April 2024 Short Story of the Month Hannah Hannah reviewed the menu one more time before confirming that night's specials. She shrugged and figured using the old stand by would be fine. It hadn't been featured in a while, and she wasn't … Read on blog or Reader Still Working on My Novel Read on blog or Reader Kitchen Work AJ Niblock May 21 April 2024 Short Story of the Month Hannah Hannah reviewed the menu one more time before confirming that night's specials. She shrugged and figured using the old stand by would be fine. It hadn't been featured in a while, and she wasn't feeling very creative at the moment. Perhaps she'd been doing this too long. She didn't feel the same excitement that she used to when she'd set a new menu or try a new dish. She didn't really care anymore if the customers raved about her food. She set the menu, made sure the kitchen ran smoothly, or as smoothly as it could, and she went about her day without giving it much thought. Tonight would be blackened chicken, fried plantains, black beans, and white rice. She entered the information in the computer, which checked the recipes against the food inventory. There were no issues. She checked her email. Nothing of note there. She had a meeting with the owner in ten minutes, so she tried to kill a little time by thinking about tomorrow's menu. All she needed to pick were the specials again. The seasonal main menu had been set months ago. She hadn't decided in the ten minutes, and there was a knock on the door. "Come in," she said. The owner of the restaurant walked in and plopped in one of the chairs across from Hannah's desk. "You okay, Joe?" Hannah asked. If she had to guess, something was wrong. Joe was usually very carefree and walked around with a permanent smile plastered across his face. The plop into the chair alone was a sign something was off. "It's not important." Joe waved a hand in front of his face as if he was brushing away a cobweb. "You sure?" asked Hannah. "Yeah. It's not restaurant related. It's marriage stuff." Joe shrugged. "Ah. I see," said Hannah. "Not really my area." "Yeah, don't worry about it." Joe sighed. "So, let's talk restaurant. I need a distraction." "Okay." Hannah tried to smile and convey sympathy, but she really was the last person to discuss marriage troubles with. She'd never had a long-term relationship as an adult. Her job was her life. The only long-term relationship she'd ever had was with her cast iron skillet and her knives. They talked for the next couple of hours about all the important things they needed to, but honestly the whole conversation also felt routine. Nothing Earth shattering was discussed, and no major changes or decisions were needed. The restaurant was established enough that it was running smoothly by this point. Charlie While Hannah and Joe had their meeting, Charlie arrived at the restaurant and started prepping anything that needed prepped for that night's shift. Charlie basically ran the kitchen because Hannah seemed like she wanted less and less to do with the actual kitchen. Charlie looked over the menu and tackled the items she knew Hannah was more particular about. As she was chopping some summer squash, her phone rang. She tried to ignore it. She didn't like to deal with personal drama while she was at work. The ringing stopped. Charlie let out an audible sigh even though she was the only one around to hear it. She kept chopping, getting lost in the rhythmic sound of the knife hitting the cutting board. She quickly chopped all the squash she needed to. She went to the fridge to get something else to prep when her pocket started buzzing again. She glanced around the kitchen and could see Hannah and Joe still talking. No one else had arrived yet. She didn't want to stop the prep, but she needed the phone to stop buzzing. She knew who would be on the other end without even taking it out of her pocket. She went to the opposite side of the kitchen away from the office door. She looked at the screen and took a deep breath before she pressed answer. "Tony, you have to stop calling me. I'm at work," she said. She rolled her eyes so hard it hurt. "I just want us to talk about this," Tony said. "I think you're overreacting." "I'm not overreacting," Charlie responded trying not to let her voice become shrill. She didn't want to draw attention