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September 28th, 2015
September 12th, 2011
01:36 pm
God. If the rest of the season's going to be like this, I might seriously consider giving up on football. Maybe I could find something else to be interested in until things are over.
No, I'm not a fair-weather fan. I'll still love the Steelers and bleed black and gold until I die, but that was just... appalling. From what I hear, a lot of the teams that did a good job last year had just a piss-poor showing on Sunday.
I need more than this. I need some serious shows of sportsmanship and athletic prowess. C'mon, America. Don't let me down.
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July 31st, 2011
01:11 pm
According to some recent figuring that I've been doing, this has been the most profitable summer season that Teddy's Roadhouse has had in years. It's been a pretty long summer so far, and I've put in an awful lot of hours to keep things going as smoothly as possible. I'm not the kind of guy who takes management sitting down. I work as hard as anyone else at Teddy's, and I'll go out of my way to make sure my employees have fun while they're working. It's a much better atmosphere to surround yourself with when everyone likes what they do. I can't speak for my coworkers, but the restaurant's really starting to feel like family to me. I still miss Pittsburgh sometimes, but I think my parents are going to come for a visit in October, and I'll actually be able to fly home for Christmas this year, for a little while. Life is good.
I'm tired, though. It's taking an awful lot out of me, but it's the good kind of exhaustion that comes hand in hand with the satisfaction of a job well done. Hopefully, it's worth it in the long run.
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/mood/lierre/asciimations/white/working.gif) accomplished
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January 23rd, 2011
06:09 pm
LET'S GO, STEELERS!!!
Make a Pittsburgh man proud and beat those cocky assholes.
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December 8th, 2010
11:02 am
Well, shit. It didn't take me too long, but I managed to find a job around here. I guess I'm a better interviewer than anyone thought (or maybe the owner of the restaurant was just that desperate -- which is also likely), but regardless, I'm accepted the job as the manager of Teddy's Roadhouse. And here's the thing -- I'm actually excited about it.
Well, it's not too strange to be excited about a new job. But I've been working in restaurants for years now, so some people might think I'd be sick of it by now, but I'm not. I think everyone has to be good at something, and it might not necessarily need to be cutting up people in an operating room or defending someone in a courtoom as a lawyer-type (I almost typed 'lawyering' -- which, is that a word? I don't think it is), but I'm a good manager. I can manage employees, appease customers, and make good decisions. So taking over a restaurant in a tiny town is not too small a job for me. Even though I am a pretty tall guy. Apparently some of my employees have been referring to me as the giant. Well, okay. It's not like I've never been called that before.
Anyway. I've been slowly getting started around the place, and I'm still getting the feeling of that particular restaurant. Teddy seems like an upstanding guy, though he's acting a little funny around me, and I'm not sure why. After observing for a few nights to see the employees at work, I can tell we've got a pretty competent staff. They'd have to be, since they've been operating without a direct manager for this long.
So, I hope I don't let you guys down. That's what I wanted to say.
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November 9th, 2010
09:13 am
Here's the thing about living in the same city your whole life : people don't know how to react when you tell them you're leaving. I think my mom cried, but she didn't do it in front of me. My poor dad probably got the brunt of it. My brother doesn't live in Pittsburgh anymore, but he went away for college and hasn't been around since, so she's been able to deal with him being gone for years. I've just always been here, and not just in Pittsburgh, but working at the restaurant since I was a kid. I've been underfoot this whole time. My mom's been able to put off feeling Empty Nest Syndrome for over thirty years, and now it's hit her all at once.
Well, she'll get used to it, I guess. I hope I'll be able to come back for Christmas, but I really don't know if I'll be able to afford it. Hell, it's scary to just drop everything and leave, but I'm doing it. I decided to do it, and I'm kind of in the middle of it right now. I'm stealing WiFi courtesy of the Super 8 Motel in Effingham, Illinois (which is a really fantastic name for a place... it's just so fun to say). I quit my job and packed up about as much of my stuff as I could fit into the Wagoneer, leaving enough space for myself and the dog. Zelda's not impressed. I had to sneak her into this motel room, since they have a pretty strict no pets policy, but she likes pizza as much as the next dog, so I think she'll forgive me once the dude from Pizza Hut arrives.
