Fired

My close friend, who actually convinced me to apply at Hooters, was fired yesterday. She had received her final write up. The unfortunate thing about working at Hooters is that your write ups stay with you for the length of your employment at the restaurant. Even if you had been there for almost three years like she had. There is no renewal at the end of the year. Your slate is never wiped clean. I've been working at my location for little over three months and so far I've only heard good things. But there are circumstances that can occur that are out of my control. Like being walked out on for example. If that should happen, my options are: 1. keep it to myself and pay their bill or 2. the restaurant takes care of it and I receive a write up. Obviously I'd rather take the hit on my tips rather than receive a write up, but imagine being walked out on a $300 check? I think I'd still rather take the hit than receive a permanent write up. Her firing has reminded me of my mortality in a sense. I need to find some way to make myself more of an asset to the company. Like KH, I should probably let management know that I am interested in becoming a bartender. I should also aim to become a certified trainer, because although more is expected of you, I feel that they are also more likely to give you the benefit of the doubt in most situations. I don't want to lose this job. It's perfect for school. I work half the hours I used to for more pay. I need to be the best if I'm going to end up on top.
That's what she said.

Rude

So maybe there's one girl I don't particularly like at work. Maybe. I mean, she's ok, but her complete disregard for any self-respect and intelligence just doesn't work with me. To me she's a poseur, completely infatuated with herself. The other day I brought some beers over to a table in the opposite side of the restaurant as my section. The two barnies sitting there did a double take and happily exclaimed, "wow! did you put some make up on and do your hair or something?"

"Excuse me..." I replied, rather confused at their statement. Was it a jab at my bad hair days or something? I mean I know I'm not perfect but jeeze...
"You're like, way hotter than our other waitress!" Idiot one giggled.
"Yeah more like ten times hotter!" Said idiot number two. They hi-fived. "Can you take her place or something?"
Wow. I looked around making sure nowbody was listening to this exchange. I politely smiled at them and quickly walked away. I had never heard a guy be that openly rude before. I was uncomfortable. Then curious. Soon I found myself at the host stand looking at the sections. It was her! The one girl I slightly don't like! It was her section. Gasp. The beezy in me doubled over in laughter.

Oh karma please don't bite me back.

... she knew in her heart that to be without optimism, that core of reasonless hope in the spirit rather than the brain, was a fatal flaw, the seed of death.

-Anne Perry

silver lining

My day was shitty. I felt sick. I offered to get bagels for the whole office and everybody had complicated and specific requirements. At Einstein Bagels I rattled off the whole order to the clerk, apologizing for my coworker's demands, as he smiled at me and told me not to worry about it. After I paid for everything, I moved out of the way and waited.
"Hey, you wanted the chocolate chip bagel right?" he asked while handing me the ginormous brown paper bag.
"Um, yeah, why?"
"Oh, nothing." He smiled.
When I got back to the office, I handed out everybody's breakfast and went back to my seat, eager to tear into my freshly toasted bagel. I opened the paper bag and smiled. Inside were two chocolate chip bagels. I only ordered one.

Thank you. You have no idea how that changed my day.



P.S.
To the Einstein Bros Bagels sign... That's what she said.

Photographer crush

His name is Jan Von Holleben and he dreams of flying.


I have never before seen a photographer capture the innocence, fun, and color of childhood so accurately.

I remember feeling that free :o)

Most of our games usually had to do with a terrifying pit of lava or my best friend's older brother turning into a vampire.

We pretended to be mermaids in our pool and I wished I could breathe underwater.

I wished I could eat the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters. I bet he'd taste really good with some hot chocolate.

And grown ups were giants. And sometimes they could be scary...

My first dog was my best friend. She put up with more than any dog should really have to from a child, but I think she did it because she really loved me.


I miss the Christmas time when Santa was still real.

Compliments

I am pretty sure I look nothing like Jennifer Aniston and I work in a restaurant full of guys who will do and say anything to get a phone number. But after being compared to her for the fifth or sixth time since my being hired, by entirely random guests and my coworkers, I am finally flattered. Another Hooters Girl agreed that I act very much like a cross between Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow. This is a huge leap from being previously compared to the trashy and slut-tacular Tara Reed. Yay!

