Chicana on the Edge

© Regina Rodríguez 2004Tía Veronica sits in wedding lace inherited from abuelita.All the dreams of family are sewn into it.But as she feels the lace against her faceshe sees into her mother's life.All the pain, endless drain,a lonely angry wife.And she says,Chorus:I...

One Saturday night a couple of years ago (whenever Open Water was released, anybody know?) I decided to go to the movies. Now I’ve been a spinster for a long time, so I’m used to dining alone, going to movies alone, seeing shows alone, etc. and I have no problem with...

Hey, Obesio: what happened to your blog?

What turned it around:1. On Saturday night a friend talked to me extensively about my job situation. During a half hour conversation, we were able to identify that ever since I started working at Carson’s, I have always seen the hostess job as the hardest job in the...

Each morning the servers, the sous chef and the bartender come by the hostess stand and look at the reservation sheet. When it doesn't look very full, they express disappointment. Much more than at either of my previous jobs, everyone at the Grillroom seems to...

Okay, so at the end of last week, my second week on the job as hostess (cupcake) of the Grillroom, I felt an increased level of confidence and knowledge of the tasks. I felt far from 100% mastery (or even 75%), but I felt like I was definitely improving. Then the...

My 21-year-old University of California at Berkeley sweatshirt has finally died. I'd been wearing it to the gym every day so now I need to replace it. If I'm going to wear it every day I'd like to have something meaningful on it. Any suggestions of where I should shop...

Tonight as I rode home on the train at around 9:00 p.m, I was reading a story in which the author says she woke up each morning to the smell of the cooking fire. I thought, "I can smell that fire, too." I looked up and saw that three black kids, maybe middle school...

My new job as a restaurant hostess at The Grillroom is stressing me out. Why the hell can't I just pick one job and stick with it for a good long time, you know, and accumulate experience and become better and better at it and more and more comfortable with it and...

In honor of Valentine's Day, here is my favorite dating story. He worked in the medical profession, in mental health to be specific. We had been having a perfectly nice dinner when the subject of smoking in public places came up. He mentioned how in the state of...

I give up. I just don't like alcohol. My 2005 new year's resolution was to start drinking and I did develop a taste for alcohol, by which I mean I stopped gagging when I drink it. But once I overcame my tastebuds' aversion, I noticed that I don't like the effects it...

My new job as hostess (cupcake) of The Grillroom in downtown Chicago:1. Banker's hours are nice: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.2. Whole new skill set to learn.3. But much less responsibility than being a server (also much less money, but I think I can get...