#Basically I got served a 30 day thing from my grandparents to move | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

fundielicious-simblr · 3 years

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(Valentina’s POV)

Happy Harvestfest! I volunteered to host this year, meaning we had 21 people descend on our quiet little cottage out here in Brindleton Bay. I loved having my parents, all my siblings, and all my nieces and nephews around and filling up the house, it definitely brought be back to growing up at home with all 10 of us before we all got married and moved away. My mum said it was nice to have a change of scenery and be out in the countryside for Harvestfest, whilst Newcrest where we live is itself already outside of the commotion of the city since my grandparents wanted to raise their family away from worldly influences, out here where we live it’s truly the countryside where you can appreciate nature.

The family is under the cut!

Ryan (56) and Clare (52) Paulson

My wonderful parents are still so in love with one another with this year marking 32 years of marriage for them, 10 children and 9 grandchildren later and you’d think they were still newlyweds! Dad is still working in tech programming and at this point has helped create many Bible and devotionals apps that help other Christians get closer to the Lord, his current plan is to work until he’s 65 then he can retire and support the family with the pension that he’s earned as well as the money he gets from the apps. When she’s not homeschooling my youngest brothers (the only two left being homeschooled), my mother is either writing or teaching music. She helps coordinate the music at church, with the Winterfest nativity play music being her current project, and whenever the band/orchestra play she’s usually the one that has arranged the music, as well as guiding the players through the song. In the new year Newcrest Baptist is running a music camp, so she’s been preparing for that mainly; my cousin Zoe and I will also be teaching at camp so we’re all looking forward to the new year.

The Paulson Family - Carter (30), Madelynn (27), Lester (6), Fitzwilliam (1)

Carter and Madelynn have their 2 boys and right now are enjoying the different experiences that come with having a child and a toddler. Madelynn is homeschooling Lester as well as having him to go a christian homeschool co-op in their area twice a week, to further enhance his learning. Fitz is a year old and so just tags along with whatever Lester does, Madelynn goes through the toddler basics with him, but mostly focuses on Lester right now. This winter they’re going skiing with Madelynn’s family, her father is supporting their local conservative candidate in the election and the fundraiser is being held at a wonderful ski resort in the mountainous region.

The Townsend Family - Eric (32), Valentina (29), Aria (8), Ansel (6), Asher & Abbott (2)

We’re all good over here! I’ve started the school year with Aria and Ansel and both are progressing wonderfully, it’s amazing how much these kids love learning and I’m encouraged by their enthusiasm! I’m starting a rudimentary course with the twins to get them hopping on the learning train, they’re so interested in what their older siblings are doing that I thought it best to jump right into school with them. Eric and I have been thinking about getting some farm animals, we took the kids to the farmer’s market the other day and they were enraptured by the chickens, goats, cows, and sheep. It would be great to have the animals, we’d get fresh animal produce that’s homegrown to add to our fruit and vegetable garden produce, as well as a learning opportunity for the children to learn about animals and to learn the responsibility that comes with taking care of animals. This winter, other than learning about plants that flourish in the winter, we’ll also be focusing on learning all about animals and how we care for them. We want to be ready to welcome any animals that we might get onto our little homestead in the coming spring. I’m also working on what I’ll be teaching at music camp hosted by Newcrest Baptist in the new year, when I think of opportunities like this I can’t help but thank the Lord for my parents, had my mother not poured into us and taught us how to play instruments then I’d never be blessed with this opportunity to teach others.

The Paulson Family - Alan (28), Tessa (21), Charity (1), Edgar (6 weeks old)

Alan and Tessa have had the most recent addition to the family, 6 weeks ago Tessa had their second child, a boy they named Edgar! Tessa truly inspires me, she barely had the time to recover after having a baby before loading up to travel down here with everyone! She’s such a blessing, I was talking to her on how she handled travelling with a 2 children under 1 and she made it sound so easy! If they keep going at their current rate then they’ll have another baby by next Harvestfest - how wonderful! This winter they’re travelling to Sulani with Tessa’s family, they’re excited to have the sun and the ocean instead of frigid air and snow as they celebrate the birth of our Lord!

The Crocker Family - Gregory (28), Kristyn (25), Kayla (1)

Kristyn and Gregory are enjoying life with little Kayla, they’ve had a wonderful time adjusting to her joining and family and love it. She’s the first granddaughter on their side of the family as Gregory’s sisters have had all boys, so she’s definitely being spoilt at home! Kristyn has always had a great love of children, and she’s been open with us sisters about praying for another child soon. They’re staying in Oasis Springs this winter and celebrating Winterfest with Gregory’s family.

The Crawford Family - Tucker (26) and Sabrina (25)

The newlyweds have been loving this new season of life together! Sabrina called me and told me that she’s been loving married life way more than she thought she would. She and Tucker honeymooned in a little cabin tucked away in the woods up by Granite Falls; after a couple gets married and goes from limited physical intimacy to being married and being allowed to do everything, it is quite an adjustment to get used to. It’s good for them that they got that time together because they’ve got a packed schedule soon after this. They’re travelling with the Crawfords to sing at churches in the area for the winter, and after that they’re back on the farm for the springtime harvesting and to prep for the summer harvest and their summer tour. It’s been great to have my sister living in the same area, during times when they are home we try and coordinate when we can see each other.

Jarrod (21) and Madison Jenkins (19)

We’ve also got a newly engaged couple on the block! Jarrod proposed to Madison when he was on a visit to see her in Evergreen Harbour, they had just finished church when he got down on one knee and asked her to marry him! They’re planning for a winter wedding, meaning that they’re also planning around our cousin Charles and his wedding; hopefully they can nail down dates so that we can all make it to both weddings. With a family as large as ours, it’s definitely going to be interesting to see how the rest of the singles do it when it comes time to plan their weddings, since Celeste is the last girl left my parents only have one last time to be the wedding hosts.

Celeste (27), Zachary (19), Conner & Jarrett (16)

Celeste is truly thriving in her singleness, when she’s not at home serving others she’s travelling around visiting those of us who moved away and investing in the lives of her nieces and nephews. She also spends time investing in the lives of those around her, she travels with our cousin Macie to different young ladies’ retreats and they both counsel and guide young ladies on how to better their walk with the Lord. This winter she’s joining Macie and a few other youths from our Newcrest Baptist on a missions trip to Selvadorada, so that’s another thing to add into our families already hectic winter.

Zachary is also enjoying his new status as an adult, he’s started working part time for a lawn services company run by a member of the church and a friend of the family. He’s also joining Celeste on the missions trip to Selvadorada this year, it’ll be his first time out of the country so he is very excited!

Conner and Jarrett are enjoying their time as the youngest kids in the family, they’re quite self sufficient at school meaning that they’re working through it quite quickly and are on track to graduate early! It’s always great when we get to see the boys, Ansel is old enough for them to bring him along when they go on outings, so it was great to have them here together.

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thesavorysecret-blog · 4 years

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An Interview with Matt Parker of Grillbird Teriyaki on How To Start and Grow a Thriving Restaurant

Nate: Hello and welcome. You’ve found “The Savory Secret’’ where we talk to and learn lessons from founders on starting and growing a thriving restaurant. I’m your host Nate Ver Burg. Our guest on the show today is an artist and designer who had a dream of opening a restaurant, but he had a problem. He didn’t have any money. What’s worse, he opened his restaurant just months prior to the statewide COVID-19 mandatory dining room closures. Today we’re gonna learn what he did to obtain the initial money needed to start his restaurant, and whether his recession-proof planning prior to starting his business would enable them to endure the forthcoming pandemic response. Matt Parker, it’s great to have you on the show today.

Matt: Hey Nate.

Nate: Hey there. So let’s start at the beginning. Tell me a little bit about where you grew up and some of your upbringing.

Matt: Yeah, for sure. So I grew up in a little town called Half Moon Bay, which is in Northern California, just south of San Francisco, so really idyllic, wonderful town, a little beachy town. And back in the ’80s, it was just a really cool place for a kid to grow up. We had the beach. We had mountain biking. And as I got older and kind of grew up a little bit and started to form, you know, my own identity, the town, I kind of outgrew that town. So I moved to Palo Alto and went to high school out there and kind of finished off my school in Palo Alto. You know, I grew up with my grandparents as a kid and then moved back in with my mother who was a single mom and we had a great relationship and she was really supportive of me growing up and being kind of whoever I wanted to be and, you know, allowing me to sort of experiment and explore who I thought I was or wanted to be.

And so I had a pretty eclectic childhood. I was really…I tried out a lot of different things. I tried a lot of different arts. I was always involved in theater and in visual arts. And I got to…you know, I did Rocky Horror Picture Show when I was a teenager and I went to San Francisco and hung out with friends on the weekends and just got to do a lot of fun stuff that I might not have been able to do if I had a more traditional upbringing. But my mom was pretty laid back and really trusting and kind of let me be who I was. I worked, from the moment I could get a job, I worked.

So at 14, I got a job at a movie theater and loved that job and fell in love with cinema and old movie theaters. And I think that was sort of the first…my first kind of introduction into what it feels like to be taken out of reality and put into something more fantastical, I guess. And it started to, you know, heavily influence my love of design and my love of eating out and just sort of being immersed in something aesthetically different and beautiful than the real world.

And so that all kind of transitioned into me working in restaurants, going from movie theaters to then working in cafes and then into restaurants and then just sort of, you know, falling in love with the, I guess the sort of magic of dining, but also the environment. I’ve always been sort of aesthetically-guided and so I love what it felt like to eat at nice restaurants and what it felt like to be served by professional servers and what really good food played it up in a really interesting way felt like.

So that’s something from a very young age I was always inspired by. And you know, that all kind of you know, led me to go to art school, right out of high school, which didn’t really work out for me. I was a little, you know, 18 years old and I didn’t really have any stories to tell and I didn’t really know myself and I didn’t really get any good work done. So I kind of tried that out for about a year and then I moved back home and kind of went to some community colleges and of course just kept working in restaurants. And then when I was about 20, I decided I needed to leave home and grow up. And didn’t really know where I was wanting to go, but I knew I just couldn’t stay at home anymore.

So I bought a bus ticket to Seattle and came up here about 20 some odd years ago and stayed in a boarding house for a couple of months and, you know, just hit the streets every day looking for work. And finally got a job at a little cafe in Belltown, which is no longer there, but that’s kinda what started it all off, at least for me in Seattle. And then my culinary sort of journey and art journey as well.

Nate: Yeah. So tell me, like you mentioned the movie theater experience. What was it that captivated you so much?

Matt: In Palo Alto, there’s a series of vintage movie theaters. And so as soon as I turned 14 and was able to work, I got a job at one of these movie theaters. And these were landmark theaters, so they showed foreign films and independent films. And at that time I was obsessed with cinema. I was obsessed with foreign films and, you know, just unique independent cinema. And I fell in love with these old movie houses that were built in the ’20s and the ’30s. I just love the architecture. I love the feeling of being in them. I loved all the fun, the weirdo movies that they showed and it just really influenced my art and my creativity at the time. I mean, back then it was all I thought about. It’s all…I was obsessed. I was literally obsessed about movie theaters and old ones and I just loved being in those rooms.

And so when I worked, got to work for one, it was like such a great job. And I had so much fun and I got to, of course, I got to work with adults. So which I had always loved working with, you know, being around older people. So I get to work with the cool kids at the time and kind of find myself through them. I get to work in these old movie places and bop around the catacombs of these spaces and find tons of ephemera and of course just like feed my desire for film. And so films and going to bookstores and magazines, those are all like the way that I fed my creativity at the time. You know, obviously there was no internet.

So this is just how, you know, I learned to identify, you know, with myself and who I wanted to be or who I thought I wanted to be. But yeah, that was really like the escapism part of it was fantastic. I mean, back then I would think that I lived in a different time. I would consider that. I was like, I lived in my own movie of my own creation. And that was like some me, like in Paris in the 1920s, like that’s sort of how I identified at 14 years old. And yeah, it just really kind of set me on, you know, this creative path.

Nate: You know, you started to get into restaurants and things like when you moved up to Seattle. How did you take that creative mindset and start applying that into the restaurant space?

Matte: Well, I didn’t at first. I mean when I moved here I was, you know, an artist and I was a visual artist. I was a painter. But I also loved working in restaurants and I had done some restaurant work back in California. And so that’s just where I naturally fell into. And so, you know, waiting tables or busing tables back then that, you know, paid the bills. But I of course, I loved the energy of it. I loved the hours. I loved all the people you end up meeting. I loved the sort of debauchery and the chaos of it all. And it worked perfectly as a creative person because you’re just also surrounded by creative people all the time and the hours are great. You know, you’re up late, you have your days free.

So they were pretty much separate for the next 10 years. So I kind of made a move to be a creative person in Seattle. You know, I worked as an artist. I created some events and produced art events and did group shows. And then I also worked in restaurants and waited tables and just…and bopped around different restaurants over the next decade. And so they were all fairly kept separate for most of my 20s. And it wasn’t really until my early 30s that I actually merged them together after, you know, just a kind of a series of bad life choices had kind of brought me to kind of a new…kind of starting over, I guess. And part of that starting over was to kind of tap back into my creative side and merge my love of food and art together.

Nate: So what did that look like, merging those two things? Like in practical ways, like what was that all about?

Matt: Yeah, so you know, the restaurant business is, you know, it’s very fun, but it comes with a lot of consequences. And so for me, I developed a drinking problem in my 20s, and by the time I was in my early 30s, it was, you know, kind of…I pretty much exhausted all other outcomes of positivity. So I had to change my life. And so I quit drinking to end up saving, you know, my relationship with my girlfriend who’s now my wife, but at the time. And through that process of quitting drinking, not working, getting rid of all of my friends and basically self-quarantining myself at home in order to kind of break the shackles of those old habits, I kind of tapped back into this creative side that I hadn’t had in years. And that manifested into a new business where I was starting to…I did event design.

And so in the beginning, nobody really would hire me to decorate their party. They all wanted catering. So I would cater their event totally illegally. Like out of my apartment. I would just make all this food. And then on my own time and my own dime, I would do all the decorations. I designed the little menu cards and design the little tablescapes. And again, I had no money. So everything I started making was like out of folded paper and cardboard and recycled materials. And I just kept doing that. And I just, you know, in the beginning it was just one party at a time and one party a month. And I would go out and hustle for business and I’d go to friends’ little boutique shops and ask them if I could do a window display for them or I’d go to the rental company, the event rental company, and ask them if I could do a tablescape for them. And then I would do it, I’d photograph it, and then I’d send it to blogs and wait for someone to respond to it.

