It's Sunday, you know, the day of rest. I was sound asleep at 7:00 am this morning, really sound asleep, when my cell phone started ringing. I answered it and it was the hospital calling about a procedure that Dr. S wanted to do at 9:00 am. The nursing supervisor asked if she should call anyone else. As I said, I was sound asleep, this was not a STEMI alert, the adrenalin did not kick in, so I couldn't think. I said, "Call Jeff, he's the other nurse on call".
Well, a little later it occurred to me that Jeff was not the other nurse on call. Whatever. I sent a text to the other nurse who was on call to make sure he knew. He sounded perturbed. As perturbed as one can 'sound' in a text message. Again, whatever.
I got up and went through my usual routines, still groggy and sleepy. I figured I'd leave at 8:15 am to arrive at MMH around 8:30 am. One thing led to another and I didn't leave until 8:30 am. So, as I was driving north on 301, the adrenalin kicked in, and sure enough, since it's Sunday, every single 'Sunday Driver' was out on the road in the left lane impeding my swift arrival to the hospital. You know, the 'creepers.' Where on earth do they come from? Why are they always in the left lane?
I'm sure you're thinking, "Carrie, why don't you allow yourself extra time because you know you live in Florida with the 'weavers' and the 'creepers' who notoriously hog the left lane? Unless you move to another state, this isn't going to change."
Because I can't. If it wasn't for the last minute, I would never get anything done. During the week, I'm distracted by the cats and birds. They are so cute that I start playing with them and typically always leave the house later than I plan. Today I got involved in restaurant work. OK, that's a lie. I was harvesting my plants on one of my farms on Farmville. It's one of the things I do to relax. Everyday I say I'm going to quit Farmville, and frankly, I am getting close to doing just that.
On Thursday, Meredith, at least I think that's her name, was filling in for John Scalzi on Channel 7. While looking at the map, she said, "There are no accidents and there is no rain in the forecast for this morning. You should have a smooth drive to work."
When does that happen, 'a smooth drive to work,' and where does she live? I share the road with raving lunatics hopped up on caffeine clutching their Starbucks in one hand and cell phones in the other hand. I can only assume their cars are set on auto pilot. Makes me wish I had auto pilot on my car. I see people still in the subdivison on their cell phones. Whom do they have to call as soon as they pull out of their driveways?
Remember when you were young, you'd meet a guy, and he'd say, "I'll call you." Or later when you were married, you'd ask your husband if he was coming home for dinner, and he'd say, "I'll call you."
You know as well as I do that those calls never came for weeks, if they ever came at all. I know my ex-husband (of the Doritos and Honeymooners fame) didn't call me for at least three weeks after we met. And after we married, I don't think he ever called me at all, and certainly not to tell me he wouldn't be home for dinner.
He's had a cell phone for years, and several years ago we were trying to see if there was still a spark. He'd mention about all the minutes he used on his cell phone. I don't know who he was calling, but it wasn't me. In fact, the last time I called him just before I realized there was no spark, he was on the line with someone else. (So really, he knows how to use the phone.) He hung up with that call to talk to me, but the music was blasting in the background, so I could barely hear him. This, obviously, was not a man in love.
I should have realized that when he sent me fresh flowers for Valentine's Day. Who sends fresh flowers on Valentine's Day to the woman they supposedly love? It's roses. Send ROSES! And to add insult to injury, one of those flowers fell to the carpet and my very favorite cat ate it and passed away. I could never get over that, so his days were numbered anyway.
I'm telling you, the roads are a dangerous place to be, no matter what time of the day. And if you send anything other than roses on Valentine's Day, prepare for the worst, because your butt is getting kicked to the curb!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Carmella's Casa Italiana celebrates 4 years
Yesterday was our big restaurant bash marking four years in business! What a feat when you consider the economy, the times, the money, and the struggle involved in just keeping up-> more to the point: the blood, sweat, and tears! Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's not just a musical group, it's a way of strife, I mean life.
Many many thanks to my family, friends, supporters, and everyone else who helped make this possible. I couldn't have done it without you! Stephen King, we thank you. And also Jerry Springer, Brian Johnson, and of course Pee Wee Herman, who made super surprise appearances! Frank Sinatra is always there. Jarret, our resident clown, was the most industrious in creating a Carmella's Casa Italiana sensation.
We had two raffles, cake, scratch offs (sad to report no winners), etc. We tried to get people to put on a crazy red wig and do a little dance for free draft beer. The only taker on that was Ralph at the end of the night! Pictures of that are posted on our Carmella's Casa Italiana website http://casa-italiana.info on the Pictures & Site Map page.
Oh, I know you want to see Ralph dancing, so I posted it here. (You will find other pictures on the web site). Can you imagine having all that energy after being on your feet and working for 11 hours? That's Deb in the background cheering him on and adding to the end of the night festivities!
I do deliveries, dishes, answer the phone, and more or less pitch in where needed when I am there on Fridays. This particular Friday, probably because of all the party fun, I didn't do many loads of dishes. So, Ralph had to do them. And he still had energy to dance! God bless him, he's good. And I am sincere when I say that. I know some of what I write is fantasy, but this is true. Also, Tim is very loyal and Deborah goes above and beyond. Thank you for sticking it out!
When we were recently partnered at the hospital to do inventory, David, one of my nurse friends at MMH, said he could never work for me. He said over and over, "You're a stickler for detail and a PIA. I could never work for you; I feel for your sister!" (HELLO, stickler for detail, inventory, don't they go hand in hand? I rest my case!) YIKES! It's my parents' fault. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa. Oh, my mother loves me, so it's OK!
And speaking of fantasy, thank God the NFL lockout is over. Facebook Fantasy Football 2011 became available and Ralph sent me an invitation to join. I am honored to be included! That was Wednesday. So you know this has been an epic week! Look for Lady Casa's Ragazzi on Facebook Fantasy Football 2011! We're gonna rock! I mean kick some lean mean pigskin! I just hope my football responsibilities don't interfere with my Friday night dish washing at the restaurant.
Many many thanks to my family, friends, supporters, and everyone else who helped make this possible. I couldn't have done it without you! Stephen King, we thank you. And also Jerry Springer, Brian Johnson, and of course Pee Wee Herman, who made super surprise appearances! Frank Sinatra is always there. Jarret, our resident clown, was the most industrious in creating a Carmella's Casa Italiana sensation.
We had two raffles, cake, scratch offs (sad to report no winners), etc. We tried to get people to put on a crazy red wig and do a little dance for free draft beer. The only taker on that was Ralph at the end of the night! Pictures of that are posted on our Carmella's Casa Italiana website http://casa-italiana.info on the Pictures & Site Map page.
Oh, I know you want to see Ralph dancing, so I posted it here. (You will find other pictures on the web site). Can you imagine having all that energy after being on your feet and working for 11 hours? That's Deb in the background cheering him on and adding to the end of the night festivities!
I do deliveries, dishes, answer the phone, and more or less pitch in where needed when I am there on Fridays. This particular Friday, probably because of all the party fun, I didn't do many loads of dishes. So, Ralph had to do them. And he still had energy to dance! God bless him, he's good. And I am sincere when I say that. I know some of what I write is fantasy, but this is true. Also, Tim is very loyal and Deborah goes above and beyond. Thank you for sticking it out!
When we were recently partnered at the hospital to do inventory, David, one of my nurse friends at MMH, said he could never work for me. He said over and over, "You're a stickler for detail and a PIA. I could never work for you; I feel for your sister!" (HELLO, stickler for detail, inventory, don't they go hand in hand? I rest my case!) YIKES! It's my parents' fault. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa. Oh, my mother loves me, so it's OK!
And speaking of fantasy, thank God the NFL lockout is over. Facebook Fantasy Football 2011 became available and Ralph sent me an invitation to join. I am honored to be included! That was Wednesday. So you know this has been an epic week! Look for Lady Casa's Ragazzi on Facebook Fantasy Football 2011! We're gonna rock! I mean kick some lean mean pigskin! I just hope my football responsibilities don't interfere with my Friday night dish washing at the restaurant.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
The benefits of sleeplessness
Susan, a good friend, said it best this morning on Facebook. She wrote, "Good morning world, let the stress begin......"
My stress begins in the middle of the night. I go to bed, find All My Children (AMC) on the DVR, set the TV sleep timer for 60 minutes, make sure the alarm is set for the morning, watch AMC, and eventually fall asleep.
At around 2:00 in the morning, like clock work, I wake up and my brain is alive with thoughts swirling through it like the tornado in the Wizard of Oz. I scramble with all sorts of fears and cheers. Like:
Sometimes at 4:00 am there's a rerun of neurotic brain activity, sometimes not. But by 5:00 am, I'm snuggled in and comfy like a baby bunny in a burrow. My pillows, sheet and quilt, and my mattress are situated just perfectly. Visions of sugar plums are dancing in my head. (What the heck are sugar plums and do I want them dancing in my head? My head has just settled down and really, there should be no dancing going on, unless it's Christmas Eve or Donna and I are on the bar at Totaro's Ristorante.)
Then, it's 5:10 am and the alarm goes off. OMG! I just got to sleep in a peaceful manner! I grab the remote and hit the snooze. I do that two more times. Finally, I stretch, thank God for another day, remind God that I hate getting up this early and perhaps I should be my own boss and buy a restaurant......STOP RIGHT THERE, I already did that.
I turn on the Channel 7 news, get out of bed, do my whole entire morning routine, then return to the bathroom being sure to put on the big lights so I can start my make-up. I finish my make-up at the make-up table.
That wasn't always my routine. I used to put on make-up with the low level bathroom lights. Then I'd arrive at work and look in the mirror to put on my scrub hat. The face in the mirror was reminiscent of Betty Davis with all that garish make-up in the movie "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?"
Since it wasn't my plan to be a Betty Davis look-alike, I'm shocked and appalled and trying to remember who might have seen me on my way in to work and was the make-up readily apparent. Who am I kidding? Of course, it was.
I carefully tear off some toilet paper and ever so gently try to soften the look and remove some of the clownishness. Underneath all that is the sunscreen, moisturizer, and firming and lifting lotion that I've been applying for years. Does it work? I don't know, but I sure as heck am not going to stop using it now because at this stage I can't take any chances. THAT would be stress!
So like Susan said, "Good morning world, let the stress begin......" because as long as I've got on my sunscreen, moisturizer, and firming and lifting lotion, I'm ready for anything! After all, I did problem solving throughout the night, so this day will be a cinch.
