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the-steve-stevenson-experience · 4 years ago

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Dress For Where You're Going, Not For Where You've Been

Day 5:

I have my morning routine down. I used to think I didn't like routine. I equated routines with ruts. But, man I love a routine. I fall in to them pretty quickly. They give me some stability. I find value in doing the same thing for certain things every time. Other things, like driving to and from a place every day, i like to mix that up to chase away the monotony. I find my routine, it just comes naturally, I never force it. I might say, I need to add this or that, but it always works itself out and coalesces into my routine.

I've been drinking this Belizean coffee, Caye Coffee, since I got here. I like it. It's local, well roasted locally. I'm not sure if it's grown here somewhere. There is one coffee, called Gallon Jug, that is grown here, however. That is not the brand I have been drinking. I bought a small bag of the ground coffee to make at the condo, and that's what I have been drinking in the mornings. I also bought a bag of Belize Gourmet Coffee's whole bean coffee, that was grown in Guatemala, which is really just up the street, and a bag of Gallon Jug's whole bean. It will be interesting to see what it all tastes like.

I couldn't remember if we were going to look at condos today or tomorrow. I hit Natasha up, and she said we were doing that tomorrow. So I planned on taking the water taxi to Caye Caulker for the day. I got down to the boat at 1pm, and planned on staying on Caye Caulker until 6:15 when the last boat returning was coming back. Caulker is a little different than Ambergris. It's way smaller, way less people, quieter, way less golf carts, and less busy. Not that Ambergris, and San Pedro especially are "busy." But, San Pedro has more going on than Caye Caulker Village does. I walked a lot. My feet hurt from all the walking I've been doing, and I have a blister on my right foot, which is something that happens when I walk too much in flops that have seen better days, or don't fit right.

(I've been trying to find some new ones, but the size 12s they have here seem too small, and no one seems to have anything bigger)

I got off the boat and wanted to find a place to eat. I didn't want to go to the very first place I saw, so I went past the joint that was right there at the boat dock, and went south a ways. I found a place called Island Magic. They had a really cool seating set up. The table were suspended by ropes, like swings, and some of the seats were too. They had these upstairs tables that reminded me of a tree house. All in all the place was super cool in the atmosphere department. The menu was smaller than I would have liked, but Covid and it being an island, and lobster and avocados being out of season, and the server said they didn't have shrimp either made it that much smaller. I had chicken kebobs that were very good, and they had sinks by the restrooms that had seashells as spouts.

(I don't know if they intended them to look like vaginas or what, but the sure do look like vaginas)

I found this place that has hammocks out under some coconut trees. I need to be a customer to use them, so I go in. They have coffee drinks, and smoothie drinks, and coffee smoothie drinks. But they only take cash. And, I left my cash back at the condo. I didn't want to have to worry about it if I decided to go swimming. I can't grasp why I thought that was going to be a thing, now, but at the time that was my thinking. So, they sent me to an ATM. With some vague directions and just my credit card, because I lost my debit card the other day, I set out to fund a peanut butter coffee smoothie thing and a fucking hammock so I could just hang out somewhere and stay off my blistered foot.

(I already called my bank and stopped my card. The new one should be waiting for me when I get back, or at least soon after. I don't use it as much ass I used to, so it isn't a big deal to not have it, except when I need cash)

I decided to go the opposite direction the barista sent me. Mainly because I'm pretty sure my credit card isn't set up to get money out of an ATM. I seem to remember having an unsatisfying experience trying to do that once. Something about not knowing my P. I. N.

(Here's a bonus: how many people know what A. T. M. and P. I. N. stand for? Well, I'll tell ya. Automated Teller Machine, and Personal Identification Number. So, if you say ATM machine or PIN number, you are being redundant. You are really saying, Automated Teller Machine machine, and Personal Identification Number number. Same goes for a V. I. N. or Vehicle Identification Number, number)

I walk down to what's known as The Split. It is a place where Caye Caulker is divided in two. They used to connect, but apparently, according to legend, a famed 1961 hurricane, Hurricane Hattie hit the island and caused The Split. I find it odd that everything I've found on the subject so far says that people are unsure if that's what caused it of not. How are they not sure?

It's pretty neat in any event. I walked there, and walked around the end and then back up toward the hammocks and the peanut butter thing, only on the other side of the island. It was an interesting walk. Felt a lot more rural than San Pedro. After stopping at a couple of places I finally found the ATM. It was in a bank, and sure as shit, my credit card would not open the door to the little room where the machine was. And, the doors to the bank were locked. They were closed I guess. So, no hammock for birthday boy Stevie D!

I walked back up to the beach to find somewhere to just chill for the next three hours. I ended up back at that place I didn't eat at because it was the first place I saw. They had swing seats that looked out over the beach, such as it is. And, some chairs out on the beach. So, I ordered a virgin pina colada and laid down in the one lounger they had. I decided to get another drink, and maybe move up under the shady patio. This time I sat on one of the swing seats and drank another VPC and a soda water. It was about this time that I realized that I didn't have to wait another hour and a half for the 6:15 boat. I could take the earlier 5:15 boat back to San Pedro. I don't know why I was thinking I had to stay until 6:15.

These four women rolled up and sat at one of the picnic tables out front. They looked like they had been having a good time. They were drinking, not stupid drunk or anything. It became more apparent that some were drunker than others when one of them started freaking out because they only had three minutes to get to the boat to go back to, presumably Belize City. I thought it was funny because the boat pier was literally a 30 second walk from where we were. They could have thrown their mojito glass and hit it from there. This dude that works at this bar told them that the boat wasn't even there yet. As in fact you could look over and see that it wasn't. So they calmed down. I decided I was going to go back on the 5:15 boat. But, at 5:15 it wasn't there yet either.

Finally a boat shows up. The women get up and walk over to the pier. I swear I'm not the mask police, but I feel that if I have to wear one, so do you, and only one of them put theirs on, and they strolled right over to the boat. I finished my drinks and walked over there too. They seemed a little stressed. I'm not sure what was going on, but at least one of them was pretty worried that they were not going to get to where they wanted to go. I asked if this boat was going to San Pedro, and it was, so I gather that they were not going there. I left them and their unmasked faces there. To be fair, no one was saying shit to them about wearing a mask. I think people the world over are pretty much over this whole pandemic thing.

(If there is some spike in Covid cases in Belize, it's because of drunk Americans. Pretty sure)

I get on the boat, they don't. I go sit up top. I am sitting with the muthafuckin' Captain and shit! It was different riding up there. A much better view. More wind tho. I get back, go to the condo, relax a bit, then head out for my birthday dinner. I went to this joint I've walked by tons called Elvie's. I ordered the street corn, and the Mayan Chicken, and a slice of key lime pie. It was awesome. I loved the Mayan spices and the coconut rice. I walked home and sat on the balcony and pondered another year on this planet.

#travel #belize #caribbean #self care #food #boats #birthday #caye caulker #drunk americans

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verai-marcel · 4 years ago

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Corrections - Outline

I got a ton of backstory for the Corrections/Prisoner AU storyline.

Find the entire series in order here on AO3.

Spoilers below!

Fresh out of high school in Texas, Arthur was a small time thief, while working maintenance at a local farm, doing minor construction work and equipment repairs. After a year of that, he drifted from town to town, doing odd jobs, making ends meet somehow, though some times were leaner than others. A man named Dutch found him in Las Vegas one day, and gave him a job at a BDSM club called Free & Brave, said that he’d be a good fit there.

That’s where he meets the gang.

Dutch = Owner, Dom

Hosea = General manager

Susan = Operations manager, Domina (part time)

Tilly = Planning manager, Domina (part time)

Pearson = Head Cook

After Arthur joins, a few others join the gang:

Abigail = First Aid, Server, Domina (part time)

John = Bouncer, Switch

Charles = Bouncer, Cook

Javier = Musician, Switch

Karen = Hostess, Domina (once Susan retires from doing it)

Mary Beth = Dungeon Mistress, Educator

Sean = Host, Server, Educator

Strauss = Rentals/Reservations, Inventory, Accountant

Swanson = Marketing, Social Media

Uncle = Cleaner, mostly a gofer

BIll = Bouncer

Lenny = Server, Switch (in training)

Micah = Bouncer

Sadie = Assistant Manager/Domina (highly ranked, she had reservations for months)

During Arthur’s 10 years working at the club, he finds love with two women who used to frequent the clubs, but for both of them, it was just a phase, whereas Arthur truly is a Dominant (though he never does it in the club; he just learned about it from his coworkers). Eliza just got bored with him after a while and left; Mary tried to get him to stop, and just eventually left him too when he told her it was who he was.

Also, since Arthur joined pretty early, he becomes Security manager, and is in charge of making sure security is ship tight. Meaning…. He has managerial experience.

The club runs pretty well for a while, with the gang forming a strong family bond running the place. But after a while, profits seem to be disappearing, even though they seem to be as popular as ever. Arthur & Charles find out that Strauss has been funnelling money to a separate account somewhere, when they overhear Micah talking on the phone. Micah’s been trying to get evidence that this was a front for the Van der Linde family, a mafia organization in the next city over. Arthur & Charles, realizing that all the shady characters that they’ve been ordered to let into the club recently by Hosea were probably mafia members, start getting some of the others to find another job; only Lenny, Mary Beth, Tilly, John, & Abigail listen. They can’t convince the others, and Bill & Javier kind of turn on them, so they finally bail, and together, they move one state over.

Charles & Arthur are roommates for a while, until Arthur goes and tries to steal back his tools from a house owner who just kept them after Charles & Arthur finished building a wall for him, and gets caught, goes to jail, blah blah, you know the rest. Because Arthur got transferred to a larger facility half a state over, Charles moves with him, finding work quickly in the nearest small city and waits for Arthur to get out; this place is cheaper so he can afford his own place, and knows Arthur can too. Arthur lives in apartment #305; Charles lives in #403.

Meanwhile, since Javier stuck around, turning a blind eye, he eventually saw Strauss being hauled out by the feds, and everyone else was being questioned by the police and the FBI. Most people didn’t know about the ties to the Van der Linde syndicate, so they were let go. Hosea, Dutch, and Susan were all held in custody. Javier, feeling like an idiot for blindly trusting in Dutch, disillusioned, works in a restaurant for a couple of years while being forced to stay in town because of the investigation.

Remembering the fond times with Arthur and Charles, he messages Lenny & John, finally getting a message from John about where they left. John wouldn’t have told him anything, except that Javier had written that he wanted to apologize to Arthur & Charles, so he relented and told him where they were.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Timeline

Year -10 = Arthur joins club

Year -8 = Javier joins club

Year -5 = Charles joins club

Year 0 - Club breaks down

Year 1, Month 1 - Arthur gets arrested

Year 1, Month 2 - Arthur & PG!Reader get together (Part 1)

Year 1, Month 7 - Arthur is released from prison

Year 1, Month 8 - (Part 2)

Year 1, Month 9 - (Part 3)

Year 1, Month 10 - (Part 4)

Year 1, Month 11 - Charles & Vet!Reader get together (Part 5)

Year 1, Month 12 - (Parts 6-10)

Year 2, Month 1 - (Part 11-12)

Year 2, Month 2 - Javier comes into town, reunites with Barista!Reader (Part 13), Arthur proposes to Prison Guard!Reader (Part 14)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Readers - Back Story

Vet - She had a really shitty ex who forced himself on her once, then she ditched him for good. When he shows up again, to try to get her to come back to him, Prison Guard friend shows up and defends her.

Prison Guard - Back when she was a little kid, she had been tied up and left in a closet as a prank; it made her a bit wary of being tied up. She can fight, she can scrap, she lifts weights, is basically a badass. But the moment she’s completely tied up, she does panic a bit.

Barista - She used to work at a grocery store in the same city as the club, was addicted to it, to the point where she started to stay out too late and be a wreck at her job; she eventually loses her job due to making too many mistakes, and decides she needs to start her life over and get away from the addiction. She has an issue with chasing a certain kind of pleasure, and no lover has ever made her feel like Javier does, which is a problem for her, because it wasn’t real… yet. She wants to be a writer, but ends up wasting time and never truly gets any writing done (mood)

#corrections #Prisoner AU #fanfic outlines #fanfic spoilers #behind the scenes

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samuelfields · 4 years ago

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How to make small talk and other advanced social skills

Does any of this sound familiar?

“I hate small talk, let’s just get to the point…”

“We started small talk and then there was this long awkward pause…”

“I had no idea how to start the conversation so I just sat there silently”

Small talk. Ugh.

But, I do have good news: Small talk is a skill. And just like any other skill, you can become more natural at it with practice. Thousands of my students have improved their social skills (especially if they weren’t “naturals” in social situations).

Today, I’m going to give you word-for-word scripts to help you start this process. Eventually, you’ll be able to set these scripts aside and make them your own — letting your own personality shine through.

How to Make Small Talk at a Glance

Instant Irresistibility: Why Small Talk is Important

3 openers that work in 90% of situations

How to practice making small talk: low stakes experiments

The invisible costs of poor social skills

My “Small Talk” Hacks Video

What to do TODAY

Bonus: Want more ways to build healthy habits? Check out my new Ultimate Guide to Habits.

Instant Irresistibility: Why Making Small Talk is Important

Why even master small talk? Wouldn’t it be easier to get straight to the “important part” of the conversation?

Let me tell you a story about my friend who’s an actress. We were talking about how she’d gone on a bunch of dates and the guys always fell in love with her. They had an instant rapport with her and felt the connection was incredibly deep after meeting her for an hour.

What they failed to understand was that she’s so socially skilled, she’s able to evoke this feeling of awe in most people she interacts with. She’s being totally transparent and ethical, but her social skills are so advanced that they bring out the best version of herself — making her almost irresistible.

The first step to reaching this level of social skills is to master a fool-proof conversation opener.

The 3 openers that work for 90% of situations

Here are 3 scripts that work in nearly any situation. I’m giving you the exact words.

“Hi. How’s your morning going?”

“Hi. I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Ramit.”

“Good morning. How are you?”

Seem too simple?

