Cookies, Cookies, Cookies everywhere!

I think that I'm getting back to who i used to be again! It's only been 22 months. I made two batches of cookies tonight. Of course it wasn't issue free, life never is, but the wonderful thing is that i'm getting to do the things that make me happy again. I was watching baseball playoffs and getting nervous because it was a close game and it was also a deciding game 5. So if anyone knows me when i'm watching sports and it's a close game with something on the line, i need to keep myself busy either with baking or cleaning. Tonight it happened to be baking cookies! I've been wanting to make snickerdoodles for awhile now, so i made a batch of those. And one of Jason's co-workers birthday was last week and no one made him a cake or really do anything to celebrate his birthday (he didn't tell anyone that it was his day...) So today when i was dropping Jason off at work i wished him a happy birthday and asked him what was his favorite kind of cookie. He said he likes chocolate chip cookies so i made a batch of those as well. I baked the chocolate chip cookies first and since i'm a little out of practice i didn't catch that the dough didn't have enough flour, so they were a little flat and turned out a little crispy on the edges. So i added more flour to the batter and the next batch was perfect. They look picture perfect. The snickerdoodles turned out pretty well. I've only made one other batch of these kind before so i didn't really have a lot of experience of how the dough is supposed to feel. Although i like to have a more cake like cookie with the snickerdoodle than a crisper one. They look almost like puffball mushrooms they are so pillowy. Anyways it feels good to be baking again. I bought a kitchen aid hand mixer a few weeks back and it is a wonder of a little machine. Not as good as the traditional bowl mixer that Jason had to take to work for pasta making, but for a hand mixer it does me just great. It handled creamed my sugar and butter like a dream.... I'm such a dork. I can't believe that i just wrote a big ol paragraph on cookie baking and a chunk of that paragraph was about how wonderful my new hand mixer is...
I finally got my Thanksgiving pictures downloaded and uploaded on bebo and a few here on my little blog. I took my favorite pictures of Jason from the trip here and a amazing sunset and a great pic of the Lake. It was such a beautiful trip, I'm so glad that i have pictures to remind me. I think that we will be sticking around home this holiday season since Jason most likely won't want to take the time off work. I don't blame the man, when it's got your name on it you want to make sure it's up to your standards. Maybe we will be able to take a trip after the holidays when we see how much we ended up spending on the presents this year. I think that the HF takes the annual spring break in March this year. Brunie has also mentioned a Super Bowl weekend in Vegas for this Winter as well, that is an option maybe. Geez, speaking of all this money spending makes me want to work more so that i can afford it all! Too bad i love the time off.

