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Wow, I haven't updated in a good long while! Sorry about that. I've been partying quite a lot, actually, which has been a nice change of pace from being bored out of my skull. Hence the lack of updating. Bored = nothing to tell. Partying = no time to tell it. | |
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Ta-daah!
It's lovely here. Consider this your postcard.
Christine and I flew down last Friday and the rest of the girls - Sussi, Tina and Marie are arriving on Tuesday. Christine and I have been goofing off mostly, for my part mainly because I want to save all the cool sightseeing for when the rest of the posse arrives. On my part, kind of bad planning when I agreed to come down before the others, but hey, what can you do. Kicking back is doing me some good. Thought processes are slowly re-emerging from a brain that's been too bogged up with "things you should be doing"-lists for far too long. I'm better today, but these last few days I've had this heavy exhaustion pulling at my bones. Moving around took such effort, I was starting to get a little worried that something more serious was wrong. Today has been total relaxation in the sun and I feel much better, but I guess that's not much indication since I literally have not been moving.
I've been taking real good care of myself - lotioning every morning and evening, applying plenty of sunlotion and wearing only flat shoes. I miss heels, did I mention this? Not doing stuff means eating more, though, so I'm feeling a bit bloated, but I'm on vacay, so I don't care.
We're staying in this gorgeous apartment a half hour out of town. Christine's dad's friends own it, and we're trying real hard to be careful with it. It's a two story apartment, brand spanking new building, and it's the penthouse so there's a terasse going all the way around. And balconies for both the bedrooms upstairs. I would love to be able to afford something like this i Copenhagen. Or anywhere, really. And the closet space! My mom would die. I've actually been taking pictures of all the closets for her. I felt like a loon, but I'm just as excited about it as she will be.
Tonight Christine wants to check out some mall. It promises good restaurants which is the only reason I agreed to go. And also because it's too hot to be outside unless you're in a bikini.
Bigger update later. Hopefully. | |
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I can't freakin' wait for this school thing to be done with.
I can't believe I have a whole year left. These past two years feel like five. Or ten.
Today is exam day, so as per usual I'm sleep deprived and unprepared. And I just can't bring myself to care, which is good for avoiding nervousness, but perhaps not the greatest for a good result. Not that a good result matters all that much. I've finally resigned myself to being one of the experienced and therefore jaded students who know that passing is what matters. The rest is just a waste of time. Don't get me wrong - a good grade feels good, but there won't ever be anyone going through my gradebook when I apply for a job and ask, "how come you only got a C in such and such? What went wrong?" Future employers care about whether you have that little degree in your hand and that's it. Also, I have no immediate plans on world domination through a series of management positions. A regular job is fine for me, thank you.
I have to do a presentation. And we all know how I feel about them. So maybe that's why I'm not terribly worked up. In some sick, twisted way, I'm kind of hoping I do badly, just so I get a little motivated to make an effort next time. But effort... not really my forte.
I don't like learning just for the sake of learning. Well, yeah, if it's pointless and therefore interesting stuff like Joss Whedon's body of work or X-Men canon, then I'm all for it, but otherwise, learning about theories and approaches and memorizing volumes of stuff with boring names like "Strategic Management Communication," just doesn't seem to happen for me.
It's not even that I find the subject matter terribly boring. Once I finally engross myself in the material, I'm usually rather interested. But it's like doing the dishes for me - I don't actually mind doing it while I'm doing it. It's getting to the doing-point I have troubles with. Because when I'm lounging on the couch, playing with my Sims or hanging out on LJ, then I'd just really rather... not do my dishes or study. And it's so easy not to. There's not really much of a consequence to this sloth and laziness. The dishes will be there tomorrow. They're not going anywhere. And the exams... seem to get passed anyway.
Sometimes (ok, most times), I wish I had more of a drive. Some slight compulsion that would make getting things done important, somehow. But I don't. That's the me I have to deal with. That's the me that's really good at cleaning up the messes that spring from complete inaction or forgetfulness.
