It’s funny how quickly things can change in life. Sometimes you just can’t be quite sure what will happen next…in the next 15 minutes or the next year.

Ever since this whole decision to go to Switzerland took place I’ve had a lot of change in life. I found someone, and lost them. I traveled to another part of the world and came back. I started a new job and had a new one offered to me. Hell, I even have facial hair now. It’s all about variety I suppose.

I could really go off on all of those things…pick any one and I’d have quite the story behind it. The Europe deal…well you can read all about that in my archieves. The losing someone…well, I’m not quite sure if that story is ready to be told yet. The facial hair is pretty boring. The job situation is not.

I’ve posted a little about this…and of course things have changed. A couple weeks back I finally got a chance to sit down with the Director of the restaurant to talk serious. In other words, he wanted to know how much I wanted to make. I told him…and he didn’t react positively or negatively. He said he’d be in touch in a couple days.

It’s been weeks.

I left 2-3 voicemails…I’m thinking 2…and still nothing.

And today, at the other restaurant…we had another employee leave for this new place.

The employee that left was a great employee…she was a tremendous server and did a lot of the bookeeping for the restaurant. She was, without a doubt, a great asset and will be sorely missed. My manager was crying over this…she took it really hard. She is starting to hate this new place, which has sucked away so much life from the other restaurant.

And I am starting to feel the same way.

They say all is far in love and war…or business…whatever. And sure the original restaurant is a bit…dull…these days. They are going through a hell of a lot of transition and are struggling with it. Employees are leaving, things are being pushed aside. It doesn’t feel good.

And my life…Neil’s life…is NOTHING but change. It seems like the only constant I can count on is my shoes. That’s about it. Everything else is variable.

And I’m sick of it.

I desire stability. I crave it. I want to know my place in this world again. Have I ever? I don’t know…but damnit I want to. All this other crap is just building up inside me and is slowly driving me to an edge of something.

So I am going to stay with Restaurant A. I’m not going to change. I am going to stick with it and help them. They need it more than the other place does. Plus…I’m such a woman about these things (which is both good and bad…but it’s me)…I like to help those in need. And they need it.

You know what the best part is?

I’m leaching internet access from Restaurant B as I sit in the bar drinking a beer.

Life IS funny sometimes.

I don’t know if it is the weather, the time of year, the restaurant…the anything…but it’s been DEAD for many days now. Occasionally we’ll have a busy day but for the most part we are struggling.

The staff is unhappy, the kitchen is unhappy…I doubt corporate is all that pleased either.

I’m trying very hard to keep myself busy with projects but it isn’t easy.

Bleah.

When I was an accountant you pretty much knew what the day was going to be like before it even started. Hell, you knew what the week…the month…perhaps even the year was. It was extremely static…do this on this day, that on that day…boring.

I am a fan of consitency (at times) and knowing what will happen at a given time (at times). But working in a restaurant…hell, you honestly have NO clue what my happen at any given day. Sure you’ve got a semblance of concept of a theory…sunny day = more business, banquet for 30 at noon, etc etc. But there will almost always be some little thing that pops up that is…unknowable until it happens.

Tuesday March 14, 2006—

BL is coming in. BL is the President and owner of the corporate entity that owns this…and all the restaurants in the “chain”. He is Mr Big Guy (literally and figuratively). The note I have is… “BL will be here in the AM, alert the staff!”. No explanation why, no specific time…great. Not a BIG deal…but still…annoying.

The plaza calls…the group that runs the “mall” where the restaurant is located. They are telling me that some inspection people are coming by this week to, well, inspect. And she is FREAKING OUT about our chairs and storage outside. Yes there are a couple little areas that need attention…but she is seriously freaking about one area in particular…where we are following the fire code…and have a mountain of chairs. We have no place to put these chairs. This could be interesting.
The funny thing is that nothing bad has happened. Nothing has gone wrong. But the potential…yow.

Ya know, I think that is the deal with restaurants…the REAL deal. Every day is a potential for extreme and radical disaster.

But I think it’ll go smooth.

Well…then again…smooth is boring, isn’t it.

Right now I am going through a phase in my career that I’ve never fully experienced before. I shall refer to this phase as “Choices”.

The Choices are rather simple at this point. Well…on paper (or Word, or monitor…yeah) it is simple but in reality it isn’t. Here are my two choices.

1- Continue working at the Blackhawk Grille
2- Work at Forbes Mill

Seems simple, doesn’t it? A choice…Choice…between two restaurants. But here is the catch(es).

Blackhawk Grille is in a pretty wild state of flux. When I was re-hired by them after returning from Switzerland I was offered a position of “Supervisor” with the duties of getting the hosting staff into shape, providing the restaurant with some new and fresh ideas, and eventually working as a morning shift manager to help take the load off the regular managers. Sounds good to me! I said yes.

Then they started having me do banquet stuff…which was cool and different, but not exactly something I was all that excited about. They soon hired an Event Sales Manager and I was moved straight into the lunch manager (by work load definition, not by pay nor status in the company). Then 2 managers left…Laurie the GM and Jeff the Floor/Beverage manager.

So this put me into a mildly odd position. Right now I open the restaurant Monday-Friday. That’s my entire job. Sure they “seem” to want me to do other things but the ball is fully in my court. I take on a couple things…and…well…there is no recognition. That bothers me. I admit the current manager, Meghan, is being swamped with stuff but I’m here folks…let me help! Instead I’m just sorta pushed to the side and told to do what I can. It kinda sucks…because at this point in my life I’d like some real role, some definition, some clarity and sense of purpose.

So…I was contacted by the Director of Forbes Mill (who is an ex-GM of Blackhawk). We sit down a couple times, I meet with several people, and they really want me to be part of their team. To summarize…they want me to be their lunch manager (full time) as well as their IT/computer guy (mainly Excel/Word type stuff) and being a training guru. I’m STOKED by this. It sounds perfect. So last week, Thursday the 9th, I meet with the Director and we talk money. We banter a little bit, talk more about my nicely defined roles…and he asks me how much I want to make. I tell him. We talk a little longer. He asks if I have any questions…I do…he answers…he asks if I have any more questions…I say no…he says he’ll be in touch in a couple days.

UGH! It’s been a couple days now…and I’m on the edge of my seat here! I really want to work for these people but…did I ask for too much? I had dinner there last night (another posting) and it went well…I think. Crap.

First of all, big thanks to Moe for setting this whole thing up for me. I probably could have done it on my own…but it wouldn’t be anywhere near as cool as it is now and I’m sure he did it all MUCH faster than I could have.

Thanks Moe!

Expect to see some good activity around here in a while…it’s just a matter of me sitting down and getting to it. Today is a “do stuff around the house” day…which I’ve been procratinating horribly.

Keep in tune!

This dude…I dunno. Scary…small hands, smells like cabage.

This is the big question…the important one. We’ve sat and talked about it a couple times but no real “trigger” has been pulled. Pull it damnit! PULL!

Well, it’s been a while hasn’t it? And with time passing comes changes…some forced, some accepted, some needed.

So here I am posting to my old blog and preparing to embark upon some new and unreal adventures. Well, hopefully more real than unreal…but you know what I mean.

Be on the lookout for a new blog (of sorts) with all new happenings in the land of Neil Crawford. I’ve got a lot to talk about…and even more to experience.

Be ready ’cause I’m not sure I am.