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- Written by: Rod Boyle
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Last week, Thursday, give my notice.
Another job, smaller place, closer to home, less hours, every reason, really, I need to recapture my life. Managing and serving.
I explain it, without blame, and he gets it, accepts the surface explanation because the other explanation - the other one I'm pretending doesn't exist, that "Golly Gee Whiz I love working 12 and 13 hours a day", frame it as an "I'll miss the hours..." - but I won't, lets be real, who would?
He's got a tear in his eye, Sr., we got along well enough, but - enough is enough. And the place was running me ragged, run, run, run, until you drop of a heart attack or old age, with little to no help whatsoever.
It's done.
Jr, he finds out from his father. He shows up Friday, "Just in the nick of time" 6:00 - time to work out the dinner rush. He congratulates me, it's a good fit, wishes me well and all that - but he's curt, short, something in him's broken. He thought I'd be the restaurant donkey forever. Now the grim realization that he might have to do some work.
The next couple days, forced civility, but he's lackluster, I understand, he feels betrayed, but - fuck, I need my life back. To pay the rent I'm paying and never be in town, never have time for a coffee or friends or a book, film, play - well - it's taken it's toll. Saturday he opens, does a little rush, then goes on cleaning binge. Cleaning everything - his Mom is coming home. I ask him why all the cleaning - he tells me: "I want to impress my Mom with everything I've done". In my mind I heard "Mommy" but I'm pretty sure it was Mom. He's 33.
He's there for the dinner rush and then knocks off early, he wants to go and visit a friend. I can close the place up.
Sunday, the same. He opens, late, does a bit of work then knocks off. Goes out to help his dad build a fence. Go's upstairs to visit his Mom. Sits down with customer to discuss politics and his life experience for an hour. Tries to ingratiate himself with a customer that doesn't particularly like him, but gets along with me, and now - since it's his show - his and his alone - he's got to make peace with a lot of people that would rather he stayed away...
Then, before you know it it's 5:00 and he's got to be off, back to ... - I can handle the night by myself. He checks to ensure I'll be in next week - he's got a birthday, his, his wife's, their anniversary, wants to make sure I'm around so he doesn't have to work - and I'm thinking - fuck - I'm thinking he did nothing but fuck around all day and didn't even have time to offer me a lunch break and now he's fucking off.
Sunday night, busy, but I survive, and I'm thinking, wondering - how the fuck did I last as long as I did?
But - it's done, the die is cast and I'm moving on and I'm surprised at my initiative, rarely have I ever looked for a better job when I've had one already, but - just as things can always get worse I'm starting to realize that things can also get an awful lot better...
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- Written by: Rod Boyle
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And, while on the topic of "Rule Breakers" we're on to the Vaccine Passports.
Restaurants, in town, they're following the rules or changing their service model. A few of the cafes and restaurants are back to doing take-out only, unwilling to ask their customers for their passport.
Out at ... well, it's Dodge city. There's no clear direction from the owners, "Go through the motions", but - ...
But...
Monday, easily half our customers are unvaxxed. If I asked to see papers I'd kill the business. And so I play by the rules the owners want me to play by, but this is tricky.
I don't want to piss off our good customers, our regulars, I don't want to be the bearer of bad tidings, throw anyone out, not for THAT anyways, I'm so fucking tired of the whole thing - who isn't? And I never want to hear another persons facebook-informed science opinion ever again. But this ignoring it - it's not going to work either.
Now - I've started the other job, a completely different clientele that I don't know, and these people, I'm fine with asking them. I haven't the same relationship, the same investment. I get why so many people are quitting their jobs over this. A restaurant staffing shortage already - every restaurant in the city, on the lake - 50, 60% understaffed, and people are quitting over it.
Anyways, anyways, the days are long but there's only 5 shifts left, 12 hours a day, dodge and duck my way through them...
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It used to be that you couldn't discuss Sex, Religion or Politics.
Used to be. In the Olden Days of Yore. Now: "I like to bugger goats" is a perfectly acceptable introduction and no one is in the least offended by the title of Mr./Mrs Goat Buggerer.
Religion is essentially Child Buggery, which still seems to offend the majority, so bringing it up merely solicits agreement that it's bad, and on Politics everyone agrees to disagree.
But try and bring up "Science" or "Medicine" and see how quickly you're ostracized...I mean, just try it!
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The September long, long, loooooooong weekend finally past and I'm done.
This year - every year, longer than the last, longer like no other.
Monday night, a wrap, meet up with the owner's son in town for a beer. It's back to work Thursday, by myself, open to close, but the major rushes, insane business, they're done, it should be manageable.
SHOULD BE.
I've a try-out tonight at another job, a bistro/winebar in town, better food. Shorter hours - a lot shorter. 6, sometimes 7 hours per day, vs, the 10, 11, 12 I'm doing now. And a ten minute walk from home, not a 30 minute drive in a jeep that no longer runs.
I need this. I need some balance in my life, and as much as I'm loathe to work on a day off this may be my ticket out of there.
They won't take it well, nevermind, I'm too sensitive to this - there were weeks I worked more than he and his wife did together, and I'm done. Never again. Done working with the wife who somehow thought the ice well, water jugs all magically refilled themselves, that the fruit would cut itself if you left it long enough, that there were fairies that popped out of the walls to bus the tables for her. Too many times I've busted my ass to stop and catch my breath and discover that in fact I had only 3 tables and all my running was caused by her...
And the son, well, he'd have to show up for me to comment, and- for a good bulk of the summer he managed not to.
"Congratulations" he says to me..."We made it...".
No. I made it, the donkey with the carrot on the stick in front of him, he - the person riding the donkey. "We" didn't make it.
Anyways, tryout tonight, hopefully new doors opening to smaller, more manageable rooms, and there's always that sadness when you leave something behind but - it's time.
It's time.
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The last few weeks, cooler, rainy, in the evening downright cold. AN early start to autumn, no complaining after all the heat and smoke and misery of a too brief summer.
Counting down the days until the end of the September long weekend- when business, as usual, will drive off the first of many cliffs and the owners will give their head a shake and reconsider the "Open all winter...".
The last few days - Friday most notably, but then on through the weekend - business much slower. MUCH slower.
Not 3 or 4 waiter days, more 1.2, 1.5 waiter days. Busier than one can handle, slow for 2. The mask mandates have driven away the Albertans, most sensible people are declining to dine in, our business is switching to take away. And so while I've been dreading this, the last few days, it might have all been for naught.
Around the restaurant, the owner's son, his wife, they're together taking every other day off. Wigglesworth - our investment in a hefty little heifer from Trail, failed, she couldn't close numerous nights - birthday parties, family events, had to leave early, then couldn't come to work one day - was nervous driving in the rain, then, following payday had her mother call in with a "CRISIS" - her mother - !!!! FOR FUCKS SAKES!!!! WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE!!!!????
Anyways, a "Domestic Abuse" situation, or so we're told, probably a fight over the last dilly-bar in the fridge or some other such nonsense, I've run out of any sort of compassion for these people - the best job she'll ever have, never have again, and she's quit.
So down to me and the absent owner's son and his absent wife.
5 days to go, and then we'll see what's up.
The weather, it improves my mood, and now walking a great deal more than I'd like - well, time a bit to think and make other plans. Plans for the winter, plans for moving, plans to find some wheels, all sorts of plans, the gears are turning and I've only 2 months to get my shit together...