Daily Thoughts...

Do you ever hate yourself for being too nice? Then hate yourself for even thinking that. Nice is who you are. Even if there are shitty people in this world that want to rain on your parade, you should NEVER let them! Fuck them for wanting to put the kibosh on your thoughts/feelings/ideas. Always be true to yourself. You can never be doing something wrong if you are being true to the inner you. That is it. People are going to hate, be jealous, be negative and try to bring project their thoughts onto you. It is one of the most difficult things not to be persuaded or fall into their thoughts. You start doubting yourself and second guessing. I fucking hate this. The moment you start questioning yourself, stop for a hot second, come back to your center and original thought and if you still feel that way, tell everyone to go fuck themselves and you do you! That's being true to yourself. If anything, people will respect you for staying true ....and be envious that they don't do it more often themselves. 

Quote of the Day!

“When your goal is to gain experience, perspective, and knowledge, failure is no longer a possibility”- Sophia Amoruso

Unsent Email...Closing Up Shop 101

I just found this email in my drafts box, if you have ever worked in a restaurant, I think you might find it entertaining as you know exactly what I am talking about! 

_______________________________________________________________________________

Hello my darling Daniel,

Here is my crash course in closing up shop 101!

Around 1:30ish Alexis is going to call down to the host stand to do the 1st set of money. It will be Sophia and Alexis's money.They are usually spot on with everything and really want to bone out. You will put there numbers on the drop sheet paper that the day crew already started. Once this is done, Baker, Sophia and Alexis will bone out. Amanda will be the next one up. Again, she is always spot on a really great. She sometimes hangs out after work which is totally fine and she is great about cleaning up after herself and not getting too crazy.

I always have the closer back waiter check out the opening back waiter as whatever isnt done falls onto that person. Pilar and Gaby are always spot on so you really never need to worry about them.

At this point it is most likely 2:15-2:30. I always run back down starts and just check to make sure everything is going well. I wipe off the mirror of the specials and make sure the bathrooms are stocked. Then run back upstairs with a glass of something and your closing servers will be up there doing the rest of the money and the tips. Once this is all done, I usually just chill upstairs until Thurman and Jeffrey come upstairs and do everything for the email so its done and all I have to do at 4AM is press send. Thurman usually wants to bone out but Jeffrey is sometimes a mission to get upstairs. If there are hot girls at the bar....you need to go down and grab him. Make sure he grabs his bar tool box cause he always forgets it.

You cash those guys out and not finish up the worksheet. On the bottom of the worksheet you add the totals from day and night at the very bottom.

You count the banks and make sure those are perfect and then drop them in the safe. The money stuff is pretty much the exact same as day. Banks, tips, sheet...all the same.

Once everything is done of the 3rd floor, I lock up everything and make sure it is tidy but you dont have to go overboard but I just make sure there isnt any glassware or random crap laying around. I lock the office door...make sure you have everything out of there that is necessary. Jeffrey and Thurman tend to leave jackets and shit in there all of the time. Turn off the light about Michelle's/chef desk and call it a day on the 3rd floor.

When you get to the second floor...you will find Alex cleaning up everything. I just like to go behind the bar and make sure all of the bottles have been wiped off and there is not dusk on them and no random glassware anywhere. You leave the lights on everywhere else except the 3rd floor. Alex is really great and he does everything spot on so not a ton to worry about. I usually grab any excess menus and recycle them and grab the wine lists so its all downstairs for brunch. 2nd floor is done and walk downstairs.

This is where is gets annoying and you are tired and want to go home.

Hilary and Tyler... you need to double check everything. Dont let them start to drink until they are off the clock. They get super lazy and slack. You need to make sure they are doing there shit so you arent there later then you need to be. They tend to want to hang out after work which is completely up to you but its a late night and I make sure we are out the door by 5AM. You sort of have to put your foot down about when its time to leave. Its up to you cause you have to be the last person out of the building. The dishwasher guy and the porters are the only people allowed to be there after you leave.

When checking behind the downstairs bar, make sure Tyler put away the fruit, the sugar is wrapped, the floor is mopped, the taps are wrapped. Ask Jeffrey if you have any questions...he will probably be a few sheets to the wind but he is helpful. Make sure he doesnt unwrap anything and pour himself a shot. He can of any of the bottoms but not from the taps or anything.

Ben, the security guard, pulls in the bench, closes the curtains and does everything else random. Ben will also help you get everyone out when its time. I usually give them a 5-10 minute warning. DONT let anyone smoke on the 1st floor. They will all try and do it but dont let them!

At that time...you are pretty much good to go! Nothing super crazy. Its more money to count and a few things to check but nothing crazy.

Hope this helps. Aduni and Baker will be there tonight and they both trained me on closing so you are in good hands!!!!

Loves you so much and thank you!

jennifer

Daily Thoughts...

Daily Thoughts....

February 3, 2016

Why does it feel so good to be kissed on the forehead by someone you love?

Life in a Tin Can

Lately I have been really enjoying my time outdoors. I am not talking about the wilderness, I am talking the city streets. Which for it being winter in New York, this is something no one should be enjoying. However, I really have been. The other day I was on the subway and I was thinking that how much time do we spend in something. In our homes, the subway, in cabs or cars, in buildings, basements some days barely seeing the light of day. It made me a little depressed to be honest. Granted when there is a blizzard outside or its pouring rain and its just overall gross outside, there is nothing better than being snuggled up on your couch with your dog, watching a movie or catching up on your guilty pleasure, ordering something off of seamlessweb.com. That is seriously one of the best days ever in my book. I am 1000% guilty of it hundreds of times. Even when the weather was really nice outside. 

