August 26th, 2015

The moped started this morning, which was a relief. I got to class early and waited. We got our exams back. I passed, but not with the 75% needed to actually pass. I can retake the exam on Friday. 

I am not allowed to discuss what happens in the class on the Internet, so my posts may be brief for the next few months. 

I got home at 10, went to the bank and then right back home to go over my test and figure out why I missed the questions I missed. I read two chapters and went over my notes to give myself the edge. 

Rebecca came home at 4:30 and we headed to Best Buy to have my Microsoft Surface looked at. The power button stopped working recently and I can’t turn it on. There was a thunder storm right as we left. Small rivers began flowing down the street as we sat in traffic for 30 minutes managing to go 6 blocks. We turned off the road and went to Safeway instead. We got a few groceries and then went home where I kept reading. I was in bed by 8:30 and asleep by 10. 

June 20th, 2015

I was up at 6:30 and out the door by 7. I had to get gas for my moped and I got a Danish for breakfast. I stopped at Starbucks and they had my drink ready before I even reached the register. I started prepping the bar but was still too tired to be thinking clearly. After last week, where the general manager told me I needed to keep the second drink well stocked with ice, even though we never ever use it, I put a bucket of ice inside, even though it holds 6 buckets. When he showed up today at noon, he walked back, looked in the nearly empty drink well, patted me on the back, which I despise, (I don’t like being touched) and said “this is strike two.” I pointed out that the we don’t use that drink well, and the nozzle is missing so we can’t use it even if we needed to. “When I decide to change the spec’s on bar opening I’ll let you know. Until then, do what you are told” was his response. As he walked away my hands started shaking because I was so angry. How can someone who has never waited tables, or been a bartender know what actually needs to be done behind the bar.

Later during the shift, I was headed to the bathroom. When he is working I am not allowed to leave the bar to stock beers or fruit, other bartenders can, but he will always stop me and ask why I’m not where I am supposed to be. He saw me out of the bar, turned to ask why I was “out of my cage” and was just about to say something when I turned to go to the bathroom. For the rest of the shift, I had another bartender stocking supplies, to which he said nothing.

Both of the other bartenders were scheduled double shifts, so they both got to go home before me, even though I had started earlier. I was there for 10 1/2 hours without a break and I was mentally done by the time I got home. Rebecca made dinner and I watched Netflix until going to bed around 12.

June 10th, 2015

I woke up at 8:30 and saw someone going through my wallet talking money out, once I realized it was Rebecca getting money for lunch, I was relieved, but still managed to yell out “get out of there” like one would yell at a pack of wild raccoons digging through a trash bin at 3 in the morning. I tried to go back to sleep but I was now up for the day.

I made breakfast and watched another episode of the show about the 8 people being connected mentally. The first 4 episodes were great, but right in the middle of the 5th episode things got… uncomfortable. I shrugged it off and went to work. I started off in a slow section but managed to talk myself into a busier section halfway through the shift. I won two contests today. The first one was like bingo. Each time we sold an item that was on the card we crossed it off until we had 5 in a row. It took me an hour and a half to win bingo. The second contest was to see who could sell the most items from our summer promotional menu. I ended up leaving with a $20 Starbucks card and a free lunch.

I left around 5, I took the lunch home in a to-go box and went for a run. Rebecca was asleep when I got home. I guess she didn’t sleep well last night, and wasn’t feeling well. I ran for 12 1/2 minutes and then spent sometime outside watering the grass behind out apartment trying to get it to fill in. I ate the lunch I had won and then when Rebecca woke up I took a shower and settled in to watch more of the show. Rebecca went to bed around 9,and I stayed up playing Tetris on my phone.

June 6th, 2015

6:30 came way too early this morning. Without thinking, I put on the clothes I wore last night and headed out the door. It wasn’t until around 8:30 that I realized I had forgotten to apply deodorant. While in line at Starbucks, the barista had already made my 30 ounce iced coffee, no ice or sweetener. It’s kind of a cool feeling to go somewhere so often and feel like Norm from the show Cheers. I went upstairs and stared prepping the bar. It was 7:40, and the system wouldn’t let me clock in until 8, so I did some of the smaller tasks for 20 minutes like filling up the wash sink, and mixing the slushie mix. At 8, the computer wouldn’t let me clock in without a manager giving approval, so I just continued working because I didn’t feel like going to look for a manager when there was stuff to do.

My first round of customers were 4 Australians who wanted a pint while their wives were shopping, and then two guys who were either day drunk, or still drunk from last night. They got waters and almost fell asleep at the bar. There were 2 other bartenders on today, and it was steady. I finished up at 5 and headed home and made dinner and then Rebecca and I watched the Green Hornet and then she went to bed and I stayed up playing Halo until the wee hours of the morning.

May 30th, 2015

I was having a dream in which another bartender was telling me that he would take my opening shift, and I didn’t have to sow up until 10. I was filled with joy until my alarm went off at 06:30. I got ready and headed to work. I stopped at Starbucks for a coffee, and the girl behind the counter said “Hi Travis, Trenta iced coffee, no ice, no sweetener?” before I had even reached the counter. It was going to be a good day.

I opened the bar, cutting fruit and getting things ready for the day. I had a round of tables before my relief got there at 11, and then another round before the noon bartender showed up. I was taking care of the tables and backing up the person on the rail. It was slow today, nothing of note happened.

I left around 4:30 and was riding home when I saw a barbershop. Rebecca has been after me for a while to get a haircut, so I stopped in. There were two Chinese ladies working, and they kept talking to each other in Cantonese on Mandarin, I can’t tell the difference. The guy in the other chair was convinced they were talking about him so he shouted “English!” and they stopped talking all together.

