The myth of fingerprints...
I downloaded the Paul Simon, Graceland album on Itunes the other day. it has become the soundtrack to my summer. So, work was INSANE this past weekend. The buskers were out for the festival, and downtown was packed all weekend. It was also, incidentally, the HOTTEST weekend we've had yet here in the loverly K-Town, with temperatures reaching over 30 (celcius) and with the humidity feeling more like 40. as someone who is slumming it sans airconditioning, i can firmly and solidly state that THAT IS HOT. Even now I am sitting on the couch with a fan pointed directly at my face and a bottle of powerade to keep me going. Please note the three empty bottles beside me as well. : P
I also ran out of hair gel this weekend, which has left me looking like I stuck my finger in a light socket. I tried to find my miracle stuff but unfortunately downtown doesn't love my hair as much as i do: NO DICE. I've been using this mousse stuff which, on its own sucks...but combine it with some other junk and wow, it's beautiful. My point: I BEAT SUMMER.
ANYHOW. For myself, this weekend was pretty fun. My "guests" were really nice, and i made some decent money(although...friday it was pretty dead). But it seemed to me like everyone else was pretty fed up with people by the end of it, which naturally lead to some interesting conversations at the bar after work. WHY are people so mean to other people -- especially in the customer service industry? One girl suggested that those who were meanest felt threatened in some way, shape or form. They felt threatened that if we did not fix their problem rightaway everyone would know that their status was only imagined -- so to make themselves feel important they yell someone who HAS to take it. It was an interesting idea.
The next idea was do these people know what kind of impression they make? Do they know what it says about them as people when they are beligerant and completely unforgiving? Mistakes happen: I guarantee everyone has made at least ONE, and hopefully nobody yelled at THEM when they screwed up. But really. If a child was rude, a parent would chastise and demand an apology. When did it become okay for an adult to act worse than a child? If someone is rude, I immediately think less of them. I imagine that they are small individuals with small lives - they love to make mountains out of molehills - and instead of acting like an adult, they make a scene because they can't seem to remember to communicate otherwise.
I love my job. Most of the time, I love the people who come into the restaurant and dine with us - they are funny, fun, happy and just out to enjoy their evening. On the one hand they can be bland and boring individuals, but for every one of those there is another who is funny and easy to talk to (and when they are great, they can leave me whatever they want -- personality trumps tip), and who makes my night a joy.
Like I said last night -- i have lost my faith in people because of this job SO many times....but again and again and again, when i need it most the people i grow to hate pull through for me, and remind me that there are awesome individuals out there. And they(and the people I work with) make it worth it. Even if they are a little weird.
I downloaded the Paul Simon, Graceland album on Itunes the other day. it has become the soundtrack to my summer. So, work was INSANE this past weekend. The buskers were out for the festival, and downtown was packed all weekend. It was also, incidentally, the HOTTEST weekend we've had yet here in the loverly K-Town, with temperatures reaching over 30 (celcius) and with the humidity feeling more like 40. as someone who is slumming it sans airconditioning, i can firmly and solidly state that THAT IS HOT. Even now I am sitting on the couch with a fan pointed directly at my face and a bottle of powerade to keep me going. Please note the three empty bottles beside me as well. : P
I also ran out of hair gel this weekend, which has left me looking like I stuck my finger in a light socket. I tried to find my miracle stuff but unfortunately downtown doesn't love my hair as much as i do: NO DICE. I've been using this mousse stuff which, on its own sucks...but combine it with some other junk and wow, it's beautiful. My point: I BEAT SUMMER.
ANYHOW. For myself, this weekend was pretty fun. My "guests" were really nice, and i made some decent money(although...friday it was pretty dead). But it seemed to me like everyone else was pretty fed up with people by the end of it, which naturally lead to some interesting conversations at the bar after work. WHY are people so mean to other people -- especially in the customer service industry? One girl suggested that those who were meanest felt threatened in some way, shape or form. They felt threatened that if we did not fix their problem rightaway everyone would know that their status was only imagined -- so to make themselves feel important they yell someone who HAS to take it. It was an interesting idea.
The next idea was do these people know what kind of impression they make? Do they know what it says about them as people when they are beligerant and completely unforgiving? Mistakes happen: I guarantee everyone has made at least ONE, and hopefully nobody yelled at THEM when they screwed up. But really. If a child was rude, a parent would chastise and demand an apology. When did it become okay for an adult to act worse than a child? If someone is rude, I immediately think less of them. I imagine that they are small individuals with small lives - they love to make mountains out of molehills - and instead of acting like an adult, they make a scene because they can't seem to remember to communicate otherwise.
I love my job. Most of the time, I love the people who come into the restaurant and dine with us - they are funny, fun, happy and just out to enjoy their evening. On the one hand they can be bland and boring individuals, but for every one of those there is another who is funny and easy to talk to (and when they are great, they can leave me whatever they want -- personality trumps tip), and who makes my night a joy.
Like I said last night -- i have lost my faith in people because of this job SO many times....but again and again and again, when i need it most the people i grow to hate pull through for me, and remind me that there are awesome individuals out there. And they(and the people I work with) make it worth it. Even if they are a little weird.