Ironically, I really enjoy being on the go and being active and getting things done. But I like it better when it's stuff I'm doing for other people. I wonder what that says about me, because I can't quite seem to grasp that myself. The process of actually getting my butt out the door can be nearly endless, even though I really want to be out there. It's getting there that's my problem.
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Hottie alert! Here's my face accentuated by a plethora of beautiful, beautiful cold sores. Try not to recoil in horror. This was taken just moments before my dental surgery. I'm much prettier now... | |
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General consensus seems to be that I should just be taken out back and shot.
No, not because I'm a pain in the ass. Although I readily submit that I can be.
But because there are too many things wrong with me. My system is malfunctioning and it's a pity to behold.
Let's start light and work our way up:
I worked five days in a row at the castle last week. I started noticing my ankle with all the metal in it starting to feel a little funny round back above my heel on the fourth day. I looked down and it was swollen to double size, brandishing every color of the rainbow. Uhm, oops? Working the fifth day didn't really help matters, but I guess it didn't make it much worse either...
I have hay fever. I thought I was being a no sugar übermensch like Becca had said might happen when you seemingly change your body chemistry by omitting sugar in your diet. And I was fine - until I stupidly put sugar back in my system. Not two days later I was sneezing all over people's food. There goes my title as "Copenhagen's Best Server"...
And the hay fever brings me to another exciting discovery:
Hay fever, heat waves and cold sores DO NOT MIX. Or rather, perhaps they mix a bit too well. My face is covered in cold sores. I look like the elephant man with leprosy. So here's a mental note as well as an head's up for the rest of you: When your nose itches from pollen and you feel a cold sore coming on your upper lip: DO NOT RUB! No matter how tempting it may feel. Believe me, this is not a good look. It's not terribly pleasant either and I can see my oddly shaped swollen nose ALL THE TIME!! The pharmacist assured me that these higher temperatures give the sores much better growth conditions. I'll say.
I also have to postpone my English exam. Because I'm having oral surgery. Fun! And the saddest part is that I'm actually looking forward to having my jaw sliced open and this nasty infection scraped out and watching my face swell even more because the alternative - walking around with a tooth ache and an exposed nerve - is even more unbearable. I was on penicillin for a week because of it, so at least now the pain doesn't keep me awake at night.
I had to give up and call my boss last night. She made it so I could have today off. I feel terrible about it, but if she knew exactly what my recent facial entails, I'm sure she'd agree I should not show myself in public. Especially in a place where people are supposed to be eating. Maria took one look at me and said, with feeling, "I don't blame you!"
I may have to take a picture.
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Hi all, So guess what? My internet still isn't working! I swear I haven't quit on y'all, I've just been massively unavailable. Or rather, Internet has been massively unavailable to ME! But thank you, ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) heartandcore, for the nudge, and thank you so much, dutchxfan, for your sweet email. It's an interesting experience, being cut off from all things Intarwebs for such a long period of time. In the beginning, I'd jump at any available computer to check my Super Important Emails. But I never had time enough to respond with much more than, "I'll write more later," so eventually the only mails finding their way to my inbox are subscriptions and spam. That becomes rather less important to check rather quickly. Lately, I've found myself forgetting to even think about it. Meanwhile, computers and hardware everywhere has outdone themselves in their mockery of my situation. I had Alex, my tech-savvy surrogate husband, order my internet for me. Seems like ages ago... Oh, that's cuz it was. I got my wireless router and a confirmation letter in the mail a few days later and I was happy as a clam. A few short weeks after that, Internet Company finally sent me my internet hardware thingie. I know it has a name. You don't have to tell me, I'll forget again in a second. If I ever get online again (and as you can see, that's a big effing if), I will update on everything else I've been up to. I know I owe a squillion comments, and I promise I'll backtrack and find out what everyone else have been up to. I just can't do it at work and my days off have been mostly spent catching up on sleep, so that's why I haven't been at the library Lj-ing like a good little nerd. On the upside, it can only get better from here. I miss you all! | |
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I've been emailing back and forth with my English teacher for three days, trying to get a lock on the topic for my exam essay.
Today, it took that final step into absolute hilarity.
