Our restaurant experience
The company I had worked for ten years went into bankruptcy in 2000. Along with it went a package of very nice phantom stock options. I was given the option as an inducement to quit my previous company and join this one. I immediately pulled up the computer file of the headhunters I had dealt with over the years and put my name out for a position anywhere in the country. For whatever reason, the headhunters were unable to find anything that made financial sense for me.
After almost four months of unemployment, I was growing tired of involuntary retirement and faced the possibility that another job wouldn’t come my way anytime soon. My wife and I realized that it was time to generate some cash rather than work the phone and adjust the resume all day while job hunting.
She and I had owned and profitably operated two restaurants and a freestanding catering business for several years immediately after we were married. My job throughout my career was food service corporate management. We talked it over and decided instead of waiting for fortune to strike that the time had come to take things into our own hands and operate our own restaurant.
Did I mention that she and I had operated two restaurants and a catering business for several years—well, what I didn’t mention is that was 35 years ago. We both understood the long hours and hard work that a restaurant demanded, but to realize something intellectually and to experience it physically are two very different things.
For decades I had been sitting around a conference table or in an airplane seat with only short, sporadic stints in the restaurants that made up the chain I worked for. My wife hadn’t worked at an outside job in 30 years and that was in an office environment.
We spent a full month dealing with restaurant management companies and individuals before we settled on a location. My wife and I canvassed the office buildings and other businesses that were around the area and drove through the surrounding neighborhoods at all hours of the day and night. The restaurant was still operating so we posted ourselves or our daughter in the parking lot and used a “push counter” to record the number of customers for each one hour segment of the day.
We asked for and received access to the restaurants books—which were barely legible and poorly kept—if at all. We went through old invoices and spoke with suppliers to get as much information as possible.
Finally, having confidence in our own abilities rather than financial records we could depend on, we pulled the trigger and bought the business.
We brought a CPA on board and took direction from him on setting up and maintaining our books. My wife attended classes on how to keep records and pay taxes and fees for state and federal agencies.
To make a long story short, we opened for business and never lacked for customers. Neither my wife or I are lazy, in fact we are more committed to work than most people. The problem was our age. We were simply too old to begin operating a restaurant. Our life, other than the restaurant, was over. We came home from work and literally showered and fell into bed. This was a seven-day process and never varied. The more business we did, the more time we put in.
Mercifully, after 18 months of working the restaurant, I received a call from a headhunter. We set up a phone interview with the prospective employer and the rest is history. We reached an agreement and I left the state to begin work.
My wife and daughter stayed behind to sell the restaurant and equipment—since we had kept detailed records with financials prepared by a CPA the restaurant sold within several weeks. It took another six weeks to sell the house and clean up our personal business. My wife joined me and believe me, we gave thanks (and if fact, still do), that while we were successful and it was a great experience, blah, blah, blah we were able to sell out and return to a normal life.
Operating a restaurant is a job for a young person.
Bekele builds the Field of Dreams
Kenenisa Bekele is arguably the greatest distance runner to ever grace the planet earth. He owns both the 5K and 10K world records, has won 11 World Cross Country titles, has three Olympic Gold Medals, and is the only runner to ever win four consecutive IAAF World Championship 10,000m titles. Along with these accomplishments, the great one is only 30 years old. To some degree, Bekele could still have a lot left in his tank. With all these accomplishments decorating him, though, Bekele is not done blazing the track, nor shaping the sport. With that, let me introduce to you Bekele’s Field of Dreams.
Having been plagued with injury the last few years, Kenenisa decided to invest $1.5 million into the creation of a six-lane, state of the art track in Sululta, Ethiopia, a city about 10 km out of Addis Ababa. With Bekele believing some of his current injury problems are related to a hard track provided by Athletics Ethiopia, he built the track with intentions to continue to train and compete at the elite level.
The track itself is a monster. Though only six lanes at the moment (Bekele plans to make it full size in due time), it was built to accommodate the best Ethiopia has to offer. Bekele worked with GCC Sport Surfaces (of Holland) to ensure the softest track possible, with the latest synthetic technology. Along with the six lanes, the complex also has a hotel for visiting athletes, and is parked at 3200 m of elevation. The complex boasts over 20 miles of hilly, trail running, as well as loops on flat ground for easy recovery days.
