Hey! Look!

Nice party. Sounds like fun. Wish I'd been there. Wait ...

Hello. I Must Be Going.

Just set the alarm for 6 am. I need to be at work at 8:00. Tomorrow we start training the new staff at 10:00. We have a welcome speech by one of the owners. And then computer training for servers and bussers. Then bartenders. Then host orientation. Then steps of service for the servers and runners. That's all before the lunch break. After lunch, in addition to all the training, there'll be a musical run-through for the dancers for Tuesday's private party in addition to a sound check. As well as sanding, wallpapering, retail sales training, main bar set-up, food tasting and a host of other things that need to be accomplished. I don't expect to be back home much before 9:00. Tuesday should be even longer.

Apropos of nothing I passed SNL alumnus Rachel Dratsch outside the Food Emporium at Union Square today. She's incredibly tiny. Almost pocket-sized. Why are TV people all so unexpectedly small? I'm starting to wonder if Mikell's theory that they really are inside the little box may be true.

Apologies in advance if I disappear for a bit. Not drinking, just busy.

True Story

Friday morning. Heading in to work at 9:30. I stop in the bodega on the next block for my fortifying V8 and my mind-numbing morning NY Post. It's not a good day without a dose of Page Six. Nothing seems amiss and it's not particularly busy. But it is broad daylight. The morning clerk rings me up. I hear a shout from outside the store and I look over. A medium sized gray rat comes walking in the front door. He walks along the baseboards, notice I say walk, not run. He turns and follows the line of the checkout counter, passing directly in front of my feet. I'm not particularly afraid of rats, and watch in bemused fascination as he passes by me, hangs a right and disappears under the counter across the aisle. The cashier notices and expresses his dismay. He looks at me in shock and embarrassment, unsure what I'm going to do. I shrug my shoulders and hold up a hand to wave goodbye.

"Rat." I say and pick up my bag and go.

It's Been A While Since I Put It In

That's right. I got a paycheck. I hadn't had the chance to piss and moan about the bad news I got during my ill-fated trip to New Jersey. My boss went with us for computer training and it was there I was told that managers were on a bi-weekly pay schedule. Which meant the $130 I had barely budgeted to get me through one week would have to get me through two. Impossible you say? You have no faith. I actually had figured out how I was going to accomplish this with many cans of tuna, ramen and mac and cheese in my immediate future. Unfortunately, it meant going further in to debt and being late on several payments this month. The only thing I had to look forward to was the fact that I would get a fat paycheck and my roommate's share of the rent all in the same weekend. Eventually, if I could hold on I'd be flush.

But this evening Allah smiled on my homosexual soul, as it was revealed that my boss was in error. He is considered administrative and thus he falls in to the bi-weekly category. I am fortunately still lumped in with the restaurant employees and as such, I'm paid weekly. Halle-fucking-lujah! The casual way he handed me my first paycheck was totally offset by the way I waved my arms in the air and did a "I got some ice cream, and you can't have none" dance. After depositing the check in the bank and remarking to myself how long its been since I filled out a deposit ticket and how very long it has been since I earned a solid week's pay. I took off for home and pulled out .... an ever growing pile of bills. I proceeded to pay four of the most immediate and glaringly outsized bills at once. Next is the Amex card I've been living on all month. The thing most people hate about Amex is my favorite feature. The whole bill is due every month, which is a drag, but there's no interest and once you pay it, that debt is gone. I always feel like I've taken a satisfying poo when I pay that bill. Happy and noticeably lighter.

Since You Asked, Pt. 2

David asked from the comments if we were ready to open the restaurant/club. An interesting question to be sure. Here's the 411. Training for the new staff starts on Monday morning. We believed we would have the main floor to work on as the staff training will include bartenders, bussers, hosts, servers, bar backs, food runners and about 25 retail sales people. Turns out the main floor probably won't be finished and what parts are ready will be given over for rehearsals for the back up performers for a major recording artist, performing live in concert for 250 invited guests, who our media/PR people have gone and booked for Tuesday. On our 2nd day of training. Followed by Wednesday and Thursday training, followed by a Thursday night party for a top European Billboard recording artist, here to promote his album in the US. Two parties before the restaurant is anywhere near completed, followed by three nights of soft openings. After which we'll open to the public. Assuming our valid liquor license comes through.

We will have ice machines and therefore ice by the end of the day tomorrow. But as it stands now there is no finished bar to make these drinks, no soda system hooked up and no beer taps connected. The kitchen could crank out something along the lines of food if pressed. Maybe they'll enjoy bottled water and hot dogs on toothpicks.

