Can't clean on sunny days!

It's a beautiful sunny day in Florida....blue skies, gentle breezes, pony-tail palm fronds swaying softly. It's not a day for the beach or Universal, unless you're from Canada, the Northeast, or the West. OK. I'm originally from the Northeast, and since I've been here since 1988, I can say with much conviction that this is not a beach or theme park day.



That said, it is three days before Christmas and I'm expecting Christmas company for dinner. So the question arises, "Is it a cleaning day?" Really, is any day in Florida a good cleaning day? By the looks of the dust, I'd have to say, "No, no day is a good cleaning day in Florida."

Right, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "Why doesn't she just hire a house cleaner to clean her house and be done with it? She can certainly afford it." And I would say, "Yes, of course I can afford it."



As all of you know......or don't know.....hiring a house cleaner has nothing to do with money. It's that dust. I don't want the house cleaner to see the dust and dirt. When I've had house cleaners in the past, there was always a mad cleaning frenzy the night before she arrived.

So, as you can guess, I'm waiting for that rainy, ugly Florida day...and the energy and motivation, to clean my house so that I can hire a housekeeper.

Yes, I know it rained the other day. Sadly, I was at work so I couldn't clean. Tip to house cleaners: gear your ads to neurotic people like myself who don't want you to see the dust and dirt. Say something like: we don't judge your dust and dirt, we thrive on it!

Anyway, it's three days till Christmas. Carmella's Casa Italiana is closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and will reopen on December 26th at 4:00pm. Be sure to stop in after you return all those unwanted Christmas gifts. Did I say that? Sorry!

Have a very Merry Christmas! Enjoy your family, friends, food, and pets...and whatever else brings you joy! 'Tis the season!!



Random Acts

The earth is filled with random acts and I've decided to create another. Let's trade places. You be the nurse/entrepreneur/restaurateur and I'll be the patient/customer/diner. When put like that, those are a lot of hats to be exchanging, so let's concentrate on the restaurateur and diner. You be the restaurateur and I'll be the diner. So, let's get started!

As a diner, I would Google the words Carmella's Casa Italiana Bradenton. Because the restaurant also goes by the name Casa Italiana, I would also Google the words Casa Italiana Bradenton. I would see how many pages came up and I would go through the first three or four pages or more, depending on how interesting they are. I would look for the address, telephone number, web site, and reviews. I would pay particular attention to the reviews and I would read all of them. During my net search, I would come across the link Bundle Score. Last, I would visit the web site, Carmella's Casa Italiana.

As a diner in tough times during an election year with once again sky rocketing gas prices, I don't spend my money foolishly. If I'm going out to eat, I prepare for the venture and go where I will enjoy my time out the most.



I feel the net search is positive after weighing all the information I gleaned on Carmella's Casa Italiana. I go there for a calzone, baked ziti special, and cannoli. Well, I'm not that big of an eater. I wouldn't be by myself and we would share those menu offerings. I rave about the web site to the server and ask who created it. I  ask to meet the cook since I find the food remarkably flavorful and outstanding. The restaurant is cozy and tastefully decorated. Italian music plays softly in the background. I join the Loyalty Program, pay the bill, and leave a 20% tip. I'm impressed.



As I depart, I think about their Bundle Score and wonder why they are not more popular. All things considered, they seem like Bradenton's best kept secret that should no longer be secret!

This should be Carmella's Casa Italiana Bundle Score!

I told you what I would do as a diner at Carmella's Casa Italiana. You're the restaurateur, so you tell me: What would you do as the restaurant owner and what steps would you take to make Carmella's Casa Italiana more popular?

CCI, where something good is always cooking!

OMG! It's exhausting being a nurse! There's work time, on-call time, late time, and on and on. Throw owning an Italian restaurant and restaurateur, as well as cyclist, home owner, pet owner, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, and who knows what else in the mix, and the energy dial moves from exhaustion to persistent chronic fatigue. Can something be persistent and chronic? I don't know....I just know how I feel. Anway, it certainly isn't my goal to argue semantics at this point, I'm too tired!

Recently at Carmella's Casa Italiana, Deb received a phone call from an irate customer (ex-customer?) who thought we went out of business. He was extremely distraught about the name of our restaurant website. Honestly, so were we. It used to be http://enterinpeace.sharepoint.com. Hmmmm, surely you can see my, as well as everyone else's, frustration. It's a long story about how it got to be that, and it was largely due to that previously mentioned chronic fatigue.