What is really cool about Bekele’s new baby is that the great one himself has alluded to sharing his expertise with those who decided to train at the track. In regards to working with the up and comers of Ethiopia, Bekele told the IAAF, “Of course, of course I will guide them. I will train with them and share my experience. They will see the reality when they can train with me: if they can.”
Though already having a multitude of merits to his name, Kenenisa Bekele has truly created something special with his Field of Dreams. Though the track is still in its youth, his plans to create more housing, as well as removable bleachers, makes the new track a place where Ethiopia can hold world-class track events. With this, Bekele has further cemented his reputation as one of the most important athletes in the sport of Track and Field.
Pop Culture Happenings: Star Trek 2 Gets A Tease
You don't need explanation. The sequel to J.J. Abrams' smash hit "Star Trek" finally gets more than four seconds of footage, and it's marvelous. See a few extra seconds in the Japanese TV spot right over here.
Giving the gift of a Shetland sheepdog
Shetland sheepdogs, so sweet and fluffy, may seem like ideal gifts. And yes, in the right circumstances, they certainly can be. If you’re considering giving a dog as a gift, here are a few things to keep in mind.
Does the recipient really want a dog, and everything that goes with pet ownership? A beautiful dog like a Sheltie can seem very appealing, yet bringing a dog into a household can be almost like bringing in a child. Before giving a dog as a pet, talk to the recipient and make sure they are on-board.
The Shetland sheepdog will require walks, feeding, grooming and vet care, and can easily live to be 16 years old. This intelligent breed thrives on training, and loves to spend time with its family. Is the recipient able to provide all this?
Another question to ask is whether the recipient will have this ability in the foreseeable future. An older teen may love getting a Sheltie, and may take excellent care of her pet, but what will happen to the dog if she goes off to college? Are the teen’s parents willing to provide a home at this time?
When giving the gift of a dog, it’s also important to think of the timing of the gift. Ideally, the recipient should have extra time to spend with the Sheltie when the dog first comes home. This is especially true when talking about puppies, as they will need plenty of potty breaks until they become physically mature enough to have bladder control.
It’s also nice if the new owners have extra time to help the dog get used to the family’s routine. Time for exercise and training can also make the difference between a well-behaved and happy dog, and a neurotic, destructive one. Many people like to choose their own dogs, so if that is the case, consider providing a “gift certificate” that you make up that allows the recipient to meet the dog before making a lifelong commitment.
And that's all I got to say about that
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If you nodded your agreement along with the "Bourn and WAR Heroes" post, you'll probably be headbanging to this post.
Hit 'em here, b'wana. That arrow still lights up Las Vegas-style, and Montero's got your back.
Run Forrest Run,
Dr D
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Reading Pile: 12/5/12
BlackAcre #1- Kind of a clever opening exposition to set the tone, and while I’m not sure if the main concept is enough to keep me around I will say that the art and scripting were solid enough to draw me in. There’s a surge of post-apocalyptic storytelling right now, and this sort of follows the Massive formula of explaining it as a slow gradual process of numerous factors instead of the usual big bang. It’s worth checking out as it clocks in at a decent 24 pages of story with no ads. Plus it’s a dense enough story that the $2.99 price tag isn’t bad. B+
Earth 2 #7- It’s nice to get out of that opening Grundy story and into the background development that Robinson sets ups in this issue. While I’m not happy with the excessive modernization of these classic characters, I am curious about the world building going Robinson is focusing on. B
Multiple Warheads #1 & 2- Brandon Graham has one of the more unique art styles in the industry right now, and while his storytelling doesn’t always draw me in I totally understand why he is so popular. If you asked me to tell you what the point of this book is I’d have a little trouble as it’s just a couple loose storylines following a young couple across an alien post-apocalyptic landscape as well as another story following a mercenary/bounty hunter as they all just get caught up in weird shit. While I feel that Gramham’s Prophet seems to follow a more coherent path towards a somewhat conceivable end game, this is more like him cramming weird ideas into a little world and just letting his imagination run wild. This is perfect as he has some fantastic designs and concepts. Just don’t ask me to graph a plot outline or anything. B+
I Love Trouble #1- I don’t really love this title, however. I don’t really hate it either, but indifference is never really a good spot to settle on for a product. I can understand why some people may like the artwork, but it’s just not really my cup of tea. Mark Robinson’s storytelling is clean enough, but I’m just not really feeling his line style or faces. The plot is fairly routine as a young woman on the run suddenly develops teleportation powers and blah blah blah. I just honestly didn’t care. If anything I was more interested in their choice of paper for the printing of this book. It actually offered more style and personality to the package than the content. Not the worse read for twenty-three pages of story at $2.99, but nothing really enticing either. C+
Derek Holland - Talking Points
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Q. Why 'talking points' and not 'player of the day'?
