Twas night before X-mas - Do you Hear.wmv

The Human Race - 2010

 So, what have we to say for ourselves?

  Now me being one of the Gen-X'ers and a Sci-Fi geek/freak, I'm both happy and sad with the progression of the human race thus far in development.

 First lets go over the negatives and then the positives.

  Negative Developments of the Human Race as of 2010;

To start, we are still using the combustion engine.  This one device was the crown jewel of it's time when it was first developed back in the 1800's.  Technology has advanced so much that we are actually using technology that is superior in every way to the combustion engine inside the vehicles they power.  If you are using a MP3 player or a Cell phone in your car, you have a technology that could easily have replaced the combustion engine with either of these two devices.  Yet we still rely on the engine for most of our transportation needs.  Alternate forms of energy have been available for over 30 years. Yet we still use a polluting, dangerous, 2 century old technology that should have been replaced 40-50 years ago. Now the unfortunate thing is that the combustion engine isn't to blame for this situation because we now come to one of the other flaws of the human race. The use of fossil and natural fuels. Honestly renewable and reusable energy sources have been available for 30 years, all of which are available now and could be used by everyone, yet the human race chooses not to.  We use these fuel sources because our societies have chosen to stick with the ones that are supposedly "old and reliable".   

  Now in regards to the society of the human race, the same problem occurs. The "Old and Reliable" passion exists in that you need to develop and work to the benefit of yourself and your personal family members rather then the community around you.  And if another has a status of higher or more "well-off", then you are required if not encouraged to take it away from that person and make it yours. Now granted it has come a long way but in more way's then one it still exists. In the development of the human race this was originally the format of land ownership, but now the land isn't the only thing that is owned. Now it is more along the lines of ownership of materials and the companies that they are built around.  Mergers of major corporations and integrations of smaller businesses are the "land" items now. Technology has been a driving force in this particular development and over the years, massive fortunes have been made and people have suffered greatly because of these transactions.  Use of the stock market is both seen as a sledgehammer of divinity and also a opportunity of great fortune and wealth. But in more ways than one it depends greatly in your knowledge of the world and of how the system works.
   What is truly unfortunate about this is that the educational systems in place to prepare generations to handle this information and what need to be done, is not being taught properly.  For all the money and power being used to develop companies and services for people, the most needed service of educating our children and the generations after us is not being considered a high priority. What's worse is the teachers who are passionate about their work and want more than anything to educate children to fulfill their dreams and aspirations are treated poorly and receive almost no respect for the work they do. They are penalized for trying to do what many parents fail to do and are then punished because parents are unwilling to accept responsibility for the way their children are raised at home. 

  In the end, even with all the developments and advancements we have made, generations of human beings will be unable to support themselves in the world we have created because we are not doing what we are supposed to do, which is making the world better and stronger for the next generations after us.  In the end, we will not see the future. Only our Children will and if we don't leave a world that they can live in, then our race dies with us.


Positive Developments of the Human Race as of 2010;
  Now for the good stuff.  Over the last 50 years there have been major developments in technology that have helped with the solving of many of the BIG questions of our time and of all time.  Technology has been the bain and benefactor of our species for a long time.  The true test of our time is to make technology a aid for our people and making it possible for all human beings to connect and share our combined knowledge and ablities with everyone in the world. 
  Computer technology is probably one of the greatest imporvements that the human race has developed. We have in less than 70 years developed systems of communication that can now, through programing and world wide web-networks, allow people from thousands of miles away to communicate and connect as our great grandfathers could only dream of.
  One of the biggest and greatest creations is the cellular phone and our developments that have come from it.  Thought to be a device that only the truly wealthy could own, over the last 15 years more people are talking on cell phones and communicating with people that normally it would cost a small fortune to speak with. 
  These devices are only the smallest of technological developments the human race has achieved. Vehicular developments have finally broken the stratosphere beyond government restrictions as companies are now able to develop spacecraft capable of breaking earths atmosphere and traveling across the planet now in minutes that would usually take hrs by normal airplanes.   Along the ground, automotive technology is finally embracing non-combustable engines and the use of Hybrid and Electric powered engines are now available to the public. Though currently at a higher price then economy vehiclesthey are becoming available for lower price seeking consumers.
   Recycling technologies are now available to take mass quantities of materials and re-using them on the consumer market. Landfills are beginning to lessen their loads as the use of  home-bassed compost bins. People are able to re-use un-eaten foods as fertalizer for home gardens. It is hoped that soon all food and waste sources will recycleable once the technology is fully finished and made available to the market.
  
In order for the pros and cons of the human race to finally become equal, we have a lot of work to do.  I want more than anything that when I leave this mortal realm to know that I earned my place in it, but that the generations after me don't suffer from my mistakes.  I don't make the rules of the world, but I want to help correct what those rules don't protect.  This isn't my world, it's OUR world and more importantly it's THE FUTURE'S world.  We have to protect it and strengthen it, if future generations are going to be able to enjoy what we have available to us now.

EGGNOGG DOWN!!!

