Well, I have officially been 23 for 6 days. I don't feel any different but I do want to cringe when people ask me how old I am. =( Unfortunately, I spent my entire birthday super sick thanks to a cold that I somehow caught last week in Myrtle Beach. It started with a cough and turned into a full blown cold the day that we (I) had to drive home. Yes, I say I even though my bf was with me because I drove the entire way there and almost the entire way back. He drove maybe 1.5 hours there at the end because I was afraid that I would fall asleep after 12 hours of driving. I went through 1.5 boxes of kleenex on the way home too. That was not a fun drive! But I came home and slept until 5 on my Birthday. We went to my fav restaurant for dinner though so that was nice. Except for when I knocked my Cherry Coke all over the table. Oops. Needless to say, I did not do very much celebrating for my 23rd.
I spent Sunday sleeping and Monday being sick and finally went back to work on Tuesday. I think it would have been a good day if I had not been sick. My team won the merch contest that we had a couple of months ago so we got to go to a baseball game for free. I don't like baseball and I felt awful but it was nice to do something. If I would have come home that day, I already know that I would have been passed out by 6:15.
I was excited to learn that our restaurant was bought by Hooters of America. There was a guy there last night that was checking out the restaurant so that they can make repairs. I think it was the perfect day for him to be there because there was a huge storm and the roof was leaking everywhere. We had a lovely waterfall in the dish room and I actually had to move a couple of guys from my table to another girl's table because they were getting rained on...inside. So, yey to a possible new roof!
We were busy off and on last night and I think that everyone made okay money. At the end of the night, I left a dollar for each of the cooks in the tip box. I noticed that only one other person left anything at all and it looked like about $2 so I reminded the girls to remember to give the cooks at least a couple of dollars. One of the girls got all mad and was like "this is my money, I'm not giving it to them. They get paid enough." I was not happy. I'm a cook at my other job and I know how nice it is when you have some sort of tip at the end of the night. I'm always happy at the end of the night if our customers were nice and appreciative and they tip us. Even if I only have a couple of dollars, it's nice to know that we are appreciated too. I always leave the cooks what I can unless it's like a really bad day (think $20 for an entire shift bad). If each of the girls left just $2, the cooks would have a good tip that would make them happy and they would feel appreciated. I always feel so bad when they pull the tip box down and there is like nothing in there. And I always have to smile when they open it and everyone tipped them and they are so happy. What can I say? I love when people are happy! That's why I think it's so important to tip a little. I wish all of the other girls thought so too.
When I got home last night, I was not happy to find that my electric was off after the bad storm. It had already been off for over 6 hours when I got home. So, I grabbed the bf and we headed to Waffle House for some middle of the night breakfast. Delicious! Sadly, the electric was still off when we got home. We went to sleep and when we woke up...the electric was still off. In fact, it didn't come on until just before 2 p.m. today. Crazy! So, our day didn't really start until then. But when our day did start, I was happy! We celebrated my birthday! We started off by picking up my immunization records from my High School (they must keep those things forever!) to give to the school nurse so she can fill out my forms for the nursing program. Then, we headed to Olive Garden to use my gift card. It was delicious!! Chicken Parmesan. Yum! Then, it was off to the mall to buy clothes for my Birthday present. I got a dress and a super cute shirt and we have to go back next week to get my other two or three cute shirts. Then we headed to my bf's mom's house for dinner and strawberry cake. It was a good day. And tomorrow will be too...we're going to see the Dark Knight Rises at 10 a.m.! I wanted to go to the midnight showing but it costs less to go in the morning. So, matinee it is!
In other news, I am officially CPR certified as of yesterday. The class wasn't awkward like I expected. It wasn't bad at all actually. I do wish it didn't cost $41 though. Ugh. I got injected with the second part of my TB test also. Once again, I am having an allergic reaction but this one is worse. It is burning and itching so much! They have to read it tomorrow. Hopefully they can tell this is an allergic reaction and not think that I have TB. It is a giant hive on my arm. Not like the pics online of a positive test but a hive like I get from everything that touches me! I went to the financial aid office while I was at school too for no reason. I wanted to know if there was any other aid that I could get since they didn't give me a scholarship this time and the only thing the lady said was "we recommend fastweb". If you haven't used that website, you won't know how not helpful it is! I've applied for so many scholarships. There are just so many people that use the website, it's like applying to win the lottery. Thanks for nothing financial aid department.
BTW, my car is not dead. Goldie is fine. The tranny might go out at any time just like with any car but the jerking is gone. It was three random things that needed to be fixed. Something about two coils, an EGV valve or something like that, and I think the other thing was the starter or something. I dunno but it's fixed. Yey! Time for bed and almost time for the Dark Knight Rises!! =)
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
4 months in
I haven't posted in awhile but I guess I can take a minute to give an update on the life of a Hooters Girl. Being a Hooters Girl is not all it is cracked up to be. I enjoy my job and I have a lot of fun and get to meet all kinds of people but there are also downsides to being a Hooters Girl. I still can't tell my family what my job is. I am not ashamed of my job. Like I said, I like it. But my mom is still not happy that I work there. She is not proud to call her daughter a Hooters Girl. It's cool though. Everyone else is cool about it as long as my mom's side of the family doesn't know.
The downsides that I mentioned about being a Hooters Girl involve the work that you have to do being a Hooters Girl. We don't have to do that embarrassing or degrading stuff that people suppose that we must do, especially after seeing the Undercover Boss show but we do have a lot more work than people think we do. I can say my arms have gotten in much better shape since I have been working there. We have to carry buckets of ice to stock our stations, we take the garbage out which is very heavy, we bus our own tables and carry the heavy dish tubs back. I've had to do the dishes myself several times and they are always giving us "sidework" which includes silly things like wiping down the poles in the restaurant, wiping down the lamps, removing staples from the wall, scrubbing down the inside of the weight station and other silly things. At least half of the time we don't get any kind of break and we don't get to eat. They lock the closet so we can't get to our things during our shift. I usually get lucky and am heading back to the closet just as the manager is going there to lock it so I can get a drink of my protein smoothie. We aren't allowed to have drinks anywhere so we get very dehydrated. I have worked from 10:25 a.m. to 1:45 am without a break or eating before. These are the negatives that you don't learn about before becoming a Hooters Girl. Not to mention, if the restaurant is not busy we make no money. We make "2.14" an hour but we never see that money. We only make tips. Then, if your tips for the pay period don't average out to minimum wage (which sometimes they do not) the managers start telling you about it in Jumpstart. They tell you that you should never be making less than minimum wage and they assume that this means you are not claiming your tips. Needless to say, they are not happy if they have to pay you "make up tips".
On a more positive note, I have enjoyed working there. It is so much fun working with all of the girls. And I have met so many people. I have met people from Guatemala, Spain, Canada, Germany, Russia, Peru, and from all around the United States. I have had horrid tables that have made me want to cry but I have had amazing tables that I wished would never leave because they offer endless entertainment. I love meeting the tables from other countries. They tend to be my favorites. Although, I had a table of High School aged boys last week that were really fun. I have my regular that comes in every Saturday and Sunday like clock work as long as he is not out of town. I can always count on him coming in and hanging out for at least a couple of hours. He sits and watches basketball with me and keeps me up to date with what's happening in the game when I'm busy. There really is a such thing as the "Hooters family" but just like a normal family, there are ups and downs. I know that one of my managers I only like to work with in the morning because by the night shift, she is too frazzled and I don't want to deal with her at all. You can't go wrong with the guy managers though. As long as you are nice to them, they are nice to you. Just try not to mess up too much and they'll always be cool.
