The Progression of Disorder

[AnaKhouri]

Last night we went to a dinner party with some of Husband's lab mates (French people FTW!) and they were talking about pulling a prank on another lab guy while he's away at a conference. They discussed organizing his bench. I didn't understand why this would be so hilarious (they can come organize my desk anytime...) until Husband explained that this lab guy believes- really, seriously believes- in The Progression of Disorder.

He thinks that disorder, like matter, cannot be created or destroyed, but only change shape and move. If he were to clean up his bench, the chaos would move into another part of his life, like his experiments.

It sounded crazy at first, but then I started thinking...

I try to keep the public parts of the apartment, the living and dining rooms, clean. But the bedroom is always a mess. If I were to organize the bedroom, would the mess move to the living room? It does seem to go in an endless circle. I clean the living room, and by next morning the kitchen is filthy. I clean the kitchen, and next day the bathrooms are a mess. I clean the bathrooms, and the day after Khan's room is a disaster. I clean his room, and the bedroom is chaos...

So I've decided that our bedroom is low priority, since no one else ever goes in there. I'm just not going to worry about it anymore. I don't dare straighten up and risk having chaos move into some other part of my life. I can live with a cluttered bedroom.

[Ree]

Now I have an excuse not to clean my house.

Thanks.

[protege]

Damn...those guys would have a field day at my house Seriously, the entire place is a mess. It's not disgusting, but it's not spotless by any means. I simply get too many things going on, and trying to keep everything clean...simply doesn't happen. Sooo does that mean my disorder has already progressed?

[Cyphr]

@ protege - your disorder is higher than average so that IBM can have that sparkly clean , clean rooms and so that Hollywood can have their mockups of that same room

[Soulstealer]

And here my excuse was that if I cleaned up my desk I'd never find anything again. I like his better.

[Dips]

I worked in research labs for 12 years. I encountered more superstition among coworkers there than anyplace else I've worked.

It made it very easy to mess with them.

[Jester]

I have not seen too much superstition in the food service world. I have noticed that every bartender sets up the bar a different way (as far as bar mats, mixing tins, etc.), and each likes things a certain way, but none of them seem to be superstitious about any of it. I never thought about it before this, to be honest. Any superstitions I have encountered in the bars and restaurants I've worked at were all unrelated to work.

Interesting.....

[Ree]

I have not seen too much superstition in the food service world.

When my husband died, his heart attack happened while he was working, so his knife bag was still at the restaurant.

I only got it back a couple of months ago, but it wasn't because it was being used all this time. In fact, I was told by my daughter that the knife bag has been sitting on a shelf for over a year, and nobody would use it, even when one of them was complaining about the crap knives in the place, because, apparently, there is a superstition that a cook or chef never uses another cook's knife.

I'd never heard of that, but it might have been a part of the reason why my husband always took his own knives with him.

[Jester]

...there is a superstition that a cook or chef never uses another cook's knife.

I have almost always worked the front of the house, so I could be wrong, but I don't know that that is a superstition so much as just kitchen etiquette. After he died, the other cooks probably just didn't touch his knives out of respect.

As always, I reserve the right to be completely, horribly, and embarrassingly wrong.

[AdminAssistant]

Theatre = superstition

Never say, "good luck".
Never say, "Macbeth" in a theatre.
Never whistle backstage.
Leave the ghost light on at night.

We're a funny lot.

[Geek King]

Never say, "Macbeth" in a theatre.

I've never heard this one. What's the reasoning/story behind it?

[technical.angel]

"Shakespeare's play Macbeth is said to be cursed, so actors avoid saying its name (the euphemism "The Scottish Play" is used instead). Actors also avoid even quoting the lines from Macbeth inside a theatre, particularly the Witches incantations. Outside of a theatre the play can be spoken of openly. If an actor speaks the name Macbeth in a theatre, he or she is required to leave the theatre building, spin around three times, spit, curse, and then knock to be allowed back in. There are several possible origins for this superstition. One is the assumption that the song of the Weird Sisters is an actual spell that will bring about evil spirits. Another is that there is more swordplay in it than most other Shakespeare plays, and the more swordplay must be rehearsed and performed, the more chances there are for someone to get injured. Yet another option is that the play is often run by theatres that are in debt and looking to increase patronage.

There is also a legend that the play itself was cursed because the first time it was ever performed, the actor playing Macbeth died shortly before or after the production (accounts vary).[citation needed] It is also said that the original production of the play used actual witches and witchcraft, and so the play is cursed.[citation needed]"

Wiki.

[AdminAssistant]

Tech angel pretty much got it. Also, saying, "Angels and ministers of grace protect us," a line from Hamlet, is supposed to help break the Macbeth "curse".

[JustaCashier]

I think Jester's on the right track regarding the knives.

It's been over 29 years since I've worked in the restaurant business, and the only positions I held, were dishwasher and busperson, so I can't speak from personal experience, but from what I observed, (and remember ).

The last restaurant I worked at, was an upscale one, and had "chefs" of diffferent levels, rather than "cooks", as the first two diner type restaurants I worked at.

Some of the reasons I can think of a chef having their own knives, might be a preference/loyalty to a certain brand, the feel of the knife, and perhaps, even the edge the knife has on it, achieved by the chef's personal sharpening technique.

Also, I would think that a chef's personal knives could be equated, in a way, to a mechanic's tools. At many auto repair shops, that have more than one mechanic, each mechanic will have their own set of tools. I believe it's often a shop requirement. Again, there's the issue of brand preference, plus, if each mechanic has their own, they are likely to have more respect for them, and less likely to abuse, and/or lose them. So, then the shop isn't having to eat the loss, or try to determine if there was negligence on the part of an employee, (and trying to identify the employee, if "Not Me" broke it.)

I don't know if it's common for restaurants to require each chef has their own set of knives. I'm sure the restaurant would at least supply the very basics.

So Ree, I agree with Jester. There may be some superstitions, but, I think it was more of a respect thing, and perhaps even to honor your husband, since he had passed away.

Mike

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Considering the state my garage is in right now, I feel a little robbed that my house is not neater.