I don't know if I can begin to describe just how crazy Sept. 30th was for me. But I WILL warn you that most of this blog entry is not for the faint of heart or weak stomachs.
It started with me waking up to take Alex to class. I was still feeling ill, so I went straight to bed when I got home, setting my alarm for around noon.
At roughly 11:30, my body decides it isn't comfortable resting and I wake up. And my dog's puked all over my sheets not far from me. Twice.
It gets worse. As I'm cleaning that up, she...er...has the runs on the floor. While taking care of everything, I start gagging. All that rest I had was for naught; my illness immediately took advantage, and I was dazed and exhausted again with a slight fever.
On my phone was a message: Alex already got out at around 10:45am. So not only did I sleep through my dog barfing, but I also dozed through her text.
I hurriedly get to her after explaining the situation via text. When we get home, Cocoa gets worse: On top of the diarrhea, she suddenly starts dripping blood from her rear. We took her to the vet to find that there were no blockages of any sort and no masses, therefore probably nothing she ate. But it may have been a bacterial infection.
After taking the dog home, Alex and I decide that we need to get out for a little while. When it starts raining. Which immediately makes me feel a little at ease. We run over to Olive Garden to grab a bite, a 10-minute wait time avoided by sitting at the bar area for dinner.
We get the soup course of our meals and start. Just a few bites in, and the Powers-that-Be decided to have one last cosmic gag.
The guy at the table next to us sneezes. With a mouthful of wine.
And the spray is wide. Very, very wide. There's wine all over my left arm and leg, and all over Alex's arm and shoulder. The couple is extremely apologetic, nervously laughing a tad and explaining that the black pepper in the food crept up on him just as he was sipping the wine. I try to assure them that there was no harm done, and that things happen. Alex lets them know that she's been through far worse, then goes to touch up a bit.
We continue our meal. As we're eating and talking about the day's events thus far, the waitress comes to us. With a shocking revelation.
The couple paid our entire bill. The WHOLE THING. And left the waitress a hefty tip, too.
All we could do was stare at each other with a "duh" look for several seconds before thanking them.
We left, still stunned at the turn of events and decide, collectively with Alex's sister Amber, that we need to hit up a record store. I'd never been to Zia before, and I must say that I'm impressed with their selection of stuff. Not just music and anime, but they had a few of the ice trays I wanted, too (like the Jolly Roger ice tray).
Alex and I come back to my place, curling up (without a blanket, since it was now in the dryer) to watch "Paprika". I start dozing off a half-hour into it (don't worry, I've seen it before), a combination of exhaustion from the day's events and my flu bug creeping up on me.
So now, I'm sitting here with Alex asleep, my dog passed out near my pillow (she's looking and feeling much better) and my throat sore, but otherwise feeling decent overall. And I'm hungry. But this just shows how serendipity goes; had none of that happened in the manner it did, we would've never found ourselves with a free meal and a Hell of a story.
Anyhow, no results yet on the writing contest, so I'll end this lengthy blog entry here and let everyone know what's going on with the contest results when I find out.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Paradigm Shift! Sorta...
I know it's been a bit since my last post, but things have been a bit uneventful. The only thing that's happened lately is a bit of a shift in focus for me.
See, my family went out of town for a week and some. So I've been looking at my writing while I've had the silence and focus to do so, getting myself back into editing duties pro-bono and entering a flash fiction competition last week. Three winners will be selected out of a pool of 19 writers, all of whom showed their faces to compose a 500-word piece of fiction on a theme presented on the spot, with a 90-minute time limit. I turned mine in with 5 minutes to spare, and I'll know if I'm one of the three selected in about a month's time. I'll make sure to keep my readers posted.
If I do win, I get a cash prize, my story gets posted in CityLife and I'll have to read my fiction piece in front of an audience at the Vegas Valley Book Festival in November. So wish me luck, and I hope this leads into other, possibly bigger, things for the Ram!
