Due to some current events in my personal life I have come to think about threats. Could a person argue that a threat is protected by free speech? Even a simple comment that can come across as threatening, is that part of free speech?
In August I was a potential juror for a case where the defendant had threatened a gentleman. I did not end up sitting on the jury, but felt that it was an important trial. A person threatening someone's life, even if it is only a verbal threat, can be very damaging to someone.
Out of curiosity what do ya'll think? should threats be protected under free speech?
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant (excepting Alice)
So more or less I am SUPER excited. I'm planning on going and seeing Arlo Guthrie at the Sunset Center in Carmel in April. The reason this is so exciting for me is because I LOVE Arlo Guthrie, for many reasons, but I clearly remember hearing the song "Alice' Restaurant Massacre" when I was really young with my dad. Having a discussion with my dad about a year ago about the Vietnam War era, we found that we both agree that Alice's Restaurant is one of our favorite protest songs from the era. We both like the circular reasoning to the song. And I've decided if I'm ever in a situation like that (being drafted) that i'm going to "walk into a shrink where ever [I am] and sing a bar of Alice's Restaurant and walk out". According to good ol' Arlo that they'd think I'm crazy and won't take me. Singing a bar of "Alice's Restaurant" would be more effective than telling the "psycitrast in room 604 and telling him 'shrink, i want to kill, i want to kill, i want to eat dead burnt bodies, with veins in my teeth' and start jumping up and down yelling 'kill! kill! kill!''. I love using song lyrics to make a point :).
Sunday, February 3, 2008
The Good the Bad and the Ugly of my job...
I am one of the lucky people who absolutely loves their job. Most days that is... I've worked at the motel I am at for over a year and I could right a book as to the funny, unusual, creepy, and down right horrid things that go on at this place. Tourists are funny but can some times be a pain. I guess I don't understand it because 99.9% of the time I am completely laid back, and like to just go with the flow of things. When traveling (which I have been lucky enough to do a lot of in my short life) I like to take things in stride and if something unusual happens, it happens and figure it to be an adventure or a minor downset. Now that I work on the other side of the counter I see people in a whole new light.
I shold probably preface this with some of the unusual things that have happened in the time working here. I have seen one of the chefs changing in the parking long at the resturant next door, I have seen an older man walking down the street with no pants on, I get people asking me if we have heart shaped spinning beds and if I want to join them upstairs (that was very quickly followed by a "Just Kidding"). I have had my hand groped, in a very disgusting uncomftorable way by a man who wanted to rent a room for about a month and "maybe he could show it to me some time", and when he walked away there was definate evidence of arousal, (he was wearing sweatpants, and I know it wasn't a bananna in there), needless to say I doused my entire body in hospital grade disinfectant and showered in lysol the second I got home. I have been assaulted, and not even by a guest, just someone off the street that didn't like the idea that we didn't have a public restroom. I've had countless bridezillas come through here. and I was asked out by a man i believed to be in his 60s about two weeks after I started working here, now thats all well and good, but I look like i'm about 15, and get reminded just every time I get carded.
But there have also been some really awesome people, ones that we all get excited when they come back, just because they are so fun to have around. The Superbike crew as a whole are pretty sweet. One of the awesome stories about Superbike is when some Superbike people came to check in and one of thier friends who was already here brought them down a beer to the office (Superbike is the only time that happens for the most part) and I was on the phone while my boss was talking to them. They realized that the beer wasn't a twist cap and while I'm on the phone taking a reservation I open the drawer, pull out the bottle opener and open their beer without even missing a beat. Basically from that point foreward they loved me, and since that was my first Superbike, and they didn't know me, I was honored to have won my way into the "we like her" circle of SB.
