I ran the Wasatch Back this weekend. While it was fun, it was also exhausting, mentally and physically. The strange part is that the best run this year was my worst one last year. Last year, I ran my second leg (Leg 17) in the early evening (maybe around 5 pm?). It was hot and the volunteers made me take the reflective vest and head lamp, even though the sun hadn't even started to go down. I threw this vest back into the van around mile 1, then had about 3 miles to go.
This year, I started the leg around 9:15 pm. The sun had started to go down, but it wasn't dark. The moon was up. I was running through some beautiful farm country. I was immediately passed by a young, extremely tall guy. But I did not fret. My plan was run slowly and just make it through.
It was lovely and awesome. My first run was 7.4 miles up Avon Pass. It was pretty, but hot. I asked strangers to spray me down with their spray bottles (and they did!). It was difficult, but I finished.
The second run was cool. The sun was down and there was a good breeze. I loved it. I passed a few people, always shouting out some encouragement as I did so. My favorite response was "good hustle" from a guy who had a perfect coach voice. He must have said that before.
I also am, basically, afraid to run in the dark. I don't have great depth perception and my night vision lacks clarity. But overall it was fun. The head lamp is good, because the biggest problem (I found) is seeing uneven pavement.
Overall, I have to say that the race was a success. I was only a little bitchy, and only at the end, after we had waited 6 hours for the other team to finish. The finish line was a cluster-cuss.
Now that I am home and well rested, life is good. I'm hoping to see a movie with Middlebrow and Son today. Then my life will be complete.
Showing posts with label bitch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bitch. Show all posts
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Friday, June 04, 2010
Competition/Competitiveness (does not)= Bitch
First of all, I just like to use the word "bitch" in a title.
Second, I was/have been a bitch in the past and I'm trying to change my ways.
Third, I'm trying to understand how to be competitive without being a bitch. It's not easy, but one thing I've learned is that when I have little triumphs (first one done with the workout!), I need to celebrate them as much as I wallow in my little defeats (workout kicked my ass!).
The other thing which I continually say here (you're sick of it, I know) is that I need to remember that there will always (always! always! always!) be someone who is better than me, no matter what I'm doing, whether it's lifting weights or running or cooking or writing.
So I just have to get over myself and get on with it.
That, my friends, is what I'm going to do.
Second, I was/have been a bitch in the past and I'm trying to change my ways.
Third, I'm trying to understand how to be competitive without being a bitch. It's not easy, but one thing I've learned is that when I have little triumphs (first one done with the workout!), I need to celebrate them as much as I wallow in my little defeats (workout kicked my ass!).
The other thing which I continually say here (you're sick of it, I know) is that I need to remember that there will always (always! always! always!) be someone who is better than me, no matter what I'm doing, whether it's lifting weights or running or cooking or writing.
So I just have to get over myself and get on with it.
That, my friends, is what I'm going to do.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Gender and Coffee
If you haven't read or heard about it already, you should look at this study about wait times in coffee shops. The study was conducted in Boston, by a professor and undergrads from Middlebury College, which is cool. Basically what they found was that, even allowing for the fact that women are more likely than men to order "fancy drinks," women's wait time was significantly longer than that of men.
As a former barista, and a woman who frequents coffee shops, I found the study quite fascinating. First, I acknowledge that I was pretty bad at customer service. I don't like people, and bitchy women ordering "skinny vanilla lattes" are just about the worst thing ever. But I could make coffee and do it fast. One interesting part of the study found that when the staff was all female, wait times for women were still longer, but not statistically significant.
So the upshot is that women are nicer to women, but men make women wait longer. Why? It's an interesting study, and I wonder what kinds of conclusions we can make. It will be interesting to see what economists and sociologists make of this. Hmmm.