If anyone ever tried to tell you that I'm not crazy, you should probably punch them in the mouth. This is the craziest thing I've ever done. I should be back in Heritage by Friday sometime, if I can stay on course with my driving.
Current Location: Super 8 - Effingham
Current Music: Crazy Little Thing Called Love || Queen
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October 25th, 2010
10:50 am
How does something that's seemed right for years suddenly feel weird and wrong? Just a little... off?
Okay, okay. I'm ready for all of the I told you so's to come rolling in, but Pittsburgh doesn't feel the same after visiting Pax. I've lived here my whole life. I love this city, love my friends and family and this restaurant where I've been for years since quitting my stupid job that I hated.
I'm not saying I want to do anything crazy, but just saying. Even though I'm back home, it doesn't feel like the same place I left. I just kind of casually glanced through the online community (which is saying something for me, considering I barely use the internet unless I have to. The one guy in Pittsburgh without a Facebook account and absolutely no interest in getting one? Russell Bloom.) and I saw all the hubbub about Halloween parties and good times being had. I know that Tinytownsville isn't always that hoppin' but I kind of feel like I'm missing out.
Maybe I just miss being on vacation. Maybe I just miss having Pax around. We had some good times growing up, and we got into a hell of a lot of trouble here in Pitt.
Okay, go ahead. Call me crazy. It wouldn't be the first time I've been accused of being nuts. Go on and say it. Tell me that you told me so. I didn't mind visiting that little speck of a town, and I'm already planning my next visit. In like a million years when I get some time off again. Does Heritage have some kind of siren song or something? Some mystical thing about it that lures sailors to their deaths?
( Private to Paxton Fine )
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October 17th, 2010
11:33 pm
So, my mother keeps wanting to know when I'm coming home. They've been doing well enough without me at the restaurant, but I guess I didn't exactly make it clear to them how long I'd be gone when I told them I was coming out here to visit Paxton. I didn't actually tell them that I'd only bought a one-way ticket from Pittsburgh to Portland. Why? Because I didn't know what I'd find, or when I'd feel like going back home. I've worked there long enough to get a whole lot of personal and sick leave to burn through if I want to. It just means that I'll be working a lot more over the holidays than I originally intended, but that's the price I have to pay.
Besides, the motel has a little laundry room, so I've been able to clean the clothes I've brought with me. And I've been able to spend a lot of time with my good buddy, Pax. Even when it doesn't feel like we're doing anything, we are. We're just hanging out, coexisting, and it's working for me.
I'm usually pretty rational, but I'm dragging my heels on ending this vacation.
Current Location: Starlight Motel
Current Mood: ![[mood icon]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/mood/lierre/asciimations/white/silly.gif) weird
Current Music: From Above || Ben Folds & Nick Hornby
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October 7th, 2010
11:58 pm
So, I've been visiting this fine town for a little while now, and I've got to say, y'all have a gorgeous place here. No, really. Everything's so green and naturey. I'm a city boy at heart, because that's what I know and all, but I gotta have a wicked appreciation for this kind of nature. It's just not something I experience at home very often.
I guess I can see why tourism is such a booming industry in a place like this. Call me a dope, because yeah, technically I guess I'm a tourist myself, since I've just here visiting a friend, but the place has a certain charm to it. But what I want to know is where the really good places to go and things to do are. I don't mean the stuff they tell you to do in the guidebooks. I mean the stuff that the actual humans who live here choose to do because they've learned through trial and error what sucks and what is undeniably awesome. That shouldn't be too much to ask, right? I promise not to give away any secrets or point out the locations of hidden treasure maps.
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