That’s intentional! Notice how ordinary they are. The truth is, we’re not searching for magic words. We’re simply looking for a way to connect and build rapport.

It’s easy to “nod and shrug…” and then go back to what you’ve always done (which probably doesn’t include comfortably talking to anyone you’d like to talk to).

Or you can try something new. Use these scripts — starting today — and see how they evoke positive responses in others around you.

How many times have we walked past doormen, bartenders, people on the street, baristas and used our phones to avoid small talk?

We can change that starting today. Just a small baby step — say hello! Use just one of these openers to start a conversation with a stranger today.

How to Practice Small Talk: Low Stakes Experiments

The general openers above are great “easy outs” when you’re struggling to think of something to say.

But the hardest part isn’t having something to say. It’s having the confidence to actually do it. One of the best ways to build that confidence is to start very short conversations in low-stakes environments.

I’ll show you what I mean. Here are a few scripts to help practice your small talk skills with baristas and clerks.

Scenario #1: Servers and Baristas Servers and baristas are paid to be friendly, so this is a low-stakes situation. Just be aware of your environment: For example, don’t make your first small-talk attempt when there’s a line of 50 people behind you.

They’ll ask how you’re doing, and what you’d like to order. Instead of ordering your “regular” (in my case, a tall iced green tea, unsweetened), smile first, then try this instead:

“What’s good? (“Everything!”) “No really, what do you get when no one’s looking?”

From here, you can order their suggestion (“That sounds good, I’ll try it”) or stick to your usual (“Cool, I’ll have to try that next time”).

Non-offensive, safe-for-work jokes can add value too, but test your delivery before trying it:

“Have you ever purposely misspelled someone’s name on the cup because you didn’t like them?”

“Seriously, what’s the craziest order you’ve gotten this week?” (Notice how “this week” helps them narrow down the question so they can answer it easily. You do not want to be asking deep philosophical questions at this stage of the game!)

Smile and keep the tone light. This is fun! Treat it like a game and watch what happens.

Scenario #2: Checkout Clerks Most checkout clerks are treated like cogs in the machine. By taking a few extra seconds to make a genuine connection, you’re automatically standing out because the bar is set so low.

“Do you get a discount as an employee?”

[Pick up a tabloid] “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone buy one of these. Do you sell a lot?”

Try one or create your own questions based around it. Remember to listen to their response, smile, and keep moving on.

The point here is that easy micro-tests in low-stakes environments like coffee shops and stores give you valuable practice and confidence you can apply to higher-pressure situations like conferences or bars.

The invisible costs of poor social skills

But what happens if your social skills are just average?

Sometimes, it seems the people who don’t recognize the importance of social skills are the people who need it MOST:

She’ll never know what she missed.

How many of us go through this every day? The scary thing is, we’ll never know what we missed out on because of poor social skills. Those opportunities simply cease to exist.

For example…

We don’t talk to that girl at the bar, then kick ourselves later. Add this up over years and we end up getting our “second pick” of partners — not the ones we WANT, but the ones who are convenient or left over.

We stagnate in making new friends, since it’s hard to meet real friends after college. Especially if you’re not going out a lot.

We might be technically very skilled, but we bomb the interview, or get passed over for a promotion, or we’re not in the “inner circle” of people at work whom the boss favors.

There are even more haunting examples of the consequences of having mediocre social skills:

I have friends who thought earning enough would be enough to attract a partner. They’ve spent the last 5-10 years on their career, but never took the time to learn how to talk to men and women on a personal level. (A lot of Indian people are like this, actually.) Now what? They’ve got great jobs and lots of money in the bank, but they’re missing a core skill — and as a result, the pool of potential high-caliber partners is way smaller than for someone else.

One of my friends runs a successful tech company and was considering acquiring a small 1-man company. After a night of drinking, he asked me what I thought of the guy. He’s a good friend so I told him the brutal truth: I told him that the guy was way too cocky for his experience, I wouldn’t want him on my team, and I told him exactly why. My friend canceled the acquisition the next day. That guy will never know that his social skills cost him a 7-figure payday.

What do all these missed opportunities add up to over 10 years? 30 years?

If you learned even ONE technique to improve your social skills — something you can use every day while talking to co-workers, men, women, even random people on the street — what would that be worth?

Introducing My “Small Talk” Hacks Video

I created a new video for you, a 30-minute crash course on improving your social skills. I didn’t want to just offer you one or two random “tips.” I wanted to go deeper.

The video includes easy scripts for starting a conversation, keeping it going, and politely ending conversations (even with ramblers). I also included a live social-skills teardown about how to make small talk, plus the powerful concept of the Story Toolbox.

youtube

1:28 – Watch as I analyze my latest national TV appearance, beat-by-beat 4:07 – The social skills mistakes I used to make 5:44 – How do you start a conversation with a stranger? 8:20 – How do you keep the conversation going? 13:47 – How do you end a conversation politely? 16:57 – Your Story Toolbox: How can make yourself memorable? 20:50 – How do you make small talk?

TO DO TODAY

In the video at 16:57, I described the Story Toolbox, a Dream Job concept that lets you walk into any interaction — a job interview, bar, or cocktail party — and instantly have 5-10 stories to use at any given moment.

Top performers know that by having these stories ready to use — stories that consistently get positive reactions — they can instantly connect with anyone.

Today, I want you to start building your Story Toolbox.

Here’s your challenge:

Brainstorm ONE engaging story (like my story about the recovering alcoholic at the bar), then test it on 1 person — a friend, family member, coworker, even a stranger.

In the comments below, share the story (just an excerpt) and the reaction you got. It’s OK to get a negative reaction! Share whatever you find below.

How to make small talk and other advanced social skills is a post from: I Will Teach You To Be Rich.

from Finance https://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/how-to-make-small-talk-and-advanced-social-skills/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

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easyfoodnetwork · 4 years ago

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As Restaurants Reopen, Many Are Struggling to Find Employees

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Worries about the pandemic, slow business, and fewer jobs for servers are all creating obstacles to rehiring

When the COVID-19 pandemic forced one Miami restaurant to shut its doors in mid-March, its management laid off 47 of their 55 employees. Expecting the worst, they were surprised to realize at the end of May that they were doing so much business through takeout and delivery that they were on track to meet their original sales predictions. And yet more business didn’t translate to more staff: The 200-seat restaurant still employed fewer than half the workers it had before the pandemic.

While the city of Miami has allowed restaurants to operate their dining rooms at half capacity since May 27, this particular spot is remaining closed for dine-in service until its owners can offer their customers a more “on-brand” dining experience — meaning fun and easygoing — rather than a modified, cautious night out. As such, there is no work available for bartenders and servers.

The restaurant’s general manager, who asked that both her name and that of the restaurant remain anonymous because of the sensitivity surrounding hiring practices, says she’s able to offer these still-unemployed workers little more than daily check-ins and free food. She knows that other, fully reopened restaurants might end up offering them the jobs she cannot. “I found a lot of loyalty in the team we were able to build here,” she says. “Hopefully, we get them back.”

After the pandemic shut down dine-in service around the country in March, some 6 million restaurant industry workers lost their jobs. But as reopening gets underway, those 6 million people are not necessarily returning to work. Instead, many restaurants are facing significant obstacles to both rehiring existing workers and searching for new ones.

Many small, independent spots don’t yet have enough work to bring back their employees, particularly those in front-of-house positions. And restaurants that thrived doing only takeout and delivery — often chains with more than one location — are now increasing their staff, only to find that workers aren’t returning for a variety of reasons. Some are staying away because of health concerns or caretaking responsibilities; others are reluctant to resume minimum-wage, now possibly unsafe jobs that don’t pay as well as the combined income provided by their state unemployment benefits and the federal government’s weekly $600 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance check. Because of the extra federal assistance, two-thirds of eligible workers are making more than they did before the pandemic, according to a paper by economists at the University of Chicago.

Meanwhile, some restaurants are stuck in a catch-22 created by the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program. PPP loans turn into grants if they cover payroll or other specific expenses, but in order to have the loan forgiven, restaurants must rehire their employees, and many don’t have work for rehired employees to do.

Underlying the complex calculations around rehiring is demand, or lack thereof. “Restaurant employment will rebound slowly because demand will be far lower than normal, likely at 40 percent of normal,” says Andrew Stettner, an economist at the Century Foundation. But fears that recovery will be stymied by employees who choose to remain out of work are unfounded, he adds: “The pace of recovery will absolutely be driven by the level of demand, not unemployment benefits.”

The level of demand directly correlates with the pace of recovery at Xperience Restaurant Group (XRG), which operates a national chain of Mexican restaurants under nine brands, including El Torito, Las Brisas, and Chevys Fresh Mex. After the pandemic hit, XRG furloughed 80 percent of its employees. Those who remained helped its restaurants pivot quickly to takeout and delivery. As a result, the group’s takeout business more than doubled compared to last April, and it soon found itself trying to rehire a number of its employees. Between April 20 and June 1, the XRG career site posted more than 500 jobs; some were new positions, and some were vacancies left by former employees.

“We have already brought the bulk of those [furloughed] team members back, even at units that haven’t yet been cleared to reopen for dine-in business,” says Rosie Davenport, XRG’s vice president of marketing. But other employees have chosen not to return because of concerns about their health, she adds.

“Restaurant employment will rebound slowly because demand will be far lower than normal, likely at 40 percent of normal.”

In Chicago, Michael Schultz, who runs the Fairgrounds Coffee chain and the hospitality group Infuse, says he has been “getting a lot of applicants, very talented people who typically otherwise wouldn’t be available.” As iconic restaurant groups have shuttered, he explains, “people who’ve planted their roots with them for successful careers — now they’re looking.” Although a few of his company’s employees told him they were making more money out of work, Schultz felt his applicant pool was big enough that he did not worry about replacing them. He is now hiring for 17 positions at Fairgrounds locations in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Los Angeles, including team leads, prep cooks, and certified baristas.

Down in Nashville, Mary Pillow Thompson, the founder of the local restaurant hiring platform Foh&boh, has seen a similar movement. “There will be a lot of shifting around,” she says. “People saying, ‘Well, Jimmy wasn’t that great anyway, I’m happy to try to get someone better.’ And on the other side, candidates saying, ‘I’m going to try to get the job I always wanted instead of going back to my old place.’” Thompson has also noticed former truck drivers and construction workers signing up on her platform to look for jobs. “Before this, the people we were getting were industry professionals,” she says.

Unlike XRG and Fairgrounds, many American restaurants, especially smaller ones, did not enjoy a surprise business boom during the pandemic. And so as their states and cities reopen, their goal is simply to bring back enough former employees to support the level of business they’re able to do. But even that is not a straightforward process, given that they often lack human resources departments that can spearhead substantial hiring efforts.

At the Kansas City restaurant Fox and Pearl, chef Vaughn Good and his partner Kristine Hull had to furlough three-quarters of their 50 employees in March. Although the 130-seat bistro, which had previously made $10,000 a night, pivoted to selling groceries, family-style meals, and alcohol for pickup, “we were not busy,” says Good; sales sank to $1,000 a day. Good and Hull applied for a Paycheck Protection Program loan to cover payroll when business picked up.

Things began to turn around after May 11, when Missouri restaurants were allowed to reopen their dining rooms under new safety regulations; on a recent Saturday, Fox and Pearl did 70 covers. That was enough for Good to rehire all the kitchen staff who wanted to return. But for Hull, who runs the front of house, scheduling servers has been harder than bringing back cooks, in part because of health concerns around interacting with diners.

“I didn’t want to force people,” she says. So far, enough servers have asked for the shifts Hull has needed to fill, even as the restaurant has expanded to half capacity per Kansas City guidelines and sales have followed suit, rising to 50 percent of the restaurant’s typical pre-pandemic revenues. The next phase, which Hull hopes will go into effect on July 5, would allow her to bring back everyone who wants to return, but she knows she may have to look for new hires. “Some of my staff has decided during the quarantine period to do other things,” Hull explains. “We have a couple that graduated college and are now pursuing careers, and some that have decided to shift their focus. I think that the slow reopening has allowed folks to make the decisions that work best for them both physically and financially.”

Even restaurant owners who appear busy say that they would rather make do with a smaller crew until they have a clearer idea of what the future holds. Since reopening under Florida state guidelines on May 13, Cafe Boulud Palm Beach, which is located in the Brazilian Court Hotel, has seen business in its main dining room jump back to the same level as it was this time last year. The restaurant seats about 120, and half of the tables are outside. General manager Lucian Vasile Puscasu has brought back about half of his 102 front- and back-of-house employees, a mix of part-time and full-time workers. That’s partly because the once-busy events business remains closed, and partly because summer is the off-season in Palm Beach. But it’s also because some employees did not want to come back.

“They declined to return for various reasons,” Puscasu says, “from finding better opportunities to not feeling comfortable about the possibility of exposing themselves or finding the unemployment benefit a better fit for now.” He expects to see more potential workers applying in the fall, after the pandemic unemployment benefits run out in July and the season starts up again.

For her part, Fox and Pearl’s Hull says she noticed a shift in conversation on the restaurant’s Slack (or chat room) channel at the beginning of June: Those who had felt unsure about returning to work last month seemed more eager for shifts in June. “A lot of people who were waiting through May are now saying they are ready if we need them,” Hull says.

Of course, legal frameworks also play a significant role in how people are brought back to work. If a restaurant doesn’t want to hire everyone back, they have to have “legitimate, non-discriminatory (and documented) reasons for why some folks were made offers and others weren’t,” hospitality attorney Jasmine Moy says over email. “For those that reject an offer to return to work, if the employer wants to include that person in their PPP headcount, they have to notify the state that such person was made and rejected an offer of employment, which will put the staff member in violation of the unemployment insurance requirements.”

Rejecting employment reflects the larger issue that many workers face as restaurants reopen: that of the calculus of staying home without pay versus returning to work and potentially risking their health. All the restaurants operators mentioned in this article say they are following regional safety guidelines to keep their employees healthy, including generous spacing between tables, rigorous cleaning practices, and the requirement that all employees and customers alike wear a mask. In addition, Fox and Pearl, Cafe Boulud, Fairgrounds, and the Miami restaurant are all providing masks to their employees. But regardless of the measures they’re taking, these operators also realize they can’t guarantee their employees won’t get sick if they return to work, which is why many say they understand the hesitation to take on shifts.

