Who's the Boss?

HEY!
so, remember that secret and potentially awesome news I mentioned waaay back when?

WELL...

I'm the new General Manager of Dreams of Beans Ltd.

Its been so busy, but soo worthwhile!

WorkworkWORK

I am redonk busy.
REDONK.
No time off for over a week.
I like money.
A lot.
But I've grown to enjoy sleep and friends and imbibing an occasional beverage.
This may be the last you hear of me for a while.
But in the words of Ahhnold...
"I'll be Back"

review...

Man!

When things come together, they really come together.
I'm employee of the month at the cafe.
And, my performance review is in at the hotel.
Not only to they love me in the kitchen, but i got me some love from the Administration and Management.
I've been reccommended to run the Gazebo this summer.
Which means, BUSY, TIRED, and CRAMPED.
Which also means, AWESOME! RESPONSIBILITY! MORE MONEY!!
It takes effect in April, and had been hinted at for a few months now.
The love is just pouring in or what I do, and I'm straight up LOVING IT!

Two - Four

I walked into work this morning at 5:30, turned on the lights, and nearly walked into this sign on the end of the counter...

Sam and Derek had decorated the cafe last night after their closing shift, knowing that I opened the cafe this morning. My 24th Birthday morning. There was balloons, and signs... basically the works. I was quite impressed. It also helped with tips. I made and extra $15 in a 6 hour shift. Not bad considering we were closed for 2 hours of the shift while i baked, and that the average purchase is $1.60 (Medium Coffee)!

My manager, and usual Thursday morning partner in crime Danielle had even gotten me a little birthday goodie bag! A green afro-pick, Valentines day chocolates, a card, Jawbreaker sucker that doesn't evn fit into my mouth, and flavoured "rough-rider" condoms in bananna, strawberry, and vanilla. I was very happy!

But even though it was my birthday, I still had Latte's to make, pastries to serve, and tables to clear. That Danielle is a slave driver! But she & the big boss lady bought me lunch today to make up for it. Southwest corn chowder, and a roasted chicken chimichanga! Yummers!

I wonder what's next... ?? This was the bad part of my day..

:-)

i don't know what it was, but today i knew, i knew, that every smile i gave and every smile i was given was genuine.

fluidity of kharma

Today will be fun.
I went out last night to shoot some stik with the guys, a thursday night tradition i've been missing a lot lately due to work. Made the effort because cluper leaves for czech very soon. A great adventure for him, but a serious loss for our crew.
I got solid sleep and solid progress made in my book.
Soon I will be getting to hawk trimmed and such.
Then a meeting at the hotel with my boss and the head of the culinary program at Sir Sanford Fleming College.
Then out for dinner, RARE, the newest kid on the block here, and from word of mouth, and excellent gourmet steakhouse.
Plus, today is payday... and I have all my bills up to date!
Money to play around with!!
Psych! Money to put towards a downpayent on a house.
Seriously. Within two years I will own my own home.
Good times always lead to good things.
Peace.

deadbolt

So, this is what happened to me yesterday...

I was working the night shift at the cafe. So I didn't have to be at work until 4:00. A whole morning to myself... what a luxury.
I slept in. I didn't even get out of bed until 8:30. It was a lazy kind of delicious. Then i made some breakfast, cleaned my apt. went out for coffee and did some grocery shopping. By this time it was close to lunch, so i descided to go to the hotel, as a staff member, i get a free meal. and i could use the healthclub.
I jogged the 20mins there, got the keycard from the front desk, and did about an hour of weights and a bit of cardio. not much because i was still a little hung over from the christmastime. Then I jogged 20mins home and went to have a shower.

Here's where it gets interesting...

I get out of the shower, and walk into my kitchen/bedroom/livingroom (the virtues of a bachelor's apartment), and there is an old man just sitting on my couch.
And did i mention that I was buck-naked?
This old man had walked into my place, thinking it was a friend of his. Heard the shower, and descided to wait patiently. He says to me, "I was looking for number 7..." so i yell back, "so you walk into number 13!!?!!"
at which point he leaves.

The moral of this story?

Always lock your door.

at first i was afraid...

(not really)
this is just a quick not to say that i survived the 22 days straight of working, as well as the endless days of double shifts that came at recent. tomorrow is my day off work. whatever shall i do? other than come to dreams at 9ish and go online to see what you all have suggested...

rainy days make me smile.

