I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

Day 2 of the new job is in the bag.  

I’m really having a great time.  And I truly am appreciating NOT working 12+ hour days.  

I also love that the longest part of my commute is parking.  10 minutes to work these days.  

I saw my first regulars from my old job tonight.  

They exclaimed when I said hello, oh you are the host.  I said, I preferred General Manager, but yes, I was the host.  

They were so complimentary of their meal tonight and promised they’d be back next week.  

I’m two days in and have yet to be yelled at.  

I’m two days in and have not been told I suck at my job.  

I’m two days in and have not been made to feel like an idiot.  

I’m two days in and so far none of the staff hates.  YET.  

I’m two days in, and my knee is swollen and stiff, but it is MILES ahead of where I was in August and early September.  

It’s also been fun to get back to writing.   I’ve also decided to be more positive for the moment, since it feels better to write those posts over the horrible ones I was writing a year ago.  Of course, explosions are better for ratings but not so much for my emotional state.  

Thanks again for all the support over the last few days.  

I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

WOW!!! You guys know how to make a girl feel special.

I don’t think I’ve ever had so many comments before. And the likes were through the roof.

Thank you all.

I write these posts thinking four people read them, and one of them is Adam and tow of them are my friends Laura and Charity.

So to get home tonight and find so many comments, texts, and messages felt really swell. So thank you.

Somethings to adjust.

A friend reached out to find out why I had a photo of an old woman in my collection of Photos that I had not written about.

That was the fuck up of all fuck ups.

That old woman, is my friend Trish. She is one of the most generous loving, gentle, wonderful humans in the history of humans.

I failed to mention that we had a three-hour coffee date while I was in Kentucky.

Here’s the thing about Trish. When we get together it’s like we last saw each other on Tuesday. We do not dissolve into the past, but instead share stories of our current lives.

She shares stories about herself, about her daughters, whom I love more than life and about her grandsons.

I share stories of Adam, life, work and all the other things I do.

Seriously.

We talked for 3 hours and I finally, had to push away from the table in order to get to dinner with another friend.

And a last thing to mentione about my dear friend Trish, years ago, I was struggling. With life. With relationships. With work. And there was a 90 day period where I seriously considered not going on. And this dear woman, listened to me at 3:00 in the morning, and I’m not sure she even remembers but she saved my life. And for that I will be forever greatful.

She is the best, of the best, of the best, and I challenge anyone to prove me wrong.

Love you dear friend.

As for everyone else who reached out. Thank you. I seriously write these posts thinking 6 people read them. So many people commented that I had no idea read what I write. Old employees. Old employers. Friends from every part of my life. So thank you, thank you, thank you.

As for me, my first day was a winner.

I played restaurant for the first time in four or five years.

10 years ago, when I had just been hired for my first GM job, my bar manager Laura and I used to joke that we were playing restaurant. We’d pull out a catalogue and order bar glasses for our pretend restaurant. We’d do side work charts for our pretend restaurant. We held interviews for our pretend restaurant. And then a month later our pretend restaurant, opened.

And for the last 10 years, as we’ve both moved on to other jobs, we talk often sharing our experiences in our restaurants. And we still call it playing restaurant.

So today, I played restaurant. I made lists. I chatted with the staff. I had a five hour conversation with the owner. I started to plan. I watched service.

And all of this will be manifested into an action plan in the next few months. But for today. It was fun. And it felt good to be in a situation where people respected my opinions and ideas.

It’s been a while.

My friend Jamie told me that I was going back to work too soon.

He might have been right.

At the end of my four hour shift on the floor my knee was huge and although it didn’t hurt, it was terribly uncomfortable.

However, I’m glad I did it. It will get better from here. And Advil and Tylenol when I got home seem to do the trick.

I’ve asked Adam to buy me the largest bottles of Advil and Tylenol he can tomorrow. He’s going to Costco (which just opened here) so I should be able to supply the Northeast corridor with pain relievers for the next 8 years.

Fun story from today.

The Portland version of Monopoly was released today.

We are selling it at the new restaurant.

Every person who came in wanted to know about it.

And my constant joke, which was not even mine, is that there is NO FREE PARKING IN PORTLAND.

And they missed a huge opportunity for a snow ban charge of $185 bucks.

Meanwhile, I sold three games today.

Which is a few bucks toward earning my keep.

Whew!!!!