It remains to be seen whether post-COVID-19 restaurants will offer workers, especially servers, bartenders, and hosts, enough incentive to encourage loyalty to the industry. If front-of-house hospitality employees can’t find worthwhile work — meaning the opportunity to interact with customers and earn sufficient wages from both salary and tips, all while staying as safe as possible — there will likely be a reckoning.

“People have reprioritized their lives a lot,” says the Miami general manager who’s waiting to reopen until she has a better sense of the city’s new dining climate. “Right now we feel like a fulfillment center: You put the food in the bag and send it out the door.” If that continues to be the case, she adds, “then you have to find meaning in that new model. We’re in it because you provide a meaningful experience to your guests, and we have to see how we’ll do that going forward.”

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Worries about the pandemic, slow business, and fewer jobs for servers are all creating obstacles to rehiring

“Restaurant employment will rebound slowly because demand will be far lower than normal, likely at 40 percent of normal.”

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serverthoughts · 7 years ago

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SHOULD YOU TIP AT BUFFETS?

I dropped off the face of the planet, I know. A lot has happened in the past two months. But this post is not going to explain my journey I’ve been on.

That sounded so douche-y. If only I had a joint hanging from my mouth while writing that, it would of made it so much better.

Instead, I want to ask the burning question.

Okay, well the burning question I had yesterday at Christmas Eve lunch with my family.

Do you tip at buffets?

Before anyone that has ever worked a buffet attacks my inbox, let me explain. I’m looking at the staff at Hometown Buffet, don’t come for me.

I don’t eat at buffets. Before yesterday, I hadn’t been to a buffet since my senior year of high school (I’m 21), and before that, probably when I was 11 years old.

My mom would never take me to any because she’s a germaphobe, which is probably for the best. Not to shit on anyone who makes a living in a buffet, or enjoys eating at them.....But they’re not the healthiest or cleanest place to eat.

But what do I know, I can scarf down Taco Bell like no one’s business, and sometimes forget to shower if I’m not leaving my house that day.

Sorry, sorry. Mental illness suxZ.

This may seem like I’m being silly by my tone of writing, but I’m honestly curious. I’m pro-tipping when you dine in a restaurant or order to-go - but buffets are different.

You grab a plate, fill it up, eat, and maybe a worker will clear up your plate for you. Or maybe this is only some buffets, I have no idea.

If you’re a frequent buffet-er, please enlighten me how the process works.

I went to a Chinese buffet yesterday. We were sat at a table by the hostess, and were greeted by a server who asked us our drink order. After we were served waters and hot tea, we were instructed to fill up our plates.

Which we did. The server checked up on us a few times, and cleared our plates as each person in our party finished. (There were five of us). Finally, he dropped off the check and we handled the bill.

Things I learned from the buffet:

Fried food is cold. Or at least at this one.

The food was generally room temperature at best.

The food wasn’t bad, but not good either - if that makes sense? Like, McDonald’s isn’t good, but it’s not...I’m sorry, I couldn’t make that comparison. It’s mostly shit.

This being said, some of the food was good. Beef and broccoli was bomb, and I liked the oysters.

I’m getting off track though. Anyway, I didn’t pay the bill but after seeing it, I’ve discovered that buffets are expensive.

5 plates (1 of them being a kids plate) plus hot tea equaled over $70, which was mind-boggling to me because when I went to a Chinese buffet in high school during our lunch break, it cost $20 for my friend and I.

Different buffet, different town.

My mom did tip $10 which I probably would of been offended by if she would of left that at any other restaurant, but I was so caught off guard by the whole buffet thing, that I let it slide. Not to mention that I have $0.00 in my bank account, but that’s a story for another blog.

At this specific buffet I agree with tipping, because it was similar to a restaurant experience - except we got the food for ourselves. Instead of having our server take our order, and get harassed by expo to run our food to us.

No shade to expo’s, you guys are doing God’s work. Truly.

Do you think you should tip at a buffet where you pay before you eat, and have very minimal interaction with the staff?

Does this question make me seem like the ignorant people on Twitter who think they don’t have to tip their friendly to-go person? I am so curious to hear if people tip at buffets.

If I ever to have the unfortunate chance of going to another buffet (it’s a personal preference), I’ll tip again. Because duh, I’m serverthoughts and I support my fellow restaurant/fast food/service industry workers.

Always.

NSFW, and sidenote: I went to the gif option on Tumblr and searched “tip” and I got to watch a woman lick just the tip of a man’s dick, which is something I could of went without seeing this Christmas. That’s what I get for not being specific. My fault, really.

If you too want to watch a girl lick the tip of an erect penis, you’re welcome for the directions.

Welcome fucking back to writing blog’s, serverthoughts. First day back on the job, and I’m writing about cocks. Nice.

Have a Merry Christmas if you celebrate, happy holiday if you practice a different religion, or a great day if holiday’s aren’t your speed.

Make sure you tip your server, to-go, baristas, deli workers, buffet workers, and all of the above if you decide to eat somewhere on Christmas.

And let me know if you agree with tipping at a buffet. It’s for science. Not really, but I’m a curious ass bitch.

Xoxo,

serverthoughts.

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daisy-daisyy · 7 years ago

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AFTER 7 MONTHS, GOD GAVE ME THE JOB

the following is a timeline/testimony of my 7-month journey of faith, prayer, patience, and trust in the Lord for a job. I’ve also included in bullet points journal entries/prayers I’ve written from my devotionals where I felt the Lord was ministering and speaking to me regarding the job. I know it looks like a lot but I tried my best to make it as simply and straight-forward as possible loolllll. Thank you in advance for taking time to read through all this!! :) xx

January 2017: I walk into Classics to buy myself flowers (though I ended up not buying any) and hear the Holy Spirit prompt me with “Why don’t you go ask and see if they’re hiring?” I get excited at the thought of working there and proceed to ask the owner if they’re hiring. She tells me that they have some positions open and asks me to fill out an application. I AM VERY VERY SUPER DUPER EXCITED AND HOPEFUL.

February 14th: Valentine’s Day lollll. I go in to buy MYSELF flowers and also drop off my resume.

January - March: Made phone calls every week to follow up on my application, only to hear every time that the owner will call me back. The phone calls I made every week slowly turned into every other week, and then every 3 weeks.

March 21st: Holy Spirit tells me to go visit the store, so I go. I buy myself flowers and re-introduce myself to the owner, telling her that I applied 2 months ago and ask if there’s still any openings. She asks for my availability and tells me that there are morning and afternoon shifts open. I eagerly tell her I’m free & she says she’ll contact me.

End of March - Mid April: More follow-up phone calls lollzzz

April 13th: Holy Spirit tells me to send the owner an email this time - no more phone calls. I send her an email following up on our last conversation in March and pretty much ask for closure lolll. I asked if I could get a confirmed response within the next week on whether or not I’ll be hired. I was getting very impatient because by this time I’ve been unemployed for almost a year and I wanted to get a job/$$$ asap. I desperately needed closure so that I could start applying at other places if I wasn’t gonna get the job here.

April 14th: (SHE REPLIES THE VERY NEXT DAY OMGOSHHH) “Hi Grace, I have really been considering you for a position here at the store. How many hours a week are you looking to have?”

!!!!!!!! I AM SOOOOO HAPPY AND EXCITED AT THIS POINT AHHH !!!!!!!!!!!

I respond with my availability and schedule.

April 18th: Okay backstory: from October 2016-January 2017 I interned at a non-profit jewelry company called Purpose Jewelry. Although my internship finished earlier this year, I still made myself available to volunteer for events if they needed help. On this day, I came in to pick up equipment for an event I was volunteering for and got to catch up with my old manager. She asks me for life updates & I tell her I’m trying to get this job at Classics. Her eyes grow wide and tell me that she JUST started collaborating with them & that Classics actually carries Purpose Jewelry at the shop now!!! IDK ABOUT YOU BUT THE CHANCES OF THIS HAPPENING ARE LIKE....NOT VERY HIGH LOL. I am 100% sure that this was a sign from God.

April 19th: At this point, it’s been 6 days since I sent the email and 5 days since she’s responded. Only 1 more day to make it a full week to give me closure/lmk if I’m hired or not. I am v nervous and worried. Also on this day, I attended a conference at HROCK that a friend of mine invited me to. During ministry time, I was worshipping the Lord and I hear these words from Him: “You will receive an email tomorrow.” My heart became excited and full of peace <333

April 20th: It’s been exactly 1 week that I’ve sent the email. AND SHE REPLIES JUST AS THE LORD SAID <333

“Hi Grace, I truly appreciate your patience in obtaining employment here at Classics. At this time though, I might not be able to give you 20 or more hours a week. It might be about 15 hours. Let me know if you are willing to try and we can go from there. Thank you so much!”

At this point, I am sooooooo soooo happy. I jump to conclusions and share a testimony at our church’s Bible study that i got the job lolllllll. After all, the Lord spoke to me about it and this email made me so sure that I was gonna get it!!!!

I respond saying 15 hours is perfect and ask to continue discussing the next steps.

April 21st - May 6th: No response back from her. I send 3 more follow-up emails. I am very confused & discouraged.

May 7th: “Hi Grace, I would not be able to offer employment to you at this time. I thank you for your time and patience. Some of our employees are going to be out of school soon for the summer break so I would like to offer them more work hours instead.”

My heart dropped...like is this for real?????? I seriously thought I had it,..

I remember sitting on my bed after reading the email, completely stunned, saddened, and especially confused. I pray to Lord about it and receive comfort and peace. I reflected on the 5-month journey thus far and came to a realization: THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO FREAKIN WAY THAT GOD WOULD DO THIS TO ME LOL. There is no way God would tell me to apply for a job, speak continuously to me about it, give me signs, and not give it to me. God doesn’t do that - He wouldn’t “lead me on.” There’s no way He would make me go through all this JUST to test my faith and patience...for everything to come to nothing. There HAS to be more to it. There HAS to be something in the end. So I continue praying & believing for the job despite getting denied by the owner.

May 17th: I send ANOTHER email asking her to reconsider lol i’m so annoying

June 10th: I’m driving home after dropping Trina off at work. Holy Spirit tells me to stop by Classics. I’m like HECK NO and drive past it. I get to the intersection of my house and feel convicted, so I turn around and drive back to Classics. I walk into the store and ask one of the employees if the owner is there and she says that the owner actually JUST LEFT (ughhhhhh I SHOULDA LISTENED TO HS RIGHT AWAY). HOWEVER...the employee recognizes me and and asks if I’m Josh’s sister. Her name is Hannah and she is Josh’s friend’s cousin lolll. Josh has been texting her here & there, asking her questions about employment to help me out. We both knew of each other though we’ve never met. We talk for a little bit & I tell her about my situation & she lets me know that she’s actually leaving the company to pursue an internship out of the country. She says to keep trying & good luck. I leave feeling really encouraged & hopeful!

June 27th: HANNAH TEXTS JOSH AND ASKS HIM TO ASK ME IF I’M FREE TO MEET UP!!!!!????!?!?!?!?! I eagerly accept and meet up with her that day. Hannah tells me that the owner asked her about me, but she only met me once and doesn’t know me too well. Hannah asks the owner if she would like for her to meet up with me and get to know me, and the owner says yes please. And that’s why she wanted to meet up 😭😭😭 so sweet 😭😭😭 She tells me that she’s leaving the country for her internship in 2 weeks and that the owner is looking for someone to hire, so she wanted to take time to get to know me so she can refer me to the owner. She gives me tips & pointers for the job and tells me not to worry & that she’s going to refer me <3

July 3rd: I text Hannah asking if the owner has said anything and if I should contact the owner & follow up. Hannah says she hasn’t heard anything about it yet but to just wait for the owner to contact me.

July 27th: It was the last day of Summer camp with our church and everyone is sitting in silence with the Lord. I think about the life I have to go back to and become discouraged at thought of STILL being unemployed. But the Lord responds to my thoughts by saying “Don’t worry. You will get the job.”

Later that day when we get home, I check my email: *sent Monday, July 24th “Hi Grace, I would like schedule am interview for the job opening on Thursday or Friday from 1 PM on. Please let me know your availability. Looking forward to hearing from you.”

My heart is bursting with joy and excitement. God is SOOOOOOOOO GOOD AND FAITHFUL TO WHAT HE SAYS <333333

July 28th: I go to the shop for an interview!

July 29th:

“Hi Grace, Thank you so much for coming to the interview with Jorge! After careful considerations, I have decided to offer you a position here at Classics. Are you available to start on Monday at 9AM? Let me know if that works. I think that you will be a great addition to our team!”

July 31st: My very first day working at Classics 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

It’s been a little over a month since I’ve been working here and wow....I am sooooo in love with my job. I applied for a simple position of a barista/server (why fight so long & hard for a job I can get at Starbucks or anywhere else you may ask), but God has already opened so many doors for me here 😭❤️ If you know me, I am absolutely head-over-heels IN LOVE with flowers. They are beautiful & delicate & one of God’s many ways of telling us “I love you.” I also have lots of experience with Social Media marketing and it’s something I really enjoy doing. The Lord has opened doors for me to do BOTH 😭😭😭 Although I have NO EXPERIENCE WHATSOEVER in florist design, the owner gave me a chance to do floral work a few weeks ago, saw that I somehow did a good job, and started training me to do work on the flower side. Earlier this week, she gave me the PW to their Instagram and allows me to post/do whatever I want. THIS IS ALL GOD 😭😭😭 I remember starting in middle school, my ultimate dream job was to be a florist. It wasn’t ideal or something I took time to pursue because I felt like it wouldn’t be stable, but God literally turned that dream into a reality for me. I definitely can feel His amazing love through this job. After every shift, I leave feeling so full of joy and gladness.