As far as the Remixology competition, I wasn't selected. But I figure I could use the winnings from the writing contest to help me out in the next one. I haven't given up, just on a mixology competition hiatus.
Anyhow, that's all I have for now. Again, I can use all the luck y'all can muster for me!
See, my family went out of town for a week and some. So I've been looking at my writing while I've had the silence and focus to do so, getting myself back into editing duties pro-bono and entering a flash fiction competition last week. Three winners will be selected out of a pool of 19 writers, all of whom showed their faces to compose a 500-word piece of fiction on a theme presented on the spot, with a 90-minute time limit. I turned mine in with 5 minutes to spare, and I'll know if I'm one of the three selected in about a month's time. I'll make sure to keep my readers posted.
If I do win, I get a cash prize, my story gets posted in CityLife and I'll have to read my fiction piece in front of an audience at the Vegas Valley Book Festival in November. So wish me luck, and I hope this leads into other, possibly bigger, things for the Ram!
As far as the Remixology competition, I wasn't selected. But I figure I could use the winnings from the writing contest to help me out in the next one. I haven't given up, just on a mixology competition hiatus.
Anyhow, that's all I have for now. Again, I can use all the luck y'all can muster for me!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
ReMixology
My entry for the Appleton Reserve ReMixology Challenge is away. My cocktail was themed after Metric's "Gimme Sympathy", per the contest's rules (choose a song and create a cocktail based on it). It didn't take me long to put together a themed recipe, and the results were rather delicious! So here's hoping I make it into the regional quarterfinals. Finalists will be announced sometime after tomorrow, so I'll let everyone know how it goes.
That's one contest down, two more (that I know of) to go!
That's one contest down, two more (that I know of) to go!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Supersonic. Or, Rather, Ultra.
Not much changed in the job department. Still no word back from the lounge about the supposed new position, despite several attempts to contact them via email, Facebook and phone, but until he actually gives me any official word, all I can do is bug them. And I will keep pestering them until I get a reply, whether the answer is good or bad.
Those of you who know me best probably know I have the patience to do this for years, if necessary.
I have a few extra hours at the store, at least. That means I have a whole 9 hours of work this week, possibly more if I'm able to pick up a shift on Saturday. It's a start.
This has been a busy week, otherwise. Job fair yesterday (where I ran into one of the administrators over at Crescent and decided to ask about reinstating myself on the job placement list), interview with a staffing agency tomorrow (for office, writing and bar work placement) and had a venal and arterial ultrasound on my leg today to see what could be wrong. They found nothing, of course, so that's partially good news.
With some of the stress off my mind, I've been able to focus on a couple of mixology competitions. I'm looking into two different contests right now. Of course, I'll have to do these using Crescent School as my sponsor since I have no idea what my employment status is at the lounge, but the administrator at Crescent seemed more-than-happy to allow me to use their facilities for the competitions. Thank goodness for being a decent student in the art of the cocktail! I may even be a bit of a show-off and dabble in molecular mixology for these contests.
I'm also finishing up with the prologue to what should turn out to be a 22-chapter high-concept fantasy novel, should each chapter go according to plan. In addition, I'm going to start working out the kinks in a cyberpunk story project I've been researching for years. I thought about making this project a novel also, but I thought it'd be more fun to write several short stories (or, perhaps, a few novellas) based in the same fictional city.
Until the next update, wish me luck!
Those of you who know me best probably know I have the patience to do this for years, if necessary.
I have a few extra hours at the store, at least. That means I have a whole 9 hours of work this week, possibly more if I'm able to pick up a shift on Saturday. It's a start.
This has been a busy week, otherwise. Job fair yesterday (where I ran into one of the administrators over at Crescent and decided to ask about reinstating myself on the job placement list), interview with a staffing agency tomorrow (for office, writing and bar work placement) and had a venal and arterial ultrasound on my leg today to see what could be wrong. They found nothing, of course, so that's partially good news.
