Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’
Why the fuck can’t I write? I’m afflicted. I’m trying to think if I’m in denial about something. No. If anything I’m oddly apathetic to a lot of shit right now.
I’m not apathetic to Lazy Girl. She’s been working that nerve this week. Starts out the week (on Tuesday) in a bad mood. Jay loves it when she’s in a bad mood because he just rides her ass as hard as he can. He baits her continuously and she’s not inclined to let it roll off like I am. He tries but he knows I’m apathetic to his attempts to raise my ire, acknowledging that he doesn’t really want to rouse the sleeping scorpion, he just likes to poke at it.
As disinclined as I am to take her side on just about anything, I have pointedly expressed my displeasure at the asshattery that flows so easily from the depths of his lungs. I don’t defend her when they talk about her work ethic because they are blatantly outspoken and truthful, especially Josiah, who works evening shift. He flat tells her, “Girl, you are LAZY!” I do speak up when it becomes a bit too personal, although she has no trouble snapping back at them.
Adelaide made her cry today. Or, she was just pretending, I’m not sure and I don’t care. I walked in this morning and had the GM tell me, “We have a 24 top at 11:30, the room needs to be set.” Twenty-four????? Do we even have 24 chairs? (Answer is: Yes, right after I drug one up from downstairs.) So, I sat up the three folded tables, put the table clothes on them, put the 24 chairs in that had just been moved out the night before, and started prepping lemons, butter, and condiments while Adelaide set the table (formal setting) and made an extra pan of bread.
Then we poured ice in the glasses and then they had to set beverages up because it was the Beverage People. Oh, did I mention we also had to do all of the regular work that we do before we open in the morning.
So, Lazy Girl set up the bar and set up cans of soda in straight lines. Adelaide and I did everything else. The result of this and our other regular tables was 4 racks of glasses, two flats of silverware, a dining room that looked like a bomb had exploded in it, and a massive cleaning job. All of which Adelaide and I took care of. Adelaide also had to help her in the conference room and we all know who got the brunt of that workload.
So, when Lazy Girl wanted help carrying soda downstairs, Adelaide told her, politely, that since he and I had set the room and were now polishing glasses and silverware that it was only fair that she take the soda downstairs herself. Yeah, she went back into the conference room and then came out and asked that we watch the door, that she had to go to the restroom. She was crying.
Airy, the pastry chef, saw her on the stairwell and came up asking us, “Who she saltin’ over? Whad ya’ll do?” We just shook our heads and he said, “Oh, ya’ll made her work, huh?”
And that is just one reason why I love my job.
Confirmed
I just booked my flight and hotel in New Orleans. Normally I stay with my cousin but this time we decided it would be best if I got a room downtown as this is not a typical trip. Although my cousin and I get along fabulously, we appreciate each other’s differences as much as we celebrate our similarities, I tend to be a bit more on the wild side. I’m a night owl and a prowler. She has to rise at the ass crack of dawn for her job. I’m into the rock ‘n’ roll scene and she’s not so much into that. However, I bet we’ll have a few beers and watch some football while I’m there because in that way, we’re definitely alike.
In other words, she’s as laid back as I am hyper, and believe it or not, she may even be more mysterious than I am. We do share blood, my people.
I’m actually departing on Sunday from Pittsburgh. Much cheaper than flying from my home city, even with hotel, ground transport, parking, and gas, it is cheaper than just driving 15 miles to my nearest airport. Sad, oh so sad.
I could have flown out Saturday, but that would mean I would miss AZ (Steve’s) wedding. Can’t have that peeps. I’ve talked to him a few times in the past week. He’s reminded me several times that I can bring a date if I desire. I was really hell bent on having a date for this affair, but really, I don’t give a shit anymore. I wasn’t even sure I could stay for the reception, given that I was flying out to New Orleans the same weekend.
He said they cut the guest list to 200. If an invitation was returned because of a bad address, then they were just stricken. Trying to pay for a wedding on unemployment must be pretty tough. He’s already had his bachelor party. He got bombed on Jagermeister and spewed Chinese food all over his friend’s lawn. Lovely.
I’m looking forward to the wedding, almost as much as I’m looking forward to going shopping since I don’t have a thing to wear, literally. I’m looking forward to having that finality that it’s over – really, really over and I’m free. I’ll be closing a chapter of my life, perhaps without answers, but also without regret or remorse. I think I’ll call this chapter, “Preparation for the Real “One”.” My only irritation, I’m starting my period this week! GAH! Bloat city! Why must I always buy clothes when I’m BLOATED?!? Then they only fit when I’M ON MY PERIOD!!!!
I may wait until Saturday morning even to buy something. Gah! A trip to the mall on Saturday morning???? Gag me with a ten-foot toenail. Pbooey!
The upside? I’M GOING TO NEW ORLEANS TO SEE ALICE IN CHAINS! Totally worth a trip to the mall, even on Saturday morning.
The Peach ROCKS!
