Unemployment Line

Why do I keep working for these small, independent restaurants in a chain-restaurant kind of world?

I couldn't help it, when my boss and owner of the restaurant, Karie, had tears in her eyes tonight, I started crying too. For me, it's another job lost to a restaurant going out of business -one I loved but still just a job. To Karie and her husband, the chef, and their three kids though, it was their whole life for the past three and a half years. They are going to try to sell the restaurant. If they don't, they actually lose their house. The bank will take it. The owners are just the most awesome people, really. Chris is an awesome chef, his food is sooooooooo yummy. Kari is the hard-assed business aspect of the restaurant that tried to keep them afloat for the past few years. I love them both. I've known them for like 5-6 years.

So tonight, when Kari said that they just couldn't keep the restaurant open and had tears in her eyes, I started crying too. She just gets me going I guess. Thinking about just me - I don't have a full time job. I don't have any savings. I just spent too much money on shoes, thinking I can afford them, that's what I work two jobs for... I will be returning the shoes that I can and selling others on ebay.

My plan for now? I will be subbing more. I will go into the restaurant next week to help clean up. They're not paying anymore, but there's lots of beer and wine that needs to be drank...

I guess it's time again for me to think about what it is that I want to do with my life. I think that I am going to be done with restaurants. I think it's time to move on. Maybe actually use my degree for something, since I will be paying for it for the next 40 years or so...

So, substitute teach. Collect unemployment. Pet my cat a lot. Exercise. Scrapbook. Sell anything I can on Ebay. Hope my boyfriend gets a really good job sometime soon so he can support us both... He does say that if he makes six figures then I don't have to work. Anyone know of anything? Anyone?

The most awesome part of tonight - one of my regular customers - Penny P. I will call her, came in tonight. She asked what I was going to do now. We chatted for a little bit. She asked me, "you know how to get ahold of me, right? I'm in the book. But I'm under Penelope." I never knew her name was Penelope. I thought it was the sweetest thing in the whole wide world that she would tell me her full name and how to get ahold of her if I needed to. Not that I would ever call her, but her offer just touches my heart. Of course, it made me cry.

I am never so emotional as when I lose my job due to circumstances beyond my control.