These past 7 months have NOT been easy....NOT EASY AT ALL lolll. There were soooo many times I wanted to give up and just apply somewhere else. There were so many people in my life that I love & cherish who told me to move on, apply somewhere else, that I deserve better than this, that God has another job in store for me - all out of love & care for me. But the ONLY thing that kept me going was the Lord Himself. Yes, He gave me signs and specific words about the job, but the main anchor to my faith were those scriptures that He spoke to me week after week, day after day in my devotions. Through His word, He kept telling me to keep the faith, be patient, trust in Him, ask and you shall receive, and obtain the promises He has for me. Thank you also to everyoneeee who encouraged me & stood with me in faith! I don’t know if I would have made it through if it weren’t for your prayers & words of faith <333 God is soooooo sooooo good and faithful 😭 His timing may not be in line with our timing, but wow it’s soooo worth it. I am sooo, sooo incredibily thankful to the Lord for this journey. I learned so much about faith, patience, and trust in the Lord. I’ve neverrr been tested like this before but the Lord came through just like He always does. All glory, honor, and praise to God! HE IS AMAZING AND SOOOO GOOD AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

I pray & hope you are encouraged in your journey of faith & patience to obtain all the promises He has for you!! <333 He is faithful!

JOURNAL ENTRIES

February 25th:

“He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.” Romans 4:20-21

When it comes to the promises of God, believe and be strengthened that it will come to pass in FAITH. Be fully convinced that God will fulfill His promises; do not waver through unbelief! Strengthen your faith daily through the word.

April 4th:

“Now the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation complain against him by brining a bad report of the land, those very men who brought the evil report about the land, died by the plague before the Lord.” Numbers 14:36-37

Been learning a lot about the power of our words...when you use your tongue to bring an evil/bad report about the things/promises of God, it is very displeasing to Him. May I remember to not speak death or discouraging words regarding God’s promises - that they’re too good to be true, or doubt what He has promised. When God has proven and shown me His goodness and promises, I should never doubt His plans and future promises. I must trust in Him, never doubt Him, listen and obey His voice so I can receive His promises.

April 5th:

“But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’” Psalm 31:!4

Psalm 31:4

Even when David was persecuted and hated by everyone around him, his trust in God kept him going. He acknowledged the Lord as “his God” and trusted in Him despite what his eyes and ears were receiving from the world.

April 10th:

O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You!”

April 15th:

“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.” 1 Corinthians 16:13

May 23rd:

“’Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of my brother Benjamin, or shall I cease?’ And the Lord said, ‘Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.’” Judges 20:28

The Israelites inquired of the Lord what to do in battle 3 times - the first 2 times being that they lost many men in battle, wept, came before the Lord, fasted, and gave offerings. And when God told them to go to battle a third time, they didn’t hesitate to obey Him and came through victorious. With my current job situation, I’ve allowed my soul to be discouraged because I obeyed the Lord and did not receive the results I was expecting. However, this passage encouraged me and the Holy Spirit showed me that just because I obeyed and didn’t get the victory, doesn’t mean the victory hasn’t come yet - it’s all trust, obedience, and faith in the Lord and His timing.

May 30th:

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened...how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”

Matthew 7:7-8;11

God has sweetly reminded me that He hears me and the desires of my heart, and He will give to me what I ask in His will <3

June 4th:

“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.” Psalm 34:8-10

June 6th:

“But when he saw that the wind was bolsterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, ‘Lord, save me!’ And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, ‘O you of little faith, why did you doubt?’″ Matthew 14:30-31

Peter sank when he based his faith on the things seen, on the natural. When he saw the heavy winds, he became afraid, his faith decreased, and he began to sink rather than trusting Jesus when He told him to come onto the water and walk. “Little faith” and “doubt” is caused by what we hear/see in the natural. Faith & confidence is caused by Jesus’ word and the unseen. Don’t base things on the natural!!

June 7th:

“For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’” Matthew 15:4

“Then Jesus answered and said to her, ‘O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.’ And her daughter was healed from that very hour.” Matthew 15:25

This morning I was feeling confused and discouraged about the job situation once again. And I asked God if perhaps something was blocking the blessing? And He put on my heart that regarding my love and honor for my parents, it’s been lacking. So reading “Honor your father and your mother” in today’s reading is no coincidence. He reminded me that it’s not based on works, but it’s the heart. I must reconcile myself to them and forgive them and walk in love towards them. Also, He’s recognizing my great faith and says “Let it be to you as you desire” regarding my job <3

June 9th:

“So Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your unbelief, for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.’” Matthew 17:20

June 16th:

“Yes, the Lord will give what is good; and all land will yield its increase.” Psalm 85:12

The Lord is encouraging and speaking to me again about His provision for me with the job and finances. He gives what is good and will cause increase in my land <3

June 19th:

“Our father trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them. They cried to You, and were delivered; They trusted in You, and were not ashamed.” Psalm 22:3-5

“Those who seek Him will praise the Lord. Let your heart live forever!�� Psalm 22:26

I trust in the Lord, cry to Him, and seek Him, and He sees all of it. What I do is not in vain. He has delivered me and caused me not to be ashamed. God is telling me that I have been seeking Him because I praise Him. He put on my heart to seek Him first this year, and I feel that He is confirming with me that I have been seeking Him because I praise Him. My provision and job is coming...”and all these things shall be added to you.”

June 20th:

“Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.” Psalm 37:3-5

June 25th:

“Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.” 1 Timothy 6:17

“And now, O Lord, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, let it be establisehd forever, and do as You have said.” 1 Chronicles 17:25

As I put my trust in the Lord, the living God, He gives me richly all things to enjoy. I believe He is speaking to me yet again about His promises and that I am to pray as David did regarding His promises and provision for me. God has spoken to me that He will give me the desires of my heart, that He shall supply ALL my need, that whatever I ask for, I will receive, and so I must pray and proclaim that this word has been established forever and He will do as He said <3

July 5th:

“Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.” Psalm 62:8

July 12th:

“There has not failed on word of all His good promises, which He promised through His servant Moses.” 1 Kings 8:56

All the promises God has promised, He keeps them ALL. Whatever He has promised will come to pass in my life. His promises never fail <3

July 13th:

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:23

July 14th:

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of the things not seen...By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.” Hebrews 11: 1,3

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6

Father God, Thank You for Your love, thank You for reminding me to keep the faith and keep believing for my job at Classics. Although I do not have the job in the physical realm, I’ve already received it in the spiritual because You’ve promised and given it to me. I sure am learning faith and patience. Your timing is perfect. I receive my job according to Your will and timing. I trust in You, Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

July 17th: “Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” James 1:3-4

“But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.” James 1:6

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Father God, Thank You for Your great love reminding me to keep the faith and be patient. My faith has definitely been tested regarding the job and it has produced much patience. Let patience have its perfect work in me and I pray against any doubt in my mind and cast it down. I am a woman of faith, not doubt. I trust in You with all my heart and acknowledge You in all my ways. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

#me

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samanthasroberts · 6 years ago

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5 Reasons Why The Middle Class Doesn’t Understand Poverty

Poverty is a well-worn subject here at Cracked. John Cheese has talked about it a lot, C. Coville discussed legal loopholes that can screw the poor, and we’ve also covered myths the media perpetrates. And now it’s my turn to moderately wealthsplain the subject.

Unlike John and others, I grew up one year’s worth of acoustic guitar lessons away from being the most stereotypical middle-class white kid ever. I didn’t take yearly vacations to private islands to hunt men for sport, but I also never wanted for clothes and video games. And while us suburban kids were taught that it’s good to help the poor, we were also accidentally taught to treat them with disdain. Here’s how.

We’re Constantly Told That “Money Can’t Buy Happiness”

If you’re friends with the right kind of insufferable people on social media, you’ve probably seen pictures like this:

Or these:

Simple Reminders

Quotesgram How profound, guy with countless fans and a net worth of 150 million.

Or, God help us, this:

It’s all variations on the same theme: Money can’t buy happiness, true wealth comes from friendship and experiences, you don’t need the solid gold butt plug when the polymer one feels identical inside of you, etc. Movies teach it, music teaches it, our parents teach it — money is useless if you aren’t living. It’s not an inherently bad message, but try telling people at the homeless shelter to count the blessings that money can’t buy, and see how long it takes before you’ll feel blessed that you can afford health insurance.

Outside of images that the Care Bears would find insipid, “Money can’t buy happiness” is what middle-class people tell each other when someone is trying to decide between two different jobs. “I make 70k right now and the new gig only plays 60k, so I wouldn’t be able to travel as much. But I’d have more free time to play Ultimate, the benefits are better, and there’s no way my new manager could be any worse than my current one.” That’s an important decision to the person making it, but they’re debating between two different kinds of comfort. It’s safely assumed that the money they will need to exist will always be there. It would be nice to have more — to be able to go to more restaurants or to justify buying a second Roomba because deep down you know that the first one is lonely — but there’s always enough to keep the lights on and the kitchen stocked.

You may have seen the study that claimed $70,000 a year is the ideal salary — after that, more money generally doesn’t make you happier. Well, that’s great news for people hovering around that benchmark, but if you’re poor, more money will abso-fucking-lutely make you happier. More money means healthier food, or a chance to get out of the house and have some fun. It can mean knowing the rent is paid for next month, or being able to afford medication.

The middle class isn’t immune to money problems, especially if there are kids in the mix. Getting laid off at the wrong time sucks, no matter what your income is. But the middle-class people with money problems I’ve known were generally suffering from self-inflicted wounds. They had no savings because they wanted the new car or the luxury vacation. They wanted one of those experiences they were constantly told was more important than money, because the money for day-to-day necessities was always there, right up until it wasn’t.

That’s part of the reason, I think, so many middle-class people laugh at campaigns to raise the minimum wage. “You want 15 bucks an hour to flip burgers? How about you just hold off on the new TV until you get a real job?” The middle class generally fluctuates between being able to afford a nice vacation one year and having to settle for a few trips to the movies the next. The poor can fluctuate between paying bills and being out on the street. But the idea that such essentials could just go unpaid is unfathomable, right up until you experience it.

We’re Taught To Associate Low-Paying Jobs With Failure

When I was growing up, there was never a question of whether or not I was going to college. That’s partially because the idea of my spindly idiot ass learning a technical trade or doing manual labor is the first step in creating an “Epic Fail!!!” YouTube video, but mostly because my parents had a fund set up for me. (It helped that I live in a country where a post-secondary education doesn’t cost roughly eight quadrillion dollars a semester.)

So jobs that didn’t require a degree were presented to us as warning signs. “You better study hard, or else you’re going to end up just like that bull masturbator for the rest of your life! And I didn’t intend that pun, so don’t giggle!” Becoming a janitor or a gas station attendant or an internet comedy writer would have been considered a disappointment, an inability to take advantage of the gifts that were offered to us. Poverty was considered a moral failing.

No one ever just came out and said that, but the implication was always there. We tend to assume that other people are basically like us until they prove otherwise, which is why I’m constantly shocked to discover that most people don’t like my favorite homoerotic golf academy anime, Wood Strokes. So we were never taught that working as a dishwasher or a grocery store clerk or a sperm bank fluffer could be an important stepping stone for someone with a different background than us. We were also never taught that, you know, it’s still a goddamn job where someone shows up and puts work in and gets paid for their time. They were always just associated with squandered potential.

And man, when you hear that message constantly, it’s hard to shake. It’s easy to glance at a middle-aged dude working the checkout counter and automatically think “Well, I bet he’s not the brightest guy around” or “Oh shit, is that what happened to Matthew Lawrence?” It’s not malicious — not initially. Being told to take advantage of your opportunities is not a bad message. But when that message is driven into you for decades, it creates a stigma around certain jobs. And from some people, it produces plenty of snide remarks about how the people working those jobs should get better ones, as if the person who’s been a server for seven years has never considered just popping down to the job store and picking up a career in architecture.

Janitors and baristas keep society running as much as anyone else. If all of America’s coffee shops shut down for a day, the country would experience a nationwide narcolepsy epidemic crossed with The Purge. But when you grow up in the middle class, the only thing you’re taught about such jobs is that you should get one as a teenager to build character, and then thank God that you’ll never have to work one again as long as you don’t fuck up in life. And as long as we consider that a sign of our superior work ethic instead of birth luck, we’re going to keep dismissing as pathetic the jobs we’d all get angry about if they vanished tomorrow.

There Are Always Certain Things We Take For Granted

An education isn’t the only thing that most middle-class kids can assume they’ll get. A car to borrow, a phone, 20 bucks for when you really want to take a girl to what you assumed was a bad movie so you could make out in the back row but then it turns out that she’s actually super into the plot of Gigli and wants to focus on it even though you were all set to reach second base and so you end up getting a confused erection to Al Pacino and it inadvertently shapes your formative years … you know, all the little things that are part of growing up in Middle America.

That’s the end result of assuming that a good job awaits you, and that money is for throwing at problems and buying pizza instead of something to stress out about. Water heater broke? No worries, we’ll just have to eat in the rest of the month to make up for it. Shoes all worn out? Well, you can’t go to school like that, so go get some new ones. Gone on a losing streak at the Pokemon Card League and the groupies have started drifting off to the other players? Better pick up a few booster packs to get back in the game. You know you can’t get greedy and start buying Armani, but as long as your needs are modest, the money will always be there.

So the idea of 20 bucks making or breaking someone is impossible to appreciate. It’s just not a concept that clicks in our heads. It makes sense on a logical level, sure — you need money, and you don’t have it, and that sucks. But when you’re raised in comfort, you can’t put yourself in that head space emotionally. You can’t understand the stress, or the fear that you might not be able to feed your kids. The closest we can get is watching Gwyneth Paltrow try and hilariously fail to live on a tiny food budget before going back to her $4,000 kale cleanses. That’s kind of like empathy, right?