Anyone who is thinking of becoming a Hooters Girl, just know that it is not a super easy job but it is a lot of fun. I enjoy my job and I have fun pretty much every shift that I work. The girls are great and there isn't a lot of drama. Just remember to not get involved when the random drama does pop up. When people talk to me about other people I just smile and shrug and say I dunno and it keeps me out of any kind of trouble with drama. It's better to have people just think you are extraordinarily nice than to have people thinking you are talking crap about them. So, don't gossip and don't get involved in other peoples' business. That is my recommendation. And be prepared to get a work out every shift! It really is a work out being a Hooters Girl.
Also, I don't think that I have posted since February so as a side note, France is amazing and I can't wait to go back! And I was accepted into the accelerated nursing program at my school! This is exciting...they only accept 30 people! So, I will be starting that in August and I will be saying bye bye life. It will be study study study study and work only about 10 hours a week. It's going to be rough. Especially if we end up with only one car. I am sad to say that Goldie (my '02 Saturn) is possibly out of commission. She began jerking back and forth when I got back from France and now it is worse so today I took her to get diagnosed. Hopefully we will know by tomorrow what is wrong and whether it is something that can be and is worth fixing. If it's the tranny, I'm just going to let her die because that car is really not worth all of that money. Also, we are going to Myrtle Beach for my birthday! I'm excited. I haven't been swimming in the ocean in 4 years! Yey to vacation that I can't actually afford! =)
The downsides that I mentioned about being a Hooters Girl involve the work that you have to do being a Hooters Girl. We don't have to do that embarrassing or degrading stuff that people suppose that we must do, especially after seeing the Undercover Boss show but we do have a lot more work than people think we do. I can say my arms have gotten in much better shape since I have been working there. We have to carry buckets of ice to stock our stations, we take the garbage out which is very heavy, we bus our own tables and carry the heavy dish tubs back. I've had to do the dishes myself several times and they are always giving us "sidework" which includes silly things like wiping down the poles in the restaurant, wiping down the lamps, removing staples from the wall, scrubbing down the inside of the weight station and other silly things. At least half of the time we don't get any kind of break and we don't get to eat. They lock the closet so we can't get to our things during our shift. I usually get lucky and am heading back to the closet just as the manager is going there to lock it so I can get a drink of my protein smoothie. We aren't allowed to have drinks anywhere so we get very dehydrated. I have worked from 10:25 a.m. to 1:45 am without a break or eating before. These are the negatives that you don't learn about before becoming a Hooters Girl. Not to mention, if the restaurant is not busy we make no money. We make "2.14" an hour but we never see that money. We only make tips. Then, if your tips for the pay period don't average out to minimum wage (which sometimes they do not) the managers start telling you about it in Jumpstart. They tell you that you should never be making less than minimum wage and they assume that this means you are not claiming your tips. Needless to say, they are not happy if they have to pay you "make up tips".
On a more positive note, I have enjoyed working there. It is so much fun working with all of the girls. And I have met so many people. I have met people from Guatemala, Spain, Canada, Germany, Russia, Peru, and from all around the United States. I have had horrid tables that have made me want to cry but I have had amazing tables that I wished would never leave because they offer endless entertainment. I love meeting the tables from other countries. They tend to be my favorites. Although, I had a table of High School aged boys last week that were really fun. I have my regular that comes in every Saturday and Sunday like clock work as long as he is not out of town. I can always count on him coming in and hanging out for at least a couple of hours. He sits and watches basketball with me and keeps me up to date with what's happening in the game when I'm busy. There really is a such thing as the "Hooters family" but just like a normal family, there are ups and downs. I know that one of my managers I only like to work with in the morning because by the night shift, she is too frazzled and I don't want to deal with her at all. You can't go wrong with the guy managers though. As long as you are nice to them, they are nice to you. Just try not to mess up too much and they'll always be cool.
Anyone who is thinking of becoming a Hooters Girl, just know that it is not a super easy job but it is a lot of fun. I enjoy my job and I have fun pretty much every shift that I work. The girls are great and there isn't a lot of drama. Just remember to not get involved when the random drama does pop up. When people talk to me about other people I just smile and shrug and say I dunno and it keeps me out of any kind of trouble with drama. It's better to have people just think you are extraordinarily nice than to have people thinking you are talking crap about them. So, don't gossip and don't get involved in other peoples' business. That is my recommendation. And be prepared to get a work out every shift! It really is a work out being a Hooters Girl.
Also, I don't think that I have posted since February so as a side note, France is amazing and I can't wait to go back! And I was accepted into the accelerated nursing program at my school! This is exciting...they only accept 30 people! So, I will be starting that in August and I will be saying bye bye life. It will be study study study study and work only about 10 hours a week. It's going to be rough. Especially if we end up with only one car. I am sad to say that Goldie (my '02 Saturn) is possibly out of commission. She began jerking back and forth when I got back from France and now it is worse so today I took her to get diagnosed. Hopefully we will know by tomorrow what is wrong and whether it is something that can be and is worth fixing. If it's the tranny, I'm just going to let her die because that car is really not worth all of that money. Also, we are going to Myrtle Beach for my birthday! I'm excited. I haven't been swimming in the ocean in 4 years! Yey to vacation that I can't actually afford! =)
Monday, February 27, 2012
Another dream share
While I'm in the mood to talk about my crazy dreams, I may as well share my global warming/High school dream from last week. The dream started out with me deciding to re-enroll in my High School just to "brush up" on my High School subject matter since I've forgotten so much of it during my 5 years of college. In my dream, I was still the same age that I am today (22) and I had just as much education as I do now (a bachelor's degree plus post-bac studies) and still decided to just go enroll. After getting to school and walking the hallways, I immediately decided that I had made a big mistake by going back to school...I was so much older than everyone else! I never even attended a class in my dream, I just roamed around the halls.
The next thing I know, I'm at my mom's house and it seems unnaturaly dark. It's not nighttime but it's dark as if it is dusk even though it's the middle of the day. So, I walk out of the back door just to see that the sky is dark and that the sun is melting-yes melting. The sun is melting away. There are clouds everywhere but that doesn't stop you from seeing the part of the sun that is facing us slowly sliding away from the other half of the sun as if it is lava. At the end of my dream, we just have half a sun. Creepy. I guess I am taking this whole end of the world in 2012 thing to heart and it's coming out in my dreams!
I know that this is like a photo shopped picture but it kind of looks like my dream only not as dramatic...
The next thing I know, I'm at my mom's house and it seems unnaturaly dark. It's not nighttime but it's dark as if it is dusk even though it's the middle of the day. So, I walk out of the back door just to see that the sky is dark and that the sun is melting-yes melting. The sun is melting away. There are clouds everywhere but that doesn't stop you from seeing the part of the sun that is facing us slowly sliding away from the other half of the sun as if it is lava. At the end of my dream, we just have half a sun. Creepy. I guess I am taking this whole end of the world in 2012 thing to heart and it's coming out in my dreams!
Name change and pizza and dishes
So, I got tired of the name that I had and decided to change it. Who knows how long this one will last. I'll probably change it pretty soon. Frequent name changes are likely given my trait of indecisiveness. Also, I didn't like the name before because several other people had that for the blog name too. The one I've chosen is hopefully slightly unique. I dunno.