And so I just kept doing that. And eventually I would get hired. Eventually a friend hired me to do their birthday party and I would decorate their party. And again, I had no money and they didn’t have any money. And so everything was made out of cardboard and, you know, these…and trash basically. But one client after another, you know, started to kind of build into this little business where I started to kinda make a little bit of a name for myself and every event I would shoot it and send it off to blogs. And every once in a while, a blog would post the story and then I’d get a lot of attention and then I would kind of get on the radar of different editors of wedding magazines or whatever.

And so then I started to kind of be a little bit more enrolled and involved in the wedding industry and in the event industry. And so I started getting hired more and more. And the things that I was trying to do differently was I was trying to just create these kind of immersive, all encompassing events that were really creative and not typical sort of decor. So I always talked about how my events always kind of looked like an anthropology window display. Like they were really over the top and they were…kind of used a lot of recycled materials and that’s kinda what I did. And I did that for a good year or so.

But the thing about event work is… And also that kept me close to sort of the food world and the restaurant world. And I had done so much catering in my 20s and so much restaurant work. So it was always connected, the event world and the restaurant world were always sort of tied together and it kept me close to that world.

Nate: So all these events that you were doing, were you still being forced to cater these, like from home, like you’re talking about or did you eventually just transition that to just do the design side?

Matt: Yeah, yeah. Like within like three or four events, I stopped cooking out of my apartment and just was beginning to get hired just to do design work. So that was great. That wasn’t gonna be sustainable. And so then I, of course, I started working with caterers and working with event planners and working with others in building out these events and doing pieces if not the whole event for them. And so I did that for a little while, like a year or two years. And each time getting a little bit more attention, each time, getting a little bit more press. And it was great and it was…and I was like just cruising. I felt so good about myself, you know, I was like a year sober and I was just like so excited to be not thinking about my old self. Like I was totally rewiring myself through creativity. And that was really great.

And that year I got married and you know, I was like starting off my life with my wife and we were moving and it was just fantastic. But, you know, event work is sort of like freelancing. I mean, you just don’t really know when the next paycheck’s gonna come. It’s like months and months away. So I would work three months on a job and of course I didn’t know how to charge appropriately for it. So, you know, I’d make a little money and then I’d run out of money and then I’d wait for the next job and it would just be…it just wasn’t sustainable. I mean, I really didn’t know how to run a business at all.

So eventually through that, my wife got pregnant and we needed obviously a little bit extra money. And so I started…I got back into the game. After a few years off of restaurant work, I started working for Skillet. And Skillet obviously was that food truck in 2007 that Josh Henderson started. And by 2009, they were about to open up their first diner in Capitol Hill. So I opened that shop with that opening crew and that was a…it was a great part time job. You know, I already had, you know, a decade and a half of experience under my belt. So I came in with a handful of other people knowing how to run a restaurant and how to work that restaurant real well. And that was great. It was a really fun job. But at the same time, I started to do some graphic design for the staff.

I think it started with me doing like a business card for one of the managers. And then Josh saw it and asked me to do a flyer for one of his…some little pop up or something at the time. And so I did a flyer and then he liked it. And then I did another flyer and he liked it. And then I got this idea, I was like, oh, I think I could start to do this more. I had always done graphic design, but never really professionally. So I went to Josh and I convinced him to let me take over all the creative at Skillet. And Skillet was about…you know, it was a couple years old but had just started to kind of break through with this brick and mortar space and they had this bacon jam food line and they were thinking about opening a second store. So they were kind of like growing up. And so I convinced him to let me take over the sort of brand identity and let me kind of rework some things and clean it up and kind of make them, you know, play with the big boys a little bit more.

Of course, I had no idea what I was doing. I just would go home, learn about, you know, read about what a brand guide was and then copy that and then come back and talk to Josh and convince him that I knew what I was talking about. That’s exactly what happened. And I took over Skillet’s brand and started to kind of rework logos and you know, come up with new brand identities and new menus and just all the graphic design elements and merchandise that went along with Skillet in those first couple of years. And that kinda got me on this designer path with him. And then by the end of that year, Josh was, was like, ‘’Hey, I’m kinda done with Skillet. I’m cashing in my chips. This isn’t fun anymore and I’m gonna start a new restaurant group to tell new stories and I want you to come with me.’’

And so he grabbed me and the chef and our PR lady and the four of us basically started Huxley Wallace Collective. And he had a new business partner. And right out of the gate, we had three projects. We had three restaurants to build. First one was Westward, the second was the Hollywood Tavern. And the third was a collaboration-partnership with Cone and Steiner. And so he tells me to show up at this architecture meeting to talk about what Westward is gonna look like. And so I went…that’s basically how I started my restaurant design career is I just showed up and then learned everything I could learn about how to design a space.

And so then I designed Westward with Josh and it was so fun, you know. It was like such a labor of love and it was our first sort of flagship restaurant we were gonna be debuting with this new restaurant group. And it’s just…there’s so much energy behind it. And we had this amazing space on the waterfront and we had such a great story to tell aesthetically. And I just poured my…everything I had into that restaurant. And you know, half of it I made and designed and painted myself and the other half we had collaborated with artists on and it was so, so much fun. And then we opened Westward and it was so busy and got… It was just great energy. I love that very beginning of that space. But that’s really what kind of got me started in doing restaurant design.

Nate: Wow. And how long were you with that group building those restaurants?

Marr: I would think I was with Huxley Wallace for like five or six years. And almost to the end, in a way, they…you know, once we started building, we never stopped building. So we did 13 restaurants together in five years.

Nate Wow. That was a lot. So, and you were involved with the design side of all of those?

Matt: For sure. So, you know, and I just kept inching my way up the ladder to where I’ve learned some more things and then I would convince everyone that that’s the role I needed to be. So I kind of sort of self-proclaimed myself the creative director as a way for me to kind of oversee all creative and aesthetic decisions for the business. So not just designing the interiors and the exteriors of the restaurant and obviously working with architects to make those happen, but the uniforms, the coasters, the website, every piece of copy, every Instagram message, every ad, every tote bag. I mean, everything visual that the guest would see, including the staff, I had a say in.

Nate: Did you ever deal with that imposter syndrome of feeling like, like who am I to be doing what I’m doing? What was going on in your head at that point?

Matt: Yeah. I mean, most of everything I do is I just make it up as you go along. You know, I mean, you’re just faking it. And I would just, for so many months, there would be…I literally wouldn’t know what I was talking about. But I’d go home and learn about it and work it out, practice it, and come back the next day pretending I was an expert in it. And so I did that a lot, but then it just…but it just gets easier and, you know, it feeds off of itself. So, you know, with every event I was doing, or every little, tiny creative project or little editorial I do for a magazine or photo shoot, you know, I just would learn more and more about how to put things together and how to build events better and how to design better.

And of course, once you start building restaurants, you start working with architects and contractors and project managers and all these meetings, you know, they just inform you and you just listen and pick up on what they’re talking about. And so the next time you know how to talk the talk. And so of course every job just got easier that way. And I found, you know, I just would quickly learn about what I liked and what I didn’t like and how to make those things that I wanted happen. But I just, I always think of like my 20s as sort of being in a fog just because of kind of partying too much and just not being focused and not being the man I wanted to be and being frustrated by that. And then once I gained some clarity in my early 30s, everything got easier. You know, everything’s starting to fall into place.

You know, I started to have a family and, you know, work was working out and I just had a lot more opportunities and, you know, just, I just have better luck after I stopped screwing around. Yeah. I mean, you know, I still…you don’t really…we get older and we know some things, but, you know, we really don’t know everything. And, you know, I just had a birthday a couple of days ago and it still feels like I’m 20 years old. You know, I still feel like I have the same big questions. I’m still searching for the man I ultimately wanna be. I’m a lot farther along. I’m way more processed, but, you know, we’re still like children sometimes in our minds and we’re never satisfied with who we are. Ultimately, I think, you know, we could always be better.

I’m certainly proud of myself and I’m proud of, you know, my accomplishments and how far we’ve come. And I’m so proud of my family and my wife and everything she’s worked so hard for, for us. It’s amazing. But yeah, at the same time, it’s like, I do feel like we’re just faking it. We’re getting away with something we shouldn’t be. Like the world’s gonna catch on. They’re gonna catch on that I’m a fraud. We’re gonna see it. But I, you know, I mean, I don’t know. It’s like you just, just try to be truthful all the time and keep going and we’re…you know, be persistent. Don’t give up and just keep working it until it works.

Nate: Yup. That’s good. Well, let’s take just a moment and introduce our sponsor today. It’s a company called TableTop. Are you familiar with them, Matt?

Matt: No, I don’t think so.

Nate: Yeah. So TableTop is leading in the restaurant industry as a low-cost, easy-to-use, all-in-one front of house and back of house restaurant solution. So they include everything from POS and inventory management and supply chain, legitimate AI forecasting, automated ordering, and now a mobile ordering with TableTop ToGo. So whether your restaurant needs a commission-free mobile ordering platform that’s completely turnkey and can be set up quickly or you just want to become more profitable, TableTop empowers you to take back control of your brand and the customer experience from beginning to end. So a question for you, Matt, TableTop, they’re always developing new products to help restaurants become more profitable and solve real problems, what have you seen over your years in the restaurant space that if you had a tech team that worked on your behalf that could tackle a problem that you’ve seen, what would you have them go after first?

Matt: Yeah, I mean I think the big picture is that technology and hospitality, you know, are more intertwined now than ever and will continue to be so. As we figure out ways to meet the customer where they need to be, you know, technology is gonna be our friend and partner in that. Especially for me as somebody who’s doing a fast casual counter service, all-takeout restaurant that does online ordering and eventually delivery, you know, I’m always searching for new ways to connect with customers wherever they are, and it’s usually through their phones. And so certainly we’re in such a fun space right now where restaurants have at any scale can have access to millions of people really quickly. And, you know, thank goodness, for our mobile life.

And as we continue to be more autonomous and requiring less service but still having high expectation, you know, this is where kind of where we’re gonna need to be headed. And so for me, I’m always looking for those new platforms or channels to reach customers in really new and interesting ways that’s still…and I can still convey or I can still share the warmth, the intimacy and this passion that we have for food and sharing food together. So I think that’s definitely something that I’ve been thinking of now more than ever with corona, you have to really rethink like, what is the future of dining and you know, how are we gonna navigate this new normal moving forward. So yes, some interesting stuff going on there for sure. And it’s pretty much everything…all I’m thinking about right now

Nate: For sure. And actually right now TableTop, to address the whole COVID-19 situation is offering a 60-day trial of their mobile ordering platform. So restaurants can start accepting online orders directly commission-free. So there’s no more need for all the delivery tablets with the high commissions, whether you can put all those commissions back into your own pocket. There’s no contracts, no hidden fees, no commitments, just low-cost, easy-to-use, smart restaurant management tools to make your life easier. You can check out, TryTableTop.com and see for yourself.

So Matt, you were just talking about how you, you know, you’ve done all this in this restaurant design world and you know, obviously involved in those restaurants as they were getting going. What was it that created that spark in you to wanna go out and create your own?

Matt: Right. I mean, you know, it’s something I’ve, I think I’ve always had the dream for. I’ve have lots of dreams and lots of passions. And of course, having my own thing is something I’ve been thinking about for decades, right? But you know, I’ve always been in service to others and to other dreamers and that’s sorta how I learned, you know, how to do what I do. You know, like having a child, it’s…you never really think the timing’s right, but you do it anyways and then you just kind of push through it and find yourself on the other side, a decent parent. Same with running a business or opening a business, I mean, it’s almost like there’s never a great time. You just have to take the plunge.

And so, you know, for me, I was not working at Huxley Wallace anymore. I moved on and I had worked for a year or so for some corporation designing some retail spaces and not a big fan of that work environment. Then I was freelancing and doing a lot of freelance work and designing and doing creative strategy for entrepreneurs and other restaurant owners around town and around the country. But again, like freelance, like I was telling you before, it’s so inconsistent. And so I was like applying for jobs at, you know, corporations and nothing was really working out and I just knew I was like, this is not for me, like I am not cut out for office work. I’m getting a little old and tired to be waiting tables. So what else?

And, you know, being a creative director for a restaurant group is, you know, kind of an impossible job. Like nobody’s ever really hiring for that. I certainly invented that position for myself, so I know that it just doesn’t exist. So I didn’t really know. I was like at this place where I was like, I don’t really know what I should be doing. I don’t know how we’re gonna be making any money, but I need to get out of the house and I need a place to go. I need something to do. And so I started to think about the dozens of restaurant ideas that I’ve had and was like, well, what would a restaurant look like that doesn’t require a lot of people to work at it? It could fit into any size space. It wouldn’t cost a lot to open. What would that look like? And one of those ideas, that was teriyaki chicken. It was something that I was like, well, what is something that we all eat but we never talk about? What is a truly Seattle dish that has never really been anointed as such, but what is accessible, what is affordable? And that’s where teriyaki chicken… And who hasn’t made a move on it in years?

So that’s where I kind of landed on chicken last year and I was like, okay, I can…I think this is what I wanna do. I also had a feeling that this year we would be in a recession. And so I had no idea about a pandemic, but I did have a feeling that there might be a…2020 might be a recession year or 2021 might be a recession year. So what would a recession-proof restaurant look like? And it was small. It was under $15 a plate. It was counter service and all take out. Of course, it was in a neighborhood that didn’t have any competition or was in a food desert. It wasn’t supported by Microsoft or Amazon locations or employees.

And so that’s kind of where teriyaki chicken started to really get exciting for me. And I started to kind of start looking for spaces. And keep in mind, I have no money. I have no real savings. I’m just like dreaming at this point. But I’m dreaming and I’m looking at properties and I’m searching around the city looking for little spaces and starting to talk to my colleagues and my friends in the business and getting some support and some encouragement from them and getting some ideas.

