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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: People
- Hits: 258
She's familiar, in that way people who meet daily in restaurants and cafe's and yet want formal introduction. Forever on the peripheries of acquaintance, a mere 1 degree of separation, and then she'd disappeared.
I put it down to a change of schedule, quite possibly mine, and forgot about her. There's a whole host of people whom I should know by now, literally everyone, and that I haven't been introduced is a matter of timing and inclination.
Anyways, apparently it wasn't my schedule, it was hers, she's been away, Lower Mainland, the big city, and she's shown up again in the café a wet hot mess, blue pantsuit, expensive handbag, a ridiculous wheely-luggage thing that possesses the tiniest bag on the bottom, big enough for a pair of knickers and nothing else...
It's a prop to start the conversation; she's been away, on the coast...
She sees me, the glance of mutual recognition and the perplexity as to why we haven't been introduced...
Her dress, I've noted, always fashionable-sexy in a Vogue or magazine sort of way. Not in the Kootenays sort of way. A "Professional", but in what capacity?
The skit begins.
She begins by explains herself to the Barista's in terms loud enough for me to overhear. I need no introduction, I, and everyone else in the café, are going to be caught up to speed on her latest adventures.
She's been away, Lower Mainland, going on lots of dates, her problem, she's been told, is that she's "too nice", but that's part of her charm, her small-town values, and she doesn't want to lose these...
A proper coquette.
And she's a little whirlwind of Chaos, everyone stopping by to catch up with her, tribute paid to youth and beauty, and she's regaling them with her dating adventures, breaking to tell the Baristas that they still make the best cappuccino she's ever tasted, she's missed this town, it's home for her, really, even if she is now living on the lower mainland, and OMG, she needs change, she forgot how to feed these small town meters, hahahah...
She's completely oblivious and the sole actress and star of her own show, after Marilyn Munroe, and you can just sit and enjoy it until you can't take any more...
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: People
- Hits: 254
On a break, from working at Sun Peaks to going treeplanting in Williams Lake, 4 days in the paradise of Nelson.
Only, of course, the weather was no paradise.
So, time spent hopping from cafe to restaurant to cafe to restaurant to bookstore to bars...
We pick her up a copy of Elizabeth Smart's "By the Stairs of Grand Central Station I sat down and Wept", The Epic of Gilgamesh, "Don Quixote", Cervantes, there are many many more, Heroditus, Lolita, Pale Fire, Spekes, The Conquest of New Spain, I make my recommendations but we can't find them all, recommend podcasts, to audit university lectures, download, masterclasses, free, listen to when in the bush, keep the mind going.
I realize the lack of touchstones, her years abroad didn't broaden her education in any sort of direction I'd recognize. In conversation, "Rime of the Ancient Mariner", Albatross, she doesn't get it, she's unable to recognize a Monet, Klimt, Klee, Mondrian, Cezanne, Degas, in short she's never learned what is what, there is still time, university and all, we go up to the hotsprings, soak, and then that is that and she is off on the summer's adventures.
I'm stuck spooning her snowboard until I can get to the locker...
She chastises me about not having the hospitality to offer her a sofa, and I'm starting to feel it, this homeless schtick is getting old, has been old for a while already...
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: People
- Hits: 271
One of the thrift shop volunteers, an older widow, 70's (I think....daren't ask). We've a lot of these widows volunteering.
She gets it. I only point that out because so few do. I can find an ashtray with a painting of Don Quixote by Picasso on it and she recognizes both subject and artist.
TO me this is a common thing, but - test a few people and you'll find it incredibly rare. A pair of badly painted statues, Gainsborough's "Blue Boy" and "Pink Lady" - she knows.
I like this, and she has the sniffles and so I rib her about sitting up with B* - her volunteer friend - and doing lines of Blow all night (an image I find curiously humorous) - and she laughs and says "It's been a while...eight ball". Books, she's read a few, art, and so - bored with Michael as you must get bored with anyone you work in close quarters with I find myself querying her - certainly one of the more "lived" people I've met.
I note this only because it's so rare to find people with shared touchstones, the "pre-internet" people who absorbed the common culture before the internet so thoroughly divided it.
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: People
- Hits: 246
So far in the Kitchen we've Sean - who's been here a few years. New hires include A* and J* - both younger (late teens), living at home.
But - this is not enough, especially with the other commitments the restaurant has taken on (Catering the Golf Course).
So - in order of appearance, this years players will be:
H* - a younger server (30's???) who talks incessantly about her "Partner". Ken no longer works here so I don't know what the deal is; I'm suspicious of people that forever go on about their significant other or relationship - they are not complete people.
J* - who I haven't met but has already taken to calling the restaurant far too often to check upon her schedule.
T* - an older female server (40's) - probably will be good.
Cathy - from last year.
There's L*, JR's Mother in Law - who comes down for a visit, forever coming in for hugs, she seems to have somewhere in the winter decided to "have a crush" on me, sticking her tits and whiskers in my face. This won't do. We're going to have to ship her to the Golf Course. I make the mistake of showing her my "3-fingered death punch" and she got a little too excited.
Nope, Nope, Nope.
There's C*, who just before he left to come here got mugged in Victoria, all savings, money, cards, stolen, he's piss poor, not even started and taking his meals in the restaurant, on credit, a hard-luck story, do I believe him? maybe...not, in any event this man needs Kung-Rate, He's already calling me "Sensei"...
A*, back after a 3 year hiatus, she's a kitchen nightmare, bossy, not my problem and hopefully she's learned to chill a bit from the past few years. Hopefully.
There's John, the Filipino, I'll mark him as sane a quiet, a worker bee, I'll leave him alone, sometimes you gotta leave people alone and - while it kills me, cultural differences might not translate my humor well, and - worker bees who shut up and do their job are worth their weight in Gold.
Saturday night, they're sitting around Staff Housing, the waning sun, boring Balfour Nights, another year and the circus is beginning again...
- Details
- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: People
- Hits: 238
Friday, JR's first day back at work. He's fixed the schedule so that he's on 3 days per week.
Why not?
He's brought his kids, 4 & 5 years old, little terrors that scream and track dirt all about the restaurant. It's their playroom.
And, the call, this morning, he's sick. Because of course.
This is the second time in the last 4 weeks.
I mean, the owners, they know, but they refer the knowledge, place it elsewhere, not their JR, it's not true, not possible, not him...
I'm wondering, how many sick days per hour am I entitled to? I've been here six years, not used a single one, and he - he's used....
In other news, yesterday, after work, took a rake and scoured the washout. A couple of flints. Last night - rain, this morning, go back and check the results of my raking, it didn't rain too much out here, the rake lines are still visible, a couple more flakes and a nice piece of black tourmaline.
Now, to work...sweep and mop up after the little shits and lets get this show started...