Picked up Oberweis eggnog last night for myself and Christmas @ parents. Brought it home with 2 packs of Root Beer (Bergoff & Goose Island). I wanted to get upstairs quickly, but I should have done it safely through the back door. I Accidentally broke  the glass bottle as I was bringing it up. The bag was double bagged so I didn't feel the leakage and when I got in, Kim had dinner started so I put the bag down on one of my whicker chairs and forgot about it (Damn short-term memory loss).  I didn't know till this morning about the break when I came into the kitchen and went to unload the bag. I grabbed the bottle and pulled it out. To my shock and horror the bottle fell to pieces.  Whole bottle lost and flooding the bag. I yelled out "OH NO!" which woke Kim and she rushed in to see me panicking over the bag and pillows on the chair. Leakage got on the cushioned chair and pillows, including a Coca-cola pillow in the form of a can(total loss).
 Should have been more careful. Shoulda,woulda,coulda. :(

Frustration

This is the most debilitating aspect of human beings. We can be frustrated about anything and it can cause us to make the biggest mistakes as well as show the worst side of ourselves.
   In many ways it is our "Achilles heel". All beings of our planet suffer from frustration, but unlike most of the animals of this planet, Human frustration can lead to the destruction of something or someone. It shows in so many ways that we are not as intelligent and special as we want to think ourselves to be. That we are no better then the animals on this planet many of which we use for sport or food.  Even in our history Frustration has been the primary or main reason we make out biggest blunders or greatest regrets. This is due to becoming frustrated about another persons opinion or stance and instead of trying to see it from their point of view, we instantly become hostile and try to force to situation to our favor.  Even in our daily lives you see accidents, arguments, bad decisions, and disagreements all based on frustration from a singular incident. 
  Just tonight I had a terrible fight with my GF.  All of it was based off of our frustrations with each other. Normally these things are small and insignificant that most people wouldn't worry about. But for some reason, tonight they came to the fore-front of our conversation and we were in terrible moods to deal with those frustrations and we then our feelings were hurt and we said things that we really didn't need to.
   Thankfully we were able to come back and apologize for it, but really the frustration with each other still exists. And the worst part is that they will come up again. Maybe not tomorrow or the next day but sometime in the future it is going to come up again. Everyone has it and no matter what you try and do you keep having this problem, this frustration that when it finally hits it's peak, you say things that normally you wouldn't say or react in a way that you really don't like.  The regret and hurt you feel afterwards just cuts you right to your core.  I personally don't like who I am when I get frustrated about things and I work so hard to be patient and try to keep my frustration under control. I know I'm not the only one because I see it everywhere.

  Is there are remedy for it? I don't know but I think the sooner you admit that there are some things in the is world that you can't predict, Can't control, can't make do what you want....the less frustration you will have.

 Best advice I can give for myself and everyone else....If something frustrates you and you feel yourself getting frustrated. Try to stop a minute and really think.."Can I really do anything about this?" If not then is it really worth getting upset over it?

Bartending @ a Golf Club.

Well last night was another night of fun and aggravation.

   First of all I love bartending. Getting certified as a professional mixologist (Yes that is the actual title), was one of the best investments I ever made.  I pretty much know how to make any drink that you happen to know the ingredients for. Plus with the adaption of drinking apps to Apple and Droid Apps Markets, accessing multiple recipe's is easier then ever before.

    My personal favorite drink to make is the Cosmopolitan Martini. I have no idea what it tastes like but I love making them because of the multiple ingredients.  I have no problem with your regular two-liquor drinks or common cocktails like Screwdriver or Cape Cod but there is just something fun about adding multiple drinks together and mixing them together and then serving them up in a chilled fancy glass.

   How do I not know what these drinks taste like you ask?? Because I've never had a drink in my life. Now don't get crazy here people.  If you know how to make a drink properly and you know the ingredients and how much to put in, you don't even need to taste it to know if it's made right. That's the customers job.  And honestly, the only time I've had drinks sent back is because the server didn't get the order right or someone requested something I didn't know and they gave me the wrong ingredients.

 Now to last night;  As usual it was a last minute job so I showed up early to get a jump on the bar set-up.  Once again someone was in messing up the Banquet bar so I had to straighten things up and put a ton of stuff away that shouldn't have been out.  Then I had a blessing on the inventory, we were fully stocked on beer Thank G, so I only had to check on Liquor and extra mixers. We had enough of almost everything, except the Wine, and of course this event was a WOMEN's event so the main drink of choice was gonna be wine.  Now what did they forget to order a abundance of at the beginning of December??? WINE!!  So right off the bat I know this is going to be a hard night.

  The other bartender shows up and we get to getting the bar ready. I start cutting fruit, unlike other establishments where there is enough kitchen staff to cut fruit for the bartenders, I have to cut all the fruit that will last the night.  We grab as much wine as we can, knowing that before the night is out we are gonna run out of something, but have no idea which.  My lack of time at the club doesn't give me the knowledge of who the members are and what their particular drink of choice is. Luckily the other bartender is a regular at the club and tells me which members are going to drink what so we know what to supply. Strangely enough many of the women are going to be Lite Beer drinkers. Wonders never cease. 

