Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on May 8, 2021 19:14:44 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD & Max Williams - Commanding Officer's Quarters]Judy sighed. Jovireh just described what was really a different facet of her own isolation at the top. "I read a pretty compelling book about the whole thing, about the way certain positions, like yours and mine, make socialization awkward, from a captain who worked a peacekeeping mission in Cardassia right after the war. The crux of, at least this theory of it, is that in certain positions, especially of decision-making and of law enforcement, it can be hard for the community - in her case, Cardassian civilians, and in our case, station residents - to separate the individual - you, me - from the institution - Starfleet. The approach that this particular captain believes in, that I'm also a great believer in, is what she called the 'community policeman' approach, with the idea being that a policeman who works in the same community, who forms connections within that community within his work, and who participates in the community outside of his work as well, fits in better, and is much more trusted, than one who is removed from the community, and the more immersed the metaphorical policeman is, the more seamlessly it all works.""In this same book, she called the alternative model the 'prison guard' approach, so it's not quite an objective analysis," Max added, having read this book as well. "When people get to know you, as a person who is part of the fabric of the community, and who cares about them, they come to understand your decisions as being motivated by the needs of the community, even when they aren't so pleasant. You're not just a jackbooted Starfleet thug doing whatever the faceless bureaucracy says."It wasn't 100% effective under the best of circumstances, but in Judy's experience, it was effective enough.
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Jovireh Velal
Security & Tactical
[TI18]
Posts: 2,609 Likes: 55
Rank: Senior Chief Petty Officer
Position: Chief of Security/Tactical
Species: Betazoid/Romulan
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Post by Jovireh Velal on May 8, 2021 22:17:57 GMT
[PO2 Jovireh Velal / Devra Kul - Front Ear - CO's Quarters] Jov nodded as she listened to Judy's explanation. She did understand, and it certainly made sense. The fact that they were all here having dinner casually was proof that her method worked. However... "Alcohol tends to change the dynamics a bit," she explained her own experience. "Especially in the amounts that those bartenders often served without a second thought. Everyone loved spending an evening chatting with me when I was off duty, but when I showed up in uniform the next evening... They expected the rules to no longer apply to them. I got tired of explaining that just because I had a drink with someone, didn't mean I could go any easier on them." And drunk people were often quite repetitive... So it usually ended up with them talking circles around each other until she finally had to physically escort them out of the establishment. That was a move that also had varying results, depending on just how drunk the person was. Devra remained quiet as she ate, listening attentively to the exchange, fascinated by the different experiences and views that each must have experienced.
Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on May 8, 2021 23:48:30 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD & Max Williams - Commanding Officer's Quarters]Judy took a sip, of water this time. "Alcohol does make it more complicated, and so does the fact that you're young, single, and pretty, whereas I'm old, spoken for, and...""Drop-dead gorgeous," Max interrupted. "We ran this experiment on the beach after the heart replacement, and our Judy here - in a two-piece, mind you - gets hit on by much younger men if they can't tell she's taken."Judy blushed slightly, because it was true. Her bikini body could attract rather handsome suitors in their 30s and 40s. "My point is, I do walk around with a wedding ring and a silver fox, and you don't. That changes the dynamic a little too, but the underlying model still works most of the time. At some point, folks realize that if they give you hell when you're on duty, that's straining the off-duty relationship, and they - that is, the regulars - just behave better in your presence.""Besides, we have our disorderly drunks mostly confined to the Spotty Alibi," Max added. The Blue Beta and similar establishments operated much more responsibly.
Tag Jovireh Velal
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Jovireh Velal
Security & Tactical
[TI18]
Posts: 2,609 Likes: 55
Rank: Senior Chief Petty Officer
Position: Chief of Security/Tactical
Species: Betazoid/Romulan
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Post by Jovireh Velal on May 9, 2021 6:01:54 GMT
[PO2 Jovireh Velal / Devra Kul - Front Ear - CO's Quarters] Jovireh pointedly avoided looking at Devra at the topic came up of her being single, not wanting to provide the opening. Max's comment about Judy attracting younger men didn't surprise her, either. Then again, she had never particularly understood certain cultures' hang-ups with age differences. There had been several men over the last decade or so that she'd found to be attractive, in spite of being decades older than her. Of course, nothing had ever come of that attraction, and she'd never tried. But she felt like that was besides the point. "I have noticed that there are far fewer... troublesome patrons here. That does make things a lot easier." Jov assumed it was due to the location of the station. Somewhere so far out from the rest of galactic civilization didn't attract the same amount of traffic. They also didn't didn't have the same high number of combative species on board at all times.
Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on May 9, 2021 19:51:01 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD & Max Williams - Commanding Officer's Quarters]"Fewer troublesome patrons, and a very responsible business community. There are exceptions, but for the most part, our business owners - present company included - and workers - present company included - treat this place as a home, not just a profit mill. With the bars, that means they don't let patrons drink quite so much," Judy observed, nodding in turn to the business owner (Devra) and worker (Max). "That's one of Judy's big projects since we got here, supporting good, responsible businesses on the promenade," Max added. She nodded. It was a major issue her office worked on, and she was quite pleased with the way the promenade was thriving.
