Time Passing By....

Wow, I haven't written anything in almost two whole months! Sorry to the 3 people that read this. I have been busy learning how to do my new job and going to baby showers and enjoying the new fall season on tv (my bestest friend ever, well, right after books).

So, obviously not too much interesting/crazy stuff has been happening, but I am bored right now so I figured I would do a quick update. Still alive, still employed, still living in Woodside, still having a bad hair day.

My new job has been a bit more stressful than I was expecting. I don't know why, but I worry constantly about my performance when I'm not there. While I'm there, I feel okay. Laid-back even. But when I get home and think about the next day, my pulse starts to pound and I obsess over what sort of mistakes I might make or what weird financial or insurance or payroll or bureaucratic or whatever crap will come up. You know that feeling that someone someday is going to come up to you and say, "You're a fraud! You suck at this! Get out! You're nothing but a child!"? Yeah, that's my secret fear before falling asleep every night. So, anyway, hopefully that will start to pass as I get more confident with my responsibilities.

At least I'm not alone. One of the managers told me yesterday that he had a nightmare about the Health Department doing an inspection while he is there! It really sucks to have work nightmares. As a waitress I would constantly dream about getting sat seven parties of 30 all at the same time and not being able to walk fast and forgetting everyone's drinks and there not being any salad! That is still kind of stressful to think about, actually. It also reminds me of the fact that as a teenager I would dream all the time about going to school in the morning, taking off my shoes to walk around before the bell rang, and then when I went back to get them they were gone and I couldn't go to class without shoes. Stressful! One time the dream got to the point where I had broken my foot in the morning before the bell rang, and I proceeded to hobble around on it in an attempt to locate my pesky shoes within the five minute period we had to get to first period.

It's nice that we are starting to get autumn weather, although it's still been a lot warmer than usual for mid-October. Today it's rainy, and I didn't bring an umbrella. Boo.

Sorry for the boring entry, I guess there just isn't much on my mind at the moment!

New-s

Okay, so it has been almost a month since my last post, not that it really matters, I'm not exactly the most widely-read person out here. It's been a somewhat turbulent time for me personally and professionally. Another year older, hopefully another year wiser, and hopefully I will stop making all the same choices that have held me back over the years from things I've wanted. Blah.

So, as pretty much everyone knows, I quit my job at the Olive Garden, where I have worked for 8 years almost (both in FL and NY). It's something I should have done years ago, something I MEANT to do years ago, but I really like comfort, and I was really in a comfort zone there. I could practically do that job in my sleep. SO, after being made to feel like crap and subsequently torturing myself over a freaking job waiting tables, I decided it was now or never and I put in my notice. Yay!

I was quite upset at first, because it was a decision I made on an impulse, and while I enjoy spontaneity, I wouldn't characterize myself as that impulsive (unless I am shopping). I cried, I stressed, I worried about losing touch with friends I've made. But as the two weeks went on, I began to feel happier and happier about my decision and my future. It was really like being released from prison after my last shift. Part of me wanted to run back and tell them I'd change my mind. But I am too stubborn to do that. It's the Leo in me. Pride.

So I was off to Florida for a week to reconnect with my parents and my sister and some friends. It was beautiful, I worked on my resume, I worked on my tan, I went gambling at the hotel where Anna Nicole Smith died. Fun!! Very relaxing and very what I needed--time to just sort of think about what I wanted to do and to work on some interviewing skills, etc. My parents were very helpful and supportive and generous, and they are the best!

I flew back to NY on Sunday evening, and on Monday I started calling temp agencies and sending my resume out to a ton of postings on Craigslist. I was starting to despair on Tuesday, thinking I might have to take a medical transcriptionist course and buy one of those foot pedal thingies, when the phone rang and I was able to set up an interview!

The place is called I Coppi, it's a Tuscan restaurant in the East Village, very small, owned and run by a husband and wife (she is from Tuscany--Pistoia, to be exact), and they needed someone to be a bookkeeper and reservationist, and basically to be there and man the place during the day when they are not open. The restaurant is only open for dinner on weekdays. I believe there is a weekend brunch, as well. All of which is great with me. I'm gonna get to learn a ton of new stuff, and I'll have very little face-to-face interaction with the guests. I'm going to get to take care of a lot of stuff behind the scenes, and it's a business I am familar with, so I still have some level of comfort. My interview went well, and so I came in on Thursday evening to meet the owner. At the end of our conversation, he offered me the position! I start Monday! And I get to wear my own clothes!! No more stinking OG apron and effing shirts with button-down collars that I can only ever find in the little boys' department (and sometimes not even then)!!

I can't wait to get started and learn as much as I can about my new job. I don't think I've been this excited about work in a long time, probably since I worked at Zeta and that was like, 6 years ago.