Dec 30th, 2014

I woke up at 9 and started getting ready for work. I stopped by the bank to deposit my paycheck and then sat in the air conditioning before I started. There were storm clouds brewing on the horizon.

I started at 12 and by 1:30 the wind and rain were both blowing into the restaurant so ferociously that we had to temporarily close down the lanai section due to flooding. We had fire one day, floods the next, I think we might have a swarm of locusts tomorrow. We moved everyone to the back of the restaurant where the windows were closed. The bar top filled up and we were busy. My register drawer was spot on again, but someone didn’t sign their credit card receipt so I had to find a manager to fix the problem and I had to give the restaurant back $4.04.

I got off around 6:30 and for the second night in a row I went to taco bell and went home to watch a movie and go to bed.

Dec 29th, 2014

I woke up at 9 and got ready for work. I was there and hour early so I played games on my phone until it was time to start. It was never really busy, but there is plenty of stuff to do behind the bar. I feel like this is the day of rudeness. I walked up to a table and asked “how is everything tasting”, a lady held up her near empty cup of soda and shook it at me, I gave her a thugs up and said “good job you finished it, how is everything tasting”. She replied, “I need a refill” Another table was sat so I went to introduce myself and the Japanese gentleman just waved me off.

Nothing out of the ordinary happened after that. I went home around 5:30 and went to taco bell for dinner. I was in bed by 10. I thought having the house to my self would mean parties and fun, but really I am so bored without anyone to talk to. I need Rebecca to come back.

Dec 28th, 2014

I woke up around 8 and slowly got ready for work. I was there at 11 even though I didn’t start until noon. I caught the first few minutes of the Seahawks game and then headed in to the bar where I was hoping to be able to listen to the game on the TVs. The only game we were able to get from our cable package was the Detroit Green Bay game. Every once in a while I would hear the Seattle fans cheering from the bar next door, and I had servers check the score for me randomly.

Around 1:30 I was putting an order in to the computer when I was stopped by another server. The managers asked everyone to meet in the hallway for an important announcement. There had been a grease fire in the kitchen and in the panic to put the flames out, fire extinguisher liquid went everywhere contaminating the food and cooking surfaces. Everyone in the restaurant who did not already have food was told their food was not coming. There was a mass exodus from the restaurant. For about an hour we were still selling drinks, but once our general manager came in on his day off he decided to shut the restaurant down completely. We had the bar completely stocked so the other bartender and I cleaned stuff and tried to look busy. They sent her home at 3, and they sent me home at 4:30 when the nighttime bartenders started coming in. They were hoping to have the restaurant open again by 5:30.

I went home and decided I had a hunger that a frozen burrito couldn’t fix. I drove 20 minutes away to a new hot wing restaurant that opened up and I was not disappointed. It is a national chain called WingStop, but it is the first one that I know of on the island. Full from spicy meats, I went home and talked to Rebecca for a while and then watched a movie and went to bed.

Dec 27th, 2014

I woke up and ate eggs, sausage and beans all cooked together and doused liberally with hot sauce. I headed to work for my 11 o’clock start. It was a mildly busy lunch shift, nothing three bartenders couldn’t handle.

I got home around 5:30 and headed to the store to stock up on frozen burritos, soda and pizza… essentials. I went home, cooked the pizza and started watching a movie. The movie finished around 9:30 and I was bored so I went to bed.

Dec 26th, 2014

I woke up at 9 to the sounds of some maintenance workers drilling something in to the unit upstairs. Our water had been shut off, but I didn’t realize it until it was too late. I called Rebecca to make sure she had arrived home safely and then I heated up the leftover lasagna for breakfast. After an hour or so I became restless so I went for a run. I haven’t ran for the past 4 or 5 days so it was extra hard to get back in to the swing of things. I went back inside and then took down all the Christmas decorations and showered off.