A. The above phone-cam of Dr. D is the basic reason. It limits him to stream-of-consciousness, assuming that the consciousness part holds up for another half hour. His shtick will be off-the-cuff, with minimal bookwork, and anyhow Holland is a fleeting rumor as opposed to a potential Mariner.
You know your two options. One of them is 'take it.'
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Q. SSI is bullish or bearish?
A. Wayyyyyy bullish.
Last winter, we posted this absurd article about a young AL lefthander who'd been walking 4-5 men per game. We recommended giving a Dan Haren-type package for him. By a remarkable coink-y-dink, said lefthander went to Washington and ripped off a 21-8, 2.89 season with 207 strikeouts.
Twelve months on, Derek Holland is sitting on a similar perch: Young lefty with :faceslap: spit and polish, but .... already good now, and with ginormous upside lurking just around the corner.
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Q. What's the basic template?
A. Blow-em-away lefty, wild in the zone, offspeed is a work in progress ...
Matt Moore has an extra foot on the fastball and his change is a bit more advanced than Holland's "slider." Holland however has 3.5 pitches and has triangulated himself a bit farther on. Other than that they're very similar.
Clayton Kershaw's fastball has lost a foot and is now equal to Holland's. Don't kid yourself about Holland's fastball -- it is a true overmatch pitch. (The rest of Holland's game, including mechanics, is much inferior, at the moment.)
Gio Gonzalez is more curve ball and less heater. In fact it's hard to think of a young pitcher in this category who is as tilted as much towards "fastball" and as far away from "breaking pitch" as Holland is.
Jon Lester is quite a bit more of a pitcher at this point, with cutter and all the trimmings ... even as a rookie, let's leave him out of this. Also David Price we're going to cut out of this because too Randy Johnson-ish, both with the fastball, the hook and with the delivery.
Scott Kazmir was similar, but was more graceful with a bigger curve ball ...
You know what, the young CC Sabathia was mostly heater, with questionable offspeed stuff in years 1 and 2. Also, CC had a lot in common with Holland as far as the mechanics, command, and other things...
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Q. Holland's mechanics being?
A. Kind of Jeff Fassero-ish, except Fassero came over the top with a forkball. Holland is kinda kludgy, muscles the ball, sidearms it and short-finishes it. Has a bit of a hitch. Every bit of this was true with CC Sabathia.
In fact as I look at it, I'm starting to wonder what differences there are between Holland and the young Sabathia.
On the plus side, Holland keeps his weight low and his nose to the leather. The delivery is not pretty, but he keeps his elbow low and it's a workmanlike stroke. It looks like it will hold up fine. Gio's certainly is not superior.
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Q. Based on the previous POTD's, there's nothing unusual about a young flamethrowing LHP walking 4-5 men a game and still becoming Sabathia or Bedard or Gio Gonzalez?
A. What's unusual would be if they didn't need three years to jell.
Some of these LHP kids walk people; Holland preferred to let them do their worst, which they did. His HR's were way up.
Holland's 84 slider doesn't break much, nothing like Kazmir's or Gio's or ... I can't think of a LHP like him whose slider breaks less. Holland's 75 change curve also reminds of a Hector Noesi situation.
The command is questionable ... Holland's entire game is just in its embryonic stages. He's looking at a rocket ride up from here.
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Q. Why specifically would we believe that Holland will improve his breaking pitches?
