Busy Busy

I have been slacking on the blog front.

Right after Brad and Shelby left for Oregon, I got two jobs. The first is at the Montgomery Inn Boathouse, which is a four star restaurant that has a beautiful view of the Ohio River that separates Ohio and Kentucky. Honestly, the river doesn't look that great, but Ohioans LOVE it. I wouldn't say that the Willamette River is anything special to look at because I've always thought it was dirty, but compared to the Ohio River, it's seems pretty nice! I suppose a river is a river, and people are going to enjoy the view, no matter how many diseases you might acquire from coming in contact with it.

I am a hostess at the Boathouse. They had an advertisement on Craigslist for open interviews! You send them a resume, they send you an interview time. I was a half an hour late to my interview because even with help from Google Maps, I got lost in Downtown Cincinnati. Yikes. I ended up driving about 15 minutes out of my way. I had to call the Boathouse and ask for directions, and I ended up talking Dean who turned out to be the owner. He graciously directed me to the right place, but I was convinced that I would have to look elsewhere for employment. I was surprised to find the hiring manager extremely laid back and happy to interview me. Her name is Alexis and she is Dean's daughter. Alexis and I have similar personalities, so our interview was perfect. When I snagged the job, I was extremely excited. Income is an important part of surviving, since it is necessary for all food and coffee purchases. I also thought it would be excellent way to gain experience. It's a nice restaurant that will teach me some of the skills required for work in a restaurant.

As it turns out, hostess work is quite dull.

My shifts are between four and six hours, usually, and this is what that shift looks like:

1. Stand by the menus. Do not lean or look unprofessional (understandable-it's a fancy place)
2. Stand by the menus. Wait for guests to arrive.
3. Stand by the menus. Greet guests as they walk towards you and ask how many are in their party.
4. "Whenever you're ready it will be right this way, watch your step here" Point towards the steps and make eye contact so the guest does not trip down the stairs.
5. Take guests to the table that is most comfortable with the best view. "Enjoy your meal!"
6. Collect any menus or wine lists that the waiters have deposited in the appropriate slots near the busser's station.
7. Straighten menus and make sure all are facing the same direction.
8. Stand by the menus. Wait for more guests to arrive.

I have to find ways to entertain myself because, as you may have noticed, my job does not require much attention or effort. We are quite popular at the Boathouse, which seats up to 700 people, so I can sometimes stay busy seating guests, but it is way less exciting than I expected.

I have found that the following activities will often help pass the time:

-Make faces (usually goofy ones that do not scream "I'm a professional") and smile EXTRA big at my favorite bussers and servers.
-Sing whatever song happens to be stuck in my head.
-Play "Guess what time it is" with Mike. He is a host that I work with frequently.
-Ask the managers about their lives, and often include the question "What are you learning about life today?"

What a stimulating environment.

I honestly enjoy the people I work with, which gives me something to do. I like getting to know all the employees, most of which have worked for the Boathouse for many years. There are at least 250 people employed, so I don't run out of names to learn. It's fun to talk to them, but I can basically talk to anyone in Cincinnati, without playing "Guess what time it is."

The good news is, I have a second job, so my time at the Boathouse may come to a close a few weeks prior to my departure from Cincinnati. And by a few weeks, I mean I will be quitting as soon as possible.

My second job is at Dunkin' Donuts. I get paid at least $0.75 less than I get paid at the Boathouse, but it's WAY MORE FUN.

Dunkin' is fast paced and hilarious. I work with the best people you could ever hope for. Rosell, Ralph, Niesha, Andre, and my manager-Adam. I LOVE IT. I work at 6AM about four mornings a week. It is a blast. Even after two weeks at Dunkin', I was starting to memorize all the regular orders in the morning. Small coffee, with cream and a french cruller-no bag. Large coffee, cream only. One coffee roll. Extra Large black coffee. Large coffee, seven sugars and heavy cream. The list goes on and on. I'm always doing something at Dunkin'. If there are no customers, there is something to clean, something to fill, or someone to stand next to in the back and make inappropriate jokes with. People who work early morning coffee shifts are important. The customers have just begun their day, and a frowny, sleepy face is not what they want from their Dunkin' Donuts Crew Member. I make it my first priority to greet and smile at every guest who walks through the door, and they appreciate it. I've only been there for about a month and I cannot count how many comments I've gotten about my positive attitude. I'm not trying to toot my own horn or anything, but it just goes to show that good customer service does not go unnoticed, and having a personality at 6 o'clock in the morning is attainable ;]

I am leaving Cincinnati on May 23, 2010 at 7:25AM. I believe that a small piece of my full-sized aortic pump (for those who do not know, this is a FRIENDS reference. Friends the TV show!!) will be left behind in Cincinnati. I can't believe I only have four weeks left. It's going to go by way too fast, but I'm so excited about the next piece of my adventure. I'll be home for about three weeks, and then I'll be off to Priest Lake, Idaho to work at The Hill's Resort!! My favorite place in the world!! I am thrilled at the opportunity to work at Priest Lake. I have no doubt in my mind that the summer will be a blast. I'll stay there until October, and then hopefully I'll be out of the country by sometime in November. I don't know where I'll go, yet, but I'm sure I'll figure that out in the next few months.

Life is going well. I'm expanding my horizons.

Mike, who I work with at the Boathouse, is very similar to my brother, Jonathan. Jonathan is funnier, more interesting, and a better person to be around in general, but ALL their mannerisms are the same. Well, most of them. It trips me out everyday. It's so weird.

Today, Niesha, who I work with at Dunkin', told me that I was her light skinned sister. It was the best day ever.