"Wow, U R Way Awesomely Cool, Jen..."

Hi everyone.

How've you all been? Hope that everyone's Monday went well. Can you believe it's already August...?

Work is surprisingly quiet and slow, for a CHANGE, and it was a good day. Quiet, but good. First and foremost, my beautiful colleague S. returned to work today following her tumble down the stairs. Two broken bones, one dislocated ankle, one surgery, nine screws, and one steel plate later, she's back with us, happy and smiling and glad to be back with her "family" (that's what she calls us). My boss later said to me, "It feels good to have the whole family home again." That about made my heart leap right out of my chest. After a hug from S. and a long chat with her, I finally got to my desk and sat down to get going on work. WHAT work? All of the hullabaloo and insanity we've been going through in the past two weeks has mysteriously evaporated. WHY, you may ask? Because my non-co-located colleagues finally got the kick in the ass that they so desperately needed and did their jobs. Not without significant grief, mind you, but it happened. You know, it's really deplorable when people without a solid work ethic are allowed, by virtue of uninvited association, to completely and totally incite chaos and havoc in the lives of other people. Unfortunately, many, many, MANY people in my discipline seem to have lost the purpose and point of our profession. To serve PERSONnel. The RESOURCES that are HUMAN. You know, those managers and employees upon whom the successful accomplishment of our agency's mission exists. Yeah, those folks...the ones who depend on us for the services and assistance to properly perform their duties. At our level, we work with senior management in the shaping and structuring of our workforce. And any kink in our professional chain can result in lost revenue, administrative hassles, distressed productivity, and general employee discontent. It's just absolutely astounding to me that some people within my discipline feel that any call for assistance, be it large (i.e., a full scale reorganization or reduction in force) or small ("Can ya help me write this PD, eh pally?") is just a life-shattering imposition. It's unfortunate, but a senior management official had to really kick her weight around and step down quite harshly on these people. It's a shame, given that my distant colleagues' behavior (or lack thereof) caused immense headache, confusion, re-work, and left our customer, a Senior Executive and his senior management staff, confused and unsatisfied. (*shakes her head*) Anyway...wow...free time at the office. What's a girl to do with her time? I'm looking forward to a M-U-C-H less stressful next few weeks chez HRville(tm). I may even crack my PHR books out and begin studying, God help me...

In an earlier blog post, I mentioned that not a day has gone by since 9-11 that I don't think about that horrible day. It's true. And as the fourth anniversary looms over us in the soon-to-be-future, I find myself thinking more and more about it. Sad that it ever happened. Wishing that I could somehow go back in time to 9-10 and stop the world. Stunned that it's been four years already, and heartsick that the world's no cleaner, kinder, or more loving for it. I did some online 9-11 research today, and I found something that just made me weep. A beautiful young woman, Jennifer Mazzotta, worked for Cantor Fitzgerald in the World Trade Center, and she died alongside many other amazing, beautiful souls. Today, I found the Cantor Fitzgerald website devoted to remembering their precious lost. As I read the beautiful words of Jennifer's loving family and friends, I just found myself crying. Crying for the soul of a beautiful, by all accounts loving and bright woman whose life light was extinguished before it was truly fully aflame. The words and poems of her parents were what truly stroked my heart...their eloquent and tender expression of love through the powerful connection of simple, beautiful words...they just touched me. And a part of me wished I'd known Jennifer. That same part certainly wishes that I knew or could somehow touch her family. Their grief is so palpable...so real. The fact that they suffered (and continue to suffer) so deeply just breaks my heart. I know that it's not my onus to save the world...to eradicate everyone's pain and to singlehandedly wipe away the grief and hurt of others. To do so, however monumentally noble, is far, far outside my sphere and scope of reach. But how I wish I could do something. Prayer, of course...that's always a good thing. And working to change the world in parenting my daughter...teaching her to be loving and kind and respectful and proud. As a parent myself, I simply cannot fathom the grief that the Mazzotta family and the thousands of other 9-11 families continue to experience, and I suppose that a long diatribe such as this (four years later) might sound somewhat silly. But I felt it was important to remember this lovely young woman today. An act of terror took her, but nothing can ever change the fact that she lived. And that she was loved and gave love back to those she knew. So today, I remember you, Jennifer Mazzotta. I am your loving stranger-friend sending you joy from many miles and moons away. I hope someday, I may get the chance to meet and talk with you. And how I'd certainly love to see your mother hug you again.

(To learn more about Jennifer Mazzotta, please see here and here).

