Free Verse Poem: The Providing Tree

Title: The Providing Tree

The tree anchors the soil to the earth,

It is a home to many and shelter to some.

Creatures find their sustenance in its reach,

Leaves, branches, roots and bark makes their den.

Each finds their use for the branches held high.

Taking refuge in the umbrella of the tree’s time.

It is the blanket that keeps the earth warm,

The fan that keeps it cool.

It maintains sturdy course, bracing high and low.

Dr. Murad Abel

Free verse poetry does not have the rhythm or meter like other poetry. However, one can argue that free verse is not completely free. It does have some level of comma use, word choice, and themes that give it a structure. The free versus is meant to tell more of a story than it is to delight in rhythm and rhyme. Other examples of free versus may be found in Walt Whitman’s work where commas and words create natural pause.

The writer seeks to connect images in the readers mind. They do this through the specific choices of words. For example, “like a willow reaches for mother earth” could put an image of a weeping willow with the branches focused downward or it could be used to enhance a concept of a crying infant such as “The child became like a willow that reaches for mother earth”. 

For example, the poem above is considered free versus but it also has a number of images it portrays to the reader. Consider the following:

Line 1-Anchored, connected, foundation.

Line 2-Shelter,  home, refuge

Line 3-Sustenance, food, life

Line 4- Den, home, borough

Line 5-Usage, utility, providing

Line 6-Time, longevity, unending

Line 7-Blanket, warmth, protective

Line 8-Cool, refuge, oasis

Line 9-Sturdy, unbreakable, strong

If we look at only these words and the images associated with them we may find a tree to have a strong foundation, be shelter, give us living, a place to exist, having practical use, providing nourishment, always giving, giving warmth, giving coolness, and never ending.  It is possible to look at the poem as representing life and homes. That homes are strong, teaching us skills, always providing something we need, giving us protection, and never ending in its quest to provide this. The tree is the stable unending home to the creatures that live on the earth. The poem helps us respect nature and interconnected activities of all things that exist in that environment.

You might be interested in reading the following article on how plants try and reverse overheating through releasing cooling gases. Here

The Potato Eaters by Vincent van Gogh

The Potato Eaters-1885

The Potato Eaters presents five figures of which three are females and two are males. One of which appears to be younger than the others and standing before her family. The meal is simple consisting of baked potatoes without any type of dressing. Spices were expensive and imported from other areas. 

This meal was a regular staple for people who did not have the access to the refrigerated varieties we have today. The other woman is serving coffee for the group through cheap cups and a pot. You can see the conversation within the picture as the family discusses their daily happenings. One might be talking about the hens and the other about the saving of seeds. Their lives consumed them and filled up their conversational needs. It was all about survival.

The colors are dark which gives the painting a dark and dirty look. On the ceiling is a single hanging lamp that brightens the families faces. Even though each female is wearing drab clothing and a bonnet we can see a touch of youth behind the center figure's face. Life has yet to wear her down as you can see from the wonderment in her eyes. As a peasant farming family clothing was likely in high demand and coarse by nature. People simply didn’t throw their clothes in the washing machine or run down to Macy’s for another pair. 

The depiction is a real family in the spirit of naturalism painting styles. At this time the Great Recession (before the modern one) ran until 1879. This time was replaced a few decades later by the Great Depression of the 1930’s. The painting was completed by a young Vincent Van Gogh in 1885 who had not yet mastered his skills. Poverty was still everywhere as people have not had equal opportunities to achieve economic footing. It was just the beginning of a more global economy. This picture is about poverty and the simplicity of life that existed at the time for a huge percentage of the population.

The painting was originally finished in Netherlands as a study of “real” people. Vincent van Gogh wanted to depict people as he saw them. To him these peasants were not only the backbone of the country but also legitimately earned their food. He stated in a letter, "You see, I really have wanted to make it so that people get the idea that these folk, who are eating their potatoes by the light of their little lamp, have tilled the earth themselves with these hands they are putting in the dish, and so it speaks of manual labor and — that they have thus honestly earned their food. I wanted it to give the idea of a wholly different way of life from ours — civilized people. So I certainly don’t want everyone just to admire it or approve of it without knowing why.”