And so we’re driving around… And I’m looking at everything outside Seattle because at this point I’m still like, I’m just done with working in Seattle. It’s not the best place to run a small business. And I’m just, I’m more and more convinced that the suburbs is like really where I should be. I need to be where there’s parking lots and where there’s mommy’s and little league teams and that kind of, that density. And I’m not gonna find it in South Lake Union. I’m not gonna find it in Capitol Hill or Belltown or any place with like really high rents and really like sort of punitive permitting and long permitting wait times and all that stuff.

So, but anyways, I live here in West Seattle and I’ve been driving around the city like I normally do, and I keep passing this building every week. And then the light bulb goes off, and I see this building that I’ve driven by hundreds and hundreds of times. And I’m like, oh, I think that might be something I can work with. So there’s this old Pizza Hut that had been vacant for almost a year and just collecting graffiti and looking pretty tired and boring, but it’s on a corner and it has a parking lot and it has an old fashioned big sign on the corner. And it’s a pretty decent sized space and there’s nothing going on and it’s surrounded by housing. So I look into it and it took me about…it took me about a week to find the owner and the broker and I finally get in touch with them and, you know, start to work out a deal. And then the next thing I know I’m like signing paperwork and looking to raise money.

Nate: Wow. So did you go to people that you knew or how did you start raising money?

Matt: Yeah, so I wrote a list down of like 33 people, friends, colleagues, family that I all thought had more money than me. And I wrote a business proposal and I built a deck, a creative deck which I was really good at making at this point because that was kind of my graphic design bread and butter. So I created a really beautiful, slick deck, sent it out, asked for, you know, asked for money and/or possible investors. And I got out of 33 people, I got 32 nos and one yes. And that one, yeah, that one yes was a substantial investment for me at the time, but it certainly was only like maybe a quarter of what I needed. But that got me started. And then the rest I just put on credit cards.

Nate: Wow, you really took the risk and just did it.

Matt: Yeah. And so that investment plus a lot of credit cards and you know, obviously it’s something I don’t recommend everyone doing, but I knew I needed to work really quickly and I knew how to build restaurants cheaply. I was already… I had done… After all these restaurants we had built, every one of them became more and more expensive. You know, it started off at…you know, they would be like million dollars and then $2 million and $3 million and then $3.5 million restaurant build outs. And those are just crazy numbers and you just…I just, at this point, I was like, I’m done with that. Like, what can we do? How can we open a restaurant for like $100,000? Like, what would that look like?

And so we certainly tried that. And you know, this space came with a walk-in cooler and a hood. And I thought I was like, great, but of course, you know, these projects just, they reveal so many more problems than you ever expected. And this was, you know, surely the case too. Like, you know, there’s so many issues and so expensive. But you know, ultimately we, you know, we got this place opened in like four months, four and a half months, and we made it happen and we did it for not a ton of money and not a lot of investors or anything like that.

So, you know, I think West Seattle is such a special community. I’ve lived here for, I don’t know, 11 years now and I love it here. And I think people who live here love it here too. And we’re all very nosy and we’re all very interested in what’s going on in our neighborhoods and when anything new comes along. So even…like right from the beginning, there was eyeballs on the project and the community knew what was happening and was anticipating it opening. So when we opened, we opened really strong and was, right out of the gate, was super busy.

And I had no idea what I was doing. Even though I’ve been doing this my whole life and I’ve been running restaurants and operating them in different capacities and different roles, there’s just…every restaurant I’ve ever opened has been…it’s just different and they’re really hard and they come with so many challenges. And this one was no different except that it was just mine. But we just kept hustling and we just kept failing and getting back up and opening again. And maybe we closed for a day or two and…oh, we closed so many times in the first couple of weeks because we would literally just run out of food and we didn’t have any…I didn’t have enough staff and I didn’t really even have a prep schedule. I didn’t have any of my recipes written down. They were all like written down on like different scraps of paper. And so every day… There was no schedule in the beginning. It was wild.

And we all just worked so many hours, like we were just here from morning, noon and night and then overnight just cooking just to keep up. And so that went on for like a month. And then sort of after that first month we were starting to…you know, I’m going through some people, like I need some better people. I’m listening to some smart people help me out here and there. So things are getting a little easier week by week, but then coronavirus starts to come down and become a much bigger deal than I certainly thought it was. But then something kind of remarkable happened, which was nothing changed.

Nate: Right. So you stayed open at that time for takeout, correct?

Matt: Yes. So we have a small dining room. It had five tables in it. Nobody really ever sat in them except just to wait for their food. So it wasn’t really even being used anyways. All of our food was already coming out in to-go ware anyways, even if you ordered it for here. So we didn’t really have to do anything. I just took those five tables and chairs out, removed the water pitcher and the tea maker and all the to-go ware and put some signs in the window and put in a, you know, a Purell machine and we got hooked up online for online order pickup, for curbside pickup. And that was it. And it was like no lapse in anything. Yeah. And so that’s been kind of how we’ve been rolling this last month and a half through the grace of God and just, you know, this community. We’ve been so fortunate to stay open and to stay steady and, you know, I get to keep nine guys employed with jobs and, you know, we get to make food every day. So all very grateful for that but I have…you know, but I think that we also checked off a series of boxes that needed to be checked off by the consumer in order for that to be an easy choice.

And so that’s kinda like where we’re at, at the moment. So from the very beginning, forming a truly neighborhood community experience was like the most important thing. And so in the very beginning, in the first three or four weeks, I would spend minutes talking to every single customer in line, just getting to know them and asking them where they’re from and are they close and all sorts of stuff. And people would wait for like 30, 40 minutes, you know, for food here and…because basically I just never stopped talking. And I did that for two reasons. One, of course I wanted to meet my customers and introduce them to me and our story and let them know that we’re neighbors too and my kid goes to their kid’s school and all that, but at the same time we were so busy that I needed to sort of slow down how fast people were ordering and give my kitchen some sense of a break in the tickets because the tickets were just coming out of the machine, dropping to the floor and it would just be like nonstop. And so people would just have to wait for forever.

So it was a little bit of a two-pronged strategy there. And I’m sure I think a couple of people got upset with that, but you know, it is what it is. And so I think that’s part of our sort of charm and one of our little secrets to our success right now is just that I just truly deeply care about people and especially the people that come to Grillbird. I’m truly interested in their lives and I want them to be fed and I wanna take care of them. And so from that perspective, it’s like it’s just super crucial that we, that Grillbird is synonymous with local and community and West Seattle neighborhoods. So that’s a huge part. I think our food is super tasty, but I also think it’s priced right. And even though folks still have to wait from time to time a little longer than they expect to, I do think it’s quick and we fall into that kind of fast casual kind of fast food, but good fast food kind of vibe that I think people are into.

Nate: Right. I think it’s pretty remarkable that you first of all had the foresight to see that there could be an economic downturn, but the fact that you designed your restaurant with that in mind and then here to have this happen and you’re still going strong in the midst of this while many other restaurants who were just business as usual, they’re…many of them are closed and obviously some are offering takeout, but they’ve seen such a huge decline. And meanwhile, you just moved a few tables away and you’ve, you know, you’ve still got your core business there. That’s pretty incredible.

Matt: Yeah, I mean it’s bittersweet for sure because, you know, some of these people are some of my closest friends and they’ve shut their restaurant down and they’ve laid off people or they’ve been laid off. So it’s not something I’m proud of in the way that I’m trying to gloat about that. It just is what it is, you know. But yeah, I don’t know. I mean it’s just a right time, right place, right sort of series of dials that were turned and believe me, some of it was intentional and some of it just happened the way it happened.

But now I’m certainly convinced more than ever that for me at least in Grillbird and the future of Grillbird or the future of any restaurant I’m doing, you know at this point it’s gonna be more like what we’re doing here. It really won’t involve tables or chairs. It’s really gonna involve fast takeout, automations, use of technology, delivery, drop off zones, kiosk, like anything that however I can meet the customer wherever they are gonna be now or in the future is what I’m interested in. And how to do that with a great experience of course, right? How do you make…how do you create a great take-home experience? Well, I’m asking myself that question right now, so I’m working on it.

Nate: Wow. So tell us those who are not in the Seattle area, how can they learn more about you and your restaurant? And those that are in the Seattle area, obviously you mentioned your West Seattle, how can they find you and when they do show up, what are your favorite couple of things in the menu they just have to try?

Matt: Sure. So you know, for those not living in Seattle, teriyaki chicken is kind of a thing here. If you’re a longterm Seattleite, you’ll see a teriyaki shop in every neighborhood, every half mile or so. They’re everywhere. There’s hundreds of them. And, you know, it’s for me it got me through my 20s when I was poor. It got me through my 30s. Now I feed my…you know, it feeds my kids. So it’s a thing that I think that we all…we’re all familiar with. It’s generally really affordable and you get a lot of food. And so you know, just like every city has a dish that makes their city, their city, I think Seattle teriyaki is specifically Seattle and it’s certainly done a certain way up here with char grilled chicken and a much sweeter teriyaki sauce and it’s lots of food for a good price.

So that’s kind of what Grillbird’s all about is great value, but also we’re doing a few things differently that others don’t. And, you know, I love the shops. I love all of those shops in town. They’re all good, they’ve all taken really good care of me. So I have nothing bad to say about those guys, but I knew that there’s a few things that we could do differently to meet the modern customer. And one of those is that our sauce is gluten-free. So it’s no big secret. We just use tamari and not soy sauce in the restaurant. So it’s wheat-free tamari and that’s what makes it gluten-free. And you know, we have gluten items on our menu. We’re not a gluten-free restaurant per se. We just happen to have quite a few options, and certainly when I’m designing new items now I’m considerate of our gluten-free and celiac community.

Our chicken is Halal-certified and we can do whatever we want. And so we have some really…I think we have some interesting stuff. Like for instance, we do a pork shoulder teriyaki, you know, which is just a slow, low braised pork shoulder that we finish with teriyaki on the grill. We also do a pot roast teriyaki. Again, another slow, low braised meat dish. Our steak, we sous vide and then grill. And so it’s a really high quality steak. We have a fried cauliflower, which is gluten-free and served with a nori ranch dressing, which I love. So I think we’re trying to stay pretty playful and just kind of doing our thing the way we do it. I wouldn’t say we’re even comparable at all to any of the regular teriyaki shops. It’s just gonna be different. You know, it’s just made by different people. I have a Western style kitchen, I mean, and that all kind of comes through. And ultimately it’s just sort of my food and my style, and I just wanna make yummy food at a decent price for neighbors. I mean that’s it.

Nate: Excellent. Well, Matt, it’s really been great to have you on today. Again, I’m gonna mention our sponsors TableTop, they’re offering a 60-day trial of their mobile ordering platform so you can start accepting online orders directly, all commission-free. Again, there’s no contracts or hidden fees or commitments. It’s just low cost, easy to use, smart restaurant management tools that’ll make your life easier. Again, you can visit TryTableTop.com to activate your 60-day trial today.

Well, Matt, it’s been so great having you on today and I really appreciate you sharing everything you have.

Matt: I really appreciate meeting you, Nate. Thank you.

Nate: Thank you again for joining us today on “The Savory Secret.’’ I’m your host, Nate Ver Burg. We invite you to click subscribe to receive all of the latest interviews from founders as we discuss lessons they’ve learned on starting and growing a thriving restaurant. Until next time, enjoy some delicious food and we’ll talk to you again real soon.

#matt parker #grillbird teriyaki #grillbird #west seattle #entrepreneurship #startup #restaurant

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veronicaaabrown · 3 years

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It’s been almost a year... here are some things That happened… I will be talking through my phone so if anything is incorrect, any run on sentences, anything sounds like shit it’s literally because I am talking to my phone and it is typing this baby out because I just don’t care to write it out to be honest so here we go here are some things that I learned here are some things that happened and I’m just grateful for life overall. Y’all ready?

Not everyone is your friend. People really don’t care for you no matter how much they can try or how much they think they’re doing for you, they can give no fucks.

Secondly, family sometimes is really all you have. Sure they may talk shit about you, not really care about your dreams, not really care about your ventures, tell you to get something that’s practical, and make sure they make you feel like shit when they really want to… But they are literally all I have. And I’m at the point in my life where it’s like I can at least keep that barrier up so that I’m not trampled by the negativity which is way better than having outside energies that you question about, “Friends.” Who say they believe in you but like really don’t believe in you. Which is so fucked up by the way. But to be honest it’s like really fine because I’d rather deal with my families energy then anyone else… And I’m not saying my whole family is like super negative either? What I’m saying is that sometimes energy just isn’t there and that’s what I’m learning and it’s OK ...

AnyWho so let’s recap what happened this year…

I moved back home at the beginning of 2020More like December 20, 2019.. And it was one of the most sad depressing most, agitating feelings I had ever felt in my life. I just never really thought I’d come back home but I’m doing pretty fine now and here I am.

At the beginning of 2020 I was living with my father for like two months maybe? And I got into a huge argument with my brothers and my little sisters mom and that was only because I was fighting for my father & the fact that everyone kind of takes advantage of the situation… And like my father is a kind hearted man am I so a lot of the men in my family.. but sometimes people just take take take and don’t realize what they doing and so I got into a huge argument with my siblings and it was terrible it was one of the worst things that I’ve ever happened to me, the things that were said to me, I felt like I will never forget those things… I’ll never forget how I felt.

Ummm.. another thing that happened was actually amazing was that because I couldn’t find a job at the time before February was over - covxd happened, and to be honest thank you God. I was in so much depression and so much anxiety that all I could ever ask was for the world to stop just for me and because of my situation because of the things I was going through I felt like God made away even though it was the worst way for the world, the earth, humanity, I just felt like I needed a break and I am thankful? That this happened because I needed my world to stop!

As all of the changes were happening I decided to move to my grandparents house as I was supposed to go anyways, like that was the destination I was supposed to be living at… But the way sometimes my grandparents are set up I just kind of scary you know what I’m saying. Sometimes you just can’t do nothing wrong or you’ll be hexed Ha ha ha I’m kidding, no I’m not… And I think the fear of messing up I think the fear of not having my own space I think the fear of not being comfortable really had me fucked up and I’m talking about so fucked up, so fucked up I literally went insane..