2 things happened today.
(more, actually, but 2 worth mentioning)

1. I had my first run-in with a coffee snob. They left the cafe with not only thir nose in the air, but muttering that "...its not even worth it..."
My manager was right there. Laughing. "Coffeesnobs are the worst kind." she says. "Congratulations on your first."

2. I am the proud new owner of an awesome mohawk. Not a literal spiked 80s mohawk, but a textured, graduated and clean looking one. A mohawk fit for an office. No lies. And unfortunately no pictures of it... yet.

in the words of the immortal Usher Raymond,
Peace out. A-town down.

I'm the Hip-Hop-appotemus, and my lyrics are bottomless...

Things are slowly getting back on track. Nothing bad has happened to derail what i was doing, but time seemed to be harder to manage than usual.
Going from having more free time than I knew what to do with straight into a full and part-time job involved me losing the patience and time to do the things i wanted to.
Work is busy. Work is consuming. Work is also amazing. I can't quite imagine how I managed to drudge through 7 years of employment and not realize that things were not just better elsewhere, but that I deserved them. I've never been so tired, and so happy.

Now that that's straight, I feel like I should share that, 2 week into the hotel job, I got a gold star. Nothing major, but its already more recognition than I've gotten at any other job I've had, and although the cafe had some drama over the last week, I did my first alone shift, and handled fine, and had not only a couple of nice comments from the manager and owner, but hugs from both. This is what I can only hope for, for everyone out there. Not just the recognition of accomplishments, but honest and sincere appreciation for them.

Also... Wednesday I'm geting my hair cut. This is big news, and cause for a better mood. It's no secret that I'm vain. I consider it to be a virtue. I take pride in my appearance, I ejoy the compliments I recieve, but do not limit myself to them. I do better work when I feel better about myself. I'm not above the use of product, and do not limit myself to that for hair. I you know me, you know what I mean here. So suffice it to say, I am excited at the prospect of taming the burgeoning jew-fro on my head. I think a physical change would be suiting.

And on a final note... if you are not aware of "flight of the conchords" you need to be. I was aware, but ignorant until i rented it a few days ago, too tired to go out and too caffeinated to sleep. This is some of the most therepeutic and rewarding laughter I have had in a long time.

you have no idea

I'm still alive.
But oh so tired...

Toasting and Roasting

Today was my first shift at Dreams of Beans... I spent the morning baking.
Making all sorts of coffee. Lattes, Cappuccino's, Espresso and such.
These are all good things.

Muffins, Bagels, Cookies, and tarts. Croissants, Bourakkas and Biscotti.

This is a lazy Sunday made chaotic. Filled with every one's rituals and routines, watching them as they first wake up and greet the weekend. The day of rest and the smells and sights of my labour.
These are the reasons I love what I do, to be a part of these peoples lives in this important minutiae. To influence their day without drawing attention to myself or to the fact that this simple indulgence is the result of early mornings and hard work. We've all earned out Sunday mornings and the right to spend them in a blissful ignorance and a sensational awakening.

while you were out,

Hey Everybody,
Orientation went well yesterday. A lot of the staff are my age, which is a change. Normally, I am the young guy working the day shifts with he 40-50 year olds.
I get free meals, and a free gym membership.
This is awesome.
I start my first real shift at 2pm today. Woo!
As well, I had an interview today for a second PT job.
This as well, went well.
I'm basicaly hired, except for the formalities.
See you on my day off.
Love,
Steve

