Saturday, May 21, 2005

Job

*I somehow missed the info on the new job!! What's the story?

*And what's the new job. ?????????????????? Inquiring minds and all that.

*A new job???? Did I miss something after you mentioning an interview?

*WHAT job?

Since inquiring minds want to know…

The job interview I mentioned a couple of entries ago blossomed into a job offer. I started work—with much fear and trepidation—this past Monday. The job is at a little restaurant that will be opening early next month in what our city fathers are trying to develop as "Old Town." Not too apt a name for it, as it looks like this will be entirely new construction…while the UGLY buildings erected early in the last century along Highway 30 through town will remain an eyesore. There’s even talk of some guy trying to sneak in a topless bar on the main drag, a block from the high school. I’m hoping that idea goes nowhere, as it would also be only three blocks from my house.

The bottom line is that I really don’t WANT to work for anyone else anymore, but I have to. After the debacle with our property taxes this past month, we are broke; and I still haven’t been able to scare up any May events for CafĂ© de la Rue. Unfortunately, the bills do not stop coming in even though I have a month of no income. We just took out a $20,000 loan on a new truck…and we haven’t sold the van yet, so we still have a monthly payment on it. Hence, I need a job.

What’s tough about getting a job, for me, is that I have no interest in doing anything but restaurant/food service work. I tried for years to put that ungrateful, low-paying, back-breaking world behind me. But, in the end, in spite of all the frustration associated with it, it’s all I really like to do. However, when you get to be "of a certain age," there are not too many places left in the industry that are willing to take a chance on you. These days, restaurant work is a world of young people and immigrants (legal and otherwise.) I made up my mind to go out and put in applications at the several little restaurants that are threatening J to open in town over the summer, just to see what would happen. Wonderof wonders, I was hired at the first one I applied to. And I feel pretty good about it; they hired fifteen out of over a hundred applicants. I made that cut, anyway. Though I’m sure that if this was not Scappoose, if it was some place closer to the urban center of Portland, I would not have stood a chance in hell of even a second glance. It was really pretty funny…I actually concentrated on looking "ageless" for those interviews. Swapped out my "old lady" glasses for a pair with more contemporary frames. Didn’t include my job history way back to the beginning. My DOB was a carefully guarded secret until after I was hired.

Even so, I’m not completely reconciled to the idea of having to go back to work. I had been away from that world for over a year, and it was starting to feel pretty good. I struggled with it for a really long time; but over the first couple months of this year I was finally feeling like I had found my equilibrium in the world of "semi-retirement." And then, BAM, a big old fist came down from the clouds and snatched that away from me. God forbid I should get too comfortable with any circumstance in my daily routine. Someone up there apparently wants me to stay flexible…to continue to respect the unpredictable nature of this thing called "life…" Every time I start to think, "I’m too old for that s**t anymore," someone throws it at the fan just to get me running again.

 

12 comments:

  1. Way to go girl.

    Jackie

    ReplyDelete
  2. I am sure you are going to do fine, and they are certainly blessed to have someone of your calibre!  New glasses, and a new attitude!  You go!  And, as much as I hate to think that there would be "age" discrimination...you were probably right to keep your age out of it as long as possible.  I'm sure age was an issue in my last promotion...the ol'..."let's hire someone who's not so close to retirement" thinkin'.  But thank goodness, experience and work ethic prevailed.  Looking forward to hearing all about your job and the development of that new area. Maybe they will create historically accurate new construction for Old Town, so it can remain somewhat true to its name.  Here's hoping with the summer season you can drum up some weekend business for your Cafe'!  Hang in there!  Lisa

    ReplyDelete
  3. It might be fun to be in on the opening of a restaurant, as you plot your own similar someday-adventure.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I imagine it is going to give you good fodder for blog material!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I hope it goes well.  I think that keeping flexible is the only option we have for the cosmic surprises keep on coming.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Congrats and much good luck to you!!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Just the fact alone that you were brave enough to go out and endure interviews at this stage of your life is mighty impressive.  They can be pretty daunting at any age but the older one is, the tougher they are to get through.  I'm sure you'll do fine Lisa but you have my complete sympathy for having to step back on the job train.  I sure wish I could derail my financial need to continue to work.  And now, please indulge me in a small experiment per your suggestion to my little problem.
    Meredith

    ReplyDelete
  8. Well, what do you know.  It worked.  I'm sure I've tried this before but I must've been doing something wrong somewhere.  Thank you so much for your help. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Lisa-
    Looks like you and I are pretty much in the same boat. Yes, financial reality just bites and bites big-time. We are also in financial caos, but still have our property in Missouri, if I am allowed to follow my pathetically selfish and fearmonger of a husband.
    Never in my wildest dreams did I think that at the age of 41 I would STILL be a food server/waitress. Yes, I am good at it and I won't knock the money. But man it's hard work and I truly hate working for someone else in this style of atmosphere. As far as my a-hole husband is concerned, he could careless about my college ambitions to get out of this line of work and get to work in my dream job; the medical field. He thinks I should just stay a waitress forever....ya right! Not going to happen. But I guess we all do what we must to get by and to survive, which is a commendable thing Lisa.

    You will be great. Being selected out of 100 applicants is a fantastic feet in itself, I'm dam proud of you. Actually society and even in big mean Las Vegas, hiring of older food servers is a good thing. Chances are that an older person has better work ethics, is more reliable, experienced and hold the ability to do a better a job.

    Good luck to you Lisa and I know you will shine,
    Gayla

    ReplyDelete
  10. Yeah for you!!! And you shouldn't denigrate the fact that you were chosen in Scappoose. I would think the competition is actually tougher in a small area than it is in a city. After all, 100 fricken applicants! And, you made the cut! Woohoo!!!
    :-) ---Robbie

    ReplyDelete
  11. Congratulations and good luck!  Here's to staying open and flexible ~ it's what'll keep us all young.  Well, for a while, anyway....  :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hey Lisa!  I'm sorry to hear that you've had to take a step you didn't want to take.  I do hope that it works out well for you, though.  If it's what you really enjoy doing, I sure would like to hear that you're being successful in the business.  But it's not an easy business for success, especially if you don't have lots of money to put into it.  

    Hopefully the new job will turn out to be a very pleasant experience, even if one you wish you hadn't needed so much.
    Donna

    ReplyDelete