Anyway, so I had my first dream involving my new job. I dreamt that I was working at the pizza place pulling the food out of the oven which is what I would normally be doing working at the pizza place. But, instead of having our normal people working, the entire make table was staffed by the Hooters Girls that were working with me on Saturday! Now there are a few things that I left out about my training day.
Those girls spent quite a bit of time brushing their hair and putting on makeup throughout the day. And that is exactly what they were doing in my dream when they were supposed to be making food. They were putting on makeup in the kitchen. This would never happen in real life!!
The Hooters Girls working the pizza place weren't the only strange things happening in this dream. For some reason, they were putting all of the dishes in the oven and I had to pull them all out while trying to get all of the food out too.
By the way, these dishes were not dishes that we actually have at the pizza place. In fact, they were the dishes that we ate off of at the steak house yesterday but there were stacks and stacks of these steakhouse dishes coming out of our pizza oven.
My manager, we'll call him Boss since I'm so0o creative (ha), was getting frustrated between the girls who were clearly not fit for making pizzas and me not being able to get all of these freaking dishes out of the oven fast enough. At one point in my dream, even a box of business cards came out of the oven and when I opened them to figure out what they were (I am not used to seeing boxes of business cards coming out of the oven), a cell phone appeared out of nowhere and when I answered it, it was someone inquiring about my business cards. I was mad and gave the phone to Boss and went back to pulling dishes and pizza out of the oven. Can you say weird??
Work is clearly getting in the way of my dreams!
Anyway, so I had my first dream involving my new job. I dreamt that I was working at the pizza place pulling the food out of the oven which is what I would normally be doing working at the pizza place. But, instead of having our normal people working, the entire make table was staffed by the Hooters Girls that were working with me on Saturday! Now there are a few things that I left out about my training day.
The Hooters Girls working the pizza place weren't the only strange things happening in this dream. For some reason, they were putting all of the dishes in the oven and I had to pull them all out while trying to get all of the food out too.
My manager, we'll call him Boss since I'm so0o creative (ha), was getting frustrated between the girls who were clearly not fit for making pizzas and me not being able to get all of these freaking dishes out of the oven fast enough. At one point in my dream, even a box of business cards came out of the oven and when I opened them to figure out what they were (I am not used to seeing boxes of business cards coming out of the oven), a cell phone appeared out of nowhere and when I answered it, it was someone inquiring about my business cards. I was mad and gave the phone to Boss and went back to pulling dishes and pizza out of the oven. Can you say weird??
Work is clearly getting in the way of my dreams!
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Day 1 of training and the afterparty
I have been neglecting my blog. I've been busy trying to study and do homework and all that fun stuff. I still have yet to start packing for France. I really need to do that! And really, I'm supposed to be finishing up my micro lab report but I feel like making a post real quick.
I will start off with saying that it feels amazing to not have to go sit in a cubicle for an entire weekend this weekend. This has been a very different weekend than I am used to since my weekends have been the same for the last 2+ years. Not only have I not had to go to the job that I've been hating but I am also about to be leaving for France in just 5 days! Crazy. When I left the pizza place on Friday, I told everyone "see ya in 3 weeks!" Of course they were not happy. But the joke's on me...I ended up picking up a Monday night shift which is really weird...I haven't worked a Monday at the pizza place in over 2 years. It's been Tuesdays and Fridays forever. But now I'm gonna see all of the people I said bye to only 3 days later rather than 3 weeks later. That's fine by me though. I love working there. It's pretty fun.
Now, on to the training! So, I got home from the pizza place at like 1 a.m. Friday night and ate my grilled chicken salad with light ranch (this will be significant later, I promise). I was trying hard to diet before my shift yesterday. I was eating all light foods on Friday and I even lost a couple of pounds which is nothing, my weight is always fluctuating like daily. I went to sleep at like 2. I set my alarm for 8:20 to give myself two hours to get ready and get to work. I was scheduled in at 10:25. I am still not sure what's up with the 25s at Hooters...every shift starts at 25 after. I don't get it. Anyway, I layed there until like 8:40 of course since I suck at waking up. I got up and got in the shower and then ate a peanut butter and sugar free jelly sandwich on light potato bread and a bowl of honey nut cheerios real quick while I dreaded putting on the nylons because I knew that I couldn't wear underwear under them since it totally shows through the shorts.
To my surprise, the unifrom actually wasn't uncomfortable. Actually, I found that wearing no underwear was much more comfortable than wearing a thong seeing as nothing is there to give you an all day wedgie. I straightened my hair and put on my makeup as usual and headed out the door. That's when I realized I left with only ten minutes to get there. It isn't that far from my house but I hate when I leave at the last minute like that. So, I rushed to the restaurant with my shoes and socks in hand because I didn't want to get them dirty.
When I got there, all of the girls were in the back of the dining room putting on makeup, doing hair, smoking, and just hanging out. I sat down at one of the tables and took off my yoga pants and put on the socks and shoes. They don't have a dressing room or anything at this location and you just put your personal belongings in a little closet in the corner that they keep padlocked while the restaurant is open. I asked the manager if my uniform looked okay and she said yeah and introduced me to my trainer.
My trainer was one of the girls that's in the bikini contest. I was happy to see that she is like the same height as me since I'm like super short and like everyone is taller than me! She was super nice and friendly and helpful. We went through several tests because it wasn't a very busy day. I followed her around like a puppy which was kind of awkward but kind of fun because I had someone to talk to the whole day. I worked a full shift from 10:25-5. So, I followed her around for 6.5 hours. We even had to eat our lunch together. We both got free food. I ate a chicken quesadilla (the only thing I've ever eaten at Hooters) and she got wings and fries.
I met a regular who brought in jelly beans and all kinds of other candy and I was surprised to find him chillin in the office when we went in to get some sort of thing that you use to eat oysters. An "oyster shucker". I asked my trainer what it was and she said she had no idea either. It looks like a not sharp knife. Weird.
We didn't have any hostesses again. Apparently, one was supposed to be there at noon but she just didn't show up. My trainer told me that they just never show up so that's why there are never any hostesses. I asked how they are still working there if they don't show up and she said they wonder that all the time. So, we stood by the door a lot of the time with a lot of the other girls (there were 9 on the floor) waiting for people to come in and directing them to our tables when we got their attention first. By the time I left, we had had only had 5 tables in our section the whole day. I felt bad because I know she would have had more if she didn't have to train me. She said she didn't get paid anymore on the hour or anything while she trains but that she does get free food. She seemed happy enough with that trade off. I can't blame her. The food is pretty good. I love that chicken quesadilla! Since we didnt' have that many tables, we ran bus tubs back to the back and we got ice to fill the ice containers out front. We didn't really have much to do other than hang out for most of the day.
My trainer didn't really spend anytime talking to her tables. We sat one lone man that came in all by himself. I kept looking over at him because I felt really bad for him eating alone. I absolutely hate eating alone! I never go to restaurants and eat by myself. If I have to, I go through the drive thru and go somewhere else to eat where no one is around. It's just awkward eating around people when no one else is eating with you. So, I'm definitely glad my trainer ate with me when it was time to eat.
