Steps in the Right Direction

The last time we spoke I was just about to become something incredibly fun, important and meaningful: a bartender. This newest page in our saga was a quick read- meaning I was only to spend two days at the bar in the restaurant. Hard to imagine, but my 22 hours spent at the bar are over, and in the blink of an eye. I have a new appreciation for the people behind the counter and I've decided that I could not be a bartender for this company because I am just too short to reach those Johnnie Walker and Cachaca bottles on the top shelf.

Some of my highlights during this two day period include the new friends I made. In two short days, I met twice as many interesting people at the bar than I did working at the greeter desk and as a server combined. On example of a lasting friendship I created starting yesterday evening. I met a man named Jacques and I made a random comment within two minutes of meeting him about how I overgeneralize on occasion. Naturally he said "OK so what can you say about me?" Quickly remembering that his name was Jacques, I said "Well, your name is Jacques? That means you're a Frenchie. Because you're a Frenchie, you don't bathe and the only foods you eat are cheese, chocolate, red wine, and rich meaty stews." Today he came back in (to my surprise!) and said "I bathed with water today!" to which I responded "Jacques, don't lie. I know you didn't bathe in water, but red wine."

Today there was another guy who came in and sat at the bar and I was totally convinced he was a major rock star from the 80's. He had big blond hair that looked like he had stuck his finger in a socket, wore huge Ray Ban sunglasses and was wearing a tweed blazer. I was bothering all the other bartenders asking them who he was and they didn't know. So naturally, I gave him a lot of extra attention because I was trying to make friends with a major rock star. Making small talk, I asked him if he was originally from L.A. and if he had a long drive home from the restaurant trying to gauge exactly who he might be. When he left I grabbed the credit card slip from the other bartender...and...!!... he wasn't anyone. Foiled.

Tonight I was on my own a lot making drinks. I am now a master at making a mean margarita, cosmopolitans, mojitos, lemon drops, and just about any other mixed drink or unmixed drink you can think of. During one episode tonight I was making another routine rasperry lemon drop and was in the midst of my shaking phase. During a particularly fierce upward arm pump, the top of the shaker flew off and a sizable portion of the sweet sticky drink flew up out of the shaker and all over my shirt, pants and face. With my good fortune, the acidic lemon liquid ended up in my eye. I think I'll stick to managing.

Tomorrow is a day off and hooray for that. I'm going to a massive flea market at the Rose Bowl and the Sharks/Kings game. Work shall reconvene on Monday and on Tuesday, the other managers-in-training and myself are going on a field trip! Yes that's right. Fun days away from the norm don't stop in pre-school. We're visiting our meat and produce distributors to see how those kinds of operations work. I'm really looking forward to walking through the meat plant in the early hours of the morning with cow parts hanging all around me. But I guess I'll have to wait the few days until it comes.

I hope the colors of fall are painting your lives. They are non-existent here.