You Know You're Too Old When...

I am sitting at our kitchen table eating a Lean Cuisine and drinking wine. (Don't worry - that is not all I am going to eat...that is just all I have scavenged so far.) I had such a crappy day at work that I came home and starting calling people to see if they wanted to get a beer and some dinner with me. Too bad all three people I know up here have real jobs and are already in their pajamas. So, I opened a bottle of wine, (Mike is at school) and then got in trouble because I did not recognize that that specific bottle was bought in Iceland and we were saving it for a special occasion. Oops. I guess I am having my special occasion tonight!

This leads into the title of this post. You know you are too old to be waitressing when you come home from work and everyone you know is in their pajamas, or in bed. Additionally, I am a horrible waitress. I have only worked four days, but I get really frustrated when I can't pick things up right away, particularly when it is something that 18 year olds do on a regular basis.

I worked a double shift today. I made $14 at lunch (Yes, you read that correctly) and not much more at dinner. The problem is, I feel the need to make sure that entire restaurant is under control, and with that goes control of my section. We have a "team service" policy at the restaurant, which means that you never actually have a true server. One person may take your order, while another brings your food, and the last takes your check. I have a hard time letting go of controlling my tables and anyone elses, which leads to no one getting taken care of.

I got a lot of 10% tips tonight, and if you have been out to eat recently, that is not the norm. I would like to say that it is just a pizza place, but the place is run by the gestapo. Every little thing is an issue. "Is that coke halfway empty?" Must be filled. "How many napkins are on that table? There better not be more than the amount of people eating here." (I throw away a lot of napkins.)

So the whole thing about being too old for this...
1) You know you are too old to be a waitress when you work a double shift and then spend the next day in bed exhausted.
2) You are too old to be a waitress when your shins and feet are aching from the super cool black high tops you have worn for the past 6 hours.
3) My pet peeve - You know you are too old to be a waitress when 22 year olds come in and are snotty to you because Daddy's money is buying everything. Oh just wait, young ladies - Daddy will stop supporting you and you just might end up with an expensive degree working at a restaurant. I refused to go back to a table when some 20 something looked me up and down and then looked at her friend while I was serving them drinks. (Do you have any idea how hard it is to carry multiple glasses on a tray??)

And now I feel better. A few glasses of wine, and I am now on a bowl of noodles covered in ranch dressing. (Yum!!) I might just watch Heroes and head to bed. Thank goodness I have tomorrow off...Just remember....tip your servers, that could be you one day!!