And because it’s tough to relate to, it’s tough to talk about. If someone tells me that they never got Christmas presents growing up, all I can respond with is “Uh, yeah, that sounds like it sucked. Well … one time my grandma accidentally got me Super Murpio 67, so … I hear you.” Starting a conversation with a bunch of middle-class people about poverty is like bringing up Trayvon Martin at a country club. Everyone trips over everyone else’s words to talk about how tragic it is, but then they distance themselves from the problem and the “buts” start coming out. And to further compound the issue …

We Don’t Witness Poverty, So We Don’t Understand It

When I was growing up, my exposure to poverty was largely limited to sitcom families who would talk about how poor they were, but were still able to go on a wacky adventure every week. The Simpsons kept running into money troubles in their early years, but their house looked the same as mine. Even the family from Roseanne, the classic working-class sitcom, owned a house that’s a palace compared to what a lot of people live in. The problem with portraying poverty in sitcoms is that it’s hard to get laughs out of eviction and early deaths caused by crippling medical debt, so the lesson always ends up being “Poor people struggle with money sometimes, but in the end they always get by, and they have lots of laughs while doing it!” Sitcoms make being poor look fun.

Beyond that, once or twice a year, I’d go to some kid’s birthday party and notice that his house was a lot smaller and more run down than mine. One of the kids who always got talked about in a slightly different tone of voice by the adults. I never gave it much thought because we went to the same school and both liked Nintendo — how different could our lives possibly be? Maybe I’d see a story on the news that would put a positive spin on the issue. (“Look at how many volunteers with beautiful families showed up to the soup kitchen to help feed these filthy hobos!”) Beyond that, the middle class just doesn’t think about poverty.

We’re always looking up, always wanting to go to the Christmas party at the rich friend’s house so we can get a taste of what we’re aspiring to. There’s rarely a reason to go to the poor part of town. Tell jokes about it, sure, but go? We never have to leave the bubble, so we never learn what real poverty looks like. Poor people become invisible, this mysterious Other, a group that serves you food, and in return, you throw a couple of non-perishables and toys into donation bins for them over the holidays.

Oh yeah, the middle class loves to donate food and toys and clothes and gently used ball gags and all sorts of other crap that we weren’t using anyway. Food banks actually need money far more than they need your creamed corn that’s going to expire in two weeks, because money just goes further. But people who will gladly part with 12 boxes of Kraft Mac and Cheese and some Funyuns they found under the sofa get leery when it comes to handing over money, even though we’re supposedly under the impression that we don’t need it ourselves to be happy.

That’s partially just because it’s more satisfying to give stuff instead of money — you can imagine some happy kid playing with your old Lego, and you get to clean out your closet. But remember, we’re taught that the poor are stupid and lazy. We sit around telling each other stories about how our friend’s cousin’s boyfriend knows a guy who spent his welfare check on beer and weed. These are campfire horror stories for the most tedious suburbanites, and they’re told in the hot tubs that they probably shouldn’t have bought until the next mortgage payment cleared. We can’t trust those people with money, because if they were smart enough to manage it properly, they’d be smart enough to have a better job. Also, they probably all have hooks for hands and murder teenagers while they’re making out in their cars. Hey, we learn so little about poor people that it’s just as believable.

We’re Taught To See Ourselves As The Victims

I’ve known people with movie theaters in their homes and four cars in their garage who are convinced that society is against them, that life is a gloomy parade of suffering because their property taxes went up a bit. That’s stereotypical rich people behavior, but it’s there in the middle class too, in subtler ways. I live in a city where the economy revolves around a boom and bust industry, so people tend to make good money while complaining about taxes for a few years, then get laid off and go on government benefits for a while, and then get a new job and go back to complaining about the government. And if you watch the cycle, you see the same “us against the world” mentality, just with fewer BMWs in the mix.

When middle-class people get laid off and go on welfare, they blame the economy, or their former employer, or the government. They never blame themselves. And they shouldn’t! Much like a whale’s erection, economies are big, confusing things that can’t be controlled by the average person. It’s not like they left photocopies of their asshole on the boss’ desk. They paid into the welfare system with their taxes when times were good, and now they’re using the system for exactly what it’s intended: helping you out when you’re unlucky. It’s bridging the gap until you, a hard-working person who just caught a tough break, gets another job.

Except when poor people use the system, it’s none of those things. Suddenly they’re not getting help; they’re just dumb, lazy leeches. Plenty of middle-class people are more empathetic and generous than I’ll ever be, but the worst instinct of the middle class is to blame the system when the system fails us, then lecture poor people when the system fails them. I’ve heard the condescending explanations about how the world really works (which usually come out after a few beers when no actual poor people are around because the speaker would never be brave enough to say it to their faces) more times than I can count.

The middle class has a weird relationship with the rich — we alternate between complaining about them and wishing we were them. Money can’t buy happiness, but a yacht certainly wouldn’t hurt matters. Even if we don’t like the rich, there’s always the pipe dream that we could be them. But no one dreams about being poor, unless you’re into an incredibly specific kind of role-playing.

Being poor is a problem (practically, not morally), and a problem is either the fault of the person or the fault of circumstances beyond their control. The latter means we in the middle class might have to do something about it — or, God forbid, reflect upon our lifestyles, which is just the worst. It’s much, much easier to assume that we’re fine, that ultra-rich politicians and celebrities and investment bankers are the ones being condescending and awful to the poor, but also that poor people could probably stand to work a little harder. So, uh … sorry about all of that. I’ll donate some food at Christmas, though!

Mark is on Twitter and has a book that’s made him rich in experience.

For more, check out 5 Things Nobody Tells You About Being Poor and 4 Common Morals Designed to Keep You Poor.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel, and check out Disney Thinks You Hate Poor People, and watch other videos you won’t see on the site!

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Source: http://allofbeer.com/5-reasons-why-the-middle-class-doesnt-understand-poverty-2/

from All of Beer https://allofbeer.wordpress.com/2019/02/27/5-reasons-why-the-middle-class-doesnt-understand-poverty-2/

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swiftsadprose · 7 years ago

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Nashville : June 2017

This recent trip to Nashville was easily one of the top two vacations of my life. Since there are so many memories I want to hold on to, I decided to write them all down.. Early morning on Tuesday June 13th we headed out of Columbus. On our way down we stopped by Chik-fil-A, of course, and then at Dinosaur World in Kentucky. They have 150 dinosaur statues set up throughout their wooded park and allow dogs. It was the perfect place to stretch our legs for a bit before the final leg to Nashville. We got into Nashville around noon. It was too early to check into our airbnb so we headed downtown to the farmers market and bicentennial park. We let Samson cool his feet in the Rivers of Tennessee fountain park while we waited for our Bella Nova pizza. Then sat in the shade and ate lunch. After that we walked around the park seeing the Court of 3 Stars and Bell Carillon. We walked down the Pathway of History stopping to see their World War II Memorial and Statehood Memorial over the McNarry Spring. Next we killed time by driving around the east side, locating some spots we knew we'd be visiting and finding some iconic Nashville murals. We also stopped into Project 615, a clothing store in the Fatherland District. We bought each other a Nashville tee, since the traditional two year wedding anniversary gift is cotton. The girl working in the shop was so nice. She gave Samson treats and gave us 615 stickers. She also suggested we check out the pet shop a few doors down so we did. Samson had his fill of treat samples and we purchased him the most adorable rain poncho (even though it never ended up raining when he was out of the house, haha). Our airbnb was so cute. It's was a remodeled upstairs loft space near Eastwood. It was so close to everywhere we were going. My favorite feature was that we were able to leave Samson home alone when we went out to dinner or a show. (most dog friendly hotels won't let you leave dogs unattended in rooms FYI). Once we settled into the house we decided to just run out real quick and bring some dinner back to the loft. We decided on Dino's which was just 5 mins from us. Dino's is a serious hole in the wall but Chelsea Lankes swears by their burgers. Jerry and I agree, they were so good! Wednesday morning we woke up at the crack of dawn ready to start exploring the city. Our first stop was in the Gulch to find the #WhatLiftsYou wings. We then got some refreshing drinks from Starbucks to try and combat the already sweltering heat. We parked in Hillsboro and got some pastries from Provence Breads & Cafe. Everything we tried from there was delicious. They even gave us a free pastry for choosing them over a chain bakery. Hillsboro is such a great area full of local restaurants and cute shops. From there we walked over the Fannie Mae Dees Park in hopes of seeing the Dragon Statue but it was currently being repainted. But we carried on and traveled over to Love Circle. It's a large hill that has great views of downtown and the surrounding hills. At this point we were really second guessing our choice of this trek on such a hot day but since we were halfway through we carried on. We made our way up to Centennial Park. There was a great fountain right where near we entered which Samson loved walking through. Then we took a nice long rest on a bench swing in the shade. As we walked towards the Parthenon I bought some lemonade from the cutest little boy collecting donations for his friend at Children's. It was so refreshing on such a hot day. After Centennial we crossed through Vanderbilt campus to get back to Hillsboro. While passing by the football stadium we noticed the tunnel was actually open so Jerry walked onto the field. Once back in Hillsboro we got a patio table at Fido and had some delicious sandwiches for lunch. That evening, if you can believe it, Jerry and I got the amazing opportunity to meet and hang out with THE Chelsea Lankes. We've been such fans of her music for years. It's was indescribable to chat her up like a friend. We met at Barista Parlor in the Gulch and she bought us all a round of iced coffees. Chelsea and I had a bourbon vanilla iced coffee while Jerry had a caramel whiskey. We talked about mine and Jerry's trips to Nashville, Chelsea's time in LA, relationships, our jobs, dogs, how people don't know how to pronounce Lankes, true crime pod casts, long term goals, family and Chelsea's new music. At one point Chelsea checked her phone and said "it's 6:15" and Jerry and I both died, haha. She invited us out to her car to listen to some demos of some of her new songs which was seriously amazing. Every one she played for us was bangin', we can't wait for her to release the singles this summer. While listening, Julian pulled up. They're seriously so cute together. She got out of the car and they started dancing in the street. Jules climbed in the backseat with me and when Chelsea skipped to the next song he said "why'd you turn that off? it's about us cuddling". So cute. We snapped a quick photo together and had Chelsea sign our vinyls before she had to run off to hot yoga. At her suggestion, Jerry and I quickly checked out a roof bar at a nearby hotel and caught some great sunset views of downtown Nashville. After that Jerry and I being true tourists hit South Broadway. We grabbed a quick bite of hotdogs from a street vendor while we meandered through souvenir shops and listened to live music. We of course had to stop at Savannah's Candy Kitchen to load up on chocolate covered marsh mellows, rice krispy treats, candied apples and fudge. We stopped by Luigi's for a drink at the bar and a pizza to go. On the way back to the car we passed by the Country Music Hall of Fame to take a pic with the TS Education sign bc Taylor Swift owns my ass. So then we went back to our loft for the night. It was much later/darker than it had been the night before when we took Samson for his walk. The alley behind our house was basically pitch black. But honestly it was alright because as we were also smoking up ya feel. So we're walking and we turn up onto a main street. It was a little more lit but still pretty dark and we, ourselves, were feeling pretty lit. As we're walking up the street I see something just sitting there. At first I thought it was a rabbit because it wasn't moving. Then as we got closer I could tell it was just staring at us even though I couldn't see it's face, which is always a freaky feeling. For a second I thought it might be an opossum or a raccoon, both which would have freaked me the fuck out. As we got a little closer we realized it was just a cat and literally as we were realizing this we hear the nastiest low gurgling growl coming from a yard to our right. We look over and the whole yard and house are pitch black. We can only see a small white picket fence and hear this dog that sounds like it wants to kill us. So we're fucked up, already a little freaked out from the cat and now pretty sure some beefy dog is gonna lunge over this small ass fence and try to eat us. We power walked our asses out of that street as fast as we could! It was seriously the craziest experience! To update, we drove by that house like three more times trying to find out what breed of dog that was and how it was secured in that yard but never saw a dog there. Thursday morning, our anniversary, we woke up and took Samson with us to South Broadway to walk the John Seigenthaler pedestrian bridge, which Samson shit on haha. We saw some great views of the Titan's stadium and of the downtown skyline. Afterwards Jerry and I went out to breakfast at Fenwick's 300. Chelsea had recommended it because Julian works the bar there. It was a very cool restaurant. Their bar top was made from a lane from a bowling alley that had previously been in that location. The food was amazing. We toasted to our anniversary with some mimosas. Jerry got breakfast stir fry while I went with basic eggs, bacon and toast. We also shared the amazing french toast. It was great to chat up Julian. We mostly talked about dogs. I tried to talk him out of wanting a husky but I don't think it took. We were showing him a picture of Samson when another server brought our food. Julian elbowed her, "look that's Samson" and after briefly looking she responded, "uh huh, want some hot sauce?" Jerry and I thought it was too funny. We had planned to walk around 12 South for a bit after breakfast but 1) we'd misjudged our time and had a standing appointment at noon and 2) it had started raining. We decided to just drive through 12S to see if Amelia's flower truck was still there or if they'd left due to the downpour. Luckily, they were! We figured we better buy some flowers now rather than track them down again later. By this time the rain was really coming down. We maneuvered around swept away garbage cans to park on a side street. Jerry had to jump over a 3+ foot river flowing down the gutter to bring the umbrella around for me. Even with that, we were soaked through by the time we made it up to the truck. But I didn't mind. The flowers were so lovely. They traveled well and they're still giving off an amazing perfume in our bedroom. At noon we had an appointment at Gold Club Electric to get our matching 615 tattoos. It was so special to us to get the tats on 615 in the 615. The guys at the shop were so nice. Our artist chatted us up about Columbus, he used to live in Cleveland. The tattoos went so easy and quick. Once done the employees even helped us take an awesome pic of Jerry and I holding hands while showing off our matching tats. We then went just around the corner to Soda Parlor, probably one of the cutest places in town. They're known for their killer floats made from craft sodas and local ice cream. They're all topped with whipped cream and sprinkles and served in a Mason jar. I ordered the Freakin' Fosters which was a mix of Mike's vanilla ice cream and Sprecher's Orange Dream soda. Jerry got the All Hail Starstream with vanilla ice cream and Maine Root Mexicane Cola. They were both so delicious. Another very cool feature about the Soda Parlor is that they have a free arcade. I had to play TMNT. I just wish the game let me play as Michelangelo instead of Leonardo, haha, but I still kicked ass. Since the rain had stopped and we had some time to kill we decided to head back to 12 South and actually walk around. (We stopped by the airbnb to pick up Samson and change since we were still a little damp and the temp had dropped. When we walked in the house I asked Samson if he wanted to smell my Amelia's flowers. He did... and then tried to eat them. Haha, still laughing about that.) Walking around 12 South we mostly window shopped. But we did find the I Believe in Nashville mural as well as a few others. We never did find the "make music, not war" mural but that just means we'll have to go back. We also stopped into Five Daughter's Bakery. The donuts are expensive but seriously worth it. What I would give for a chocolate sea salt donut right now ladies. Later that evening we had tickets for the Bluebird Cafe. It's an iconic listening room in Nashville. Artists such as Garth Brooks and Taylor Swift were discovered there. We were ecstatic to get tickets since there are only about 60 seats able to be reserved. Luckily I was able get two tickets are soon as they went on sale. As for the show, I wish I could put into words how amazing it was. The artists, David Seger, JP Williams, Darryl Macquarrie, and Jeremy Busser were so personable. They joked with the crowd, told the stories that influenced their songs and played an amazing set. It's honestly a surreal experience and I'd recommend it to everyone. Friday was our last morning in Nashville. We didn't have to check out until noon so we decided to hit Shelby Park, a metro park right near our airbnb. We decided to walk around Sevier Lake. When we pulled up the parking lot was full of sleeping ducks and geese. I got out of the car and they literally came rushing over quacking and honking. Honestly, so sad I didn't have any duck feed on me. Walking around the lake we saw a man feeding the squirrels, lots of turtles and water birds. It was such a chill area of people just hanging out and fishing. My favorite part was a huge willow on the south end of the lake, so dreamy. We also hopped over to the Shelby Dog Park so Samson could run loose for a bit. After that we packed up the car to head home. Our last stop on our way out of Nashville was Consider the WLDFLWRS, a jewelry store that's owned by Emily (the wife of Ben who is the musical talents behind My Red + Blue). I've been following the shop's instagram and I love their pieces. Jerry bought me a small pendant with an H stamped into it. I adore it. The girl working the shop, Hannah, was so sweet. She loved meeting Samson and told us about her new pup Dolly. We got to chatting about how I knew about the store. Hannah mentioned that if I liked Ben's music I should check out Yøuth (aka Chelsea's boyfriend Julian). Turns out Julian was in Hannah's wedding and Chelsea is one of her very good friends! Nashville is such an amazing city, it's really like a big town. I cannot wait to go back xxx