With some of the stress off my mind, I've been able to focus on a couple of mixology competitions. I'm looking into two different contests right now. Of course, I'll have to do these using Crescent School as my sponsor since I have no idea what my employment status is at the lounge, but the administrator at Crescent seemed more-than-happy to allow me to use their facilities for the competitions. Thank goodness for being a decent student in the art of the cocktail! I may even be a bit of a show-off and dabble in molecular mixology for these contests.
I'm also finishing up with the prologue to what should turn out to be a 22-chapter high-concept fantasy novel, should each chapter go according to plan. In addition, I'm going to start working out the kinks in a cyberpunk story project I've been researching for years. I thought about making this project a novel also, but I thought it'd be more fun to write several short stories (or, perhaps, a few novellas) based in the same fictional city.
Until the next update, wish me luck!
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Do or Die
Very well, sir. If you're not going to answer me about the new position, then I shall be forced to take on the next two mixology competitions as a bit of a bartending ronin. My hand is forced; I have no acknowledgement that I'm even still working at the lounge, therefore I cannot possibly use the location as my place of employment.
That means I'll be taking on the St. Germain recipe competition and trying for a spot on the Bombay Sapphire contest without lounge support. I'll just have to use Crescent Schools as my sponsor for the competitions.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Drip...Drip...Drip...
That's not my faucet. That's my bank account getting dripped dry.
No hours at one job. Several attempts made to contact them, and no word back on the new position.
Only one day per week at the other job. Barely enough to cover gas and maybe one bill. I have to fight to regain the hours I lost when I had to sacrifice days on my availability to work at the lounge.
My account's nearly at zero. My car's nearly empty. And the seconds that tick by get more and more painful.
No hours at one job. Several attempts made to contact them, and no word back on the new position.
Only one day per week at the other job. Barely enough to cover gas and maybe one bill. I have to fight to regain the hours I lost when I had to sacrifice days on my availability to work at the lounge.
My account's nearly at zero. My car's nearly empty. And the seconds that tick by get more and more painful.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Status Report!
Well, it's been over two weeks since I last posted, and I think my readers (all 2 of you) deserve a bit of an update.
I finally got a few hours of work at the store. Not much, but it helps to stave off hunger and my car's fuel expenses just a bit longer. I'm also taking coverage hours for a few nearby stores to make up for my lack of scheduled shifts.
At the lounge, I was offered a different position altogether. No, not the porter position. Something else. Possibly better. I'm crossing my fingers that this actually comes into being.
On the better half's side, she stepped away from her job at Wendy's. Just couldn't deal with the management BS any longer. Can't say I blame her. As a bit of a gift from Divine Providence, she got a full-time job at Walgreen's instead.
Lately, I've also been debating either peddling my talents as a document writer/editor for pay once again or getting the mobile Tarot service back in action, something I hadn't done in nearly 5 years. Wonder how rusty I am at reading...
Anyhow, that's the long and short of it. Until there's more news!
I finally got a few hours of work at the store. Not much, but it helps to stave off hunger and my car's fuel expenses just a bit longer. I'm also taking coverage hours for a few nearby stores to make up for my lack of scheduled shifts.
At the lounge, I was offered a different position altogether. No, not the porter position. Something else. Possibly better. I'm crossing my fingers that this actually comes into being.
On the better half's side, she stepped away from her job at Wendy's. Just couldn't deal with the management BS any longer. Can't say I blame her. As a bit of a gift from Divine Providence, she got a full-time job at Walgreen's instead.
Lately, I've also been debating either peddling my talents as a document writer/editor for pay once again or getting the mobile Tarot service back in action, something I hadn't done in nearly 5 years. Wonder how rusty I am at reading...
Anyhow, that's the long and short of it. Until there's more news!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Impromptu Vacation
By way of both jobs rearranging schedules, I'm on a vacation for the week. Or, rather, "until further notice". Here's what happened in a nutshell:
-At the lounge, I was offered a different position. Not a promotion, but rather a related job. So, they're working out the details with my new schedule there, and I'm pretty much off until they know what's going on and notify me. I'd emailed my boss about my availability earlier this week, and have yet to get a response.
