences I've had while out with friends.

1. being sat next to the rotisserie oven - so I could get a tan with my teriyaki chicken (this was coupled with the "forgetting" of one of the ingredients in my dessert and inattentive service)
2. screwing up my order and offering no apology for having to remake it, which left my friend and I eating essential on our own
3. a waiter who brought our order to the table and then asking, "is there anything else I can get you." "Yah, how about some napkins and maybe some utensils." My friend also had to get her own condiments, which the waiter made no attempt to bring her...
4. A restaurant so understaffed for the dinner shift, 1/3 of the tables were empty (meaning a 20 minute wait) and our waitress seemed like she was training for the speed ordering category at the restaurant server olympics
5. cold, tiny and sad looking portions (this one was added to round the list out to five).

What does this list tell me?
Maybe that I need to go out to nicer/non-chain restaurants (well, #3 didn't happen at a chain) because my last two Friday night dinners have been excellent in both quality and service (but then, I didn't pay for those...)

And the doctor says...

Everything is normal and I'm fine.

(or at least he's pretty sure I am...can't rule out anything bad for absolute certain unless the lump is removed and I'm not really in the mood for unnecessary surgery.)

I'm in!

SFU wants me! (It's about time I heard from them)...one problem: I only have three weeks to decide it I want them and I haven't heard from my Alma Mater yet. Ugh!

Cue the freaking out about making a decision.

My date with the gun

The lesson I learned today was to keep one's eyes firmly staring up at the ceiling when having a medical procedure done for which you are awake because making the mistake of looking down as the doctor passes the nurse a piece of...well, you, is really quite gross.

There was prodding and pressure, but less pain then excepted. The boob, she is doing ok.

I hope to be told I'm not dying in just 12 short days.

Lucy

My friends make cute babies:

Stupid said!

I have lost my title, been dethroned, am now the runner up and only needed if the winner - for whatever reason - is unable to fulfill his duties. I am no longer Reporter of the Year, which I am totally ok with. Except. EXCEPT I got to read the judges comments.

I feel like a singles figure skater (pre the new judging system) who was happy just to make it through qualifying for a chance to compete at the Olympics only to lose after the long program based on one tenth of a point for artistic merit from one judge. A situation where the skater has no control, where she could have done nothing differently because it all comes down to one person's opinion. It is oh so subjective. And it SUCKS!

My equivalent of that situation is being told I lost by one point and I lost that one point because of my use of the word 'said' after a quote. The judge would have preferred 'stated' or 'explained'. This is an acceptable critique except, EXCEPT, not more than a month before starting the criticized piece I was at a workshop or conference where I was specifically told to use said. They explained it was because the reader runs right over it and it doesn't register, doesn't break up the flow of the piece like 'explained' or 'stated' do. See subjective. Subjectivity sucks!

(In happier news I did win the best rural/agircultural story. This is kinda funny because I grew up in the city, knew nothing of farming before beginning the piece and I don't eat red meat.
Ok, so I don't know how that last point has anything to do with it, but I like lists of threes...)