I stopped at a new burrito place near my house, got dinner and went home to shower and start a load of laundry. Rebecca finally came home from her school’s graduation and it took her 20 minutes to notice my haircut. She threw her arms around me and told me that I look more handsome with short hair. We watched the second Jurassic Park movie and she went to bed while I stayed up watching Sons of Anarchy.

March 26th, 2015

I have finally gotten used to typing the year as 2015 instead of 2014, it only took almost 4 months.

Rebecca had the day off today, as did almost everybody in the state of Hawaii who does not work in the service or tourism industry. We started off the day by me waking up at 9 and unable to fall asleep. I went to the other room so I would not wake up Rebecca who came out to join me around 10:30. We had no food in the house so we drove to Starbucks for breakfast and then back to the yarn store so she could buy thimbles and ribbon. I stayed in the car rocking out to Japanese pop music.

We made our way to Costco where I got more of my sleeping medication and we stocked up on food for the house. We were in there for maybe an hour, but it felt like an eternity because of all the people. We finally made it home and I relaxed before work.

I was training again tonight, something I didn’t know until I got there. It was the same guy I trained on Tuesday. He was on his second to last day of training so I have him my key card for the computer and followed him around. I only jumped in to say something if he absolutely needed it, otherwise I didn’t have to talk to any customers… it was a pretty good shift.

The training system is going through an overhaul. They are now being held to a lesser standard as far as menu knowledge than when I started training. By the 4th day of training, if I had not memorized the entire menu I would have been sent home to study before coming back to repeat the training day. No one really knows what the standard is for the trainees because management hasn’t made it clear to us yet. I figure until they tell me what the standard is, I will just keep passing my trainees. He did a really good job, I would have passed hi either way, but somehow he managed to do 5 training shifts in the morning, and this was his first night time shift. The lunch crowd can get a little rowdy, but night time is a completely different animal.

I made it home just before midnight, and spent the next 2 1/2 hours playing super hero games.

Sept 13th, 2014

I woke up at 9 and Rebecca and I made breakfast and then headed to the grocery store to buy supplies. I went to the slowest Starbucks in the history of mankind which was in the Safeway to get a 30 ounce wake-me-up. I have never liked the taste of coffee, I still don’t, but I drink it to keep me awake and I assume it is the healthier alternative to energy drinks.

We got home and got a letter from the property manager saying we could stay another year, but they will be raising the rent an additional $55 a month, plus an extra $55 to add to our security deposit which I’m sure we wouldn’t get back if the place was in better condition when we left.

I got to work early, I stopped to pick up some mochi on the way. I assumed I was starting at 4 like I always do, but I was scheduled at 5. As I was relaxing in the back someone asked if I would like to start at 4 so they could start at 5. I was now in a better section and hopefully able to make better money than I did last night.

I had a table from Spain leave $1 on a $60 tab, and a Chinese table leave $6 on $150. It was that kind of night. I got home around 11:45 and stayed up to write while Rebecca went to sleep.

Sept 9th, 2014

I woke up and headed to Starbucks to get my fix for the day. I then went to Kinko’s and printed off another continuation sheet for my background check and took it home to fill it out and make sure I had everything. I left for work around 1, but I rode past the place I have to go tomorrow morning to make sure I knew how to get there. I then went to the bank to deposit my tips, and then I headed to Walmart to buy some under shirts because mine keep disappearing. I think wither the drier is eating them, or Rebecca sees all the holes in them and throws them away. I believe I have had most of them since I lived in Mexico, and they aren’t in the best of shape.

I rode to the mall, parked my moped and then went to the grocery store to buy 1/4 of a roasted chicken for lunch. I took it upstairs and ate before my shift.

The shift was slow, and to make matters worse, I had a table get there just before I started at 4. They sat at the table until a little after 8. They only ordered $100 worth of food and drinks, and the occupied 1/3 of my section for over half of my shift. I did have a wonderful table from Australia who made up for it. I impressed them with my knowledge of their homeland, and told them about coconut peanut butter and they ended up tipping me really well, so weld in fact, that I went into the gift shops they were leaving just to thank them again.

I got home around midnight and went straight to bed. I have to get up really early tomorrow.

Sept 3rd, 2014

I woke up and headed to Starbucks to get coffee and then I went to the college to get a copy of my transcript.

I left the college and headed to the bank to deposit my tips and then to costco to get my prescription. I went home and gathered some paperwork and went to kinkos to make copies.

I went to Safeway to get dinner and some movies to watch while Rebecca had an open house at school.

Rebecca got home around 9 and I was diligently working on my background packet. I stayed up until almost 1 and I’m only half way through.

August 28th, 2014

I woke up at 9 and spent an hour waking up. I rode to Starbucks and got my fix and then went home to make dinner for Rebecca.

I had an orientation meeting for a job way out past Pearl Harbor. The meeting was at 6 so naturally I left at 2:45. It took me about 90 minutes to get there on my moped. The majority of the drive was poorly maintained highway with 45 MPH speed limits. The combination of spending cars whizzing past me, bumpy roads with pot holes and the wind which kept making me drift out of my lane made for a very scary ride.

I got there around 4 and sat in the breezeway waiting. I was dreadfully bored and hungry because I forgot to eat lunch. Other people showed up around 5 and we all sat there in silence until we were let into the class room.

The orientation was all about filling out paperwork for the extensive background check. They told us to fill out everything we have ever done wrong, no matter how long ago or how minor. For the rest of the night my transgressions flashed in my head, like the time I was 3 and put a fishing lure in my pocket to purchase but forgot about and left without paying for it. Or the time I trespassed on private property to look at sets from an old tv show.

The meeting ended at 9 and I had to ride back home on unfamiliar highway in the dark.

I got home just before Rebecca went to bed and I started filling out my paperwork.