#nashville #tourist #vacation #story #chelsea lankes

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blondegirlfinances-blog · 7 years ago

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You're 16-18.

Say you're in your late teens, and you believe it’s time to put your big girl panties on and get a job. After all, imagine all the shoes you can buy with $100! Actually, probably not that many, but you get the point? Having your own little stash of cash is appealing. But imagine for a second if instead of a pair of shoes right now, you can have as many shoes as you want later? With just a little self-control and patience you can achieve that goal because you’re smart and you’re thinking ahead. First, lets come up with a plan to get the dough in the first place. Well here’s a very obvious but perhaps not the most appealing option is; TO GET A JOB. Yes, maybe you can do chores around the house for cash but we’re trying to be big girls here and start our professional careers! So please get something that comes with a pay stub.

The first thing you need to know about first-time jobs is that’s exactly what they are. These are entry-level positions that give you the opportunity to learn the most basic of skills in the job market. They usually include customer service; to build the basic customer-retailer communication skills, basic accounting skills usually acquired through the use of a register, and minor responsibilities. You’re basically showing the world that you can function when you’re given instructions. The second thing to know is that it is not your CAREER. Don’t get comfortable, don’t settle in. Build good communication skills, prove that you’re ready to handle the bigger responsibilities and stay on good terms with your managers. It can get you A LONG way. But how long should I stick around on my first job you ask? Experts say that a minimum of one year. Now, if you see opportunities for advancement feel free to stay and make it your career. Those places have high turnover rates, so they’re prepared for your departure. And lastly, make it part time! Trust me, no money is worth lost memories. Don’t get too carried away but remember that youre still a teenager!

First, you’re probably thinking of what job can a 16-year-old possibly hold? But don’t despair because thanks to some digging around I have come up with a list of most popular jobs for a 16-year-old!

Number 1.

Barista

Come on it’s 2017, EVERYONE is obsessed with coffee. Now I personally know a kick-butt barista who makes at least $100 a week in tips if not more. So yeah if you don’t like coffee, I hope you like the extra cash.

Number 2.

Fast Food

Yes, you might not smell that good after your shift, but fast food is probably the biggest platform on which you can build. How many people started here, and how many employers know about these starts, probably everyone. You can be a cashier at a grocery store, but I feel like the expectations are a bit higher there, so starting out at fast food is always the safest bet.

Number 3.

Server

Probably requires a little more skill, probably will encounter a lot more diverse people with whom you will definitely have to interact. But, what customer service experience! Right? And the tips aren’t bad either.

Number 4.

Housekeeper/Janitor

This was my fist job and frankly, I loved it! I worked in the evenings and it wasn’t too difficult. You never have to interact with anyone if you’re working in the evening, and it’s a good star, plus you have time during the day. Although you probably will be more tired due to the fact that you’re physically working but hey, that can be something positive too!

Number 5.

Retail

If you’re a trendy teenager why not give this one a try? The upside to this one is that you’ll always get discounts. If you want to shop at the same place you work that is...

Number 6.

Receptionist

Now, this is a little higher up there, BUT have you ever been to a tanning salon? Yeah, guess who stands there at the front desk with a perfect tan? Usually a 16-year-old girl, who probably doesn’t even need a tan because her skin is perfect.

Number 7.

CNA

Hard work, but excellent and life changing experience and a good way to get your foot in the door if you’re headed towards health care. Most high schools offer courses at Skills Centers that allow you to sit in for your CNA license or you can always pay to take courses or check your local Job Corps for any free classes being offered.

Number 8.

Car Wash

Don’t personally know much about this one but have seen many young men doing it.

Number 9.

Theater or amusement park.

In my city, there isn’t an amusement park that stays open all the time so it’s more of a seasonal job. BUT there are a few movie theaters!

Number 10.

Bowling Alley!

Okay, I would actually LOVE this one.

So girls, get those applications filled out and wait for the phone call. Be positive about the opportunities that you’ll open for yourself and comment below on your first jobs!

#finance #money #cash #girlboss #work #jobs #financialadvice

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wikitopx · 5 years ago

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After you attempt these restaurants in Peoria you’ll know why the center of Illinois deserves to be the center of culinary attention.

1. For The Fun Of Hibachi And The Love Of Sushi At Hokkaido

From the décor to the food, Hokkaido is an intense experience. This Japanese steakhouse is filled with neon lights and geometric shapes, creating a unique and exciting atmosphere that is just as modern as it is Asian traditional. Come watch your food cooked before your eyes or your sushi is hand-rolled by some of the best Japanese chefs in the city. And from the chef’s special to the bento boxes and the sashimi, you’ll want it all. The hand mixed cocktails are excellent too, offering color just as bright as the lights around you, making Hokkaido one of the most entertaining nights out you will find around Peoria.

Hokkaido 3311 N University St (309) 966-0931 Yelp: 4 stars, 34 reviews

2. Coffee The Right Way At Thirty-Thirty

Do you find yourself ordering the same thing over and over again at the coffee shop because the menu is so overwhelming and you always feel so rushed because you don’t want to be that person holding up the line? You don’t have to worry about it here at Thirty-Thirty Coffee. The baristas here are exceptional at what they do and are excited to help share their knowledge. Any questions you might have on beans, roasting methods, fair trade or the like will not go unanswered. And to add to the superior coffee house vibe, Thirty-Thirty is located in a cool, old building where raw edges are treated like gold and minimalist, eclectic themes run the show.

Thirty-Thirty Coffee 734 Main St (309) 713-2983 Yelp: 5 stars, 67 reviews

3. Raise Your Chopsticks To Thanh Linh

If you’ve tried every Chinese and Japanese restaurants around town and you’re looking for something new, give this Vietnamese gem a try. You’ll find Asian food packed full of flavor that offers something a little different than the traditional venues. The Saturday Noodle Soup is a favorite among the locals – savory, spicy, and perfect to warm you up on a cooler day. The pork and shrimp spring rolls also shouldn’t be missed and neither should the spicy lemongrass beef. But the true must-try while you’re here is the Vietnamese beef jerky, which is unlike anything you’ve ever picked up in a store.

Thanh Linh Vietnamese Restaurant 1223 W Main St (309) 495-0179 Yelp: 4 stars, 89 reviews

4. Lose Yourself In Mozzarella Paradise At Biaggi’s

When you’re looking to take someone out for a meal, whether it’s your mom on Mother’s Day or a business associate for lunch or even just a girlfriend to catch up on drinks, bring them to Biaggi’s. You’ll find some of the best Italian in the city with a more modern atmosphere of the traditional venues. You won’t be dealing with tapas plates here, so there’s no need to over-order. The portions are large and after you have your way with the basket of dipping bread, chances are there won’t be too much room left over anyway. But if you can find it in you to make it through dessert, make sure to order the tiramisu to round off a perfectly delightful Italian meal.

Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano 2601 W Lake Ave (309) 686-8114 Yelp: 4 stars, 44 reviews

5. Aurelio’s Puts The “Eat” In Eat, Pray, Love

This modestly decorated Italian eatery doesn’t pride itself in the most upscale restaurant in town. But that’s because it doesn’t need, or want to be. The quaint, traditional atmosphere with crisp red and white checkered tables is the perfect place to come for one reason: excellent food. Oh, and awesome service. So, make that two reasons. The pizza at Aurelio’s has been a favorite in the city for years. And while some restaurants that have been around for a while tend to get stuck in their ways and lose their flare, Aurelio’s just keeps getting better with each passing year. Come for the very popular lunch buffet, but you might want to make it on a day when you’re not counting calories. But it’s worth every last indulgent bite.

Aurelio’s Pizza 3821 N Sterling Ave (309) 682-3722 Yelp: 4.5 stars, 13 reviews

6. Childers Eatery Is A Breakfast Lover’s Dream Come True

This bright and airy eatery is always a refreshing place to come for a good meal full of high quality food. It’s good anytime of the day, but the favorite time to come is breakfast. Serving up the freshest food at some of the cheapest prices in town for the quality, you won’t find a better deal anywhere. But the good news is that Childers servers breakfast all day long, so it doesn’t matter what time of the day you can make it in. You’ll find a vegetarian omelet stuffed full of fresh veggies and herbs from their own garden, topped with truffle oil and goat cheese. Homegrown fried green tomatoes that melt in your mouth will be one of your absolute favorite here. And when you’re looking for something sweet but light, don’t pass up on the yogurt martini.

Childers Eatery 3312 N University St (309) 688-1332 Yelp: 5 stars, 9 reviews

7. Cyd’s Is The Trendiest Spot For Your Sweet Tooth

Cyd’s is one of those places that has such a cool atmosphere, you might find yourself here when you’re not even all that hungry just because you wanted to go. If Anthropologie was a restaurant, it would be Cyd’s. It’s a hipster haven, filled with delicious food and desserts and without the pretentiousness. You can get everything here from a burger to a grilled chicken salad, but the shining star (or, more fittingly, the macramé star made with 100 percent upcycled materials) here are the pastries. Order yourself up a cupcake, take your drink in your mason jar, and grab yourself a spot out on the patio.

Cyd’s Gourmet Kitchen 5901 N Prospect Rd (309) 685-1100 Yelp: 4 stars, 22 reviews

8. Be A Grill Master At Alexander’s Steakhouse

Cooking your own beef isn’t just a custom reserved for some Asian restaurants. If you so choose to cook your own, Alexander’s Steakhouse will bring you the steak of your choosing, completely raw. Then you and your friends will take it to the large brick pit and grill it up over top of the charcoals to perfection. Order the Kansas City Bone-In strip steak for the ultimate in beef. You can also toast your own bread or grill up a baked potato while you’re waiting – and yes, it’s totally worth it. Of course, cooking your own food is completely optional here, just part of the experience. You can sit in your seat and let them do it for you, too.

Alexander’s Steakhouse 100 Alexander Ave (309) 688-0404 Yelp: 4 stars, 46 reviews

9. I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream For The Spotted Cow

The Spotted Cow is the kind of old-fashioned ice cream parlor that will remind you of an era when taking time for the simple pleasures was a way of life rather than just a nice idea. Even if you’re not from that era, you’ll get the idea and begin making preparations to fit it into your own lifestyle. You won’t find a thousand different crazy flavors, but that’s because they don’t need to show off. Their ice cream is so good, it’s confident enough to stand on its own. You can also grab some really good lunch staples here, like the comfort of a gooey grilled cheese sandwich. Top if off with one of their beloved milkshakes and you’ll understand how it feels to find happiness in the little things.

The Spotted Cow 718 W Glen Ave (309) 691-1910 Yelp: 4.5 stars, 24 reviews

10. Travel The World One Plate At A Time At One World Café

If you’ve got the wanderlust bug but only enough in your wallet to get to dinner, then One World Café should be the only place you consider. The food here is inspired by cuisine from all around the world, each one getting One World’s own personal spin on it. The Cuban pork sandwich is a home favorite, but you will be able to find something great no matter what your mood. Falafels with French fries, housemade hummus, fish tacos, chicken and waffles, tabouli… you get the idea. Come here and experience the tastes from around the world. Your taste buds will thank you.