My stress begins in the middle of the night. I go to bed, find All My Children (AMC) on the DVR, set the TV sleep timer for 60 minutes, make sure the alarm is set for the morning, watch AMC, and eventually fall asleep.
At around 2:00 in the morning, like clock work, I wake up and my brain is alive with thoughts swirling through it like the tornado in the Wizard of Oz. I scramble with all sorts of fears and cheers. Like:
- The Billionaires vs The Millionaires in the NFL lockout and the possibility of no football this coming season. Yes, this has since been resolved, but I spent many sleepless nights prior to the resolution disturbed about not seeing my favorite teams kick around the pigskin.
- The President and the ongoing difficulties with the National Debt Crisis and the distinct possibility that when he calls me for help, I won't hear the phone because I'll be scrubbed in in a difficult interventional procedure at Manatee Memorial Hospital.
- Psycho klepto nutcases strolling around my garden and yard looking for plants and ornaments.
- The price of gas and how it's once again on the rise and will those gas pilfers try to siphon gas from my tank while I'm at work.
- The total heat wave that's boiling the country and the interminable wait for the influx of tourists headed this way to cool off and to eat at my restaurant. Geesh, just get here already!
- The fear that I'm going to get out of shape because the Village Bike Shop still hasn't called to say my bike is finally repaired. For crying out loud, in all this time a new bike could have been built and shipped to my door!
Sometimes at 4:00 am there's a rerun of neurotic brain activity, sometimes not. But by 5:00 am, I'm snuggled in and comfy like a baby bunny in a burrow. My pillows, sheet and quilt, and my mattress are situated just perfectly. Visions of sugar plums are dancing in my head. (What the heck are sugar plums and do I want them dancing in my head? My head has just settled down and really, there should be no dancing going on, unless it's Christmas Eve or Donna and I are on the bar at Totaro's Ristorante.)
Then, it's 5:10 am and the alarm goes off. OMG! I just got to sleep in a peaceful manner! I grab the remote and hit the snooze. I do that two more times. Finally, I stretch, thank God for another day, remind God that I hate getting up this early and perhaps I should be my own boss and buy a restaurant......STOP RIGHT THERE, I already did that.
I turn on the Channel 7 news, get out of bed, do my whole entire morning routine, then return to the bathroom being sure to put on the big lights so I can start my make-up. I finish my make-up at the make-up table.
That wasn't always my routine. I used to put on make-up with the low level bathroom lights. Then I'd arrive at work and look in the mirror to put on my scrub hat. The face in the mirror was reminiscent of Betty Davis with all that garish make-up in the movie "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?"
Since it wasn't my plan to be a Betty Davis look-alike, I'm shocked and appalled and trying to remember who might have seen me on my way in to work and was the make-up readily apparent. Who am I kidding? Of course, it was.
I carefully tear off some toilet paper and ever so gently try to soften the look and remove some of the clownishness. Underneath all that is the sunscreen, moisturizer, and firming and lifting lotion that I've been applying for years. Does it work? I don't know, but I sure as heck am not going to stop using it now because at this stage I can't take any chances. THAT would be stress!
So like Susan said, "Good morning world, let the stress begin......" because as long as I've got on my sunscreen, moisturizer, and firming and lifting lotion, I'm ready for anything! After all, I did problem solving throughout the night, so this day will be a cinch.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
A customer has never been my patient
In the cardiac cath lab at Manatee Memorial Hospital where I work when I am not working on or at Carmella's Casa Italiana, there was a patient's name on the schedule that looked very familiar. At first I chalked it off as a repeat patient in the cath lab, but that just didn't seem to fit.
On Tuesday, one of the other nurse's brought the patient over on a stretcher from the outpatient department. As soon as I saw him, I recognized him as someone who used to come in the restaurant with his spouse on an infrequent basis. Infrequent basis as in once a year, on his birthday, armed with a birthday coupon.
I went in the lab where he was having his procedure, started hooking him up to the equipment, and said hello and naively asked, "Where've you been? I haven't seen you in the restaurant lately." He said, "What restaurant?" I told him, "Carmella's Casa Italiana. I'm Carrie." He peered at me and told me I looked different, then he lifted his head off the pillow and wildly questioned, "What happened to that place??????? We used to go in there all the time!" [That is a gross exaggeration or an outright lie, depending on how you look at it!!!!]
I was not only taken aback but completely mortified because my co-workers heard him. I'm a highly trained professional, so I calmly responded, "Since you haven't been in, I guess it didn't change for the better." With that, I finished hooking him up and quietly left the room. [I'm also humble and suffer from sleep deprivation. I make bad choices and sometimes behave irresponsibly. You remember my ex-husband of Doritos fame? I rest my case.]
One of the medications used in the cath lab has an amnesiac effect. Armed with that knowledge, I was confident he wouldn't remember me or the conversation. My plan was to give him a wide berth.
Obviously, events did not work out as I planned. If they did, I wouldn't be writing this blog and you wouldn't be on the edge of your seating waiting to read what happened next while being on the verge of outrageous entertainment.
At the end of the procedure, the doctor ordered a medication. As luck would have it, I was the only nurse within ear shot, so guess who had to give it? I doubted that I would be able to inject the medication into his IV and make a quick getaway, but I was thinking it wouldn't matter because I was also banking on his amnesia.
He saw me and with absolutely no trace of amnesia picked up the conversation where we left it over one hour ago before the boatload of drugs he received.
This was his take on things: "We used to go in there all the time. I always ordered the scarparelli, which was delicious, and my wife always ordered the shrimp scampi, also very delicious. The last time we were in there, the server went away and left us all alone. We were the only two people there. I just don't know what happened to that place."
Let me explain. I used to do all the deliveries. When the economy went south, deliveries tapered off dramatically. It is not unreasonable for the server to take the few weekly deliveries while the cook manages whatever is going on in-house. In order to keep the restaurant afloat, I had to go back to the hospital full time, so unless I wanted to live in a state of chronic exhaustion, and frankly, I did for awhile, I just couldn't be at the hospital all day and at the restaurant every afternoon and night.
Now, I at this stage of the game, I'm sure you realize it was not the time or place to explain all this to John (not his real name). He was there as a patient, I was there as a nurse, and honestly, from what I know of him, I don't actually think there would have ever been a good time and place. Despite that, I did take the time to point out that we streamlined the menu and scaparelli and shrimp scampi are no longer available.
I did that for two very selfish reasons. One, I don't want him back as a customer. Sometimes, let's face it, there are those 'customers' who I just have to cut lose to cut losses. The last time he was in he was angry because he didn't have his birthday coupon. Apparently, he didn't think it important enough to print the coupon from his email. I did my duty, I emailed the coupon. It was his duty to print it. He wanted Deb to just accommodate him with a birthday discount.
Second, and more importantly, I told you in an earlier blog that "healthy people are the ones who eat at my restaurant because never has one of my customers also been my heart attack patient at Manatee Memorial Hospital."
True, John came in with chest pain from blockages and not with a heart attack. Regardless, I have to keep my record of never having a customer for a patient...Oh, there was that one man, but he hardly ever came in.
So come in and see what it's all about. If pizza, pasta, subs, or burgers are not your thing, we have salads so fresh and crispy you'll swear the huckster just brought the produce in from the farm. Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
On Tuesday, one of the other nurse's brought the patient over on a stretcher from the outpatient department. As soon as I saw him, I recognized him as someone who used to come in the restaurant with his spouse on an infrequent basis. Infrequent basis as in once a year, on his birthday, armed with a birthday coupon.
I went in the lab where he was having his procedure, started hooking him up to the equipment, and said hello and naively asked, "Where've you been? I haven't seen you in the restaurant lately." He said, "What restaurant?" I told him, "Carmella's Casa Italiana. I'm Carrie." He peered at me and told me I looked different, then he lifted his head off the pillow and wildly questioned, "What happened to that place??????? We used to go in there all the time!" [That is a gross exaggeration or an outright lie, depending on how you look at it!!!!]
I was not only taken aback but completely mortified because my co-workers heard him. I'm a highly trained professional, so I calmly responded, "Since you haven't been in, I guess it didn't change for the better." With that, I finished hooking him up and quietly left the room. [I'm also humble and suffer from sleep deprivation. I make bad choices and sometimes behave irresponsibly. You remember my ex-husband of Doritos fame? I rest my case.]
One of the medications used in the cath lab has an amnesiac effect. Armed with that knowledge, I was confident he wouldn't remember me or the conversation. My plan was to give him a wide berth.
Obviously, events did not work out as I planned. If they did, I wouldn't be writing this blog and you wouldn't be on the edge of your seating waiting to read what happened next while being on the verge of outrageous entertainment.
At the end of the procedure, the doctor ordered a medication. As luck would have it, I was the only nurse within ear shot, so guess who had to give it? I doubted that I would be able to inject the medication into his IV and make a quick getaway, but I was thinking it wouldn't matter because I was also banking on his amnesia.
He saw me and with absolutely no trace of amnesia picked up the conversation where we left it over one hour ago before the boatload of drugs he received.
This was his take on things: "We used to go in there all the time. I always ordered the scarparelli, which was delicious, and my wife always ordered the shrimp scampi, also very delicious. The last time we were in there, the server went away and left us all alone. We were the only two people there. I just don't know what happened to that place."
Let me explain. I used to do all the deliveries. When the economy went south, deliveries tapered off dramatically. It is not unreasonable for the server to take the few weekly deliveries while the cook manages whatever is going on in-house. In order to keep the restaurant afloat, I had to go back to the hospital full time, so unless I wanted to live in a state of chronic exhaustion, and frankly, I did for awhile, I just couldn't be at the hospital all day and at the restaurant every afternoon and night.
Now, I at this stage of the game, I'm sure you realize it was not the time or place to explain all this to John (not his real name). He was there as a patient, I was there as a nurse, and honestly, from what I know of him, I don't actually think there would have ever been a good time and place. Despite that, I did take the time to point out that we streamlined the menu and scaparelli and shrimp scampi are no longer available.
I did that for two very selfish reasons. One, I don't want him back as a customer. Sometimes, let's face it, there are those 'customers' who I just have to cut lose to cut losses. The last time he was in he was angry because he didn't have his birthday coupon. Apparently, he didn't think it important enough to print the coupon from his email. I did my duty, I emailed the coupon. It was his duty to print it. He wanted Deb to just accommodate him with a birthday discount.
