What We Need

Posted on March 22, 2013 by treshabarger

After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world. ~ Philip Pullman

A Reminder

Posted on March 20, 2013 by treshabarger

I discovered the “reminder” app on my iPhone. Hubby showed it to me, actually, and now I can’t live without it. I truly wonder how I got anything done without it.

In the olden days, I would call home and leave myself a message on my answering machine. I’d walk in and see the flashing light and think, “Hey! Someone called me.” (To state the obvious: Simple things amuse simple minds.) With the next technological jump, I’d arrive home to find a slew of emails, all from myself to myself.

Fast forward to the next decade, century, millennium and now my iPhone is dinging me all day long. Things to do before I leave for work, things to do at work, things to do after work but before I arrive home, things to do after I get home. I get quite the sense of satisfaction when I look at it and it counts the items I’ve checked off: 17 Completed. Not all in one day, of course.

I feel so . . . accomplished.

Yes, indeed, I actually did all those tasks. Ding and I put my new insurance card in my vehicle. Ding and I mailed my brother a card. Ding and I made a dentist appointment. Ding and I picked up a new map of Texas.

There are some evenings when I hear yet another ding and think “Really, what else is there left for me to do?” Sure enough, it was something I thought of earlier and had already forgotten.

Oh, wait. I just heard another ding. Guess I’m not finished with my self-assigned assignments. Gotta go.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Lunchtime

Posted on March 18, 2013 by treshabarger

Looking out my cubicle window on a group having lunch on the north lawn of the Texas Capitol. That little hangie-downie thing in the middle of the photo is part of a small wind chime on the inside of the window.

Lunch on the Texas Capitol lawn

Weekly Photo Challenge: Lunchtime

Reality Shows

Posted on March 15, 2013 by treshabarger

Recently I’ve started watching a few TV reality shows. I watch them intermittently, but they still hold that staring-at-a-car-wreck fascination.

The first one that got me hooked was Restaurant: Impossible. Chef Robert Irvine swoops in with $10,000 for a 2-day makeover of the decor, the menu, the wait staff, and the owners. Chef Robert finds dangerous kitchen environments, equipment that looks like it has never been cleaned, wait staff who ignore their customers and owners who are afraid to say “Boo!” to anyone. Those restaurants need miracles to stay in business and Chef Robert and his team deliver.

One day, out of inertia, I kept the TV on and watched the show that followed, which turned out to be Restaurant: Stakeout. My, my, my. Willie Degel comes in with hidden cameras and catches the staff goofing off, eating, drinking and carousing. When Willie confronts them with their unacceptable behavior, that’s when it gets interesting. They deflect, they rationalize yelling at customers, they lie. Willie sits them down, gives them a Good Talking To and most come around to embrace professional behavior.

Then there is the show Mystery Diners. Charles Stiles and crew also go in with cameras, only they are called in when there is some monetary discrepancy, maybe a business is losing $4,000 (or more) per month and the owner doesn’t know where it’s going.

The cameras record employees putting money in their pockets, leaving the business unattended, drinking on the job, fighting, serving alcohol to minors, and so on. And when the owners confront these employees, they also deflect, lie, deny. Some are fired right on the spot, rationalizing their actions all the way to their car with the cameras following them.

The restaurant world is a rough one.

However, with all those uncleaned appliances, dangerous food handling, and cocky waitstaff, one might get a little leery of going out to eat. Maybe I should change to the Travel Channel and watch shows where they spotlight restaurants in a good way. Or better yet, cook my own meals and read a good book instead of watching TV.

Last night I made vegan mashed potatoes and read part of The Sea Road by Margaret Elphinstone. It’s a start.