What Van Gogh was capable of doing was creating a “snap shot” of life in the rural countryside. Even though they were poor they were still together. To him people actually worked hard to achieve the things they needed in their lives. Imagine if we were living back then where backbreaking work was the norm and only a very few luxuries of life were available. There were no credit cards, buses, racks of clothing, and medical benefits. With such a hard time people had an average mortality rate of 50 years or less. Now look around at all the things you have! Do you still have each other? Perhaps their poverty provided them a rare gift?

Service Quality Metrics in the Food and Beverage Industry

Food & Beverage Services within the hotel and restaurant industry are important for maintaining customer loyalty and increase sales. Yet service quality can be perceptual by nature making it difficult for managers to define precisely what factors are contributing to customer satisfaction. Understanding how to view service and evaluate the quality of service requires the use of a model that can be broken down and analyzed.  Through breaking apart the various aspects of complex organizational-customer interfaces helps to define and improve upon key areas of weaknesses.

Quality service can raise the perceptual value of the organization. Research has shown that quality service from food and beverage departments is an important consideration for guests (Crick & Spencer, 2011). Without this quality service customers may not feel as though they received adequate attention for the amount of money they have spent. Customers that feel that they did not receive equity may not return.

Even though models of customer service can be separated it is generally the entire perception of the organizations that makes the difference. Customers make a global evaluation when assessing the quality of service (Zeithaml, et. al, 1996). This means they can accept a mistake as long as it is promptly handled. They look toward the entire equity-value relationship to complete their informal evaluation and make decisions to return.

Customers should feel as though the service exceeded their expectations (Antony & Ghosh, 2004). For example, if a customer expected to have their beverage within 10 minutes but you bring it within 6 minutes their service impression will rise. The opposite can also be true. If a customer expected to find seating at a local lounge, but needed to wait for over a half hour, the perceived value of their experience decreases. 

There are a number of different models that can be used to break apart and assess the quality of service. One of the more common tools is the SERQUAL method. According to Parasuraman, et. al. this includes the following concepts (1986):

Tangibles: The physical facilities, appearance, and equipment.

Reliability: The ability to reliability provide the service.

Responsiveness: The ability to provide prompt services and interactions with customers.

Assurance: The ability to convey trust and make good on mistakes.

Empathy: Individualized attention to guests. 

One can perceive SERQUAL in action through a short story. If Jane enters a lounge, she immediately gets an impression from the building, chairs, design and look of the establishment (Tangibles). Since Jane has attended the place a few times before she is expecting that she will have fun and  professional service tonight in the same way she has in the past (Reliability). However, tonight they were busier and a number of staff called out sick. The service was poor and it took much longer for her to receive her beverages (Responsiveness). When she found a mistake on her bill, she decided to talk to the bar tender who told her there wasn’t much he could do about it (Assurance). Finally, after repeated pleadings he gave her a form and told her to fill it out and call back in a few days (Empathy).

How do you think Jane filled out the customer survey card? Will she feel as though she has strong service? Which aspects were strongly or poorly evaluated via SERQUAL?

Antony, J. & Ghosh, S. (2004). Evaluating service qua]ify in a UK hotel chain: a case study. International

Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 16(6), 380-384

Crick, A. & Spencer, A. (2011). Hospitalify qualify: new directions and new challenges. International

Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 25(4),

Oliver. (1999). Whence Consumer Loyalty? International Journal of Marketing, 63, 33-44.

Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V., & Beny, L. (1985). A conceptual model of service quality and its

implications for futtire research. Journal of Marketing, 49

Humphrys by the Bay-Nights of Harbor Fun!

Humphreys by the Bay is nationally known for its concerts, live music, hotel, and restaurant accommodations. On Shelter Drive in San Diego’s beautiful bay front you can enjoy the sites of the marina while singing and dancing to the music all night long. Ranked four and five stars by hundreds of visitors it is a great place to spend an evening. Either lean back in your chair and enjoy a martini while watching the ships sail through the harbor or put on your dancing shoes and boogie until you drop. At Humphreys the choice is yours! 

Humphreys by the Bay lounge offers live dance music from some of the best artists in the area. With a spacious dance floor, plenty of seating, and walk out deck people come back over and over. The bar is long while the waiting is short. A great combination. Different size tables and chairs are spread throughout the lounge area so both couples and small groups can find seating without much difficulty.