I asked her if people usually come in and sit by themselves like that. She said not usually but that when people do come in, it's always men and they sit at the bar. She said it was strange that he sat at a table. When I told her that I felt bad for him she said we could go talk to him if I wanted to. I was glad when we finally did go talk to him because I noticed that he kept looking over at us. It turned out, he wanted a beer so we got him one and came back and started talking. We ended up talking to him for like an hour. We learned that he was born in Memphis and moved to San Francisco when he was 23 and lived there for 5 years before moving to LA for 1 year and then to New Orleans for 5 years, and Cleveland for 1 year and now he lives here. It was fun talking to him. He's been to a lot of places in the U.S. and I've not really been to many places here. I've been to more places outside of this country than within it. He's going to Florida in a couple of weeks and he's been to Texas and to places all over Louisiana. We talked about how we are at the wrong location when he started talking about a Hooters in New Orleans where the girls drive Mercedes that are given to them by their customers and that they have their rent paid for by customers. My trainer said we are in the wrong Hooters cuz all she gets is them buying her Hooters merch. I think Hooters merch is pretty awesome to get for free because it looked a little pricey when we were looking at it. Anyway, we talked to this guy for like an hour and when he got up to leave, he gave her $25 for his bill which was how much it cost and then gave her $20 for a tip. I was shocked! So was she. She said she normally gets around 15%. He said he would come back again to see us. I'll be glad if he does. I liked talking to him.
There is something I noticed after working a full day. There is quite a bit of diversity at Hooters. People always carry on thinking that it's like all men that come in there and they are pervs. The truth is, there were so many kids running around! It was crazy. One of the girls actually got asked by a dad if she could take his little girl to the bathroom. It was pretty cute. And there are all kinds of ethnicities that come in there and age groups. There were hispanic people in there, Asian people, african americans, white people, old people, young people, single people, a high school aged couple there on a date, married couples...everyone that came in was different. I thought it was pretty cool seeing how many different people come in there.
After I got off at 5, I had to find out when I could work again. I was sad to find out that I can't work again until Thursday. That's the next time that a trainer will be available. That's also the day before I leave for France. I wish that there would be a trainer available on the other days! I guess that gives me time to study for my menu and liquor tests though. I had fun yesterday though so I can't wait for my next day of training! It's seriously like hanging out all day. It's fun.
I had to throw away my first pair of nylons yesterday...I splashed myself with pepsi by accident and the next thing I knew, it was a big hole on my right thigh. I don't even know how it happened. So, I had to buy another pair before I left on my first day of training. I'm going to have to be more careful next time! But my trainer said that she used to go through one pair everyday that she worked and that the ones she has now are her longest lasting ones because she's had them for about two months now. It looks like I'm going to be buying a lot of nylons! I asked her about the black uniform yesterday too and she said that they used to have them and they took them away about 8 months ago. I'm sad. I think they look so cute!
After I left, I went home and laid down because my sinuses started hurting really bad. This weather is driving my sinuses crazy! When I woke up, I found out that my boyfriend's sister and her fiance and their friends were coming over and that they wanted to drink. I got up and cleaned the bathroom cuz there is like a 90% chance that I will vomit if I drink alcohol. No joke. I suck at digestion. It just doesn't happen for me. So, when my bf got home, we ate some grilled cheese and started watching the fights. We took a shot of gin before they got there. With my trusty red bull chaser, I was doing alright. I took two more shots with the boys when they got there chased with my red bull and that's when it hit me. I was drunk. I could not stop laughing. Of course, the bride's fiance loved it and started trying to mess with me. I had to take my emergency inhaler to start breathing right again and after I did, the fiance wanted me to do another shot with him. I was drunk so I did. Didn't even taste it of course. My bf was in the other room watching the fights so he had no idea that I had taken an extra shot and he didn't know how drunk I really was.
As a result, there are several things that I do not remember but I do know that I had a good time! I was flicking pop tabs at everyone and they were everywhere when I woke up this morning. Between the 5 of us, me, my bf, mr. fiance, the friend, and the friend's gf, we drank an entire bottle of gin, half a bottle of orange vodka, a few shots of vanilla vodka, and a few shots of schnaupps. We finally finished off all of the alcohol that has been in my refrigerator for a year! I was very happy to see it go. I was not happy to find out that I hit my hand several times on several different things last night and now I can hardly bend my pointer finger on my left hand. But, it was fun. And I did not throw up! A fact that is surprising to everyone. I stayed standing (with help of course) the whole night so that I wouldn't be sick and when I layed down for bed, the room was spinning. I knew for sure that I would throw up. But that's when my bf started being all affectionate and the distraction kept me from throwing up. Thank you bf for keeping me from puking when I'm drunk. I appreciate it! Oh, and for holding me up when I can't stand on my own two legs. And for standing with me in the freezing cold as I carry on about the big dipper. I love you. =)
We woke up at 11:30 this morning and I was not feeling my best but I was surprisingly not feeling too bad. My bf kept remarking about how he is shocked to see me being alright today after last night. I didn't really realize I was so drunk until he started reminding me about how I can't remember a lot of stuff. Par exemple, mr. fiance throwing a fork across the living room. I did not remember that. I remember the sound but I didn't know that he threw a fork even though I was looking at him when he did it. I do however remember him putting a fork in the freezer. I don't know why he put a fork in the freezer, but he did. I also remember telling them to eat my mac and cheese. And they did. They ate all of my mac and cheese after I practically begged them to just eat it. The mac and cheese that I was totally looking forward to eating today. What was I thinking?? I woke up today and the first thing that I thought about was the fact that I wanted my mac and cheese but that I told them to eat it. I even told my bf before they came over not to let them eat my mac and cheese cuz I was excited about eating it. Apparently, he told them I was gonna be upset and I said no, no, I told them to eat it! I don't remember saying that but man, I wish I didn't tell them to eat my mac n cheese!
We went to my favorite steakhouse to eat today though so I'm not as upset about my mac n cheese anymore. I ate my salad and like 3 rolls and was super full so I couldn't even eat my chicken and fries! I hate when I do that. I do have chicken and fries to eat tonight though so I'm happy. Oh, and two more rolls! Yum! So much for my diet and eating healthy...I like starved eating only healthy foods for several days just to drink 4 shots of gin, two glasses of cherry coke, and eat massive bad food and ruin everything! At least I did it after training! Back to the diet tomorrow though. I gotta work this off before Thursday! Okay, time to work on that lab report...
I will start off with saying that it feels amazing to not have to go sit in a cubicle for an entire weekend this weekend. This has been a very different weekend than I am used to since my weekends have been the same for the last 2+ years. Not only have I not had to go to the job that I've been hating but I am also about to be leaving for France in just 5 days! Crazy. When I left the pizza place on Friday, I told everyone "see ya in 3 weeks!" Of course they were not happy. But the joke's on me...I ended up picking up a Monday night shift which is really weird...I haven't worked a Monday at the pizza place in over 2 years. It's been Tuesdays and Fridays forever. But now I'm gonna see all of the people I said bye to only 3 days later rather than 3 weeks later. That's fine by me though. I love working there. It's pretty fun.
Now, on to the training! So, I got home from the pizza place at like 1 a.m. Friday night and ate my grilled chicken salad with light ranch (this will be significant later, I promise). I was trying hard to diet before my shift yesterday. I was eating all light foods on Friday and I even lost a couple of pounds which is nothing, my weight is always fluctuating like daily. I went to sleep at like 2. I set my alarm for 8:20 to give myself two hours to get ready and get to work. I was scheduled in at 10:25. I am still not sure what's up with the 25s at Hooters...every shift starts at 25 after. I don't get it. Anyway, I layed there until like 8:40 of course since I suck at waking up. I got up and got in the shower and then ate a peanut butter and sugar free jelly sandwich on light potato bread and a bowl of honey nut cheerios real quick while I dreaded putting on the nylons because I knew that I couldn't wear underwear under them since it totally shows through the shorts.
