So I went into the cafe today to get a copy of the menu for tomorrow night where I am filling for Jasper at Luke’s request. Not only was the menu not written, but nothing had been ordered. A sell out crowd and no food to feed them. Jasper is fucking his job up more than usual to try and make my night shit, screwing Luke over for his own petty gains.

 

…and stuff…

 So if you’re still paying attention, you may have noticed that I haven’t written a post in a very long time. This is because my browser crashed and I lost all my saved passwords so I couldn’t log on automatically. I have only just discovered that the password was emailed to my old internet account, which I never check.

So, a brief outline of what’s been going on in my world, highlights and lowlights.

I’ve been going out on the weekends, without Ben. He hasn’t made contact since returning from Cairns and everytime that I have he’s been to busy so I guess he’s just not that into me. Time to move on. One time, while walking home from a big night out, I was crossing the Story Bridge. Low and behold there was this guy trying to climb over the fence to jump so I talked him down.

Work is still work, only I’m getting next to no hours so I think I’m going to have to find a new job. I’ve been keeping in contact with Luke, Jasper is running the place into ground as usual. If he doesn’t get rid of Jasper I fear that the place will close after Christmas. Everytime I go into the cafe it pisses Jasper off no end, he slams doors and gets all shitty. I love it. Luke has also asked if he can put me on as a casual staff member when Jasper isn’t working, which Jasperfound very threatening. Or at least that’s what I assume from the fact that he’s been going about spreading lies (thank you for your concern, but no, I am not a drug addict).
It’s my birthday next week, so I’m planning to go to dinner at the restaurant with some friends, have the degustation, get drunk and go out or something.

Anyway I have to go and get ready for work, VIP late night shopping tonight so I have a late shift. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at the restaurant.

 

What do you mean Chef is not a chef?

 Well I opened up yesterday and held my own on my own and apparently did very well. I only seem to screw up when the site manager is there. She had a chat to me this morning telling me how she had recieved good reports about me. We then moved onto the topic of Chef. Chef, despite having worked in many kitchens for many years and being our head chef has never finished his apprenticeship. Technically Chef is not a chef (although because cheffing is compentancy based with the ammount of work he’s done it would be a simple thing for him to become qualified)!

Listening to: Michael Gray “The Weekend”

 

I don’t want to set the world on fire, I just want to start a flame in your heart…

 Well I didn’t set the world on fire, but then again I didn’t give anyone food poisioning either. My first day went OK, not great, not dismal. I even had a period where I was without the aid of the head chef. It didn’t go great, I ran out of specials and didn’t know where they were kept. As I predicted speed was one of the major factors that I need to make a conscious effort to increase. I have next week at work with my safety net and then I’m on my own, spooky, eh?

I got home to discover that my QTAC results had returned, I scored 98% in both exam criterions and found myself in the top percentile of the state. I guess this means I’m going to uni, it’s just a matter of which course. I’ll find out THAT come thefirst round of offers somewhere between Christmas and New Years.

I have some wankery art gallery opening to go to tonight. I wouldn’t bother going but for the fact that one of my friends is showing his photography. Well, that and the free food!

Listening to: “Put your hands up for Detroit,” by Fedde Le Grand

 

Fear

I start my new job as hot cook in 8 1/2 hours and I’m as anxious as all hell. You would think that because I know half the staff that it would be a good thing, but it’s not. I don’t fear being unable to get along well with the rest of the staff, I fear failure. The knowledge of fact that if I fail then I fail in front of people who know me isn’t exactly helping at this point in my slightly hysterical preperation. Failure is not an option, it’s success or death. I have identified four major areas in which I must be extra careful.

Firstly, as I do not eat fish (although I do eat other seafood) I have a limited idea of what fish is supposed to be like: beware the fish.

Secondly, people tend to be very critical about their steaks, I’m relatively confident having dealt extensively with scotch fillets before, but I cannot be overconfident: beware the steak.

Thirdly, when patrons are waiting it seems like they have waited three times longer than they actually have, so a five minute wait seems like a quarter hour to them: pick up the speed.

Fourthly, and somewhat related to my third point, I must look ahead at incomming dockets so I can ensure that I have all my mise en plus things on hand (yes, I do know how redundant that is): plan ahead.

Other than that, I just hope I can understand the head chef. I know that last time we worked together I had difficulty understanding his accent (he’s a new Australian). I spoke to him just after he had returned from Paris, and while I did manage to understand him, his accent looks like it’s there to stay.

Ohh, and don’t stick your hand in the deep fryer…

 

It’s not like I’ve been lying down on the job…

Today is a busy day at work. I’m on my break now and glad that a majority of the day is almost over. Luke has been busy reading all day, and while Jasper has been upstairs sleeping and I’ve been downstairs running the show. In all fairness Jasper didn’t spend all day sleeping at work, after the lunch rush came and went he came down to take a single order before returning upstairs, not that I’m bitter or anything.

While we’re on the subject of fuck-ups I think it’s only fair to examine mine today. First of all I didn’t take the telephone number of a booking simply because I knew that they were only ten minutes away so wern’t likely to cancel. Secondly I recieved an order from next door for a pasta. The pasta costs $10 and comes with a side of salad. They asked for the pasta without the salad which I duitfully supplied only to have to take it beck because they didn’t want to pay that much for the meal. Unbeknown to me we don’t charge them full price for meals, so this gave Jasper more ammunition to fire at me. After such a busy day with no support I feel like shit. Something I think it would just be easier to walk in front of a bus (don’t worry, I have no intentions of doing that, it’s just an idle thought).

