Saturday, December 29, 2012

It's Me

So I'm off work today and got to being all nostalgic and reading all my old blog posts. Then I realized, "you know what, I should probably stimulate my mind during Christmas break and actually attempt writing something that would be of interest to the general public." I can't guarantee how often I'll be on here once school starts back again, but I'll at least try to write something every so often so you won't start planning my funeral or something....

So yeah. 2012 has been super interesting to say the least. I feel like I've really changed as a person (for the better hopefully) and have really learned a lot of about life in general. I've survived 1 1/2 years of college (honors program and all plus a minimum of 18 hours every semester....yes you can say it...I'm certifiably insane), have gotten yet ANOTHER restaurant job (I'm a hostess again because my previous job treated me like a piece of crap....I'll tell you the whole story later....), developed relationships with some people who have absolutely changed my life, and have learned (yet again) that God is with me, no matter what, and provides for me in the most incredible ways when I least deserve/expect it. This year has been up and down and has thrown me for a loop at times (in both good and bad ways), but it's honestly been pretty amazing for the most part and has helped me grow as an individual (wow I sound really philosophical today).

Well I have so much to catch you up on that I really have NO idea where to start. So I suppose I'll start by filling you in on my little job drama. Basically, I started serving at at a restaurant last December and, for the most part, felt I did a pretty decent job seeing as how my boss seemed to like me (and gave me tons of hours) and I always had a smile at my face and did anything and everything to please my customers (okay so what if I just wanted their money? I was still nice....and that's what counts right?) Anyhow, seeing as how my life tends to attract problematic occurrences, I was not surprised when things started to go horribly wrong. It all began when the place got a new manager. Being the nice (humble aren't I?) person that I am, when he first got there I went in and introduced myself and (very nicely) gave him my availability for the summer and he seemed okay with it. Simple right? Think again. For the first TWO weeks he was there, I went from having 30+ hours to (I kid you not) ZERO. I was in shock. After all, he didn't know me from Eve and had no idea whether I was bad or good at my job or not. Seriously, the guy didn't have a clue. So he had no reason whatsoever for giving me no hours. If he was prejudiced against me for being a spoiled college-student, then the guy had another thing coming seeing as how I work hard for my money like everyone else (I live off-campus and have bills like other "normal" people) and am certainly far from being rich (seeing as how I'm spending all my money to go to college in the first place). Anyhow, I asked him for more hours and he came back with, "I'm still getting things worked out with the schedule and then I'll get things worked out." And then this ever-generous man upped my hours to *gasp* FIVE. (I know. He totally deserved the Nobel Peace Prize for that one). Well, after two more weeks went by, I confronted him again (I'm normally not an argumentative person so this was a pretty big deal for me to even say anything at all). This time, he said that he just didn't have enough hours at the moment but that things would get better soon (promises, promises). Feasible excuse, right? Would have been super feasible if two days later he hadn't hired another server AND if he wasn't advertizing on the sign outside that the dang place was hiring (the nerve of this man).

Well, to put it incredibly nicely, I was irritated. I work hard at my job and felt like I was getting seriously gypped. If I didn't have another job, (I still work at the psych office), I would have been on the floor broke. Soo finally, I confronted him yet AGAIN seeing as how his excuses were starting to wear thin. I'm a very reasonable, forgiving person, but I can't stand being fed the same old crap excuses time and time again that make absolutely no sense. This time, he gave it to me straight. He basically told me, in no uncertain terms, that he was of the intellectual opinion that I sucked at my job and wasn't as good as the other servers. In other words, he might as well have taken his foot and kicked me squarely in the face. Being the sensitive, overachieving individual that I am, I left in tears and was quite dejected for the rest of the day. By the end of the day, however, I was more mad than sad. After all, he himself only worked personally with me for one day of the week and there were a lot of days when he didn't work with me at all. The days he DID work with me, I was lots of the times the only server on the floor and had about 11-12 tables at one time. I'd like to see him running around trying to wait on 11-12 tables of demanding customers without having a tiny bit of a hard time. I mean seriously?? I'm not Superwoman here. Anyhow, I feel as though, for some reason, he didn't like me from the very start seeing as how he didn't give me hours from the very beginning (before he even know what I was capable of).

Yes, I was incredibly wrong by this establishment, but the story does have a happy ending. I am now a hostess at a different restaurant where I am actually appreciated by my managers and get the perfect amount of hours. Plus I don't have to rely on tips anymore (gotta love hourly). Soo, despite my awful experience, I am quite thankful that I'm outta there now and at a much better job. Yeah, this job gets incredibly annoying and frustrating and crazy at times, but no one's job is perfect, right? So in the end, I harbor no hard feelings. I chalk it up as one of those experiences that works out for the best. However, don't expect to ever find me eating at that awful, unspeakable restaurant again cause it won't be happening :)
Later (and this time I promise I'll come back. I always do...eventually....) :)