Second, and more importantly, I told you in an earlier blog that "healthy people are the ones who eat at my restaurant because never has one of my customers also been my heart attack patient at Manatee Memorial Hospital."
True, John came in with chest pain from blockages and not with a heart attack. Regardless, I have to keep my record of never having a customer for a patient...Oh, there was that one man, but he hardly ever came in.
So come in and see what it's all about. If pizza, pasta, subs, or burgers are not your thing, we have salads so fresh and crispy you'll swear the huckster just brought the produce in from the farm. Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
The story of the desert rose
I mentioned yesterday that my mother bought me a beautiful desert rose for my birthday. I love those plants! I had three up until early June. I bought one several years ago that I was successfully nurturing back to health from a combination of a hard winter then getting hacked almost to death by my occasional yardman. Ralph bought me two this year for Mother's Day.
To make a long story short, I live in Village 1 of this subdivision. A kleptomaniac that steals flowering plants and yard ornaments lives in Village IV. All the Board of Directors of the five villages and the Sarasota Sheriff's Department are aware of this individual. I filed a claim and I never even got a call back from the Sheriff's Department. They do nothing because apparently she has some sort of mental disease. She's been quoted as saying, "I see things I like and mysteriously they show up at my house." Hmmmmmm, I wonder if that defense would work for me? I often feel a little crazy and go off half cocked, just ask Ralph and my co-workers. And I see dead yard thieves every where I look!
She has stolen from me several times through the years and this year she has been especially active. It's heartbreaking and hard to handle. Besides flowering plants and shepherd's hooks, she takes things that have sentimental value, like the garden stepping stone that my grandson made for me, the 10 year old staghorn fern that my friend's husband started for me, and the hummingbird feeder that Deb gave me for Christmas, etc.
Since the Sarasota Sheriff's Department does nothing, I sent an email to the president of our Home Owner's Association because a board member said the president can investigate this woman's house and yard for the stolen property. I offered, of course, to supply a very descriptive list of all the things taken and to go with him.
The president responded with a bizarre email that stated, among other things, "I AM NOT A COP!" Capital letters, just like that. Never did he say he was sorry for my loss. I abandoned him as a resource. Oh, he also said Sarasota Sheriffs are watching this lady and the Village IV board said she is no longer stealing. OK, fine. No longer stealing when, this month? The last few days?
Well, lo and behold, an email blast went out from Village I regarding flags, a wreath, and a wreath holder that was stolen from the island of the front entrance just after 4th of July. These were the 4th of July decorations provided by the board from the dues the home owners pay. The board was burning mad, vowed to find the thief, and promised to get restitution. The email also said they would not be deterred from future decorating projects. Brave, huh? The email implied the culprit was a Village I resident.
How could I resist? I immediately sent email and said it's doubtful a Village I resident would steal from itself. I added that I know the Village IV board says their thief has not been taking things and the Sarasota Sheriffs are watching her house, but really? I did not receive a reply. If this is CSI Sarasota, my money is on the Village IV klepto nutcase! What do you think?
I'm not brave enough to keep decorating my yard or to keep yard ornaments out there. My new plants are on the lanai behind the locked screen door and privacy screen. This used to be a nice community. Not so much anymore.
Opps, I promised to maintain a positive attitude and outlook. I positively promise to keep my plants safe, to keep a look out for the klepto nutcase who steals my stuff, and to provide therapy for her, just before I invite her in for beer, baked ziti special, and tiramisu.
Yea, you thought I was going to say, "just before I kick her butt!" Shame on you! *LOL*
To make a long story short, I live in Village 1 of this subdivision. A kleptomaniac that steals flowering plants and yard ornaments lives in Village IV. All the Board of Directors of the five villages and the Sarasota Sheriff's Department are aware of this individual. I filed a claim and I never even got a call back from the Sheriff's Department. They do nothing because apparently she has some sort of mental disease. She's been quoted as saying, "I see things I like and mysteriously they show up at my house." Hmmmmmm, I wonder if that defense would work for me? I often feel a little crazy and go off half cocked, just ask Ralph and my co-workers. And I see dead yard thieves every where I look!
She has stolen from me several times through the years and this year she has been especially active. It's heartbreaking and hard to handle. Besides flowering plants and shepherd's hooks, she takes things that have sentimental value, like the garden stepping stone that my grandson made for me, the 10 year old staghorn fern that my friend's husband started for me, and the hummingbird feeder that Deb gave me for Christmas, etc.
Since the Sarasota Sheriff's Department does nothing, I sent an email to the president of our Home Owner's Association because a board member said the president can investigate this woman's house and yard for the stolen property. I offered, of course, to supply a very descriptive list of all the things taken and to go with him.
The president responded with a bizarre email that stated, among other things, "I AM NOT A COP!" Capital letters, just like that. Never did he say he was sorry for my loss. I abandoned him as a resource. Oh, he also said Sarasota Sheriffs are watching this lady and the Village IV board said she is no longer stealing. OK, fine. No longer stealing when, this month? The last few days?
Well, lo and behold, an email blast went out from Village I regarding flags, a wreath, and a wreath holder that was stolen from the island of the front entrance just after 4th of July. These were the 4th of July decorations provided by the board from the dues the home owners pay. The board was burning mad, vowed to find the thief, and promised to get restitution. The email also said they would not be deterred from future decorating projects. Brave, huh? The email implied the culprit was a Village I resident.
How could I resist? I immediately sent email and said it's doubtful a Village I resident would steal from itself. I added that I know the Village IV board says their thief has not been taking things and the Sarasota Sheriffs are watching her house, but really? I did not receive a reply. If this is CSI Sarasota, my money is on the Village IV klepto nutcase! What do you think?
I'm not brave enough to keep decorating my yard or to keep yard ornaments out there. My new plants are on the lanai behind the locked screen door and privacy screen. This used to be a nice community. Not so much anymore.
Opps, I promised to maintain a positive attitude and outlook. I positively promise to keep my plants safe, to keep a look out for the klepto nutcase who steals my stuff, and to provide therapy for her, just before I invite her in for beer, baked ziti special, and tiramisu.
Yea, you thought I was going to say, "just before I kick her butt!" Shame on you! *LOL*
Monday, July 25, 2011
It's my birthday, gonna party....
OK, today is not my birthday, but it's my birthday's fault that I have been away for so long. I don't know where the time goes! I celebrated Friday at Tarpon Pointe and the restaurant, Saturday and Sunday in the pool, and tonight at the Outback with a steak and lobster dinner. Since that is the case, I guess we should talk about my birthday.
When I went to bed on Thursday, I knew that Friday was my birthday. The next morning the alarm went off. I thought, "Yay! It's finally time to get up for work!" OK, that's a big lie. It really went something like this, "UGH, I have to get up for work." For the first time in my life, my first waking thought on my birthday was not, "It's my birthday!"
I did what I always do, I stretched and lazily turned on the TV to hear what was happening in the world. I heard Haley Wielgus saying, "Good morning, it's Friday, July 22nd." It hit me then that it was my birthday. So I did a double "UGH, I not only have to go to work, but I'm on call for my birthday." Whatever, I'm a trooper, so I got up, hit the bathroom, did a few exercises, got dressed, and overall, I was feeling pretty good about myself. I headed downstairs to clean the litter boxes, feed the cats and birds, and have a little breakfast.
When I got down there, there was a card and gift from Ralph. I debated if I should wait to open everythiing until Ralph could be with me, but that probably wasn't going to happen until after 10:00 pm. I was feeling happy, so opened the card and gift without him.
The gift was the blu-ray movie "Limitless." The card was beautifully written and said something like it's a time to pause and celebrate and to not only look forward but also to look back. I thought I would cry...and I had to go to work so I couldn't afford tears. Looking forward or backwards, there was going to be a pity party because this is not how I envisioned my life would be at this age! Instead of tears, I just got cranky.
I was at lunch, and my co-workers eventually realized it was my birthday. I alluded to my crankiness and sorrow about how my life was. Carla, one of my co-workers said, "Carrie, you have a nice life. You have wonderful children, a great house, a job, etc."
And I thought, "OMG, I am really an ungrateful b---h! I have a daughter-in-law, an ex-daughter-in-law, two out of three children, four out of six grandchildren, and one out of two sisters who think I walk on water. My house and car are paid off. There is that restaurant loan and the restaurant is hanging on by a thread, but at least it's hanging. So what? Everything can't be perfect. Yet!"
I made a decision right then and there to cultivate and maintain a positive attitude. I never had much of a problem with that, until the restaurant. The restaurant is just going to take more work than I thought and I can't allow that venture to ruin my life.
Anyway, on my birthday, I received birthday greetings too numerous to count on Facebook in the form of wishes, banners, and heart touching sentiments. (Donna, what you wrote really tugged at my heart strings.) A good friend and my mother gave me beautiful cards. Deborah made an outstanding ornament from sea glass, seashealls, and wire. My mother gave me a desert rose and replanted it in a gorgeous ceramic pot. Byron made a card that had me rolling on the floor......
There's a story regarding the desert rose, but that will have to wait until another time.
I'm very fortunate to be surrounded by people who can open my eyes. I'm truly blessed and grateful. And so far, I'm maintaining my positive attitude and outlook. Thank you to everyone, family and friends. I don't know what I do for you, but I'm honored and I know what you do for me. Thanks again.
When I went to bed on Thursday, I knew that Friday was my birthday. The next morning the alarm went off. I thought, "Yay! It's finally time to get up for work!" OK, that's a big lie. It really went something like this, "UGH, I have to get up for work." For the first time in my life, my first waking thought on my birthday was not, "It's my birthday!"
I did what I always do, I stretched and lazily turned on the TV to hear what was happening in the world. I heard Haley Wielgus saying, "Good morning, it's Friday, July 22nd." It hit me then that it was my birthday. So I did a double "UGH, I not only have to go to work, but I'm on call for my birthday." Whatever, I'm a trooper, so I got up, hit the bathroom, did a few exercises, got dressed, and overall, I was feeling pretty good about myself. I headed downstairs to clean the litter boxes, feed the cats and birds, and have a little breakfast.
When I got down there, there was a card and gift from Ralph. I debated if I should wait to open everythiing until Ralph could be with me, but that probably wasn't going to happen until after 10:00 pm. I was feeling happy, so opened the card and gift without him.