 

…and NOW I remember…

Last nights service was great fun. Jasper called Del in on her day off because he thought that three tables of two would be too much for him to handle. Yes, my eyes ARE rolling while I type this. So Del and I had a lot of fun in the kitchen while packing up as there wasn’t much to do. At one stage I had both my hands as wel as my arms covered in chocolate sauce, I’ve turned to Del and waved cheerily and said “Say hi to your mum for me!” We were in hysterics for the rest of the night until I left at about 11:30 pm. As I was walking home I was regretting leaving the cafe.

This morning however: This morning was the busiest day we’ve had all week. Many people have avoided comming into the CBD due to the huge traffic jams that have covered the city due to the riverside expressway being closed for repairs. So it was that I was running both the kitchen and the floor on my own with walls of dockets ahead of me.

According to one docket I was so busy that it took twenty-five minutes for a toasted sandwich to come up. Jasper was of course ‘busy’ doing his ‘paperwork’ (i.e. invitations for his 21st birthday) upstairs again. I’ve worked in bigger places that do NOT take forty hours each week to manage, especially as he does neither the banking, rostering or the payroll. The customers were quite understanding about the delays because they could see that I was running and I was the only person working, but there was no reason why it should have been that way.

After the lunch rush I made myself a salad sandwich and passed around a birthday card for the staff to sign as it’s Luke’s birthday. As it turns out the only person who was unwilling to sign the card was Jasper. Another staff member told me later that Jasper had made up a card and had all the staff sign it, but at no stage was I told about this card nor given a chance to sign it. I grew so sick of this petty, childish vendetta that I’m glad to be leaving again.

Anyway Del and I are going to hit the club circuit tonight it would seem, so hopefully I can put all my troubles aside for a short while.

 

…but i feel so gay, in a melancholy way…

 I don’t really want to leave the cafe, that’s the sad thing about it. Yes, the hours are insane and the pay is crap I know but I still want to stay, yet I have to leave. Ohh well, once more into the breach.

I’m going out this weekend, despite having no money and no one to go with me. I’m not really one of those confident people who like to go out on their own, but I am determined to break my anti-social slump. I finally have some government issued photo I.D. which hopefully will mean I can now gain access to where-ever-the-bloody-hell I want! “One ticket for Gitmo bay please, one way only thankyou!”

Lately I’ve been thinking of going on a holiday, just a short trip, one week, it’s all I ask. I haven’t had a holiday in years. The closest I have come is a three day weekend, and even then I found myself doing things for others. When my holiday pay from the restaurant comes through (I’m going to visit them in person come Monday) I’m going to put that money aside and take a train to Cairns where I hope to visit a friend of mine. I had hoped to be able to go overseas at the start of next year, but financially it’s just not realistic as my parents still have yet to pay back that money I have lent them. I doubt I will ever see it again, and with Christmas fast approaching it’s highly unlikely that I will be able to save any of my meager-but-soon-to-be-even-more-meager pay.

My special table hasn’t rung up to book for “Rear Window” yet, I’m concerned that they’re just going to turn up and be disappointed because we’re full. I’d like to say hello, and of course goodbye because I hate it when people just vanish out of your life.

Listening to: “I Love It!” by Sneaky Sound System

 

1, 2, 3…

Testing, testing, this is very testing…

Yes, I have indeed been convinced to open up my own blog rather than bore others needlessly. I feel like I have accomplished something by muddling my way around to get this thing up and running (I hope) with the aid of my friend Colin. I would link to his exciting page, but alas I’m out of blu-tack and I am not quite so sure as to how I would make a link. That being said I am still patting myself on the back for adding this to my list of household chores. It makes me feel rather like Martha Stewart, but, ya know, without the hard jail time, the prision sex, that whole making crystal meth in the bathtub thing and the billions of American dollars, as well as legions of adoring fans and, well, I’m sure you get the idea…
Well, I guess I should probably start by telling you about my day: After I brokered a lasting peace deal in the middle east and eliminated world hunger I went and slaved myself for the mimimum wage for a few hours at work. Luke’s mother was visiting for Luke’s birthday, happy birthday Luke; I quit! I feel bad for Luke, but if I stay much longer I fear that I will physically hurt Jasper.

The tale of the mystery soup:

Cleaning out the secondary fridge today we found a 50L pot of mystery soup. No one knows how long it has been in there, nor what it consists of, or even what purpose it was created for. It was frozen, which is probably what saved it from acquiring an aluminium taste (ergh) so I defrosted it in order to ascetain the quality of it. Curiously enough when I asked Jasper about it he pretended to have no idea, which is odd as he was the one who made it.

On the new job:

By this time next week I will have finished my first day at the new job where I will be a hot cook (yes, you can all hold your applause and giggles until the end of the paragraph). While I have had some experience in this type of job I always find myself rather anxiety-racked every time I am about to start something new. Furthermore I wonder how exactly I am going to survive, for while I will recieve a higher rate of pay I will be doing far less hours. I have three choices: a) skimp and scrape; b) get a second job (I have an in (no, not THAT kind of in! Well, actually, erm, nevermind!) with a guy at another cafe); c) go back to the restaurant and admit defeat. I tend not to think of ‘become unemployed and starve to death’ as an option.

<A href="http://www.therapyinthemaking.co.uk">Colin Brooks</A>