Now I can't tell you who will be performing live this week. I'm sworn to secrecy, and if it got out and was traced back to me I'd get in a mess of trouble. So I guess you'll have to rack your brain and try to figure it out from this obscure reference. His or Her People Magazine nickname rhymes with that gold ring thingy around an angel's head. But I can't tell you, so don't try to get more clues.

Heeeeee!

Since You Asked ...

Here's the list of wines I sent in as a suggested sample. I'm no expert, but I think it's a decent selection of reds and whites at various price points. I've had most of the wines on this list at least once. I wouldn't say any of them are less than fine. Nothing outrageously fancy though.

SAMPLE WINE LIST

BRIDLEWOOD

750 Chardonnay Res 2004

750 Cabernet Sauv 2004

FAR NIENTE

750 Chardonnay 2005

MARKHAM

750 Merlot Res 2000

750 Petite Sirah 2000

(France)

LOUIS JADOT

750 Beaujolais Villages

750 Chardonnay 2004

750 Pinot Grigio

750 Pouilly Fuisse 2005

(Italy)

SANTA MARGHERITA

750 Pinot Grigio

IRON HORSE

750 Merlot 2002

750 Pinot Noir Estate

KENWOOD

750 Chardonnay Reserve

750 Cabernet Sauv. 2003

750 Sauvignon Blanc 2005

MONDAVI

750 Fume Blanc 2001

750 Oakville Cab Sauv 2002

MERIDIAN VINEYARDS

750 Pinot Grigio 2005

750 Sauvignon Blanc 2005

WOODBRIDGE

1.5L Cabernet Sauv. 2003

1.5L Merlot 2002

1.5L Pinot Grigio 2003

(Italy)

CONTESSA

750 Montelpulciano 2000

STERLING VINEYARDS

3 Palms Merlot

(Napa)

750 Cabernet Sauv. 2003

(France)

B&G

750 St. Emilion 2003

CLOS DU BOIS

750 Pinot Noir

750 Reisling

(Proprieter Series)

750 Cabernet Sauv Briarcrest

Far Too Early, Even Sober

Up at 7 am today. I have to make my way downtown by 9:00 so I can hitch a ride with a new co-worker. We have to go to New Jersey (!) and train on the new computer system. In theory, after today we'll be proficient enough to teach the system to the staff. Riiiiiiiight. I spent all afternoon pouring over wine catalogues to come up with a serviceable wine list. I'm pretty happy with the result. My wine knowledge is limited to the gallons I've drank over the years, and whatever I've picked up from restaurants or reading. Deliveries start arriving on Thursday and staff training is scheduled for Monday afternoon. They've pushed back the opening but only by a few days.

Woke up with a killer headache today as yesterday we worked with the windows open to alleviate fumes from sanding, painting etc. I was in a chilly draft for hours.

Today is 42 days sober. 6 weeks. The longest I've been sober in over 10 years, maybe 15. My reward?

Jersey ... pray for me.

Sunday Is Supposed To Be A Day Of Rest.

Instead I painted part of the living room. First I took down some shelving and spackled all the holes. FYI they sell a newfangled spackle that is pretty much instantly dry and ready for painting assuming you're just covering up little nail holes. Perfect for impatient types like myself. I had to lighten the custom shade I bought pre-mixed at my local hardware store for $4.99, but it came out exactly how I pictured it. I guess you'd call it a light purple. It's one of my favorite colors. Very forgiving dirt-wise and so befitting a Duchess. I had more than enough paint for two coats. Next I have to pry the mirrors off that I attached to the only unpainted wall. That wall will be a light shade of pink. Trust me, I know what I'm doing.

I also took Jet out to the park and brushed him for 1/2 hour. You would not believe how much hair I pulled off him. I could have done more but he started to lose patience. I even lifted up his dog collar and brushed the hair around his neck. He must have liked it. He made the same noise I make when some guy sticks his tongue up my butt.

While I was at the hardware store I bought a large planter pot. One of the plants in my kitchen is thriving and I thought it would benefit from a new home. I also relocated it to another room. I'll have to keep an eye on it. One of the best ways to kill a plant is to give it a new home it doesn't enjoy.

I also spent the morning customizing my PC. Here's a couple of free fun programs, particularly if you have MAC envy:

Stardock: ObjectDock is a nifty download. You can duplicate the MAC dock and customize it accordingly. You can even replace your start bar entirely if you wish. Plus, it's cool.

Style XP is a great download. You can download and install free XP themes. It will default download and install the MAC Panther theme. Brushed metal is sexy. Plus, I got that little blue apple down in the corner instead of the start button. And I didn't have to spend $1,500.00.

There are lots more ways you can make your PC more MAC-like. I like to trick out my desktop and settings periodically to keep from getting bored. Try a Google search and see what pops up.

This blog post was brought to you via Windows Live Writer (Beta). It's finally working correctly and set to post directly via my Blogger site. I like it now that it's working.