Part of the story is that earlier in the year, I let our web address lapse because it was going to be hosted in Australia. Let the record show that I have nothing against Australia or Australians. I just don't want my web site hosted there.

Once an address lapses, it has to sit idle for awhile. I got various answers, so I don't know for how long "awhile" actually is. What I know right now is that the original address is back on the shelf, so I bought it. It's hosted in the USA. Deb, Ralph, Tim, and I no longer have to say the long mouthful that became our website address. Ralph and Tim can go back to cooking the best Italian food and pizza in Bradenton and Deborah can go back to serving it!



As for the irate customer, I don't know. He never came into the restaurant nor did he order food. He offered to get us an easier website, blah blah blah, so we're thinking he made a cold call and was looking for business. No problem, sir, I got this and thanks so much for snapping me out of my stupor!!

Carmella's Casa Italiana

In my own defense, I did purchase http://casaitaliana.info as well as a template. Frankly, I'm having difficulty learning to work within wordpress, probably once again due to all the fatigue. Not making excuses, that site has promise....I just have to take some free time and learn the wordpress basics and beyond. Please stop over there and see what you think. If you do a comparison, you're going to like the look and feel of http://casa-italiana.info better, at least for now.

I'd be lying if I said I don't ever have free time. Of course I have free time. The problem arises with what I decide to do with my free time. Biking recharges my batteries, so yes, I elect to go on 18, 23, and sometimes longer bike rides. I haven't found the cycle shorts that make 18 or 23 miles or longer comfortable in the saddle, so I have the blisters in unmentionable places to prove it.



So, what thoughts am I leaving you with today: solving problems while suffering from persistent chronic fatigue or blisters in unmentionable places? Well, that's up to you and whether problem solving or fun is your main agenda! You tell me!



Seven Years Past and Kickstarter

Yesterday morning, which was Saturday, I was once again multi-tasking. If you'll remember, this is a weekend of no-call at Manattee Memorial Hospital. I was loving life and also multi-tasking on Friday afternoon.

A lot of good and fun things have been happening and I notice I get a lot done during my episodes of multi-tasking. Hmmmmm, wait. Let's spend some time discussing multi-tasking. I know it was big in the 90s and for about 10 years thereafter. Personally, I'm really not a fan. I think it allows one to get many things done at the same time in a haphazard fashion, none of them 100%. I hear the screams. I know multi-tasking has its place and its followers.

Oh forget it. The screams were from the multi-taskers who drink coffee, talk on the cell phone, apply make-up, read the newspaper/map, and text while driving. I'm thinking those were the screams of death I just heard as they collided with that tractor trailer right in front of them that they didn't see. You know how it goes. I'm not talking about that type of multi-tasking. I'm not even talking about the type of multi-tasking that occurs at the restaurant or the hospital. We have to multi-task at Manatee Memorial and my staff has to multi-task at Carmella's Casa Italiana. It's a necessary evil.

This is the type of multi-tasking I do. I work on back of the house restaurant activities, I check to see what's happening with my friends and restaurant contacts on Facebook, I drink coffee, I do a little dusting and vacuuming, I play Words with Friends....and so on and so forth. Nothing life threatening or critical....well, the back of the house restaurant accounting is critical, but it's hardly life and death, like texting and driving! Hmmmmmm, you know who you are.....but once again, I digress.

Yesterday, during one of my log ins on Facebook, I noticed that a friend and former co-worker commented on an entry I made about nurses. From there, I went to her page to see what she's been doing. While there, I noticed that another friend of ours had posted a link. I did what any normal entrepreneur would do, I followed the link. I'm really glad I did.

It was a page created by Seven Years Past. They are a local band who cut their first album in 2010, 24 Days in May, in California. They are very active in the Sarasota/Bradenton area and they are planning to cut their second album in New York.

They are currently raising money for their trip and expenses. I think it's a worthy cause. Follow the link and see what the buzz is all about. As a struggling restaurant owner/entrepreneur in an unstable economy, I certainly understand their plight. Just like we have to support our restaurants so that they stay in business for when the economy recovers so that we have some place to go to celebrate, we also have to support our musicians so that we have new and great music to listen to during our celebrations. Yes, the economy is going to recover...and I hope to still be here with Carmella's Casa Italiana and Seven Years Past.

Check it out. What do you think?

