My next read...

Sounds like this might be a good read, as well as a new perspective on being..."The Help". Looking forward to it...

For the King

Henceforth my boss will be known as, the King. More to follow. I have more than one boss, but this particular one truly acts like royalty. And when we have meetings, or he has meetings, everyone involved is dumber as a result. He makes me dumber. This one's for you, King!

Herding Cats

I'd like to offer some advice for anyone who might ever use a dock cart in a marina, at any time. For those of you who use them and don't return them to an area designated, "CART RETURN", just think about the people who have to round them up. I'd like to suggest an illustrative simile; locating and returning dock carts is like...herding cats. Ever tried it? CART RETURN.

Basically, as soon as you find a couple of carts and return them, three more are gone and the torturous cycle continues. The problem could be prevented very easily if each person would return the dock cart they used to the proper place,the CART RETURN. I'm sure grocery stores have the same problem with grocery carts. I feel for those kids, wrangling the carts in from flower beds and far corners of parking lots. I empathize with them. The property for which I search for dock carts on is massive and contains many different areas, several cart returns, and numerous nooks and crannys where carts are often hidden out of customer selfishness. CART RETURN.

Why are people so lazy that they can't walk the cart to the nearest return area? At the resort where I work we've even posted signs asking people not to leave carts on the dock in the winter due to wind that might blow carts in the water. Often I find carts sitting DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF those signs. So, either these people are blind, or they just don't care. They have decided that "the help" is responsible for anything and everything, and that there is no need for common courtesy, or even common sense. They think they are above everything. For these reasons I struggle to not dislike rich people simply for their money.

The problem in stereotyping the rich is that many rich people, in fact, the majority of "rich" people, have earned the money they possess by working hard, and they treat "the help" like gold. Only a sour minority of wealthy people have simply happened upon good fortune and choose to abuse it to the fullest.

Ultimately what irks me with dock carts is the laziness. Laziness is increasing rapidly in America, while simultaneously, Americans seem to think customer service standards are rapidly plummeting. Truthfully? Perhaps customer service skills in America have tapered off due to the laziness factor invading our culture. Or due in part to the way those in the customer service or hospitality industry are treated on a daily basis. Inappropriate customer behavior and customer laziness occur in my workplace every day. Though, so does employee laziness.

Forget killing someone with kindness to get what you want; Customers today will scream, yell, cry, bribe, badger, bypass, or even sue someone to get what they want and what they believe they deserve, all under the premise that they have the right to "customer service", or based on the myth that "the customer is always right." Shouldn't there be an etiquette for customers as well? Isn't it unfair for those who are kind and polite and rule-abiding that the "squeaky wheel gets the oil"?

I fully support providing the best customer service possible. That's my job. I get joy from helping people and making them happy. Some customers don't want to ever be happy no matter what we do for them. And they will make fools of themselves, and us, in the process. So be it. I won't bow down to the laziness and irrational customer behavior. We are all people, and we should all be treated with the same respect.

So next time you use a dock cart, or a grocery cart, or receive a service, think about herding cats. Think about the person herding the cats. Don't be lazy. Do one good deed for the day. Return your cart, or do something equally courteous, and you will make someone's day. Treat each person with respect, and remember the golden rule: that's what EVERY issue comes down to. CART RETURN.

Back to the stranger...

So after I encountered this stranger and he asked me for directions I didn't see him again. I was hitting the part of the trail that enters the woods, so I was concerned he'd jump out at me. Luckily my ipod had died so I had no choice but to listen to all the noises around me.

Back to the outfit. Who goes for a nice jog in a flannel shirt, camo pants, and hiking boots? Someone who doesn't have any other clothes. Someone such as the character in, "Into the Wild" who wanders through life. If this stranger was of the "Into the Wild" breed I suppose I shouldn't have been scared. But something about his posture and stance seemed threatening to me, and plus the dog didn't like him-- a bad sign.

I guess there are probably lots of these people who travel to the islands to explore and continue their wandering. In the back of my mind was the possibility that he was a serial killer, but most likely this is due to my obsession with 48 Hours, Dateline, 20/20, etc..

Generally it is easy to spot strangers aka tourists. Tourists don't really travel alone. Locals might. We just aren't used to seeing odd characters running solo on a trail in flannel, camo, and hiking boots. Lesson learned. I can't always expect to have the trail to myself, even on this island.

Stranger on the Trail

So I encountered a stranger running on the trail I normally walk...he was wearing a red and black flannel shirt, camo pants, and hiking boots. He asked for directions, clueing me in that he wasn't a local. So, for the rest of my hike I was on the lookout for flannel camo guy. Needless to say I've watched 100 too many episodes of 48 Hours. Not the strangest stranger I've ever encounetered on an island trail, but a definite runner-up. Typical tourists are not intimidating, but those who fall in between are questionable at best. More on this later...

Welcome to Vacationland

This blog is for all those who live and work in tourist towns. I live and work in a tourist town, and it is also an island. Some of us around here like to refer to it as...Vacationland. Everyone seems to be on vacation...except for us. I will not hide that I was inspired to write this blog after reading the book, "Waiter Rant". His insight into the front-of-house restaurant perspective was fascinating. I was also inspired by his progression from waiter to writer. I work in hospitality but have a degree in English and I hope I can take the same journey as, "The Waiter". I'm not sure how I will refer to myself yet, but I will also be maintaining the anonymity of my current employer. Names, places, etc. will be changed to protect the innocent-- and the not so innocent of course.

In nine years of working at The Resort, I have expierenced a lot. Many good stories, many bad, and many just odd. Why I still work here I don't know...there must be something in the water. I look forward to sharing my stories, my stress, and my solutions with anyone who might possibly read this blog. Anybody? Welcome to Vacationland.