After 10:00 pm the line to enter Humphrey’s becomes long. It typically takes about 30 minutes to enter so don’t expect to walk right in if you wait too late. If you come around 9:00 pm there won’t be much of a problem. Cover charges are $12 and drinks are approximately $6-$10 making them affordable. Marina parking is free in the evening and plentiful around the bay. You may need to walk the parking lot or thin sidewalk on busy nights to get to the entrance.

The bar tenders were friendly and easy to talk with. The facilities appeared clean and well maintained. The music was at an appropriate level even though long drawn out conversation would likely occur on the deck or in the entryway. Ages were generally 35 years and up. Don’t let the ages fool you as this crowd can dance while not bumping or spilling drinks on you.  The management appears to control the capacity so there is just the right amount of people for creature comfort. This improves the perceived values of service.

Rumor has it that if you eat in the restaurant you can walk right into the lounge with no waiting. Humphrey’s services breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. Dinner prices are around $25 with small plates for around $15. They offer a large selection of wines that range from $8 a glass to $18 depending on quality and vintage. 

You will have fun at Humphreys and can choose to spend the entire night in the hotel if you desire. Better safe then sorry. Whether you are attending one of their concerts, getting something to eat, or seeking a night of dancing the atmosphere is very Californian in its orientation. Boats, bars, bashes, and bonanzas…how can you go wrong?

Humphreys by the Bay

2241 Shelter Island Drive
San Diego, CA 92106
619.224.3577

http://www.humphreysbythebay.com/

http://humphreysconcerts.com/

http://humphreysrestaurant.com/menus/

Book Review: Journal Keeping by Dannelle Stevens and Joanne Cooper

The book Journal Keeping-How to Use Reflection Writing for Learning, Teaching, Professional Insight, and Positive Change by Dannelle Stevents and Joanne Cooper provides a nice framework for including journals in both higher education and our personal lives. Through the use of a journal we can help solidify our thoughts and come to a better understanding of ourselves. Professors, business owners, and students can all find an educational benefit in writing out their goals, strategies, dreams and hopes. 

The author proposes that such journal writing be implemented in graduate and doctoral education. The journal provides 1. Writing as thinking, 2. Practice in fluency in writing and motivation, 3. Acceptance of journal writing when it is fully integrated into course work. Not only does it provide a higher depth of thought but also improves upon general self-reflection. When students understand the benefits of journal writing they accept and adapt it to their own needs. 

The use of journal also provides critical reflection and opportunities for transformational learning. Informational learning involves acquisition of knowledge while transformational learning provides critical reflection on assumptions and thoughts. Graduate students should learn how to think critically, thoroughly and challenge assumptions they hold to think more clearly.

The journal also helps people to understand themselves in a constantly changing and adjusting world. It helps to ground and define a person’s personality so that they may use this vantage point to make decisions for themselves. Since undergraduate education is important for understanding one’s skills and abilities it would be a natural extension to encourage such students to also understand their personal desires and needs. Perhaps the use of journals would help students find the right major quicker and therefore shave off some cost from the educational process.

Business owners may find the ability to write out their strategic thoughts as an advantage inherent in journal writing. As they think about their strategies and how they fit with their personal goals they can catalog their ideas to go back and expand or review. Continually building on strategic ideas makes them more concrete, thorough, and able to be adjusted when situations change. 

Personally, I have used journal writing in my classes and students seemed to have accepted its inherent benefits. By using journal writing as a graded assignment it allows the students to reflect on important class concepts which helps solidify the knowledge they have learned through reflection. If a student can integrate the knowledge they learned in their class into their lives by remembering key concepts a week after they have been taught you know that student learning is occurring. 

The book is a strong read for professors and administrators. It provides insight into the benefits of journal writing for student success. Since such skills are a habit that helps to develop students as self-reflective individuals who think through complex concepts and issues. The book offers cited resources for those who desire to view other sources of journal writing benefits. The three major sections are Journal Writing Definition, Reflection and Learning, Reflection and Adult Developmental Theory.

Stevens, D. & Cooper, J. (2009)Journal Keeping-How to Use Reflection Writing for Learning, Teaching, Professional Insight, and Positive Change. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publish ISBN 978-1-57922-215-4

Price: $44.00 I received a discount for around half at a WASC conference

Blog Review: 4.4

Pages: Approximately 244