Lockwood

So, thanks to a tip from Jen, who works for a company that evaluates service, I have a new gig as a mystery shopper for hospitality firms. The application involved a few questions probing your experience in the hospitality industry and some short essays to assess writing ability. As a former hotelie who is currently not working in the hospitality industry (and thus would not have any conflicts of interest with clients), I qualified handily.

Perusing the database of available assignments, it was quickly impressed upon me that all of these places were fairly upscale and quite pricey. Oh boy, getting paid for meals and hotel stays at places I can't/choose not to afford! Plus, I'd be able to take a guest with me. How much better could this get? I signed up for a bar evaluation at Lockwood, the restaurant at the Palmer House Hilton. Soon after, my inbox began to be barraged with paperwork on how to evaluate my experience. Hmm, there might be a catch to this "free food" deal after all...

The assignment was to go to Lockwood, order two rounds of drinks from the bar, and then order food from the bar menu. I was asked to pay close attention to the bartenders while handling cash, ask for a generic drink (such as a vodka tonic) to see if they upsell the drink, and identify a manager by the end of the night. If I didn't see a manager, I was supposed to ask for one. A list of suggested conversation topics with the manager was provided, including the prompt "Why doesn't this wine list have more South African wines?" Hah, somehow I don't think I'd be able to pull that line off. Oh, I also needed to meticulously remember times (when the food was ordered, when it arrived, when the plates were cleared, etc), appearances of the employees (without using race as an identifier), and whether employees smiled and made eye contact. And those were just the major items. Needless to say, in total, there was a four-page long checklist of items to observe. Have I mentioned how unobservant I generally am? Like the time I participated in a psych experiment designed to test eye witness accuracy, and I didn't even notice the mugging happening in the video?

For extra reassurance, I brought Jen with me for this first evaluation. After all, she probably knows better than me what to look for. We sat down at the bar, and I nervously watched our bartender like a hawk, while trying to hold up a conversation with Jen. After a while, I did start to relax (or maybe it was the alcohol hitting my bloodstream), but having to monitor and scrutinize the experience definitely puts a damper on happy hour. Luckily, a manager was clearly visible, so I didn't have to awkwardly ask for one. The highlight of the night was definitely the food; we ordered the Kobe beef sliders and the bruschetta, and both were fabulous, definitely a step above your usual bar food. The bruschetta in particular was innovative, and was presented in three small crocks that included roasted red and orange bell pepper, portabello mushroom, and heirloom yellow and orange tomato.

Immediately afterwards, I went home and began writing up my evaluation report. This took quite a bit longer than I'd anticipated, as I racked my brain to remember who cleared my glass, or how long it took for our food to arrive. There were a few mistakes made (they didn't ID us, a credit card wasn't held for our tab), but overall, I thought the experience went well. Next week, we'll see how good my write-up was because each report gets scored for completeness and style. Hopefully, the number won't be abysmal and I'll be able to keep signing up for new evaluation opportunities.

Update:
-Time Out Chicago's review of Lockwood from Jan '08 roundly pans the restaurant. Oh my, I did not have the same experience at all. Evidently things have improved since the beginning of the year?
-Critiquing the Critics, from Lockwood Executive Chef Phil Foss (the rest of his blog is quite entertaining as well)

Rehearsal Time

Cantate rehearsals have started, and if I had to choose one word to describe them, it would be "intense." We've set two concert dates in mid-November (Fri the 14th and Sun the 16th), and in less than six weeks of rehearsal, we will have learned 14 pieces. Gulp. I basically skated through chorale rehearsals at Cornell, feeling no obligation to practice on my own. Here though, I feel as though I'm learning to walk a tight rope without a safety net. Since the group is small, there's usually only one or two other people singing my voice part. I've befriended Tracy, a fellow Alto-1 who is also new to the group. Unfortunately, she is generally more lost and clueless than I am, so I am the one taking the lead. And unlike any other instrument, if you lose your note or get out of tune, it can be very difficult to correct yourself.

Moreover, the repertoire is fairly challenging. Chords are unintuitively complex, time signatures are constantly changing, and the Ives piece is written with different key signatures for the women and men. After a particularly painful run-through of the Barber Reincarnations, our director commented wryly, "Some of us need to put this one under our pillows. Some of us are doing just fine." Tracy and I gave each other baleful looks.

Right now, we're only focusing on getting the notes correct and rhythms accurate. There are a host of other stylistic issues that I need to think about, from the way I pronounce my x's (split the sound into k-s such that "lux" turns into "luk-s") to learning how to breathe (in less obvious places). Almost everyone else has more extensive choral experience compared to me, so while I'm encountering a lot of new ideas for the first time, this is standard stuff for the others. I'm thrilled that this group is giving me room to grow as a musician, but man, do I have a lot of work to do.

I could really use a keyboard.

In the moments when everything comes together, our sound is hands-down gorgeous. Today's rehearsal ended with a spiritual, a free-flowing outburst of joy and emotion. As our voices echoed through the nave, I marveled at how these 16 random people had come together to produce a work of art in unison. And just as quickly, it was gone, and we went our separate ways.

Don't Panic!

This article is one of the best accounts of the last two weeks of financial turbulence out there. It's written in layman's terms; if Dan Brown wrote a thriller about Wall Street, this would be it.

Times are very bad indeed, and with every new development, I am reminded that I am living and experiencing unprecedented events, while working from the Fed no less. We had a town hall meeting yesterday afternoon, to give an overview of the financial market turmoil and answer questions about how the Fed has been impacted. I decided to ask what would happen if the bailout bill didn't pass, what other magical tricks does the Fed have in its bag? The answer wasn't exactly comforting.

When I went home for the day, there was a quartercard attached to my bike, inviting me to join a protest against the Fed next week. Among other things, this group was protesting the bailout because it was "illegal" and "immoral." LMAO. Should I join in on Monday morning?