steve-o
Introduction To The House of Carr
Introduction To The House of Carr

Worst Job

We were pretty crowded for lunch today at Panera. I was able to help get some things done in the bakery, but the sandwich line was backed up. This lady walked in who had placed a call-in order and couldn't understand why her order wasn't completed on time [even though she could see the huge line]. The woman proceeded to chew out this college-age girl [Elaine] at the register for the food not being ready on time. She didn't stop there. When the lady got back to her work, she called the store to continue to complain about her. Too bad for Elaine. I guess I really feel bad because it could've just as easily been me.

I began to think how, sometimes, this job of mine can suck. Constantly dealing with disgruntled customers can definitely wear on you. Elaine had nothing to do with that order being late, but she took the flack for it. Not fun. Fortunately, the Panera Corporation allows its employees to do whatever they can [legally] to make customers happy, but sometimes there's no way you can make some people happy.

So even though my job's going well, like most jobs, it can suck at times. This idea of crappy jobs was ringing in my mind after I finished work and headed to my new doctor for a physical. I don't know how to say it politely, but the visit required that the doctor to "get physical" with me. So after experiencing something like this, I thought to myself, "hey, at least I don't have to touch other men in my job."

Then they needed "a specimen." Their words. My words: pee in a cup. So they send you into the bathroom and tell you to leave said specimen in a mailbox-sized cupboard in the bathroom. There was a little door on the other side of the cupboard for someone to grab the specimen. I wondered whose job it was to be on the other side of that cupboard. Could you imagine if part of your job was to open a mailbox and- surprise! Urine! "Yikes," I thought to myself. I'd much rather have people yell at me instead of handling pee-pee all day long.

It was then that I really began to think that my job could be way worse. I'll never complain again . . . at least for another week. I hope this helps out as you go to work today.

No Fear

The reality of us living in the city is becoming "more real" daily.

Kelly's parents came up yesterday to help us get things settled here in the condo. Last night we went to dinner at a place in Northern Kentucky and made our way back north toward home. As we were getting off our exit ramp, there was a guy there who waved us down. I rolled down the window and he said, "Now don't worry because I'm black, I'm not going to kill you or anything."

Interesting way to start a conversation, but at least he had my attention.

He continued on to tell of a need for money. Someone asked, so we gave him some cash. He also said he desperately needed a ride to the top of Gilbert Avenue. So how about this situation: man at the end of an off-ramp, late at night, asking for money and a ride. For some reason, we didn't hesitate and gave him a ride up the street.

I've done stuff like this before. Not because I enjoy picking up hitch-hikers, but because I was asked. The man hopped in the car and thanked us for helping him out. I quickly explained to him that I was a minister. See, I have this theory that no one really wants to harm a minister. He told us, "God bless you," and asked us to pray for the relationship between him and his fiancee. It only took a minute to drive to the top of the hill, we dropped him off and he was gone.

Here's the deal: this isn't going to be our new ministry. We're not going to be able to give money to everyone or drive people anywhere they need to go. But we WERE able to last night. You might not think it the brightest thing to do, but people are still people. If no one helps out, who will? I just refuse to buy into the culture of fear preached in the cities. It's funny, Kelly noted later, that Jesus gave a command that, if your enemy asks something of you, you should go above and beyond that. So why do we constantly give into fear and not help?

I'm not trying to give guilt trips or make us sound like we're all righteous or anything [I've driven right by people in similar situations]. But I had people ask me if I was going to buy a gun now that we live in the city. Not gonna do it. This is our neighborhood now. We're not going to live in fear.

As I say that, I won't lie: I didn't sleep well last night. I was thinking how crazy it was that we picked that guy up. But God's taken care of everything so far; why doubt now?

Who Dey?

The Bengals are undefeated three games into the season. The last time that happened I was a student at the Bridgetown Junior High School. I actually went to the first game of that season. Cincinnati was playing Pittsburgh [tough break against the Patriots today, Steelers] and they were coming off a Super Bowl appearance. In the first half, fullback sensation Icky Woods was injured and was never the same.

I've loved the Bengals, so the past fifteen years have been rough. Marvin Lewis has definitely made the difference.

I'll telling you, people- we haven't even seen the best play out of the Bengals yet. I think [and I swear this isn't the homer in me] that this could be a Super Bowl kind of year.

Who dey, indeed.

Happy Birthday Babe!

I feel bad that, lost in all this move, that it's Kelly's birthday today. Fortunately she didn't have to work today, but it hasn't been the most exciting day. We did do some grocery shopping this afternoon and some of her high school friends are coming in this weekend to hang out. I think she's just glad to be here.

So just to show that I do love my wife, here's a link to an oldie but goodie from the Beit Carr archives.

I love you, Kel. Happy Birthday.

The Eagle Has Landed

We're in.

