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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...
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Last week, a new fuel filter. I'd set out on a trip to Revelstoke, thrifting, exploring, maybe some prospecting, but the Jeep sputtered, lost power, and somewhere around New Denver I came to my senses and decided it would be a lot better to break down nearer to home.
Turn around, plans abandoned.
Change the fuel filter.
This seems to fix things for a bit, but there's something new, always a new surprise under the hood. This a shaking and rattling as the Jeep changes gears. This, you can tell while riding, will be no trivial thing. So call and make an appointment with the mechanics.
"Maybe a U-Joint" they tell me. Fingers crossed.
Of course it's not a U-Joint, it's the transmission, it's shot. Completely. Add to this various oil leaks, seals, no suspension in the back end, shocks, welding...
And the grand total will be $5200. Roughly.
The answer is, of course, no, it should have been no a long time ago. $8000 in repairs in a little over a year and the jeep is still going over a fucking cliff, I could have been driving a new Wrangler - all the time, not just every other week - for the same as I've put into this. So - for this year - the gathering and prospecting is largely done, time now to address my income and find the means to level up my wheels.
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Mask mandate after mandate, lockdown after lockdown, we're being doomed by half measures.
Out, around Nelson, everyone doing the right thing. The required thing. Wear your mask into a crowded restaurant until you're sat, then take it off for an hour to visit.
Doctors, Nurses, protesting against getting a vaccine. How is this a thing? If you work in a hospital this should be a requirement - not debatable - just as during the great AIDS pandemic adult actors wore condoms or provided testing proof that they were HIV free. Yet Nurses, orderlies, etc. should be able to decide whether or not they get a vaccine?
Mother fuckers, your average porn star has more common sense than some of these loons.
Old folks homes, assisted care facilities - still reporting outbreaks amongst unvaccinated workers - HOW CAN YOU ALLOW AN UNVACCINATED VISITOR OR EMPLOYEE INTO THESE PLACES?
We are doomed.
Police in Toronto protesting mandatory Vaccines. They are civic employees - how is it a requirement you be vaccinated to go work remotely at Camps up North and yet the governments own employees are clamoring for a free pass?
And restaurants. The passport - demanding customers have vaccine passports - but what about the staff? And this is tricky - because - an awful lot of staff in restaurants haven't got their vaccine. Refuse to get it. For any number of reasons, the vast majority entirely stupid - but - if it were a requirement many restaurants - already short staffed - would be forced to close.
Every country reporting rising numbers, largely due to the unvaccinated spreading it, more and more breakthrough cases, vaccinated people getting it, subtle adaptations as it mutates, multiplies and spreads. We've allowed the stupid to speak to science as if their opinions were fact, as if they deserved an equal listen, as if common sense were political, an imposition on their freedoms, we're becoming victims of an excess of compassion, and this will drag on and on and on...
This is the pandemic without end.
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And here a summary rant of the events since last week.
The rave - after 2 years of restraint, much anticipated - tickets for the son and daughter - plane ticket for daughter to Calgary so they could drive down together - cancelled, last minute, on Monday - too many cases out here - 200 cases in 2 weeks, a full 2% of the population infected with the new Delta Variant.
So, no rave, but the plans been made and the kids will come down all the same.
The restaurant, now closed Tuesday and Wednesday - the owner has some campaigning to do with the newly called election. This will give her more time to do it.
Thursday - The owner's son - my colleague - and his wife - decide to make it a three day weekend. This despite his wife having had the past 10 days off. It's their sons birthday and they have yet another party to attend. So it's just me and Wigglesworth.
Wigglesworth, 18 years old, maybe 5'6"and 200 pounds, telling me the name of her boyfriend (Conan? Cory? Conrad? Why is she talking to me...), telling me she can't get the vaccine because she's allergic to them, bleah, bleah, bleah. I've heard it all before.
Wigglesworth is off at 4:00. I ask if she'd like to work later, we'll be busy, but no, she's scheduled until 4:00, she's working until 4:00, she has an appointment. Funny for someone so garrulous she doesn't elaborate on the appointment, but I can guess. Dairy Queen. She made cash tips and she's off to spend them.
So - Thursday night - the height of summer - and it's me on my own. The owner - husband of - is there to help me. In a muscle shirt and dirty jeans he can pour me a beer if I need it.
This is not the help I need. We've been short-staffed all summer, and now, with kids birthdays and Dairy Queen we're more short staffed than ever. I'm seriously pissed and he knows it. We're slammed - predictably, walk-ins of 6, 8, 12, and it's just me on my lonesome. There's no shorter, curter, ruder, abrupter waiter on Kootenay Lake. This is bullshit - the owner - he knows, he can tell how pissed I am, but the show must go in.
I survive, barely, the reputation of the restaurant - never fine - has doubtless taken a licking. I don't check the reviews but - given my temper - I doubt any were favorable.
***
Friday, Garage Sale at Ainsworth. I wake early, drive up, am amongst the first on the scene and I clean up. There's been a separate post on that. Work - the owner's son, he's apologizing to me with a flushed face - he didn't know I'd be on my own (Really? REALLY?) - he's been told, his dad gave him a talking to...
The day passes, another one down. I survive. At this point that is the sum of my ambition - live through the September long weekend and then just breathe.
Saturday - I open. An early day for me - I'm expecting the kids - but the night - all the staff are in - all the other staff - all the staff because I have taken the night off.
I laugh. If I'm working I can work by myself, if I take the night off they need the whole kit and caboodle to cover me.
***
The kids arrive - good to see them - how long's it been? A while. We go for dinner, and again. The indoor mask mandates have taken effect - you must wear a mask to your table before you can take it off. We're doomed. The restaurant, filled to the brim with unmasked diners, easily 50, 60 people, talking, breathing, and with a 2% infection rate you can bet that it's here. It's here. I watch the waiter, busy with 5 tables. 5 tables no more than 20 feet from the kitchen or bar. Busy with 5 tables no more than 20 feet from the kitchen or the bar and with a dedicated bartender and hostess.
I work in hell.
Sunday, recover from Saturday's excesses, the boy, the girl, they were no help whatsoever with that bottle of Vodka, had to kill it on my own, and Sunday I'm paying the price. The boy is as well, good to know he's a featherweight. We head up to the hot springs - I haven't been since the Pandemic began and they've only lately begun to open them to the general public.
Only there's an hour and a half wait to get into the Covid soup. And count the people in the pools, in the cave - We're doomed. Doomed by half-measures. We stand a bit, watch the line, we're not getting in. Upstairs to the restaurant for a disappointing lunch, try again to get into the pools but it's not happening. They've increased their prices - $15.00 admission (up from 9 or 10, I remember), and $5.00 for a towel rental - and these price increases are on the back of reduced service. They're cleaning up.
It's amazing this, do everything wrong and double your money. I'm in awe. Still - in another couple of weeks - after the September long - it'll be a lot safer - there'll be a fraction of the customers, most of whom will be locals, and there will be no waiting in line.
Sunday night - still recovering - we watch "Annette" with Adam Driver. I've covered that elsewhere.
And Monday, the kids are off, work again - Wigglesworth wants to know if she needs to bring a Doctors Note for why she can't get a vaccine, I have some great customers. Survive the day, survive the night - and there's only 2 weeks left. 2 weeks and the business will go over a cliff, there will be busy spells, for sure, but nothing like the summer, and my sanity will be slowly restored...