I have a request of all of you, my friends...one that I hope with all my being you will consider with an earnest and sincere heart. As many of you know, there are plans in place now to rebuild the area we know as "Ground Zero"...the site of the collapsed World Trade Center towers in Lower Manhattan. I strongly urge and pray that all of you will visit Take Back The Memorial and sign their virtual petition. Invest an hour or so of your time and learn about this amazing monument...and what discussions are currently in place regarding the message it will convey. Stop and remember how you felt on that sad, horrible morning. And then remember that this monument will author our story and illustrate our memories to the generations that follow us. For us not to take a firm stand to ensure the purity and sanctity of this memorial would be wrong in so, so many ways. We'd be doing a disservice to one another, to those who will follow us, and ultimately, to the nearly 3000 men, women, and children who perished on that fateful day. We are responsible for tomorrow. Please be both cognizant of and empassioned about that responsibility. Please.

OK, give me a second to collect myself here...

So anyway, it was a good weekend at our home. My amazing, precious husband spent the majority of it de-allergizing (is that a word?) our home for me. He found some miracle anti-allergen cleaning fluid for our steam cleaner and he completely and totally attacked our carpets and furniture. My allergies have been acting up so horribly lately (have you ever had one of those violent sneeze-sneeze-sneeze-sneeze attacks where you feel like your entire throat is about to self-expel from your body?), and he's been fantastic in trying to isolate and remove any cause of my misery from our home. Why such an amazing, selfless man chooses to remain married to me, the world's most selfish person, is just astounding. I spent Saturday evening (into Sunday MORNING, let me add!) at a "crop" making Stampin' Up cards for our upcoming swap. Of the 22 cards I'm responsible for making, I've got 11 in the bag. Give me a day or two and I'll get the second one finished and photos of them both posted for your viewing pleasure. I'm not overly proud of how the first card has turned out, but we'll see. Who knows - maybe it will grow on me!

A few weeks back, my family and I had a horrendous dining experience at The Cheesecake Factory in Overland Park. I'll not go in to it, but will rather share with you the letter that I sent to their Guest Relations Office and the response I received from them. I've not yet responded, and am not certain if I will or not. I welcome your insights, dear friends.

July 22, 2005
Friday Morning, 9:55 a.m.

Jennifer [middle initial and last name deleted]
[street address deleted]
Gardner, Kansas 66030

The Cheesecake Factory
ATTN: Guest Relations
26950 Agoura Road
Calabasas Hills, California 91301

Dear Guest Relations Staff:

My name is Jennifer [last name deleted], and I am a resident of Gardner, Kansas. I am writing to you today regarding a disheartening and unpleasant experience I had last night at the Overland Park location of The Cheesecake Factory.

My husband and I are big fans of The Cheesecake Factory, and over the years, have given considerable business to your restaurants, both here in our area and on business trips out of state. We've grown quite accustomed to receiving excellent service from the staffs at your restaurants. Nearly every experience we've had at the various Cheesecake Factory restaurants we've visited has been wonderful, so you can imagine my shock and surprise at the way I was treated last evening.

At approximately 7:00, I arrived at the Overland Park restaurant and asked to be put on the waiting list. I indicated to the gentleman at the host stand that I was in a "party of three," and that my husband and baby would be arriving shortly. He acknowledged me, and even asked if a high-chair would be required. Approximately 10 minutes later, my name was called ("Jennifer, party of three"), and I was seated by a pleasant young woman with whom I briefly conversed about my daughter and husband. When my waiter came to my table, I explained that my husband and daughter were coming, and ordered a soda. Within seconds of turning away from my table, he returned and asked me if I had been forthcoming with the host staff regarding "being part of a party." Given that there were three menus on my table, one would think he could have discerned that for himself. Truthfully, I was shocked at both the question and his tone, and I asked him to explain his inquiry. He explained that it was the restaurant's policy not to seat broken parties when the restaurant was under a wait-list, and therefore, he found it odd that I had been seated. He rattled off some rhetoric regarding "the need for extra tables to accommodate large parties," and implied that my having been seated (at a table big enough for one party, let me add) might somehow impair the restaurant's ability to seat large parties. I most certainly HAD been forthcoming with the host desk staff regarding "being part of a broken party," with both the host who took my name initially and the young woman who seated me, and yet was seated just the same. I did not appreciate the implication of having been dishonest, and I believe my waiter could detect that in my voice. He apologized immediately thereafter, but, truth be told, I was (and rightfully so) quite displeased. Approximately ten minutes later, the manager came to my table. (I believe he identified himself as [name deleted] - my apologies for not remembering his name with certainty.) The best recollection I can have of the conversation is as follows: he leaned over my table, introduced himself, and asked me if I "was expecting others to be coming." When I explained that yes, I was, he very impolitely asked me for the names of those on whom I was waiting. His justification was that he felt that perhaps he "might assist them in locating" my table. The best adjectives that I can use to describe his tone are disingenuous and artificial. There was not a note of honesty or concern in his voice, but rather notes of discomfort and disdain. Although I couldn't say this with certainty, my guess is that my waiter told him that he had a "broken party table," thus prompting the manager to come and talk with me. Rather than caring about my "lost party," I truly felt that he was sent to make me feel both uncomfortable and pressured (an aim at which he was quite successful). In the seven minutes between [name of manager deleted]'s first visit to my table and the time when my husband and daughter arrived, [name of manager deleted] walked by my table over and over and over (perhaps five times...in all honesty, I lost count). Given the immense size of the Overland Park restaurant, I found it very hard to believe that [name of manager deleted] was walking by my table over and over and over again for any reason other than to make me feel uncomfortable. Save for the small hair in my dinner, the rest of the meal went without incident. Perhaps to over-compensate for the displeasure he and his manager had caused, my waiter became exceptionally saccharine-sweet in the way he spoke to my husband and I. Almost "doting" on us, you might say. I opted not to leave a tip, and chose not to pursue the issue of the hair in my meal. At that point, I was so displeased with the entire experience that the thought of further communication with anyone on the management staff there just put a bitter taste in my mouth.

