Chaos

Well, its official. I have now moved from myspace.com over to blogspot per the suggestion of a close friend who said--"Guess what, you can post from work as (wonder of wonders) blogspot bypasses the typical work firewalls!" Imagine my joy! Now when I'm working insane hours due to my staff abandoning me for better positions I can plague all my friends and the general reading public with the interesting, amusing and horrifying tales of life as a motel manager.

So anyhow, it is true. I am experiencing 100% front desk turn-over. I never realized how many hours one person could work until this past week when I covered a 48 hour desk shift in addition to attending my classes--the number of hours might be slightly exaggerated but not by much. But tonight I've been at work since 7am (in Kansas City) and am now back in Joplin, MO working till 11pm.....I don't even know if I can figure out how many hours that is especially since I have to be back on the desk at 7am tomorrow till 11pm that night. Woe is me!

But aside from the crazy work schedule I think I have a bad case of senioritis. I just want it to be December 17th, for my best friends to be at my graduation and for life to be moving forward. How is it possible that my focus has shifted so much from current events, outside interests, and enjoying all that life has to offer; to obsession about work schedules, audit schedules, exam schedules, and research papers that are the length of a thesis paper? It certainly caught me by surprise to find that I am now a very narrowly focused obsessive individual who barely can carry on a civilized conversation! I picked up the KC Sunday paper this morning and before I knew it I was taking notes on the headline stories...I can't even read the Sunday paper for fun without turning it into an opportunity for research. :)

But this weekend I must admit I took a little time to myself on Saturday night after work and went to a fantastic French restraint in Prairie Village which is a suburb next to Lenexa, KS which is the southwest corner of Kansas City, KS (figure those directions out!). But anyhow this French restaurant is called Cafe Provence and it was amazing. The waitstaff all spoke French, the menu was in French and the courses were served French style. It was pure bliss, aside from the bill which was very American. ;) But dinner took two hours and if there is one thing I love to do it is to people watch while enjoying fabulous cuisine. At the restaurant there was a large family who were celebrating the Father's Birthday (he was 80) and it was simply wonderful to listen to them talk, laugh and interact with each other. Three generations gathered together for the celebration of someone near and dear to their hearts. The other couples and individuals at the restaurant also represented such an interesting mix of people. The couples who were out on what probably was one of their first dates were naturally totally engrossed in each other. Still other couples were enjoying dinner who appear to have been together for awhile and were very comfortable with each other. These couples don't appear to necessarily speak to each other with the same intensity of conversation as the new couples but they exchange glances that replaced superficial conversation and they knew each other's food likes and dislikes and each compensating accordingly. They seemed so real and approachable.

But the most charming individuals were the older couples probably in their 60's and 70's who were sharing a bottle of wine and dinner together. They were so sweet and it really renewed my sense of rightness within the world and in relationships. It would have been fascinating to find out how they ended up together, how they came to be in Kansas City and to discover their life stories. Relationships and human interactions are so interesting. Perhaps that is why I love to people watch so much, because I know that each person has a story just waiting to be told. They, themselves might not think their story is that interesting or noteworthy, but that is part of the appeal. The reality of what they have experienced transcends day to day experiences and develops into their very identity, which then results in their very own life story.

So I hope that all my friend and readers have a wonderful Halloween filled with great costume parties (Sarah and Ryan) and spooky haunted houses (Jeff). But just remember that if you are renting a hotel/motel room anytime this weekend or on Halloween day itself to leave those masks and costumes in the car before checking-in, as most hotels have a very strict policy of ABSOLUTELY NO MASKS OR COSTUMES ALLOWED IN THE HOTEL LOBBY! This is of course for guest safety and also to protect the poor desk clerks who are fearful of being robbed by a goblin or ghost who have criminal intentions. Security cameras have great difficulty picking out distinctive features from a Frankenstein mask:) Enjoy your weekend and if anyone feels the need.....I'll be working till 11pm on Halloween for sure and maybe even later so if you want to visit, you know where I'll be.