from the office. "Charlie, we've been together for too many years to let this break us up," said Tony. Charlie rubbed her forehead. She didn't want to have this argument again, and she definitely didn't want to have it right now. "Tony, this is really something we can compromise on. It's either a yes or a no, and for me, it's a no." "You don't know that for sure," said Tony. "You might change your mind." "I don't appreciate you thinking you will somehow magically change my mind about this. I don't want kids, and if you do, or might, we shouldn't be together. It's that simple." Charlie had already said these exact things to him this morning, last night, and yesterday afternoon when the argument had started. "Tony, Tony. Please stop." She hadn't heard his response, but she didn't really want to keep arguing in circles. "I don't have time for this now. I'm at work." She didn't usually give in to the drama, but she hung up on him. "Everything okay?" asked Hannah. Charlie turned around. She sighed. "Drama. Don't worry about it. I'm turning off my phone now." She made a point to press the off button and shut the phone all the way down before putting it back in her pocket. "You need some help out here," offered Hannah. "Sure, you and Joe done talking? I don't want to interrupt. I can handle it out here." Charlie was surprised that Hannah was offering. "We're done. It's all good." Hannah started chopping veggies and humming to herself. Charlie hadn't seen her like this in a while, and a happy chef was rare. Charlie was going to ask but decided not to jinx it. As they went about working, others arrived and joined in the routine prep for the night. As the kitchen filled up, everyone settled into their routines and things were underway without any drama or hiccups. Morrison Morrison was late. Again. This time he might actually get fired. He went quietly through the back door at the restaurant. He stopped at the lockers and changed into his uniform. He double checked that he didn't have any stains on his apron and tied it in a double knot in the front. He stopped on one side of the door to the kitchen to listen. He was trying to discern where Hannah or Charlie was before he stepped in. They would be furious at him. He didn't hear his name, which was a good sign. He took a deep breath before he pushed the door open. As he stepped into the kitchen, no one even looked up from what they were doing. Everyone just continued chopping, stirring, sorting, and all the other tasks for the night. He went over to his normal station and started prepping his area. He was in charge of getting some of the meat dishes started. Some of the dishes cooked low and slow. The prime rib should have already been in the oven, but it was going to be late that night. Hopefully none of the first customers ordered it. He got to work and acted like he'd been there the whole time. It was his third day in a row being late this week, and his seventh time in as little as two weeks. He needed to get his act together. Charlie walked behind him and patted him on the shoulder. "We'll talk later," she whispered as she walked past. He knew he wasn't lucky enough for it to go unnoticed, but he hoped he wouldn't get fired. He needed this job. He'd only been late all those days because he was having trouble leaving his apartment. His wife and son were struggling. Both were sick. And today had been another day at the doctor's office, which meant he'd been late again, and more bills that he couldn't afford to pay. He tried not to think about it while he was cooking. He worked through his prep list and tried not to think about his wife, not think about his son, not think about bills, not think about his own rotten luck. Hannah, Charlie, and Morrison Hannah poured them each a glass of wine. Hannah and Charlie both sipped theirs. Morrison didn't even pick his up. He felt like it was a trick. They were just softening the blow before they fired him. "Tell me what's going on, Morrison," said Hannah. She knew something was wrong, something that he hadn't told them yet. He wasn't acting like himself. He'd been working here for four years and had never been late until the last two weeks. Charlie pushed the wine glass towards him. "Tell us what's going with you." Comment Like You can also reply to this email to leave a comment.