I don't know why I waste time worrying about how everything is going to work out when God brings it together perfectly. The POD was delivered early in the morning and they were able to place it in a great location in the condo parking lot. We closed on time, but I still had to go into work. Fortunately, we were a little slow at work so they sent me home early, in time to get things moved in. Paul and Carol defintely made up for a pregancy constrained Kelly who was able to unload heavy objects. We finished unloading in under two hours. We slept on couches last night and they dropped off our new matress today. And now that we have cable and internet access, what more could we need?

Well, maybe some blinds. But we'll get that taken care of this weekend.

I'm going to get some pictures up as soon as I can. We're city dwellers now.

Like George and Louise

Yep, we're moving on up to the east side. Our deluxe apartment . . . er, 1195 square foot condo- will be ours tomorrow morning at 10am. We did a walk through earlier this evening and, aside from minor spackling and paint touch-ups, it's ready to go.

Tomorrow will be crazy as we need everything to come together perfectly for us to nail this move in. I've got the POD dropped off sometime in the morning, the closing at 10, and I'm supposed to work a few hours tomorrow [despite my asking off in advance], so there's a lot that has to fall into place. We'll see . . .

So no post on Thursday but, hopefully, by Friday night, we'll have internet access at the new Beit Carr. And as always: "Fish don't fry in the kitchen. And beans don't burn on the grill."

Precious Memories

I feel like a one-track record right now in my blogging. Everything's Panera. Sorry for the monotony. But since I mentioned it, I did have a great day today, as I felt more knowledgeable than ever- even doing OK during the lunch rush. So because of the good day, I feel like I need to talk about something else this afternoon. So here I go . . .

It's been interesting living back in the home in which I grew up. It's actually way better than when I was growing up. Mom and Dad don't even question that there's a girl in bed with me every night. Um, sorry if that last sentence was too graphic for my kin-folk, but it IS pretty cool.

My dad built this house back in 1980. Because it was "homemade" it's always been a work in progress. For instance, this room that I'm in right now [currently serving as the computer room] was mine and my brothers' room for most of my childhood; it wasn't until I was in junior high that dad finished a couple of rooms in the basement for Tim and me. The room next door is now being used as a playroom for all the grandkids, but it used to be Becky's room. We moved into this house just before she was born. I remember when they brought her home from the hospital. And the master bedroom became Tim and mine when my Grandmother remarried; there's an in-laws apartment that my parents moved their bedroom into. We later had to give it up again when my mother's parents moved up here from Maysville.

Even better than the house was all the land. My parents own about seven acres of wooded land with a creek running through the middle of it. Growing up, we explored every inch of this property and some that wasn't ours [one day while playing the woods we encountered a guy carrying a hand gun because he thought we were poaching on his property]. It wasn't until recently that I realized how fortunate we were to be able to live in such a cool place.

Some fascinating memories have drifted into my mind during the past few days here. Today was garbage day, which meant the trash always had to be taken out on Monday night. This was another reason to hate Mondays because the trash was kept behind the house. The house is situated on the side of a hill, so it was a bear drag the garbage all the way around the building. Since then, my dad put a driveway in all the way around the house and they now have garbage cans with wheels, so it's not as bad. I was grinning to myself as I took it to the curb last night.

There's so many other great memories/stories. Here's a topical listing of some of the best. If any look interesting let me know and I'll expound on them:

-The bull in the side yard
-Tim and the drunk guys
-Twenty foot high bonfires
-The clubhouse
-The creek
-Mowing our weird/wacky yard
-Moving the woodpile
-Kittens everywhere
-The death of our neighbors ducks
-Running military exercises in the woods

And that's without even thinking hard about it. I wouldn't trade my childhood here for anything. It's really been fun being home, but I'm ready to leave . . . for the second time.

Slammed

The good news: I'm still alive.

I'm afraid this post might sound like whining so, if it does, my deepest apologies. I was a little hesitant about running headfirst into my first non-trainee week and, apparently, I should have been. "Mondays are slow," was the refrain I heard from everyone at Panera. But as the lunch hour approached the crowd got bigger and bigger. It was absolute lunacy. There were people everywhere. I'm not sure if every other restaurant in the Hyde Park area was closed, but it seemed that way. At the end of my shift, the manager said they've not had a lunch rush this crazy in more than four months.

The toughest thing about being in this situation was my "newbie" status. I love using my hustle to cut down on time and help get things done; today I felt like a gawker at an accident scene who thinks changing out a broken tail light on the demolished automobile will make a difference. Because I only have limited knowledge concerning what to get done, I couldn't swoop in and alleviate the problem. Maybe it would have helped if they had trained me more, but I think I was able to help out here and there. I think I'm on a decent learning curve, but I have to keep figuring out how to do other things so I can be a go-to player.