I saw myself waking up to heart palpitations, anxiety attacks, not being able to breathe, tight chest, out of air, not be able to think straight, suicidal thoughts that I never thought I’d see after taking some anxiety medication, but I am actually still scared after that... They don’t come up frequently but you know how the brain works if you’ve ever experienced this. I thought this year I literally was not going to make it.. There’s like no jobs in this town and there’s definitely like no big opportunities to make a lot of money compared to when I lived in the bigger city. It was like I was figuring out who I was, as if I had opened up Pandora’s box or some shit and it made me feel like I was literally crazy, like if I was going to submit myself into an insane fucking place, whatever they’re called and I had to pray on this shit because there was no way out of it,. I literally had no idea who I was I was this format of what ever that felt like I was floating in a 3-D world because nothing felt real anymore and that’s because I knew something was wrong with me and I couldn’t figure out what the fuck it was.. it just was a lot in my body and in my soul and I felt like my soul was screaming for help and I felt like there was nothing that no one could do to get me out of it. And so I called onto God. I called onto him and I asked him to help me, I asked him to keep me under his wing basically, And I told him to please take out anyone who could be hurting me in anyway or bringing their energy onto me so that I stay stuck in this bad energy type shit like what the fuck, it was so bad like if I could explain the way I felt if I could explain the way that I looked at the world, as if I was so scared of what was happening in the world but like not because of Covid but because of like the world is actually scary that is what I mean that was what I felt. The greatest metaphor or the greatest comparison that I think would be the movie capital SOUL, the Disney Pixar movie, Yeah that one the part where they go into the depression area where there’s dark souls and stuff .. if there’s anything that could compare to it would be that. It would literally be that. it felt like I was under a spell..

AnyWho after prayer and after Catholic prayer and after prayer of my own… Everything slowly turned around doc to me I felt like God was real because there was no way in hell that I felt like I was getting out of the situation I was if I just keep living my life the way I did. I’m not saying I’m super religious But definitely like, definitely spiritual on all levels for sure. And to be honest like I can only think God for what he has done for me, for giving me back my sanity, for speaking through me and for allowing me to break away from anything I did not serve me. I lost a few friends which, I believe ppl overdue their seasons anyways and I am not the type of person to keep friends for long periods of time.. So def happy that happened ..I was learning about energies and how to maintain my energy and keep my energy positive and it showed and redeem some things that I didn’t really wanna see and realize that I had to actually stop talking to a few other people just because of that… Sorry guys if you ever see this, I just had to do it.

I just wanted to say that I also did start my clothing line amparomerced.com. I also did in fact start content creating again on my personal YouTube & Instagram because I felt like I really wanted to do that and it was just something I always wanted to do since I was like in high school so I’m just continuing to follow the dreams that I know my soul wants and I know that is going to be for me… So I made a whole plan for this year and how I’m going to conquer that and I’m just really excited to tackle it and show you guys what I’m doing and it’s just you guys wow, I think this year is going to be magical.

I also did lose weight this year I think I lost about 30 pounds I am not sure because at the beginning of the year I definitely was like 375, and I am around and under 350 at this point and I only say this because the pictures only makes sense that I could’ve been that big and my measurements but to be honest like I’m just really proud of myself I wish I wasn’t scared to step on the scale In January 20 20 but to be honest like I’m just taking care of myself and I know that I’m on the right path because the weight is dropping off, like hallelujah like we are killing it y’all so.. yesb

Another thing that happened this year was that I found out I had a brain disease? A brain disorder? But basically my brain swells in the back of my head causing Chronic pain and spinal pain, it has a lot to do with my nervous system I guess and it’s called Charrie Malformation, it’s definitely been a lot a lot and not something that I had expected. They found some liquid behind my eyes and determined that it was just something that they would have to take out, I finally went to a Neurologist and he basically told me that I would have to go to MRI and go to a neurosurgeon to see if I was a candidate for brain surgery… So much fun. And this was on the day before my birthday let’s not forget that… But when it turns out the day before Thanksgiving I was declared to not have brain surgery and that even though my size of the brain would be a candidate for brain surgery I would be fine without it because I didn’t have the chronic pain issues as frequently as regular candidates would have so because my back and my neck was hurting it was literally just because of the situation…

How this brain issue came about: This situation became more frequent in my life in December 2018 when I was working at Guess inc. and the reason why I say this is because that was the first time I ever became aware of how my body was functioning, how much weight I was gaining, how much I cannot see at the left side of my eyes, and how much I had changed in being at this job for about less than four months,. The job really did fuck me up to be honest and ever since then I have had this situation happened to me and I was never aware of it prior or never aware of it at all to be honest. stress can really kill you boys and girls It can really fuck you up so make sure you take care of yourselves and quit those jobs that you don’t like because fuck those jobs fuck those people fuck anything else that doesn’t serve you a greater purpose in life and that’s just on PERIODT.

AnyWho back to now.. I live in my grandparents Basement. I’m really grateful for them, I stop looking at life like it was against me and started thinking that life was for me… You know a lot of good things came out of the situation as far as figuring out my health finding out how to control anxiety and depression, figuring out the life that I actually really want to live, and really diving deep into who do I want to be in my lifetime here on earth… Like who do I want to be here, and to be honest I really want to be someone great… I want to live until I’m like 70 or 80 years old just like my great grandmother she was, actually like 93 I think… But I would really love to live a long life like her .. I would really like to grow legacy and I would really just like to not be afraid of life...

Out of all the learning experiences that this year that I’ve learned is that to be honest you can be anyone you want to be… You can have the job of your dreams you can live the life you really want to live and you can grow prosperous and be rich if you really wanted to… And although I live in my grandparents basement and my things are in boxes in barrels and I’m living on their bed that was a spare bed and The things that I have are put into 90 or 80’s Furniture like I am just so happy I have the opportunity to take a step back and really view life the way I can view it now… It’s really not that bad it’s really actually pretty fucking great if you ask me… Because I’m not paying rent and although I had a really cool life before this living in the big city and paid loads of money on rent… at least I’m not like super depressed or dealing with depression anymore, at least I’m like in a good mental health space and my grandparents allowed me to do that by being patient with me… I’m just like truly thankful for them like you guys have no idea and to be honest like if you were ever given the opportunity to move back home, and you think it’s going to be like the worst thing in the world, just do it. It’ll help you grow.

just look at life as it’s like you only have one life and you can change everything about it and in 2021 like that is what I’m going to do… I feel like 2020 give me the opportunity to plant my seeds to plant the life that I always wanted to live to give me a vision to look forward to life to look forward to the things that I never looked forward to before and I think that within this time it has given me The ability to really love who I am really love the skin I’m in and really love the person that I can truly be… And I think at this point in my life is that I am so comfortable with being alone & single that there is no way in hell that anyone can try to make me want to date them unless they have greater access to some higher spirituality shit that’s really going to turn me on and make me feel like yes this is it… Like I really don’t wanna be with anyone and I think that is the greatest lesson that I feel like what? How the hell did I get to that type of level.. Where I felt like I liked myself more than anyone else in this world? Now I think that is powerful… So whoever decides to come my way better level the fuck up because you know what, I will be single for the rest my life if I have to… I would rather fulfill my personal needs and feed into my soul th- someone else’s who can take take take take and never get back and I think that is the most rewarding thing this whole year (2020) has taught me. To be you, be free, and to love who you really are… No matter the good or the bad… No matter how you see yourself, to help people see you, the judgment in the world, it doesn’t fucking matter at all… That was my lesson in 2020… Because the world literally revolves around you.

So to be honest I’m just really thankful I’m just really thankful for everything that I’ve been through… I’m really thankful that I got to learn about myself that I got to open a box full of demons and really FaceTime… And really understand that I was just hiding from myself and that I was just so sad with the way that life I turned out that I didn’t realize that there was a life in front of me waiting for it… I’m just so happy that I have things to look forward to and I can spend the rest of my life, because I will live until I’m like 80 years old, doing the things that I love that feed my soul and that will show me the world it’s not against me it’s working for me in the universe is here we’re just waiting for me to get my ass up… And I did this was the first year in two years that I completed a vision board for what I wanted for my life in 2021, and I feel like for the first time in so long I have so much to look forward to and I’m just so proud of myself and it makes me cry because wow like I got myself out of my head I got myself away from the things that no longer benefited me and I got away from the things that were pulling me down… And I think that is the most powerful thing someone can do for themselves when they feel like the world Is literally over.

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usashirtstoday · 3 years

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Albert Einstein Playing Basketball Art T Shirt

Doing what you did because it was going on it was not going anywhere in a Albert Einstein Playing Basketball Art T Shirt stock touringand that we would just a time to make a nobleand ongoing studio is the same for this be looking each other playing the same lakes in the silly haircuts you know silly had nowand that we elevated friends we known each other since the 15thand onand we got overall the actual fighting the real nitty gritty daddy stuff which had nothing to do or how popular the same popularity meeting Paul was always more pop in the rest of us was going down in the dance hallsand reported income of any big surprise you having the kids so in the gathered up right away so we knew what the score was that but it was that a group it was the music was interesting was important not who was as long as we were going forwardand going somewhere it didn’t matter but all of a sudden there just wasn’t any further progress it was the same O same overand over again I just got like themand eyes that doesn’t work now there are some groups that are quite open in their. Com open release on December 20 January 18 the first ever hostile for hospitals this is a huge life of a cat mayand and Kathy Academyand is well comes that is every 20 seconds getting getting that award consideration Christian Bale rose a month like then foster West studios so great last of the Mohegan to the mass there we to see him back on screen I think this movie will expand the was a very emotional journey for all of the characters coming at this particular tail from very different angles house at all to play I like this trailer gave us Kennedy starting lineup of how everybody’s feeling about the situation the Christian Bale’s character has been tossed into but we don’t know how is to play out I hope that we don’t see any productive promotional material is to give away what the twistand turns his Plaza think there is can be a lot of reconciliationand is gonna be a lot of meeting of the mindsand and journeys of very personal nature here so this is one of the ones it can be on my list as far as Academy award consideration although they don’t let me go to yeah darkness this is a dark grim trailer it took me a minute to even get into watching it because I love slow brooding Westerns the mean if you are alive back then you would be like that site note in the you would be me if we switch to chains like I get to see the parallels with her running with the storyline so is it all star cast can’t buy this an opportunityand I love I love Christian you watch the trailer how did your family feel about you watching the trailer to the last together that’s one of the things people need to realize is that I work for these trailers mean that as a market was was just good news is I like 4 PM I got you with grocery shoppingand everything elseand I’m alive but this morning took my phone to if I miss watching my daughter dropped me about 50 times but I did finish itand I love it right away but by right away thought of 310 to Yuma because of the Christian Baleand foster relationship but then I did absolutely think about last weekand the second so mysterious about underrated performance by him is in heat my comments he laid on the Albertina’s partner in crime so I I love West dutyand I love that he’s gonna be in this film is movie does look darkand does the directory look at his past work you knowand ends another collaboration here’s Christian Bale they know each other well they work together well it some it’s stepping up like slowburn you can tell that for sure but signed me up on the to go going you potentially how they are going to the grocery storeand sit in the car for two minutesand two of the trailer there when you just by yourself I would rather do a carpal video on my dashboard then to actually work store to see Ashley second light I style hostile hostile summary stay with 30 minute I was in there now I feel I was eating hostile hostile sonic boy my own the boy white paper looks really yeah like I feel awful that the board sign Rosenman Pike talking about deathand how she wishes it would come to the Internet were already you is over I was a running time on this to me this could be one of those you know whatever the shooting of the guy by the Coward Robert Ford the way however the assassination of the great were so amazing really work so long I don’t care what you 44 hoursand me good movie I don’t care but slowburn exiting this huge difference might my problem with the murder on your express is that it started I could start up moneyand sort of a really move meand then it got slowand I’m assuming a slowburn aware like investing a boring boringand a slowburn slowburn is like where were leading up to something were getting involved with the help give it takes to three hours to get there that’s fine as long as I’m invested that this was I invested 30 minutes I don’t I don’t mind slowburn to build a just the trailer load builds that dark moodand then as you see the characters are intertwiningand burping at the same time the movie is like a every reflux both my grandparents for her on the 3R movies again spent two minutes but the trailer in the bathroom window in the basketball story that you will finally going to take out years guarantor nimbly elaborate from the movie everything I’ve not been determined currently serving steps for traffic world finding they’re currently right here sign many personae by mean it’s a seam same take before by the love Kung Skyland but I did love Kings of summer which he directed at himand so I think he’s a really great directorand I still think that is more than he canand I want to see it in overtime at that the screenwriter but I was comes the screenwriter I always have to give it really looks for this fileand director by directors awareness can be working with that particular scriptand he’s going to bring a script on South Jordan believes that this script is the one he wants this day wants to write the script themand by that I do believe in him as a directorand I think that can’t Skyland had a lot of problemsand I know that we normally do the judging of the last movie but I’m enough to give them all againand I’m essay that maybe this is the one that he he takes in the second one right Chevy look at his interestand out of you are aware think the dark the writer did go to Miami so that changes your viewpoint I haveand I think that you have called Skylandand I like that movie I really enjoyed watching it I met my issue with each snap was that you didn’t have a whole lot of back story with any of the characters with metal gear solid it is such a immense worldand people love this they love metal gear so the going to show up in full forceand they want a great movieand I can accept anything last Connolly also worked on Jurassic world safety not guaranteed he’s one of the guys who was rumored to be working or doing a treatment of episode nine I don’t think that still happening but I know that he was working addressing profound kingdom to so he’s got some big blockbuster experience writing these think if we can get a little more meat on the bone when it comes to meeting these know your solid characters as opposed as a giant active these I think that’s gonna attract new viewers as well as a hard core metal gear fence I think of case in point is that Jordan Voigt Roberts loves metal gear solid is a big fan you play the game so hearty so doing has relied on the taxesand or Sally had a lot of different game but the days working with the same writer I feel like I like can’t Skyland yes the humans got the short trip Capt. THAT REGARD NEXT IS A COMMENTARY ON WHAT THE COMMUNIST PARTY IS IN THE WAY OF ANOTHER ARTICLE 9 COMMENTARIES ON THE COMMUNIST PARTY SO WE THOUGHT BOTH THESE ARTICLES KINDA GO HAND IN HAND BUT IT REALLY HELPS YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT COMMUNIST PARTY IS ALL ABOUT ESPECIALLY TODAY IN THEIR PRESENT SITUATION NEXT TO ANOTHER VIDEO FROM THE EPOCH TIMES AND DECLASSIFIED AND THIS IS ON THE CHINESE PROPAGANDA OUTLET PAID MILLIONS TO THE WASHINGTON POST AND THE WALL STREET JOURNAL NOW ALL OF THESE PAPERS HAVE SUFFERED SEVERELY WITH THEM THEIR AUDIENCE AND AND BASICALLY VIEWERSHIP AND GOING WAY WAY DOWN AND SO THE ONLY WAY SOME OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS CAN EXIST IS THAT GUY HAVE SUPPORT FROM OUTSIDE MONEY SO ON DEFTLY THE CHINESE HAVE BEEN PART OF KIND OF

