Confessions of the Pissy Hostess

Alright, it's time for a good old fashioned bitch-fit. It may or may not be news that I work in a restaurant, and my main job there is hosting. Let's just say that I have no long-term plans for working in the food-service industry, each night dishing out some of the most entitled assholes money can create. Tonight the slow-streak in the Restaurant ended, so here's a list of things to consider if you're going out to eat somewhere that's packed and chaotic.

If you're going to bring a large amount of people, call ahead and let the restaurant know. Even parties of six or more warrant at least some heads up. With big parties the best(and most logical) thing to do is make a reservation a few days prior. It takes time to make room for lots of people to sit together, and extra staff to accommodate them. If you walk in with a party of 12 with no notice, don't expect to be seated or served right away.

Just order what's on the fucking menu. The things that are on the menu are what the cooks are prepared to make. Special substitutions, additions, and just plain ordering whats not there is annoying and complicates everything for servers and cooks. If you don't want what's on the menu, why are you eating there in the first place?

If you're in a hurry, don't fucking go to a sit-down restaurant to eat. I'll never understand the person who comes in and asks to be seated, then demands their food be "rushed" because they have to be somewhere. If you're in a hurry, order to-go or go to a drive-thru.

Just sit where the Host seats you. This is just a big pet peeve of mine. Unless they offer you a choice of where to sit, they are probably seating you there for a reason. There are reserved tables and server sections to consider, and if you insist on sitting somewhere else, you're disrupting the flow. ALSO, don't fucking seat yourself behind the Host's back and expect to be helped any time soon. Especially if there's a sign that says "please wait to be seated" and a bunch of people waiting in front of you. If you want proper service you have to go throught the proper channels first.

Always, always, always tip the server. Decent service deserves a decent tip, therefore shitty service deserves a shitty tip, but it still deserves a tip.  Servers make the majority of their money off of tips, and people need to come prepared if they want to eat at a restaurant. Stiffing the server on the tip is just wrong.

Never, never, never fucking "snap and point". Also known as "have some goddamned human fucking decency". Consider this: You are not the only table your server has to take care of. While you're snapping your fingers and rolling your eyes, they are getting something out to whoever asked for it before you.  Servers are people too, and no amount of slow service justifies treating anyone like they're less than human.

Know the difference between your server, other servers, and the host and busser. Unless they ask, don't blurt out your order to the person that sat you. And don't try flagging down any employee you see running by. The fact that they're running means that they are already trying to do something and don't have time to stop.

We've all seen Waiting, right? Anyone planning to go out to eat needs to at least see that movie so that they know what the dining experience is like on the other end. Before you judge, bitch, complain, and send you food back to the kitchen, take a moment to think about just who you're sending it back to, and how you've been treating them.

Embedding on this video was disabled, but click the link to see what I'm talking about.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyYS6SrDkBg&feature=fvwrel

Home Is Where My Laptop Is

It's been over a month since my move to "The Valley", and my period of adjustment has come and gone. As far as living up to my expectations, I'd give this lifestyle change a C-.

I began by cleaning the bathroom and kitchen enough that I was comfortable using them,which is to say it involved a lot of Ajax and Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. It doesn't take long before the mess cropped up again, but I've been trying to keep up with it whenever I have spare time.. My TV has been set up in the living room, and I've got my own designated corner of the bedroom for my desk, which holds most of my books/nicknacks and is where Terezi usually lives. I've got to give Chris(and Zane) some props for all of his help during the move, and for putting together my new dresser.

My new job has been pretty much everything I expected. My co-workers are nice enough. It fluctuates regularly between slow as shit and really fucking busy. It's a restaurant/bar so it's much more difficult to keep track of various patrons. My first night I walked full-force into a wall-length window, earning myself a fat lip and a bruised nose. Work hasn't kicked my ass this hard in a long time.
My job takes up most of my time so far(surprise surprise!) and I work nights so that doesn't leave much time to go out.

I do make more money than I did in Prescott, but I hardly notice because

• I have less free time to use said money
• money doesn't go nearly as far down here

Part of it is gas; it takes much longer to get anywhere in the valley as it did in Prescott. The 5-10 minute drive it would take to get to a friends house or work now takes 30-40 minutes, and usually involves a freeway or two. That's not even counting rush-hour traffic.

Most things are also more expensive. It all adds up to less time and money, which compounded with nonstop work and a horrific sore throat made the first few weeks kind of hellish.

So yeah Phoenix is hot and smoggy, traffic sucks, and I get lost nearly every time I go out without a mapquest route. But stangely enough it still feels like home. Phoenix is a big place when I have the time to explore it.  I love the desert, and I've got some awesome people to hang out with. Most of my days consist of work, running, sleep, and interenet. My dear Terezi keeps me sane most nights, the internet beimg my livelihood lately. Once school starts I expect things will get less monotonous.  We'll have to see.