The gift was the blu-ray movie "Limitless." The card was beautifully written and said something like it's a time to pause and celebrate and to not only look forward but also to look back. I thought I would cry...and I had to go to work so I couldn't afford tears. Looking forward or backwards, there was going to be a pity party because this is not how I envisioned my life would be at this age! Instead of tears, I just got cranky.
I was at lunch, and my co-workers eventually realized it was my birthday. I alluded to my crankiness and sorrow about how my life was. Carla, one of my co-workers said, "Carrie, you have a nice life. You have wonderful children, a great house, a job, etc."
And I thought, "OMG, I am really an ungrateful b---h! I have a daughter-in-law, an ex-daughter-in-law, two out of three children, four out of six grandchildren, and one out of two sisters who think I walk on water. My house and car are paid off. There is that restaurant loan and the restaurant is hanging on by a thread, but at least it's hanging. So what? Everything can't be perfect. Yet!"
I made a decision right then and there to cultivate and maintain a positive attitude. I never had much of a problem with that, until the restaurant. The restaurant is just going to take more work than I thought and I can't allow that venture to ruin my life.
Anyway, on my birthday, I received birthday greetings too numerous to count on Facebook in the form of wishes, banners, and heart touching sentiments. (Donna, what you wrote really tugged at my heart strings.) A good friend and my mother gave me beautiful cards. Deborah made an outstanding ornament from sea glass, seashealls, and wire. My mother gave me a desert rose and replanted it in a gorgeous ceramic pot. Byron made a card that had me rolling on the floor......
There's a story regarding the desert rose, but that will have to wait until another time.
I'm very fortunate to be surrounded by people who can open my eyes. I'm truly blessed and grateful. And so far, I'm maintaining my positive attitude and outlook. Thank you to everyone, family and friends. I don't know what I do for you, but I'm honored and I know what you do for me. Thanks again.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Rants and raves
There was another STEMI alert at Manatee Memorial Hospital early Tuesday morning. The team and the doctor made 30 minutes from EMS EKG to balloon time in the cardiac cath lab. That is some majorly rapid response time! It was a young woman, and I'm sure she's on her way home by now with a new lease on life. I have to say, that of all the places I've worked, working in the cardiac cath lab provides the best job satisfaction. In no other area of nursing does one see such prompt response to care. And really, helping others to get on the road to recovery is what nursing is all about!
After work today, I had to stop at Sam's to get gas and do some grocery shopping. A shopper asked me where they keep the hamburger patties. It happens all the time, street clothes or hospital scrubs, doesn't matter what kind of store, I am always mistaken for an employee of that particular store. Is it because I look so confident and capable? Can't be my laid back demeanor, because believe me, I hate to shop and it's hard to imagine that these other shoppers even find me approachable. I fly around the store and try to 'get 'er done' as quickly as possible.
Typically, I would like to plow over the "snackers" at Sam's who clog the isles eagerly devourly those two ounce samples that are given out. Really, I just have not reached the point in life where I consider shopping to be a leisurely activity! And snacking while I shop just doesn't do it for me...I'd rather save the snacking for those midnight excusions into the kitchen to get ice cream and chocolate chips. No, I do not do that every night. It's a rare occurrence. After all, I try to eat a heart heathy diet and live a heart healthy life.
I do remember a time about 20 years ago when Target first came to Sarasota. My sister, Donna, still lived here, and by some stroke of luck she agreed to go with me to check out the new store. She and I used to do a lot together, and not all of it revolved around the Cabana Inn and Playground South. We'd go to concerts, visit our grandmother, she'd watch me clean up the yard of those 18" long pine needles after tropical storms, and of course, shop. That day we went to Target, though, was probably the last time she ever went shopping with me. I don't remember the attraction, but I literally spent hours mesmerized by everything in that store. I think she still has nighmares about it! God, I miss her, and I wish she was still living in Florida to do things with me. She now lives in Connecticut and we see each about once and sometimes twice a year.
And speaking of a heart healthy life, still no bike parts. I guess I could take a walk in place of my bike rides, but the pool was once again so inviting, that I went in the pool and read my book. And guess what? I forgot my hat, but I did apply the Sephora powder of the SPF 45 fame that I talked about yesterday. It works! I'm pleased to report with that product there are no lies in labeling.
Ralph and Deborah are working at Carmella's Casa Italiana today. From what I've seen tonight, it looks like business has been steady. Wendy Ross is filling in for John Scalzi on Channel 7 and reporting the weather. She paints a rosy picture, so I'm surprised there isn't more tourist action at the restaurant. She makes Florida sound so lovely, I'm confident flocks of tourists will arrive any day now. It's a week till our 4th year anniversary party so I hope they get here soon to help us celebrate. I'm still expecting Stephen King, and of course, all of you!
After work today, I had to stop at Sam's to get gas and do some grocery shopping. A shopper asked me where they keep the hamburger patties. It happens all the time, street clothes or hospital scrubs, doesn't matter what kind of store, I am always mistaken for an employee of that particular store. Is it because I look so confident and capable? Can't be my laid back demeanor, because believe me, I hate to shop and it's hard to imagine that these other shoppers even find me approachable. I fly around the store and try to 'get 'er done' as quickly as possible.
Typically, I would like to plow over the "snackers" at Sam's who clog the isles eagerly devourly those two ounce samples that are given out. Really, I just have not reached the point in life where I consider shopping to be a leisurely activity! And snacking while I shop just doesn't do it for me...I'd rather save the snacking for those midnight excusions into the kitchen to get ice cream and chocolate chips. No, I do not do that every night. It's a rare occurrence. After all, I try to eat a heart heathy diet and live a heart healthy life.
I do remember a time about 20 years ago when Target first came to Sarasota. My sister, Donna, still lived here, and by some stroke of luck she agreed to go with me to check out the new store. She and I used to do a lot together, and not all of it revolved around the Cabana Inn and Playground South. We'd go to concerts, visit our grandmother, she'd watch me clean up the yard of those 18" long pine needles after tropical storms, and of course, shop. That day we went to Target, though, was probably the last time she ever went shopping with me. I don't remember the attraction, but I literally spent hours mesmerized by everything in that store. I think she still has nighmares about it! God, I miss her, and I wish she was still living in Florida to do things with me. She now lives in Connecticut and we see each about once and sometimes twice a year.
And speaking of a heart healthy life, still no bike parts. I guess I could take a walk in place of my bike rides, but the pool was once again so inviting, that I went in the pool and read my book. And guess what? I forgot my hat, but I did apply the Sephora powder of the SPF 45 fame that I talked about yesterday. It works! I'm pleased to report with that product there are no lies in labeling.
Ralph and Deborah are working at Carmella's Casa Italiana today. From what I've seen tonight, it looks like business has been steady. Wendy Ross is filling in for John Scalzi on Channel 7 and reporting the weather. She paints a rosy picture, so I'm surprised there isn't more tourist action at the restaurant. She makes Florida sound so lovely, I'm confident flocks of tourists will arrive any day now. It's a week till our 4th year anniversary party so I hope they get here soon to help us celebrate. I'm still expecting Stephen King, and of course, all of you!
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Lies of omission
There was no blog on Sunday because Sunday is a day of rest. As you are aware, this started in biblical times. So I floated in the pool for almost two hours, then I did laundry, vacuumed, changed the sheets on my bed, mopped the kitchen floor, and cleaned out the bottom of the kitchen sink in preparation for the arrival of the handyman on Monday.
Originally I said I didn't want to squeeze under the sink, especially on Sunday since I had already squeezed into my bathing suit for the pool. But there I was, body all out of alignment, looking around under there and up at the sink connections. Sure enough I twisted something and got some sort of muscle spasm. I didn't give it any thought and continued on with the day, the magnificent day of "rest".
Around 11:00 pm after I was sleeping for a couple of hours, I got the urge to have a snack. OMG! I could barely roll over to get out of bed. I made it downstairs and had great difficulty getting the ice cream and chocolate chips out of then back in the freezer. I love my refrigerator with the French doors and bottom freezer; but be forewarned, bottom freezers are not for people with aching backs. It occurred to me to take some Motrin, so it's a good thing I had the snack attack! As you'll remember, it was several hours later when the pager went off for the STEMI alert at Manatee Memorial Hospital. My back felt pretty good by that time, and you already know the rest of that story.
Yesterday, east met west regarding my bike; unfortunately, not over Great Balls of Fire at Carmella's Casa Italiana. They did it over the phone. Geesh, how so 1999 is that? After all, this is twenty eleven!
Mark from Nirve left voice mail explaining that he filled out a warranty ticket, the new bike parts would be mailed out shortly, and I could expect to be out riding very soon. I haven't received the parts yet, so I guess he didn't send them out overnight express. He could have flown out here from California with the new bike parts, and I could have bought him and the Village Bike Expert dinner at the restaurant. Really, is that too much to ask? Oh well, another good idea goes bad.
Since I got out of work on time for the first time this week, and since there's no bike, I didn't know what to do with myself. It was a beautiful afternoon, so I decided to go in the pool. Great decision, and this brings up the topic of sunscreen.
For ten years, sunscreen marketers and the FDA have argued over labeling and formulation rules. Marketers have pushed for less regulation, and while this was going on, over 80,000 people have died from skin cancer in the United States.
Everything they told us is a lie. I consider the biggest lie, perhaps lie of omission, to be failing to tell us that sunscreen needs to be reapplied every two hours. Let's not even get into what swimming and sweating does to the dissipation of sunscreen. Forget about 'waterproof,' 'full spectrum,' and 'effective.'
So, specifically, what that means is the sunscreen that I so religiously apply to my face every morning at 6:00 am is long gone before I ever go riding or do gardening 10 to 12 hours later. I guess better late than never to know that information. I figured something was amiss anyway and took other measures like wearing a hat or a do-rag.
The big issue, then, is reapplying sunscreen to my face after work. I certainly can't put on sunscreen over my make-up. And I certainly have no intention of washing my face, reaaplying sunscreen and make-up, then going out doors to sweat to death.
A little bit of research and I solved the problem. I found a nice little product sold by Sephora called Instant Mineral SPF 45. It's a translucent powder that can be applied to the face at any time. The label says it can be applied immediately before going out doors and it's effective.
Manufacturers have a year to get up to speed with the sunscreen product and labeling. That Instant Mineral label could be big lie but I'm using the product and so far so good.