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cosmosogler · 6 years

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hi guys. STILL DOING BAD!!!

today i woke up at 8:30. which is not as bad as 9, but not very good. that’s how most of my day went. could have been worse, but that doesn’t mean it was good.

i worked for 5 work sessions and finished one quantum assignment. that’s about 20% of the work i wanted (needed) to get done this weekend. i was working very, very slow even with the self-imposed work session alarms to let me know when to take breaks and stuff. usually i can focus for a few of those before i get tired... i was wiped after one.

i also had trouble getting moving in the morning so i didn’t even get to the department until 12-ish. i got working at 1:30 and then jennica and luis wanted some dinner at 4:30 so we got some chinese takeout. it was decent.

i can’t handle the workload and the tests coming up and the new secret tax plan passing and we don’t know the implications AND net neutrality is being attacked YET AGAIN and whatever the hell else is going on that i forgot because i can’t think of more than three things at once.

my certified organic non gmo dumbass mom put off rescheduling my plane trip for so long that she didn’t get to reschedule it. so i am here doing absolutely nothing an extra day after finals. nice good great fantastic wonderful excellent. i’ll have to reschedule snoopy’s board and i will get to see eve and the other dogs and my grandparents and siblings for one day less while going crazy alone in my apartment for one day more.

also she took a thousand dollars out of my savings account two weeks ago and never put it back. feelin real good about that. that’s a huge chunk of my entire money collection.

i tried to talk to suzanne about how i was feeling, i scheduled a time and everything... then when it came time to talk she just sat in a room with a whole bunch of people. i asked if she was busy and she said she was going home real soon. so i didn’t really... bother.

early in the afternoon she did say i should talk to someone and i let her know that i see five hundred thousand therapists every week. maybe she felt like i had it under control even though i specifically asked her if she had time well after that and she specifically said yes.

how can i possibly be assertive in that situation? “yeah, sorry, i’m gonna need you to put down your work which is due tomorrow, leave this room full of your friends, and pay attention to just me, who doesn’t even know what i want to talk about now that i’m on the spot. just because you said you would earlier.”

she didn’t even bring it up. did she forget...? i brought it up when i asked if she had time before i left that evening.

how am i supposed to open up to these people. they don’t want to hear the details of my life any more. i was talking to jennica and harrison a bit and i mentioned some high school trips around the world i went on and at the end i said “i am specifically leaving out all the details to make it sound like these were positive experiences” and they both said “yeah keep doing that.”

well that was an abridged version of the conversation. it was more like i was getting impatient with jennica interrupting me and harrison not sounding interested at all even though we were talking about travelling i guess and i basically said “i am doing what you wanted me to do” when i wasn’t getting enough of a response.

i feel like i’m going to explode. i thought it might be for the best, it might be healthier if i stopped venting at all times to every single person i interacted with. but now i just feel... hurt and isolated. and when i do what people want, which is either stay positive or ask for time to talk when they have the energy, i don’t get a response at all. or i get the beginning of a response but not a follow-through, which is somehow even more frustrating.

man, i don’t know what to do... i’m absolutely miserable. i can’t seem to pull myself out of this latest drop in mood no matter what i try. i wish i’d gotten to play and relax on friday. i feel like this wouldn’t have happened if that chance hadn’t been taken away from me at the very last second.

but who even knows.

while i was out shopping with mom last week i made the mistake of picking out a new brand of pasta salad since they didn’t have the kind i wanted at target. i made the incorrect assumption that the “pasta salad” section would have pasta salad that you store and eat over a few days and not “hot pasta that you serve immediately with no salad trappings that we are calling pasta salad. because we hate you.”

i’m gonna try cooling it and taking it to school with me tomorrow but i’m glad that i picked up a whole bunch of other lunch supplies this weekend on a hunch it might be a good idea.

trying to scrape up the will to continue but i can’t seem to find any. i know that the more i hesitate the less likely i am to succeed and that makes me feel like i’ve already failed, i don’t even need to take the test to know that. every day i lose to doing absolutely nothing and not moving at all is a day i could have spent catching up, but i am just getting further and further behind because i think i’ll have it sorted out and then some other bs will happen and throw me right back to the bottom of the pit.

it’s SO FRUSTRATING!! AAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!

AND I HAVE NO ONE TO TALK TO ABOUT IT! NOT EVEN A SINGLE ONE OF MY PEERS! I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO HANDLE THIS IN A PHYSICS ENVIRONMENT AND COUNSELORS DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE PHYSICS DEPARTMENT IS LIKE!

THEY SAY I CAN TALK TO THEM ABOUT IT AND THEN DON’T LET ME TALK TO THEM ABOUT IT.

my head hurts. my eyes hurt. my teeth hurt. my jaw hurts. my throat hurts. my shoulders and back hurt even more. i’m getting a cramp between my neck and shoulder again. i can’t get my feet to sit comfortably on the ground. i can’t talk coherently.

i’m so uncomfortable and restless and i have no energy. so it’s not even a useful kind of restless. if i stay up late between now and finals i am going to get sick and not get better before my tests start. i feel like a beetle pinned against the ground on its back under a sadistic middle schooler’s thumb.

that brought back a really unpleasant memory. i mostly associate that brand of sociopathy with christian private schools but it’s not a stretch to apply it to kids in general.

i can’t think of anything positive to say today. i haven’t been able to for a while. i just feel Really Bad in a way that’s very hard to describe. sick but not with a cold. it can feel like a cold but it’s not that.

i want my friends to give me advice but i know that they won’t have much. the people i want to talk to do not have the context and life experience that would help them better understand how i feel and it’s so hard to describe.

the best i can come up with is that you are writing a paper. every few sentences invisible hands will pound on the keyboard and even sometimes write “kill yourself.” but the hands are invisible. where is this coming from? did you write it? do you actually want to kill yourself? if you didn’t want it, why are you writing about it so much? sometimes the invisible hands grab your wrists and you can’t type at all. do you really want to write the paper so bad that you’ll fight these mysterious invisible hands that might just be your own indecision? will you do that every minute of every day? what happens when you sprain a finger? are you willing to fight the invisible nonsense hands to type with a finger that’s not working anyway?

#tw suicide #i use it in a metaphor just a mention

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ayeletgalena · 5 years

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Bris Speech for Gabriel Solomon (Gavi) Galena

“Angels All Around” - Lincoln Square Synagogue 5/30/19

So I was walking to shul this morning and I saw a watch store – with a big watch in the window. I walked in thinking I could get my watch fixed before the bris. The man behind the desk said, “Sorry sir, this is a mohel office – I’m a mohel, my father, my grandfather... in short, we’re all mohels.”

“So you can't fix my watch?” The mohel responds abruptly “No”.

So I ask while leaving, “So why then is there a big watch in the window if this is a mohel office?”

He responds, “And what exactly would you like us to put in the window....?”

Ha, I mean how many times do you get to do a Mohel Joke? I heard Seth Rogen got his start writing mohel jokes.....

----

So anyways, thank you Rabbis, friends & family for being here to welcome our little malach (malach means angel) Dovid Gavriel...

spoiler alert: We’re calling him Gavi…. I like the alliteration in a newscaster voice: “I’m Gavi Galena, The 10 O’Clock News”

….A special thank you from myself and Hindy to the grandparents: Rabbi Reuben Poupko & Mindy, Bobby & Arna Fisher, and my mom Rita Lourie Galena for everything we know you do ...and even more for what we don’t know. It’s so special to have the blessing of grandparents on this special day as our Gavi joins the tribe.

Also to our siblings here and not here: Adina, Sarah, Benj, Isaac and Yael, Avi/Shifra, Tamar/Elliot, Ezy/Chany and Jen/David, Ari/Elyssa and Amy & Ben Fisher, Ben actually here from Chicago, thank you!

I say if the number of Poupko WhatsApps is an indication of love, this kid is set for life.

---

So to talk about our little angel, in Hebrew Dovid Gavriel, in English Gabriel Solomon. I’d like to point to his two great grandfathers - Grandpa David Panar and Zayde Solomon Galena of blessed memory who he is named after.

This is a malach/melech (angel/king) theme – so the names David and Solomon. Two kings, standing beside you right now little Gavi.

First to the Hebrew. Dovid - Hindy’s famous grandpa Dave Panar. Arna’s incredible gentleman of a father who embodied integrity & ingenuity. A mechanical engineer and later professor for over 25 years at the University of Alberta - he specialized in building, fixing and flying aircraft engines. He was trained first during WW2, he later found himself in Israel right before the war of Independence, and Israel had no airforce or fighter planes.

Miraculously, like everything in Israel’s history, out of the sky an Egyptian fighter jet crash lands on the Tel Aviv beach and the Israeli’s thought, heck we might be able to use this plane. In came David, who guided the search for building parts and then eventually figured out how to built Israel’s first fighter plane - The “Black Spit" -- critical to Israel’s success in the War of Independence. He gave Israel their wings.

He went on to become a dedicated, beloved, and inspiring teacher and storyteller, so much like his daughter, Hindy’s mother Arna embodies, through her innovative educational work at Wexner Heritage and the University of Cincinnati. Both giving their students the profound unexpected inspiration, the angelic wings to go out there and soar.

So for Gavi, the wings of Israel were built on the back of your great grandpa David Panar and they are passed on to you little Gavi, to wear with pride, wisdom, strength & courage.

---

The next Melach is King Solomon, My Zayde of Worcester Massachusetts. Basically the exact opposite. He was a big, big guy, with an even bigger Massachusetts accent, and after serving in WW2 he took over his dad’s garbage business and almost everyone in town knew him. He could have easily been cast in the Sporano’s - “Solly Baby!” they would say when he appeared, The Jewish garbage & rubbish man. He cleaned up messes all around town. In fact, my year in Israel I get to yeshiva and when I say my name an older rebbe stands up and says what I hope is some connection to Philly or Twins etc, “Galena? Is your grandfather the famous garbage man in Worcester?” Nachas I never wanted but Galena’s always somehow make a name for themselves.

My dad and our Zayde would always call us “his helpers” -- his literal malachim, surrounding him with love. And I find myself doing the same with my own children, my helpers.

---

Then the final malach - the Gavriel - is the name we added. Gavriel is one of the archangels in the Torah, meaning God is my strength, my courage, my hero.

Funny thing about angels - my son Akiva once saw a Christmas special on TV and asked me about angels, he said so is Santa invisible? I said yes not really listening. Like Moshiach? I turn around um NO. Oh more like Hashem?? NOOO. So anyways I have some educational work to do but you get the point. It’s a weird concept. Angels have one mission? They are invisible? They are holy?

But when you look at who Gavriel is, he is kinda the badass angel. He represents justice, strength might, din.

He is sorta the Fixer, the Michael Clayton, he cleans up messes. But Gavriel is all about the courage to do and fight for what is right. The original Avenger. He burns things down to build things back up.

Side note: Gavriel is also apparently the angel of fire, and since Gavi was born on Lag Ba’Omer we found this a fitting sign for his name. Gavriel’s fire, not like Shimon bar Yochai’s fiery eyes, is often, in the end, used for the good of the story….Like the Dragon in Game of Thrones it can be fire for good (against white walkers) or fire for bad (women children in King’s Landing). Making hindy the mother of dragons..

Here are some Midrashic examples of the angel Gavriel interceding:

-Gavriel is one of 3 angels that visit Avraham after his bris, only to tell him he is off to destroy Sedom -He points Yosef in the right direction of his brothers, only so they can sell him into slavery -He collects the signs Yehuda gave Tamar only so she can confirm his paternity -He castrates Potifar (bris theme) so his wife needs Yosef, only to throw him in jail -He knocks out all the maidservants so Batya can pull out baby Moshe from the basket - He pushes baby Moshe’s hand to choose the burning hot coal instead of the gold, only to cause lisp -He puts a tail on Vashti so she cant come out for Achashveirosh,

There are many more. It’s wild. Angels are nowhere and everywhere. And all these instances seem bad or painful, but in the long term ended up being the most critical pivot in our Jewish narrative.

And I ask myself - how many angels have done minor redirects in our lives? I turn left not right, meet this new person or see this old face. How many angels are in this beautiful shul alone listening.

What I call Invisible Interventions. Little things change the course of the story. The faith in seeing the long of the story. This is the Gevura.

As the famous question around this time asks: Why is the chapter about Har Sinai next to the laws of Shmita? What’s one have to do with the other?

Because real strength is not just doing all the mitzvot- it’s the faith in waiting, holding off, the perseverance of staying the course for a year - and for some, many years. I think about on a personal level: How many needles, doctors, IVFs, retrievals did Hindy go through for this baby to get to this very moment? How many angels intervened? To believe that holding strong, come what may, is a real strength.

Azeh Ho Gibor? Hakovesh et yitzro... When do we feel most holy like angels? at the end of Yom Kippur, by holding off, by not eating. Neilah we are like angels. It’s the holding off that allows us to soar.

In our story - If our son Akiva represents comfort from loss, and Talia our blessing, Gavi represents our return of being fearless. The courage to continue. To move forward.

We have been blessed to be surrounded by angels on all four sides, as the song goes, with Rafael healing and comfort behind us ...and now Gavriel by our side.

And as I think we can all feel in this room, if we close our eyes – V’al Roshi, V’Al Roshi - Shechina’s Kail, God’s presence, embracing us holding us, like a Rabbi Poupko classic bearhug.

---

One final interpretation of angels is in Pirkei Avos, and with this, I’ll close, it says that with each and every prayer or good deed a person does, you create an advocate, an angel. Angels are created by doing good.

And what seems like yesterday, with the loss of our first star, angel Ayelet, still burning bright guiding us – like the torch of Lag Ba’omer...I don’t know the number of angels/advocates created by each of you here and our Ayelet Nation beyond – you have gotten us this far, your prayers/deeds were advocates - and with the new strength of our new little helper Gavi, I know we will continue to shine.

