Just Another Starving Artist

We All Have Those Days…

Yesterday was a mess!! I woke up super sleepy and had to get ready and run to work. I was hoping to talk to my boss about my potential internship but I didn’t get a chance to before she left. There were only three of us working and I think we were all having “one of those days” just being sluggish and somewhat out-of-it. The shift started off painfully slow. No one came in at all for almost an hour. Luckily I’d purchased a book of word searches to do on just such an occasion. And then, randomly, people started streaming in the door. I couldn’t seat them fast enough! I am the hostess/bus person/ counter staff so I was trying to seat people and get coffee for the take-out customers and it was all happening so quickly! The waitress kept asking me to make her coffee-drinks for her (which is my job) but I just didn’t have time with getting call-in orders and walk-in orders and having to seat people and bus!

And then it happened. I mixed up a to-go order. I still feel really bad about it.

I got a call-in for two tuscan grills (one of my favorite sandwiches, sauteed mushrooms, roasted red peppers, basil pesto, and goat cheese on grilled bread) *no meat*. So, I wrote the order down and brought it to the kitchen and ran back out to the dining room to take care of other customers (by this time I had a line for coffee/to-go orders). I made a few coffees and then this guy came up and ordered two tuscan grills to go, one with chicken and one with bacon (adding meat adds money to the bill). He then changed the order to one tuscan with bacon and one half tuscan with chicken and a cup of soup. I asked him if that would be all and he said yes, so I brought the slip to the kitchen. And then while I was ringing him up he added a diet coke to the order and paid. I made a few more coffees after that and then I went to get his soup to-go all set up. While I was in the kitchen the cook said “Your two tuscans are up” so I grabbed the boxes and gave them to him and he left. I was making some tea for some of the seated patrons when he came back in and said “Diet coke?” to which I replied “two bucks” and he said “I paid for one” and I had forgotten and said “I don’t think so, you didn’t want a drink” and he said “Yes, I’m pretty sure I paid for a diet coke.” and I remembered he had and got him the diet coke, apologized and reminded him that he’d also forgotten his soup. He took the soup and the soda and left again.

The next person who walked up to the register said she’d ordered two tucans *no meat* and suddenly it struck me. I’d messed up. I ran to the kitchen and asked which two tuscans had just gone out…the ones with no meat. And since the cook had already started making the next two with meat she was going to have to start all over. So, I went back down and rang the lady up and told her it was going to be a few more minutes. I started helping other customers and after about 5 minutes the call-in lady said “Can you check if my sandwiches are ready? It’s been a REALLY long time” I ran back up to the kitchen just as her food was being boxed up and I brought it down to her. I wanted to explain why it had taken so long, that it was my fault and not the kitchen being slow, but she ran out too quickly.

Then the phone rang. I didn’t take the call but I knew what it was. I heard the waitress saying “Bacon? Chicken? Ok, yes. We’re sorry. We’ll have that ready for you.” and she brought a slip into the kitchen. I went to find out what was going on and the cook said she was just making up a side of bacon and chicken for them to pick up. I felt so low. One tiny mistake and everyone working had to pay for it. A few minutes later a young woman came in and said “I’m here to pick up something because you screwed up my husband’s order?!” I went and got her the food and gave it to her, apologized and once again was going to explain that it had been my mistake, but she ran out.

A little while later my sister’s former landlord (slumlord) came in with a guy in his 20′s and they sat at the counter. **a few years ago I almost moved into the building this landlord owns, and he told me I had first dibs on the apartment since my sister was such a good tenant. But, when I called 5 hours later to say I wanted the place he told me he’d already rented it out. So that’s my history with him.** Since they were sitting at the counter I was their waitress so I asked if they wanted anything and the landlord, without looking at me, said he didn’t but the guy he was with might. The guy said he wanted a small coffee to go, So I made that and handed it to him and said “Could I get you guys anything else?” and the landlord, still without looking at me, said “Oh, I suppose you want some money from me?” I walked over to the register and rang him up and, still without looking at me, he held $2 out in front of him. So, I walked back around and took his money and walked back to the register, made up his change and walked it back over to him. He took the change, without looking at me, mumbled something to  the guy he was with and they walked out. The whole encounter just seemed very rude to me, and I’m not expecting him to remember me from 4 years ago when I almost rented from him, but I think it’s very strange not to look at your server at all. Very rude.

The rest of the day went pretty smoothly. The rush had died down, so it was mostly bussing tables and seating a few stragglers. I still love my job, I still love the girls I work with, and even on a bad day I consider myself so fortunate to be employed there.

After work on Wednesdays I usually get together with one of my friends to watch The Secret Life of The American Teenager. It’s a really awful show but we love it. I called him (the friend) when I got out of work and he said he wanted to play his new guitar but he would come over at 6:30 and I thought “Great! I’ll nap!” So I napped and he text messaged me at 6:30 and said he’d either come over at 8 or on Saturday. So I kept sleeping. I didn’t wake up until almost 8:30!! It was the longest nap ever! And when I did get up I was so lazy and apparently so was my friend so we rescheduled for Saturday afternoon.

Then I had to eat and get ready to go out to a bar where one of my friends was DJing. I ended up doing nothing for a really long time and didn’t even get to the bar until almost 11pm. It was good to be out and see people. It was my sister’s boyfriend’s birthday and he was there so I got to wish him a happy birthday, and my friend who I went to see said he’d teach me how to use photoshop (finally!) I had an espresso martini and it was so yummy, It tasted like a coffee milkshake! I stayed out until the bar closed at 1am and then headed home, where I talked to my west-coast friend online for a while and then I worked out and showered and didn’t get to bed until after 5am. I really need to work on my sleep schedule..

I lead a crazy, albeit not-very-exciting, life.

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