Why Your Waiter Hates You

This is totally my inner dialog when I go to work:

Karma for me!

I had an awesome night at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company this past Thurs night.

I got this:

That's right! It's a little fuzzy, but it says $70 on the tip line! Woo-hoo for me!!!

My good fortune allowed me to take the following day off to Redondo Beach, where I was able to take this picture:

If seagulls could talk, what do you think they'd be saying?

Update: Sexual Harassment Investigation

I must say that it is nice when a corporation actually does what it says it will do. It is also extremely comforting to find that all the managers at Bubba Gump believe me and Elyse, instead of the guy who said that his behavior was "accidental". From here on out, I will refer to our offender as CB. So here is what has happened as of Wednesday:

Wednesday I was called into my general manager's (GM) office and was asked for more details of what CB did to me. As I was talking she typed everything out in an e-mail which she sent to the woman who was in charge of HR for Bubba Gump. On top of that, the vice president of Bubba's has also been made aware of this sexual harassment case. I was told that a couple of weeks prior to Elyse and I filing our complaints against CB, he had approached our GM about becoming part of management, again. Our GM was initially hesitant to support him on joining the manager-in-training program because about a year ago, he had been accepted into this program. Because of his own irresponsibility, he failed to show up for the job and was subsequently kicked out of the program. Understandably, when one has left the training program, it doesn't really look good on a resume, especially if you're trying to re-join. Not wanting to totally say "no" at the time, our GM cited her concerns and suggested that he work on some personal issues that she had with him, his work ethic, and his attitude. That meeting had ended with a "we'll see what happens if you can make these improvements". Now that Elyse and I have come forward with our complaints, CB has absolutely no chance of being accepted into the training program again. On top of that, he has been suspended from Bubba Gump until this entire investigation is over. I personally have no idea how long this investigation will take. I asked my GM what his ultimate punishment would be and her response was that she didn't know - that it was up to corporate to decide. So in the end, he might lose his job. If not, I do feel that this suspension and his rejection from the manager-in-training program are adequate punishments. It has definitely been empowering to know that the managers at Bubba Gump do believe me and are seriously pursuing the proper procedures in this investigation. I definitely feel that I work in a safe environment and that the managers will fight to protect their employees.

A Little Bit of Restaurant Humor

A conversation I had with a co-worker about a patron who wasn't going to tip me:

Me: "This lady's bill is $22.50. She gave me $25 and she wants change!"

Jeremy: "Oh that sucks!"

Me: "Dude, what if I gave her 50 cents in pennies?"

Jeremy: "Do it!!!"

Minutes later ...

Me: "She left me the change!"

Jeremy: "Hahaha!"

A Sexual Harassment Investigation

I'm slightly stressed out. I am currently involved in a sexual harassment investigation at Bubba Gump. My co-worker and friend, Elyse and I have been tolerating inappropriate behavior from a male co-worker. We have both been smacked on the ass by him - twice. The second time (incidents that occurred independently of each other), both of us had directly asked him not to do that. On top of that, on New Year's Eve he had made a sexual joke to one of my tables about me, where the patrons were both male. So in that instance, a flirty situation that I was in total control of became a situation where I lost control and felt completely uncomfortable. When Elyse and I discovered that both of us have been victims of this inappropriate behavior we agreed that if either one of us experienced one more incident, we'd tell management. We also agreed that we would support each other because both of us against this guy would be better than one. It would no longer be a "his word against her's" scenario. Tonight, the offender smacked Elyse on the ass for a 3rd time. Management has now been informed and I am being called in to give my side of the story.

I am angry.

Updates to come.

Holy Schnikes!

Apparently no one considered the sun when they designed this bridge:

Bridge location: St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican

Brief update: I've finished training at BJ's Bar and Grill and am trying to figure out a balance between that restaurant and Bubba Gump's. I'm tired.

That's pretty much it.

Happy Hallmark Day!!!

