Can I Take Your Order

For about two weeks we’ve been on the job hunt. To begin with my criteria were strict, detailed; the winning job would involve boats, beautiful days, perfect hours, a convenient location, and a jolly boss. With each pavement pounding step, however, my little spirit sank further and further, whilst my stipulations evaporated, one by one. Yesterday I was on my way to apply at Subway—the twelve hours a week of sandwich artistry sounded sufficient to me. But before I got there some sort of work-god intervened, lowered a blessed finger and pointed me towards a handwritten sign for a “Café Assistant”. I strode in, talked to the silly boys behind the counter and received instructions to go over and disrupt the owner, who was having a chat and a drink with some friends. This is pretty much a shy person’s nightmare, but I did it. I stumbled over, quivering CV in hand and asked for Gordon. He led me back into the café, out of the sweet breeze and away from the soothing view of the ocean, and looked over my CV, asked some questions and offered me a “trial” for the following morning.

A trial is the opportunity for a boss to get a sense of the newbie , see if she’ll be able to hack the work, or just suck. A trial, also, is a good way to have some free, and awkward, labour. The trial went well, the two hours passed fairly quickly and my duties seem diverse enough that the work won’t be too boring or mechanical. Amongst other tasks, I will fill those little espresso handle things and clatter, tap and press them authoritatively.
I must’ve done alright, because I start tomorrow.

In other money related news…Last night, still buzzing from the trial offer, we were hanging out when Management came down to our site. She told us a couple had reserved our site from Friday on, till forever, but that we could just shift to a different site. Then, she said we should just park next to the Bach, or up the hill, and not even pay at all. This was Management, the lady who runs the place, the woman in charge, she suggested we stop paying. Welcome to New Zealand.