Just a sidenote, I have to give it up to my manager, Sandi. She's always been very nice to me, and I wondered how she'd react in a high stress situation like today. Sandi didn't stop moving the whole day; she was in before I was and was there when I left. She had to delegate quickly and step in wherever needed, and did it without a negative word to anyone. She's the champ. So far, I think she's happy with my work.

So maybe the real good news is: tomorrow can't get any worse.

Time To Kill

I didn't have to work yesterday; I've finished my training period on Thursday and will begin on Monday morning as an actual employee. And Kelly only had to work half a day yesterday; Standard Publishing decided to reward its employees with a half a day off because they had a good year.

I dropped Kelly off at work in the morning and went to a Panera on Colerain Avenue to spend the time. No, it's not that I'm in love with Panera or anything, but they have the free wireless internet. I have no idea why people enjoy going to Starbucks where you have to pay for the wi-fi when it's free at Panera. Maybe that's what led me to want to work at Panera at the first place. You're free to go in and stay as long as you'd like without anyone hastling you. Anyway, I picked up Kelly around noon. We went to Steak 'N' Shake for lunch and then walked around the Cincinnati Mills mall for awhile. Kelly had an appointment with a dermatologist in Christ Hospital around 2:30, so we headed toward the city.

So I had an hour or so to kill while Kelly was in the doctor's office. I decided to spend my free time by going someplace I always wanted to, but never did: the William Howard Taft birthplace. Right across the street from the hospital is the birthplace of Cincinnati's most famous son [still talking about President Taft here, not this guy]. Taft is the only American to have been both President and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Taft's birthplace is a national park, the smallest national park in the United States. Admission is free and they give tours every half hour. It was a little awkward when the tour began and I was the only person on it. So here's this National Park Ranger going through his tour schpeel while I listened to his every word. Yep, awkward . . . but kinda fun. If you're at all interested in American history, I'd visit sometime.

I've loved moments by myself when I've had time to kill. It gives me the opportunity to do things I normally wouldn't do. Like there was one time when I was on a recruiting trip in Louisville and I had a few hours with nothing to do so. I went to Churchill Downs and took a tour of the track. One summer while Kelly and I were dating I drove down to Lexington to visit her. I was running early so I stopped by Cane Ridge to see the place where the Churches of Christ got their start.

Most people fear alone time, but I'd suggest using it to your advantage. Go someplace you normally wouldn't [seeing a movie by yourself is brave, but not good enough]. Go to a museum or a park. See if you learn something new. It's always different when there's no one around.

The house goes global

A couple of blog news items for you this afternoon:

First, the Echo Church website is finally online. Brian Coates designed it for us and I'm really excited about the way it turned out. In addition to this, we started a blog for the church where Aaron and I will post all sorts of things from deep theological thoughts to stuff like this. You can check it out at http://echochurch.blogspot.com/

Second, how crazy is this? I was curious to see who's reading my blog. I get some free stats about who checks it out at a place called Sitemeter. There are over fifty different people a day who have been checking out the junk I write [God bless you, my children], and one of you is from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I find this a bit unusual since I've never been there, nor do I think I know anybody from there.

So in an effort to maintain [and possibly increase] my Kuala Lumpurian readership, I posted a picture of the Petronas Towers below. These are the tallest buildings in the world. And yes, they're in downtown Kuala Lumpur. Kuala Lumpurians are welcomed here.

Feeling the flow

Finally, I had a day when I didn't fell like a total schlep. I got into work this morning, got on the register and was able to ring people up all morning. I didn't make any huge mistakes [or at least any that anyone knows about]. I was in the groove, bagging bagels and even making some lattes. I still don't know why anyone pays almost four bucks for a little coffee and some steamed milk. I'd save my money, carry around a canister of whipped cream and add it to my regular coffee. Same effect, cheaper price.

The people I work with are really cool. No one has chastised me yet for doing anything the wrong way [not even for the Day 2 coffee incident]. And all the customers gimme a break when I utter those beautiful words, "Sorry, I'm new here."

But after my morning around coffee and bagels, I must decry bakers from the days of old. I struggled all morning with the baker's dozen, Why did bakers feel the need to be so generous? Do you know how easy it is to mess up math adding to thirteen? I'm not sure anyone knows why they count this way, so it still ticks me off even more.

Besides that, life is good.

Home Bodies

This article in today's Enquirer jumped out at me because we're currently hanging at my parents' place until the condo is done [it's almost there, stopped by to see it this morning and floors, fixtures, and painting is all complete]. There's a trend developing of twenty-somethings moving back in with their parents after college. During the past three years I spent as a college-age minister I witnessed it first hand. There used to be a stigma attached to moving back in with your parents. That viewpoint is quickly evaporating as more parents want their kids to come home again. You have no idea how happy my mother is that we're spending even a couple of weeks here; you'd think she won the lottery.