May we all be zocheh today, tomorrow to go out there and keep creating angels… for ourselves, for others, and for our community - bimhayra vyamenu amen.

#Dovid Gavriel #Ayelet Nation #GaviGalena

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alixzin · 7 years

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Right you're going to regret unleashing my prompting because I have 31 OF THEM (I'm really very sorry) a whole bunch are cliched but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ , as you said. Please tell me to fuck off 1. Meeting the cast, take 2. Does he meet them individually or all together? 2. Alex is being bullied at school. Does he fight back or not? Does he tell Lin and V or try to hide it? 3. Alex struggles to make friends because of his attachment issues. 4. Alex does make friends but worries about telling them who his foster family are. (alternatively he tries to hide the fact that he’s a foster kid at all) 5. Maybe it takes a while for them to find the right therapist? 6. Alex actually IS embarrassed by Lin. 7. Alex struggles to gain weight. 8. Legal drama arises with a past foster parent. Maybe they’re brought up on charges for the sexual abuse? 9. Family vacation. Would a beach bring up bad memories? Would Alex hate flying or be totally glued to the window the entire way over? 10. Alex struggles with casual money use because he’s used to having to scrimp and save. 11. Meeting the grandparents 12. Meeting the cousins/aunts and uncles 13. The press learns the Mirandas have a foster kid. 14. Lin starts getting asked about Alex in interviews and SHUTS THAT SHIT DOWN 15. Discussion of the London move (maybe Alex thinks they’re going to leave him behind?) (not sure how foster system works but would they have to jump through lots of legal hoops to be able to take him with them? (Vanessa and her lawyer knowledge) 16. Alex comes to a performance and gets totally star-struck by a VIP (alternatively Lin is totally star-struck by a VIP but has to play it cool because his kid is there) 17. Animal-assisted-therapy (apparently helps a great deal with survivors of sexual assault?) 18. WHITE HOUSE VISIT. 19. Parent-teacher meetings (do you have to do that for the age group you teach lol?) 20. Tony awards/Grammy awards etc. Does Lin mention Alex in his raps/sonnets/teary speeches? If not why? 21. Alex gets twitter or something and posts something he shouldn’t (pic of Seb/script page/private comment) cue angry Lin. 22. Alex has to get an MRI when he gets a proper prescription for his migraine meds. 23. Vanessa and Lin deciding they want to foster 24. Obligatory first meeting with Alex fic 25. Alex learning to trust the Mirandas with regards to touch (maybe like a 5+1 type thing?) 26. Lin introduces Alex to some of his favourite music/movies/books/shows and Alex HATING it. 27. Alex opens up to Lin and V about his past abuse. 28. Taking Tobi for a walk 29. Various occasions- birthdays/holidays and the like 30. Alex starts to gain some independence (getting to school on his own and the like) 31. Awkward Safe Sex talk

all-the-worlds-a-fandom

Prompt responses. Not any stories yet, just bouncing ideas around. I know that I work best when I can discuss my ideas first. Once a lifetime ago (okay, not really but being a teenager feels that way) I wrote a 22 chapter fanfic novel with 2 other authors. The experience was incredible. Pretty much everything I know about writing was learned from that collaboration. Basically, it consisted of writing a small piece, sharing it with the other two and then spending hours discussing it and what comes next via the comment section with these two strangers. Looking back, I can’t even say it was my best work, but it was creativity at its finest.

2. He would hide it. Alex would so hide it! I think how he’d react would be a bizarre contrast between little Alex putting his head down just taking it and overreacting/ lashing out big time. I’m picturing the inside out characters fear and anger (still haven’t seen it) fighting over lead control on this one. I imagine this would just egg the bullies on since not knowing which reaction they were going to get this time would add to the fun of it. I’m not picturing physical bullying, just a constant wave of low level taunts and harassment.

3. Yes! One thing I don’t want to do is go the route, that like everyone has done, where Alex quickly has a close group of friends (Laurens, Mulligan, Lafayette, Schuyler sisters). It’s adorable, but already well explored. I am much more interested in the idea of Alex being very isolated and alone in the world. Like I could see one of the reasons Alex and Lin are so close is because Lin is Alex’s only friend.

I’m very charmed by the idea of Alex becoming friends with Chris Jackson’s son whose a few years younger than Alex and has autism. Lin and Chris are best friends so it makes sense their families would spend a lot of time together. I can picture the two boys hiding in the corner together at a cast party, both overwhelmed by all the people and noise for different reasons. I can see it taking Lin a while to acknowledge that with all of Alex’s combined issues, he’s also a special needs father like Chris, but once he does becoming even closer to his friend from having this is common. Maybe there’s a moment at the party watching the two of them together and coming to this realization. (note though that I would only ever write about their interactions observed from a distance, or mentioned in passing, since writing fanfic about a real life child is so crossing the line) I can also see Lin just aching for Alex to have a friend.

4,6,13,14. It will take him awhile but once he starts forming the beginning seeds of friendship this would be a big issue that derails his attempts. Especially with Lin’s overnight celebrity status that comes from Hamilton. Since Alex coming to them when the show is still in development I can see this becoming a major plotline. Lin starts getting recognized on the streets of NYC all the time when he’s out with Alex and it freaks him out. It becomes a thing that Alex is constantly ducking out of the way for selfies, but people also start taking creepy photos of them from a distance and posting it to the internet. Questions start to arise about who this teen is that looks just like LMM. When asked by fans Lin dismissively says he’s a relative, so initially the thought is that Alex is his nephew, but as Alex starts popping up more and it comes out that he’s living with him the circulating rumor is that Alex might be Lin’s bastard child from a prior relationship (since they look so much alike) and that Lin might have knocked up a gf in college that he recently got custody of. People become extra curious because Lin is always tweeting about his life and sharing photos, but Alex is never directly mentioned which seems suspicious. Lin’s super protective and does not want to let on that Alex is a fosterkid. Any press questions about Alex and the interview would be shut down. He knows the press would have a field day with that story, but at the same time the various circulating rumors start to become very harmful. I also know that in the state of New York it is perfectly legal for paparazzi to take photos of celebrity kids (while it’s illegal in California) which starts to become a problem for Alex. Just to add to the mess, social services starts to question if the Miranda’s are a suitable placement given all of this. Oh boy…

5. Honestly because he’s Hamilton I don’t think he’s ever going to fully open up to a therapist. No matter what they do or which new person they try Alex just keeps on glaring and refusing to talk. Eventually they all realize that it’s currently a waste of time, but since social services is requiring it they keep bringing Alex to his weekly sessions. Maybe after a couple years of this Alex will finally break?

7. Conversation coming back from doctor’s appointment weigh in:

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I know that wasn’t nearly enough. I really am trying, I swear. I’ll do better though, promise. I’ll make you proud next time.” Alex is bordering on hysterical, crushed by the look of disappointment on Lin’s face when he saw the numbers on the scale. He hates letting him down.

“Alexander I’m not mad at you, kid.”

“You’re not?”

“No! All this means is we’re stopping for a big serving of ice cream on our way home.”

9. Maybe on a family trip to Puerto Rico? Yeah, I don’t think Alex would do well with the beach, especially in an environment so close to Nevis. I can just see him standing frozen right on the edge of where the ground meets the sand, refusing to take a step further. The whole family is dressed and ready for a fun day on the beach and Alex won’t move. Lin and Vanessa are baffled since the exact details of what happened to him with the hurricane are fuzzy in his report. Alex and the ocean have some major trust issues to work out. If the ocean was a character like in Moana they would need couples counseling. If they stayed in a beachfront resort they’d end up having to switch to a room that *wasn’t* ocean view.

15. This has been in the back of my mind for a while now. I’ve gone as far as to research it a bit and prior court permission is required before even taking a foster kid out of state. Out of the country trips are allowed, but requires a lot of advance planning and paperwork, and an extended time would not be well tolerated. They would probably have to fast track an adoption or legal guardianship (a step between fostering and adoption, I have a friends Mom whose done this with a child of distant Native American decent who could not legally be adopted outside of their tribe) to make it happen. But Alex might not be legally free to be adopted because it can’t be proven that Alex’s dad might not come back into the picture later. Meanwhile they are trying to keep all these legal proceedings a secret from Alex so he doesn’t stress over it, but then Alex reads online that Lin has been cast in Mary Poppins before they get a chance to talk to him about it, and becomes convinced he’s getting left behind. He would probably sit on this for a good week or so before saying anything. Later when it’s looking like it’s not going to go through Lin is ready to turn down the role and Alex feels horrible. This is angst extreme!

18. I just love the image of Alex tagging along shyly behind Lin at the white house. But it’s sure going to take a lot of convincing to get him to come…

19. Yes, I do! I’ve given some thought into the process of Alex needing to be placed on a special plan (like a 504 plan for his panic attacks and migraines since they are affecting his ability to function at school). This is the definition of writing what I know! It can be a tough process and I can see Alex (and initially Lin) being resistant to having any kind of association with special education.

Written weeks ago:

Alex’s mid-term report card leaves him dumbfounded. It’s not even the letter grades themselves, averaging C’s with a splattering of B’s and Ds). It’s the comments that shock him:

“Multiple missing assignments, falling behind, risk of failing, does not complete assignments, frequently misses class, clearly very bright, not living up to potential, work completed brilliant, lazy.”

This is not his Alex. Alex who Lin constantly finds knee deep in schoolwork. Alex who stays up far later than he should reading. Alex who frequently needs to be forced to take a break from his writing. Did they get him mixed up with another Alexander Hamilton?

Some digging reveals that Alex often skips class when feeling especially anxious or having a panic attack or avoiding other students. He hides in the bathroom. He also gets lots of milder headaches which makes it hard to get class assignments done. Also, Alex flat out refuses to participate in group projects.

After talking to all of the teachers a theme emerges: all homework, extended individual assignments and tests Alex excels in. He’s doing horribly in participation points, groups projects and in class assignments. How well he’s doing is proportional to how much weight these items carry in class. Classes where tests and essays make up the bulk of the grade Alex is doing well in. Classes where the opposite is true Alex is bombing.

20. “Sebastian and Alex, Daddy’s bringing you home a Grammy.” That’s all I’ve got so far, and it might be changed, but it’s cute. I think it’s a given that Alex refuses to come to any of the award ceremonies, despite multiple offers.

22 I’ve been throwing this idea around as well (it’s already been eluded to in the stories). When I was Alex’s age I had, like, all of the brain related tests done. I thought the MRI was super cool, but I can see anyone with claustrophobia or trust issues (a cage like thing is placed over your head to keep it still and the machines quite loud) freaking out. EEGs sucked! I had to stay awake for 24 hours with no caffeine beforehand and then they torture you with flashing lights and weird breathing and such. Then my teenage self got all hysterical about all the glue in my hair because I was so exhausted my emotions were all out of whack. I’m already feeling bad for Alex (and Lin) thinking about how I’m going to use this memory to torture him.

24. Since our first discussion I have come up w/ a few ideas that haven’t been done before, but I’m keeping those to myself for now. We’ll see what happens.

New problem: what do I tackle first?

#feedback please!#fosterdadlin #Alex and Lin verse #writing ideas #toomuchfreetime

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itsfinancethings · 4 years

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Rep. John Lewis, the longtime Georgia Congressman and icon of the Civil Rights movement, died after a battle with pancreatic cancer, it was confirmed late Friday. He was 80.

His death represents the end of an era, not only for Congress but for the country as a whole. A survivor of Alabama’s “Bloody Sunday” massacre in 1965 and a protegé of Martin Luther King Jr. who would ultimately inspire Barack Obama to enter public office, Lewis was one of the last living leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. A member of Congress for more than thirty years, he channeled all he had learned from his fight for equality as a young man into empowering youth and minority communities and encouraging activism. After the election of President Donald Trump he became, in his mid 70s, a self-defined active leader of the resistance movement, boycotting the 2017 inauguration and delivering an impassioned speech on the need to impeach the President last October.

“He was known as one of the most dedicated, principled, courageous Civil Rights activists of all,” Clayborne Carson, a historian and Director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University, told TIME. “There were a lot of people who I apply those adjectives to, but I think he exemplified them as well or better than anyone else.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi confirmed Lewis’s death in a statement, saying, “Today, America mourns the loss of one of the greatest heroes of American history: Congressman John Lewis, the Conscience of the Congress.

“John Lewis was a titan of the civil rights movement whose goodness, faith and bravery transformed our nation – from the determination with which he met discrimination at lunch counters and on Freedom Rides, to the courage he showed as a young man facing down violence and death on Edmund Pettus Bridge, to the moral leadership he brought to the Congress for more than 30 years.”

Lewis’ death came months after he was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer in December 2019, which his office said was discovered during a routine medical visit. “I have been in some kind of fight – for freedom, equality, basic human rights – for nearly my entire life,” he said in a statement announcing his diagnosis. “I have never faced a fight quite like the one I have now.” Although he soon began treatments in Washington, he did not shirk his duties, both to Congress and the fight for equality. In March 2020 he returned twice to Selma, Alabama to commemorate the 55th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, where he reiterated the importance of voting—a right for which he had almost been killed fighting for half a century ago. “We must go out and vote like we never, ever voted before,” Lewis told a cheering crowd. “I’m gonna continue to fight. We need your prayers now more than ever before.”

Those sentiments illuminate how, in a sense, Lewis’ life is a microcosm—albeit an extraordinary one—of the evolution and struggles of African Americans in the second half of the twentieth century in the United States. Born in 1940 in Troy, Alabama to the son of sharecroppers, he came of age in the heart of a region where legalized racial inequities deemed him a second-class citizen from birth.

But the treatment he received only imbued him with a sense of determination to change things, an outlook largely shaped by observing the activism of his idol: Martin Luther King Jr. Lewis first met King in 1958 as an eighteen-year-old. Frustrated by his education in segregated schools, he had applied to all-white Troy University but had not heard back. He sought the advice of King in a letter, who promptly booked him a ticket to Montgomery to discuss his plight and whether he should push for admission to Troy University in an attempt to integrate his hometown’s institution. He had been inspired by King’s activism leading the Montgomery bus boycott, which took place less than 60 miles away from Troy, and frequently listened to King’s sermons that were broadcast on the radio for inspiration.

