Updates and Bartending Life

Hi guys,

Sorry I’ve been slacking on posts lately! I’m trying to get back into the groove, with my blog and a lot of other things. I have a lot of potential ideas lined up but I need to stick to them and make sure they actually happen. In the meantime I thought I’d give y’all a general update on what’s been happening.

I went full time behind the bar a while ago, and it’s been awesome (if overwhelming at times). During weekday nights things get CRAZY with the theater rushes. Particularly when I’m working the service bar I have to become a master of multitasking. Service orders pile up for the restaurant. People pack themselves in at the bar three or four deep, and they all need their orders taken. Servers need lemonade, coffee, cream, and all manner of other stuff from the bar coolers. Used glasses are piling up on the side bar and clean ones need to be put away. (We don’t have any porters or bussers that wash our glasses- it’s all on the bartenders here.) Most of the time I get into a groove where I’m going smoothly from one thing to the next, making sure everything is covered. But when we get into the weeds, EVERYTHING starts to pile up. Real fast.

I’ve noticed that the best bartenders are not only fast, but extremely economical with their movements. They have trained themselves to make the most of every step, every move of their hands. Even if they are just passing through the service area, they will grab handfuls of glasses and drop them in the washer on their way. If they ever go downstairs, they always come back with something to stock the bar with, be it ice, napkins, silverware, or whatever. They’re continually aware of their surroundings and looking for the next thing to do. It makes for a really tight-knit team where everyone helps each other out. Because at the end of the day, our performance (and thus our shared tip pool) really depends on one another. It’s a thrill to be a part of.

The last two weeks have been insanely busy for me. Sydney came to visit, for one– and like any Sydney visit there was lots of merriment, karaoke, and a couple of brushes with the occult. We saw Avenue Q on a whim and got to tour around a decent portion of the city. Then on the very morning that she left, I started on an insane work marathon that is just now starting to let up. In the span of 4 days I worked about 50 hours. The bar crew was stretched beyond thin because of sickness and final exams, so there was nothing to be done about it but grit my teeth and hang on. I wrapped up my last closing shift this morning and came stumbling into bed around 5am, and didn’t wake up till 2 in the afternoon. It was glorious. Honestly the day after a closing shift doesn’t even really count as a day off though, because you have to use the entire day just to recover. (Protip: some of the best recovery aid tools are Netflix and pizza). But still, I like closing shifts way better than opening. I’m always a vampire at heart, it seems.

I’ve been doing plenty of lazy recovery today, but I’ve also found a restless feeling creeping up on me– that familiar nagging thought that there’s more I need to do. I need to get back into some habits that I’ve neglected lately- namely, writing regularly (hence this post), working out, and making my own food. I get so spoiled at the restaurant because food is made for us every shift. Then when I get home I’m so tired that cooking/working out is usually the last thing on my mind. But that’s really more of a mental block, and one that I need to get over. I just feel better overall when I’m on top of those habits, and I know they don’t really take all that much time. I could do them all with just an hour or two each day, and heaven knows I’ve sunk way more than that into video games and TV shows. It’s just a matter of getting the ball rolling.

Anyway, this has been a small snapshot of my life of late. I plan to release more topical posts in the near future, so stay tuned!