Not your typical Friday afternoon

There I was yesterday afternoon, lying on the sofa, sort of multi-tasking and just generally loving life. It was Friday and I got out of Manatee Memorial Hospital at a decent time and I'm not on-call. I was Googling my restaurant to see how it's doing in the search engines. I was marveling at the smooth transition of moving from Verizon phone service to MagicJack Plus. I was playing Words with Friends. I was doing a few other things...all from the comfort of my sofa.

Suddenly, I saw an older partially balding grey haired man with a brown leather carry-all walking along my front patio to the front door. You might be asking yourself, "What is a brown leather carry-all?" I don't know! A man purse? Anyway, he proceeded to the front door, rang the door bell, looked in the front window, then started pacing around the patio.

I know all this because there are no curtains on my front window. I have beautiful Jasmine, which at this time are in full bloom, growing up two trellises that act as a barrier from the street. Once you're on the patio, though, there's no barrier...but the windows are tinted, so people can't see in.

Ralph wasn't home. I just wasn't sure I wanted to answer the door when a stranger was on the other side. I toyed with the idea of going up to get my 9mm; but really, on a beautiful relaxing Friday, was I really ready for a gun fight?

Of course, we're talking older grey haired partially balding stranger. If he was tall, 10 or 20 years younger, and handsome with long hair, I might have answered the door...in my negligee. Does anyone wear a negligee at 5:30 in the afternoon? Oh, I digress.

OK, in fairness to Ralph, we practically never answer the door. I don't want you to think I put Ralph in jeopardy by having him answer the door to strangers. We especially NEVER answer the door on Saturday morning when those three women are out there. We know who they are and what they want. No, they aren't dangerous. Well, at least not physically dangerous.

So, I didn't answer the door. I just continued to lie on the sofa and watch him. He eventually turned away, made a call on his cell phone, and started talking. Then he got in his car, which was parked on the street and not in the driveway, and drove away.

My philosophy is this: if you are unexpected and uninvited, you are unwelcome...unless you are family or friend!

What do you think? What would you have done?

No, I wasn't on a vacation

I've really been gone for a long time.....well, gone from blogging, not gone as in out of town or on a vacation.

Just to wrap up the break-in issue which was my last blog post, the Manatee County Sheriff's Department captured the young man responsible for that episode. He went to trial, pleaded guilty, and was fined and so on and so forth. He was mandated to pay the costs I incurred as a result of the break-in. He even wrote a letter of apology. Haven't received any money yet, but I think that will take time since he's a teenager and probably isn't working on a regular basis. 'nuf said!

On another note, both Manatee Memorial Hospital (MMH) and Carmella's Casa Italiana (CCI) enjoyed a busy season. It seems like I've been burning the candle at both ends;  but really, what else can I expect? I work full time plus take call at MMH and CCI is my business which classifies me as a "busy restaurant entrepreneur." There's a chuckle in there somewhere...... And right, if I could only master  "entrepreneur" I could hang up my scrubs and scrub hats once and for all. We'll see.

We started a Loyalty Program that is really well accepted. We had another loyalty program about 18 months ago. Leasing software was involved and there was a steep monthly fee. The return on investment was minimal and the customers complained about various aspects of that program, so eventually I cancelled it. I devised this new program, it's free to initiate and maintain, and so far, no customer complaints. I call that a win-win situation!

Most of the tourists left. I hate to see them go. They are a pleasure to serve and their loyalty and word of mouth recommendations are priceless. They are the backbone of my business during the winter months and I am always eternally grateful for their arrival and extremely sad over their departure.

It looks like the price of gas peaked and currently it's down to $3.80 in some places. Since the tourists are gone the traffic is less congested and with price of gas dropping, it seems we're acquiring more business from the locals. Before the economy took a dump in 2008, we had a booming business from the locals. It's going to be great when that happens again. One of the guys who used to be my dishwasher stops in periodically. He said, "You're name is out there." So, apparently we're doing something right.

Besides focusing on retrieving business from the locals, we're also focusing on catering. CCI is really small, so if we ever really want to make it to the big time, we have to develop our catering business. We recently catered a golf benefit in Bayshore Gardens. The food went out on time and there was enough of it. The golfers were pleased and promised to use us again next year.

I'm also creating a new website and we have a new domain name. The old website and domain name will soon be gone. I started the new website but it's taking long to build because I have to learn my way around the software. I purchased the template this time so that the next time the web hosting site changes, I can take my entire website with me.