I just got home from working an 8 hour shift at Bubba Gump's. In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I would like to share a story about what happened tonight:

My co-worker, Elyse and I are assigned the two sections that are located in what the restaurant calls "The Gump House". This is the private/VIP room. However, when it gets really busy the restaurant will open the room to everyone. Sometime around 7pm, our manager comes rushing in and tells us about this couple where the man is going to propose. She gives us explicit instructions that we are supposed to do a Bubba Gump birthday song and then right after the song, the man is going to ask his girlfriend to marry him. Immediately, Elyse and I get excited and we discreetly start spreading the news so that we can get a big crowd to do the birthday song with us. Now everyone is excited! The couple gets to the end of their meal, Elyse gets the complimentary birthday sundae we usually give out, I get everyone to come into The Gump House, we do the song, the song ends, and ... nothing. No proposal, just the normal behavior of someone who is slightly humiliated by having a group of people embarrass him/her in a public setting. Everyone exits The Gump House with a perplexed air and a "What the hell is going on?!?" expression. The room has this huge bay window that opens the room to the rest of the restaurant. Because everyone wants to know what's going on, everyone lingers outside of The Gump House directly in front of this window, looking in. Since no one else really has any business being in The Gump House aside from me and Elyse, the two of us have the fortunate and hilarious experience of seeing all the servers staring into the room, gawking at this poor couple. Apparently my co-workers do not know the definition of the word "inconspicuous".

Best quote of the night: "You guys, we are not at a pet shop!!!"

For the next 5 minutes (which felt like an eternity!), the man presented his fianceé-to-be with gift after gift, and card after card. Then he pulled out a small wine bottle with a note inside, to which our manager exclaimed, "The ring's in there!!!" Luckily, the woman had her back to us so only her fiance could see us blatantly watching them. It must've been incredibly awkward for him. He managed to keep a straight face, though. Finally she opened the bottle, read the note inside, and they embraced. At this point we were all asking each other, "Did he just propose? Did she just say yes? Should we go in there and shout congratulations???" Right then, the woman turns around and surprise, we're there! How would you feel if you were experiencing an incredibly happy/intimate moment, and then to turn around and see 50 faces squished up against the window behind you? Well, I would laugh, which thankfully, is what she did.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Back on the Swing!

I got a second job!!!!!

After a week and a half of relentlessly going to restaurant after restaurant, filling out applications, leaving resumes, and a week and a half of waiting to hear from people, I found a second job!!! I will be working at BJ's Restaurant in Glendale, CA as a server and my starting date should be around the weekend of Feb. 20th. I am excited about finally having two jobs that offer some type of stability.

As you may have noticed, I haven't been blogging that much. The reason being was that I was just becoming depressed. I would go out and job hunt, but then spend the rest of the day at home, or go to work the two days out of the week that I was scheduled. I was finding it increasingly difficult to even get up and go to the gym, which was starting to make me gain weight. For the most part, I wasn't exactly the most pleasant human being to be around and I didn't find much sense in blogging about how miserable I was feeling. So hopefully I am back on the upward climb and will again be my happy-go-lucky self soon.

One way I've been dealing with keeping my head afloat with depression is to change my workout routine. I have cancelled my gym membership with 24 Hour Fitness and am contemplating picking up Bar Method for a month. There's a more detailed description of what it is on their website, but from what I understood, it's a type of exercise workout that's a mixture of yoga, pilates, and cardio - a really good workout routine for former dancers. I will be trying my first class this Friday and I'm excited!

It's nice to have something to be excited about when life gets you down. However, with the new job and Bar Method, I might be really happy for the next month. Hopefully 2010 will start to get better!

Fie, I say!

Well this year is off to a great start, and I say that with great sarcasm. I was expecting my logging job at 51 Minds to resume at the end of this month. I've just been informed that the company is basically in "survival mode". People who were supposed to be promoted are not being promoted and practically everyone is being laid off left, right, and center. While technically I am still employed by the company, I probably won't be working on this upcoming show. I was told that the company would usually have a team of at least 20 loggers on a show and they are going to only hire 8 loggers for this new show. I've started applying for other hospitality jobs and I will be talking to one of my logger friends to help me apply for other logging jobs.