Yesterday before my esteemed co-worker began a four day weekend, I came up from the basement after smoking and passed our male sous chef on the stairwell. He said, “Whoa, Assistant Manager and GM are talkin’ to Adelaide, wonder if someone’s gettin’ fired, who’s in trouble, eh?” I had no clue but talking to AM and GM can only mean one of two things… mischief and mayhem or accolades.
It was indeed accolades because Adelaide rocks. And don’t think it is strange that his name is Adelaide. That’s almost exactly how most of the staff mispronounces his name. Plus, our sous chef, Jay, he’s perpetually paranoid about being fired. I have no idea why, except he does shite he’s not supposed to and then goes and tells on himself.
Then it was my turn. Now, there’s nothing more nerve wracking than your AM and GM walking up while you’re cleaning a table and saying, “Peach, why don’t you sit down and talk to us.” Ehhhh, fuck, did we forget to sweep the floor again? Did someone complain?
GM says, “We just wanted to tell you what a wonderful job you’ve been doing and how you’ve really picked up the ball and ran with it. Boss Chef has asked me several times, ‘And is it Peach who didn’t have any experience working in a restaurant?’ (Which I suppose is a good thing) And you are really geared toward excellent customer service (or something like that) and we were very pleased with how you handled bartending at the wedding. Everyone got thrown into roles they may not have been comfortable with and you handled yourself very well.”
I, like Jay, am a Scorpio, and am also prone to that negative thought process, so I’m waiting for the “but…”
However, GM says, “So, we would like to know if you would like to train as a back up bartender for day and evenings. Sometimes we run into staffing problems, like during the catering, and we would like to bring you up to speed on the bar.”
Would I? Oh hell yeah! If there’s something I’ve always wanted to be more than a waitress, it’s a bartender. Yeah, I’m a total glutton for punishment. Hell, its not like I’m not used to dealing with drunks! Lazy Girl was totally psyched about teaching me about bartending. Given the fact AM asked her yesterday to help polish silverware and glasses and she sullenly said, “That’s not my job,” she may want to think twice about being excited to train me. Oh, and Adelaide, they asked him to train as an evening server. Sweeeet.
Bartender and evening server = mo money!
Not bad, eh? Two months and four days on a job that I got without experience. Whodathunkit? I’m actually proud of myself. And I’m bragging… on me! But… there’s still that issue with the floor.
Tired
The past week has been difficult. Work has had its ups and downs. I pulled 10 hours on Friday and almost 14 hours Saturday due to a catering. It was outside and it decided to turn very Fall-like on us. It was 47 degrees, ya’ll. That is freakin’ cold when you’re not moving around. I wasn’t moving around because we were several people down.
The restaurant moves like well oiled machine. Sometimes it reminds me of a beehive or cars smoothly switching lanes on a busy highway. Even though there are day and evening servers, day picks up evenings and evenings work doubles and generally, hell, we’re a great group and we all get along (most of the time).
Sometimes we can get by with a minimal amount of people on a catering and sometimes, we need everyone not at the restaurant, like yesterday. Then, our hostess who was supposed to help serve had a sudden death in the family, our saute chef was in the ER throwing up blood, and the two servers who were supposed to work evening shift while the rest of us catered were stuck at Hartsfield in Atlanta. I still hate that airport.
So, our other hostess was drafted for catering and the hostess that we used to have, who quit to return to college, was called to see if she could hostess, which she did. Our day pastry chef was drafted for a double and the evening pastry chef went with us. The dishwasher/cooking intern was drafted to serve, the other server who was supposed to go with us stayed at the restaurant, and I was drafted to bartend, which is why I was so freakin’ cold. I’m used to serving and being out in the crowd, not standing in one spot. Brrrrrrr…
Plus, Jeff called Friday morning at 7:40 a.m. to inform me that I needed to pick up Nate from school. I was scheduled to work 10-12 hours and on Thursday I had left at three so I could pick up Nate so he could pick which instrument he wanted to play in the band. It came down to clarinet or trumpet and he chose clarinet, which thrilled the band director. Jeff couldn’t make it there either. However, he did make it a point to call and harass me and tell me he was going to call Child Protective Services because he just knew my house was filthy. I told him to go right ahead and call them and while he was at it he could crawl out of my ass and up their’s. Then I very nicely hung up on him.
So, I had to call Danlel’s mom and see if she could pick Nate up, which she could, but she had to be at work at 7 p.m. so I called T-Bird to see if she could pick up Nate from Danlel’s, and then one of them was going to have to keep him on Saturday while I worked because Jeff couldn’t tell me whether he was going to be able to or not. Danlel asked Nate to come back to her house and spend the night Saturday but Nate, surprisingly, declined and stayed with T-Bird and her brood.
Jeff called me at Saturday morning at 8 a.m. wanting to know if I was dropping Nate off or if he was picking him up and I told him that Nate already had plans, however, if Jeff felt he was going to be sober then we could see about it. I guess he didn’t feel it because he didn’t really make much of a fuss about it.