-At the store, we have a new manager. Said authority forgot what my availability was, so he left me off the schedule and told me he'd call if there was anything available during the week. I also notified two other stores of my new-found freedom this week, in case they need anyone.
So, there you go. It's been a while since I took any sort of major time off. Years, probably. I'm so used to working two jobs or having one job while going to school that I really don't know what to do with myself and the extra time I have.
I will say this much: My next two checks are going to suck.
-At the lounge, I was offered a different position. Not a promotion, but rather a related job. So, they're working out the details with my new schedule there, and I'm pretty much off until they know what's going on and notify me. I'd emailed my boss about my availability earlier this week, and have yet to get a response.
-At the store, we have a new manager. Said authority forgot what my availability was, so he left me off the schedule and told me he'd call if there was anything available during the week. I also notified two other stores of my new-found freedom this week, in case they need anyone.
So, there you go. It's been a while since I took any sort of major time off. Years, probably. I'm so used to working two jobs or having one job while going to school that I really don't know what to do with myself and the extra time I have.
I will say this much: My next two checks are going to suck.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Doctor, Doctor...
Under recommendation from my mother (a former nurse), I visited a new doctor for a routine physical. She was a PA-C, and I usually trust those more than normal doctors. Still, I distrust medical personnel in general despite having two such people in my immediate family, so I remained wary.
Turns out, the doctor was not only really pleasant but remarkably quick. She blew through the tests with remarkable speed and fired both diagnoses and advice at me in a dizzying manner! She linked my chronic headaches to my sinuses (which was probably pretty obvious, but it was still nice to hear it likely wasn't something more serious), gave a preliminary judgment on what my pains were caused by and told me not to Q-tip my ears so friggin' hard. She also let me know that my allergies, which I assumed were never that big of a deal since it never impairs my day-to-day functioning, could be a bigger detriment than I expected.
So, yeah, productive first day with the doc. If more medical professionals were like this, I would probably have less stress about seeing them.
Turns out, the doctor was not only really pleasant but remarkably quick. She blew through the tests with remarkable speed and fired both diagnoses and advice at me in a dizzying manner! She linked my chronic headaches to my sinuses (which was probably pretty obvious, but it was still nice to hear it likely wasn't something more serious), gave a preliminary judgment on what my pains were caused by and told me not to Q-tip my ears so friggin' hard. She also let me know that my allergies, which I assumed were never that big of a deal since it never impairs my day-to-day functioning, could be a bigger detriment than I expected.
So, yeah, productive first day with the doc. If more medical professionals were like this, I would probably have less stress about seeing them.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Adding to My Repertoire
After an odd request from a customer at the bar, I decided it was time to start tracking new things I learn on a daily basis (recipes, skills, etc.) and posting them here.
First off, a couple of customer-requested cocktails that took some research:
Tokyo Tea:
1/2 oz. each of tequila, vodka, gin, rum and triple sec
1 oz. Midori
Shake and strain into a highball glass (or, in the lounge's case, a large rocks glass).
Alternately, I can do this:
3/4 oz. each of tequila, vodka, gin, rum and triple sec
1 1/2 oz. Midori
Shake, strain into a pint glass, fill with Sprite (or other lemon/lime soda).
Alien Secretion:
1 1/2 oz. each of Midori and Malibu rum
2 oz. of pineapple juice
Shake, strain into a large rocks glass.
On top of those recipes, I've also been learning a few basic flair tricks. Nothing fancy, but a couple of things that would be eye-catching at the bar.
That's all for now. More recipe research and flair tricks to go!
First off, a couple of customer-requested cocktails that took some research:
Tokyo Tea:
1/2 oz. each of tequila, vodka, gin, rum and triple sec
1 oz. Midori
Shake and strain into a highball glass (or, in the lounge's case, a large rocks glass).
