This really will have to be a shorter post since I have limited time today (even though it is my off day I still have some Salvation Army meetings to attend). So let me get to the heart of the meat of the matter.
Remember the Hawaiian Hulk with whom I had some contention? He's gone. Pfft. Outta here. Very abrupt, this guy's departure. Apparently it had to do with a woman and her car; as in, she has a car and he didn't. All I can figure is, it must have been one helluva car top make him change his mind and throw away the progress he'd made at Salvation Army. The girl herself? Not bad-looking, but she must have more persuasive charms than only her looks. It took everyone by surprise, especially the co-workers with whom he'd forged a friendship.
But HH strode in that day looking like a badass biker, hair pulled back in ponytail and dropped off his walking papers. A moment later, he was gone. The managers didn't seem that surprised by the decision. One of them simply shrugged and mentioned that SA has a huge turnover; he wasn't that surprised and figured there would be more dropouts before all was said and done.
Indeed, that statement was prophetic, as was another statement made by the instructor of the Essential Employment Skills (EES) classes I attended from Nov-Dec. That instructor said that around 30% of the students would make it to the next phase. Out of app. 20 students, 6 have departed or have been dismissed. Truer words, as they say.
A few days after HH took off, another kitchen worker decided to hoof it. This guy was in his early 30s, around 6'2, and one of the better workers there. Like HH he was also one of the better cooks overall and brought a fair amount of experience with him. We'll call this guy Calvin (or Cal) because he kind of reminded me of the title character in the old newspaper strip Calvin and Hobbes. He was an easy enough guy to be around, although he certainly had his moody days. I never knew that much about him outside of work other than he liked football and liked to bet on it.
Cal evidently got a tax refund that prompted his departure. Must have been a lot of wampum, right? Try $1500. Now, in certain 3rd-world countries that might last you a while. But in Sin City, USA ... Let's just say the kitchen staff is laying odds on how soon Cal will blow through that cash and come back begging for his job. Unfortunately, SA won't readmit him (at least not in that capacity). Cal left the program once before without notice, and was allowed back in only after a lot of contrition on his part. Obviously he wasn't too sincere. Really, how can anyone think $1500 is enough to live on. He'll be lucky to squeeze a month out of it if he's lucky. Then again, he may just surprise us all.
Remember the culinary class I'm now enrolled in? Well it's not a done deal now. With those two departures I mentioned, we're down to 14 students (a reserve accepted a position). 15 participants are needed to ensure the classes take place. Right now we're waiting to see if a potential candidate can pass the screening et al to make the list. If not ... Well, that sends me into uncharted territory. maybe it's not the worst thing. While I do like working with the kitchen staff, I'm not overly wild about preparing food. Maybe I'm better at eating food than fixing it. in fact, someone asked me recently what I'd most like to do in a restaurant and I replied, "Be the customer."
Remember the homeless camps I've mentioned in recent postings? Gone. The NLVPD conducted a mass 'raid' of sorts on the camps, essentially sweeping the homeless away with nary a trace they were ever there. Seems the catalyst may have been the unfortunate irony presented with the erection of a brand new gateway to NLV that reads "Welcome to the City of North Las Vegas" at the corner of LV Blvd and Main Street. Right across the street was one of the biggest homeless campsites you'd ever want to see. I saw a news photographer shooting footage of the two sites. Maybe a local news channel ran a story on the strange irony. OR, maybe they read about it here first; see recent postings for more information.
And that'll have to wrap it up for now. Hopefully I can get back online this weekend and provide some more late breaking exclusives. Here's your Quote Of The Day:
"Once you go white, you'll never be right!" -- Overheard in the SA cafe as a white guy was hitting on a black girl (the girl said this, btw).
And how was your day?
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