My new weekly routine for September. So it looks like I'll be working on Monday and Tuesday evenings from 15:00-22:00. ☺ The work week is over by Tuesday. ☹ Back-to-back work days are gonna be tough. First week of work I'm not going to get into specifics because frankly, I don't want to think about it. On Monday, my boss was there. She's a sharp and strict woman who you don't want to mess with. She said she's mostly in service now and rarely works in the kitchen, but since it was my first day and I was the only support staff, she put on an apron and joined in. "When I tell you something, that means you need to do it right," she instructed. "When I don't say anything, then you're fine." I already knew that before she had to clarify it to me, because I noticed that every time she spoke to me in the kitchen, it was to tell me I did something wrong or I was too slow. I sucked it up during working hours and even during our debrief afterwards. But as soon as I left the restaurant, I could feel tears welling up in my eyes. "I'm going to cry when I get home," I texted Daniel. In the end, I didn't. I took the bus halfway and walked the rest of the way back. The cool night air and light exercise seemed to relieve my stress. For dinner, I had a meal-replacement shake. That's going to be my new post-work dinner from now on. It's the right amount to have something in my stomach before sleeping in two hours. Plus it's like, pre-digested haha. So I don't have to worry about an upset stomach. I struggled to fall asleep that night. My mind kept replaying the events of the day and how I could improve the following day. I'm working on this. I need to leave work at work. Tuesday was a lot better. My boss was having lunch when I arrived. I showed her my naked nails and my work shoes. "Good," she said. We were two support staff that day. To my surprise, the boss popped in and announced, "I'm leaving now. I might or might not come back later." I was taught how to change the oil in the fryer. We had to lift HEAVY boxes of oil from the basement. I managed but it was hard. It took two of us to lift and refill the oil for one of the fryers. How am I meant to do this alone? The other worker is much taller than me. I need to ask for a step stool. Even though we were busy, I noticed that the environment was a lot more relaxed when the boss wasn't in. I only messed up one thing but I wasn't scolded and threatened for it. After our shift, there was some leftover fried chicken so the other worker prepared a box for me and the chef to take home. I worked 5 hours on Monday and 7 hours on Tuesday. Those two hours made all the difference. My feet were so sore and every part of my body ached. We were meant to go to the gym on Wednesday but I felt like I already had a workout. I think I'll only go to the gym once a week until my endurance builds up naturally (I hope). Wednesday down-time Yesterday I started a new K-drama: "The First Night with the Duke." It stars my one of my favorite actors, Ok Taecyeon. I haven't watched any K dramas for a few months now and suddenly felt the urge. I thought I'd just watch one episode but binged eight. (They're around one hour each.) And you know what? I felt zero guilt. In fact, I felt like I earned it. I didn't want to do anything besides watch my show. So that's what Wednesdays are for now. Doing whatever I want. Maybe I'll finally start the Witcher 3 Blood & Wine DLC so I can play for the newest one. (I didn't even watch the trailer because I want to be absolutely surprised.) Thursday cleaning Since I need to leave the house around 14:30 on Mondays, I'm moving my cleaning day to Thursday. I mean, I could technically do it on Monday, but I want to mentally and physically prepare for work and slowly get ready. Vinyl Fridays For the first time, I didn't want to go to the record store on Wednesday. But I already had an appointment in the morning, so I decided I'd go since it's on the way home. I listened to two records but my mind was elsewhere*. I was so sleepy and kept wanting the songs to be over so I could go home and nap. * I'll write about it next week. I think my body is too exhausted to properly enjoy this time, so starting next week, I'm moving it to Friday. I want to be well-rested and in good spirits when I indulge in my hobbies! Weekends I thought I'd be working on weekends, but I think I'm not ready for it yet since they're the busiest and most chaotic days. I actually don't mind working on Sundays though, so in the future that could be up for discussion. But for September, it looks like I can still resume my usual weekend shenanigans. ✤ After I told my psychiatrist about my new job, he asked, "So when are you going to start looking for a permanent job? January? February?" I hated that. I can tell he's never worked in the service industry and thinks that these types of jobs are "beneath" me. I know this because when I said I might apply for a dishwashing job, he scoffed and said I was too good for that. So I told him that I'm just taking things month by month now. I'm not even thinking about my next permanent or "career" job. What career? Who's gonna hire me? I'm still keeping an eye out on job listings via email, but I'm being extremely picky about where I apply to. I don't want to waste my time and energy filling out job applications knowing they'll be rejected in two days. I've mentioned this before, but I was told all my life that I'd hate working in a kitchen and I can't handle it. While I don't love this job, I don't hate it at all. There are moments I even find pleasant—everyone working in silence on their task, the sudden rush when the bell dings for an order of bibimbap or fried mandu† (both tasks are assigned to me), using the pull-down sprayer to pre-wash the dishes. Heck, I peeled and sliced a giant pot of onions and didn't hate it! I don't even cook with onions at home because they scared me so much. † Ok, so my sudden urge to watch K-dramas didn't come from nowhere. Realizing that I might be capable in this line of work makes me wonder, what other jobs have I prematurely cast aside due to prejudice? My goal for this coming year is to work two jobs. It's nice to have that flexibility, but mostly, I love not being in the corporate world anymore. It feels good to work with my hands and know that my work has a direct impact. I really hate this fallacy of "unskilled labor." Being able to cut vegetables and prepare food efficiently and safely is a skill. Carrying heavy loads without hurting yourself is a skill. While you can learn it fairly quickly and don't need years of training, it's still a skill! Let's not forget who was at the frontlines during the pandemic. Suddenly, these unskilled laborers became "essential workers" because society couldn't function with them. Meanwhile, the rest of us got to work comfortably from home and play 1000 hours of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. But, I digress. Time for another episode of "The First Night with the Duke." ʕ˙꒳˙ʔ ⋆✴︎˚｡⋆Reply via email₊˚⊹⋆˙ Previous | Next