Excessive

Where to begin... I sat down to write and I know there is a lot in me to write but I can't seem to get it to transform in to letters. I need to focus; need to sit still.

Today was a lot of work, a lot of running around, as per usual, and I'm pretty sure I called it. Naturally, I had to stay late, but let me start at the beginning. I went to bed fairly early last night because I figured I could use the sleep... these last few days have really had an effect on my well being, specifically causing me to feel dead tired at all times when I'm at home, and this is seriously interfering with my ability to enjoy myself at anything, so I'm just kind of a zombie at home, unable to relax or feel good about anything. Going to bed when I normally would for a 7am shift, when I didn't start until 9am seemed like a good way to trick myself into getting more sleep.

It did work, I slept very well, and woke up feeling pretty rested; so rested, in fact, that I decided to take a cab to work in order to sleep in for an extra forty minutes or so... something I've been doing way too much. I really should only be taking cabs when it's pouring rain or on Sundays, but I end up taking them three or four times a week, and it's really costing me a lot of money, even though I'm using tip money, and that doesn't count as real money. I felt relaxed, rested, comfortable, and I didn't want to get up into the cold, and go to the uncomfortable place known as work. I wanted to stay in the warm bed for as long as I could.

When I got to work, I took a few minutes to assess the situation, as I usually do. Grab the event sheets and make an entire, complete list for everything I need (I say I instead of we, because that's how it seems) on the whiteboard. It's an organizational tool I use for myself (and others tend to use it too) that really helps me stay focused and on top of things. Generally, if I don't have that whiteboard list, organized the way I organize it, I feel lost, I forget things, I work slower... it's important to me. It was pretty worrying - when I made that list. There were two breakfasts, there were three lunches, one being a grand hall lunch buffet for 50 people (down at cvg no less), a picnic lunch and a mama mia lunch, which the lasagna wasn't done, the pasta sheets were actually still frozen. On top of all of that, which I had about three hours total to get all of that stuff completely and 100% done, there was a wedding buffet at night for 120, so even if I did manage to get all these lunch events done and out, there was no resting, there was no sense of accomplishment, because I had to keep going and work even harder for this even larger event happening.

This is one of my chicken caesars I make for lunch usually once a week!

Anyway, I was actually kinda pissed when I got there. I assumed I was going to be told to make the lasagna, even though I had to prep three events from scratch, for some reason, even though the night event the night before went three hours late, not one single thing was prepped or pulled or made or done. I was getting mad and Jon could tell... but when Jeff got there, he said he'd make the lasagna and that helped calm me down because at least now what I had to do seemed realistic.

I managed to get it all done in time... it was pretty close, even for Jeff who was just done the entrees on time. Sadly it was just the beginning, and I had to start right into the wedding buffet, and that sucked. Jon helped me by bowling up salads for me, but we were still short a couple that had to be made, one that did before I left, and one that I just didn't do, and I'm going to assume no one else took it upon themselves to do either. I'm sure it will be sitting in there tomorrow when I go in, ready to be made. There were some reception fare type platters that went before the buffet that I had to get out of the way, which were a cheese tray, two fruit trays and a crudite, and so the first good part of my afternoon was getting that crap out of the way, while at the same time doing the required stuff for brunch when I got to it (ie. doing a crudite for brunch when I did the weddings crudite and so on).

After the platters, I went on to do all the fruit we needed for that day and tomorrow, which took forever... it always does, it can't really be avoided. I needed fruit for the wedding, plus backup, fruit for the cafe's buffet, fruit for brunch, and then the fruit platter I had mentioned. Each type of fruit gets it's own plate, and there are six types, two melons, pineapple, watermelon, strawberries and berries, so that means, besides the fruit mirror I did, I had to do an additonal 24 plates of fruit... oh my god, I hate fruit town. This took up a lot of my time, and by the time I was finished, a lot of the stuff had already been done by me or Jon. The salads were mostly done, fruit, cheese all that was done, so all that was left was the desserts, and a test dinner we had for two people. I figured, since Tom was in and Julie was in, and all that was left to do was cakes and two veg bundles and four mushroom potatoes, I was good to go, I'd actually get out on time, because I worked really hard, got all my stuff done, did more than anyone else would have.. but no, Jeff walked over and quietly asked me to stay because he wasn't sure if they would get the stuff done in time. I'm like... dot... dot.. dot... are you seriously right now? I instinctly went pffft really? Look what's left? Nothing. but he said it'd only be a half hour blah blah blah.

This is the Strawberry Pavlova I made for my Mom's birthday!