  The members start filtering in and we have a good mix of women. We have your common Rich and Well-to-Do Ladies and your Down-Home earned a living Rich Women. Then there's your Work-a-holic women who are looking to get a little relaxed and do some shopping before the weekend.  This event was organized as a little fashion vendor sales that the members could invest in some pretty fancy stuff for Christmas presents and personal interests.  Usually there was a run-way and fashion models showing off their wears, but because of the economy they had to cut back on the extravagance of the event. 

  Dammit! First time I get to a ladies fashion show and they take away the Models!

  The drinks start going out like a ticket taker booth for a major Sports event. I've got glasses chilling on my spill-mat and I'm pouring soda's, wine, liquor and mixers as fast as my hands will go. This is my element. When there is a rush and I have to think and move fast, servers are barking orders and I have seconds to whip together drinks, I'm in the zone. I can't flip bottles like Tom Cruise in "Cocktail" But I can make'em faster and cleaner then he did. 4 hrs go by and there is a significant dent in our beer supply and already we are out of Pino Grigio. I've made 2 Appletini's, 3 Cosmos, dozen's of quick liquor drinks  and someone just asked for a Grey Goose and Ice Tea w/SweetN/Low?, thats a new one for my book.

   So far nothing really to get upset about, but then this very well dressed lady comes up and asks "Do you have any Special Chardonnay wines by the glass?"   Right away I can see that she's gonna be a "PICKY-ONE", as in not a single thing I get her is going to be easy.  So I say "yes Ma'am." and hand her our Wine Menu. Of course she picks the one that isn't in the bar, so I have to go out on the floor and find a manager , to get the key, to the wine fridge's downstairs. I can't find them and no-one knows where they are. So hoping on luck that the fridge is open I run down and check. I'm in luck and the door is unlocked. I grab the wine and run back up, taking the tin off the top so I can uncork the bottle upstairs. I arrive with the bottle(winded) as the other bartender stops me and says "She changed her mind!"  BUTTON PRESSED.

  I can't stop myself from saying "Are you Shitting me!?" The bartender shushes me and says "She's right THERE!", gesturing behind me. I feel my face drain, swallow hard and I take the bottle back down, cursing myself for losing it in the first place.  I'm on the way back up when I see the other bartender rounding the corner.  "What are you doing?!" I hear. "I just put the bottle back, what are you doing down here?!" We waste about a minute arguing about leaving the bar unattended and I rush back up before a manager notices.  THANK G, there's no line at the bar, no servers waiting and the managers haven't noticed us gone. I clear the surfaces and get ready for the next servers order.

   The evening progresses on with almost no stopping. 6 hrs gone by and I think we are approaching the end and that once the sales and entertainment ends I can get home.  Only then do I realize that these ladies aren't stopping. The host of the event gives her final farewell and inclines that, "its been a great evening enjoy yourselves and have a great weekend." One of the managers steps up to the bar and asks 'how we're doing?'. I say fine and ask when the event is scheduled to end.  I feel the hair's on my neck stand on end as  the manager shrugs and says,'When they decide to leave."

   For those of you not members at a Golf Club, there is no bar closed policy. We stay open until the members leave the room.  When I was a regularly scheduled Bartender at the club, I've stayed to 5AM serving drinks to a party of members, calling limo's to get them home. Honestly I know better then to serve drunken people when they are way past their limit, but the managers want the members happy and spending money. So I'm told to kept serving even when I know it's wrong.  All I can do is water down the drinks and offer more food/snacks, praying I don't have to wrestle away their keys when they think they can drive.

  Normally I'm cool with working a little later then normal to get the extra pay, but my back is hurting and my legs are starting to cramp. Should have stretched out before I went in. I was so glad to get the shift I forgot to prepare myself.  2 hrs go by and we are now running out of  Miller Lt and Coors Lt. We have lots of Merlot but short on Cabernet. The Pino has been out for 2 hrs and we still have requests for it and the 'salt in the wound' is that the servers have stopped checking the tables so now the members are coming up to the bar to place their orders. Not a problem before, but now I have to keep track of their drinks and let the servers know when they finally come back in the room. I try to keep track of all the members but I know I'm going to miss someone. The other bartender asks to leave because there isn't as many members left and she wants to get home early. I say fine, wishing I didn't need to money so bad.

  Finally the night is closing down and I have a stack of tickets to ring up and only a few servers who can identify if they had the members I had.  When the last member has left the room, I start cleaning the bar, wiping down all the bar bottles, collecting the extra fruit and garnishes, clearing the floor and making sure all the glasses are stacked neatly and orderly to prevent falling over and shattering. My back is sore as hell and my left leg is screaming from a pulled muscle in my ankle and hamstring. I finish cleaing up the bar and then transport the extra fruit over the lounge bar, where I ring up my tickets and put away the fruit for the bartender tomorrow. 

  I look down at my cell phone and see that I worked a 8.5 hr day. It's been over a year since I did that at the club. That will be a nice paycheck come next week. I'm sore, tired and know I have to be up at 6AM the next day for work downtown.   

 Oh well, at least I'm not the poor schmuck serving the women down in the 19th hole. :)