It also reminded me of a time I was at a party and a friend of a friend told me that I should smile more. At the time I was working as a cashier at a food co-op. She said it was part of customer service. I made the argument that I was paid to scan and total groceries. I understand, of course, that being nice is part of it. But every once in awhile a person has a bad day, right? And I have the right to be in a bad mood, right? But she seemed to think that smiling and being fake was part of the deal. Maybe. This friend of a friend said she didn't like to come through my line because I was intimidating. I don't understand this. How can you be intimidated by a person who is ringing up your groceries? In practice, I liked this aspect. It meant when I was working with the young, flirty girls, my line would be empty, while hippy men lined up to be helped by them. Great for me, I thought. I can stand here and drink coffee while she works. I should also add to this that I had the best record for till correctness of any cashier. They wanted me to become a manager. Ha! I quit to go to graduate school. Thank god. That job would have killed me.
But it begs the question, do we discriminate against customers based on gender? Did I? I don't think so. Though I have to say, in my memory of terrible customers both at the coffee bar and at the co-op, all of them were women. Men, in general, seemed to care less about my general mood. As long as I made their coffee and it was fast, they didn't care. I really did hate those non-fat vanilla latte women. Hated them!
I also had some high maintenance shoppers at the co-op. Once a woman returned more than a hundred dollars worth of cleaning supplies. I sighed heavily and did the return. Then I went back to the customer service desk and told the supervisor that the woman who I had just helped was going to come complain about me. And when she did, the supervisor said, "Yeah, I know." It was actually kind of funny. I just can't stand the shoppers who feel they deserve special attention just for doing what everyone else is doing: shopping.
Which is why my customer service career came to an end. But not quickly enough for me. Never.
So my opinion is, yeah, women probably wait longer. Maybe men are just less likely to put up with perceived bitchiness. Or maybe they are just sexist pigs. A little from column A, a little from column B?
As a former barista, and a woman who frequents coffee shops, I found the study quite fascinating. First, I acknowledge that I was pretty bad at customer service. I don't like people, and bitchy women ordering "skinny vanilla lattes" are just about the worst thing ever. But I could make coffee and do it fast. One interesting part of the study found that when the staff was all female, wait times for women were still longer, but not statistically significant.
So the upshot is that women are nicer to women, but men make women wait longer. Why? It's an interesting study, and I wonder what kinds of conclusions we can make. It will be interesting to see what economists and sociologists make of this. Hmmm.
It also reminded me of a time I was at a party and a friend of a friend told me that I should smile more. At the time I was working as a cashier at a food co-op. She said it was part of customer service. I made the argument that I was paid to scan and total groceries. I understand, of course, that being nice is part of it. But every once in awhile a person has a bad day, right? And I have the right to be in a bad mood, right? But she seemed to think that smiling and being fake was part of the deal. Maybe. This friend of a friend said she didn't like to come through my line because I was intimidating. I don't understand this. How can you be intimidated by a person who is ringing up your groceries? In practice, I liked this aspect. It meant when I was working with the young, flirty girls, my line would be empty, while hippy men lined up to be helped by them. Great for me, I thought. I can stand here and drink coffee while she works. I should also add to this that I had the best record for till correctness of any cashier. They wanted me to become a manager. Ha! I quit to go to graduate school. Thank god. That job would have killed me.
But it begs the question, do we discriminate against customers based on gender? Did I? I don't think so. Though I have to say, in my memory of terrible customers both at the coffee bar and at the co-op, all of them were women. Men, in general, seemed to care less about my general mood. As long as I made their coffee and it was fast, they didn't care. I really did hate those non-fat vanilla latte women. Hated them!
I also had some high maintenance shoppers at the co-op. Once a woman returned more than a hundred dollars worth of cleaning supplies. I sighed heavily and did the return. Then I went back to the customer service desk and told the supervisor that the woman who I had just helped was going to come complain about me. And when she did, the supervisor said, "Yeah, I know." It was actually kind of funny. I just can't stand the shoppers who feel they deserve special attention just for doing what everyone else is doing: shopping.
Which is why my customer service career came to an end. But not quickly enough for me. Never.
So my opinion is, yeah, women probably wait longer. Maybe men are just less likely to put up with perceived bitchiness. Or maybe they are just sexist pigs. A little from column A, a little from column B?
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