Welcome Wagon

These last several weeks I have taken to the cafe's of Peterborough with an interest I usually reserve for books and comfy chairs of warm breezes. I am by far one of the staunchest supporters of this city. It's got big city appeal and small town charm. We've grown slowly and steadily without the aid of major highways or factory employment. In April I moved into the heart of downtown Peterborough and haven't looked back since.
Personally, I live on Hunter St. West, though the specification of East vs. West isn't necessitated by the length of the street so much as the historical Hunter Street bridge, towering over the Ottonabee River. This neighbourhood and part of downtown has recently been revived as the gourmet and bohemian district of Peterborough, fed by the eclectic stores as much as the youthful presences of both Trent University students and Sir Sanford Fleming College students. When Eaton's suffered and left the downtown core, the historical downtown suffered as urban sprawl and strip mall society threatened to overtake the city.
But I lucked out with a small bachelor apartment on Hunter. By block alone is an eclectic array of establishments and anti-establishments. From gourmet thin-crust wood-oven pizza at 'The Night Kitchen" to a Import bead Boutique. Karma's Cafe for Mongolian or Tibetan food to a Graphic Design Firm. There is a traditional Jerk Shack (Island Cream), and several gourmet restaurants (Gertis', Cervantes’s, Parkhill on Hunter, La Hacienda, and Taste of Europe). We have alternative pubs (The Rusty Snail, and the only) as well as Clancy's and The Red Dog, 2 of the oldest traditional pubs in the region.
There are still more cool places, all within a 2 minute stroll to the left or right of my front door! There' s The Gordon Best Theatre, Black Honey and there amazing organic fresh deserts and pastries, a lawyers office, 2 banks, and an independent toy store. I'm still leaving out the boutique spa, yoga studio, catering company, the barbershop I live above, the African specialty salon, holistic perfumery and the appliance store, satellite radio outlet, convenience store and a Running-Club. I'm really amazing just tallying it all up. This is Hunter St. between George and Aylmer Sts. There are a few I have forgotten and there is actually 2 storefronts that are closed because the landlords are renovating them while they are up for lease. Don't even get me started on what you can find within a 2 block radius of me! Needless to say, I love my apartment and I love my neighbourhood.
This random tangent aside, I was talking about cafe's. I get my organic tea or juice fix and 6 establishments within a block of my apartment. None of which are a Timmy's or a Starbucks. There is the emo/indie youth oriented cafe "The Spill", general public place "Haasleton's", gourmet roasting house "Dreams of Beans" where the fabled Desiree works. Plus catering company and cafe "A Moveable Feast", the afore mentioned "Black Honey" across the street from me, and the newly opened "Natas" where my friends Dahn and Meagh prepare quality, high-end espresso. There are more places, but for me, to be a true cafe destination you have to have an espresso machine and offer more than 4 kinds of tea. Otherwise you don't qualify. Sorry, in some ways even I am prejudice.
When the farmer's market is downtown, Dreams is roasting, and the Quaker plant is doing there thing, downtown Peterborough smells like Sunday breakfast as the church bells ring out each service from all corners of the oldest parts of town. I can hardly explain to you the joys I feel sitting in a cafe, reading the paper, writing in my moleskine, or here on my laptop as people come and go around me. So many walks of life, variances in ages, but everyone has there story, and sometimes I get pulled in...
Okay, I am now resigning myself to the fact that this post is descending into incoherency. Sometimes I just get so amped up about my town, my friends, and my life that I can’t quite articulate the way that I feel. I think that what I’m basically trying to convey is that, if you haven’t already figured out, I am a social being. I thrive on stimuli. From growing up in the established, old suburban neighbourhoods or this city, to moving to the country 20mins outside of it, to living in the pre-war south-end and back to the north-end of town, I have finally found my place. It’s here, where the action is. I have a fantastic apartment in a fantastic area. There are countless shows to go to, parks to play in, stores to explore and galleries to browse. I live in a neighbourhood that is my age, that shares my values, and that is constantly challenging me to challenge it. What more can I ask for?

(**Photo: by Desiree Fawn**)

Spooky...

Last night was awesome!
We all wen't out for dinner to celebrate my new job, and therefore I didn't have to pay for anything. Which makes Steve a very happy camper. I don't accept charity very easily, but this was to celebrate me, and as they all pointed out, I have been the "Official Round Purchaser" for well over thre years, being the highest paid, and only ful-time working memeber of our crew for a very long time. I know what it's like to be a starving student, so I appreciate their gestures.
So, Steph and Jake, Deanna and Aaron, Christina and Darren, and Jen and myself went out for dinner. No one else had met Darren yet, so I played it up for them. They didn't know that I was the crazy matchmaker in this situation, so I just let them have it. Goodtimes. I promise.

Then we all drove out to Cold Springs, near Port Hope to go to Phantom Farm. I mean, who doesn't love a haunted hayride or a spooky barn/maze thing. I totally had forgotten how easily Jen and Steph scare! Jen almost ripped my arm off. Its what she gets for making me go first! I totally wa conspiring with some of the ghouls towards the end. I'd walk in grinning, pointing behind me, then Jen would get 2 or 3 people popping out of bathtubs, cribs, or closets! Man, I'm such a jerk sometmes. HaHaHa!

So, I guess all in all, this self-imposed social exile I was in is steadily melting away. I've spent more time with the varying groups of friends than I have in a really long time. And these groups are even starting to melt together. Something I couldnt be happier with.

OH! And, as a footnote here, I promised Desiree that I would thank her for the drink and muffin! Having friends working at every decent cafe in town makes for not only excellent weekends and mornings but is quite easy on the pocketbook too!