A. He has been improving them. And that is the group tendency here. What reason do you have to believe that Jesus Montero will ever hit better than he's doing now?
Jason Vargas' pitches were never going to get better; his challenge was ever-increasing pitchability. But the Holland type of pitcher -- Gio, Kazmir, Matt Moore -- they have fastballs and they gradually add the curveball water to the fastball wine. Sabathia's a classic precedent.
If I were him I wouldn't be fiddle-dee-doo-dah'ing with four pitches. ::shrug:: It delays things.
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Q. Why would Texas be willing to deal such a player?
A. I dunno. Six other star pitchers plus Zack Greinke ... and the players Holland will bring back?
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Q. Flip Holland for Wil Myers?
A. Holland's worth way more than Wil Myers. Unless you think Myers is Mike Trout or Ken Griffey Jr. In which case you should deal Holland for Mike Trout, I guess.
Mark my words. Bring Wil Myers in here and after 80-90 AB's, he'll be a huge question mark in the minds of Seattle bloggers.
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Q. Anything else?
A. How about this heavy Nostradamus action from STATS AOL original Justynius?
Olney reporting Asdrubal to the D'Backs would be part of a 4-team Upton trade, and KC is the third team. I think this means M's and not Rangers since we were already talking with KC and had interest in Upton last winter. The fact that the fourth team doesn't want to be named also makes me lean M's. Sounds like the Tribe is the holdup. Think how much easier this would be if the M's talent evaluators were able to recognize Asdrubal Cabrera has more value than a burnt out Eduardo Perez. :)
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Well, apparently they're also not able to recognize that an ML-year-2 version of a great pitching prospect is preferable to an ML-minus-year-2 version. That, or they REALLY think they've got Felix The Sequel.
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Q. That's quite a contract that Holland's got on him. How often do you get to underpay a TOR starter by 50-75% for a decade. Sweeeeet.
A. With big, fat, hairy team options at $11M in 2017 and 2018. This will be minimum wage, assuming of course that the earth is still standing. Er, hurtling.
The word is that the Mariners are balking at giving up Taijuan Walker for Holland. Funny thing is, HERE is where a "win now" paradigm becomes totally justified. Derek Holland is precisely what you hope James Paxton will be in two years. It's therefore justified to give two of the big three for him -- one for the front half of the hope and one for the back half of the hope.
Derek Holland? Now we're talking.
My $0.02,
Dr D
Stone Brewing Company
I was on a beer diet recently. The diet worked, but it didn’t make my taste buds happy; I drank a lot of lagers because of their low-calorie content. Here’s a simple, but extremely useful formula I devised to show the results of my taste tests for those who are more mathematically inclined.
a = b
The formula is not meant to confuse fans of the Pythagorian theorem, which I believe is a squared + b squared = c squared and meant to describe triangles and not fine beers. I am not here to argue with mathematicians. Instead, I’m here to express myself in terms that more people can understand. For those who are into words, like me, I have inserted a few of my opinions. You can choose to read them or not.
Lagers = Low Calorie un-Delicious Beer
If memory serves me correctly, Lucky was a lager, as was Schlitz. My beer diet pretty much dated me back to my college drinking choices. But I’ve quit my beer diet forever. My new habit that I intend to start is to drink good premium beers and wines to make my mouth happy.
Today’s beer choice was the Stone Smoked Porter.
Stone Smoked Porter = Delicious
The Stone Smoked Porter was a little big taste of delicious in my mouth. I like chocolate chip cookies, so I selected the Vanilla Bean-flavored variety as my option. For a Porter, the Stone Smoked Porter is exceptionally light-tasting. The hint of vanilla is ever-so-light, but ever-so-present.
Those expecting the Stone Smoked Porter to taste like chocolate-chip cookies might be a little disappointed. Although I like chocolate chip cookies, I like beer, too and the Stone Smoked Porter tasted much more like a Porter that was slightly smoked than anything cooked with vanilla. That does not mean that it would not pair nicely with chocolate chip cookies or even holiday cookies since the season happens to be upon us.
The hard part, of course, is that the porters have a higher calorie count. What’s a girl to do? Can I limit myself to two porters? Does anyone even know how many calories the Stone Porter has? I don’t want to get obese just because of my new passion for the Stone Smoked Porter.
