I was told to update my blog...

So, here. A new entry.

Yesterday, I won a small battle that I was not even fighting. On the first day of orientation, I asked my advisor about wearing a medical ID bracelet – the student handbook says no watches, bracelets, or jewelry (other than a commitment ring) but does not cover Medic Alert bracelets. A few days ago she noticed that I did not have it on outside of class, to which I replied that I did not want to break any school policies, and one of the kitchen chefs told me I was not allowed to wear it. She immediately went to the Dean of Students, who ruled that I was to be permitted to wear it. I wasn’t even going to make a big deal out of it, but she felt that it was in my best interest to raise the issue.

Today, we had one-on-one meetings with our Inventory Management instructor. Pretty much everything and everyone I was worried about or bothered by is “being handled.” I was told not to stress so much over everything, and as far as he was concerned, I was doing a great job. I am always in brigade, I am always on time, and I always have my assignments done. Bonus points because I can tell the difference between a beet and a jicama. I even showed up last week with a migraine headache that would have crippled most people (Imitrex is my friend) because I do not want to miss anything. I was assured that it’s being noticed, and chefs are going to rate us individually, not fail everyone because the group can’t seem to get its act together. My group seems to have respect issues – several people demand it, but simply refuse to show it. Others just don’t care, and make sure you know that you are not important to them in any way. Eventually, I think the problem will solve itself, but in the meantime it’s rather frustrating to go to someone, mention that something wasn’t done correctly, and be told where to go and what to do when I got there.

According to the chef instructor for our next class (AM Cafeteria Service) we have to report for class on July 1st and July 4th at 5am. The schedule I got says our class doesn’t start until the 5th, but this chef apparently decided to change the schedule. The substitute instructor in Meat Fab continues to show how cool he is, when he announces that this is total bullshit and he is going to fight for us. Typically, when the school is closed on a holiday work is on a volunteer basis, and you are paid for the time you work. We’re being told that this is a normal class on a day that the school is closed, which is unfair and totally blows up any holiday weekend plans people might have made. More on this as it develops…

And tonight I was delighted and surprised to find out that not only had the Honda dealer fixed my motorcycle, but my wife had called and paid for it, and the cost was less than $70. I was afraid it would be $150+ to replace spark plugs I should have done myself four years ago (they are still sitting on a shelf in my garage); turns out it was the right plugs and wires at fault. I was literally not running on all four cylinders…

And then there’s still finals next week. Oral Presentation won’t be tough as long as I can get my act together and gather the information I need. It’s only 15 minutes long, shouldn’t be too tough. Meat Fab is going to make or break me – the math is fine, but memorizing an entire chart of Beef Primals is just too daunting to think about. I am not too worried about the ServSafe Certification, as it’s all common sense. Don’t store cleaning supplies near food, wash your hands when coming back from the bathroom, etc. And I could pass the Intro to Computers final in my sleep. I may do that, just to show some people that it is possible to sleep in class and still follow the instructor…