Supermanagement

Yes, You Read That Correctly

No, Kal-El did not go into HR after a career in journalism.  What we're talking about here is the opposite of what we usually cover on the blog, that being manglement, which generally outnumbers supermanagement 100 to 1, especially in South Canada, where management tend to treat their employees like indentured servants. Art!

     That's an Arctic Snow Monster, because a plate of breadsticks isn't very dramatic.  

     ANYWAY, this story comes in two halves, the first narrated by Anxious Professional Serving Employee, hereafter APSE.  Be advised that these people, like cashiers and customer service phone-line workers, get the most harassment from bottomhole members of the public.  As APSE told the tale, only 3 people from a party of 6 turned up to be seated at lunchtime when the restaurant was very busy, in addition to being 20 minutes late.  Art!

     They immediately set out a mass of business papers and documents - on top of their menus - which APSE noticed, and then asked for water before they made a choice.  The woman of the party asked for lemon slices, which she squeezed into her glass of water, then added all the packets of sugar from the condiment tray, making 'lemonade'.  Head Idiot Male Bottomhole, hereafter HIMBO, asked for bread whilst they made a choice - menus still covered with all their paperwork.  Art!

     By this time 35 minutes had elapsed, with the Group Of Bottomholes, hereafter GOBS, still not having opened a menu.  When APSE explained that the restaurant kitchen was very busy, subtly trying get them to order, she got the bizarre excuse that the GOBS were on a tight schedule and didn't think their order would be ready in time.  Right.  After sitting not looking at their menus for 35 minutes.  Conrad smells a stinker here.  Art!

Either one had gone to the restroom or AI cannot count

     Here we have the second player enter the game, The Awesome Owner, hereafter TAO.  He had been watching what had transpired and intervened, saying that he would personally have their order moved to the front of the queue to expedite their service, and if necessary have it made to-go.

     This was not good enough for HIMBO, who chastised APSE, saying it was her fault they didn't have time to order and how dare she, it was her fault there wasn't peace in the Middle East and that gas prices were high, and cats and dogs living together, etcetera etcetera.

     You can judge TAO's judgement as he gruffly ordered APSE into the kitchen, where, out of sight, he winked hugely at her and began yelling and banging pots and pans around.  Art!

    Then he sent her back to the table with the party's bill in a check presenter, which she handed over to HIMBO and asked if they wanted anything.  The female asked for more water, HIMBO looked at the bill, then called loudly and angrily for TAO.  When he turned up, HIMBO angrily asked why they were being charged $100 for bread.

    TAO pertinently asked him how he knew what bread cost, as their menus were still covered with documents.

     TAO then proceeded to detail how this party of three had turned up late, made a mess of the table (a verrry large table that By Wild Coincidence made a splendid layout for their documents), kept other diners waiting and assumed that they wouldn't have to pay for anything.  Art!

     "On the menu there is an item called 'Sides' which says 'Bread price - up to the owner.'  Today for you bread costs $100."

     HIMBO refused to back down and threatened non-payment and putting in a bad review on Yelp, a newly-arrived website.  TAO replied that he ought to look up a crime called 'Defrauding an innkeeper', and helpfully filled the lady's glass with water.  Which overflowed and ruined their documents.

     TAO then narrowed his eyes - poetic licence but I feel he must have done - and informed GOBS that, thanks to the letterhead on their business documents, he knew where they worked and whom for.

    Surprise!  Whose immigrant grandfather had bought an orange orchard, and whose father had used the profits from that to establish the restaurant - and buy up all the surrounding office buildings?  None other than TAO.  Art!

     Any bad review would result in office leases not being renewed.  The GOBS slunk off to jeers from the other diners, whose meals TAO comped in apology for the commotion.

     APSE explained that TAO had learned to be a restraunteer the hard way, working his way up from dishwasher, prep cook, cook, busboy, waiter, assistant manager and only then manager.  He had been a lot, seen a lot and understood how to treat his own staff.  He gave the $100 to APSE.

     That, gentle reader, is supermanagement in action.

     Okay, for some bizarre reason my Favourites folder has reverted to one from months ago.  Not sure why, may have to Restart to solve it but as most of the blog is done from the Hidden favourites there shouldn't be a problem.  Fingers crossed.

A Welcome Absence

Much to Conrad's annoyance, there have been fireworks every night since Saturday, reaching a crescendo yesteryon.  Art!

     Tonight it is mostly silent.  Good.  They upset Edna.  Until New Year's Eve, then.

Conrad Is ANGRY!

O so angry!  Furiously angry!

      This time I actually have a cause and a target, indeed three of them, although I'm only going to post one of them in this item, or you might get bored of my hair-splitting pedantry.  Art!

     DO YOU SEE! DO YOU SEE WHAT I HAVE TO PUT UP WITH!

     <ahem>.

     There are a couple of problems here.  Firstly, the Unpleasantness they refer to is the Second Unpleasantness, not the First.  The Centurion missed the First Unpleasantness by a good 27 years.

     Next, the tank they have chosen for this item is in fact a 'Covenanter', a British cruiser tank following the naming convention that cruiser tanks had a name beginning with 'C'. You can tell by the radiator manifolds on the front hull.  Art!

     One of the reasons it was miserably unsuccessful and never used in combat by the British army, although we palmed a few off on the Sinisters.  Art!

Fireworks Of Another Kind

These ones Conrad approves of.  Several months ago, a commenter on Twitter said that he and a friend had been looking over satellite data and found a Ruffian warehouse that appeared to be for storing their Shahed kamikaze drones.  Both speculated that the Ukrainians would hold off on striking it until it was full.  Art!

     The first frame shows the initial huge explosion, and the shaky second frame shows when the shock wave hit the filmer.  During the whole video clip you can see the shock wave actually expanding outwards.  The calculation is that there were 1,000 Shahed drones with 1,500 warheads being stored there.  That's at least $125,000,000 worth of drones gone, and possibly other ordnance being stored there, too.  Ooops.

Here's One Conrad Can Get Behind

When it comes to The Doctor, one of his iterations is usually overlooked: Peter Cushing in the two Sixties film adaptations.  They are very probably not regarded as canon by serious Whovians, yet they are enjoyable enough and - bonus! - came out in colour whilst the television dramamentary was still in monochrome.  Art!

Conrad unsure about the comedic elements

     I remember a couple of matte shots from the first film, one of which is absolutely stunning, showing a night scene with a moon in the sky, and it gave that particular scene an aura of a much bigger budget.  The film being streamed is 'Doctor Who And The Daleks', set on Earth not Skaro, on Channel 4.  Not sure if I can get that.