Exhausted!

I think I'm doing that thing where I work myself into the ground and get by on 5 hours of sleep a night for a couple weeks and then collapse at the end of it. I'm for sure doing the working myself into the ground thing. We'll see how we go with the collapsing at the end of it. Not literally, of course.

Needless to say, I've started work at the bar and my new boss has taken my "I'd like lots of hours" request with...um...enthusiasm.

It's good. I worry that I am getting away from my original goals, working so hard that I have no time to think, but it's only for a couple weeks, and I really want the money. Plus, I'm enjoying it. Weird as it sounds, I like working in a bar. Plus, the busier I get, it seems like the more I get done. I don't quite know how that it works, but it does.

I admit that I am stalled, a bit, as far as big fat life-plans go, but I promise you after this insane bar stint has come and gone, I'll keep this momentum going (well, maybe after a nap) but turn my focus onto myself and my vision.

I will change the world, dammit. I will make this world a better place. I promise.




The bottom of a martini glass

Coyote Ugly

Well, I start work at the bar/restaurant tomorrow. I'm surprisingly nervous, for someone who's been bartending on and off since I was 19. I can tell you why.

The first reason is simple. My old friend hooked me up with this job. I don't want to say it's his name on the line, because he's the boss. He could send 20 incompetent waitresses their way and he'd still be the boss. Regardless, I want to do him proud.

The second reason is a bit more complicated and comes, unsurprisingly, with a story....

Let me take to 19-year-old me. 19-year-old me really wanted to work at the campus bar. There were roughly 1200 applications for 70 or so spots, most of which were filled by returning students (union rules, everyone had to reapply for their job every year). That's a lot of applications for not very many jobs, and I was up against some stiff competition. The reason so many people wanted those jobs is because they were awesome jobs to have. They paid well above minimum wage, were flexible about working around class schedules/vacations/exams, and, most importantly, it was a cool job to have. Good bands played there, people lined up for hours to get in. And they treated their staff really well. Really, really well.

Needless to say, I didn't get the gig. I was disappointed, but I hadn't really been expecting to get it in the face of so many other qualified applicants. I still showed up every Thursday for 80s night with all my friends.

A few months later, they advertised again. I don't remember my first interview at all, but I remember the second one was a group interview, and a friend of mine was in my group. I remember being asked a question, something about why they should hire me and answering it rather modestly. My friend interrupted my answer to add another reason I should be hired, to brag about an accomplishment on my behalf.

We were both hired.

I loved working there, and really, really wanted to do a good job of it. I started as a coat check girl, and although I was just happy to be employed there, I desperately wanted to bartend. After 2 years, I got my wish.

I was proud to be a bartender there. It was busy and stressful and really hard work, but it was fun, and every time I put on a staff shirt I felt a small thrill of pride. Ah, that bar. We all loved it so much that when the university decided they were going to tear it down, there was a protest. A 9 day sit in that ended in arrests. Not just the staff, either. Our patrons loved the place so much, felt so loyal towards that bar, that they were arrested too.

Bartending is a different beast in Canada than in the UK. In Canada it's a tough job and that brings pride and pays well. In the UK it's just a tough job. But I still feel the pride. And that's the (very long) story about why I'm nervous.

Wish a sister luck tomorrow.


Not the most artistic picture, but it's hard to find one that hits the nail on the head more clearly. Well, without showing people's faces anyway. I don't know if I should, but I feel funny about publishing people's faces without their permission. Anyway. That sign was made by a patron during the protest and taped to the door.

The Hunt Continues

The job hunt, as you know, is slow. The market is slow, and the time of year likely isn't helping.

The good news: My temp contract has been extended until the end of January! A couple staff members are taking extended winter vacations, and, while I'm sure they're happy about that..I'm ecstatic! An extra month of experience in a charity, an extra month of steady income... Thanks, co-workers!

The even better news: Due to a change in legislation that comes into effect on January 1, temps now have to be paid on par with full time staff doing the same job. So. An extra month of work AND getting paid more for it? Bring it!



A ray of light...

Never Alone

On the weekend, a friend came to visit me. I was telling her a story (which I'll come back to in a sec) about an old friend who's very likely going to do something very nice for me. She confirmed something I've thought for a while - my friends are awesome. Above-average awesome.

I wondered if it works like kids, everyone thinks theirs is way better than the rest, so it was nice to hear someone else say it. My friends are awesome.

When I first moved back into London in 2005, I was working as a nanny. I had the kids from 7 - 9 am, and then after I dropped them off at school (and walked the dog) I was free until 4 when I had to pick them up all day. Sounded like time to squeeze in a day shift at a pub to me! So I wandered around with my resume/CV (depends which country you're in) and found a pub willing to work around my silly hours. I made a bit of spare money, had some laughs, and made some amazing friends. A couple of them came to town last week, and it was like nothing had changed. Including the staying out till 3 am, and stumbling home a couple hours before I was due to wake up again thing.

And then there's my old boss. Torence (not his real name, but his real name doesn't sound like a name so I called him Torence instead). Torence's bar was a brilliant place to work. He treated me extremely well, and in return I often found myself working back to back shifts when other people called in sick. When my wallet was stolen, the first place I went was the bar. Torence told me to make all my long distance calls to Canada so I could sort stuff out, and then gave me a 20 pound note out of his pocket to tide me over till I could get some money out of the bank. And when I left to go traveling, I sent the bar weekly postcards. When I went back to visit the following year, some were still hanging in the back room.

Torence and I talked on facebook while I was back in Canada. I told him what'd happened with the ex, and how I didn't know what I'd be doing when I got back. He told me not to worry, that if it came down to it he'd set me up in one of his bars. He's a regional manager, so I guess he's got some sort of magic powers.

In any case, I told him last week I wanted to work in a bar for the holidays. The temp job finishes on Dec 23, and it's unlikely I'll find something else until 2012. I could do with the cash, and, just as importantly, it'll be interesting.

The story I told my friend: Torence and I met up on Friday, first time I'd seen him since 2006. Cool as anything, he was all "oh, I called a manager in one of my bars, and you can go work there if you want. Just call him and tell him when you want to work," like it was no big thing to be saving my financial life. And then, this lovely man I haven't seen in 4 years is all "come up and visit my family on Christmas." Again, like it was no big deal.

The warm fuzzy feeling I've got goes so much deeper than the promise of extra work.

When it comes down to it, I have met some amazing people, and they have my back. People I know well, people I don't know well, people I used to know. This past 6 months (it's been 6 months!) has been trying, and along with rediscovering bits of myself that I'd forgotten, I'm remembering how truly lucky I am to have all these other people in my life.

I'm never alone. Not truly. I have bad days and bad things happen, but when it comes down to it, I'm never alone.


If she falls, he helps her up.