Step 24: Reluctantly Use Your Snowbrush

I had to work a shift this evening.  It was a trial of patience. 

Okay, let me first say I know I'm lucky.  A lot of people would LOVE to be in my shoes, where a 20-25 hour a week job was all they needed to have, and that even with so few hours, 75% of their income was disposable.  I get that.  I am thankful for that.  HOWEVER, even the most thankful person in the world is still apt to get exasperated with their piddly little job.  And tonight, it happened to me.

I was scheduled to be on the till, but when I got there and saw that I was working with T, I knew I'd be in the kitchen.  T hates the kitchen, and as a result does a terrible job in it.  So whoever works the next day is left to deal with the aftermath of his misery.  It isn't fair to that person, and I don't really mind the kitchen all that much, so I might as well take it and do a good job to help out whoever works tomorrow.  So, I go in with a positive attitude: It's Going to Be an Easy Night.  The first order I get is at 3:55pm.  The kitchen doesn't even technically open until 4, but eh, close enough.  I make that pizza, then set to doing some other tasks, in hopes of getting a little ahead and being able to wrap things up early to get a few "If you get the chance you should..." chores done.  I made a batch of dough.  Typically, you only need to make one batch of dough per night, sometimes a double batch. Then the phone started ringing.

And ringing.

And ringing.

And RINGING.

And RINGING.

And frickin' RINGING. >:|

When I got to work, I needed to make a batch of dough, make pizzas for whoever called, then clean up the kitchen.  Easy.  EXCEPT that we got a snowstorm out of nowhere, and for some unknown reason, inclement weather makes the people in this town think, "YES.  I DO want to go out in this to pick up a gas station pizza.  Best. Idea. EVER."  Except it isn't.  For me.  Our store is staffed so that ONE person works in the kitchen on Fridays, and therefore is left to make each and every pizza, one at a time, alone.  No help.  No help answering the phone, no help making the pizzas, no help cutting the pizzas and boxing them up, no help cleaning up the mess of a kerfillion pizzas, no help preparing fresh ingredients when you run out, no help at all.  And yet, when you politely explain this to YET ANOTHER person who wants pizza NOW, they have the nerve to be annoyed when you tell them it'll be about 30 minutes instead of the 20 they're used to hearing. 

And I do mean politely explain. "Okay, I have just a couple orders ahead of yours, so I'll need about half an hour, is that okay?"
"*scoff*  It's usually 20 minutes."
"I know, I'm really sorry, but I just got a whole bunch of orders right in a row, and I have to make them in call order.  I can call you if I'm done sooner..."
"Fine."

Then they show up 20 minutes later, and glare at me until their pizza is done.  And when I say, "Thanks for waiting, have a good night!" as I hand them their Meal They Didn't Have to Cook, they roll their eyes and stalk away like they've been severely injusticed.  Over a gas station pizza.

It is exasperating.  BUT!  I am proud to say that despite being ready to tell the next person who called that the kitchen was closed because we "ran out of cheese," I maintained my politeness.  I did not let the Entitled get to me.  At least not outwardly.

Anyway, once that was over (all 23 pizza orders came in from 5:30 to 7:45)  I found myself in an "Aww, maaan." sort of position.  My easy night of dough, pizzas, chores had just become: dough, pizzas, dough, chop veggies, more cheese, more meat, more sauce, chores.  Oh, and you only have an hour and a half to get it all done.  Good luck!

I got it done, but only because T offered to change the outside garbages and bring in the washer fluid buckets for me, and I only restocked the soda and beer sections of the cooler, completly ignoring the juice, water and enrgy drink sections.  Heh. (Oh, those things don't sell very quickly anyway, don't judge me!)

THEN!  And this is the absolute WORST PART of my night, once I survived the busy night and locked the store up, I went around the building to my car and it was COVERED IN SNOW. D8<
I hate snow.  And ice.  And everything to do with Winter.  It's only October, okay?  Fall has just barely begun, and here comes stupid lame winter muscling in on it.  Unnecessary!  I had to get into my car, turn the defrosters on, then dig through my trunk for my snowbrush.  And then I had to brush an inch of snow off my car.  And I was NOT polite about it.  Snow does not deserve manners.  It deserves viscious swipes with stiff black bristles and mumblings about how it better be melted by tomorrow or else. (Or else what it doesn't matter, it just better be gone.)

In all my exasperation with my Very Busy Night at work, I forgot to buy anything for dinner, and it was a full shift, so...good news for the bottom line!  Though that is the last time I volunteer to take the kitchen when it's my turn to be on till.  T's just going to have to suck it up and do better, or G will find someone else. (That's the gossip anyway, and I imagine it's true.)

Current Status: Multi-Hundredaire (Oh, yeah!  It was also payday today.)
Money Earned Today: $52.50 - taxes
Money Spent Today: $120 (Electric bill was due again.)