I worked in hospitality for years. At one hip, swanky celebrity hotspot, one woman, apparently a former Playmate, stumbled past a table on her way to the restroom, scooped up a cocktail from another diner’s (ie. total stranger’s) table and downed it like a shot. She then returned to her stool at the bar where she…

Years ago I was at family Italian place in my hometown enjoying some cheese ravioli with a friend. A young girl, maybe 11 years old, got up from a table nearby where she was eating with her parents and brother. She walked toward the kitchen and waitstaff station, and I started to get out of my chair and wave at her be…

Here’s a rabbit hole...

to the person dealing with the shitty neighbor: at this point, he is harassing you and needs to be dealt with. your city’s noise ordinance and your lease will determine what you can and can’t do in your apartment. she has to do with the noise of people walking around him. If he doesn’t like that then he shouldn’t be…

Mine: Breakfast at a local diner with the open kitchen setup. Had just ordered when the line cook sneezes all over the griddle without covering his mouth. He proceeds to wipe his nose on his unclothed arm and go right back to flipping sausage and eggs. I got up and walked right out.

A million years ago, back in my former life as a server, I worked for Japanese sushi and seafood buffet. I told a few stories about it back in the days of monogrammed thermoses, like the pastor who tipped 3 candy canes on a $300+ tab on Christmas Eve (I’m still bitter about that one 15 years later).

Unsettling... I was a kid and my family would go for lunch on Sundays. We were at a steakhouse (Ponderosa, I think), and an adult couple a few tables over were having an argument. She got up, started to walk away while he was still beaking at her. A couple of steps later, she stopped and stood perfectly still. Dad…

I worked at the same chinese place as my wife. It’s a semi-basement unit in an old downtown with drop ceilings.

The worst i ever saw out of a customer was a woman changing her baby’s shit diaper on the restaurant table. We were a large chain restaurant, recently rebuilt after a natural disaster, and had changing stations in both men’s and women’s rooms. There’s no excuse. I’m a parent, don’t try to justify it it, that’s…

I own an untouched rural parcel of land and my neighbor clear cut my old growth trees from the bottom 1/3 of it. Once this quarantine is over, I get to head to the Ozarks and start fighting a man in court about tree stumps and the value of old growth

I’ve managed movie theaters. I’ve fired employees because I caught them rinsing and reselling cups.

I’m dying at “Super not-3/5/10-free” lololol. I’ve never had ANY luck with Seche Vite but I know people love-love-love it. 

I’m dying at “Super not-3/5/10-free” lololol. I’ve never had ANY luck with Seche Vite but I know people…

It takes a while to get through the emotions of a separation. I spent months in a daze binge-watching every episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Take whatever time you need. It sucks that you have to stay home all the time rn. I ate dinner out a lot at pubs or my friends’ just because I wasn’t used to being alone so…

It is good to see you comment. And quite a whirlwind from a few months ago, and you are getting there.

Hey! That’s good news about your job. I am struggling to get things cleaned some days too. It is remarkable to me how exhausting this all is.  I’m sorry that you’re lonely.  I know that it’s not quite the same as human contact but I’m around here a fair bit.  Jump onto a comment and say hello anytime! 

Hello. I’m okay. I miss my mom. I really want to hug her. I’m also over having to grocery shop alone and I never thought I’d say this but I miss going into the office. I have to pick up my birth control tomorrow and I’m hoping that will regulate my emotions a bit.  I haven’t been this easy to cry since the first week.

Heye Phoebe! I’m hanging in there, I was feeling really depressed earlier this week, a nurse died of covid-19 at our hospital, and I was stuck in a what’s even the point mood, but I don’t know, I walked for a long time on the treadmill and listened to the audiobook version of Margaret Attwood's The Testaments,  and I…

I’m an essential worker, so I’ve still got a job for now, but I’ve also had this art project in mind for awhile, and I thought, weekends where I can’t go anywhere, that will be the perfect time to work on it. I started out ok, but I keep losing steam, I should probably be working on it right now, the pieces I have…

Roll call—Shout out to the Jez community.  I know there’s folks we haven’t heard from in a bit and some we don’t usually hear much from at all.   Lurkers, Greys, Social Butterflies and everyone in between. Who’s out there and how are you faring?  Say hello....  

Is anyone else as sick of hearing all the COVID-19 platitudes as I am? Trying times, difficult times, uncertain times... and my absolute least favorite, “We’re all in this together.”