BOOK REVIEWS

In the past 2 weeks I have read 3 books which I thought I would share with you.
During our outing to Pasadena last week, Melissa and I looked for Waiter Rant the book by "The Waiter". We stopped through a couple of stores and none had it. Eventually I find the one and only copy of it at a Barnes and Noble on Fairfax. Excellent description of what happens in the restaurant industry from the view of a waiter. I used to be a waiter once and can relate to most everything in the book. Entertaining.
The second book I picked up just because I was bored and ready for more reading. John Grisham's The Broker.
It is a quick and fast paced story, much similar to all his stories about lawyers and courtrooms. It keeps you interested in the on goings of an attorney who's being "hidden" by the CIA only with the purpose of getting him assassinated by other spies, etc. The setting is in Bologna, so you get a detailed description of this Italian City through the writer's own experience. Quick read in two days.
While we were in L.A. Melissa also picked up, The Art of Racing in the Rain by, Garth Stein. This novel tugs at your heart with each page as it tells a story through a dog's eyes who thinks of himself almost human. The dog, Enzo, is witness to the trials and tribulations of a young race car driver as he struggles with his career, then marriage 'till his whole life is in complete turmoil and hits bottom.
It is a story that personally hits too close to home and definitely recommend the book to anyone.

Let me know if you read them.

It's the economy stupid!

It's the economy stupid

That was the slogan in 1991 when Clinton was running against George Bush senior. That should be the slogan that Obama should be running against McCain. If you have not felt the rumblings of a spiraling economy, consider yourself lucky. I know it's been around for the last couple of years. However, it finally hit home.

Things began to go south a few months ago when there was a series of layoffs in town. The layoffs have continued from casino to casino and now, "big" construction projects that you never thought they would stop, have come to a halt because of lack of financing. I am talking about billion dollar projects I have never been afraid to lose my job until now. restaurants are closing, some are reducing hours of operation and some are doing everything to attract and keep customers who are looking to save every Penney they can.
There are people who are still making a good living, but they are just as nervous. As nervous as I am.
I can only hope that our place continues to do somewhat better than our competition. Actually, my job is to make sure that we continue to do better than the competition but it is so hard when you do not feel appreciated by your upper management.
I like what I do and I would like to do it somewhere else but in the current economic situation, it would be stupid to try and change right now.
I'll just have to ride it out and as I am fond of saying, "Go with the flow." Whatever happens is going to happen, no matter what you do.
You just have to do everything better than the next person.
I wish Clinton was here to tell me, "I feel your pain"