One World Café 1245 W Main St (309) 672-1522 Yelp: 4 stars, 155 reviews

From : https://wikitopx.com/food/top-10-best-restaurants-in-peoria-il-700918.html

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easyfoodnetwork · 4 years ago

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Shutterstock Worries about the pandemic, slow business, and fewer jobs for servers are all creating obstacles to rehiring When the COVID-19 pandemic forced one Miami restaurant to shut its doors in mid-March, its management laid off 47 of their 55 employees. Expecting the worst, they were surprised to realize at the end of May that they were doing so much business through takeout and delivery that they were on track to meet their original sales predictions. And yet more business didn’t translate to more staff: The 200-seat restaurant still employed fewer than half the workers it had before the pandemic. While the city of Miami has allowed restaurants to operate their dining rooms at half capacity since May 27, this particular spot is remaining closed for dine-in service until its owners can offer their customers a more “on-brand” dining experience — meaning fun and easygoing — rather than a modified, cautious night out. As such, there is no work available for bartenders and servers. The restaurant’s general manager, who asked that both her name and that of the restaurant remain anonymous because of the sensitivity surrounding hiring practices, says she’s able to offer these still-unemployed workers little more than daily check-ins and free food. She knows that other, fully reopened restaurants might end up offering them the jobs she cannot. “I found a lot of loyalty in the team we were able to build here,” she says. “Hopefully, we get them back.” After the pandemic shut down dine-in service around the country in March, some 6 million restaurant industry workers lost their jobs. But as reopening gets underway, those 6 million people are not necessarily returning to work. Instead, many restaurants are facing significant obstacles to both rehiring existing workers and searching for new ones. Many small, independent spots don’t yet have enough work to bring back their employees, particularly those in front-of-house positions. And restaurants that thrived doing only takeout and delivery — often chains with more than one location — are now increasing their staff, only to find that workers aren’t returning for a variety of reasons. Some are staying away because of health concerns or caretaking responsibilities; others are reluctant to resume minimum-wage, now possibly unsafe jobs that don’t pay as well as the combined income provided by their state unemployment benefits and the federal government’s weekly $600 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance check. Because of the extra federal assistance, two-thirds of eligible workers are making more than they did before the pandemic, according to a paper by economists at the University of Chicago. Meanwhile, some restaurants are stuck in a catch-22 created by the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program. PPP loans turn into grants if they cover payroll or other specific expenses, but in order to have the loan forgiven, restaurants must rehire their employees, and many don’t have work for rehired employees to do. Underlying the complex calculations around rehiring is demand, or lack thereof. “Restaurant employment will rebound slowly because demand will be far lower than normal, likely at 40 percent of normal,” says Andrew Stettner, an economist at the Century Foundation. But fears that recovery will be stymied by employees who choose to remain out of work are unfounded, he adds: “The pace of recovery will absolutely be driven by the level of demand, not unemployment benefits.” The level of demand directly correlates with the pace of recovery at Xperience Restaurant Group (XRG), which operates a national chain of Mexican restaurants under nine brands, including El Torito, Las Brisas, and Chevys Fresh Mex. After the pandemic hit, XRG furloughed 80 percent of its employees. Those who remained helped its restaurants pivot quickly to takeout and delivery. As a result, the group’s takeout business more than doubled compared to last April, and it soon found itself trying to rehire a number of its employees. Between April 20 and June 1, the XRG career site posted more than 500 jobs; some were new positions, and some were vacancies left by former employees. “We have already brought the bulk of those [furloughed] team members back, even at units that haven’t yet been cleared to reopen for dine-in business,” says Rosie Davenport, XRG’s vice president of marketing. But other employees have chosen not to return because of concerns about their health, she adds. “Restaurant employment will rebound slowly because demand will be far lower than normal, likely at 40 percent of normal.” In Chicago, Michael Schultz, who runs the Fairgrounds Coffee chain and the hospitality group Infuse, says he has been “getting a lot of applicants, very talented people who typically otherwise wouldn’t be available.” As iconic restaurant groups have shuttered, he explains, “people who’ve planted their roots with them for successful careers — now they’re looking.” Although a few of his company’s employees told him they were making more money out of work, Schultz felt his applicant pool was big enough that he did not worry about replacing them. He is now hiring for 17 positions at Fairgrounds locations in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Los Angeles, including team leads, prep cooks, and certified baristas. Down in Nashville, Mary Pillow Thompson, the founder of the local restaurant hiring platform Foh&boh, has seen a similar movement. “There will be a lot of shifting around,” she says. “People saying, ‘Well, Jimmy wasn’t that great anyway, I’m happy to try to get someone better.’ And on the other side, candidates saying, ‘I’m going to try to get the job I always wanted instead of going back to my old place.’” Thompson has also noticed former truck drivers and construction workers signing up on her platform to look for jobs. “Before this, the people we were getting were industry professionals,” she says. Unlike XRG and Fairgrounds, many American restaurants, especially smaller ones, did not enjoy a surprise business boom during the pandemic. And so as their states and cities reopen, their goal is simply to bring back enough former employees to support the level of business they’re able to do. But even that is not a straightforward process, given that they often lack human resources departments that can spearhead substantial hiring efforts. At the Kansas City restaurant Fox and Pearl, chef Vaughn Good and his partner Kristine Hull had to furlough three-quarters of their 50 employees in March. Although the 130-seat bistro, which had previously made $10,000 a night, pivoted to selling groceries, family-style meals, and alcohol for pickup, “we were not busy,” says Good; sales sank to $1,000 a day. Good and Hull applied for a Paycheck Protection Program loan to cover payroll when business picked up. Things began to turn around after May 11, when Missouri restaurants were allowed to reopen their dining rooms under new safety regulations; on a recent Saturday, Fox and Pearl did 70 covers. That was enough for Good to rehire all the kitchen staff who wanted to return. But for Hull, who runs the front of house, scheduling servers has been harder than bringing back cooks, in part because of health concerns around interacting with diners. “I didn’t want to force people,” she says. So far, enough servers have asked for the shifts Hull has needed to fill, even as the restaurant has expanded to half capacity per Kansas City guidelines and sales have followed suit, rising to 50 percent of the restaurant’s typical pre-pandemic revenues. The next phase, which Hull hopes will go into effect on July 5, would allow her to bring back everyone who wants to return, but she knows she may have to look for new hires. “Some of my staff has decided during the quarantine period to do other things,” Hull explains. “We have a couple that graduated college and are now pursuing careers, and some that have decided to shift their focus. I think that the slow reopening has allowed folks to make the decisions that work best for them both physically and financially.” Even restaurant owners who appear busy say that they would rather make do with a smaller crew until they have a clearer idea of what the future holds. Since reopening under Florida state guidelines on May 13, Cafe Boulud Palm Beach, which is located in the Brazilian Court Hotel, has seen business in its main dining room jump back to the same level as it was this time last year. The restaurant seats about 120, and half of the tables are outside. General manager Lucian Vasile Puscasu has brought back about half of his 102 front- and back-of-house employees, a mix of part-time and full-time workers. That’s partly because the once-busy events business remains closed, and partly because summer is the off-season in Palm Beach. But it’s also because some employees did not want to come back. “They declined to return for various reasons,” Puscasu says, “from finding better opportunities to not feeling comfortable about the possibility of exposing themselves or finding the unemployment benefit a better fit for now.” He expects to see more potential workers applying in the fall, after the pandemic unemployment benefits run out in July and the season starts up again. For her part, Fox and Pearl’s Hull says she noticed a shift in conversation on the restaurant’s Slack (or chat room) channel at the beginning of June: Those who had felt unsure about returning to work last month seemed more eager for shifts in June. “A lot of people who were waiting through May are now saying they are ready if we need them,” Hull says. Of course, legal frameworks also play a significant role in how people are brought back to work. If a restaurant doesn’t want to hire everyone back, they have to have “legitimate, non-discriminatory (and documented) reasons for why some folks were made offers and others weren’t,” hospitality attorney Jasmine Moy says over email. “For those that reject an offer to return to work, if the employer wants to include that person in their PPP headcount, they have to notify the state that such person was made and rejected an offer of employment, which will put the staff member in violation of the unemployment insurance requirements.” Rejecting employment reflects the larger issue that many workers face as restaurants reopen: that of the calculus of staying home without pay versus returning to work and potentially risking their health. All the restaurants operators mentioned in this article say they are following regional safety guidelines to keep their employees healthy, including generous spacing between tables, rigorous cleaning practices, and the requirement that all employees and customers alike wear a mask. In addition, Fox and Pearl, Cafe Boulud, Fairgrounds, and the Miami restaurant are all providing masks to their employees. But regardless of the measures they’re taking, these operators also realize they can’t guarantee their employees won’t get sick if they return to work, which is why many say they understand the hesitation to take on shifts. It remains to be seen whether post-COVID-19 restaurants will offer workers, especially servers, bartenders, and hosts, enough incentive to encourage loyalty to the industry. If front-of-house hospitality employees can’t find worthwhile work — meaning the opportunity to interact with customers and earn sufficient wages from both salary and tips, all while staying as safe as possible — there will likely be a reckoning. “People have reprioritized their lives a lot,” says the Miami general manager who’s waiting to reopen until she has a better sense of the city’s new dining climate. “Right now we feel like a fulfillment center: You put the food in the bag and send it out the door.” If that continues to be the case, she adds, “then you have to find meaning in that new model. We’re in it because you provide a meaningful experience to your guests, and we have to see how we’ll do that going forward.” from Eater - All https://ift.tt/3eBA1df

http://easyfoodnetwork.blogspot.com/2020/06/as-restaurants-reopen-many-are.html

#EasyFoodNetwork #ComfortFoodRecipes #EasyRecipes #GoodFood #BestComfortFoodRecipes #TastyFoodv

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tripstations · 5 years ago

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How to Find That Great Vacation Restaurant, and Other Burning Questions

Welcome to the first ever Burning Questions, your advice column for all things food and cooking. Wow, you guys have no shortage of things that vex you! Today, I wanted to start with three from readers Emily, Hali and Jane…

Q. How do you find those perfect vacation restaurants? Yelp? Google? I like to do some planning prior to a trip so we eat great meals, but I find the research so overwhelming. — Emily

A. I hear you, Emily! I’ve had no choice but to nail the formula here, mostly because I suffer from Vacation Meal Anxiety, that thing where you feel like every bite of food consumed while traveling has to deliver the optimum experience, packed not just with flavor and hyper-localness, but memories and meaning and joy. The syndrome is not curable, but it’s common and manageable. Here’s how I treat it:

Step 1: If we are headed to a city or a popular food destination, the first thing I do is check out the comprehensive archives at Bon Appetit City Guides. I wrote and edited stories for BA for years so I know how rigorous they are about vetting restaurants. They curate a tight list, and are generally pretty democratic about price points and vibes. After a quick cross-reference with an Eater Heat Map, I hand over the short list of names to my 15-year-old daughter, who plugs them into instagram. It’s kind of incredible how fast you can get a sense of a restaurant’s vibe and food from the photos and their followers (i.e. probably a good sign if, say, @inagarten is liking a place left and right). We examine the restaurant’s feed, but pay more attention to its tags, which offer more candid moments from customers.

Step 2: Enter whatever makes the cut into Resy or OpenTable and pray to the summer vacation gods that at least one of them takes reservations. If they don’t, call ahead and get the download on eating at the bar (if you are sans kids) or the best hours to avoid a long wait. Remember: It’s the same menu at 5:00 p.m. as it is at 7:30!

Step 3: When in doubt, ask a local. Not just the people you meet at the playground or on the beach, but insiders embedded in the food culture of a town, i.e. the barista at the coffee shop or the guy in the food truck making your bulgogi. I never would’ve discovered the migas tacos at Austin’s Veracruz if I hadn’t asked the server at a different restaurant for his must-eat list. And that would’ve been tragic.

Q. Our Dutch oven is terrifyingly splattered and stained. Is this normal? How to clean? How to prevent? Why did this happen? — Hali

A. Never trust a cook with a clean Dutch oven! Your pot’s gunky grease sheen — I mean, its patina — are evidence of the best kinds of food: stews and soups and braises that infuse your home with warmth and love and aromas that instantly announce THIS IS A HAPPY PLACE to whatever lucky person walks through your door. The 40+-year-old oval Le Creuset I inherited from my mom is many things — well-loved, well-worn, well-functioning — but clean is not one of them. Don’t fight it, embrace it.

Q. Would love some summer recipes that won’t make my house 15 degrees hotter. We don’t have a grill either. — Jane

A. The most obvious answer here is, of course, to not turn on your oven. Weeknight sushi bowls are a godsend if you have access to a good fish market — rice is the only thing requiring heat; Caesar Salad with seven-minute eggs (instead of chicken) is the current MVP of our warm-weather rotation, as are cold sesame noodles, best made in the morning while the sun is still low and kind, then chilled all day and topped with cool cucumbers and cilantro; I swear that on a July night in New York, cold soups like Martha’s avocado-cucumber-yogurt number drop your body temperature by at least five degrees, and the whole thing can be made with one knife and a blender. In a few weeks, of course, all of the above suggestions will be irrelevant because the tomatoes will be singing, and these sandwiches will be the only recipe you’ll want or need.

Hope this helps! What other burning questions do you have?

P.S. Dinner party tips and three Trader Joe’s hacks.

(Photo illustration by Maud Passini.)

The post How to Find That Great Vacation Restaurant, and Other Burning Questions appeared first on Tripstations.

from Tripstations https://ift.tt/2RHmAxL via IFTTT

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adambstingus · 6 years ago

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5 Reasons Why The Middle Class Doesn’t Understand Poverty

We’re Constantly Told That “Money Can’t Buy Happiness”

If you’re friends with the right kind of insufferable people on social media, you’ve probably seen pictures like this:

Or these:

Simple Reminders

Quotesgram How profound, guy with countless fans and a net worth of 150 million.

Or, God help us, this:

We’re Taught To Associate Low-Paying Jobs With Failure

There Are Always Certain Things We Take For Granted

We Don’t Witness Poverty, So We Don’t Understand It

We’re Taught To See Ourselves As The Victims

Mark is on Twitter and has a book that’s made him rich in experience.

For more, check out 5 Things Nobody Tells You About Being Poor and 4 Common Morals Designed to Keep You Poor.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel, and check out Disney Thinks You Hate Poor People, and watch other videos you won’t see on the site!

Also follow us on Facebook. Likes don’t cost a thing.

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/5-reasons-why-the-middle-class-doesnt-understand-poverty-2/ from All of Beer https://allofbeercom.tumblr.com/post/183082791437

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allofbeercom · 6 years ago

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5 Reasons Why The Middle Class Doesn’t Understand Poverty

We’re Constantly Told That “Money Can’t Buy Happiness”

If you’re friends with the right kind of insufferable people on social media, you’ve probably seen pictures like this:

Or these:

Simple Reminders

Quotesgram How profound, guy with countless fans and a net worth of 150 million.

