Memoirs

It was really kinda silly when I think about it now. I mean... all I took (the first time) was a big canned ham, a big block of cheese, a big jar of mayo and two big loafs of bread. You know... to make ham n cheese sandwiches. And since all these items were restaurant [...]

I open the back door to a chaotic scene for which I'm totally unprepared. The Sunday morning rush should be about over by now and I'm scheduled to bus tables during the lunch and early evening shift, but no one seems to have been in the dishwashing station for quite a while. It's overflowing. Every [...]

First of all... (to quote one of my favorite comedians from those days) "Let me make this perfectly clear." I support unions. I'm currently a member of a union and I recognize the importance of unions, the right to collective bargaining and the service unions have provided their members throughout the history of the labor [...]

As far as I can tell from what I've found online, there are now two bars in Eyota, Minnesota and three in the neighboring town of Dover. Back in 1978, there was only one establishment that served alcoholic beverages to the good people of both towns. As I recall, it was called the Dover-Eyota Municipal [...]

The intense thunderstorm of July 5-6, 1978, caused record flooding on the South Fork Zumbro River at Rochester, Minnesota. It was Rochester's worst natural disaster in almost 100 years and the worst flood in the city's history. By the time the river subsided, at least five people had lost their lives and over 5000 residents [...]

I'm not normally claustrophobic, but this dinner rush has me stuck here in "The Vault" way longer than I like. Way longer. For hours now, I've been steadily at it. The high pressure spray nozzle, the steam, the clanging of pots and pans. A shrill cacophony crashes through it all, as I shove another rack [...]

But it was also a way to quickly give the staff some ideas that led to an attitude about working at Tinkler’s that would be far more difficult to deal with in the future. ---------------------------------------------------------- Oh and Ted's attitude was difficult for the Tinkler's management to deal with indeed. He was their star head chef. [...]

Change everybody is talking about change, the times sure are a changin’ as well they should. But from what to what? Could be good but what does it mean? Isn’t change the only constant in the universe? Isn’t change inevitable? Unstoppable? ------------------------------------------------ 1978 was a year of dramatic change. A year in which my immature [...]

Ronnie's undeniable success with his great road sign stealing caper, not only elevated his stature with Mark and the rest of the guys... it gave us all the idea that this was kinda, the thing to do. You know... stealing stuff. Shoplifting things like cigarettes, lighters, beer... pretty much anything that could minimize our overall [...]

Melvin worked at Sears. In the shipping and receiving department. No one had really paid much attention to that fact until it became clear just how valuable such a position could be. For "us". Ronnie figured it out. Ever since Melvin had paid rent one month by giving everyone in the house a car stereo, [...]