Learning never stops, so I am not complaining. It's a process and slowly but surely I'm getting there. I'm going to set this one up a little differently and I'm going to do more of a separation between the menus. If this is Greek to you, eventually it will all make sense. Feel free to visit the new site. It won't be helpful as far as ordering food, but you'll be able to watch the construction, so to speak.

I always have fun doing these sort of things, and typically as time goes on, I get more creative. Maybe too creative......Deborah mentioned that possibly this new website will be classy. I agreed. Good idea. Then it occurred to me that perhaps she didn't exactly appreciate all the sexy girls and all the other craziness I incorporated into the old website. Actually, it was all well and good and fun and games until the day she was talking to our good customers who also happen to be priests. She was showing them the site and decided to scroll down, right to the place where some scantily clad women had happy new year written across their collective butts. Oh well, sex sells and it was fun while it lasted!

The only difference between the two domain names is the hyphen. The old site was http://casa-italiana.info/. The new website is located at http://casaitaliana.info./

So, it's a matter of letting go and moving on. I can do that. What do you think? Can you?

Look familiar to you? Please contact me if he does.

There is never a dull moment around here! This morning Ralph called me at Manatee Memorial Hospital (MMH). He was at the restaurant. Ralph never calls me at MMH, unless it's bad news. You'll remember that Deb called me at MMH back in November and how that went. Anyway, this was no different, bad news, although it could have been worse news.

There was another break-in last night at CCI. I thought the signs I posted around CCI that the restaurant is under 24 video surveillance as well as 24/7 surveillance by the Manatee Sheriff's Department would be a deterrent. I guess not. You would also think that just by nature of being a small family owned restaurant would in itself be a deterrent. Of course, that small family owned issue might make them think that we are country bumpkins or something. Perhaps they think we don't know about night depositories and not leaving cash and valuables on site after closing. And really, what is there of value at a restaurant? Frankly, after they break-in, they find out what you and I already know. There is nothing there worth stealing.



 

If you know or recognize him, please call me or the Manatee Sheriff's Department

                                                  
Maybe I'm over thinking this, but wouldn't you think that someone planning a break-in would at least do their own surveillance of the business and try to determine if there's anything worth risking jail time for? Am I giving these perps too much credit.

This guy spent over one and a half hours at the back of the restaurant between the walk-in, freezer and the actual restaurant proper. At that juncture, he saw the camera and disconnected it. Really? Does he not know about DVRs? Did he actually think that disconnecting the camera was the end of the story? Now who's the country bumpkin?  Plus over one and a half hours in a space not much bigger than a jail cell? What's that all about? I'll tell you. He looked through the shelves, tried to pick the main lock, cleaned his ears with a Q-tip, rummaged through the First Aid kit, drank a soda, wondered in and out the back door, saw then disconnected the camera, and after that at some point took off with a case and a half of soda.

As I said, it could have been worse. Three break-ins involved smashing the glass of the front door. That's costly to fix. One break-in involved stealing the cash register drawer. In the process of swiping the drawer, he yanked off the receipt printer and POS. Miraculously, both still worked, although some cables were damaged. Cheaper to replace cables than computers, although the drawer wasn't cheap to replace. Another break-in involved drinking a V-8 juice. The first break-in involved stealing a couple of beers. So you see, nothing overly dramatic, just a series of events that piss me off and require repairs. Not sure yet if that particular camera is permanently disabled.

The kid last night climbed in through a screened in area in the back. He must have planned his point of entry during the day because this area isn't highly lit or visible at night. That's all he planned. Then, he dropped down above the slicer and he was in.

Point of entry outside



Point of entry inside



First Aid kit



   

This is when he saw the camera

He disconnected the camera right after this image

We're working closely with the Manatee County Sheriff's Department. The original investigator took down the information and provided the case number. Shortly after he left, two undercover detectives arrived to gather more information and to look at the video footage. One of the undercover detectives was a patrolman at the time of the last break-in and he was involved in that case. Several hours after they left, two additional undercover detectives arrived to also look at the video footage and to ask additional questions. The first detective called me to ask if I had a copy yet of the video footage. Obviously, they have someone in mind. I think this time justice will be served. What do you think?

Words to live by: write it down!

OMG! We did a bang up business at CCI last night! It was certainly worthy of fireworks, sparklers, and other incendiary devices! All hands were on deck, except for mine, and things went quickly and smoothly. We gave away free tiramisu, or free draft Bud, for those who aren't dessert eaters. Frankly, unless you're a diabetic, I'm suspicious of non-dessert eaters! I've been known to split my food in half to ensure there was room for dessert...provided of course, that the dessert was calorie worthy. I can tell you from personal and professional experience that our tiramisu is calorie worthy. OK, 'nuff said about that.

