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    Tuesday, September 26, 2006

    Friday Night Fun

    I was asked to attend a School Improvement Team meeting on Friday after school. It was supposed to be quick and easy. Little did I know, the fun was just beginning.

    The agenda had been changed to include the topic of overcrowding in the Kindergarten classes. One has 30 and the other, 29. Can you imagine trying to deal with that many 4-5 year olds on your own? Not to mention that classloads of this size are breaking the teachers' contracts.

    It was a heated meeting with a couple of teachers reaching a tearful climax. I really felt awkward being the only parent there. The only options are doing some split classes (like a kindergarten, first grade split in the same class) or trying to get the instructional assistants to go only to help with overload.

    No decision was made as several teachers stormed off after two hours (on a Friday!)

    The principal cornered me after. I think she may be crazy since she began to tell me some things that should have never been divulged. She talked to me like I was her best friend. She continued on as I was walking away. I don't know what to make of her. I just know that I don't want to deal with her for fear of her causing more problems.

    Some girl friends and I (there were 4 of us) decided to go for dinner and drinks that night. I chose a place that was close to all of our homes and had high hopes since it had changed back to it's original owners.

    Upon entering the establishment, my nostrils were offended by a musty, mildew smell. We decided that it was just the entry way and that they must have used some horrible smelling cleaning agent.

    It took the waiter/rocket scientist 20 minutes just to get to our table to give us menus. He came back 10 minutes later to take drink orders (I'm still abstaining from alcohol). We all giggled and said at least the company was good. We soon realized that several people had left without eating. It wasn't that busy so there was no excuse for poor service.

    The waiter/rocket scientist brought my friend (who is diabetic) a lemonaid instead of an iced tea. He told her to drink it anyway. She took it back to the bar and told the bartender that she couldn't drink it or she would keel over and sue his ass. She was trying to be nice but after an hour the whole thing was ridiculous.

    After two hours we finally got our food. I had ordered steak, mixed vegetables and garlic smashed potatoes. Easy, or so I thought. My friend, K, who is the mother of my God daughter ordered the same thing only she wanted hers blackened with no pink. She cut into it and saw that it was medium rare. I took a bite of mine to find that everything was ice cold. I don't mean luke warm, I mean cold! We sent it back.

    The waiter/rocket scientist kept coming back to ask another friend if she needed another Corona. We laughed like crazy women since she was drinking an old fashioned and had had at least 4 of them that he had brought to her.

    As we giggled, K said she didn't think she was going to make it through the meal. I thought she was kidding but quickly realized that she wasn't kidding. She had just recently let me know that she had been diagnosed with Meniere's Disease (extreme vertigo and nausea). She was having an attack.

    I helped her get outside thinking cool air would help, only we were having a severe thunderstorm. She said she was going to drive home. I could see that she could barely walk so I insisted on taking her home.

    I got her inside her house and took her husband back with me so he could get her car. She ended up in the hospital for the weekend.

    When I got back to the restaurant, my food was, of course, cold again. The waiter/ rocket scientist nuked it in the microwave (again) and I ate it anyway.

    The restaurant didn't charge for K's dinner but did charge for her drink. I paid it as I vowed never to eat there again.

    13 comments:

    DZER said...

    that's just ridiculous ... I would have been out of there after 15 minutes or so ... life's too short!

    KJ said...

    What a horrible experience at that resturant!!!! I wouldn't go back

    barman said...

    You know I am going to ask. Care to share? Just wisper in my email if you would not mind. I would rather never go there myself. That is terrible.

    I had two bad experiences with one Denny's. That last one I let go on for about 40 minutes. It was about 11:00 at night and they sat me and brought me coffee and I never saw another person again. I went up the to cash register, payed for the coffee and said "never again. NEVER AGAIN." And I do mean that. Of course they may be under different management by now and that does not reflect all Denny's but that is insane. Nothing compared to your experience. They porobably only had 12 people in the resteraunt too so it was not like they were busy at all.