Please help me. And if you have other beer suggestions for me to try and blog about, please let me know. The Lucky Lager diet almost killed me.
Fans aren't entirely happy about "Haylor"
Just a couple of weeks ago, I wrote about a hot new celebrity couple: Taylor Swift and Harry Styles. At the time, the whole thing was basically a rumor, but now these two are out and about, flaunting their new relationship and freaking out fans all over the globe.
Let me address the Swifty fans and the Directioners (fans of Styles' band, One Direction): Chill out. Seriously, calm the heck down, would you? This is not the end of the world, I promise. I felt the same way back in the day when...oh, never mind. No sense in reminding you that I'm old, because you surely wouldn't listen to me then.
Listen to me, okay? Taylor Swift and Harry Styles, like it or not, are totally into each other at the moment. Pay attention to the last part of that sentence (at the moment). This budding new young coupling may or may not last, but it won't be because of what the fans think. Some people are taking this a little too far, you know?
Example: One Direction fan Ashley Frangiapane is super concerned that Taylor Swift is going to smush Harry Styles' fragile heart. She's so worried that she's written a parody song about the couple, calling it "The Haylor Song." Yes, it's a parody of Taylor Swift's song "I Knew You Were Trouble," and to be honest, it's actually pretty good. It's also hilarious.
That, kids, is how you put your frustration and fear to good use.
Not everyone is handling this so well. One report says Taylor Swift has actually received death threats from Harry Styles fans (making him "livid"). That's just ridiculous, and pretty sad. Styles' friend is quoted as saying that Harry "just wants to date who he wants without fans going into overdrive every time he’s linked to someone." Hate to tell you this mate, but given your heart throb status, your fans are going to go nuts no matter who you date. Just ask Justin Bieber (and Selena Gomez, for that matter) if you don't believe me.
Any Directioners care to comment on all of this? Are you devastated that Harry's got a new girlfriend in Taylor Swift? Are you worried she'll break his heart? Would you ever go so far as to threaten anyone over your crush?
The Southwood shuffle
The hall above bisects the middle of the Southwood Early Childhood Center in Bloomington, MN. Once it was a grade school. In between that and the building's current usage it was once split amongst three groups: a Montessori school, a daycare center and a pilot special educational program named Family Focus. Toward the end of my time in that pilot program however, the Montessori school had moved a few blocks to the north, and I have no idea where the daycare center moved to. After that, Family Focus had the run of the place until the program was terminated at a date I’ve yet to uncover.
I can still recall the daily routine instilled into students enrolled at Family Focus. A routine that both began and ended inside the open door you see on the left hand side of the photo.
On days without special all-school events scheduled, the routine would go like this: Upon our arrival we would gather in the gym, where our various classes got sorted together by a teacher or their assistant. Our first duty of the day as a class would be forming in a line and marching off to our classroom.
Being at the front of the line was an honor that either was awarded by merit or one rotated amongst the class per school day; my memory fails me as to which method would see me at times lead the class on in feeling a bit of pride in spite of my dislike of having to be there so far from my home in Minnetonka, MN.
Once at class, a fairly normal school day of the kind you could find in regular schools would take place with subjects like math and all that kind of jazz covered, along with breaks for playtime and lunch.
The most unique deviation from a “normal” school day for us would be seeing a counselor. This took us out of the classroom and back to the hall by the gym you see here. The counselor’s offices were located down the hall and to the right.
My counselor was named Thomas Cook. Tom Cook meant well but did not have a clue as to what made me tick and why I had such a hard time in school and doing things like taking part in mass group activities like watching movies, speakers, and so on. I hate to say it, but he viewed me as a kid who needed to conform in order to get by in the world and did his best to achieve his goal. He did not come close to achieving it, because while I gave him respect, I also did not go along with his various schemes. I liked myself just the way I was! Our sessions would last for about a half an hour or so, and then back to class I went.
At the end of the day we would march out of class back to the gym and break up prior to boarding a bus (or in my case, a van) for home. Ringing down the curtain on yet another day doing what I hereby dub the Southwood Shuffle.