This morning I talked to Jeff about whether he wanted to pick Nate up from school and visit with him since I have to make a trip to The Point about this citation and Officer D. doesn’t come on duty until 4 p.m. He declined and said I could take Nate with me. I didn’t get the chance to tell him that open house at Nate’s school is tomorrow at 6 p.m., but, I doubt he’ll have much inclination to go there either. He just likes to sit back and make judgments and get pissed off when things don’t go his way.
He was drunk and screaming all last week. He makes a mountain out of every molehill he can find. As I’ve said before, one of his big kicks is wanting his child support lowered. The Court only sees fit to do so when the number of overnights increases. That hasn’t happened and I doubt it ever will. If nothing else, Jeff has missed more weekends in 2007 than he ever has before due to his alcoholism. Trying to have a rational conversation with him is nigh impossible. Who am I kidding? It is impossible.
Yesterday was J3’s birthday party and also the company picnic. Nate and I had a really nice Sunday together with lots of free food, dessert, and good company. We had it at the assistant manager’s farm and all of the kids or adults who wanted to got to ride one of her horses in the ring, play tag football, badminton, or play with the general manger’s golden retriever. It was a beautiful day.
That is all from Peachville. I’m going to take a long nap now.
Undecided
September 11th is winding down to a close.
I couldn’t really decide what I wanted to post about. Nate, Jeff, me, work, the #4, I mean, so much fodder for blogging.
We’ll start with the #4. On Friday, I waited on 34 people and I made $104 in tips. The time on the bank when Nate and I stopped at the stoplight was 4:44 and it was 94* outside. The trip odometer at the stop sign down the road was 444.4 and we were on our way to my 14th Black Stone Cherry show. On the way home, I got pulled over the 4th time this year, four blocks from my house.
Speaking of getting pulled over, it appears as though Officer D. and I will be having another meeting. Seems as though he forgot to tell me that I needed to return to The Point in order for him to see my new registration, now, the State wants to suspend my license. I’m not happy about that. Also not happy about the fact that Officer D. only works Fri – Mon, 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Oh, joy! And to think, I’ve been back to The Point TWICE since he first pulled me over. Now, if I can just find my new registration card…
Nate has been moved to a new class at school which is for boys with ADHD. He was very unhappy about this… at first. His father, even more unhappy. Me, trying to get both of them to give it a chance and find out more about this program. Jeff just kept yelling about coddling him and how kids will make fun of him. Nate finally came around and said he would give it one week to see how things went. Jeff totally showed his ass this evening, bellowing, screeching, screaming into the phone about everything from Nate’s hair and clothes to the size of his book bag and how since he took care of Nate over the summer, he should get part of his child support back.
Hmmmmm… well, Court doesn’t see it that way. Court says only overnights count and that didn’t change at all. As a matter of fact, if you count the times that Jeff couldn’t care for his son because he was drunk, I’m pretty sure I’d come out ahead in that. Jeff also complains that he doesn’t see Danlel, so why should he pay child support? Now I’m trying to figure out which way it should go… don’t see your child, pay no child support – see your child, pay no child support… I think he needs to make up his mind.
He made the comment, “So, you gonna try and turn Nate against me? HUH? HUH?” I thought, “Why? You’re doing a fine job all by yourself! No need for me to get involved when you got that covered on all bases.” I think he may have been nipping at the bottle a bit.
Nate and I went to T-Bird’s to see J3, who had his 8th birthday today. I said, “Remind me again why I slept with Jeff.” You don’t want to know her answer. It involves me being an idiot and Jeff being good at sex, which the thought of these days makes me want to vomit. Don’t you love truthful friends?
In other news, one of my cousins has been diagnosed with adenoma carcinoma, which I understand means, canceralloveryourbody. He’s 43. My other cousin is in rehab. He’s 47ish. I think I’ll stay 39 forever.
My dad was extremely ill from the effects of heat exhaustion, to the point he actually spent a couple of days in bed. Does my mother call me? No. Had she called me I would have prescribed Gatorade, and Goodys headache powders. Does wonders for heat exhaustion. For some reason I’m very susceptible to dehydration and heat exhaustion, so anytime I’m outside in the intense heat for long periods of time I alternate water and Gatorade, like I did at X-Fest. So, my dad lays around with his electrolytes all screwed up for two or three days before it dawned on my mother to force feed him Gatorade.
Am I actually adopted? Honestly, have you ever wondered that?
Just another day in paradise.
Suspended Animation
I’ve tried to several times to write about X-Fest and what a great time I had, about Nate and his continuing educational woes (as in, he still hates school), about the upcoming BSC concert tomorrow that he and I are going to, my irritation that my house still isn’t finished, my upcoming trip to New Orleans, the fact I need a Daughtry CD, how I almost broke a $100 in tips for lunch hour…
Yet, it is as though I’m standing on the edge of something great. As though my life is waiting to exhale, finally. In a good way, not a crappy way. There’s a sense of expectation and anticipation all around me, a good feeling, as though you’re slowly climbing the first hill of a roller coaster and it’s a beautiful day with sunshine and a breeze and nothing can spoil it, nothing can spoil what’s to come.
Breathing in life… waiting to exhale.
Anything Goes 