I also bought Sugar Honey Tinted Lip Treatment SPF 15. It goes on smoothly and I love the color. But I notice some sort of taste when I first apply it that's not exactly flavored, but a taste just the same. I know kids like cherry flavored lip gloss and what not; but really, I'm not 12 and I'm sure as heck not interested in any kind of flavored lipstick.
My fear is that one of those picante lovers will show up, our eyes will lock, he'll lightly touch my face, he'll wrap his arms around me, and when our lips meet, he might notice the taste. At that point I want him thinking 'Great Balls of Fire' not cherries!
Originally I said I didn't want to squeeze under the sink, especially on Sunday since I had already squeezed into my bathing suit for the pool. But there I was, body all out of alignment, looking around under there and up at the sink connections. Sure enough I twisted something and got some sort of muscle spasm. I didn't give it any thought and continued on with the day, the magnificent day of "rest".
Around 11:00 pm after I was sleeping for a couple of hours, I got the urge to have a snack. OMG! I could barely roll over to get out of bed. I made it downstairs and had great difficulty getting the ice cream and chocolate chips out of then back in the freezer. I love my refrigerator with the French doors and bottom freezer; but be forewarned, bottom freezers are not for people with aching backs. It occurred to me to take some Motrin, so it's a good thing I had the snack attack! As you'll remember, it was several hours later when the pager went off for the STEMI alert at Manatee Memorial Hospital. My back felt pretty good by that time, and you already know the rest of that story.
Yesterday, east met west regarding my bike; unfortunately, not over Great Balls of Fire at Carmella's Casa Italiana. They did it over the phone. Geesh, how so 1999 is that? After all, this is twenty eleven!
Mark from Nirve left voice mail explaining that he filled out a warranty ticket, the new bike parts would be mailed out shortly, and I could expect to be out riding very soon. I haven't received the parts yet, so I guess he didn't send them out overnight express. He could have flown out here from California with the new bike parts, and I could have bought him and the Village Bike Expert dinner at the restaurant. Really, is that too much to ask? Oh well, another good idea goes bad.
Since I got out of work on time for the first time this week, and since there's no bike, I didn't know what to do with myself. It was a beautiful afternoon, so I decided to go in the pool. Great decision, and this brings up the topic of sunscreen.
For ten years, sunscreen marketers and the FDA have argued over labeling and formulation rules. Marketers have pushed for less regulation, and while this was going on, over 80,000 people have died from skin cancer in the United States.
Everything they told us is a lie. I consider the biggest lie, perhaps lie of omission, to be failing to tell us that sunscreen needs to be reapplied every two hours. Let's not even get into what swimming and sweating does to the dissipation of sunscreen. Forget about 'waterproof,' 'full spectrum,' and 'effective.'
So, specifically, what that means is the sunscreen that I so religiously apply to my face every morning at 6:00 am is long gone before I ever go riding or do gardening 10 to 12 hours later. I guess better late than never to know that information. I figured something was amiss anyway and took other measures like wearing a hat or a do-rag.
The big issue, then, is reapplying sunscreen to my face after work. I certainly can't put on sunscreen over my make-up. And I certainly have no intention of washing my face, reaaplying sunscreen and make-up, then going out doors to sweat to death.
A little bit of research and I solved the problem. I found a nice little product sold by Sephora called Instant Mineral SPF 45. It's a translucent powder that can be applied to the face at any time. The label says it can be applied immediately before going out doors and it's effective.
Manufacturers have a year to get up to speed with the sunscreen product and labeling. That Instant Mineral label could be big lie but I'm using the product and so far so good.
I also bought Sugar Honey Tinted Lip Treatment SPF 15. It goes on smoothly and I love the color. But I notice some sort of taste when I first apply it that's not exactly flavored, but a taste just the same. I know kids like cherry flavored lip gloss and what not; but really, I'm not 12 and I'm sure as heck not interested in any kind of flavored lipstick.
My fear is that one of those picante lovers will show up, our eyes will lock, he'll lightly touch my face, he'll wrap his arms around me, and when our lips meet, he might notice the taste. At that point I want him thinking 'Great Balls of Fire' not cherries!
Monday, July 18, 2011
East meets west over great balls of fire
Unlike John Scalzi, Bob Harrigan, another weather man at Channel 7, got the memo to put a positive spin on the weather so that the tourists are not scared off. Harrigan said early Saturday morning that we would be getting some "beneficial rains" this weekend.
According to the weather report this morning, we sure enough got seven inches of beneficial rains! If you don't live in Florida, you might be inclined to think it was rainy and cloudy all weekend to accumulate that much water. It actually was a great weekend and the rains did not last long at all. I even managed to float in the pool for two hours on Sunday afternoon and read my book. Now that's living the life!
Of course, I was still on call. You'll remember that a heart attack occurs every 34 seconds, so at 1:32 Monday morning, one of those heart attacks occurred in Manatee County. I was off on another road trip north on 301 shortly thereafter. Traffic is almost non-existent at that hour, which makes my journey to the hospital super fast. Typically, the only other cars on the road are the "weavers." I just give them a wide berth and hope for the best.
The patient did very well in our care and he should be home in a few days. He'll want to eat a heart healthy diet, begin an exercise program, take all his medications as prescribed, control his stress, and last but not least, quit smoking. Quitting smoking is going to increase his stress levels, but let's be realistic, four outta five ain't bad!
When I got home from work today, I told Ralph how happy I was that my bike would be finished on Wednesday. My joy was short lived because I doubt I'll be able to extricate the bike from my back seat by myself. Ralph won't be here to help me get it out of my Rav4. Of course, he's confident I will be able to do it.
That's a moot point now. I received a call from the bike shop. When the bike was built at the factory, some pedal part was machine applied and misthreaded on my Nirve Island Flower single speed beach cruiser and the part can't be removed. I was advised to contact Nirve and ask that a new crank arm and chain ring be sent to me. I sent email to Mark at Nirve regarding this, requested the parts, and he wrote back incredulous that this could be wrong.
His incredulity had me aghast, so I called him. Together we railed against the gods that a Lakewood Ranch Bike Shop would dare to try to bulldoze a California Nirve dealer! Mark will contact the bike shop tomorrow and I suspect some heads are gonna roll.
I'm crestfallen that my bike is going to be out of commission and thus no riding for me for possibly weeks. Plus it's unNirving that east is meeting west over my bike drama.
Great balls of fire! You shake my Nirves and you rattle my brain!
Sorry, I'm going adrift. Great Balls of Fire is a new menu item that Deb wants to introduce for our picante lovers. (Yea, I know, what exactly is a picante lover? I had to Google it and check it out on Wikipedia. I still don't know where these lovers are, but I get the drift about picante, I think.)
Anyway, the menu item is very spicy/hot meatballs offered in a sandwich, on pasta, and even on pizza. Do you think east and west would have the nirve to meet at Carmella's Casa Italiana, try this new taste sensation, and resolve their nirvous difficulties about my bike? If they turn into picante lovers, will they argue on a weekly basis as an excuse so that they can meet over Great Balls of Fire? Will I ever get back to riding in a timely manner?
According to the weather report this morning, we sure enough got seven inches of beneficial rains! If you don't live in Florida, you might be inclined to think it was rainy and cloudy all weekend to accumulate that much water. It actually was a great weekend and the rains did not last long at all. I even managed to float in the pool for two hours on Sunday afternoon and read my book. Now that's living the life!
Of course, I was still on call. You'll remember that a heart attack occurs every 34 seconds, so at 1:32 Monday morning, one of those heart attacks occurred in Manatee County. I was off on another road trip north on 301 shortly thereafter. Traffic is almost non-existent at that hour, which makes my journey to the hospital super fast. Typically, the only other cars on the road are the "weavers." I just give them a wide berth and hope for the best.
The patient did very well in our care and he should be home in a few days. He'll want to eat a heart healthy diet, begin an exercise program, take all his medications as prescribed, control his stress, and last but not least, quit smoking. Quitting smoking is going to increase his stress levels, but let's be realistic, four outta five ain't bad!
When I got home from work today, I told Ralph how happy I was that my bike would be finished on Wednesday. My joy was short lived because I doubt I'll be able to extricate the bike from my back seat by myself. Ralph won't be here to help me get it out of my Rav4. Of course, he's confident I will be able to do it.
That's a moot point now. I received a call from the bike shop. When the bike was built at the factory, some pedal part was machine applied and misthreaded on my Nirve Island Flower single speed beach cruiser and the part can't be removed. I was advised to contact Nirve and ask that a new crank arm and chain ring be sent to me. I sent email to Mark at Nirve regarding this, requested the parts, and he wrote back incredulous that this could be wrong.
His incredulity had me aghast, so I called him. Together we railed against the gods that a Lakewood Ranch Bike Shop would dare to try to bulldoze a California Nirve dealer! Mark will contact the bike shop tomorrow and I suspect some heads are gonna roll.
I'm crestfallen that my bike is going to be out of commission and thus no riding for me for possibly weeks. Plus it's unNirving that east is meeting west over my bike drama.
Great balls of fire! You shake my Nirves and you rattle my brain!
Sorry, I'm going adrift. Great Balls of Fire is a new menu item that Deb wants to introduce for our picante lovers. (Yea, I know, what exactly is a picante lover? I had to Google it and check it out on Wikipedia. I still don't know where these lovers are, but I get the drift about picante, I think.)
Anyway, the menu item is very spicy/hot meatballs offered in a sandwich, on pasta, and even on pizza. Do you think east and west would have the nirve to meet at Carmella's Casa Italiana, try this new taste sensation, and resolve their nirvous difficulties about my bike? If they turn into picante lovers, will they argue on a weekly basis as an excuse so that they can meet over Great Balls of Fire? Will I ever get back to riding in a timely manner?
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Stay out of the left lane
I'm on call this weekend at Manatee Memorial Hospital for the cardiac cath lab. We were called in this morning for a STEMI alert (ST elevation myocardial infarction, heart attack, in layman's terms) around 9:45 am. I got ready really fast and was on my way in a flash. We are allotted 30 minutes to arrive at the hospital then the standard is 90 minutes from door to balloon time. That just means no more than 90 minutes can elapse from the time the ST elevation is seen on the EKG until blood flow is established in the blocked coronary artery by a balloon or stent that is advanced in the cardiac cath lab. That 90 minutes isn't usually a problem.