It's so great waking up on a monday morning and know that I have that day off, the next day and even the following day after!! It's so relaxing to just have that in my mind. I was thinking of work today, but it was a little exciting because i'm thinkng of developing a detailed prep-list for what i do day to day. It would make my job a little easier for anyone that filled in for me. It's not that my job is hard at all, but it just seems like there are so many little things that i do that as a whole make my day full. People look at my little to do list on the prep sheet for the dining room and it doesn't look at all detailed, but if i actually make my own list of what it entails, maybe people can see what goes into keeping the dining room sparkling. I was trying to think of what i do as i walk in the door and as my day flows. There aren't too many days that go by that there isn't something that always needs to be looked after and needs to be on a list so we don't forget to do it. A few weeks ago i got a scrap of paper and started jotting down the little things that i do but aren't on any list, but if i'm taking a day off and i have a fill in, it would be nice to know that it is done. Not that i don't think that my co-workers don't notice these things, but sometimes it seems they can overlook it because someone else always does it. I'm being a dork about my job again, anal i know, but i like my job. I like lists too. I just wish i had word or excel on this computer so that i could work on it at home instead of at work where i don't want to be sitting because i get so sleepy when i sit down there! I had the idea that i could make my little list and have 4 identical lists per page, or basically a week of service on one page so i could save some paper as well. The servers prep-list could be more detailed as well with all of my items off the page. I could add all of my picky nagging things that don't always need to be done, but would be so nice if someone took responsibilty for on some days. These are the things i think about as my day at work goes by, LISTS. I seriously think i must have some sort or some degree of OCD.
Last week was good everyday though. Prep-day was good because i had a new guy as my helper and he seems like a good worker, takes direction well and has been in the industry long enough to know some of the things to look for. So anyways, i got to focus on projects that i've been needing to do. I put bowling alley wax on the coffee cup hutch, which it needed so bad. I don't know why Ron and Carrie don't want a finish put on it or some sort of stain, but they like the natural wood. It gets looking so dry and splinters. It was sanded down over the spring break months ago, which helped so much, but it still looks better when there is polish on it. It turns out that the stuff they had me using before was just soaking into the wood and ruining it, so Bob started having me use the bowling alley wax, which he said will put a protective coating on and a little shine, but won't soak in like the other stuff. I put two coats on this past week and buffed it pretty well and so it looks snazzy now. Another project that i took on (i don't think i will do this again for maybe a year or two) is dusting the chairs. They were getting a little gross, but since i had already polished the founders room table, the coffee hutch, the silverware cabinet and the flower arrangement table, my hands were feeling a little tired. It has effected my right hand all weekend long. I really need to be more careful and know my limits on prep-days. That day was also weird because we had service for 26 people, but it was two parties, one in the founders (14) and 12 people in the main, on one long table. So basically the entire main room needed to be set to some degree for just the twelve people. And since it was my prep-day with a new employee i didn't really have time to do much of the setting by the time the servers that were working that evening arrived. So at 4 when Jessica showed up I had nothing set and Carrie hadn't really let anyone know who was doing what. So i started doing the menu napkins and replacments and let Jess know that i didn't really know what the plan was and I would help out but i was already over the hours that i was schedueld for that day. I helped her set out glasses in the founders room and some little things until they were caught up and Dani was done with the wine work for the week and on for his shift. It just seemed so unorganized... big surprise for that place, huh? That one day slowed the rest of my week down, but overall it was a good week. I had a good attitude and tried to be agreeable with the powers that be. On sunday i think i was a little on edge because i got there so late. Carrie asked me if i had renewed my food handlers permit yet, and no i havn't because the only reason i got one two years ago is because i wanted to get a job at a coffee shop and thought i should have one in hand if i decided to leave my set-up job. But all the stuff with my right wrist/hand happened and never really developed. So i sorta told her that i didn't really need one because i don't work with food, and she reminded me that i package teas and well apparently that counts.... So i said in a very unhappy tone "okay" like a little bitch. And when she was going out to train the pigs she told me that she was going and i could come observe if i wanted to, but she didn't notice that i was rushing trying to get the dining room set before the servers came and i started holding them up by not being done. The little things she doesn't notice sometimes amazes me.... Like hmmm, dining room needs to be set so that the guests have something to enjoy their evenings with. Since she asked me to be her partner in pig care and training it's been something i consider a big commitment, i don't think she thinks it is. I'm not sure what to think of that. I think that if i do agree to this that it would be a pay increase because it means a long term commitment to the company and a commitment to these precious little babies that i'm trying so hard not to get attached to. On Saturday she also asked me to add even more things to my dining room shopping list. Normally wouldn't be a issue and who knows maybe it won't be, but i don't really want to add a costco trip to my job duties. Seems like Costco always gets a LIST of things for lots of people. It's a fucking hastle to go to costco, i'd rather not go, yet she makes it seem like i get to go out for a treat by going for the HF. I guess that if i could get everything that i normally shop for at costco and it would save time overall i would be all for it, but it's for ONE thing. I don't know, i'm just making drama out of nothing really. I like to complain, it makes me feel like i have more of a life or something. I just like to have someone to pick on. I was asking Jason today why i make the money that i make. Is it a difference in pay from the servers because i don't actually interact with each guest personally? He told me that is the reason given for the pay difference between front of the house and back of the house. Servers bitch that they have to "deal" with the customers and they DESERVE more. But it hurts to hear them cry poor and that they have to get a second job because they don't make enough. Well, baby, I make DOLLARS less than you do and somehow i am making it. Barely, but somehow i survive. It is pretty funny that just about all of the people that aren't on salary at the HF have to have some sort of second job to suplement their income. The people that are on salary either don't have the time to have a second job because they are there for 70-80 hours a week already or are work on their days off or just don't sleep much. So here is my argument for wanting more money from the herbfarm, i've worked many YEARS for the herbfarm, i'm a utility player knowing MANY departments of the herbfarm, and damn, I'm just over all good. Does it not matter that i'm family too? Should i take less or expect less because i share the last name with one of the owners? I do a good job, i'm loyal, i'm stable, why? why? why? Why should i accept more responsibilty if i'm still not getting a equal output from the other end? I can only take it for so long before I'm just a dope for taking it? Right? And usually i would be really angry as I talk about this, but honestly right now i'm not. I would just like to know why. Is it something holding me back still? Since my last review i've missed only one day for my wrist hurting and the infection. But I take care of my things the best i can to make it as easy as possible for who ever may be doing my job. What more do they want from me? I find out that people that are just hired are making 5 dollars more than me TO START! they haven't showed her anything but they have a donger, and i really hoped they haven't "showed" her and ron, but gender is still an issue. Damn GLASS CEILING! (hehe, i just used a phrase that i learned in college) So this is the way that i'm seeing it as of right now. I'm being held back from a better income because 1. I'm disabled 2. I'm female 3. I don't "deal" with guests on a personal basis daily 4. I'm family 5. I try to get all of the departments of the company to communicate and work together "be on the same page" 6. I have a bad attitude. These are the things that jump to my mind off hand. I don't know if my supervisor realizes it, but those 6 reasons i just stated are very true. Number one on my list was the reason why i didn't get the raise i deserved 6 months ago. number 2, i seriously think she doesn't realize that she counts this in at all. number 4, why the hell does it matter, i do a great job, above and beyond. They take me for granted! Number 5 just plain pisses her off because it makes the greed card so visible to everyone. Number 6, yes, some days i do have a bad attitude, i'm stubborn and think that i need to fight back, i'm still young and i'm still learning. Maybe if i was compensated well enough i would feel better about adding the additional 6 people at the end of my day when i'm nearly ready to head out the door. But do i see anything as far as a thank you for making changes or a bonus in my paycheck when things get stressful? No, but the servers do, because when they get overworked they need to be babied because the guests can see when the smiles disappear. They don't ever see my smile or frustration. I want these people to have a night they will never forget, i want the guests to tell their friends of what a wonderful place it is to spend an evening and how good the food is. But i also know that they think that all of the employees are well taken care of. I want them to know that when we are at work that it is a great place with a great crew taking care of them that night. We are, but if you want that great crew to stick around, show us that you care as well mr and mrs boss people. There is a reason why people come back, give us a reason to stay.

Annie