wërk

[dragonlady7]

So. Yeah. I should probably say how my day was. Since it's the first time I've been to work in, like, months.
I just typed moths and that was a very surreal image.

It was kind of a surreal day, actually. I arrived just on time, and wandered on in. The door was open, unlocked, the lights off and nobody there. So I went back into the kitchen area, and met the cook, who wasn't at all surprised to see me, and yet had no idea who I was.
The bar owner is the one who hired me-- it's a bar/restaurant-- and he came out, slightly bald and ponytailed and about five feet four. He was working on the Christmas decorations for the restaurant. The woman who works Mondays wasn't in quite yet, and she was the one who was going to train me. So the bar owner punched me in and showed me how all that works (they have a really neat ordering / inventory / cash system that also manages the time clock), and showed me where to put my coat, and then set me loose to putter behind the bar.

He went outside in flip-flops and work gloves and put up Christmas lights. A regular named Larry came along and helped him put the lights up, and then came in to be my first customer. (Not that i knew what to do yet.) He ordered The Larry, which is a particular version of their chicken-cashew salad. And the bar owner insisted on paying for it, to thank him for his help with the lights.

So it's kinda that kinda place.

During the day the bartender is also a waitress, and makes the salad while the cook makes the hot stuff. It was my first experience in real restaurant food-service, and while on the one hand I was slightly appalled by the standards of cleanliness (she puts the garnish in with her bare fingers, wipes her hand on her apron, fixes her hair, rubs her nose, puts the next garnish in with her bare fingers), i was also not very appalled. I'd still eat there. It's not like they drop stuff on the floor and then still use it. The food smelled awesome all day, too.

Actually I'd really recommend their fish fry every Friday. Not the best in Buffalo (the Tap Room or Papa Jake's are of much higher repute and just you try getting in there on a Friday), but still excellent, a solid representation of that style of cuisine. That's all I've ever eaten there, I must admit. I badly, badly wanted today's special, a bacon cheddar beef sandwich, but I restrained myself, and then came home to discover that Dave, having received his check from the IRS (which means he can afford Christmas and we can afford groceries!!!! It's only six months late... the bastards... but it's more welcome now than ever), had just gone out to lunch and treated himself to a chicken finger sub. Which would have been extremely tasty. But, I have plans to take him out to a big fancy nice dinner somewhere awesome when I get my first paycheck, which is a tradition in my family. :)

Dave's family's always gone because they're so close. They don't have to be the best: they're convenient. I probably shouldn't say the name of the bar. just, y'know, because I've already said I live real nearby. I'll be closing a few nights. Which means I'll be more or less alone there. And then walking home. And I don't live alone, and my walk home is well-lit and super-short. But still. So, I don't think I'll say which bar it is, except in friendslocked posts. Suffice to say it's a little neighborhood family bar and restaurant in a residential neighborhood of Buffalo, that does lunch and dinner and has a mean fish fry but only on Fridays.

I saw the occupancy sign there, by the way. Occupancy by more than 84 persons is unlawful. That's how little. On a good Friday, they can get 250 people in and out of there.

Anyhow, I came home from my first shift with $4 in tips (most of the tips went to the woman who was doing the waitressing; I'd estimate she'd get $50 by the time her shift was over, which is reasonable) and a fairly optimistic feeling. I always feel optimistic when I start. I probably could point you to some hysterically funny (in 20/20 hindsight) bright-eyed posts about ADL when I started there. So we'll see how long this enthusiasm lasts. Hopefully I'll make it to my first paycheck this time before I start totally hating it... :)

Dave's making dinner and I'm totally psyched.

Comments

[killerwhaletank.livejournal.com]

I'm always looking for new places to chow down. Where do you work again??

[dragonlady7.livejournal.com]

I made a friendslocked post because I figured disclosing my physical location is better done in a restricted setting than publicly on the Internet. Not that I haven't posted photos of my house with the # visible and mentioned which street it was, but I'm hoping that any stalkers of mine have a short attention span and poor powers of deduction. :)

So, I explained here (http://www.livejournal.com/users/dragonlady7/475421.html) where the bar is.