MercenaryChef

as a yank watching highlights of nufc learning to and playing softball made my fucking day. bruno is a hell of a fielder and jacob murphy fucking rakes.

spurs. lol.

yup. champions league football coming to newcastle! wilson deserved a hat trick today. he looks so good w isak playing together.

that isak one was superb. i cannot wait to see what he brings to the club if he can stay healthy a full season. big worry is the lack of depth when we are adding a European competition to things. i know the plan is incremental and smart acquisitions of players, but to really compete next season newcastle need a lot more.

vile.

all i can say is i love seeing civilians offer tips as they are living the real life. that and learn to enjoy cooking or the food is a chore. you have to enjoy the cooking to enjoy the eating.

will someone sign him? that's the real question.

i dunno. i saw the preview today when we saw dr. strange. it just didn't convey that cold war homoerotic propaganda which really made the original movie what it was.

i finally had enough. with the support of my amazing spouse i put in my notice. knowing i was going to do it for a week i first pushed through pay increases for my team. they are in for a rough time with me gone. and for added satisfaction i put my notice in right before i left for a 10 day vacation. i return for just four days and that's it. a friend has helped me get a position at a cool Malaysian restaurant (a cuisine i know so little about) where i will work only 4 days a week. in addition I'm going to push forward on a small project for myself. i feel amazing.

so much mark lanegan. a kid in the 90s in the northwest i pegged (wrongly) for screaming trees to be one of the biggest bands from the scene and let the world know what was what. his subsequent solo/collaboration works were lovely. bubblegum is a favorite album always and forever. his gutter twins album with greg from afghan whigs became an inadvertent soundtrack of the end of my first marriage. he's an artist I've seen several times over the years and always loved. totally bummed as shit for him to be gone. he became so prolific in the last several year and that voice is just so fucking massive and serious. rip.

i could slay that fucking hill. but i have all those other qualifications.

ride fixed gear, bro. less parts, stronger legs.

so true. i miss being in my early 20s being able to drink most the night, grab a few hours of sleep and go play soccer or go for a run. i don't recover or metabolize like i used to. personally had a pretty rough fall/winter mentally that transferred into physically. ended up drinking too much, eating poorly and not working out. inspired by the spouse working out each day i forced myself back to it. alternative days of high intensity climb rides and endurance rides with a low intensity recovery once a week. went hard in the discipline department and cut out all alcohol and am giving an entirely plant-based diet a go. already seeing results and feeling better. i am someone who needs something to work for. it cannot just be a infinite loop. so i think I'm going to do a charity ride that is 300 miles over three days in May. but because I'm a moron i will ride either fixed gear if my route is all paved or single speed if gravel trails.

the hotel i have taken over has been a challenge to say the least since i came on. we are looking at a renovation, rebranding and relaunch of the restaurant and bar. each space having a distinct and different feel and food. all of it coming from my small, outdated and often broken kitchen. i have put in the budget for a remodel of the kitchen but when i ask if any of it will happen i am met with deflection. makes me think the answer is no. to make things more difficult is staffing. already my industry is suffering from a lack of people wanting to get back into the restaurant life since covid. two weeks ago we had to do fresh paperwork for all employees. all but two of my staff do not have work authorization in this country and i have to release them unless they can get work authorization in 8 business days which is absolutely impossible. i had hired a very good, attentive, and energetic younger cook who i saw as a potential sous chef. he has been so good to add to the team. well, his background check came back. he has a couple felonies. he will likely have to go as well. our human resources department is remote. i have to get on a call with people who don't know me other than a file, have no real connection other than contractually with my property and argue why something from 2018 shouldn't keep this guy from continuing to try for a better life. i am more and more defeated all the time by this job. if i lose this promising cook i may just leave. this career has been very good to me, but not in a couple years. covid has really changed how i feel about it all. i miss the ignorant days of just pushing hard, cooking nice food and letting those things being enough to keep me happy. i have no skills besides cooking. how i harness them to make money without the crushing element of working in a restaurant where ultimately nobody ever truly gives a fuck about me or my staff will be a challenge.

way to go, Starkess!!!!!