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On our ways to war with China, that's only, ONE big problem that the new president elect, Lai is now, faced with, so he can't expect that he can sit still and look pretty like his predecessor, Tsai was able to…observations, predictions of our coll… Read on blog or Reader Mirroring the World Read on blog or Reader The Predicament of Taiwan's Safety Post May 20th: Caught Between War & Peace taurusingemini May 21 On our ways to war with China, that's only, ONE big problem that the new president elect, Lai is now, faced with, so he can't expect that he can sit still and look pretty like his predecessor, Tsai was able to…observations, predictions of our collective future, of off the Front Page Sections, translated… Taiwan had been described by The Economist as the "most dangerous place on earth", before the last president, Tsai steps down from presidency, the tension between China and Taiwan had been at an all-time, high.  On Lai's first speech as the president elect on May 20th, we do NOT expect a "boomerang", we only hoped, that "the interactions between Taiwan and China don't worsen". In his speech, Lai said he hoped that "China and Taiwan will seek out peaceful existence together, benefiting one another"; but after hearing his words, the Chinese reaction believed, that "this is sending off the message of Taiwanese independence, the dangerous signal of destroying the peace between Taiwan and China".  And so, as the American president, Biden used a firm hand toward China to get support for the Democrats in seeking a second term, Lai may mistake, that his speech was a "heart-to-heart" with the U.S., but in the end, the results were, "heart shattering" for China, and, this landed Taiwan into a very dangerous, situation. There are three challenges that the new government led by Lai is to face: First, how to set a good interaction means with the parties not in control of the government.  Lenin once stated, "the strongest fortress can only be breached from within".  Due to the difference of "cognition", the head of internal affairs of Taiwan had long been troubled by "what are we fighting for" too long, this caused Taiwan to not be able to reach a consensus between the people of Taiwan, to make us feel that we're "all on the same boat". Lai is more than aware, that the internal affairs took up the majority of his inaugural address, and he'd stressed the importance of working together.  But Lai, being "a president of minority", he is to face the political biosphere of parties at war, the disparity of the legislative and executive branches of government, along with the ideologies, the groups fighting constantly, causing a fractured society.  All of these, "internal worries" will keep Lai from effectively mastering the "relationship from without". Secondly, how to handle the relationship between U.S. and Taiwan.  In his inaugural address, Lai mentioned especially the American's "H.R. 8036, supporting the peace and stability between Taiwan and China; but, if Taiwan followed U.S.'s lead, then, it would cause the U.S. to turn from a mediator to a primary actor of the relationship between Taiwan and China, and Taiwan will lose complete control over our own tactile independence. This is an election year in the U.S, no matter who enters into the White House, the U.S. will continue to view China as its primary, competitor.  And, the tactical position and the strength in technologies Taiwan has, will surely be used, as a "card" that will help prevent "the rise of China", it's just how the island would be used, is not yet, known. Although, "fighting with each other, not breaking the ties" had been the long-term interaction style between the U.S and China, but Taiwan just might turn into, a vital, "opening", and became, the unfortunate surrogate of war between China and the U.S. The DDP stresses on "preparation of war", but the combined assessment of power is we have less, and they have, more, and Taiwan will surely, rely on the U.S., solely, to fight this, "uneven war"; while the will of U.S. helping Taiwan, will be combatted by the politics of U.S. itself, and the power struggles of U.S. versus China. Third, how to handle the relations between China and Taiwan.  Xi, the leader of Chinese Communist Part said, "we must, hold tightly to the proactive power of development of the interactions with Taiwan".  After the presidential election, Communist China had tossed out many "answer sheets" toward Taiwan, suing the softer, and the harder, means. For instance, through the Ma-Xi Meet, Xi mentioned that "we are from the same race", to open up this brand new outlook of China interacting peacefully with Taiwan; unfortunately, the DDP had, cast this, aside, while Lai intentional, disregarded this, subject matter. In his speech, Lai showed a proactive approach toward his communications with China, and interactions with China, especially on the part where the visiting tourists and the students from China to Taiwan to visit and to study.  The new government may use the principle of "both sides on equal basis", to use the more loosened means. But like the Hong Kong conference back in 1992, any of the negotiations between Taiwan and China, can't drift away from the status of power over the territories. Lai stressed that he would "use communication instead of fighting", suggested that the two parties first begin a conversation together.  But, what's happened didn't happen overnight, as the DDP embraces the principle of Taiwanese independence, and on the founded basis of not acknowledging the politics of the 1992 agreement, it would only be more difficult for Taiwan to "talk" to China. Anyways, the situation Taiwan faces post May 20th is: Hard to avoid war, hard to prepare for war.  How to know what should be done and when, leading Taiwan out of this, state of being, stuck, that affects every resident's safety on the island, becomes the first hardship the newly president elect, Lai will face. And so, Lai can't get comfy in his big seat at all, just because he'd won, there's the minority representation of the DDP in the legislature, because we the people are PISSED off at what Tsai did in the past EIGHT years, and there's the exterior troubles with China, and so, the newly president elect will need to focus on both the outside AND the inside, and, chances are, he won't be able to, manage, which means, this "country" is totally, going, D-O-W-N. On this path to war with China, and unless we the people of this FUCKING (so???) island start growing the gills, none of us will live through this newly elected president's term… Comment Like You can also reply to this email to leave a comment.

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