It came as kind of a surprise for me that the deadline for picking said topic was last Tuesday. Luckily, I found out on Monday night, so in order to be certain that my topic would be approved, I picked one from a list of suggestions:
"Has Native American culture survived?"
My teacher emailed me back that perhaps that topic was a bit vague (?) and that I might think about expounding with some wh-questions.
I wrote her back with a simple correction: "HOW has Native American culture survived," mentioning my desire to focus on the Seminoles in particular. That sounds pretty darn specific to me.
She wrote me back that that sounded ok, but that I had to remember that the point of an essay was to discuss a certain problem, so I should make a point of explaining how the culture had almost disappeared and then discuss how it survived.
Uhm, yeah. Ok. Apparently, that's not what I thought I said.
I wrote her back that I wanted my focus to be more the state of their indigenous culture at present - is there anything left? Have they been completely assimilated? Are they doing the "injun-stuff" mostly for the tourists now? Basically, what effect has it had on an indigenous people's culture to live under another culture's rules and way of life?
So today, she wrote me back with this genius suggestion:
Perhaps I should change "How has Native American culture survived?" to
...wait for it...
"Has Native American culture survived?"
*rimshot*
I'm so glad we spent 3 days getting to this point.
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My internet is fucked. Again. This time, it would appear permanently. That'll teach me to mooch off my neighbors. I'm sure they timed it so that this would happen right when exams are starting up.
That's why I haven't been around.
I'm at the library right now, which is ok except for the keyboard. I have to hop on my bike and go to work in 2 minutes, but I'll try to catch up on my Flist during my two days off this week, and internet should be in my possesion (bought and paid for) within the next week or two. (That was a lot of 2's.)
I miss you guys!!
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I’ve been doing not much else but work, work, work. I don’t mind it – I love my job so much I don’t even hate the days that suck. But being back on the treadmill almost full time has given me plenty of time and examples to come up with some gentle warnings and helpful tips for the dining public.
Here’s what goes on behind the scenes:
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All jobs suck sometimes. It’s inevitable, considering it’s something you’re doing because you have to and not because you necessarily feel like it on that particular day. Or any day, I guess. But I think that anyone who has tried it will agree with me when I say that it really helps when your job is doing something you’re really, really good at. It gives you a high, floating above the waters, making everything run smoothly. Granted, my job is hardly considered rocket science. And isn’t, truly. But it is a bit more complicated than most people give you credit for. At least if it’s to be done well. So last night, I had a particular guest who really stood out in a room of 90. I was clearing their plates, and those things are quite huge and quite heavy. Still, a remnant from breaking my leg is that I try to save my steps, so I kept piling them higher. I know I can take about 5-6 plates and then add the bread plates and bread basket. It’s heavy, but it’s the seventh that breaks me. Lucky for me, he was at a 5-person table. So this elderly gentleman commented that I was very strong. Not usually a man’s comment, and certainly not for 5 measly – ridiculously oversized – plates, so I just grinned and said “Yes, I am!” I went around their table again on my bread plate run and he added, “But you’re a professional waiter, though, aren’t you?” Meaning I’ve gone to school and had professional training. I assured him that I wasn’t, that I was just very, VERY experienced. I believe I used the word old, which makes a lot more sense in a Danish context; the saying being that you’re “old in the business,” and I enjoy the double entendre. We all laughed at my obviously-not-terribly-old appearance and I walked off with their heavy-ass plates.
As they were leaving, I passed their table on my way to the kitchen. He reached out for me with a tip and held on to my hand, drawing me nearer. He told me how skilled he thought I was, and absolutely charming, and while pressing the coin into my hand he whispered, “If I still had my restaurant, I would’ve hired you on the spot!” Then he gave my hand a squeeze and I patted him on his shoulder and thanked him sincerely for the compliment. Having a guest go out of their way to show their appreciation like that is just the icing on the cake of an already perfect and super fun evening. I am so lucky that I have not one, but two jobs that I love. Tonight I get to do it again, and tonight it might suck, but I still have that little gem to hold onto. | |
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