So here we are on the first day of 2012. I'm sure many have hangovers, some spent the night in jail, others are inspired, and most are giving thanks for a brand new day and a brand new year. I'm sure resolutions abound. Me? I've only made two resolutions through the years that I've actually kept, and still keep. Given those odds, I'm not sure I'll make one this year. If I do, I'll make it later today and it will be something simple, like eat more rutabaga. Right, just kidding. If you read my Thanksgiving blog, you'll know where that came from. Or perhaps I'll bake more...which reminds me of the blog I formulated in my head on my last 18 or 27 mile bike ride or however long it was.

When we were growing up, we always had cranberry sauce with our Thanksgiving and or Christmas turkey. It was always Ocean Spray. You could give me a few pieces of white meat turkey and a can of cranberry sauce and I'd be in heaven. Through the years when I was raising my family, I always served cranberry sauce with the turkey, but it wasn't always Ocean Spray. Occasionally, when money was tight during a holiday, I'd buy the off label brand. I didn't notice anything different. Not only that, I never even noticed that some of my kids don't even like cranberry sauce. Why would I care about that anyway? It just meant more for me....and no wonder there was always SO much more for me! Anway, one would think that cranberry sauce is cranberry sauce. Not so.

Several years ago, Deb decided canned cranberry is unacceptable so she started making home made cranberry sauce for the holiday dinners at my Mom's, or wherever the holiday dinners were. Needless to say, it was out of this world and how did I ever eat the canned stuff and how could I ever go back to the canned stuff....and why would I have to? Well, then came the year Deb was in California for Thanksgiving.

What to do? Easy! I would make the cranberry sauce. Well, by the time it all came to light, Deb wasn't here so it was too late to ask her for her yummy recipe. So I did what any good cook would do, I Googled it! And let me just say that the results were mind bogling. I sifted through the results to find a recipe that appealed to me, and in true Sperlunto fashion, I said to myself, "This looks good, but I know for a fact that Deb would say too much sugar, so I'll cut back on the sugar." After all, hers was going to be a tough act to follow and I wanted my cranberry sauce to taste as good or better. Well, it wasn't going to be better because I think she put brandy or vodka or some other alcohol in hers. I had no plans to do that. 



Deb, the "sugar" Nazi


When I read recipes, I have a penchant so day, "Hell no, that's too much salt!" So my experience is with decreasing salt. As I said, when Deb reads a recipe, she says, "Hell no, that's too much sugar!" So her experience is with decreasing sugar.

But I LOVE sea salt

I guess you know where this is going. No one liked the cranberry sauce. My mother who makes no bones about rising to the occasion to criticize, was quick in her evaluation, "It's too tart, next time add sugar." Well, I did add sugar, I just don't know how much. And aren't cranberries tart by nature? Whatever.

I was not to be discouraged or deterred. Next time I made it, I added more sugar. I think the family liked it. Who knows? I tend to block the negativity from my mind. My grand daughter was with me so I gave her the job of remembering how much sugar. This was all two years ago. Last year I made it again because Deb was in California. So again I Googled the recipe, not remembering that in the cabinet was the recipe that I Googled the first time. My grand daughter wasn't with me, I couldn't remember how much sugar I added, I used water instead of orange jiuce, and voila, we were back at square one! Not a hit.

If nothing else, I learn from experience. I located the original recipe, wrote down the adjustments I made because adding sugar depends on my mood at the time. Feeling healthy, wwwaaaayyyyyy less sugar, feeling Martha Stewart, a reasonable amount of sugar.

Carrie's home made cranberry sauce in the really classy goblets!

Now my cranberry sauce is perfect every time. Just ask Ralph. He tends to be a little like his grand mother with the criticism. 

So, now that the recipe is written down and I don't depend on my moods or my memory....which brings to mind a resolution for 2012. If it's important, I'm going to write it down and live accordingly. If it's not written down, I won't be living it....and mood and memory won't factor in! Is that doable? What do you think?

Oh, for you avid readers who are still wondering what the only two New Year's resolutions I ever kept are, drum roll please, here they are: quitting smoking and wearing seat belts. There you have it!

Happy 2012 to you and yours. Let's make it memorable and livable. I wrote it down, so I'll be doing & living accordingly! How about you?