So I stayed... I couldn't really argue, it's just easier to shut up and get the shit done. I made the veg bundle, I got Aaron to make the potatoes and yorkshire pudding, I made a big batch of mushroom salad in case they ran out of salads for the buffet, and then talked Tom through what he had to do to get everything else done, and then I left, an hour late, tired, and annoyed. I feel like I'm the driving force of the kitchen, with all the responsibilty on my shoulders, and I'm like.. a part time seasonal employee.

I took the bus home, listening to music. My iPod's battery was so low that you couldn't even see color in the meter anymore, because the player at work doesn't charge anymore, so I was a little worried that it would die while I was making my way home. I got on the Richmond because it was cloudy and dull, I was tired and not in the best mood, and I didn't feel like sitting waiting for the Wellington (the Richmond takes significantly longer to get downtown). The idea of just sitting in a bus seat and zoning out was much more attractive than sitting on grass. I listened to Swayzak's Loops From The Bergerie really loud... the bass sounds so good on my headphones (and speakers at home) and I'm really loving that album right now, so good, so chill. I played a bit of Plants vs. Zombies on the bus, read facebook, read twitter... the normal stuff. Once Swayzak's album was over, I was downtown, and I put on In Flames, Come Clarity. I waited for the bus, and eventually got home, tired and... still... tired.

For dinner, we ordered a large brooklyn pepperoni pizza from Dominos, which was excellent. It came so hot, I almost burned my mouth on the damn pizza. I watched Jimmy Fallon while eating, and I ate an entire half of the pizza, it was very good. After dinner, I went in and played some Far Cry and the first couple levels of Brothers in Arms, which I both recently bought on Steam during an Ubisoft sale for next to nothing. As long time readers know (or readers that can search Brothers in Arms in the search bar) I looooove me some Brothers in Arms and have long been some of my favorite games ever. Having the chance to play through them again on PC, with a slightly different experience, was just irresistable, I had to get them. Far Cry had always been something I was unsure of, it didn't jump out at me as something I needed to play, but it always seemed interesting and I knew a lot of people loved it, so when both Far Cry and Far Cry 2 + DLC was on sale for $7.50 for both, it was too tempting to pass up and I bought it. I've been playing through Far Cry so far, finishing about four levels, and it's fun. It feels pretty unique, slightly more freedom than normal single player FPS, cool setting, and pretty satisfying gunplay. My plan is to play through Far Cry first, and then play through Brothers In Arms, but as it happens sometimes, I may end up playing through both at the same time.

This is the mushroom salad I made right before leaving work today!

That's pretty much what the day and night consisted of... not much else to speak of. Chatted with Kyle a bit, had a bath, oh, and I bought a new (but old) Swayzak album off of iTunes. I was a bit hesistant because I wasn't sure if it would be like the album I love, but I previewed on of the songs and knew right away I would dig it, so I bought it and now I'm obsessed with this album. It came out three years before the Loops From Bergierie album, and it's just as good, just as awesome. I want more music but there are no torrents for Swayzak, and I can't afford to just buy all the albums.

Work tomorrow is going to be bullshit again, it's just like today was pretty much - lot of stuff going on and I'm sure I'll be completely responsible for all of it being done. I have to open, so go in for 7am via cab, open the kitchen and put out a hot continental for hotel guests, usually around 50 to 75 people, that includes fruit, bakery items, granola, bread, bagels, scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, bacon and sausage, and I need to keep that full and replenished until 10am. Then, I need to put out brunch, which is a lot of work, more than most normal buffets, it consists of five hot dishes, a full dessert table, salad bar, seafood platter, crudite, omelette station, crepe station and carvery, and I do all of that by myself. I'm sure when I go in tomorrow, nothing will have been prepped or done for me, so I'll be running around like crazy trying to get it all done.

After brunch is out, I need to clean up the continental and constantly be replenishing brunch food, which depending on how busy it is, can be non-stop, with little or no time to do anything else. Tomorrow there are 70 in the books, plus walk ins, so we'll probably do close to 100 people tomorrow. While replenishing, I need to somehow find time to get a Gala 3 ready by 4pm, this includes hundereds of hor's deurves, platters, satay station, tons of fancy bullshit that takes forever to get ready. So I'm going to need to stay on top of brunch, and get this gala ready, and get the cafe's dinner buffet ready, and it's just going to be too much and I'm gonna lose it.

I have Monday and Tuesday off work, so if I can just survive tomorrow, just keep my head down and try not to let anything get to me, I can come home knowing that I don't have to get up early or do anything more work for two days. I can relax, I can maybe even play a game, or walk to the store, or just do nothing and feel good about it. I just need to get through tomorrow... I'll just keep telling myself that. Just gotta get through tomorrow.

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