Alternately, I can do this:
3/4 oz. each of tequila, vodka, gin, rum and triple sec
1 1/2 oz. Midori
Shake, strain into a pint glass, fill with Sprite (or other lemon/lime soda).
Alien Secretion:
1 1/2 oz. each of Midori and Malibu rum
2 oz. of pineapple juice
Shake, strain into a large rocks glass.
On top of those recipes, I've also been learning a few basic flair tricks. Nothing fancy, but a couple of things that would be eye-catching at the bar.
That's all for now. More recipe research and flair tricks to go!
Good Friday. Somewhat.
Good news: Things may be changing for the better in terms of Sam's career opportunities. As to not jinx things, I won't say what, exactly, is happening or when, but it will definitely be excellent should it come to pass.
Better news: I finally got my paycheck from the previous term, as well as my current check. However, this still makes me wonder what happened to the original amount that was to be direct deposited into my old account. Chase has shown nothing transferred into the closed account and my boss has heard nothing from his bank on the matter. Ergo, the original funds are stuck in a sort of financial Purgatory.
Bad news: I didn't get to be a finalist in the mixology competition I'd entered. Bummer. More surprising than that, the theme of my drink for the contest wasn't as rare or original as I'd expected (three of the finalists used my same theme as theirs, but with differing recipes). Oh well. I'd only heard about the contest three days prior to the deadline, so I prepped what I could in a very short window. Live and learn. I'll take what I learned from this one (my first official competition, mind you) and carry it on to the rest of the competitions. Next up: A cocktail contest hosted by St-Germain. I vow to have better results in this one.
Speaking of "live and learn", I'm still here. Either I was skipped in the Holy Draft or Mr. Camping has a lot to answer for. Guess I'll know by tomorrow evening (or today, rather, since I'm writing this at 2am). After all, 200 million people to be taken in this supposed "Rapture" means you should be missing at least one friend, family member or neighbor in the course of events. And California should have been blown up by way of the San Andreas Fault, according to his predictions.
I suppose I should be grateful. Last thing I want is news carried to me from my boss at 5:59pm (GMT, PST or what-have-you) of a terrific nature and be taken away in the middle of celebration. That would imperially suck.
Right, then. Off to bed for me. Those of you not in the 3% of the world's chosen populace...we'll talk again after Sunday.
Better news: I finally got my paycheck from the previous term, as well as my current check. However, this still makes me wonder what happened to the original amount that was to be direct deposited into my old account. Chase has shown nothing transferred into the closed account and my boss has heard nothing from his bank on the matter. Ergo, the original funds are stuck in a sort of financial Purgatory.
Bad news: I didn't get to be a finalist in the mixology competition I'd entered. Bummer. More surprising than that, the theme of my drink for the contest wasn't as rare or original as I'd expected (three of the finalists used my same theme as theirs, but with differing recipes). Oh well. I'd only heard about the contest three days prior to the deadline, so I prepped what I could in a very short window. Live and learn. I'll take what I learned from this one (my first official competition, mind you) and carry it on to the rest of the competitions. Next up: A cocktail contest hosted by St-Germain. I vow to have better results in this one.
Speaking of "live and learn", I'm still here. Either I was skipped in the Holy Draft or Mr. Camping has a lot to answer for. Guess I'll know by tomorrow evening (or today, rather, since I'm writing this at 2am). After all, 200 million people to be taken in this supposed "Rapture" means you should be missing at least one friend, family member or neighbor in the course of events. And California should have been blown up by way of the San Andreas Fault, according to his predictions.
I suppose I should be grateful. Last thing I want is news carried to me from my boss at 5:59pm (GMT, PST or what-have-you) of a terrific nature and be taken away in the middle of celebration. That would imperially suck.