“I had grown up in rural Alabama very, very poor. I saw signs that said White and Colored…And I would ask my mother, my father, my grandparents, “Why? Why is that?” And they’d say, “That’s the way it is. Don’t get in trouble. Don’t get in the way.” But that day, listening to Dr. King, it gave me the sense that things could change,” Lewis wrote in LIFE Martin Luther King Jr.: 50 Years Later, a tribute to King half a century after his 1968 assassination.

William Lovelace—Express/Getty ImagesJohn Lewis (second from left) joins American civil-rights campaigner Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife Coretta Scott King in a march from Selma, Ala., to the state capital in Montgomery on March 30, 1965.

Path to Civil Rights

Despite King’s assurances of support if he were to take legal action against the University, Lewis did not move forward because his parents were concerned it would endanger them. Instead, he went to Tennessee for college, graduating from American Baptist Theological Seminary in 1961 and later receiving a bachelor’s from Fisk University in 1967. Both universities were almost entirely African American.

During his time in the seminary Lewis began attending lectures on non-violent protests by James Lawson, a Civil Rights leader who was at the time a graduate student at Vanderbilt University. Inspired by Lawson, he started participating in sit-ins at lunch counters in Nashville, which began shortly after the famed sit-ins in Greensboro, North Carolina. It was during these sit-ins that Lewis was first arrested.

In 1961, Lewis also joined the group of inaugural freedom riders traveling from the East Coast to the South while challenging interstate segregation. He was arrested in Birmingham and beaten at a bus stop in Montgomery, but neither event deterred his future involvement in the movement. Within two years, he had ascended to the leadership of the Civil Rights movement, chairing the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which helmed the movement’s student activism. He went on to become the youngest person to speak at the March on Washington in 1963. “How long can we be patient?” a young Lewis told the throng of thousands gathered in the nation’s capitol. “We want our freedom, and we want it now.”

Speaking to TIME in 2013 for the 50th anniversary of the March, Lewis recalled how he was struck by the significance of the moment at the time. “I stood up and I said to myself, ‘This is it,’ ” he recalled. “I looked straight out and I started speaking.”

In March of 1965, in the midst of his tenure chairing the SNCC, Lewis was beaten by law enforcement while on the front lines of the 50-mile march from Selma to Montgomery to push for voting rights, in an infamous episode that came to be known as “Bloody Sunday.” King had planned to stay in Atlanta because aides feared for his safety, TIME reported in a cover story at the time. So Lewis and Hosea Williams, another civil rights activist, led the hundreds of marchers trying to reach the Edmund Pettus bridge. “We’re not going to jump,” Lewis later remembered telling Williams. “We’re not going back. We’re going to move forward.” And that’s what we did.”

They were quickly greeted by law enforcement officers, some on horseback, others holding clubs, all ordering them to halt. “Turn around and go back to your church!” State Police Major Cloud shouted into a bullhorn. ‘You’ve got two minutes to disperse!”

The marchers stayed put, and the troopers unleashed tear gas and starting beating them. Lewis sustained a fractured skull and was hospitalized. “I thought I was going to die on that bridge. I thought I saw death,” he recalled 50 years after the march, speaking at the Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church in Selma, which had sheltered him after the violence. “I don’t recall how we got back across that bridge, back to this church…but I refused to die.”

Despite his injuries, Lewis joined King and the other activists who resumed the march two weeks later to Montgomery. The National Guard accompanied them to ensure their safety. Less than five months later, then-President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law, banning racial discrimination from voting practices.

Lewis stepped down as SNCC chair in 1966, but he would go on to help legislate the change he championed. As Director of the Voter Education project from 1971 until 1977, he registered four million minorities to voter rolls until then-President Jimmy Carter appointed him Associate Director of the Federal Volunteer Agency ACTION.

Legendary Lawmaker

His advocacy for equal rights ultimately led him to the political arena, where he spent the final chapter of his life. After running unsuccessfully as the Democratic nominee for Georgia’s fifth district in 1977, he was elected to serve on the City Council in Atlanta. In 1986, he prevailed in his quest to serve as Congressman, defeating former State Representative—and fellow civil rights activist—Julian Bond in the runoff for the Democratic primary, and subsequently prevailing in the general election. He held this role until his death.

Known as “the conscience of Congress,” Lewis was respected, if not revered, by members on both sides of the aisle, a rare feat in today’s polarized environment. It was not uncommon for freshmen lawmakers of all stripes to be star-struck as they met Lewis for the first time.

The leadership skills Lewis learned at the height of the Civil Rights Movement lent themselves well to his roles in the Capitol. At the time of his death, he was the senior Chief Deputy Whip for the Democratic Party, and a member of the House Ways & Means Committee. In 2016, in the aftermath of a shooting at an Orlando night club that left 49 dead, he led his colleagues in a 25-hour sit-in to force Republicans, who controlled the chamber at the time, to vote on gun control after lawmakers had been dismissed. “The American people are demanding action,” he said at the time. “Do we have the raw courage to make at least a down payment on ending gun violence in America?”

Lewis’ leadership also displayed itself prominently off the floor. For years, he accompanied politicians from both sides of the aisle to Selma to ensure the power of “Bloody Sunday” would remain in the public’s memory. And when Lewis spoke, his colleagues usually listened — even if his views and choices diverged from their own. In 2008, when Barack Obama’s candidacy was still a long shot, Lewis announced he was switching his endorsement and backing the Illinois Senator over Hillary Clinton. The move was seen as crucial to cementing Obama’s support among African American members of Congress, who would be key to his victory over Clinton.

Lewis reflected on the significance of Obama’s presidency in an interview with TIME before the 2009 inauguration. “When we were organizing voter-registration drives, going on the Freedom Rides, sitting in, coming here to Washington for the first time, getting arrested, going to jail, being beaten, I never thought—I never dreamed—of the possibility that an African American would one day be elected President of the United States,” he said.

In 2010, Obama awarded Lewis the Presidential Medal of Freedom—the nation’s highest civilian honor.

Doug Mills—The New York Times/ReduxBarack Obama, Amelia Boynton, right, Rep. John Lewis and the President’s family lead a march toward the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., on March 7, 2015, 50 years after “Bloody Sunday.”

Lewis was married for 44 years to Lillian Miles, who died in 2012. They have one son, John Miles.

Throughout his life and career, Lewis remained steadfast in his dedication to Civil Rights—and wrote eloquently about his worldview in an op-ed for TIME in 2018.

“I heard Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. say on many occasions, ‘The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.’ I still believe we will get there,” he wrote in a quote he repeated while speaking out after the death of George Floyd. “We will redeem the soul of America, and in doing so we will inspire people around the world to stand up and speak out.”

#IFTTT #Blogger

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thecooksjournal · 4 years

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Magazine Interview

A few years ago I was approached to do an interview for a food magazine which never got published.

If you are interested you can see the unedited interview below:

***********************************************

Peter Alton is a Food & Beverage Buyer within the Hospitality Industry. He is a trained Chef and self-confessed foodie who has worked in the industry for over 30 years. He is also a keen runner who has completed over 25 Marathons for Breast Cancer Charities.

Tanya McCloughan asked the questions.

TM. Where did your love of food come from?

PA. I firmly believe my love of food came from my Grandparents who really gave me my passion for trying new things. As a child I was brought up eating home-grown and home-cooked foods. Both my Mum and Nan were good cooks and to this day I still have some of their recipes. My Dad was a Chef so it must be in the genes!

TM. So were you always going to be a Chef?

PA. Not really, at school I was not sure what I wanted to do. Catering College was always an option and as I liked food it seemed the obvious choice.

TM. Did you enjoy College?

PA. Looking back I absolutely loved it. I went to Highbury College in Cosham which was one of the best Catering Colleges in the UK at the time. I was one of the first students in the new catering block so everything was shiny and state of the art. Well state of the art for 1981 at least! It was extremely hard work. There was so much to learn and the pressures were enormous but I managed to last the full 3 years.

TM. You say last but didn’t you finish with a Distinction.

PA. I did but I was lucky. I really enjoyed both the practical and theory elements of the course so that made it easier. I was also learning alongside some very talented people. We helped each other through some tough days.

TM. How was it tough?

PA. Generally the practical side of College was meant to replicate the stress of a modern kitchen. Therefore we were put under enormous pressure to produce dishes on time and to the required standard. The practical exams were intense and extremely complicated so coming through with any sort of pass was a special achievement. Looking back it was character building but at the time it was extremely frightening.

TM. Did you feel equipped to face the industry at the end of your 3 years?

PA. Yes and no. I had learnt a lot and had a good grasp of the basics but I was still only 19 and the industry was big and scary.

TM. Your first jobs were in London?

PA. Yes, I was lucky enough to work as a Chef in the Café Royal, Claridges and Langan's Brasserie with Richard Shepherd which at the time was the best place to eat in London.

TM. How did you find working as a Commis Chef as part of a large brigade.

PA. I was very much at the bottom of the ladder so it was incredibly tough and exhausting. I was working very long hours and not seeing daylight for days at a time. It was not glamorous at all but it taught me a great work ethic. I also got to work alongside some truly great Chefs. I was constantly watching and learning so it was really an extension of my time at college.

TM. So how did you come to move away from a career as a Chef?

PA. Like many Chefs I became disillusioned with the business. I loved the food, loved the people but hated the unsociable hours and the poor pay. I was bright and a quick learner so I gradually moved to the front of house.

TM. Where did your career take you?

PA. I initially worked in the retail side of the business as part of a large supermarket chain. I then moved on and had jobs in charge of restaurants and food operations in the travel sector for the cruise and ferry industry. For the last 18 years I have been working on the Procurement side.

TM. What does your job entail now?

PA. I am a Food & Beverage Buyer in the Cruise Industry. My job involves sourcing and supplying a myriad of food and beverage products for the major Cruise Lines. One day I can be sourcing caviar the next day it will be containers of grapefruit. I am buying products for some of the best quality restaurants in the world so getting the best balance between price and quality can be a real challenge.

TM. Do you miss being a Professional Chef?

PA. Well I am still a Professional Chef. If you mean do I miss working as a Chef in the industry then the answer is yes. However my career has taken me on many paths and I have worked with many wonderful people who I am still in touch with. I enjoy my job as it gives me the best of both worlds; working with food and spending time with my family.

TM. Do you cook at home?

PA. Yes. One of my favourite things is cooking for my wife and son. I see the same passion in his eyes that I had at that age. He has a healthy appetite and a good understanding of food and where it comes from.

TM. Would you like him to follow in your footsteps?

PA. First of all I would like him to be happy. If that involves food then I guess it would give me some satisfaction but as long as he chooses a career path that gives him pleasure I will be happy. Being rich and successful is one thing but money can never truly buy happiness.

TM. As a Chef what food do you eat at home?

PA. My wife is from the Philippines so we eat a mixture of Asian and European. One day we may be eating Cottage Pie the next it may be Adobo. Simple food with good flavour always appeals to me.

TM. What is your favourite meal?

PA. I love Sushi because it is so simple. The subtle flavours really appeal to me. I enjoy all Asian food; Vietnamese Noodles, Cantonese Dim Sum and Congee and Filipino Adobe are my real favourites.

TM. Do you have any guilty pleasures?

PA. Ketchup and Salad Cream but don’t tell my College Lecturers. In Hong Kong my guilty pleasure is their famous Egg Tart and in the Philippines it is Jollibee a franchise fast food chicken chain similar to KFC in the UK. They serve the Aloha Burger a Hawaiian style burger that I simply cannot resist.

TM. Do people assume as a Chef you like fancy food?

PA. Very much so. People are often afraid to cook for me because they assume I will be critical. In truth the simpler the food the more I like it. In fact my favourite ever meal was in Hong Kong at the airport. It was a simply Foo Yung dish which was essentially scrambled eggs with a few spring onions and shrimps. It was almost orange in colour because the eggs were so fresh. It was so simple but absolutely delicious.

TM. Who are your Food Heroes?

PA. Unquestionably Anthony Bourdain and Marco Pierre White. I like people who appreciate simple food. If you don’t get the basics right then you are never going to make a great dish. I also like people with strong opinions on food and people who are not afraid to speak their mind.

TM. These two aside who would your top six dinner guests be?

PA. This is hard but definitely Adam Ant and Stephen King as music and literature have been constant in my life since my childhood. If I had to choose other guests then Eric Cantona, Eddie Izzard, Jonny Wilkinson and John Lydon would be my choices.

TM. You mention Eddie Izzard did he inspire your marathons?

PA. Yes he did. I lost my Mum to Cancer in 2008 and shortly after I watched his Marathon Man documentary. Seeing his achievements as a non-runner inspired me to give it a try.

TM. You actually ran 25 Marathons in 2 years which was and is quite special.

PA. I was pretty lost after my Mum passed away. Running was my way of coping. I raised £8,000 running 25 marathons in just over 2 years for various Breast Cancer Charities. It was tough as I really was a non-runner. At first I couldn’t even run a mile. I am paying the price now as my legs have never fully recovered.

TM. That is impressive. Do you still run?

PA. Not as much as I should? I run for fitness but one day I may run another Marathon. My name is still in the London Marathon Ballot so who knows.

TM. Good luck with that. Thank you so much for your time and for talking to us it is really appreciated. I am sure you will be an inspiration to all our readers.

PA. You are very welcome.

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m4sherman · 5 years

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Ladies and Dale

It has truly been and honor and privilege working for you and in this building .

Thank you for letting me feed you guys I truly appreciate you. When I first started helping out this building back in 2012 it was not my home , when they needed help again in 2013 it still didn’t feel like my home but when the opportunity came in June of 2014 I jumped at it . I worked 80 to 90 hours a week coving the kitchen the desk doing care and cleaning the bathrooms and picking up furniture and moving in residents and even to do cpr. Over the years I learned more about my self and who I really was, when other buildings needed help I was there . Iv’e covered buildings from Connecticut to Baltimore while still maintaining the food order and posting the menus here, I’ve covered Hamilton and Florence and Deptford Cherry Hill Echelon and Voorhees and helped out in many other buildings when the dsds were out on vacation or terminated only with the mind set and determination of putting the residents first and everything will be ok.