To my surprise, the unifrom actually wasn't uncomfortable. Actually, I found that wearing no underwear was much more comfortable than wearing a thong seeing as nothing is there to give you an all day wedgie. I straightened my hair and put on my makeup as usual and headed out the door. That's when I realized I left with only ten minutes to get there. It isn't that far from my house but I hate when I leave at the last minute like that. So, I rushed to the restaurant with my shoes and socks in hand because I didn't want to get them dirty.
When I got there, all of the girls were in the back of the dining room putting on makeup, doing hair, smoking, and just hanging out. I sat down at one of the tables and took off my yoga pants and put on the socks and shoes. They don't have a dressing room or anything at this location and you just put your personal belongings in a little closet in the corner that they keep padlocked while the restaurant is open. I asked the manager if my uniform looked okay and she said yeah and introduced me to my trainer.
My trainer was one of the girls that's in the bikini contest. I was happy to see that she is like the same height as me since I'm like super short and like everyone is taller than me! She was super nice and friendly and helpful. We went through several tests because it wasn't a very busy day. I followed her around like a puppy which was kind of awkward but kind of fun because I had someone to talk to the whole day. I worked a full shift from 10:25-5. So, I followed her around for 6.5 hours. We even had to eat our lunch together. We both got free food. I ate a chicken quesadilla (the only thing I've ever eaten at Hooters) and she got wings and fries.
I met a regular who brought in jelly beans and all kinds of other candy and I was surprised to find him chillin in the office when we went in to get some sort of thing that you use to eat oysters. An "oyster shucker". I asked my trainer what it was and she said she had no idea either. It looks like a not sharp knife. Weird.
We didn't have any hostesses again. Apparently, one was supposed to be there at noon but she just didn't show up. My trainer told me that they just never show up so that's why there are never any hostesses. I asked how they are still working there if they don't show up and she said they wonder that all the time. So, we stood by the door a lot of the time with a lot of the other girls (there were 9 on the floor) waiting for people to come in and directing them to our tables when we got their attention first. By the time I left, we had had only had 5 tables in our section the whole day. I felt bad because I know she would have had more if she didn't have to train me. She said she didn't get paid anymore on the hour or anything while she trains but that she does get free food. She seemed happy enough with that trade off. I can't blame her. The food is pretty good. I love that chicken quesadilla! Since we didnt' have that many tables, we ran bus tubs back to the back and we got ice to fill the ice containers out front. We didn't really have much to do other than hang out for most of the day.
My trainer didn't really spend anytime talking to her tables. We sat one lone man that came in all by himself. I kept looking over at him because I felt really bad for him eating alone. I absolutely hate eating alone! I never go to restaurants and eat by myself. If I have to, I go through the drive thru and go somewhere else to eat where no one is around. It's just awkward eating around people when no one else is eating with you. So, I'm definitely glad my trainer ate with me when it was time to eat.
I asked her if people usually come in and sit by themselves like that. She said not usually but that when people do come in, it's always men and they sit at the bar. She said it was strange that he sat at a table. When I told her that I felt bad for him she said we could go talk to him if I wanted to. I was glad when we finally did go talk to him because I noticed that he kept looking over at us. It turned out, he wanted a beer so we got him one and came back and started talking. We ended up talking to him for like an hour. We learned that he was born in Memphis and moved to San Francisco when he was 23 and lived there for 5 years before moving to LA for 1 year and then to New Orleans for 5 years, and Cleveland for 1 year and now he lives here. It was fun talking to him. He's been to a lot of places in the U.S. and I've not really been to many places here. I've been to more places outside of this country than within it. He's going to Florida in a couple of weeks and he's been to Texas and to places all over Louisiana. We talked about how we are at the wrong location when he started talking about a Hooters in New Orleans where the girls drive Mercedes that are given to them by their customers and that they have their rent paid for by customers. My trainer said we are in the wrong Hooters cuz all she gets is them buying her Hooters merch. I think Hooters merch is pretty awesome to get for free because it looked a little pricey when we were looking at it. Anyway, we talked to this guy for like an hour and when he got up to leave, he gave her $25 for his bill which was how much it cost and then gave her $20 for a tip. I was shocked! So was she. She said she normally gets around 15%. He said he would come back again to see us. I'll be glad if he does. I liked talking to him.
There is something I noticed after working a full day. There is quite a bit of diversity at Hooters. People always carry on thinking that it's like all men that come in there and they are pervs. The truth is, there were so many kids running around! It was crazy. One of the girls actually got asked by a dad if she could take his little girl to the bathroom. It was pretty cute. And there are all kinds of ethnicities that come in there and age groups. There were hispanic people in there, Asian people, african americans, white people, old people, young people, single people, a high school aged couple there on a date, married couples...everyone that came in was different. I thought it was pretty cool seeing how many different people come in there.
After I got off at 5, I had to find out when I could work again. I was sad to find out that I can't work again until Thursday. That's the next time that a trainer will be available. That's also the day before I leave for France. I wish that there would be a trainer available on the other days! I guess that gives me time to study for my menu and liquor tests though. I had fun yesterday though so I can't wait for my next day of training! It's seriously like hanging out all day. It's fun.
I had to throw away my first pair of nylons yesterday...I splashed myself with pepsi by accident and the next thing I knew, it was a big hole on my right thigh. I don't even know how it happened. So, I had to buy another pair before I left on my first day of training. I'm going to have to be more careful next time! But my trainer said that she used to go through one pair everyday that she worked and that the ones she has now are her longest lasting ones because she's had them for about two months now. It looks like I'm going to be buying a lot of nylons! I asked her about the black uniform yesterday too and she said that they used to have them and they took them away about 8 months ago. I'm sad. I think they look so cute!
After I left, I went home and laid down because my sinuses started hurting really bad. This weather is driving my sinuses crazy! When I woke up, I found out that my boyfriend's sister and her fiance and their friends were coming over and that they wanted to drink. I got up and cleaned the bathroom cuz there is like a 90% chance that I will vomit if I drink alcohol. No joke. I suck at digestion. It just doesn't happen for me. So, when my bf got home, we ate some grilled cheese and started watching the fights. We took a shot of gin before they got there. With my trusty red bull chaser, I was doing alright. I took two more shots with the boys when they got there chased with my red bull and that's when it hit me. I was drunk. I could not stop laughing. Of course, the bride's fiance loved it and started trying to mess with me. I had to take my emergency inhaler to start breathing right again and after I did, the fiance wanted me to do another shot with him. I was drunk so I did. Didn't even taste it of course. My bf was in the other room watching the fights so he had no idea that I had taken an extra shot and he didn't know how drunk I really was.