I watched a show about animal attacks on humans before going to work. I was serving tonight, for the first time in almost a month. I had a trainee with me who has been serving for the past 15 years so he knew what he was doing. It was a busy night, and I forgot how much walking around I have to do when I’m not behind the bar. So much time wasted taking dishes to the kitchen only to be handed a fresh set of meals to take to a table, and then having to pick up more dirty dishes, it was a never ending circle. My trainee did great so I passed him along to the next stage.

I found out that our restaurant closed at 8 on Christmas Eve, but the managers made everyone stay until all the silverware was rolled up in napkins. There were 10 or 11 people who had to stay until almost 11 rolling silverware. Two of the people had their parents arrive to pick them up at 9, only to have to sit and wait until 11. The part that upsets me the most, is that they were there for 3 hours on Christmas Eve doing a menial task for less than minimum wage. We had closed 2 hours earlier than usual, which meant the people made less money, but stayed for the same length of time. When I left at midnight tonight, there were still people there rolling silverware.

Dec 25th, 2014

I woke up around 9 and Rebecca started making cinnamon rolls, which is one of her family’s Christmas traditions. We called my family and got to see them through the phone. After we finished we ate cinnamon rolls, opened presents and stockings and then got ready to go to the beach.

We went to Waikiki and it was packed full of people who had the same idea as us. I swam for about 30 minutes and headed up to the beach to spend tome with Rebecca. I can go swimming anytime, but she is leaving tonight so I wanted to spend as much time with her as I could. Around 1 we became hungry so we drove to the other end f Waikiki and headed to the same restaurant we had Christmas lunch last year. I ordered the hot wings (which were ok, but a little too soggy for my taste. I prefer crispy wings) and a California roll. Last year we got nachos and a California roll.

After lunch we went home to wash off the sand and salt water and we called Rebecca’s family. We watched a movie while Rebecca packed and then we had a frozen lasagna and garlic bread, just like last year. Having lived here for two years, we have established a Christmas tradition of our own. First its cinnamon rolls and presents, next it’s the beach followed by happy hour appetizers at the Yard house and then we go home, relax and enjoy a frozen lasagna and garlic bread.

After we ate we drove to the airport so Rebecca could leave me for a week. As I drove off I was sad, but then I thought of all the cool stuff I can do now that I’m alone. I can stay up all night, eat junk food for breakfast, drink as much soda as I want, go to the beach all day. It feels like a teenager who’s parents leave him alone for the weekend. Then I remembered that I’m 33, and that I already stay up late, eat junk food and drink soda. Nothing has changed but now I have no one to talk to.

Dec 24th, 2014

We woke up at 8 and rushed to wash the rest of our clothes and linens and place them into bags. Once everything was cleaned we sat down to watch a movie until the exterminator came. He showed up right at noon and took a look around while we waited outside. 2 minutes later he came out and said “oh yeah, its bed bugs”. He went to his truck to get another bag and proceeded to spray everything. After about an hour he came outside and said it looked like they have been there for about 3 weeks. He said it was good that we called when we did because a single bed bug can lay 5 eggs a day. He told us that if we see another bed bug within 2-4 weeks to call and he will come back out to re spray.

We were told to not go inside for about 2 hours so we drove to get lunch at a fish taco place and then we did some last minute shopping. We got back home and cleaned off the beef frame and placed our box spring and mattress in a special cover that is designed to keep bed bugs from getting in to the bed, and it traps any still living inside the mattress from getting out. They will die a slow and hopefully agonizing death by starvation.

Rebecca started hanging up her clothes while I organized the front room and then I took my turn taking my clothes out of the bag and hanging them up. Once the house was clean, we sat down to watch a movie and cooked frozen pizzas for dinner. We were both tired from this emotionally draining experience. It just feels wrong to know that something lives in your bed feeding on your blood and laying eggs while you sleep.

Dec 23rd, 2014

After getting to bed around 3, and waking up every time I thought something brushed against my delicate skin, I woke up at 9:30 to get ready for work. Rebecca made pancakes and after a great feast I was on my way.

