My background

I have had patience, for quite a while and I’ve learned the hard way when it comes to work and paying the bills.

My background, which I’m not keeping brief, because I feel a proper introduction will give you a real taste as to who I am.

My first “dream” job was not working as a public lifeguard, but I have come to find this is/was my favorite job. If I would have stuck with it, I could have made a career out of it, perhaps moved to California and gone through more testing as well as training and then eventually, moved my way to a major university for an actual degree, but I had to leave Lakeville for college in Rochester. There was no other way for me. So! Here I go.

As a public beach lifeguard, being outside, being in the water, my feet in the sand, knowing first aid, being CPR certified and working with a team of 25 people, it was purely awesome. My boss was one of my sisters good friends from high school who now lives in Denver with her husband and we keep in touch through Facebook. As a team, we worked together, yet completely independently and yes, we grumbled when you could smell rain and then more or less when it poured, but now that I think about it, who really wants to work in rain? There’s a reason I’m not going into construction management.

I’m not a person who enjoys standing in the rain and being poured on, unless I’m on an adventure climbing through rocks and trees with a group of people I may or may not know. Or perhaps I'm puddle jumping with a friend at 2 a.m. This has happened before.

Communication is essential, especially in sticky times when people are getting frustrated. Talk the situation out and you’ll come to an ending most can be happy with. It’s like voting: even if you think the system is not fair, don’t complain if you didn’t take the time to vote. That’s four years of your life, in comparison to ten minutes to an hour of your time standing in line.

My next job position took me to Kwik Trip Inc. and I was hired May 28, 2004. I worked there for just under four years and I put in my two weeks when I least expected it. I grew and matured quite a bit while working for this company. I began in Rochester and worked at store #418 [right off Hwy. 14 and Cty. 22] for 3 years, Joe Storts if you ever run into the guy, he still works for this company after 25+ years . . . and counting. Mind you, he began working for this company when he was 17. Anyway, I was given a few pay raises, one very decent pay-raise because I left the company for a short period, just under three months to go work on Mt. Rainier National Park. I asked for my job back, before I left and my boss said “it’s yours.”

Then, I graduated from Rochester Community and Technical College in May 2007 and transferred to my next Kwik Trip in Lakeville. After the summer of 2007 was over, I moved to Mankato to start AND finish my bachelors of science. I’d love to be bilingual and this is the only thing I would have done differently with my education. Anyway, I transferred to a Mankato Kwik Trip.

First off, I didn’t want to move to Mankato, because of rumors I had heard.
Today, I don’t believe everything I hear.

Before moving to Mankato, I found a place to live, moved in –everyone was friends, great group of people, except for one of the guys [I can fill you in on the personality if you’d like], I had yet to get in my program, was in a new town -physically had been to Mankato three times, my days were mixed up, yet I managed to always make it to class and I had only one problem; the Mankato store had to call me every time I worked because I wasn’t showing up. Never in my life have I ever been this late to work so many times. In fact, last year, I was late to work twice and only by five to seven minutes, but I called and let management know what was going on.
Something wasn’t working and I don’t know what wasn’t working with this Mankato store.
Oh, I had also yet to take the diagnostic test which I had been studying for, for an entire summer. I had a lot on my mind, but still, no excuse to being late.

I transferred back to the Lakeville store around November, but my boss never scheduled me, however the team knew my situation and number, so people called when they needed a shift covered. Perfect. I was also able to work plenty of hours during Christmas Break because people quite simply did not want to work.

Well, I moved back down to Mankato after Christmas Break and my boss didn't schedule me at all . . . again. We talked on the phone and agreed that it 'wasn't working’ for me, so I put in my two weeks over the phone because my boss didn’t have any hours 'available' for me. Well, he actually chose to not have any hours for me. It wasn't that he didn't like me, he, I believe, was too lazy to let something happen. This was the dumbest thing I could have done while in Mankato; putting in my two weeks with a company who had great benefits for anyone who works for the company and now I’m jobless in a town which thrives off of college students and now had to find another job. I thought it would be easy.

I had yet to figure out that 'easy' really means 'right place, right time.'

