Let's take the second subject first. Last night I had in the fridge a couple of boneless chicken breasts, which I rarely eat. I prefer them on the bone. Whatever. I had a russet potato and some butter lettuce. In the spirit of hunters and gatherers everywhere, I nipped a bit of fresh basil and parsley from the community patch and some mint from the garden where I live. I tossed the butter lettuce with the herbs, tossed them in a little olive oil and put them on a plate.
I salted and peppered the chicken breasts, sauteed them in some olive oil and deglazed the pan with a couple of fingers of marginal white wine. The potato I had cut into wedges, soaked in cold water, patted dry and roasted as fat french fries in a hot oven. I made a garlic aioli.
Finally, when the chicken was done, I sliced it, bathed it in the pan sauce and then put all of it on top of the lettuce, wilting it a bit and served the potatoes on the side. I am telling you, the lettuce with the fresh herbs and the hot chicken and sauce and those fat fries with the aioli..... it was a lip-smacking dinner. And simple and cheap. Can't beat that.
OK, now the getting fired part: about six weeks ago two women from the Wilson Empire (the Wilsons' own the inn and seven wineries in the Healdsburg area) decided that the Calderwood Inn needed help. It didn't but they knew best. They started randomly coming over, moving furniture, buying things like new placemats and napkins and iPod docking stations, working on the garden seating, getting new plants and on and on. I should have seen the writing on the wall but I thought my wonderful unsolicited reviews about my talents as an innkeeper would see me through their job-grabbing desires. (Check them out here: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g32482-d73573-Reviews-Calderwood_Inn-Healdsburg_Sonoma_County_California.html ) I was wrong. Yesterday, after making breakfast, one of these women came to the inn and fired me. On the spot. Pissed off, I got in the car and drove for a bit (always calming to me) and then called the CFO, whom I have had dealings with in the past, and asked to come in to get an explanation of why I was fired. Bottom line, there was/is no reason. Someone else wanted my job and they had seniority and so they got what they wanted.
Oh well. It is what it is, as they say. Today I slept in a bit, walked Cooper, took a shower and went to Safeway to get coffee, since I normally have coffee at the inn. I spent about 20 minutes in Safeway, wandering from one side to the other, feeling untethered. Then I metaphorically slapped myself and said, silently "cut it out, you have a home, go make coffee" and I did. The rest of the day was spent productively: looked at job ads, read a bit, went to the laundromat and did a load of clothes just to check it out (bleah), walked Cooper for another 30 minutes, got a pedicure, got my free tire rotation and balancing after 10,000 miles, went to Whole Foods and bought tasty treats for dinner. I was going to eat out but this is better, get to watch some of "Hell on Wheels" via the Roku, get to drink and not drive, get to eat dinner in my pajamas.
Ah, life does deal its trump hand, doesn't it? Play the cards you are dealt and hope there's a good card on the turn or the river. Jacks or better open, but there could be a full house somewhere. Or at least two pairs.
.
No comments:
Post a Comment