Over the years I’ve picked up a few things and learned a lot about food and the nursing related stuff that we deal with every day. Being a chef for ten years in this field really changes the way you look at things and how you feel. I was once a mechanic who ran a bike shop that had a dream of owning his own restaurant, I always cooked as a little kid and I learned from my mom and grandmothers . I didn’t take food seriously until my Ex girlfriend needed to go on dialysis and be on a renal diet .During cooking school in 2008 I interned with Phillies but unfortunately the hours and the commute didn’t work all the time for me, so I picked up hours with shoprite as a chef and a few local bars and restaurants by the summer of 2009 I started working with Sunrise as a part time cook. In December 2009 I was working three jobs and I would take all the hours I could get , my dsd asked me if I could cover the morning shift because the next day we were expecting snow, I offered to stay over because I knew the other cooks and serves were not going to come in and he accepted and then every time it snowed I stayed. I think that was the only time in my life that I felt like I was making a difference in some ones life, it changed overnight for me. I stopped looking at the residents as old people, but I didn’t go to school to do this , I wanted to own my restaurant but it made me look at them as my grand mom and grand dad which made me push and work harder than ever before.

in 2010 Emeritus bought out Sunrise and I found myself helping out other buildings and covering kitchens with chefs who were old enough to be my father. Then in June of 2012 I was approached to become cook at our Deptford building with intensions of being promoted to dsd.

It was the hardest job I’ve ever had and the staff was THE worst. They would call out when it rained and would expect me to pick them up and take them home or they would be a no call no show then try to make their schedules. They didn’t follow recipes and they didn’t follow the posted menus, they would make what they wanted and had no clue how to even cook and shouldn’t been allowed to be in one of our kitchens without training or some type of schooling. There were two buildings and two dining rooms and two kitchens and one of me. So basically I would cook two breakfasts or two lunches or two dinners divide it then run it to the other building serve the meal then run back serve the other meal then do the dishes in both buildings .It was nearly impossible but we made it work. After learning to write people up and fire them and finally getting new staff and new managers things started to get better and I stopped working 30 to 40 days straight . Then in the spring of 2014 Brookdale bought out Emeritus which spread all the old dsds all over the place,with my days off I would be in a different community helping them out and trying to find coverage and get things in order . I did that for another year and years to come , then I was offered a promotion to go to Westampton in June of 2014. From that point on I had to start over again with a new staff and new management and then again my life changed I stopped looking at the residents as grandparents but as parents which made me try even harder than before. Over the next five years I worked my butt off for this place to be better and better and to only give the best and I never stopped trying and I never got discouraged but over the past year I think I burned myself out and lost touch of my creative side which loved cooking and trying new foods and flavors .Not that I didn’t want to work or be in this field I just felt that it was slowly not for me anymore and the only thing I liked was family night and would look forward to it. Some weeks I felt I couldn’t do it anymore and I felt like I wasn’t making a difference. Sometimes I felt no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t be perfect and the kitchen was never good enough. I know this kitchen and staff isn’t perfect but they all care and can do it.

Thank you for showing me support and being in my life, thank you ladies for taking care of me and giving me the chance. I know sometimes when people leave it’s a good thing but this has truly been the hardest part , I will miss you guys and you have been the best staff to work with and under. I truly appreciate all of you. Ant

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additionallysad · 5 years

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Holiday Gift Guides for Everyone On Your List (With Stuff under $20 – And Even $5!) https://ift.tt/2PrVYOI

As is the tradition, I’m a little late with this. Ha! But here it is! (I’m also late with my actual gift buying, so I better get cracking). We like to put all of our gift guides in one place, so below you’ll find the one we made for grown-ups, another one for kids, and (my personal favorite) one full of stuff that’s under $15.

Gifts For Grown-Ups

Here’s what we’re loving, either firsthand stuff we bought for ourselves and have really enjoyed – or things we’re getting for friends & family (or hoping to find under the tree).

1 / Adulting Award Ribbons (4/$25): It would be so much fun to have an “award ceremony” at a family gathering, complete with victory laps & acceptance speeches.

2 / Black Robe with Pockets ($78-98): I bought this robe to wear around the house & I’m OBSESSED. So soft, there’s a tie inside so it doesn’t flap open, and IT HAS POCKETS! I’m living my best life.

3 / Personalized Address Stamper ($28): Always love a personalized gift that makes things easier for people. No more writing out return addresses & they’ll think of you every time they use it.

4 / Customized Road Trip Ornament ($25): Another sweet personalized ornament that you can give to someone who went on an epic trip (also works for someone who moved).

5 / Zodiac Sign Constellation Necklace ($28+): I can’t get over how dainty and pretty these are. All you need to know is someone’s birthday and it feels totally unusual and sweet.

6 / Ugg Slippers ($63-104): I bought these & can’t get over how much I love them. Incredibly soft & well made – plus you can buy $15 inserts to keep them fluffy forever (I’ve heard from people who’ve had ’em 8 years!).

7 / Cheeky Mug ($18): A hilarious mug filled with candy, hot cocoa mix, or an adult beverage is always fun. Plus pants are super overrated.

8 / Cozy Plaid Pillow Covers ($20 w/ code CHEER): Love that these are colorful & interesting enough not to feel basic, but they’d work with practically any sofa, armchair, or bed.

9 / Faux Leather Tote with Matching Pouch ($49): I’m so into this cool metallic finish & that it’s two bags in one. Also comes in black, cognac, and a cool blue-gray.

10 / Men’s Puffer Vest ($30): John loves this vest he got for himself this year and we even found a matching long-sleeve jacket ($14 today!) for our son. Fun fact: when they wear ’em together my heart explodes.

11 / Wood Apple Watch Charging Stand ($42): When I asked John what he thought I should add to this gift guide, this is the first thing he sent me. Think it’s a hint?

12 / Dainty Name Ring ($22 – 30% off today): Yet another totally personalized gift idea, and it comes in rose gold, white gold, sterling silver, etc.

13 / Personalized Leather Keychain ($19): These stamped leather keychains come in tons of colors, and you can put someone’s nickname or even a place on it (like “Pink House” or “Smith Manor”)

14 / Bucket Tool Organizer ($29): Such a great gift for anyone with a home, pretty much. Suddenly you can carry 20 tools that would take 10 trips.

15 / Wubby Fleece Pullover ($50 – 35% off today): I don’t think I need to explain why this cozy fleece pullover would be everyone’s favorite, but I’ll just say this: it’s like wearing a cloud (with pockets!).

16 / Faux Leather Circle Clutch ($28): This is one of those items in your closet that pulls together tons of outfits and looks pricier than it is. That wood ring! Real leather! I’m smitten.

17 / Pocket Bluetooth Speaker ($20): I’d love a bluetooth speaker like this on the bathroom sink for blasting hiphop while I shower (comes in blue & gray).

18 / Coffee Table Dominoes Game ($21 – 40% off w/ code CHEER): These are so beautiful and actually functional! I’d put ’em in a pretty wood bowl on the coffee table for impromptu games.

Gifts For Kids

Once again we put things we actually own and love in here, along with stuff we’re buying our kids this year, or considering for other little cousins & friends.

1 / Sailing Ship Kit ($42): Words can’t express how much fun this would be to hang in kid’s room – and it’s an actual kite, so it can come down and fly.

2 / Personalized Crayon Set ($13): It’s so much fun to open a box and see your name in crayons – especially if you have a name that isn’t always found on those premade signs and keychains!

3 / Coloring Book Dress ($38): Who doesn’t want to color all over a coloring book dress and make it completely your own?! LOVE this!

4 / Instant Camera ($56): Such a fun way to get kids into photography, and see the world through their eyes!

5 / DIY Ukelele Kit ($39): Our daughter’s actually learning the ukelele in school (no more recorder concerts! They switched!!!). She’d LOVE THIS.

6 / Classic Lego Set ($28): Our kids have only ever had John’s hand-me-down Lego blocks from his childhood, so we love that they now sell these huge basic block sets (without the price markup for licensed characters!)

7 / Ada Twist, Scientist ($15): We’ve already got Iggy Peck, Architect in our library and it’s GREAT. Next I want this one.

8 / My Crazy Inventions Sketchbook ($14): We bought this book and our daughter filled it up with the coolest sketches & inventions – so great for imaginations & I’m keeping it forever.

9 / Wreck This Journal ($12): We recently found a YouTuber who documented her entries in this interactive (and destructive!) journal. It’s full of fun prompts and such a cool concept.

10 / Wooden Cash Register ($31): Pretend play is big at our house, so a cash register is one of those things that would get so much use. Love that it’s wood and has a scanner & a credit card you can slide.

11 / Unicorn Robe ($30): My robe lovin’ self has rubbed off on our daughter and she’s asked for a robe for herself! I LOVE IT.

12 / Dragon Slippers ($21): Not to be outdone in coziness, our son has dinosaur slippers that he wears nonstop. So as weird as it sounds, fun plush slippers can make a great gift!

13 / Felt Donut Play Food ($9): So cute and under $10! Everyone loves a donut… and you’d be amazed how many of these their stuffed animals will “eat” ;)

14 / Bear Body Pillow ($15): A big cuddly pillow that doubles as an animal friend is always a good idea.

15 / Unstable Unicorns Game ($20): This game says 14+ on box, but reviewers say 8 year olds enjoy it, so we think it’s a great option for our Exploding Kittens-loving 3rd grader.

16 / Metro Wooden Blocks ($90 now – it used to be $150!): Ok, this is just about the coolest block set I’ve ever seen! And I love that it’s 40% off right now.

17 / Custom Kid’s Letter Jacket ($26): How cute is this custom kids letter jacket?! Ours love anything with their names on them – and a jacket is so useful along with being fun.

18 / Girls’ Charm Bracelet Set ($5): Nostalgia forever!!! Our daughter has and loves her charm bracelet. And at $5 this one isn’t too precious.

Gifts Under $15

Here’s my favorite list to make each year, just because I’m always amazed at how many budget-friendly things are out there that’ll make so many people smile BIG.

1 / Hex Tile Monogram Mug ($10): These are basically the beach house master bathroom in mug form! Fill ’em with candy or cocoa mix & marshmallows and they’re great gifts!

2 / Lumps of Coal Dog Treats ($5.50): Can’t forget our favorite four-leggers and these dog treats shaped like lumps of coal made me snicker.

3 / Gold Palm Picture Frame ($10.49): Giving someone you love a personal photo (of their kids, you guys together, etc) in a lovely frame is always a hit. I’m also loving this scalloped bone frame ($10.49).

4 / Plaid Frame Ornaments ($3.99!!!): Such a great grandparent gift with a photo of you or your kids or even some art they’ve drawn. We give them to both of our parents every year.

5 / Mini Kitchen Tool Ornaments ($12.99): So cute for the chef or the baker in your life! The little wisk kills me.

6 / Triple Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix ($9): These make such great neighbor gifts. Just wrap a ribbon around the lid and you’re done!

7 / Beard Oil ($14.99): John’s a die-hard beard oil enthusiast. So if you know and love someone with a beard, give ’em some and watch their face light up with joy.

8 / Pink Resin Hoop Earrings ($12.99): I love the cool shape of these & they come in other colors (also love the white & the tortoise ones!)

9 / Question-A-Day Five Year Journal ($11.55): If you wish you journaled more, this makes it easy and shows you how much can change over 5 years. It’s lots of fun to go back and read it.

10 / Faux Leather Crossbody Bag ($12 – down from $25): I have a camel colored crossbody bag this size and it’s still going strong! Goes with everything and I love the little latch hardware on this one.

11 / Faux Fur Pom Pom Beanie ($9 down from $22): I love a little knitted winter hat with a pompom (surprise I have one just like this in black).

12 / Sprinkle Ice Cream Cups (4 for $4.97!!!!): I love gifts that you pair with something fun – so these cups all nested with a little container of sprinkles inside would be so sweet. And you can’t beat the price!

13 / Rainbow Catnip Seed Bombs ($14.95): I love the idea of planting these outside (or inside in a pot) to show your cat a good time. They also sell sets to grow wildflowers or herbs which also make good gifts.

14 / Nesting Heart Tray Trio (3 for $4.99!!!): Such a sweet gift for someone to put near the kitchen or bathroom sink for their rings. They also work for tea bags if you serve tea a lot.

15 / What Do You Meme? Expansion Packs ($12.99): We have and love the original game ($29.99), so we’ve been considering adding packs like this Housewives themed one ($12.99) or this Mean Girls version ($12.99).

16 / Plaid Pet Leash ($10.49): Another gift for a four legged friend in your life, and I love the design of this one. Fancy pup.

17 / Slim Wallet ($12.99): John bought this a few months ago and LOVES it. Keeps his pockets from getting too bulky, and it’s incredibly well reviewed.

18 / Ugg Sheepskin Shoe Inserts ($14.95): I mentioned these when I linked to my Ugg slippers, but even if you don’t have them… YOU CAN PUT THESE IN ANY SHOES TO MAKE ‘EM COZY! Rain boots. Flat old slippers. Winter boots. Etc. It’s a lifehack for real.

19 / Pocket Notebook (2 for $10): I love pretty little notebooks! Always useful for keeping in your purse or the car or by the bed.

20 / Gold Turtle Paperclip Holder ($14.99): So I have this thing with animal desk accessories…

21 / Tortoise Hoop Earrings ($12.99): I ADORE these so much I’m about to put them in my cart so they don’t sell out. Treat yo self!

And since there are some pretty great sales going on right now, here’s what I’ve found so far:

Pottery Barn – 25% off sitewide & free shipping – use the code JINGLE here

Crate & Barrel – Up to 70% off here

West Elm – 20% off furniture, 25% off rugs, and 20-50% off bedding, see it all here

CB2 – Up to 40% off furniture and holiday decor here

Target – Today only, 30% off home here

Urban Outfitters – Up to 50% off gift items here

Anthropologie – Up to 50% off ready-to-ship furniture here

Overstock – Up to 70% off & free shipping here

Rejuvenation – 20% off your order & free shipping here

World Market – Save an extra 30% with code REWARDFORYOU here

Serena & Lily – Up to 30% off here

Old Navy – Gifts from $4 and up to 60% the entire store here

Banana Republic – 40% off your purchase here

Gap – 40% off your purchase with the code WINTERFUN here

J Crew – 50% off your entire purchase with code MONDAY here

Psst – To see last year’s lists, a lot of which is still linked and for sale, click here

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The post Holiday Gift Guides for Everyone On Your List (With Stuff under $20 – And Even $5!) appeared first on Young House Love.

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vincentbnaughton · 5 years

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HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDES FOR EVERYONE ON YOUR LIST (WITH STUFF UNDER $20 – AND EVEN $5!)