December

Working in a café sounds easy – someone says ‘make this’, you push a few buttons, twiddle a few knobs, and give it to them.

This couldn’t be further from the truth. It’s mentally exhausting from all the multi-tasking and memory work, and physically exhausting to boot.

It’s been so busy because it’s December. Everyone has Christmas parties, nights out, holidays and so on, which all spells ‘let’s go get a coffee on the way home!’ and therefore more drunken customers to cater to. I can’t wait for January, when it’s like a ghost town.

Speaking of drunk, I had a shirtless guy wander up to an outside table last night, unzip his fly and begin to ramble at my customers. I steered him inside and offered him a coffee – he agreed that it was a good idea, but demanded that I call his ‘girl’. I lied and said I didn’t have a phone, gave him his coffee gratis and sent him on his way. I heard from the police that they picked him up a few blocks away after that making a nuisance of himself. No one can say I didn’t try, though.

The upshot of all this craziness is the tips. I’m making lost of money by working hard to provide really good service, great coffee and nice food in the middle of the night, when most places are shut or McDonalds. Any troll who begrudges me my tips and calls me a dumbass monkey can frankly go and get fucked, really.

The downside is my shoulder. I’ve completely fucked it. It’s from lifting 2L milk cartons, holding the jug under the steamer, getting the coffee group handles into the group holes, etc.etc… hundreds of times each shift. All these repetitive movements, compounded with the heavy lifting of milk crates, boxes of food, garbage bags and so on has turned it into a rock - a painful rock. I think I’m going to have to eat painkillers like candy to get me through tonight’s shift!

But then I’ve got the Christmas Eve through to Christmas morning shift off, which means I don’t start again until 11pm Tuesday. I definitely need this break, that’s for sure.

Comments

[adrian]

Mate, a frozen shoulder sounds ominous. Suggest you see the doc and start a paper trail, just in case.