In January, I was almost getting nauseous being indoors though. It was weird. It felt like I had a severe head cold and my stomach would get upset and I would step outside and instantly feel better. Go figure right. I didn't want to take a cab (which for those who know me, is my preferred method of travel), I wasn't about to walk down into even more claustrophobic shit show called the 6 train. So I was doing a lot of walking. I know there are very few places in the country that you don't need a car to get around. It is absolutely one of my favorite things about living here. Even though it wasn't a glorious 72 and sunny, I put my boots on and was walking almost everywhere. I loved it. The fresh air made me feel better. My poor friends indulged me and would walk with me. Walking is free and exercise! Cant beat that folks! 

Now that we are in February, this hasn't been an issue at all. Who knows what was going on in my body. I will say that I have kept up the trend and been walking a lot more. The trains are like sardine cans. Taking a cab can get expensive real quick. If its 20 blocks and I am wearing whatever shoes I want, I am walking! If I was wearing heels, for get about it! I have become such a puss when it comes to high heels. I work in an industry where I am on my feet for a copious amount of hours day in and day out. My feet have become like soldiers going to battle everyday. I want gel inserts (usually having a least 1 extra pair in my backpack at all times) and zero heels. Sometimes you need to jus it up and look like a lad. These women that wear heels all of the damn time, props to them but feet cant take it anymore. 

New York, I love You

People asked me all of the time why I like living here. That is not an easy question. As you know its very difficult to live here. You pay a lot for very little. The weather is less than ideal 8 months out of the year. There is a whole rigmarole about getting from point A to point B. But all of New York's negative attributes dont hinder me wanting to live here. The easiest way to put it is the lifestyle is infectious. Everything you could ever want is within your reach. Even if you cant afford a Birkin, you can get a knock off on Canal and very few people would be able to tell the difference without looking at the label. The best part, besides that it doesnt matter if you have that Birkin or not, the anonymity of the city allows you to be whom ever you want to be. I love that. If on Monday I want to look like a page out of Anthropology catalog, Tuesday's look could be as if I jump off the screen of a Ramones music video and by Friday I could be mistaken for a executive walking around midtown on my way to a lunch with a friend. 

Growing up where no one walks. Even if its just around the corner to a friends house to grab a cup of sugar, we always would get in our cars. Moreover, I have been in hundreds of traffic jams where it takes 2 plus hours to go less than 30 miles. I have come to absolutely love walking everywhere. Especially if the weather is nice. Its the best thing ever if you let it. I put on a playlist and go. I like to think of it as the soundtrack to my life. You rarely find me looking at the ground when I walk. I let myself get caught up in the big city lights, the archways in these buildings that have been around since before my grandparents where alive and the people. Literally, every walks of life are on the streets of New York. People from all over the world are here. Tourists, people that have migrated here, people like myself, moved from some other part of the US and now reside here. Watching people in this town is one of the best sports. 

The obvious reason to love this city is the culture that it has. From the hospitality aspect, the restaurants and hotels are next level and some of the best in the world. To have access to that, at least for this girl from OC, is unreal. Plus the variety of options you have is like no where else. Even other major metropolitan cities like LA, SF, Madrid or Rome you cant find the what you can find here. Even if you can its some half ass version of what you can get here. I was subjected to several dinners at Olive Garden and TGIFridays. The fact that I can eat Dim Sum for breakfast, then a croque madam from lunch and Chicken Vindaloo for dinner is one of my favorite things about the city.  I can even get it all delivered to my house and it is still warm and delicious. 

Growing up in SoCal was amazing and wonderful. Perfect weather 360 days of the year. I could go snowboarding in the morning and be at the beach with my toes in the sand by dusk. Could anyone ask for more, one would think. For me I like the diversity of everything here. Where I grew up it was very white washed. 1% African American... granted we had a shit ton of Mexicans and Asians but they could still be considered white! Literally even the black people where white washed. It was all very one note. From the people, their conversations, the restaurants, the weather..nothing was diverse. I didnt feel like there was history or culture established and never would be. As you are probably aware in CA if something is 50 years old they tear it down and build something new and flashy. Which is nice but you are taking the soul out of the place. I feel like its constantly going through a mid life crisis. "I feel old. A newer model would make everything better." Maybe I romanticize the whole thing, but just because its old doesnt mean you need a new one. If it's not broke do you need to buy a new one? I love the history of the city. Everything from the early immigrants and the tenements to Brooklyn in the 50's to the hip hop and punk scene of the 80's and 90's. I am enamored with it all. I stop and read the historic plack's on the walls all of the time. It makes me feel like I am witnessing history with my own two eyes. 

I want to raise my children here. I want them to be exposed to everything I wasn't. I think they will have the best of both worlds being able to enjoy SoCal when visiting my family and the life experience of living in an ever evolving space. They will be apart of something no matter what just being here. They will be able to have access to some of the world's best museums, restaurants, theater and music. Along with the ability to have a diverse group of friends making them less likely to be prejudice towards any particular race or ethnicity because they will see it all. 

I know all of this was a lot but I have been thinking about it  and felt like I should give you a thought out response. To be honest, I am glad not everyone feels the way I do about this city. Its already crowded enough! Ha!