The people we provide service for are the principal(s). For readers of this blog, the Ps are my principals.) Clever how their last name starts with "P", n'est ce pas?)
I refer to my peers in the trade by the title House Manager. It is a well accepted title by many including principals and placement agencies. We can collectively be called Butler, Major Domo or Estate Manager as well. Companion, Personal Assistant and Valet are also titles used but are generally more specialized in personal care for the principals. I will elaborate more on that distinction later.
Title by: Squeeze
So by popular demand, a bit about being a House Manager. First, let me acknowledge my sources and my experience.
I received my Certified Household Manager certificate from Starkey International in July 2007.
I have worked restaurants, resorts and hotels. I have several years experience in a kitchen that served both restaurant and banquet customers. I have served in formal dining rooms as waiter and sommelier (though, frankly I prefer to drink the stuff rather than sell it), banquet server, maitre'd, bartender, even a brief stint as a DJ. I have worked the front desk, reservationist, housekeeping, bellhop, pool attendant, water-ski instructor, chauffeur, concierge and just about every position in a movie theater except projectionist. My mother shared her wonderful skills in preparing French, and indeed International, cuisine and entertaining every guest as though they were an ambassador.
I have long hard-earned years of retail service experience. I can fold anything from a woman's silk shell to a 8 foot by 8 foot braided rug. (Do not even get me started about folding clothes and US Navy boot-camp.) I can stand at a register for countless hours with nothing to drink or eat, greeting every customer with a smile in my voice and balance my till to the penny at the end of my shift. I can tell you about the features and benefits of computers, well constructed furniture, washers & dryers and air conditioners. I have worked for a 4-seat answering service and a 300-seat mutual fund call center. I was a registered rep (Series 6 & 63).
I have assisted in the management of rental and condominium properties. I have done maintenance, housekeeping, grounds keeping and neighbor relations. I even had the thankless job of Secretary & Treasurer for our Owners' Association. (Yes, the condo is STILL for sale.)
My experience in information technology has been as a business analyst both on the IT side of the shop and the "Business" side. Project managers will see Project Management Institute type references in here. Process managers will see parts of the Rational Unified Development ("who"/"how") and Waterfall processes for software development. There is even a bit of requirements training via Requirements Quest. I have also been working on and supporting computers since the Commodore 64 only had a tape drive.
But, as they say, enough about me...
Title by: Panic! At The Disco
One of the things we are learning about living east of New York City, but still in the shadow of the city, is dealing with the crowds. My line to the Ts is, "If even just 1% of the population has the same idea as we do, that means 80,000 are bound to be going where we want to be."
We have learned through trial and error that
You need to be at the movie theater at least 60 minutes before show time or earlier if it is a prime time or first weekend.
You cannot travel to, through nor around New York City and make "good time" between the hours of 7 AM – 10 AM and 3 PM – 8 PM, including weekends. (Even outside those times is questionable.) It takes 1 hour to get from one side of New York to the other traveling east to west or return on a very very good day.
Parking in Manhattan is an oxymoron.
The New Jersey Turnpike is either a shoot or a ladder. When it is moving, you better be ready to do 80 MPH. When it is clogged, you better have packed at least 1 extra meal.
The mass-media and reports are correct, New York City drivers are rude, loud and obnoxious. (I fit right in, hahaha.)
If you think Waukesha County is the only place where 10 MPH under the speed limit is the norm in the far left lane, remember that the country was mostly settled from East to West. They had to come from somewhere and ALL their relatives are still out here, every last slow poke Uncle, Aunt and cousin.
Title by: Angels & Airwaves
Wow, it has been a month. Sorry about that. The holidays just flew by this year.
Here is a recap, briefly I promise, of the past few weeks.
Van broke - $3000
Thanksgiving – Philadelphia with ma chere, the Ts and my sister and some charming friends
Christmas – Washington, DC with ma chere, the Ts, my sister and some charming friends
Vacation – R&R in Washington, DC and Baiting Hollow
New Year's – Baiting Hollow
For those that like the "Webster's Unabridged", here is the filler.
A couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, the transmission on our van stopped working. By "stopped working", I mean one second we are doing 55 on Sound Avenue heading for Greeenport and the next we are coasting to a stop with no power from the engine reaching the wheels. Thankfully, we have some fantastic friends that live not too far from where we were stranded. Their eldest son gave ma Chere and T3 a ride back to our house while I waited for the tow from AAA.
In the course of one of my conversations with AAA over the fact that the tow was 45 minutes late, I was called a "dumb-ass" by one of the Wisconsin representatives. I kid you not, she said, "DUMB ASS" as she put me on hold. Needless to say, I was livid, fit-to-be-tied, died in the wool ticked off. Of course, while AAA was somewhat apologetic, I never heard back from any of the supervisors that claimed they would get to the bottom of it. I guess in this economy, they can afford to give customers away.
Two weeks later and a few thousand dollars the van was back in our driveway.
Thanksgiving was spent with my sister in Philadelphia. She actually lives in Washington, DC but Phili is a good spot in between Washington, DC and Long Island, NY. We had a wonderfully prepared meal, compliments to my sister and ma chere. We spent some time at Reading Station on Friday before heading back to Long Island. There is a great food market there with good eats and great grocery deals.
The situation with the van put a damper on our Christmas preparations. We also decided that the trip back to Milwaukee would be too expensive and too hard on the new transmission. Ma chere made the most of it by setting out the decorations earlier than we normally set them out. The house looks very nice all dressed up for the holidays. Next year, I will try my hand at outdoor decorations.
I had my 5 year colonoscopy the Monday before Christmas. The preparation for that is always worse than the actual procedure. However, having to wait an additional 2 hours because the doctor was behind schedule almost constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. The good news is everything came back clean and clear. And, I will not have to worry about it again until 2013. T1 will be a senior at that point, a camera up my backside might seem like a vacation then.
We enjoyed a nice service at church on Christmas Eve. I had the pleasure and honor of doing the Old Testament and Epistle readings for the candle service.
After the kids came downstairs on Christmas Day, we ate a quick breakfast and headed down the Washington, DC. It is about 320 miles from our place to my sister's. It takes about 6 hours. We celebrated Christmas dinner near Bethesda with a charming couple and their children. They are friends of my sister's from the first time she lived in DC. The rest of the weekend was spent in tourist mode. We spent time at the Museum of the American Indian, Arlington Cemetery, the National Zoo and Annapolis. We got back to Baiting Hollow Sunday afternoon and did leave until Tuesday morning.
A winter storm hit the east coast on Tuesday during the day. By Midwest standards, it was relatively small except that the temperature dropped from 35 to 20 while it was still snowing. The roads were all covered with black ice. The New Year's party was cancelled, leaving ma chere, Ts 2 & 3 and I with a cheese and sausage platter and chocolate mousse for 16. We found a way to survive until Midnight.
We passed the rest of the week with a run into Manhattan to visit the American Museum of Natural History on Friday. It was a nice way for ma chere and I to pass our 16th anniversary. Saturday was T3's 7th birthday. We moved all the furniture around in the living room, set it up "theater-style" and watched movies with an obcene amount of hors d'ourves.
And that, as they say, was the month in round up. Pretty generic stuff really. Just living the middle-class dream.
Title by: Jacques Brel