Or, God help us, this:

We’re Taught To Associate Low-Paying Jobs With Failure

There Are Always Certain Things We Take For Granted

We Don’t Witness Poverty, So We Don’t Understand It

We’re Taught To See Ourselves As The Victims

Mark is on Twitter and has a book that’s made him rich in experience.

For more, check out 5 Things Nobody Tells You About Being Poor and 4 Common Morals Designed to Keep You Poor.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel, and check out Disney Thinks You Hate Poor People, and watch other videos you won’t see on the site!

Also follow us on Facebook. Likes don’t cost a thing.

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/5-reasons-why-the-middle-class-doesnt-understand-poverty-2/

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andrewdburton · 6 years ago

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How much to tip for 17 situations (according to IWT readers)

Every article on tipping always follows the same formula.

Step 1: Someone writes about tipping.

Step 2: A commenter says, “Omg, that’s so ridiculous! We shouldn’t have to tip. WE should pay them a livable wage!!11!”

Step 3: Another commenter replies, saying, “If you can’t afford to tip, you shouldn’t be eating out!”

Step 4: Comment section dissolves into a socioeconomic pseudo-intellectual argument on the politics of tipping.

Step 5: My eyes roll so far into my head I go temporarily blind.

That’s because the subject of “how much to tip” is loaded with strong opinions, cultural values, and passionate debate.

Controversy

Heated debates

Personal finance

It’s the perfect IWT topic!

That’s why we decided to poll our readers on the subject of tipping. We’re going to take a look at what we learned, the psychology of tipping, and give you the truth about how much to tip — and why.

But first, let’s talk hard numbers.

How much to tip for 17 scenarios

Babysitters

Baristas

Bartenders

Delivery people

Hair stylists / barbers

Hotel housekeepers

House cleaners

Massage therapists

Movers

Nail salon technicians

Nannies

Takeout servers

Tattoo artists / piercing technicians

Taxi drivers

Uber / Lyft drivers

Valets

Wait staff

The 3 tipping golden rules

How much to tip for 17 scenarios

We polled our readers on how much they tip for specific practices. Some were common (wait staff), some not so much (tattoo artists).

For these services, we gave them five choices on how much to tip:

I don’t tip for this service

10% or less

15%

20% or more

Other

If they didn’t use the service or didn’t tip for it, they chose “I don’t tip for this service.” If they used another payment method besides percentage, they chose “Other” and commented how they tipped.

Note: We’re going to be taking a look at this from the perspective of North America, where tipping is the norm. The vast majority of our survey results (98%) came from this region.

Let’s take a look at how much our readers tip now — as well as our suggestion for how much you should tip.

Babysitters

How much to tip: 10% and / or one week’s pay at the holiday season.

Respondents’ answers:

I don’t tip for this service: 49.37%

10% or less: 3.80%

15%: 4.43%

20% or more: 3.16%

Other: 39.24%

While it’s not absolutely necessary to tip your babysitter, 10% should be more than enough if you decide to tip them. Also, a week’s pay at the holiday season would make a very nice gift for, you know, ensuring the health and well-being of your child.

Most of our respondents didn’t have babysitters — but the ones who did tended to pay a higher premium to make sure their kids were taken care of. “With our babysitter, I consider their fee to be what we agreed upon, but if they did something extraordinary, I would tip them a few extra dollars,” one reader wrote.

Baristas

How much to tip: $1 per drink is good but anything is appreciated.

Respondents’ answers:

I don’t tip for this service: 42.69%

10% or less: 23.98%

15%: 8.19%

20% or more: 11.70%

Unlike other food service people like bartenders and wait staff, there’s no clear cut answer for this one — but it’s generally agreed that you should tip something.

I remember I went to a coffee shop with a friend of mine a while back. He saw that I tipped a dollar when I paid for my drink. So when he went up to pay, he said to me, “Nah, dude. The trick is to leave a huge tip your first time. That way, they remember you and you don’t have to leave a tip for a while after that.”

It was MIND-BLOWING. I had never heard of a tipping strategy like that before — and it’s definitely a great way to get your barista to remember your drink order next time.

Bartenders

How much to tip: $1 – $2 per drink. 15% – 20% if the drink is complicated to make.

Respondents’ answers:

I don’t tip for this service: 11.49%

10% or less: 13.79%

15%: 17.24%

20% or more: 36.21%

Other: 13.45%

Now there are two schools of thought to tipping bartenders: 1. Tip a dollar or two per drink no matter what. 2. Tip based on percentages. So which do we go with?

Answer: Both. Or at least that’s what one anonymous bartender working out of a popular bar in Chicago’s Wrigleyville neighborhood said:

“If it’s just a beer or easy cocktail like rum and Coke, tipping a dollar per drink is fine,” she says. “However, if I’m putting time to craft a nicer — and more expensive — drink, like a Manhattan or Cosmopolitan, tip as you would for a meal.”

Delivery people

How much to tip: 10% – 15% or more than $2

Respondents’ answers:

I don’t tip for this service: 26.29%

10% or less: 22.29%

15%: 26.29%

20% or more: 15.43%

Other: 9.71%

You should always tip your delivery person. There’s just no question about it. After all, they’re risking life and limb so you can sit on your butt while your extra large cheese pizza makes its way to you.

But how much to tip? Anywhere between 15% to 20% is good — or a couple of bucks at the very least.

“Anything more than $2 and I’m happy with my tip,” says Thanh Tran, a Chinese restaurant owner and delivery driver of more than 20 years. “If the house is farther away from the restaurant, more money is always appreciated though.”

If you’re ordering online, be sure to throw on an additional 15% to 20% on top of the bill. If you have cash on hand, at minimum you should give them $2. Gas isn’t cheap, you know.

Hair stylists / barbers

How much to tip: 15% – 20%

Respondents’ answers:

I don’t tip for this service: 11.17%

10% or less: 7.82%

15%: 21.79%

20% or more: 55.31%

Other: 3.91%

Getting a fresh cut from your stylist or barber? Be sure to put a 15% to 20% tip on top of the bill. If your service was especially detailed (e.g., neck massage, warm foam shave), feel free to add a few dollars more.

Our readers are very generous with their hair stylists, with the majority of them paying out 20% or more for their tip. A lot of respondents have gone the extra mile on a tip to show their appreciation for a job well done. “A couple times, I have tipped my hair stylist 100% when they go above and beyond to make the experience relaxing and enjoyable,” wrote one reader.

Hotel housekeepers

How much to tip: $2 – $5 per night

Respondents’ answers: N/A

The survey options weren’t applicable here. After all, you’re not going to tip the housekeeping 20% on your hotel bill. You should tip them something though — and in this case, $2 – $5 a night would go a long way in showing your appreciation for keeping your hotel room tidy.

“[I tip] hotel housekeeping usually $5 a night,” said one survey respondent. “More if I’m at a nice hotel.”

House cleaners

How much to tip: $10 – $20 per cleaning and / or one week’s pay at the holiday season

Respondents’ answers:

I don’t tip for this service: 38.22%

10% or less: 3.82%

15%: 5.10%

20% or more: 8.28%

Other: 44.59%

They’ll pick up your laundry, polish your furniture, and scrub the places you wouldn’t touch with a 10-foot pole. The least you can do is tip them too. For housekeepers, most of our respondents choose to tip anywhere between $10 to $20 per house cleaning session. Around the holidays, you can get even more generous with a week’s pay as a gift — which many of our respondents who had house cleaners opt to do instead of a tip.

“I give our housekeeper $200 at Christmas,” one respondent wrote. “We normally pay $80 every two weeks [for their service].”

Massage therapists

How much to tip: 15% – 20%

Respondents’ answers:

I don’t tip for this service: 14.63%

10% or less: 8.54%

15%: 16.46%

20% or more: 37.20%

Other: 23.17%

Nothing beats a massage to get rid of the stress on your body — and nothing beats a tip for a job well done. Be sure to add 15% to 20% (or more) on top of the bill for your masseuse or masseur.

And massage therapists must leave our readers in a giving mood because the majority said they tipped more than 20% for their services. “I typically over-tip my massage therapist,” one reader wrote. “My appointment is supposed to be for 60 minutes but it always turns out to be 70 – 75 minutes.”

If you’re reading this and want to give me your massage therapist’s contact info, that’d be awesome.

Movers

How much to tip: $20+ per mover (plus food and drinks)

Respondents’ answers:

I don’t tip for this service: 25.90%

10% or less: 15.66%

15%: 15.06%

20% or more: 13.25%

While pizza and beer were all you needed to convince your friends to help you move into your first apartment, it’s cash that professional movers are going to really want.

Many of our respondents are generous when it comes to tipping movers, with the majority of them telling us that they’re willing to pay anywhere from $20 to $100 per mover.

“Each mover gets $50,” told us one respondent. “Plus lunch and cold beverages.”

So be sure to keep the pizza and beer around still.

Nail salon technicians

How much to tip: 15% – 20%

Respondents’ answers:

I don’t tip for this service: 21.52%

10% or less: 4.43%

15%: 14.56%

20% or more: 31.01%

Other: 28.48%

Like your hair stylist, be sure to give your manicurist a 15% to 20% tip. Feel free to add on more if they go above and beyond with those awesome calf and hand massages.

“Sometimes I’ll ask for last minute appointments when I’m in a rush,” said one respondent. “So I try to tip 30% for nails when that happens.”

A lot of our respondents said they tend to over-tip if they use these services.

Nannies

How much to tip: One week’s pay at the holiday season

Respondents’ answers: Tipping a nanny isn’t based on a percentage, so respondents’ answers are not applicable.

Since your nanny plays a full-time role in your family, it’s not necessary to tip them every day. On average, they get paid around $42,000 / year — tipping 10% to 20% on top of that would be pretty pricey! Instead, give them a nice bonus around the holiday season in the way of a week’s worth of pay.

“My nanny gets cash at Christmas, plus gifts for exceptional service like her work after my baby was born,” told us one respondent.

Takeout servers

How much to tip: 10%

Respondents’ answers:

I don’t tip for this service: 36.00%

10% or less: 28.00%

15%: 17.14%

20% or more: 9.71%

Other: 9.14%

It’s not actually necessary to tip takeout servers. But if you’re going to, 10% is a solid amount — especially if you ordered a lot of food, it was complicated, or if they carried it out to your car for you.

Tattoo artists / piercing technicians

https://unsplash.com/photos/vKIc4k6dm10

How much to tip: 15% – 20%

Respondents’ answers:

I don’t tip for this service: 38.00%

10% or less: 4.08%

15%: 4.76%

20% or more: 12.24%

Other: 40.14%

Sweet ink, bro. After spending hours having someone permanently place a work of art onto your skin, the least you could do is tip them. In this case, 15% to 20% is a great gesture.

“[I over-tipped a tattoo artist] because the artist was meticulous even though it was just a simple tattoo,” a respondent said.

Taxi drivers

How much to tip: 10% – 20%

Respondents’ answers:

I don’t tip for this service: 15.98%

10% or less: 23.67%

15%: 26.04%

20% or more: 17.16%

Other: 17.16%

While these are going out of vogue for the ease of Ubers / Lyfts, you might find yourself in the backseat of a taxi one of these days. If that’s the case, 10% to 20% should suffice on top of your fare.

However, many of our respondents also opt to go with a dollar or two if it’s a smaller fare — which is just as fine.

Uber / Lyft drivers

How much to tip: 10% – 20%

Respondents’ answers:

I don’t tip for this service: 30.00%

10% or less: 20.00%

15%: 20.59%

20% or more: 10.59%

Other: 18.82%

Now this is interesting. According to our results, people are less willing to tip on Uber / Lyft rides than they are for taxi rides. Ironic considering the ease of tipping via the app. In spite of this, you should still tip 10% to 20% on top of the fare. Rideshare apps are still making their way to the mainstream and users are adjusting to tipping here as they do in taxis.

“We were out with a group of ladies and the Uber driver anticipated every need, told us about the city we were in and was hilarious!” one respondent told us. “We tipped him $25 for a 15-minute ride.”

Valets

How much to tip: $2 – $5

Respondents’ answers: Tipping valets isn’t based on a percentage, so respondents’ answers are not applicable.

Unless you got the joyriding guy from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, you should absolutely throw a few dollars your valet’s way when you go to pick up your car.

“The average tip is $2.50,” a valet from Red Top Valet Services in Chicago told us. “My ideal tip though is around $5, which is always really nice.”

Wait staff

How much to tip: 15% – 20%

Respondents’ answers:

I don’t tip for this service: 4.37%

10% or less: 7.65%

15%: 14.75%

20% or more: 70.49%

Other: 2.73%

Tipping service people at restaurants is pretty much a no-brainer. The vast majority of our respondents said they tip 20% or more for waiters and waitresses, followed by 15%. That range represents the gold standard for tipping wait staff.

“The range for a tip is still 15% to 20%,” said Steve Dublanica, a former waiter and author of Waiter Rant — a NYT best-selling book on his experiences in restaurant service.

The 3 tipping golden rules

When you’re out and aren’t sure about your tipping situation, here are three rules that’ll help you navigate the situation:

Start at 15%. This is a good percentage to start with most services that come with a bill at the end. Anything lower than this and you might end up being branded as a crappy tipper by the wait staff.

When in doubt, just ask. If you’re ever unsure about whether or not the country you’re in tips or if you should slip a repairman a few bucks after fixing your sink, just ask the person you’re dealing with. A simple, “Hey, do people usually tip you?” works just fine.

Cash is king. While a lot of people typically deal with credit cards when they tip, cash is nearly always a preferred method when it comes to tipping. It’s a good habit to keep at least $20 in small bills on your person just for these situations.

Follow those three rules, and you should be able to get through most any tipping situation.

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How much to tip for 17 situations (according to IWT readers) is a post from: I Will Teach You To Be Rich.

from Finance https://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/how-much-to-tip/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

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