It is important to state that I can certainly understand a restaurant of the magnitude and popularity of The Cheesecake Factory having a policy like the one my waiter described to me. Every Cheesecake Factory that I have ever visited has been immensely popular and busy, and I can most definitely understand not wanting, for example, to seat one person of a "party of twenty" at a table by herself. However, the following points are critical to make. The table at which I was seated could truly only accommodate four individuals. Even if my table had been free, every other table around it was occupied. My point? My table could not possibly have been conjoined to any other(s) to seat a larger, more substantial party, thus invalidating the concern that my presence inhibited the restaurant from accommodating a larger grouping of dining patrons. Finally (and most importantly), it is management's responsibility to properly communicate restaurant policies to its staff, and not punish its patrons when that does not occur. If this restaurant truly does have a policy regarding not seating "broken parties," then it is the responsibility of the management to ensure that its host/hostess staff is so cognizant and compliant. I do not know (nor should I) if management approached the host and hostess that I spoke with and further communicated this policy with them. What I do know is that the entire dining experience last night left a very sour taste in my mouth.

I felt it was important to share this experience with you in an effort to assuage both my displeasure with The Cheesecake Factory as well as the likelihood of a repeat occurrence of this sort at the Overland Park restaurant. I would love to receive a response from you, and invite you to contact me at either the address above or my electronic mail ("EMAIL") address, [EMAIL address deleted]. Thank you for reading this letter.

Yours Very Sincerely,

Jennifer [middle initial and last name deleted]


----- Original Message -----
From: [EMAIL address deleted]
To: [EMAIL address deleted]
Cc: [EMAIL address deleted]
Sent: Saturday, July 30, 2005 8:26 PM
Subject: Cheesecake Factory Overland Park

Mrs. [my last name deleted],

My name is [name deleted] and I am the general manager of the Cheesecake Factory in Overland Park. Having read about your experience in my restaurant I completely understand your desire to not speak with any of the management staff in this restaurant. However, I am deeply sorry for the inappropriate experience in my restaurant and if you would allow me to contact you to personally come to an appropriate resolution I would be very thankful. I assure you that this is not typical of our service and you seem to have implied the same with your previous account of visits to our restaurants. I will certainly address the critical mistakes that we have made with my team and use this as an opportunity to provide better service to each of our guests. I await the opportunity to speak with you directly.

Sincerely,
[first and last name deleted]

I found out today that a dear friend is getting a divorce. So, so sad for her. Please keep her in your thoughts. When I told her I was thinking of her and that I was here if she needed me, she replied (in EMAIL), "Wow, u r way awesomely cool, Jen..."

I think on that note, I'll close shop for the night. Talk to you all soon. Be well and good to one another, dear friends.

(Oh wait - I lied! Before I go, pleasepleasepleeeeease head over to the bottom of the section on your right and put a virtual pin in my map! Let me know where you're from, my dear readers! Also, check it out...I've re-enabled comments here in my blog. LEAVE ME COMMENTS! Let me know you were here and what you've thought of my blog! :) Merci beaucoup!)