    I hope your friend is OK. Oh and shame on the school district and I hope the principal stops that. It is putting you in a bad place.

    barman said...

    OMG, I am so glad you drove your friend. I just read a little bit about the disease. There is no way she should have even thought about driving. You are exactly what a friend should be and then some sign.

    Manny said...

    Oh Sign stay away from that principal! She sounds like a loose cannon to me. It's hearing things like these that make me glad I'm not a parent.

    I usually try to be patient with server's because I know it's hard work, but you my friend are a way better woman then I am. I would have had the manager out there and I'm sure I would have called the owners ASAP.

    I hope your friend is OK.

    The Savage said...

    There is no excuse for such poor service....

    Suze said...

    Jenn, I'm not sure what to make of the school principal, she seems to be looking for trouble.

    As for the night out...what a disaster. We once went out to eat and whilst Alex was looking at the menu I went to the toilet.

    OMG, it was absolutely filthy in there and the smell was awful. There was a soggy piece of soap for washing hands and the towel was black and should have been lime.

    I went straight out of there and told Alex there was no way we were eating there. Fortunately he hadn't ordered and we made a hasty escape.

    barman said...

    Hey Suze, you sure you didn't walk into the mens restroom instead of the womens? It so sounds like what you might have seen in there instead.

    I think I would have turned tail too.

    Big Pissy said...

    I can't believe you actually ate there!

    Brave woman!

    I'd have been out the door within 15 minutes.

    Or probably not entered the dining room after the smell you noticed upon entering the foyer...

    ick!

    hope your friend is better. I have problems with vertigo sometimes and it's miserable. I can only imagine how terrible it must be to have an actual disease that involves vertigo. :(

    Liz said...

    The teachers in my town are gonna strike :(

    I don't know if I'll send my son to school or not if that happens. I'm stressed to the max about the whole thing.

    I seriously hope you didn't tip that server. That is inexcusable. I'd also make a point to tell everyone you know how bad the place sucks.

    SignGurl said...

    DZER~ Luckily the company was good or we would have left.

    Kristen~ That is the understatement of the year!

    Barman~ Check your email. The Denny's on this side of town closed. Is the west side one still open? Probably not after your experience.

    Barman v.2~ I feel so bad for my friend. She feels out of control and there is nothing that can help.

    Chrissie~ The principal is crazy. Of that I am now sure.

    Manny~ I always try to be super patient with servers because it is a tough job. This guy had no excuse unless he has Alzheimer's Disease. The owner was sitting at the bar and the manager was buzzing around us trying to fix everything.

    Savage~ I know!

    Suze~ They say if the bathroom is dirty that the kitchen is probably worse. Good call on your part.

    Pissy~ I didn't know you suffered from Vertigo. It's got to be horrible. Like being drunk but without the fun.

    Nonny~ Strikes suck! I'm not sure what I would do either. I did tip the server only because we sat there for another hour just shooting the shit. He was very attentive.

    MamaKBear said...

    I think you just gave me a name for something I've suffered through for years, ever since I first lost the hearing in my remaining "good" ear at 10 years old....Meniere's Disease. Many, many, days I went home from school and couldn't do anything but lie as still as possible in my bed, or sleep! ('cuz when you sleep you don't feel so bad, ya know).

    I seem to have mostly outgrown the attacks, as I got them very often as a young girl, but they are few and far between now that I'm an adult. The last time it happened was a little less than 2 years ago, on our wedding anniversary of all days. (Which just happens to be Valentine's Day!)

    Doctors didn't seem to know what was wrong with me back then, but after reading about the disease, I'm convinced that I suffer from it also. Believe me, it sucks! I've so gotta bring this up with my doc and get me a prescription for meclazine to have on hand.

    Fancy Dirt said...

    mamakbear, my step mother has Meniere's Disease so bad they implanted some kind of tiny machine in her ear, and she said she hasn't had an attack since.