I work in a hotel. Yesterday, we were “QA’d”. A QA is like a mystery shopper for hotels. The idea is to make sure the hotel is maintaining its brand’s standards, and is functioning well operationally. The QA will pinpoint any bad habits the staff might have developed over the course of the year. We passed, despite my bad habit of not wearing a name tag.
What if there was a QA inspector for your life? What standards do you think would be important to uphold? What bad habits do you have that need to be nipped in the bud?
My checklist would probably include a clean enough environment, wholesome meal preparation, good hygiene, exercise, family engagement, community engagement and not too much wine. If I were inspected today, I’d probably score about a C; if they don’t inspect my shower or little b’s teeth too closely. I’m going to work on that today. See if I can get myself up to a B-.
Chicken out
Chicken's Consigliere 
I like this way of looking at things! I’ll be back after I’ve thought about it for a bit.
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And I know you’ll be back with some good stuff.
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I’ve now thought about it, and my conclusion is that your checklist is awesome. My average mark would be about the same as yours, but it’s the variance in individual marks that scares me. Seems like there’s not enough time to do well on everything, so I’m tops in hygiene, family engagement and not drinking too much wine, but my housekeeping is abysmal, my community engagement is as low as it can go, and meal prep and exercise are taking a back seat the past month. Oh, well, I’ll just not bathe and I’ll also hit the bottle for the next month and that should give me time to do all the other stuff, no?
Seriously, like I said earlier, I like this way of looking at things. I’m good with details but not so good with the big picture, and this method seems to allow me to have an overview that I need, in order to strike a balance. So, thanks for that, Chicken. And good luck to you.
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Hi Jenny, leave it to you to bring up the variances…..now there’s a rabbit hole I could get lost in-a Bridget Jones kind of Rabbit Hole where I’m comparing constantly towels washed and and meals prepped to glasses of wine drunk and uncharitable thoughts thunk. I think we might not want to venture down that hole, Jenny. Let’s go to Vegas instead and be wild women.
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I’d be screwed, but now that I’m old I don’t really give a crap. Hey — if it doesn’t offend my dogs, cat or horse, I’m good. 🙂
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Jayne! Hi! I’ve always said that when I get old I want to be an eccentric. I’m on the fall side of life, and I’m still pretty much a rule follower. I suspect you are not-now or ever. And I love that about you.
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I have a small inspection scheduled for this afternoon in the form of an appointment to see my doctor. So I guess I need do do stuff like clean up and put on clean clothes, but other than that I’m probably OK. Now if the inspection were to be here with no advance notice, maybe not so much…
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Hi Doug-you’re right-I guess some of that job falls on the doctors. I canceled my appointment for Friday. Because I haven’t been doing so well in the wholesome meals department. I know that’s immature. Despite my age. Look at me, being all non-compliant and stuff! Hope your appointment went well.
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It did, thank you. I always like seeking Dr. Nelson, and today he told me that I was doing well enough that I only need yearly check-ups, instead of the six-month ones I’ve been doing since my stroke. On the other hand, he told me he never got the fax of my driving evaluation I did at the rehab facility back in April, so I have to get them to fax it again so he can sign it before I get my driver’s license back, which I made you a deal that I would get my blog going as soon as I accomplished… So it looks like about another month, but it will probably be that long before our car is fixed anyway so it seems to all be working out.
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Woo hoo! I’m glad it’s good news and I’m excited to see your blog! So where is the first place you will drive to? If it were me, it would be the Dairy Queen!
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I’ve already been practicing in the giant parking lots down by the horse-racing track. OK, one time I cheated and drove all the way home from there (in rush hour traffic, even). I wanted to know if I had any business driving again before I actually jumped through the hoops to get my license back. It all went well, and the evaluation was good, so now it’s up to my therapist, my doctor and the DMV…
To answer your question, I’ll probably drive to Smoke Berkeley, which is my current favorite BBQ place.
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We don’t really have a lot of barbecue places around here but that sounds like a great option. I think sometimes about the day when I won’t be able to drive anymore. I hope it’s a long time from now.
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“What if there was a QA inspector for your life?” I have one. Her name is Norma. She makes me be tidy and only smoke my pipe in the pumphouse. There are worse definitions of happiness.
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“What if there was a QA inspector for your life?” I have one. Her name is Norma. She makes me be tidy.
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Hi Geo-Norma strikes me as a benevolent inspector, at least. You and Doug bring up a good point, though. Maybe I’ve got it all wrong. Maybe we all have too many inspectors.
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Well, I don’t know Doug, though he seems a fine person, but personally I think Geo needs as much inspection as is possible, in this day and age. Norma seems to be doing a fine job, but I’m not sure he doesn’t slip the leash occasionally.
Myself, I’m sitting here at 6:25pm on a June evening, watching the deer slip down the side of the Big M, replete with the dinner of a nice brown trout and potatoes, the fish taken from the Big Hole river this afternoon. Ann’s cat, from across the street, has been yowling at my door for the last hour, the smell of the frying fish drifting out the screen door, I suppose.
I’ll either have pity on it (not sure of it’s sex, I respect it’s privacy) and give it a can of tuna, or have a beer and ignore it.
Cheers,
Mike
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Hi Mike-that sounds so perfect. It might even be my next happy place…you know, when they say go to your happy place? I might find myself on your porch, with the creaky screen door (is it creaky or do you keep it well-oiled) and the smell of a fresh fish fry and potatoes in the air, watching the deer, waiting for dusk. And as I watch the deer, I wouldn’t be surprised if I think of Geo slipping into the ether for a little happy place time of his own.
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