I then proceeded to get a job at Olive Garden, as a host. I had the same attitude as before when I was hired for Kwik Trip Inc., as when I was first hired for OG: I was excited and ready to be dedicated, once again, but not as dedicated as I was when I was first hired to work for Kwik Trip Inc. What I mean by this: I bought only my bread, milk, eggs at Kwik Trip.

Anywho. Needless to say: wow. This job isn’t easy.

First off, you may find an interest in either one of these articles I found on MSN's Web site. Be prepared for your jaw to drop. However, if you've never worked at a restaurant, be forewarned. You may not 'get' what they're saying.

The 8 Kinds of Restaurant Customers
http://cityguides.msn.com/citylife/cityarticle.aspx?cp-documentid=17057772

7 Kinds of Servers
http://cityguides.msn.com/citylife/cityarticle.aspx?cp-documentid=17058015

Anywho, once you get the hang of hosting, you can do it in your sleep. I had 46 tables to memorize, 40 servers to get to know –this doesn’t include dishwashers, bussers, production people or cooks, 4 managers to figure out, customers to prevent from pissing off -when they want their booth they want it and when they want their table, they mean it, know what sections open at what times and when to start closing them, a bar area which was first come first serve and the wait list? Well, if you do it correctly and the ‘right’ way, you won’t get yelled at and people won’t be asking you questions. On top of this, I had a speech to memorize which changed about every 14 weeks –so easy but if you ‘drop’ a table (don’t give the speech) the managers will find out. Oh! And the menu is to be opened and placed in the customer’s hands, not on the table unless you had a party of 8 or more. You're more 'efficient' this way.
On top of this, each server waits on only 3 tables at a time. Is it a party of nine or more? You should have two servers. If you have a crabby general manager and s/he finds out what you’ve done -broken the rules, pisses off a customer, you’ll be given the cold shoulder and scolded ‘behind’ doors, most likely in front of your co-workers. If you don’t keep track of who is getting how many tables, servers will politely bitch and whine either to your face, or you’ll catch them complaining to another co-worker, depending on how big the restaurant is. It is your entire fault if they were supposed to have been given 2 tables already, but all the customers want booths. You’ll also walk around everywhere like a maniac making sure your duties are getting completed –this also includes, sometimes, helping out with getting drinks ready for a table, but when you get to the head of the restaurant, you put that big smile on your face, build rapport and walk the next set of customers –hopefully- to the correct section and seat them in server “x’s” table. Why? Because they are next and they will approach you asking why they didn’t get seated. Once again, all of that with a big fat smile on your face, like everything is okay.
Most of the time, I guarantee, when it's dinner time or there's a waiting list or it appears busy, somebody somewhere, is in fact freaking out and making someone else feel like they've done horse sh*t and only care about twirling their hair. Translated: dumb as bricks because apparently, you don't 'get' it or you can't count.

I memorized all 46 tables in less than three weeks, but it took me roughly 1.5 months to nail everything. It also took me three months to learn all the names of servers.

Like I said, I was dedicated, but only to a point.

It’s been almost six years since I’ve graduated from high school. WHERE did the time go? I fell in ‘love’ with Kwik Trip Inc., when I moved to Rochester and I would move back there again. And, I’d move within five minutes of that store, in hopes that my job would be within a reasonable distance of that part of town.
It’s growing rapidly and my best friends live there. It’s home away from home.

Mankato, it’s a hate love relationship. Yes . . . hate love relationship. Well, I guess I can turn that around and say love hate relationship. I’m not a fan of this town. On the weekends, I study. I don’t go out. I’m sick of partying. I’m tired of that lifestyle. Quite frankly, I was never into it. I’ll do it when I come back home because in the cities, it’s different. But, not every weekend. I’m growing up and I will have bills to pay, really, really, soon.

I want to find a job, relatively soon as well. I would like to move back to somewhere in the cities, but find a place of my own. I’m also cool, as I said before, with moving back to Rochester. I’d also be up for moving west. Out east? I don’t know that area so well.

I also want to break free from a shadow that’s been cast over me, mentally and I want this shadow to leave me alone. Too personal to dive into any further here.

I’m a writer, a blogger, musician, care-giver, daughter, sister-in-law, friend, niece, God-daughter, student, co-worker and I’m doing what some people are doing who are my age -or should be doing- in my position: doing their best and just starting to learn what life is really about.

What else, folks? If you have any questions, feel free to ask.