Right, then. Off to bed for me. Those of you not in the 3% of the world's chosen populace...we'll talk again after Sunday.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
The Ram's Long Island
For anyone who wants to enjoy a Long Island Iced Tea Ram-style, here's what I like:
3/4 oz. vodka (mine is Russian Standard)
3/4 oz. rum (I use Bacardi Select)
3/4 oz. gin (New Amsterdam for me)
3/4 oz. tequila (Sauza goes in mine)
1/2 oz. triple sec
1/4 oz. Tuaca liqueur
Throw these into a pint glass full of ice, fill to about the 2/3 mark with sweet & sour mix, shake, then top off with Rockstar Energy Cola (make sure it's the cola and NOT the regular drink!!!) and a wedge of lemon.
What you get is a slightly less sour, bolder Long Island with a caffeine kick. This recipe is not for the faint of heart, but it IS the perfect drink for the all-night gaming gladiator.
And that's the Ram's Long Island. Cheers!
3/4 oz. vodka (mine is Russian Standard)
3/4 oz. rum (I use Bacardi Select)
3/4 oz. gin (New Amsterdam for me)
3/4 oz. tequila (Sauza goes in mine)
1/2 oz. triple sec
1/4 oz. Tuaca liqueur
Throw these into a pint glass full of ice, fill to about the 2/3 mark with sweet & sour mix, shake, then top off with Rockstar Energy Cola (make sure it's the cola and NOT the regular drink!!!) and a wedge of lemon.
What you get is a slightly less sour, bolder Long Island with a caffeine kick. This recipe is not for the faint of heart, but it IS the perfect drink for the all-night gaming gladiator.
And that's the Ram's Long Island. Cheers!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
In Transition
It's been quite some time since I've posted to this blog. No matter. What was once my SEO creative content blog is now my rants and ramblings on being part of Vegas' bar industry.
To give all of my readers (all two of you) up to speed, here's the last three years, abridged:
Became part of a terrible economy, lost the house, couldn't find any other office or writing jobs (despite my resume and rather impressive portfolio), did some pro-bono work for an electronic entertainment website, found a part-time job, took up bar management as a secondary profession, easily earned my certification, got a job as a barback for an arcade/ultralounge in Fremont Street's East District and I'm entering recipe competitions to boost my reputation as a Vegas-area mixologist. And met a very supportive lady during it all.
There. You're up to speed now. Have a Coke and a smile.
I have to admit, being a barback is quite a bit different from what I'm used to. No need for the ability to type 80+WPM with perfect (or, at least, near-perfect) grammar, no use for the ability to throw together a functional spreadsheet, no worries about typing up press releases. Cerebral dexterity is set aside while physical prowess takes over. It's rough work. Rough, but good. I can feel parts of my body getting tougher every day, much like a blacksmith shaping raw metal into a sturdy and functional tool. Although the scale says that I'm losing no weight. Lies.
So, yeah, things are picking up for the Ram. Good job, decent part-time secondary gig, great girl that I've been seeing for several months now and I'm back in the land of blogging. La vita e dolce.
To give all of my readers (all two of you) up to speed, here's the last three years, abridged:
Became part of a terrible economy, lost the house, couldn't find any other office or writing jobs (despite my resume and rather impressive portfolio), did some pro-bono work for an electronic entertainment website, found a part-time job, took up bar management as a secondary profession, easily earned my certification, got a job as a barback for an arcade/ultralounge in Fremont Street's East District and I'm entering recipe competitions to boost my reputation as a Vegas-area mixologist. And met a very supportive lady during it all.
There. You're up to speed now. Have a Coke and a smile.
I have to admit, being a barback is quite a bit different from what I'm used to. No need for the ability to type 80+WPM with perfect (or, at least, near-perfect) grammar, no use for the ability to throw together a functional spreadsheet, no worries about typing up press releases. Cerebral dexterity is set aside while physical prowess takes over. It's rough work. Rough, but good. I can feel parts of my body getting tougher every day, much like a blacksmith shaping raw metal into a sturdy and functional tool. Although the scale says that I'm losing no weight. Lies.
So, yeah, things are picking up for the Ram. Good job, decent part-time secondary gig, great girl that I've been seeing for several months now and I'm back in the land of blogging. La vita e dolce.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)