I will always remember Jennifer Aniston's shout out to her then hubby Brad Pitt: "I love you man!" To me, she embodies a classy yet spunky flower child. I can only hope I come across as such. She also appeared in one of the BEST episodes of 30 Rock. WATCH IT. Either way it put a smile on my face.
P.S.
I am so ridiculously sheltered. But my gangstafied little sister and my Hooters Girls are helping me.
Another word I learned at work:
"BEEZY" pron: "bee-zee"
Urban Dictionary defined it as a nicer word for "bitch".

I love good reviews

HERE is what our local party college, SDSU, thinks of the Hooters of San Diego.  Because although this picture is taken at "my" Hooters, the address provided at the end of the article is of another San Diego Hooters.  Oh and yes I am in this picture :p [photo by Jason Payne/Staff photographer with the coolest last name ever...]

P.S.

Bikini Contest coming up... I'm not sure if I will be in it anymore because of my still swollen ankle and a few other things that are going on.  I am very bummed.  But the managers gave me 4 shifts this week not including the bikini contest.  FOUR shifts.  Usually this is reserved for trainers and our calendar girls.  So, I feel like I really should do the bikini contest because I really really don't want to let them down.  At a place like Hooters it's really easy to feel dispensable, with so many girls coming in daily to apply, but my managers really take the cake.  Especially my GM.  He is so number oriented I love it.  He knows how to keep our work atmosphere fun, but productive.  [He makes fun of me for being a nerd all the time, but secretly I know that on the inside he is a bigger nerd that even I am.]  Also, when I call in to explain that I am not feeling well and I need my shift covered, my managers don't bitch and whine about it being an inconvenience to them, they actually ask me what's wrong.  They relate a time when they had a similar problem.  They wish me a speedy recovery.  But most amazing of all, even though they  have between 80-90 girls they're keeping track of, and this isn't including the kitchen staff, they ask me how I'm feeling when I get back.  Yes, with everything going on, they still have the brain capacity left to remember to REALLY care.  I really want to make them cookies or something.  Hmm.  

My creative side

I have decided that I am going to make a big effort to illustrate my own posts. I am finally able to afford oil paint so I may even use color. I'm afraid of color by the way. It's permanent in ways charcoal and graphite are not. I think I will also showcase other artist's creations as well, when I don't have the time to make my own.

I love this heat

The majority of San Diego is pretty good at keeping their indoors well air conditioned. While most of the time, our "weather" is at or around a constant sunny and warm, we do have our heat waves. I think that term describes it perfectly. I stepped outside of the office today and a wave of heat swept over me. But while everyone else complains, I revel in it.

As long as I'm not doing strenuous exercises out in the heat, I feel that there is something luxurious and foreign about it. Maybe that's just my English/Northern European roots talking, but the wet and cold feels like home to me.

I love the way the heat closes in around me, bathing my face and moving my loose clothes and hair. I automatically feel like I'm on holiday. It brings me back to Spain. I think I was sixteen. I don't remember the name the locals used for it, but there was a heat coming across the Mediterranean from the African Sahara. It filled the unairconditioned homes and woke the mosquitoes. Luckily my grampa's house was only a short walking distance from the sea. I miss the wide brimmed hats and loose white dresses. The fine sand was warm under our feet and the water was cool, coming towards you in soft small waves. Everything was within walking distance. Wednesday was market day and the air felt clean and pure.

I miss the architecture. Everything was painted a beautiful clean white, that looked blue in the shadows. The never-ending stairs. The flat roofs. I felt like I escaped into a cave when i'd come home from the beach.

Italy

Is where I am hopefully going this summer.

Last week my dad asked me where we should go for our next vacation.
"Italy."
"Really? I thought you'd say something like canoeing the Colorado river or something..."
"Well that would be a lot cheaper."
"No, that's not what I'm saying, I think Italy is a really good idea. It just never crossed my mind that we should go there."
"Dad, Italy is just one of those destinations you have to go to."
"Well, I guess it's settled."
"Really? You mean it?"
"Yeah, let's go."

Score.