Category Archives: rants

I need a vacation

I hate it when people say, “I need a vacation.” Mostly because I’ve found the people saying it are the same ones who JUST went on vacation.

But. I need a vacation.

I’m spent. I’m overwhelmed, and I’m spent right now. I have three projects on my to do list that have been there almost two months now, both of which should have theoretically been able to be done within a couple days. But instead, due to this or that or this or that have sat unfinished for way too long. These are projects I can get paid for, but with every passing day I don’t feel right about charging what I normally would due to my lack (or at least slow progress) of productivity.

I’m frustrated and overwhelmed. And just when I think I’m finally getting ahead (and I dare to take a day to clean my house and go on a date with my husband) the next day new things get dropped into my lap and I just want to cry. Like today.

I need a vacation.

I need a reset. I need to step away from everything for a few days and then come back to it fresh. Maybe then I won’t feel so overwhelmed and that alone won’t hold me back from finishing. It sounds good in theory at least.

Then again, maybe I’ll get a burst of productivity and inspiration in a couple days and all this whining will be for naught. But for now, I just want to vent a little bit. That alone makes me feel a little better.

It WILL all get done. Maybe not at the pace I prefer, but I won’t give up and it will get done. This I know for sure.

But I still need a vacation.

 Oregon - July 2012

Over it!

I am generally an optimistic person. But as I sit here and write this blog, I’m over people in general.

“Over it!” one of my fellow bartenders and I sometimes shouted to each other last night as we dashed by each other, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of people. No. Wait. Let me clarify. Sheer volume of IMPATIENT people.

I can handle a busy bar. I actually relish it and enjoy the interaction and the fast pace. Often busy night are nights I feel most “on my game.” Makes the night go by fast as well, and it usually leaves me very happy with my pocketbook at the end of the night.

But what leaves me overwhelmed and hating people for days following a rough night is when people are impatient and rude about it. When they put on blinders and decide THEY are the queen or king of the bar and if you don’t serve them in two seconds you’re a worthless bartender. And that… hurts. Because we’re working as fast as we can, haven’t had a pee break in hours, nor had a second to take a sip of water, generally are sweating like crazy from running ourselves so hard… and still nothing we do will ever be right. I had more than a few moments last night that I wanted to just stop running and have a good cry.

See some of my bar tips for customers from a bartender’s perspective.

I suppose such a thing can happen in any job, and that’s why I TRY to give people I interact with in various scenarios the benefit of the doubt.

Just tonight, my husband got very frustrated when two people at the local McDonalds couldn’t figure out our change correctly, and I finally had to correct them to get the show on the road. I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt… they don’t teach how to count back change any more in schools, and even I have my  nights where I need to take a tab to the register to get the amount right that they owe. I told him I blame management as well for not ensuring their employees can think through a transaction versus being just drones that punch buttons on a keypad. (I make similar rants about sackers at grocery stores who put bleach with my fruit.)

But at the end of the day, I have to agree with him that some things are simply being a good employee. Some things are about wanting to work your way up the ladder of success versus just drawing a paycheck. Or in the same breath (and on the flip side) its simply being a good customer and realizing when it’s your turn you’ll be treated like the only customer… but only after you let the other guy get the same treatment.

It goes BOTH ways.

So tonight… having been on both sides of a rough business transaction in the last two days, I’m just done. Done with people. Done with business. Done.

Can someone bring me a shot?