As a result, there are several things that I do not remember but I do know that I had a good time! I was flicking pop tabs at everyone and they were everywhere when I woke up this morning. Between the 5 of us, me, my bf, mr. fiance, the friend, and the friend's gf, we drank an entire bottle of gin, half a bottle of orange vodka, a few shots of vanilla vodka, and a few shots of schnaupps. We finally finished off all of the alcohol that has been in my refrigerator for a year! I was very happy to see it go. I was not happy to find out that I hit my hand several times on several different things last night and now I can hardly bend my pointer finger on my left hand. But, it was fun. And I did not throw up! A fact that is surprising to everyone. I stayed standing (with help of course) the whole night so that I wouldn't be sick and when I layed down for bed, the room was spinning. I knew for sure that I would throw up. But that's when my bf started being all affectionate and the distraction kept me from throwing up. Thank you bf for keeping me from puking when I'm drunk. I appreciate it! Oh, and for holding me up when I can't stand on my own two legs. And for standing with me in the freezing cold as I carry on about the big dipper. I love you. =)
We woke up at 11:30 this morning and I was not feeling my best but I was surprisingly not feeling too bad. My bf kept remarking about how he is shocked to see me being alright today after last night. I didn't really realize I was so drunk until he started reminding me about how I can't remember a lot of stuff. Par exemple, mr. fiance throwing a fork across the living room. I did not remember that. I remember the sound but I didn't know that he threw a fork even though I was looking at him when he did it. I do however remember him putting a fork in the freezer. I don't know why he put a fork in the freezer, but he did. I also remember telling them to eat my mac and cheese. And they did. They ate all of my mac and cheese after I practically begged them to just eat it. The mac and cheese that I was totally looking forward to eating today. What was I thinking?? I woke up today and the first thing that I thought about was the fact that I wanted my mac and cheese but that I told them to eat it. I even told my bf before they came over not to let them eat my mac and cheese cuz I was excited about eating it. Apparently, he told them I was gonna be upset and I said no, no, I told them to eat it! I don't remember saying that but man, I wish I didn't tell them to eat my mac n cheese!
We went to my favorite steakhouse to eat today though so I'm not as upset about my mac n cheese anymore. I ate my salad and like 3 rolls and was super full so I couldn't even eat my chicken and fries! I hate when I do that. I do have chicken and fries to eat tonight though so I'm happy. Oh, and two more rolls! Yum! So much for my diet and eating healthy...I like starved eating only healthy foods for several days just to drink 4 shots of gin, two glasses of cherry coke, and eat massive bad food and ruin everything! At least I did it after training! Back to the diet tomorrow though. I gotta work this off before Thursday! Okay, time to work on that lab report...
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Living under a rock.
So, I have been living under a rock recently. 
I took a nap after school today and woke up wondering when my micro lab report is due. So, I got up and whipped out the planner. That's exactly the moment I realized that I have been oblivious to my school life. Let me explain. I normally look at my planner everyday so that I know what I need to do. I write in it and I look ahead to see what is coming up so that I don't get behind.
I am officially behind! I haven't opened my planner in at least a week! So today, you can imagine my surprise when I open it and find that I have a micro lecture exam in exactly one week! I had no idea! And my anatomy lecture exam is next Friday...again no idea! My journal entry for my France trip is due next Friday...which also happens to be the day that I will be stepping on the plane to go to France and I have not gotten anything for my trip except a couple of packs of kleenex! I haven't even decided what to take or found my battery charger for my camera.
I have my French midterm essay due the first day of class after I get back from France, my micro lab report is due the Friday after France, my micro lab midterm is the Wednesday after I get back from France, and all of my scholarship essays that I haven't even begun writing are due by that Thursday. The following week, I have to to a textual analysis for my French class which means I need to prepare! And then I have my group project for French as well. Where in the world have I been to not know this?? Ahhh! I am officially stressed! And if you are getting tired of me saying "officially," I totally understand. I am too.
I took a nap after school today and woke up wondering when my micro lab report is due. So, I got up and whipped out the planner. That's exactly the moment I realized that I have been oblivious to my school life. Let me explain. I normally look at my planner everyday so that I know what I need to do. I write in it and I look ahead to see what is coming up so that I don't get behind.
I am officially behind! I haven't opened my planner in at least a week! So today, you can imagine my surprise when I open it and find that I have a micro lecture exam in exactly one week! I had no idea! And my anatomy lecture exam is next Friday...again no idea! My journal entry for my France trip is due next Friday...which also happens to be the day that I will be stepping on the plane to go to France and I have not gotten anything for my trip except a couple of packs of kleenex! I haven't even decided what to take or found my battery charger for my camera.
Finally, the last day.
I worked my last day at the call center yesterday. Once again, I had been deleted. This time from the time clock. I could not clock in or out. I was late on my last day. Of course. You see, on Christmas Eve, my tire went totally flat and had a huge hole in it because the air got so low from the temperature changing too much from day to day so now I have this phobia of my tire going flat. It was so0o hard to change the tire, it took me and Ms. BB cranking the crowbar thing just to get the nuts off of the tire. So now, if I notice my tires being low, I freak out and head straight to the gas station! And this would be a good time to note that I have no idea what I'm doing when I put air in the tire!
So, I walked outside and noticed my two nearly flat front tires (thank you stupid weather fluctuations!) and rushed to the gas station. I could have been on time if only the following things did not happen: I had only two quarters and needed four, the machine would not take anything but quarters, I dropped all of my change as I walked across the gas station and had to pick it up, there were ten people in line a head of me, one of them was a boy who lost his quarter and penny and only had a dollar bill but needed 1.26, said boy searched and searched and then took the money out of the "take-a-penny" thing, then there was the girl that didn't know how to use a gas pump and they had to spend five mins showing her how to use it, she then decided to pay inside after they taught her and we had to wait for that transaction, the woman in front of me decided she wanted to add to what she already had on the counter and sent her son in search of mountain dew, of course he brought back diet mountain dew and she sent him back to get regular. Finally, I got my two quarters and ran to the air pump on the other side of the parking lot and put some air in my tires super fast and drove to work.
I was 8 minutes late but I couldn't clock in so it didn't even matter. I was excited to see some balloons and a card and a bowl full of baked goods on my desk when I got there. The card had all of these sweet messages from all of the people that I have interacted with the most during my time with the company. Several of them were signed with love. I got lots of hugs and I was thankful for the slow night so that I could actually get all of my stuff out of my cubicle bagged up. They had pizza and desserts for us that day too for meeting some goal ( I think I mentioned this before). It was like fancy pizza too, not like Papa Johns or anything, it was actually from a parlor that is well known around here and rather expensive. Needless to say, it was a nice last day!
I did, however have to attend the dreaded exit interview with the HR guy. It was definitely a little uncomfortable. Especially when he started off with "Where will you be working after here?" I braced myself for his reaction as I smiled and said "Hooters."
You have to understand that I work ("worked" now I guess) in a conservative office environment. I had no illusions about them actually being cool with me going across the street to the "racy" restaurant where they wear orange hot shorts and cleavage revealing tanks. His response: "Hooters? Like across the street? This is not what I expected."
Mr. HR, btw, is this super tall skinny guy with an intimidating demeanor. He seems nice enough if you talk to him but you still always feel like you're in trouble for something no matter what the conversation is about.
Ex. Mr. HR: I like that shirt!
Random victim of conversation: Thanks! (Oh no, he doesn't like it. I need to go change! Am I violating dress code?? ::Sweat, sweat:: Now I do need to go change, I have pit stains. Great.)