The bar was steady today, but the restaurant was not. There were multiple times I would ask a server to get something for a customer I received an eye roll or an empty promise to get what I had asked for. I had a customer ask for BBQ sauce, usually I would go get it from the kitchen but I am confined to the bar so I have to rely on servers to get it for me. One server said he would and never did, another flat out said no and another did after a few gentle reminders.

I got off at 5 and noticed my former coworker and friend Dylan was there to eat with hi girlfriend and some other mutual friends. I stayed with them while they ate and then headed to the Thai restaurant near our house to pick up dinner for Rebecca and I. I took the food home and we ate while watching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. After the movie I did about 7 loads of laundry to get the rest of my clothes clean, bed bug free and placed in vacuum sealed bags. We were up until midnight cleaning the floors and getting everything ready for the exterminator.

Dec 22nd, 2014 The Infestation

Today’s entry is not fort the faint of heart or people who are squeamish.

We have noticed dark spots on the sheets lately, assuming we were being bitten by mosquitos we brushed it off and bought bug repellent. After I went to sleep last night, Rebecca did some investigating on the online and realized that we have bed bugs. I don’t know how she managed to sleep, but she was gone when I woke up to buy a mattress cover. After a quick search I found a few lingering on her side of the bed. She had already called the apartment complex to ask what we should do and they gave her the name of an exterminator. They also mentioned that we are responsible for the cost, and the cost of exterminating any other units should they become infested. I think they can go jump in a lake because I believe that our new neighbor who leaves his trash outside his door at night which attracts roaches might be the one who brought them to the building.

We spent the day washing all of our clothes/sheets/pillows/blankets and anything that would fit in the washing machine. I headed to Walmart to buy sealed bags to store the clothes until the exterminator comes on Wednesday. I tried some home remedies that I found on the online which worked. I covered the affected spots with baking soda and laughed as the bugs fell to the floor in agony.

I have felt itchy all day. I have come across bed bugs before. Once Brandon and I were attacked while staying at a hotel in Las Vegas. The hotel ended up giving us each a suite for 4 days and $100 a day in food at the hotel. This time I am not so lucky. We have to pay $350 to have the exterminator come fix our problem. The thought of staying at a hotel for a few days seems like a great idea, except this is Christmas time and all the hotels jack up the prices.

I headed to work for my 4 o’clock start. The manager asked if I would be willing to start at 5 and work behind the bar. I accepted and went downstairs to wander for an hour. It was a busy shift, at least I thought so. It died down around 9 so we were able to get everything cleaned up and we were out of there baby midnight. I got home and Rebecca was still awake. I can’t blame her. I don’t feel like being eaten by vampire bugs while I sleep. Right as she fell asleep I found one crawling on her pillow, I killed it and headed out to the other room to watch a movie until I was tired enough to want to sleep.

Dec 21st, 2014

We woke up around 9:30 and headed to church. I was relieved to find that it was not the children Christmas presentation where kids sing Christmas songs and do skits. Two things I am not very fond of, Christmas music and children. I love my nieces and nephews dearly, as well as most of my friend’s kids, but a bunch of random kids singing is not my idea of a good time, unless they were doing Metallica cover songs, or if they had somehow orchestrated a laser light show to The Wall by Pink Floyd.

After church we went to the hardware store to buy a bolt to reattach Rebecca’s license plate. We went home, changed and headed to a bar to watch the Seahawks game. I have heard about this place, I guess the owner is from Seattle so there is plenty of Seahawks stuff hanging on the wall and there were tons of other Seattle fans. We ordered the taters tot nachos which were smothered in cheese, sour cream, bacon, jalapeños, salsa and olives. I was in gluttonous heaven. Rebecca got cold/bored so she left at halftime while I cozied up to the bar top to finish watching the game. After an exciting second half, I called Rebecca to come pick me up and we headed to the store to buy groceries. Afterwards we went home and I took a shower and went to bed.