Gypsy
More chefs through the kitchen. A man flown in from Italy, on trial for a week, it was 3 days before I discovered that he worked there, he spent his time hanging out about the espresso machine and telling staff in broken English how life was too short.
And the latest, she's lasted 2 weeks, a Gypsy woman. She came to the interview with the owner and brought her 2 children (14 and 16) and husband with her. She's from Albania, lived in Italy before claiming refugee status in Canada.
So the owner tries her out. She shows up for her shifts late, her husband and kids wait for her outside the restaurant while she works. The husband, he's not working, can't find a job and so he's made it his job to get her work.
I tell the owner - "They're Gypsies", and he asks me if I really think so, Gypsies are from Romania, not Albania, and I just laugh it off, "Gypsies" and now he's thinking. ...
She's always late, misses shifts, doesn't call in, when finally she shows up a few days later she gives excuses like "I had shopping to do". The owner, he's not too happy but he's in desperate need of the kitchen help. And when she works, without fail her daughter and husband wait for her outside the back door of the restaurant. Not just to pick her up, but they're there to drop her off, then spend their time waiting in the parking lot, milling about, popping their heads in the back door to see how long she'll be, waiting for her to finish.
Her daughter, the eldest, 16 years old, she's taken over the hostessing position.
She's remarkably mature for her age and a good worker, she works a day job as well, comes to the restaurant after it and hostesses, she pours water for customers, busses tables, to look at her, talk to her, she's older than her years. The father, husband of Gypsy, he's got the whole family working apart from himself.
The mother, Gypsy, she won't last, the daughter, well, it'll be sad to see her go, good workers, bright hostesses are hard to find.
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- Category: People
6 days left
6 working days now until vacation, and the restaurant is as busy as ever. Busier, in fact.
And after work, the last bus home, almost crowded, everyone boarding and fumbling for out of date, post dated transfers, shortchanging the bus driver a quarter, arguing, pleading (everyone gets on the last bus, you only need to pass the interrogation. Which, depending on how you approach it -"I promise to pay more next time I get on the bus"... is quick or long, depending).
I sit and wait, it's been a long day, long night, I just want to get home and go to sleep.
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- Category: Miscellany
7 days
7 days until vacation, but who's counting? There are so many things to be done. Projects to be wrapped up, camping gear to acquire, plans to solidify; plans amorphous and changing....
Days at work pass slowly, there are the moments where I think that I can't leave, there's a recession on and jobs are hard to come by, then there are other moments, more common, where I remember my life and realize that I have to get out of there, whatever the cost. My investment is that of an owner, not an employee...
Things to do: Shrines, Theater, Write (some, more), start/finish book 1, 2, 3, read, listen to music, exercise, go to indy films, house parties, road trips through rural alberta, further afield, paint, there are 1000 reasons to leave the job, very few to stay: the money's good (I'm at work 60 hours a week) .. money's good... The classic conflicted internal dialogue.
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- Category: Miscellany
Strange Music
Almost 1 AM and there's construction on Crowchild, up late writing.
There's the beeping of vehicles in reverse, distant, erratic, and there's this deep bass, the distant echo of machinery off the sound-proof barricades, the digging of the earth, oddly melodious, it's strange music and I'm taking a moment to pause and listen..
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- Category: Miscellany
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