Just thought I'd bring you up to speed. I haven't blogged because I'm having trouble adjusting to night hours. I did it easily before I left, then had to get up early to catch a plane and spent a few days on Eastern time. Now, I'm working late and getting up early. Feeling kinda dopey.
The person they hired to do the job I had been filling in for didn't work out. She had quit by the time I got back from Florida, so I started filling in again. The only reason they didn't give me the job was that it didn't pay enough. The manager respected me more than that, and was paying me better than the job paid.
It's the pantry, which is the entry level position in a kitchen. The person is often a culinary student or somebody in a first kitchen job. It also sometimes goes to people looking to move into the hot line, the newest hire. I've done the hot line before. Been there, done that, got the tee shirt, a few burns and many stories. So the person who assembles your salads, cold appetizers and desserts is not generally a former pastry chef.
The chef and the manager both wanted me on the team. The owner lives in DC, but he used to be down here, running the restaurant. In fact, he was here when I originally got hired, so I know him. He is all about money and numbers, but they convinced him to offer me more than the position pays and I took it. It's not what I used to make before and it's not as good a position, but it's a good compromise.
Not where I expected to be at this stage of life, but I'm not complaining. I like the people and I am employed. I could hold out for a pastry job a little while longer, but what I am seeing is that older people who fall out of employment have a hard time getting back into it. It may the same for younger people too. I don't know. Potential employers prefer an employed person or newly laid off to one who has been sitting home.
The biggest problem is that I work when my writing group meets. Night work was not a conflict when I was young, but now it is. We tried rearranging our meeting dates, resulting in a 31 email thread, but no day that we are all available. It may be that in the future, I can get off on some of those nights, but this week, we have a big party on Tuesday.
Only got totally in the weeds once last night. In time, it will run like clockwork. I know. Been there, done that and doing it again.
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