I confirmed this feeling of being in trouble with the CSR lead after the interview. She told me she feels like she's in trouble when he makes small talk too. I don't think it's intentional. It's just his demeanor. Anyway, his attitude toward me seemed to change after he wrote down my response to my new employment even though just seconds before he was talking about how he's heard such great things about me. He asked me about the CSR's not being able to call off and said that he found that "interesting." I felt like he didn't believe me. I explained the pepto bismol situation but didn't tell him who it was that had told me about it and I explained another situation where the same thing happened with a migraine and excedrin as opposed to diarrhea and pepto bismol. He still seemed doubtful. I let him know that I understood the situation that the manager is in where she has a boss and she has to be the boss of us too so it's hard for her to go without enough people to cover the phones but at the same time, the full time employees have sick days for a reason, they should be able to take them. I felt like he was kind of taking a jab at my new place of employment with his response that at Hooters, of course that wouldn't be an issue because they have so many girls but at a company like that, it's not as feasible. I told him that I totally understood that but that I was just mentioning things that I knew that some employees had issues with.
He then wanted to know why I marked the question about feeling like a valuable employee low. He was surprised that my answer wasn't simply "because I'm part time." He said that was what he expected. The truth was, I basically never felt like I was good enough because my manager always made it sound like I just didn't know enough because I didn't work 40 hours every week. My manager is a super nice lady and I liked her a lot but sometimes she was too "on it" if you know what I mean. I did my job and I think I did it pretty well. I wasn't AMAZING but I did what I was supposed to and I did it right. I just wasn't over the top because a phone representative position is just not my thing. I don't like sitting around like that all day. I like to move around.
So after surprising him with that response, he mentioned where I had noted that it would have been nice if I could have purchased health insurance through the company in spite of my being part time. He asked me about being on my mom's insurance and getting insurance through school. I told him school insurance was awful coverage and just a waste of money and I explained about my mom's company being very disorganized and losing the health insurance (that's what she told me anyway, I don't actually know what happened...she could just not want to tell me and the reason is something else entirely but either way, I lost my health insurance). This wouldn't matter so much except that I have stupid asthma and I suck if I don't have my QVAR inhaler. I have to use it at least every morning if I want to be able to breathe like a normal person. If I use it every morning and every night, then I'm like breathing amazing! If I don't use it at all, I'm struggling just to breathe even if I'm just sitting down and then I feel like I'm going to faint if I have to walk up steps, exercise, walk swiftly...anything requiring the use of oxygen. And caffeine makes it impossible to breathe if I don't have the inhaler. So, bottom line, I need health insurance. My inhaler went from $10 to $180 so I was unable to buy it this month and was fortunate enough to have an extra that I had saved in case this happened. I am making it last by using it only in the morning until we figure something out with the insurance. I still have my albuterol (rescue inhaler) but I don't like to use it unless I have to. I like the QVAR because it works for a long time while the albuterol is just like 4 hours, 6 tops.
After hearing the insurance story and about me being asthmatic, he got really concerned. He told me I can't go without an inhaler because it's dangerous and someone just died over the weekend because he didn't have his inhaler. I told him I know I need it but I can't afford $180 for just that one prescription. And that is why I said it would be nice to be able to purchase the insurance through the company. We went on to discuss insurance for the company and the universal healthcare. I was happy that he supports universal healthcare like me because I don't have insurance and neither does my boyfriend. Actually, I know a lot of people that don't have insurance. And it's not like we can just afford to pay like $150 just in insurance every month. It's too much.
Anyway, we finished off the interview discussing my schooling and career goals. He asked me if I plan to make Hooters my new career. I told him no, it's not a career. It's how I'm going to get through school. I already have a bachelor's degree in Spanish and a minor in French. I'm back in school to get my degree in nursing.
He asked if that means I just want to stay around here and I told him no, I'd love to move to France (where they have universal healthcare mind you) but that my boyfriend will never want to leave here. This is where his family is. He went on to ask me what kind of jobs you can get with a degree in languages because his daughter is 15 and has no idea what she wants to do with her life. I told him a few of the options that I had considered and things that I have done and things that I haven't done but that I would like to do eventually. Afterward, I told him that 15 is young and that she has all the time in the world to figure something out and that she'll find something good to do with her life. She just needs time. He said that he hopes so.
So, I think that hopefully I squashed any assumptions that he may have come to when he found out where I'm heading ( I am talking about Hooters here of course) after talking for so long about things. I mean, I don't think I'm a dumb blonde. I think I'll be doing something with my life. That's why I'm about to have 3 bachelor's degrees (I'm only a couple of classes away from a bachelor's in French so I'm just gonna try for that too after the nursing degree). If I was so dumb, I wouldn't be doing that. And if I was so promiscuous, I wouldn't have a boyfriend that I've been with for years. I do, however, like to have fun. I think I will have fun with this new job and that's why I want to work there (other than it working with my school schedule of course).
I finished off the night saying goodbye to everyone. One of the newest guys helped me carry my stuff down to my car. He was surprised by where I'm choosing to go because we've talked a lot since our cubicles are right next to each other and he knows that I used to be like so shy that it was almost debilitating. People used to ask me if I was a mute all throughout school. To respond, I shook my head no. That's right, I didn't speak to say that I wasn't mute, I shook my head. That's how shy I was. And now I'm headed for Hooters. I am still shy but not nearly as shy as I used to be. I know that I will get comfortable there pretty fast because everyone seems so nice. Once I get comfortable, they shyness will subside and I'll be just as friendly as the rest. I know this because this is my personality. I am shy until I am comfortable. Then, I'm super friendly and I get excited about talking to people. I told him that he should come visit me across the street along with the rest of the CSR team! He said maybe they will. I should have told him that they have UFC there and he should just come over during the events since we always talk about UFC on Monday nights at work.
So, that's pretty much how my last night went. The cleaning guy seemed like he was going to cry when he saw my cubicle was empty and found out that it was my last night. I felt bad. But, I am excited to start this new job. I left a note on Ms. BB's desk telling her to keep in touch and that I want to know when she's getting her black belt! And I left my air freshener on one of the boys' desks that always comes over and says it smells like fruit punch in my cubicle. I got a message on FB today saying that his cubicle now smells like fruit punch. I laughed. To end the night, I came home and ate my pizza and desserts with my boyfriend and then read for French class. Uneventful but I do have super cute balloons in my room now! =)
This is the pizza that they got us. So delicious! I only ate the cheese pizza of course. Yum!
So, I walked outside and noticed my two nearly flat front tires (thank you stupid weather fluctuations!) and rushed to the gas station. I could have been on time if only the following things did not happen: I had only two quarters and needed four, the machine would not take anything but quarters, I dropped all of my change as I walked across the gas station and had to pick it up, there were ten people in line a head of me, one of them was a boy who lost his quarter and penny and only had a dollar bill but needed 1.26, said boy searched and searched and then took the money out of the "take-a-penny" thing, then there was the girl that didn't know how to use a gas pump and they had to spend five mins showing her how to use it, she then decided to pay inside after they taught her and we had to wait for that transaction, the woman in front of me decided she wanted to add to what she already had on the counter and sent her son in search of mountain dew, of course he brought back diet mountain dew and she sent him back to get regular. Finally, I got my two quarters and ran to the air pump on the other side of the parking lot and put some air in my tires super fast and drove to work.
I was 8 minutes late but I couldn't clock in so it didn't even matter. I was excited to see some balloons and a card and a bowl full of baked goods on my desk when I got there. The card had all of these sweet messages from all of the people that I have interacted with the most during my time with the company. Several of them were signed with love. I got lots of hugs and I was thankful for the slow night so that I could actually get all of my stuff out of my cubicle bagged up. They had pizza and desserts for us that day too for meeting some goal ( I think I mentioned this before). It was like fancy pizza too, not like Papa Johns or anything, it was actually from a parlor that is well known around here and rather expensive. Needless to say, it was a nice last day!
