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- Written by: Rod Boyle
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One of the thrift shop volunteers, an older widow, 70's (I think....daren't ask). We've a lot of these widows volunteering.
She gets it. I only point that out because so few do. I can find an ashtray with a painting of Don Quixote by Picasso on it and she recognizes both subject and artist.
TO me this is a common thing, but - test a few people and you'll find it incredibly rare. A pair of badly painted statues, Gainsborough's "Blue Boy" and "Pink Lady" - she knows.
I like this, and she has the sniffles and so I rib her about sitting up with B* - her volunteer friend - and doing lines of Blow all night (an image I find curiously humorous) - and she laughs and says "It's been a while...eight ball". Books, she's read a few, art, and so - bored with Michael as you must get bored with anyone you work in close quarters with I find myself querying her - certainly one of the more "lived" people I've met.
I note this only because it's so rare to find people with shared touchstones, the "pre-internet" people who absorbed the common culture before the internet so thoroughly divided it.
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
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So far in the Kitchen we've Sean - who's been here a few years. New hires include A* and J* - both younger (late teens), living at home.
But - this is not enough, especially with the other commitments the restaurant has taken on (Catering the Golf Course).
So - in order of appearance, this years players will be:
H* - a younger server (30's???) who talks incessantly about her "Partner". Ken no longer works here so I don't know what the deal is; I'm suspicious of people that forever go on about their significant other or relationship - they are not complete people.
J* - who I haven't met but has already taken to calling the restaurant far too often to check upon her schedule.
T* - an older female server (40's) - probably will be good.
Cathy - from last year.
There's L*, JR's Mother in Law - who comes down for a visit, forever coming in for hugs, she seems to have somewhere in the winter decided to "have a crush" on me, sticking her tits and whiskers in my face. This won't do. We're going to have to ship her to the Golf Course. I make the mistake of showing her my "3-fingered death punch" and she got a little too excited.
Nope, Nope, Nope.
There's C*, who just before he left to come here got mugged in Victoria, all savings, money, cards, stolen, he's piss poor, not even started and taking his meals in the restaurant, on credit, a hard-luck story, do I believe him? maybe...not, in any event this man needs Kung-Rate, He's already calling me "Sensei"...
A*, back after a 3 year hiatus, she's a kitchen nightmare, bossy, not my problem and hopefully she's learned to chill a bit from the past few years. Hopefully.
There's John, the Filipino, I'll mark him as sane a quiet, a worker bee, I'll leave him alone, sometimes you gotta leave people alone and - while it kills me, cultural differences might not translate my humor well, and - worker bees who shut up and do their job are worth their weight in Gold.
Saturday night, they're sitting around Staff Housing, the waning sun, boring Balfour Nights, another year and the circus is beginning again...
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
- Category: People
- Hits: 496
Friday, JR's first day back at work. He's fixed the schedule so that he's on 3 days per week.
Why not?
He's brought his kids, 4 & 5 years old, little terrors that scream and track dirt all about the restaurant. It's their playroom.
And, the call, this morning, he's sick. Because of course.
This is the second time in the last 4 weeks.
I mean, the owners, they know, but they refer the knowledge, place it elsewhere, not their JR, it's not true, not possible, not him...
I'm wondering, how many sick days per hour am I entitled to? I've been here six years, not used a single one, and he - he's used....
In other news, yesterday, after work, took a rake and scoured the washout. A couple of flints. Last night - rain, this morning, go back and check the results of my raking, it didn't rain too much out here, the rake lines are still visible, a couple more flakes and a nice piece of black tourmaline.
Now, to work...sweep and mop up after the little shits and lets get this show started...
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
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There was, it should be noted, some attendant skepticism towards my story of lifting the school filled with children off of Little Timmy thereby saving his life.
This, however, should be laid to rest with the letter Little Timmy dropped off thanking me for my prowess. This I naturally posted in the staff area beside the schedule so all the new hires can appreciate my community involvement.
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
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- Hits: 457
Saturday, busy all the day through. The whole restaurant; the back tied up by a party of (~50) that make themselves at home the entire day, coming and going, the front of the restaurant reserved for our regular customers. The party, locals, and largely bad tippers who've overcome their disdain of the place to celebrate ***** and not tip JR.
A long day of moving tables and setting up/taking down a party that was far, far more hassle then it was worth, but they knew that going in.
Then, 5:15, who should appear but Stephen the Writer, Stephen from Gastown, now from Creston, and it's good to see him.
Funny to say, but I'd been expecting him. I work at the Crossroads, I see everyone.
And so we catch up, best we can, I've a lot of other tables and the party in the back is making things troublesome.
It's good to see him and he's astonished by the "Coincidence" of our reacquaintance. I'm not so astonished.
He makes his ferry, the night proceeds, busy, a pair from Kaslo that are giving me updates on places to rent - and this is good, because - sooner or later I'm going to need a place to live (later I'm thinking...) but the first thing at the moment - the first thing - is to get the CRV back on the road in tip-top condition, and to pay down a few of the winter bills. Because there are a lot of bills...
...and then get back up the mountain...