Yesterday put a new chapter in the book of rude liars who try to manipulate people to get what they think they should get. Two gentlemen are staying here this week because they are Caddies at the AT&T ProAm. They are being given a wonderful deal because out of the goodness of my bosses heart she likes to help them out. They have done nothing but straight up lie to us since they've gotten here, when one of them realized I wasn't the person who took their reservation they accused my boss (who did take the reservation) of lying to them and then changing the rates. Once a rate goes into our computer it doesn't change. I try to be kind to every person who walks into the front door and even when I don't feel like it I keep a smile on my face because I truely believe that a simple smile can brighten anyones day. I don't appriciate it when people think because I am not the manager or the person that they spoke to that they can walk all over me, just because I seem like a nice girl.
Yes I understand sometimes things seriously go wrong while staying at a hotel, last month, for example the power was out off and on for two days. Its how you deal with it that matters, sometimes people clearly will not help you, especially when carrying luggage with children down unlit stairs in the rain, that is dangerous, I can understand a person being upset at the staff for that (it was something posted on a review of another local motel). But people need to not sweat the small stuff. Enjoy the views, you're on vacation for a reason. If something unexpected happens, consider it just another part of the journey. And I've come to learn to do this not only while traveling, but also in live in general
I shold probably preface this with some of the unusual things that have happened in the time working here. I have seen one of the chefs changing in the parking long at the resturant next door, I have seen an older man walking down the street with no pants on, I get people asking me if we have heart shaped spinning beds and if I want to join them upstairs (that was very quickly followed by a "Just Kidding"). I have had my hand groped, in a very disgusting uncomftorable way by a man who wanted to rent a room for about a month and "maybe he could show it to me some time", and when he walked away there was definate evidence of arousal, (he was wearing sweatpants, and I know it wasn't a bananna in there), needless to say I doused my entire body in hospital grade disinfectant and showered in lysol the second I got home. I have been assaulted, and not even by a guest, just someone off the street that didn't like the idea that we didn't have a public restroom. I've had countless bridezillas come through here. and I was asked out by a man i believed to be in his 60s about two weeks after I started working here, now thats all well and good, but I look like i'm about 15, and get reminded just every time I get carded.
But there have also been some really awesome people, ones that we all get excited when they come back, just because they are so fun to have around. The Superbike crew as a whole are pretty sweet. One of the awesome stories about Superbike is when some Superbike people came to check in and one of thier friends who was already here brought them down a beer to the office (Superbike is the only time that happens for the most part) and I was on the phone while my boss was talking to them. They realized that the beer wasn't a twist cap and while I'm on the phone taking a reservation I open the drawer, pull out the bottle opener and open their beer without even missing a beat. Basically from that point foreward they loved me, and since that was my first Superbike, and they didn't know me, I was honored to have won my way into the "we like her" circle of SB.
Yesterday put a new chapter in the book of rude liars who try to manipulate people to get what they think they should get. Two gentlemen are staying here this week because they are Caddies at the AT&T ProAm. They are being given a wonderful deal because out of the goodness of my bosses heart she likes to help them out. They have done nothing but straight up lie to us since they've gotten here, when one of them realized I wasn't the person who took their reservation they accused my boss (who did take the reservation) of lying to them and then changing the rates. Once a rate goes into our computer it doesn't change. I try to be kind to every person who walks into the front door and even when I don't feel like it I keep a smile on my face because I truely believe that a simple smile can brighten anyones day. I don't appriciate it when people think because I am not the manager or the person that they spoke to that they can walk all over me, just because I seem like a nice girl.
Yes I understand sometimes things seriously go wrong while staying at a hotel, last month, for example the power was out off and on for two days. Its how you deal with it that matters, sometimes people clearly will not help you, especially when carrying luggage with children down unlit stairs in the rain, that is dangerous, I can understand a person being upset at the staff for that (it was something posted on a review of another local motel). But people need to not sweat the small stuff. Enjoy the views, you're on vacation for a reason. If something unexpected happens, consider it just another part of the journey. And I've come to learn to do this not only while traveling, but also in live in general
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