For me, the 30 minutes is the issue. Although I'm out the door in five or 10 minutes, I live 11.6 miles from the hospital. I don't know how it is where you live, but Florida drivers just don't understand the concept that the left lane of traffic is for passing, or at the very least, people going the speed limit or faster. What the heck are the octogenarians in their Monte Carlos; the tree trimmers hauling branches, leaves, and other yard debris; and the trucks transporting boats doing in the left lane? Makes for an interesting road trip to MMH for me when my stress levels are already over the top because time is of the essence, or as we say in the business, time is muscle.
According to the research, there's a heart attack happening every 34 seconds. I collected and analyzed the research, put it on a spreadsheet, extrapolated the information, and applied it to Bradenton, the city where I work, thus where Manatee Memorial Hospital and my restaurant are located.
Since there are 86,400 seconds in a day, a heart attack every 34 seconds means that there are roughly 25, 412 hearts occurring per day. Of those 25, 412 heart attacks, 7.5 should be occurring in Bradenton. Since there are 2 major hospitals in Bradenton, we should be seeing 3.75 heart attacks per day coming to our emergency room. I didn't count Lakewood Ranch Medical Center because that's our sister hospital.
I'm just not seeing those numbers. So, I can say unequivocally that Bradenton is a healthy place to live, except maybe for on-call staff who have to navigate the left lane of traffic with the octogenarians, yard waste haulers, and boat transporters. One of these days I fully expect that a thick branch will fly off the yard waste truck, turn into a harpoon, and if it doesn't come spiraling through my windshield pinning me to the headrest, at the very least, it will scare the crap out of me. This will cause a 47 car pile up because tail gating is a way of life in Florida. The Monte Carlo will be under the boat and there will be trees and leaves all over the place. My air bag will deploy and I'll be trapped in my Rav4. It will create Carmageddon and I won't make the 30 minute window for arrival to MMH for the STEMI.
Further more, upon more extrapolation and research, I discovered the really healthy people are the ones who eat at my restaurant because never has one of my customers also been my heart attack patient at Manatee Memorial Hospital.
You know what that means. You better get over to Carmella's Casa Italiana, just avoid using the left lane. Then all bets are off.
For me, the 30 minutes is the issue. Although I'm out the door in five or 10 minutes, I live 11.6 miles from the hospital. I don't know how it is where you live, but Florida drivers just don't understand the concept that the left lane of traffic is for passing, or at the very least, people going the speed limit or faster. What the heck are the octogenarians in their Monte Carlos; the tree trimmers hauling branches, leaves, and other yard debris; and the trucks transporting boats doing in the left lane? Makes for an interesting road trip to MMH for me when my stress levels are already over the top because time is of the essence, or as we say in the business, time is muscle.
According to the research, there's a heart attack happening every 34 seconds. I collected and analyzed the research, put it on a spreadsheet, extrapolated the information, and applied it to Bradenton, the city where I work, thus where Manatee Memorial Hospital and my restaurant are located.
Since there are 86,400 seconds in a day, a heart attack every 34 seconds means that there are roughly 25, 412 hearts occurring per day. Of those 25, 412 heart attacks, 7.5 should be occurring in Bradenton. Since there are 2 major hospitals in Bradenton, we should be seeing 3.75 heart attacks per day coming to our emergency room. I didn't count Lakewood Ranch Medical Center because that's our sister hospital.
I'm just not seeing those numbers. So, I can say unequivocally that Bradenton is a healthy place to live, except maybe for on-call staff who have to navigate the left lane of traffic with the octogenarians, yard waste haulers, and boat transporters. One of these days I fully expect that a thick branch will fly off the yard waste truck, turn into a harpoon, and if it doesn't come spiraling through my windshield pinning me to the headrest, at the very least, it will scare the crap out of me. This will cause a 47 car pile up because tail gating is a way of life in Florida. The Monte Carlo will be under the boat and there will be trees and leaves all over the place. My air bag will deploy and I'll be trapped in my Rav4. It will create Carmageddon and I won't make the 30 minute window for arrival to MMH for the STEMI.
Further more, upon more extrapolation and research, I discovered the really healthy people are the ones who eat at my restaurant because never has one of my customers also been my heart attack patient at Manatee Memorial Hospital.
You know what that means. You better get over to Carmella's Casa Italiana, just avoid using the left lane. Then all bets are off.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Nothing's private
I didn't see the weather with John Scalzi this morning so I don't know if he took my advice about putting a spin on his forecasts. I'm not sure if I missed it because I was exercising, getting dressed, cleaning the litter boxes, or investigating the pool of water that was forming around the kitchen faucet.
Why is it that I only see these repair opportunities in the early hours of the morning before work when there's little, if anything, I can do? Notice I didn't say "why does stuff have to break or malfunction?" I know that everything has a finite lifetime and sooner or later something has to go. (Hmmmmm, remember my plasma TV, Sony PlayStation 3, microwave at the restaurant, my bike, and so on and so forth?)
If I can't repair it, I figure it's a good time to share the wealth and give the job to someone seeking work. Which is actually what I did. When I arrived at MMH, I asked my friend, Carla, for the name of her handyman. I called him later in the morning and he's coming Monday afternoon to change the kitchen faucet.
I already Googled changing a kitchen faucet. I would need a special tool and I'd have to squeeze up under the sink and try to loosen nuts that have rusted in place for 23 years. I don't feel like buying the tool, it's bad enough I have to squeeze into my bathing suit, and I'm allergic to nuts, so I called Bill, the handyman. Stay tuned for how that goes...after all, someday you, too, might need a handyman and I can hook you up.
Some of you might be married to a handyman/handywoman...which sadly reminds me, when I was married to him, my ex-husband couldn't do squat. Fast forward 20 years, now my younger son calls his father to help with repairs or to ask advice regarding repairs. My younger son is very very handy. I don't know when his father got so handy, but I sure as heck saw NO signs of it when we were together. When he was home, I saw a lot of him lying on the sofa eating Doritos and feeding Doritos to the dog while he watched reruns of The Honeymooners and Sanford & Son on TV. In those days, I didn't have my concealed carry license. Lucky for him, huh?
I mentioned at the top that my bike is broken. It's at the Village Bike Shop in Lakewood Ranch and will be there until Wednesday. I hate all these days of no riding! I asked Ralph for three months to take a short ride on my bike to see if he could determine the problem. He finally did on Tuesday. He said there's too much free play in the pedal crank. What do I know? It was always like that. Apparently riding it while it was outta whack wore down the bearings and thus all that screeching and grinding was the result. I've also been asking him to read my blog. He finally did yesterday. Today he said, "You misspelled Stephen King's name and you blogged about my bike rides. My rides are private."
I corrected the typo on Stephen King's name. But nothing's private. Just ask my ex-husband.
Why is it that I only see these repair opportunities in the early hours of the morning before work when there's little, if anything, I can do? Notice I didn't say "why does stuff have to break or malfunction?" I know that everything has a finite lifetime and sooner or later something has to go. (Hmmmmm, remember my plasma TV, Sony PlayStation 3, microwave at the restaurant, my bike, and so on and so forth?)
If I can't repair it, I figure it's a good time to share the wealth and give the job to someone seeking work. Which is actually what I did. When I arrived at MMH, I asked my friend, Carla, for the name of her handyman. I called him later in the morning and he's coming Monday afternoon to change the kitchen faucet.
I already Googled changing a kitchen faucet. I would need a special tool and I'd have to squeeze up under the sink and try to loosen nuts that have rusted in place for 23 years. I don't feel like buying the tool, it's bad enough I have to squeeze into my bathing suit, and I'm allergic to nuts, so I called Bill, the handyman. Stay tuned for how that goes...after all, someday you, too, might need a handyman and I can hook you up.
Some of you might be married to a handyman/handywoman...which sadly reminds me, when I was married to him, my ex-husband couldn't do squat. Fast forward 20 years, now my younger son calls his father to help with repairs or to ask advice regarding repairs. My younger son is very very handy. I don't know when his father got so handy, but I sure as heck saw NO signs of it when we were together. When he was home, I saw a lot of him lying on the sofa eating Doritos and feeding Doritos to the dog while he watched reruns of The Honeymooners and Sanford & Son on TV. In those days, I didn't have my concealed carry license. Lucky for him, huh?
I mentioned at the top that my bike is broken. It's at the Village Bike Shop in Lakewood Ranch and will be there until Wednesday. I hate all these days of no riding! I asked Ralph for three months to take a short ride on my bike to see if he could determine the problem. He finally did on Tuesday. He said there's too much free play in the pedal crank. What do I know? It was always like that. Apparently riding it while it was outta whack wore down the bearings and thus all that screeching and grinding was the result. I've also been asking him to read my blog. He finally did yesterday. Today he said, "You misspelled Stephen King's name and you blogged about my bike rides. My rides are private."
I corrected the typo on Stephen King's name. But nothing's private. Just ask my ex-husband.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Is it the full moon or the 3 H weather?
I watch channel 7 news in the morning while I'm exercising and getting ready for work at MMH. John Sclazi is the morning weather man, and lately he's been describing our weather as "3H." I'm appalled! After all, this is summer time in Florida and it's our rainy season. Why wouldn't it be hot, humid, and hazy? Since people are beginning to travel again, and Florida is THE # 1 travel destination, John ought to put a positive spin on our weather. Perhaps say something about balmy days, blue skies, breathtaking sunrises, dramatic sunsets, gentle breezes, and the importance of wearing a good deodorant and effective mosquito repellent when outdoors.
I don't know about you, but I depend on the tourists! They come into my restaurant, eat, tip, and just otherwise have a grand time. We embrace them. I frown on any negativity regarding our fair state that might discourage these visitors. I know, I know. You hate the increase in traffic, long lines at the movies and restaurants, the weirdness during the full moon. If you can think of another way to get tourist money down here without the tourists, let me know. I'll support your efforts 100%.
And speaking of the full moon, I love the moon, full or otherwise. It reminds me of my father because I always thought he hung the moon. When it's low in the sky and has that rosy hue over the yellow, I almost feel like I can touch it. It keeps me company at night when I am falling asleep because I can see it from my bed through the window. Some mornings it's still just as big as ever as I drive to MMH. I take pictures of it and I post them on Facebook.
Deborah and Ralph are working at Carmella's Casa Italiana today. Ralph has a way with ingredients and everything he cooks is inspired and creative. Among other things, Ralph makes the bread and rolls. His bread is the best I've ever tasted. We started asking customers if they want bread, because it's heartbreaking to throw it away because we automatically gave bread to a customer who didn't want it.