It'll be interesting to see how this trend plays out in the years to come. In essence, it's a return to the family-centric attitude that's been absent from American society until the past thirty or so years. It seems that this next generation will depend on their family to get them through.

How about a cup o' joe?

I busted out of bed this morning at 4:00 so I could make it to Panera in Hyde Park to open by 5:00. I was supposed to come in, read a training manual, and follow someone around all morning. I guess the schedule was messed up because I ended up reading one page and then helping get the store ready to open.

My feelings on the overall second day: I hate being the new guy because a feel like a third wheel. Regardless of how willing I am to work hard, my lack of knowledge prevents me from being too helpful. I look forward to the day I'll know what I need to know to do my job well. Right now, I'm treading water . . . badly.

It was a pretty hectic morning rush, as people come in to get their bagels and coffee before they go to work. I wasn't "certified" on the register yet [although that was the last thing I learned before I left today; doesn't look too hard] so I was just doing little errands here and there. I was pretty much the stock boy. But I was cool with it.

So the one helpful thing I learned to do yesterday was brew the coffee. There are four different brews of coffee that Panera has and they get replaced every two hours to make sure they're fresh. The coffee machine pretty much works like one in your home. Grab an empty carafe [which holds about two gallons of coffee] and fill 'er up. It's not a task that takes too much training, I learned how to do it the first day, so I was ready to rock it. So as I'm finishing getting the coffee ready to brew the telephone rings. I offer to answer it and, before I do, I start the coffee up. It's a woman calling in a lunch order. Halfway through the conversation I hear liquid spilling. It's the coffee, pouring all over the floor. My first mess.

Apparently the last thing they do at the end of the day is fill up the carafes so they can soak up the excess coffee throughout the night. Yesterday, when I learned to brew the coffee, I was never told of this procedure, so the new coffee had no where to go. In my defense, I was ignorant and wouldn't have been able to tell if there were any water in it, but it was a quality first goof. My mistake gave me the opportunity to perform a task that I was "certified" to do: mop.

So two days down and one big mess to show for it. I AM AWESOME. We'll see what a new day brings, but I'm definitely in it to win it.

Mama, I'm coming home

We packed up the rest of our worldly possessions yesterday afternoon. While my Explorer is being repaired I'm driving a quad-cab Ford F-150 4x4 around; it was great for hauling our stuff. We said good-bye to the Johnson's, becoming "the people downstairs" at the Carr's.

How about this for full circle: I wake up this morning in my parent's house. It's great to know that after getting an education, establishing yourself in a career, and keeping a steady relationship [sorry babe, I know that's a cruddy way to describe seven years of marriage but that's all I've got this morning] that you can end up right back at your parents house. I hope I'm not coming across as bitter because I'm really not; I'm grateful to have family in town where we can stay while we're temporarily displaced.

No, it's not the Hilton like the Johnson house [no pool table or surround sound here] but staying here does have its perks. It's family, so you don't feel like you're imposing by being there; you just walk around like it's your place. My mother feels obligated to make sure there's a constant supply of food available for us. They even have high-speed internet access so I can wake up, check the email and blog a little.

I guess the only drawback is Taylor. This is the dog that my brother Tim bought as a pup, thinking he was so cute. By the time the golden lab grew up he became a beast. Tim gave him to my parents so he could have a place to run around. My dad absolutely loves this dog, to the point that he'll make special trips to restaurants just to by him food. Taylor sleeps in the basement, where our room is. If you wake up in the middle of the night, you're greeted by a huge dog who wants to you to play with him. I do feel bad because the vet thinks the dog has cancer. They're giving him medicines to see if it'll work.

Anyway, I'm working three hours at Panera later this morning. Then tomorrow it's a shift that starts at five in the morning. We'll see if I start missing Monday morning staff meeting anytime soon.

Closing the door

This is the last thing I will ever do on this computer [sidenote: this has been a good computer]. When I'm done with this posting I'll walk out my office and close the door for the last time. Ironically, hanging on the back of my door is a jester's outfit I wore for a seniors banquet they had at church. I'll leave that for whoever gets in here next.

I had a great time last night, leading worship in the service I helped start. It's been awesome to get to lead worship for the past few years with a great band. What will I do without in ear monitors? And I can't believe that Saturdays will be ours again. For the past two and a half years it's been a church day. I don't think that will sink in until next week when we don't have to go. And thanks Kevin, Tim, and John for going out with me to watch Ohio State blow it verses Texas.

This afternoon we're moving in with my parents for a couple of weeks until our condo is finally completed. The good news is that they have high speed internet, so I should be able to keep on posting. But I'm not quite sure how frequently I'll be able to get stuff on the blog. So just be patient and check back here and I'll keep the thoughts flowing.

It's finally finished. I'm ready to go. See ya later.