I am so disappointed and frustrated. I was really hoping the job would pull through. Damn the economy and damn that bastard who killed his wife and himself last year! Bleh!

Quote of the Day

Reality TV Celebrity: "I feel like you broke my heart just to see what's inside."
My co-worker watching the footage: "What are you?!? A fucking Cadbury egg?!?"

I think my co-worker has had enough stupidity for the day.

Work Overload

Warning: Long post with potentially disgusting content, hilarity, and not many pictures

I had a traumatizing day. Remember in a previous post that I had said that I got a new job as a logger? The job consists of me watching footage of unedited reality tv and writing down anything "interesting" at two minute increments. I can only divulge a certain amount of information because I am bound by a confidentiality contract, hence the following cryptic descriptions.

The show that I am currently working on is a dating show. The star of the show is a celebrity who's had a show like this before and he's a real jerk. I guess if you're a millionaire who's got a famous sister, a mom who is a real narc when it comes to negotiating, and a major record deal, you don't have to work hard to get women to flock to you. That being the case, it's probably safe to assume that as a horny, young man in the hip-hop community, you're probably going to take advantage of these girls if they're willing to put out. The network will never be able to air footage of any sexual encounters, aside from kissing, so most pornographic content is automatically removed. Me, being the lucky devil that I am, unwittingly began logging a file that somehow slipped through 51 Minds' "sexual content" radar. Something happened in the bathtub in the master bathroom ... use your imagination. I think the following conversation with my co-worker will basically explain the whole scenario.

Me: Hey Lawren ... why would the camera be zooming in on the soap suds?

*Pause*

Me: Is that ... ???

Lawren: Yep. Goo in the tub.

Me: Ewwwww!!!!!!!!

And of course, the rest of the office laughed at my expense.

I hate my co-workers.

Actually, I love my co-workers. Logging this reality tv show is one of the most fun jobs I've ever had. Unfortunately, I might get laid off because of this unfortunate incident. This guy starred on two shows that were produced by 51 Minds and since those shows have now been officially cancelled, the company has lost a lot of money. So we'll see what happens.

In the acting world, I got a gig! I booked a role on a show titled, Operation Repo which is aired on TruTV. The show basically shows scenarios of people getting their cars repossessed. It was first aired on Telemundo and became a huge hit. So TruTV picked up the English version of the show. The scenarios are portrayed with people who actually do these repossessions as a living. The actors are called in because it would be kinda dangerous if they had the actual people who had their cars taken from them. So hence, Simmone (or "Simmin") was cast. My skit was with 3 other Asian girls who, after a night of clubbing and drinking, discover their car being repossessed. "Drunken" chaos then ensues - all improvised, I might add.

I think the funniest part of this whole experience was when the director sat down with the 4 of us girls, all of whom are small and petite, and says:

"The woman who is repossessing the car actually does this for a living. She will not touch you unless you touch her first. If you push her, she will push you back and will do it with the same amount of force you use. She is a big woman. I don't recommend that you touch her."

The director didn't want us to meet the lady before we did the scene because he wanted to keep the circumstances as "real" as possible. So the first time any of us saw this lady was when we started filming. The minute we saw this woman, NONE of us wanted to touch her. This lady was BIG. She's the blonde lady on the right side below:

Note: In my skit, she has a tattoo on her face!!!! Yeah, she was scary. She could've easily punched any of us out with a flick of her wrist! If you want to see how bad-ass she is, check out this video. She's intimidating, right?!? (I will admit, the lack of make-up kinda makes her look a little more frightening ...) Yeah, I wanna be on her good side in a dark alley.

My skit is supposed to be episode 4 of Season 6. Season 5 is currently being aired. So when I have any information, I will let you know!

In the meantime, gotta put my nose back to the grind and hopefully working my two jobs won't kill me - I'm tired all the time. Gah!

Lookie! I'm All Growed Up!

Commercial Headshot

This is the third time I've re-done my headshots in 2 years. Third time's a charm???