Deborah had the usual scattering and smattering of diners. One man came in, read the menu, then cautiously questioned Deb about peanuts in the food. Deborah was pensive and attentive as the man described his peanut allergy in great and lengthy detail.
Bear in mind, this is an Italian restaurant and pizzeria. Did he think he was on an airplane? Deborah looks and acts like a sexy server/hostess/dining room manager. No way does she remotely resemble a flight attendant. PEANUT ALLERGY! We do not serve little bags of peanuts that are impossible to open nor do we cook with peanut oil. We use strictly 100% extra virgin olive oil.
I was just monitoring the restaurant cameras. It took me a little while to figure it out, but Deborah was pointing to the exit doors while explaining how the oxygen masks fall from overhead. She was cautioning the customers to put on their own mask first before helping others. Then I saw all these bowls of peanuts throughout the restaurant and peanut shells all over the floor.
There's a full moon tomorrow night. Or is it the 3 H weather?
I don't know about you, but I depend on the tourists! They come into my restaurant, eat, tip, and just otherwise have a grand time. We embrace them. I frown on any negativity regarding our fair state that might discourage these visitors. I know, I know. You hate the increase in traffic, long lines at the movies and restaurants, the weirdness during the full moon. If you can think of another way to get tourist money down here without the tourists, let me know. I'll support your efforts 100%.
And speaking of the full moon, I love the moon, full or otherwise. It reminds me of my father because I always thought he hung the moon. When it's low in the sky and has that rosy hue over the yellow, I almost feel like I can touch it. It keeps me company at night when I am falling asleep because I can see it from my bed through the window. Some mornings it's still just as big as ever as I drive to MMH. I take pictures of it and I post them on Facebook.
Deborah and Ralph are working at Carmella's Casa Italiana today. Ralph has a way with ingredients and everything he cooks is inspired and creative. Among other things, Ralph makes the bread and rolls. His bread is the best I've ever tasted. We started asking customers if they want bread, because it's heartbreaking to throw it away because we automatically gave bread to a customer who didn't want it.
Deborah had the usual scattering and smattering of diners. One man came in, read the menu, then cautiously questioned Deb about peanuts in the food. Deborah was pensive and attentive as the man described his peanut allergy in great and lengthy detail.
Bear in mind, this is an Italian restaurant and pizzeria. Did he think he was on an airplane? Deborah looks and acts like a sexy server/hostess/dining room manager. No way does she remotely resemble a flight attendant. PEANUT ALLERGY! We do not serve little bags of peanuts that are impossible to open nor do we cook with peanut oil. We use strictly 100% extra virgin olive oil.
I was just monitoring the restaurant cameras. It took me a little while to figure it out, but Deborah was pointing to the exit doors while explaining how the oxygen masks fall from overhead. She was cautioning the customers to put on their own mask first before helping others. Then I saw all these bowls of peanuts throughout the restaurant and peanut shells all over the floor.
There's a full moon tomorrow night. Or is it the 3 H weather?
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
At a PA restaurant it's no shirt, no shoes, no kids
Ralph and Tim are working tonight at Carmella's Casa Italiana. They make a great team. Not as cute as Ralph and Deb or Tim and Deb, but cute just the same. When the customers come in, they tease the guys and ask "Where's the girls?" I'm only there on Friday nights, and only some Friday nights at that, so I'm surprised the customers even remember there's another "girl" besides Deborah! Like I said, I'm pretty sure it's said to tease the guys, I mean the "boys." *LOL*
I was in class all day today at Manatee Memorial. It's a change of pace from my typical day, so it was fun and different. The hospital is in the process of converting it's software documentation tool to another program, so we all are taking turns going to class to learn how to use it. When the schedule was in the planning stage, management asked employees to volunteer as "super users." The super users had to agree to assist other employees, travel, work other shifts, float to other units and hospitals, work longer shifts and some weekends, and so on and so forth. You get the drift. I filled out the paper work and signed up as a super user. I was pretty excited! I think there were four volunteers from the cardiac cath lab. As time went by, most of the others felt they weren't able to fulfill the obligations of the job. The class schedule was posted and it looked like I was going to one class. I was never notified to attend any super user classes and I was wondering how a super user could be trained in one class. Well, how stupid am I? I was dropped off the list and never informed. Whatever. So, I'm a user, not a super user. Or is it vice versa? Who's really the user? So the lesson here is: when betrayed by management, don't ever lower your expectations of yourself.
Except for Tim, who is from Boston, Ralph, Deb, and I are from Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, a little town west of Philadelphia. You know Philadelphia, City of Brotherly Love, where the sports fans are the roughest in the nation and screenings at the airport are as disturbing as a trip downtown in a squad car. So, imagine my surprise when I read that the restaurant banning children under six years of age as of July 16 is located on the other side of the state in the Pittsburgh area. I thought for sure it was a Philly place! It's a casual dining establishment in Monroeville and customers apparently made numerous complaints about the crying of kids at neighboring tables. Thus the owner is instituting this new policy. Is that discrimination or a smart move? Only time will tell.
We still welcome kids of all ages at Carmella's Casa Italiana. Even when the parents say, "Oh, I'm sorry, Mary spilled something" when what Mary really did was wet her pants! YIKES Don't worry, we have lots of blue towels to clean and sanitize all surfaces...even the counter where mom laid the wet pants as she paid the bill. As I said, we're from the Philadelphia area of Pennsylvania, not the Pittsburgh area, so we aren't banning the little tykes! But we might take them downtown in a squad car. Just kidding!
I was in class all day today at Manatee Memorial. It's a change of pace from my typical day, so it was fun and different. The hospital is in the process of converting it's software documentation tool to another program, so we all are taking turns going to class to learn how to use it. When the schedule was in the planning stage, management asked employees to volunteer as "super users." The super users had to agree to assist other employees, travel, work other shifts, float to other units and hospitals, work longer shifts and some weekends, and so on and so forth. You get the drift. I filled out the paper work and signed up as a super user. I was pretty excited! I think there were four volunteers from the cardiac cath lab. As time went by, most of the others felt they weren't able to fulfill the obligations of the job. The class schedule was posted and it looked like I was going to one class. I was never notified to attend any super user classes and I was wondering how a super user could be trained in one class. Well, how stupid am I? I was dropped off the list and never informed. Whatever. So, I'm a user, not a super user. Or is it vice versa? Who's really the user? So the lesson here is: when betrayed by management, don't ever lower your expectations of yourself.
Except for Tim, who is from Boston, Ralph, Deb, and I are from Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, a little town west of Philadelphia. You know Philadelphia, City of Brotherly Love, where the sports fans are the roughest in the nation and screenings at the airport are as disturbing as a trip downtown in a squad car. So, imagine my surprise when I read that the restaurant banning children under six years of age as of July 16 is located on the other side of the state in the Pittsburgh area. I thought for sure it was a Philly place! It's a casual dining establishment in Monroeville and customers apparently made numerous complaints about the crying of kids at neighboring tables. Thus the owner is instituting this new policy. Is that discrimination or a smart move? Only time will tell.
We still welcome kids of all ages at Carmella's Casa Italiana. Even when the parents say, "Oh, I'm sorry, Mary spilled something" when what Mary really did was wet her pants! YIKES Don't worry, we have lots of blue towels to clean and sanitize all surfaces...even the counter where mom laid the wet pants as she paid the bill. As I said, we're from the Philadelphia area of Pennsylvania, not the Pittsburgh area, so we aren't banning the little tykes! But we might take them downtown in a squad car. Just kidding!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Stephen King is invited
Ralph took a 3.5 mile bike ride today in the 90 degree temperatures with the 90% humidity. I was working at Manatee Memorial, so I couldn't ride. Plus, I got home too late to ride after work. When he returned from his ride, he was sweltering and jumped in the pool. He said he thought he was having a heat stroke. Remember me on Sunday with my heat stroke and his chatting it up about feeling exhilarated? Hmmmmmmm, sorry I wasn't here for his drama! *LOL* Right, he's fine.
He took my bike out for a ride to determine the source of the grinding and screeching. He noticed lots of free play in the pedal crank. I sent email to Nirve and got a prompt reply. Mark from Nirve said it could be a bad clutch in the rear hub. Only way to know is to take it to a bike shop to access it. Going to do that soon, because the noise is too disturbing and I won't be riding till the noise is gone. All that racket harshes my mellow.
Deborah and Tim are working tonight. Looks like they had a little more action tonight than they did last night. There was a six top, a five top, and a scattering and smattering of other one and two tops, one delivery, and some take-out. My mother and her husband stopped in unexpectedly. He brought in his own toppings for the pizza. More things that make you go 'hmmmmmmmmmmmm.'
As one of the customers was leaving last night, he told Deb that we make the best marinara sauce he ever tasted. Last Friday, there was a take-out of two Stromboli. After the Stromboli were eaten, that guy called us and said they were the best Stromboli he ever tasted. He said he felt compelled to call since typically the only reason people call back is to complain. Anyway, we certainly appreciate the positive feedback and hope that it is accompanied by positive word of mouth to friends and loved ones. We need more customers to feed and please!
I've been reading that new businesses are saying that things are looking up in downtown Bradenton. And that "Bradenton's newest restaurant, Tarpon Pointe Grill & Tiki Bar, truly shows the beauty that downtown has to offer." Bradenton mayor Wayne Poston says, "The river has been the asset of Bradenton for a long time, and has never been taken advantage of." He's right about the river. The view from Manatee Memorial Hospital is breathtaking.
I already told you my thoughts about the Tarpon Pointe Grill & Tiki Bar. They have a long way to go to measure up to the customer service rendered by Carmella's Casa Italiana and The Twin Dolphin, to name two! You know I'm right!
Anyway, very nice for downtown; however, we are not in downtown Bradenton. I'm hoping someone remembers us! Like you, and your family, and your friends, and your loved ones, and your neighbors...I don't care, your enemies. Come one, come all.
Don't forget, Deborah is in the process of planning our fourth year anniversary party to be celebrated on July 29. If the parties from years prior are any indication, it's going to be lots of fun featuring food, games, and other surprises. Wouldn't it be great if Stephen King stopped by? He's partnered with the Suncoast Community Blood Bank. And I partnered with the Suncoast Community blood bank ( http://scbb.org/ ). So why can't he partner with me? I want him to stop by! We can be partners!