Tag Jovireh Velal
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Jovireh Velal
Security & Tactical
[TI18]
Posts: 2,609 Likes: 55
Rank: Senior Chief Petty Officer
Position: Chief of Security/Tactical
Species: Betazoid/Romulan
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Post by Jovireh Velal on May 10, 2021 7:16:23 GMT
[PO2 Jovireh Velal / Devra Kul - Front Ear - CO's Quarters] Devra laughed as she picked up her glass. "Oh, I am so grateful that drunk people are not among the problems I've had," she replied, the relief in her voice evident. Jov glanced over at her, brow furrowed in an expression of concern. "You've been having problems at the shop?" Her tone of voice made it evident she wished Devra had mentioned that before. The mother returned the glance, eyebrows raised in slight surprise before she set her glass back down and shook her head. "Oh, there haven't really been any problems... More like annoyances. Which are unavoidable anywhere you work with people." Devra added the last comment quickly, before her daughter could start to get too protective. "In my business, there are a lot of indecisive customers, many of whom take up a lot of time with constant questions. It's certainly nothing to get security involved in." Jovireh nodded, satisfied with the answer, and took a sip from her own glance. She could only imagine how difficult those indecisive customers would become if alcohol was added to the mix...
Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on May 10, 2021 23:43:39 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD & Max Williams - Commanding Officer's Quarters]"My friend, what you need is an assistant," Judy suggested helpfully. "One or two little minions to cover for you while you help the most indecisive customers.""Are you volunteering?" Max teasingly asked his wife. "I'd love to, but then I wouldn't have any time left to bother you at your work," she replied. "Long-term, if you have an assistant, they can run the shop for you while you travel to Betazed, or if you just want to take a day off."
Tag Jovireh Velal
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Jovireh Velal
Security & Tactical
[TI18]
Posts: 2,609 Likes: 55
Rank: Senior Chief Petty Officer
Position: Chief of Security/Tactical
Species: Betazoid/Romulan
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Post by Jovireh Velal on May 11, 2021 6:46:18 GMT
[PO2 Jovireh Velal / Devra Kul - Front Ear - CO's Quarters] "I have thought about hiring help, now that business has picked up a bit," Devra replied thoughtfully. Jovireh looked over at her thoughtfully. "Depending on the type of work you'll be having them do, and how many hours you'll want them to work... There are quite a few older teenagers on the station who might be looking for a way to earn some credits." She had no idea what the Federation's policy was on the employment of minors, but Jov felt like it would be a good arrangement for her mother to get the help she needed, as well as satisfy her desire to be a mentor for the younger generations.
Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on May 11, 2021 20:21:26 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD & Max Williams - Commanding Officer's Quarters]"Well, now that you mention it, I suppose Anna could use a summer job," Judy suggested. "She'll have to decide for herself if she wants it, but it's possible," Max caveated. "We've encouraged all our kids to work during their summer vacations in high school, to keep them humble.""They'll get pretty hefty trust funds, so we really have to work overtime to keep them from getting too full of themselves," Judy noted. Max nodded. He'd come to terms with his wife's generational wealth, and come to enjoy the fruits of it, but he didn't love it.
Tag Jovireh Velal
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Jovireh Velal
Security & Tactical
[TI18]
Posts: 2,609 Likes: 55
Rank: Senior Chief Petty Officer
Position: Chief of Security/Tactical
Species: Betazoid/Romulan
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Post by Jovireh Velal on May 12, 2021 6:43:44 GMT
[PO2 Jovireh Velal / Devra Kul - Front Ear - CO's Quarters] Devra smiled graciously. "If she's interested, send her down and we'll see if it'll be a good fit." She needed to decide which part of the job she would be delegating to whomever she hired... but some of that would depend on what the person's strengths were. Jovireh hid a grin behind her glass as she took another sip. While she whole-heartedly believed Anna would be an excellent employee... she wasn't one of the kids she'd had in mind when making that suggestion. Unfortunately, those who might benefit most from Devra's guidance were those that would most likely need their parents to force them to go anywhere near the flower shop in the first place...
Tag Judith Eastman
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Judith Eastman
Civilian
Grandma
Posts: 2,593 Likes: 84
Rank: Civilian/other
Position: Civil Servant
Species: Human
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Post by Judith Eastman on May 13, 2021 23:04:14 GMT
[Capt. Judith Eastman(-Williams), PhD & Max Williams - Commanding Officer's Quarters]"She's a teenager, so she might say no just because we suggest it," Max pointed out, only half-joking. Anna was a relatively cool-headed teen, but she had her own ideas. "Daughters have a way of not listening to their mothers, isn't that right?" Judy quipped. Max was visibly quite amused by Judy's on-the-nose comment. She wasn't wrong.
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