Theatrical Headshot

Note: I'm not quite sure how I feel about my theatrical shot. I'm a little worried that it would be an "ethnic pigeon-hole". So I'm probably not going to use it very much. But other than that, I think it's actually a nice shot.

On another note, I've landed a second job with 51 Minds, the production company that is responsible for producing many of Vh1's reality shows like Flava of Love, I Love New York, I Love Money, and various other mind numbing shows of blatant stupidity. It starts next Monday and I am set to start working on the post-production process of For the Love of Ray J 2. I have been hired as a logger and I would be happy to explain more of my job description as soon as I find out what exactly I'm supposed to do. But I do know this: I may get dumber in the next couple of weeks because reality tv in general just melts my brain. Oh well, it's a job that won't make me hate my life ... I hope!

*Photography by Dana Patrick

Letters

In remembrance of this day 20 years ago:

This was the play for which I had been cast as an understudy. I did my first and last show (possibly for now?) this evening. The show went really well! Usually, I feel a bit wary when it comes to political theatre but I suppose that since today was the anniversary of the Tianamen Square Massacre, I was totally into the play! At least those who died in the massacre were being commemorated somewhere in the world, as opposed to China where they should be remembered.

China Security Tight in Tianamen

On a little bit of a lighter note:

The content of the show was on the dramatic side but as always, there are moments of camaraderie and stupidity backstage - *sigh* actors ...

In other news, I am done with my training at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company! So come on down and request for me! Also, if you have a friend that you want to humiliate on his/her birthday, come on down!!!! I and other servers will sing an upbeat birthday song and make the birthday boy/girl do a dance!

Exhausted ... Again!

Exhaustion seems to be a recurring theme with me having been back to LA. Sorry, I'll try to come up with more of a variety of emotions to write about.

By the way, does anyone know how to upload photos from a cell phone? My friends like to think they're funny when they take pictures of me in compromising positions. And I have a masochistic sense of humor that makes me want to post this picture. I went rock climbing this past weekend and was struggling with this particular wall when my friend took his camera phone out and snapped away. Rock climbing is awesome!!! Can't wait to do it again!

Lately I've been training to become a server at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. They've broken training down into four levels. Currently I've been stuck on the 3rd level. I'll be repeating it for a 4th time tomorrow. I think the main reason for all of this repetition is that no one really explained to me exactly what level my performance had to be in order to pass. So now that I've gotten a better idea, I've realized that if you come to Bubba's and ask to sit in my section, you'll basically be signing up for The Simmone Improve Show Dinner Theater!!!!!! Holy cow ... I mean, most of you guys know that I'm pretty perky most of the time ... but this is gonna be like watching Simmone on crack. Jesus ... What's funny, though, is that if you talk to the other servers in the restaurant, you'll see that my personality fits right in. I actually like the job, even though I don't particularly like waiting tables - mostly because everyone is laid back and easy to get along with. And basically you're trying to have fun with all your customers so time passes by really quickly. By the end of the night, my inner dialogue is "Man, why does my back hurt?!? Oh ... maybe because I've been here for 6 hours ..."

So if you're in the LA area, stop on by to Bubba Gump! Except not yet! I'm not done with training yet!

Procrastination

Look at the visitor my parents got! He was hanging out in the garage.

I've named him Gizzard. So this is Gizzard, the lizard.

So I've been a bad blogger as of late. I haven't been writing in this as often as I probably should. But on the other hand, not too much has been happening that's really worthy of a post.

I got a job! Woot! I'll be working at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company at Universal Studios City Walk. Tourist spot = lots o' cash! Yay! So the financial front will soon be covered! (Thank God, finally!)

Other than that, been back to hitting the gym (4 months away from the gym = bad idea. I used to be able to lift 45 - 50 lbs. Now I can only lift 25 lbs. So sad!), memorizing Bubba Gump material, quasi-working on this play (that doesn't look like it'll be going anywhere. Timing was off, I guess...*shrugs*), running errands... Yeah... soooo exciting. But nonetheless, happy!