And on that note, I'm signing off. See you soon. Now go find out!
He took my bike out for a ride to determine the source of the grinding and screeching. He noticed lots of free play in the pedal crank. I sent email to Nirve and got a prompt reply. Mark from Nirve said it could be a bad clutch in the rear hub. Only way to know is to take it to a bike shop to access it. Going to do that soon, because the noise is too disturbing and I won't be riding till the noise is gone. All that racket harshes my mellow.
Deborah and Tim are working tonight. Looks like they had a little more action tonight than they did last night. There was a six top, a five top, and a scattering and smattering of other one and two tops, one delivery, and some take-out. My mother and her husband stopped in unexpectedly. He brought in his own toppings for the pizza. More things that make you go 'hmmmmmmmmmmmm.'
As one of the customers was leaving last night, he told Deb that we make the best marinara sauce he ever tasted. Last Friday, there was a take-out of two Stromboli. After the Stromboli were eaten, that guy called us and said they were the best Stromboli he ever tasted. He said he felt compelled to call since typically the only reason people call back is to complain. Anyway, we certainly appreciate the positive feedback and hope that it is accompanied by positive word of mouth to friends and loved ones. We need more customers to feed and please!
I've been reading that new businesses are saying that things are looking up in downtown Bradenton. And that "Bradenton's newest restaurant, Tarpon Pointe Grill & Tiki Bar, truly shows the beauty that downtown has to offer." Bradenton mayor Wayne Poston says, "The river has been the asset of Bradenton for a long time, and has never been taken advantage of." He's right about the river. The view from Manatee Memorial Hospital is breathtaking.
I already told you my thoughts about the Tarpon Pointe Grill & Tiki Bar. They have a long way to go to measure up to the customer service rendered by Carmella's Casa Italiana and The Twin Dolphin, to name two! You know I'm right!
Anyway, very nice for downtown; however, we are not in downtown Bradenton. I'm hoping someone remembers us! Like you, and your family, and your friends, and your loved ones, and your neighbors...I don't care, your enemies. Come one, come all.
Don't forget, Deborah is in the process of planning our fourth year anniversary party to be celebrated on July 29. If the parties from years prior are any indication, it's going to be lots of fun featuring food, games, and other surprises. Wouldn't it be great if Stephen King stopped by? He's partnered with the Suncoast Community Blood Bank. And I partnered with the Suncoast Community blood bank ( http://scbb.org/ ). So why can't he partner with me? I want him to stop by! We can be partners!
And on that note, I'm signing off. See you soon. Now go find out!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Biking in the 90 degree heat in Florida is not for sissys...
...or for normal people. OMG! Ralph and I set out for a bike ride yesterday afternoon. His goal was 3.5 miles and my goal was 15 miles. I followed Ralph for his 3.5 miles, then he went home and I continued onward. At 6 miles I was feeling hot, at 8 miles I was feeling sick but determined. After all, I reasoned with myself, I felt hot on Saturday but managed to finish 14.6 miles. At 9 miles it occurred to me that if I didn't head home soon I wasn't going to make it home. It was hotter than hell, I was riding into the wind, and I was on the verge of delirium. I pictured myself on the side of the road waiting for death to come. I would have called Ralph to come and get me but I didn't think my bike would fit in my Rav4. Well, at 11.3 miles I was home! I grabbed a bottle of water then threw myself on the couch. Ralph started chatting about feeling exhilarated after his bike ride. I wasn't up for that chat, so I left the room, headed for the lanai, threw my raft in the pool, and jumped in! Within an hour I was cooled off and back to normal...as normal as anyone can be who attempts a 15 mile bike ride in 90 degree weather with super high humidity. I'm on-call today, so no riding until Tuesday!
I took Ralph, Deb, and Tim out to dinner last night to celebrate their hard work and dedication to Carmella's Casa Italiana (CCI). We met at the Tarpon Pointe Grill & Tiki Bar. After 30 minutes of no service, we left. Really, as restaurant people, how could we stay at a place with such poor customer service? The lady who was sitting behind Deborah agreed that the service was poor, but recommended we stay because the food is good. Since we serve the best Italian food around and thus are no strangers to good food, it seemed pointless to stay in the hopes that at some juncture good food would arrive. Alleged good food that still wasn't ordered after 30 minutes. We didn't even have drinks. When the hostess brought the menus and we asked for a pitcher of beer, she responded, "I'm only the hostess."
When we go out, we expect what we give at CCI, excellent customer service. We want to be treated well. In fact, we can tolerate mediocre food if the service is excellent. So, we left and went to the Twin Dolphin. As soon as we walked out to the patio, we were greeted by Ryan who immediately handed out four menus and took our drink order. You know the rest. We had an excellent meal, excellent service, and an excellent time relaxing, talking, and discussing our plans for CCI. The only think missing was the sunset. It was cloudy.
One topic that we discussed was a radio broadcast of Clark Howard. He talked about how restaurants are in a squeeze play and used Panera as an example. He mentioned that "Panera took the squeeze play on the chin and never discounted, never cheapened their ingredients, and never reduced the size of their servings even during the thick of the recession." He went on and raised a challenge: What is it in your business that you can do faster, cheaper, or better and still give the consumer the same kind of quality and pricing?
If you remember, I discussed this topic in yesterday's blog. While we continue to discover how to work smarter through this recession, we have never sacrificed quality or diminished portions. And we never will. So go find out. http://casa-italiana.info/ See you soon.
I took Ralph, Deb, and Tim out to dinner last night to celebrate their hard work and dedication to Carmella's Casa Italiana (CCI). We met at the Tarpon Pointe Grill & Tiki Bar. After 30 minutes of no service, we left. Really, as restaurant people, how could we stay at a place with such poor customer service? The lady who was sitting behind Deborah agreed that the service was poor, but recommended we stay because the food is good. Since we serve the best Italian food around and thus are no strangers to good food, it seemed pointless to stay in the hopes that at some juncture good food would arrive. Alleged good food that still wasn't ordered after 30 minutes. We didn't even have drinks. When the hostess brought the menus and we asked for a pitcher of beer, she responded, "I'm only the hostess."
When we go out, we expect what we give at CCI, excellent customer service. We want to be treated well. In fact, we can tolerate mediocre food if the service is excellent. So, we left and went to the Twin Dolphin. As soon as we walked out to the patio, we were greeted by Ryan who immediately handed out four menus and took our drink order. You know the rest. We had an excellent meal, excellent service, and an excellent time relaxing, talking, and discussing our plans for CCI. The only think missing was the sunset. It was cloudy.
One topic that we discussed was a radio broadcast of Clark Howard. He talked about how restaurants are in a squeeze play and used Panera as an example. He mentioned that "Panera took the squeeze play on the chin and never discounted, never cheapened their ingredients, and never reduced the size of their servings even during the thick of the recession." He went on and raised a challenge: What is it in your business that you can do faster, cheaper, or better and still give the consumer the same kind of quality and pricing?
If you remember, I discussed this topic in yesterday's blog. While we continue to discover how to work smarter through this recession, we have never sacrificed quality or diminished portions. And we never will. So go find out. http://casa-italiana.info/ See you soon.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Closed on Sundays during the summer
Go ahead and cut back on dining out if you need to, but don't cut it out of your budget altogether. Restaurants need your dollars, especially small family-owned restaurants. And since the cutbacks, we've discovered it's makes sense to close on Sundays during the summer. It wasn't like that in late 2007 and early 2008....but that was then and this is now.
We've done lots to weather the current economy. We've streamlined the menu, cut back on restaurant and employee hours, increased our learning about social media marketing, passed out flyers, encouraged our vendors to provide best and competitive prices, changed from Verizon to Brighthouse for our phones and internet because the service and prices are better, discovered other providers with better prices for sometimes better services, etc. Despite all that, you can rest assured that we still use quality ingredients in all our sauces and dishes and we continue to provide you with the best in customer service. Also, we make our own garlic bread and rolls. We used to use three different bakeries for our bread and rolls.
I recently did the unthinkable. I paid close to $500.00 to have my plasma TV repaired. I know, for another $1000.00 I could have purchased a new LCD-LED TV. During the course of conversation with the in-home TV repair tech, it turns out he is the son of the owner and that the TV repair place is a small struggling family business. You know what? I know the small struggling family business woes and I no longer feel bad about this expenditure. The work is under warranty for 90 days. 10 capacitors were blown, and if within the next 90 days, ANY capacitor blows, it will be repaired free of charge. I feel confident I'll get another 3-4 years out of this TV, plus I helped another business owner. Action Electronics provides in-home TV repair. Their customer service is the best and I highly recommend this repair service. I know we live in a 'throw away society', but next time something breaks, see if it can be salvaged and if you can help a struggling small business owner. If you happen to need TV repair, their local number is (941) 926-6350.
Since we are all off from the restaurant today, I'm taking Ralph, Deborah, and Tim out for a bite to eat. I know, it's like a 'busman's holiday'. Anyway, we are going to try the new Tarpon Pointe Grill & Tiki Bar that opened recently across the river from Manatee Memorial Hospital. One of my colleagues went there last Thursday and recommends it. I'll let you know how it was! I recently took the family to O'Leary's in Sarasota near Marina Jacks. That was loads of fun! The food was good and those pitchers of Shock-top went down really easy!
I was in Pennsylvania for 9 days in May visiting family. Things are the same everywhere, when we were hungry and not in the mood to cook, we sent out for pizza and sandwiches. Now, as the owner of an Italian restaurant, that is a real 'bus man's holiday'. Anyway, we from the north who live in the south are arrogant and like to think the pizza and pasta is better in the north. NOT SO! Carmella's Casa Italiana has much better food, and I'm not just saying that because I'm the owner. Weird thing is, my son, Lester, thinks the food from that particular restaurant is outstanding. We actually got in an argument and I had to leave the room. Imagine the surprise he's going to get when he comes to visit and has the opportunity to eat at my restaurant. Of course, he'll never be happy again with the food from that restaurant, but that's the price he has to pay for living in Pennsylvania! *LOL* Plus, perhaps he'll come to visit more often after he tastes some really good food. (His wife, Ani, is an outstanding cook. We are not including her cooking in this comparison.)
Well, that's it for now. Off for a 15 mile bike ride, then it will be time to get ready for the tiki bar experience. Visit us soon. http://casa-italiana.info/
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