I did, however have to attend the dreaded exit interview with the HR guy. It was definitely a little uncomfortable. Especially when he started off with "Where will you be working after here?" I braced myself for his reaction as I smiled and said "Hooters."
You have to understand that I work ("worked" now I guess) in a conservative office environment. I had no illusions about them actually being cool with me going across the street to the "racy" restaurant where they wear orange hot shorts and cleavage revealing tanks. His response: "Hooters? Like across the street? This is not what I expected."
Mr. HR, btw, is this super tall skinny guy with an intimidating demeanor. He seems nice enough if you talk to him but you still always feel like you're in trouble for something no matter what the conversation is about.
Ex. Mr. HR: I like that shirt!
Random victim of conversation: Thanks! (Oh no, he doesn't like it. I need to go change! Am I violating dress code?? ::Sweat, sweat:: Now I do need to go change, I have pit stains. Great.)
I confirmed this feeling of being in trouble with the CSR lead after the interview. She told me she feels like she's in trouble when he makes small talk too. I don't think it's intentional. It's just his demeanor. Anyway, his attitude toward me seemed to change after he wrote down my response to my new employment even though just seconds before he was talking about how he's heard such great things about me. He asked me about the CSR's not being able to call off and said that he found that "interesting." I felt like he didn't believe me. I explained the pepto bismol situation but didn't tell him who it was that had told me about it and I explained another situation where the same thing happened with a migraine and excedrin as opposed to diarrhea and pepto bismol. He still seemed doubtful. I let him know that I understood the situation that the manager is in where she has a boss and she has to be the boss of us too so it's hard for her to go without enough people to cover the phones but at the same time, the full time employees have sick days for a reason, they should be able to take them. I felt like he was kind of taking a jab at my new place of employment with his response that at Hooters, of course that wouldn't be an issue because they have so many girls but at a company like that, it's not as feasible. I told him that I totally understood that but that I was just mentioning things that I knew that some employees had issues with.
He then wanted to know why I marked the question about feeling like a valuable employee low. He was surprised that my answer wasn't simply "because I'm part time." He said that was what he expected. The truth was, I basically never felt like I was good enough because my manager always made it sound like I just didn't know enough because I didn't work 40 hours every week. My manager is a super nice lady and I liked her a lot but sometimes she was too "on it" if you know what I mean. I did my job and I think I did it pretty well. I wasn't AMAZING but I did what I was supposed to and I did it right. I just wasn't over the top because a phone representative position is just not my thing. I don't like sitting around like that all day. I like to move around.
So after surprising him with that response, he mentioned where I had noted that it would have been nice if I could have purchased health insurance through the company in spite of my being part time. He asked me about being on my mom's insurance and getting insurance through school. I told him school insurance was awful coverage and just a waste of money and I explained about my mom's company being very disorganized and losing the health insurance (that's what she told me anyway, I don't actually know what happened...she could just not want to tell me and the reason is something else entirely but either way, I lost my health insurance). This wouldn't matter so much except that I have stupid asthma and I suck if I don't have my QVAR inhaler. I have to use it at least every morning if I want to be able to breathe like a normal person. If I use it every morning and every night, then I'm like breathing amazing! If I don't use it at all, I'm struggling just to breathe even if I'm just sitting down and then I feel like I'm going to faint if I have to walk up steps, exercise, walk swiftly...anything requiring the use of oxygen. And caffeine makes it impossible to breathe if I don't have the inhaler. So, bottom line, I need health insurance. My inhaler went from $10 to $180 so I was unable to buy it this month and was fortunate enough to have an extra that I had saved in case this happened. I am making it last by using it only in the morning until we figure something out with the insurance. I still have my albuterol (rescue inhaler) but I don't like to use it unless I have to. I like the QVAR because it works for a long time while the albuterol is just like 4 hours, 6 tops.
After hearing the insurance story and about me being asthmatic, he got really concerned. He told me I can't go without an inhaler because it's dangerous and someone just died over the weekend because he didn't have his inhaler. I told him I know I need it but I can't afford $180 for just that one prescription. And that is why I said it would be nice to be able to purchase the insurance through the company. We went on to discuss insurance for the company and the universal healthcare. I was happy that he supports universal healthcare like me because I don't have insurance and neither does my boyfriend. Actually, I know a lot of people that don't have insurance. And it's not like we can just afford to pay like $150 just in insurance every month. It's too much.
Anyway, we finished off the interview discussing my schooling and career goals. He asked me if I plan to make Hooters my new career. I told him no, it's not a career. It's how I'm going to get through school. I already have a bachelor's degree in Spanish and a minor in French. I'm back in school to get my degree in nursing.
He asked if that means I just want to stay around here and I told him no, I'd love to move to France (where they have universal healthcare mind you) but that my boyfriend will never want to leave here. This is where his family is. He went on to ask me what kind of jobs you can get with a degree in languages because his daughter is 15 and has no idea what she wants to do with her life. I told him a few of the options that I had considered and things that I have done and things that I haven't done but that I would like to do eventually. Afterward, I told him that 15 is young and that she has all the time in the world to figure something out and that she'll find something good to do with her life. She just needs time. He said that he hopes so.
So, I think that hopefully I squashed any assumptions that he may have come to when he found out where I'm heading ( I am talking about Hooters here of course) after talking for so long about things. I mean, I don't think I'm a dumb blonde. I think I'll be doing something with my life. That's why I'm about to have 3 bachelor's degrees (I'm only a couple of classes away from a bachelor's in French so I'm just gonna try for that too after the nursing degree). If I was so dumb, I wouldn't be doing that. And if I was so promiscuous, I wouldn't have a boyfriend that I've been with for years. I do, however, like to have fun. I think I will have fun with this new job and that's why I want to work there (other than it working with my school schedule of course).
I finished off the night saying goodbye to everyone. One of the newest guys helped me carry my stuff down to my car. He was surprised by where I'm choosing to go because we've talked a lot since our cubicles are right next to each other and he knows that I used to be like so shy that it was almost debilitating. People used to ask me if I was a mute all throughout school. To respond, I shook my head no. That's right, I didn't speak to say that I wasn't mute, I shook my head. That's how shy I was. And now I'm headed for Hooters. I am still shy but not nearly as shy as I used to be. I know that I will get comfortable there pretty fast because everyone seems so nice. Once I get comfortable, they shyness will subside and I'll be just as friendly as the rest. I know this because this is my personality. I am shy until I am comfortable. Then, I'm super friendly and I get excited about talking to people. I told him that he should come visit me across the street along with the rest of the CSR team! He said maybe they will. I should have told him that they have UFC there and he should just come over during the events since we always talk about UFC on Monday nights at work.
So, that's pretty much how my last night went. The cleaning guy seemed like he was going to cry when he saw my cubicle was empty and found out that it was my last night. I felt bad. But, I am excited to start this new job. I left a note on Ms. BB's desk telling her to keep in touch and that I want to know when she's getting her black belt! And I left my air freshener on one of the boys' desks that always comes over and says it smells like fruit punch in my cubicle. I got a message on FB today saying that his cubicle now smells like fruit punch. I laughed. To end the night, I came home and ate my pizza and desserts with my boyfriend and then read for French class. Uneventful but I do have super cute balloons in my room now! =)
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