Top O' The Moron To Ye!

I don't celebrate St. Patrick's Day. When I drank, I hardly needed another day as an excuse to partake. Any day that ended in "day" was good enough for me. If you ask me, St. Patrick's Day is even more of an amateur event than New Year's Eve. Maybe because the drinking starts in the afternoon. People seem particularly sloppy from evening on. New York City is no stranger to a city-wide bender when it comes to St. Patrick's Day. Neither is my neighborhood. Several local bars and taverns have opened around the area the last few years. Mostly it's increased drunken behavior on the weekends. Today, most of the neighborhood bars were full from early afternoon on. Right around the corner is the Police Academy. The recruits aren't allowed to drink, at least not in uniform. But the building is home to the local police precinct, as well as a firehouse around on the next block. Nothing says party like a bunch of drunken men in uniform armed with loaded weapons! I guess I should count my blessings the area doesn't have a reputation for police/fireman drunken brawls. They usually save that for the boroughs.

Since I got up all week at 7:30 for work, I slept in today and didn't stop snoozing until 9:30. Actually, I had plans to go in for a few hours around noon as I had some manuals to read through and I wanted to be there if anyone showed up to fill out an application. And I'm totally brown-nosing my boss. I ended up not getting in until closer to 1:00. The snow had piled up in banks overnight from the shoveling and plowing, and I spent some extra time walking Jet as he LOVES to bound through the snow. The school playground was open and snowed in and I let him off leash so he could tear it up running in circles for a bit. I'm lucky he's really an all-weather dog.

After that I took some time to pick up a weeks worth of socks and discarded clothes from the bedroom, and just gave the house a general tidy up. After a brief winter respite, Jet is shedding again and there's hair under and on every piece of furniture. It's next to impossible to keep up with. The next spring-like day we have I plan to open up the windows, shake out the furniture covers and give Jet a good bath. I hope it helps.

I put in a few hours at work. Once I was satisfied I was caught up I cut out and headed for the gym. I didn't end up working out due to time constraints, but I did have a scalding shower and took some time to shave .... um... areas that needed shaving. I had time for a fattening coffee drink before going to a Gay-A meeting. In case you're wondering, we made fun of you drunken idiots for a while, although surprisingly not as much as you'd think. Mostly we bitched about how you lurch about all day blocking sidewalks and doorways. A girl in a giant green hat and antennae (I think it was a costume) turned around at Starbuck's and walked directly in to me.

After my meeting I returned home, made a nice dinner and played with the dogs. I caught up on some reading and took a few minutes to try and find some money somewhere I had overlooked. Naturally, I found a little. Call it the really super duper I'm not kidding broke account. I also figured out how to save it for an even rainier day. Hopefully, that won't come anytime soon. Then I spent some more time cleaning, and while I was at it, I took the back off my computer and blew out the fans. Surprisingly, the dog hair hadn't got inside there yet. I'm planning on continuing the living room touch up tomorrow. I should be able to get the walls spackled and painted.

As a souvenir of the day, someone was courteous enough to throw up on the sidewalk, directly in front of the building. It appears he or she enjoyed some sort of gumbo, at least temporarily. Happy holiday!

Pull Your Dress Down Dr. Freud, I Can See Your Slip ...

I must be doing something right, they're printing me a set of business cards. I got out right on time today and could have gone directly to my HIV+ support meeting but I decided to skip it and spend a couple hours with Jet. I've been leaving him every morning at 9:30 and not getting home until 9 or later. I have time to walk him, stuff my face and watch about 1/2 hour of TV before bed. That's not a complaint. I'm having a great time working, and my fears about being able to put in a full day without getting tired appear to be unfounded. Between the fact that I'm not always hungover and I actually like what I'm doing and the people I work with, I have plenty of energy to get through the day. I actually had to be reminded today that we could go home, as I hadn't checked my watch in a while. It will be nice to pull a few night shifts when we finally open. At least I can walk the dog a couple times and spend some time in the park with him before I have to leave for work. I'm not planning on closing every single night however. That gets tedious after a while no matter who you are. And since the bulk of the problems happen at night, I'll take my share of less hectic day shifts on occasion thank you very much.

The last couple of days have been spent doing interviews, follow-up interviews and callbacks for interviews. I'm notoriously casual when it comes to interviewing. I usually skip over the standard questions and ask them about their family, if they have kids, where they were born etc. I spent the first 15 minutes of one interview getting information about weather and beaches in Brazil from one young lady. What can I say, I ask what pops into my head. You try interviewing 100+ people over three days. I have to get creative to keep from getting bored. You still get a good sense of what they're all about. I'm assuming a bartender can make a martini. If not, we'll find out soon enough.

One challenge that came up yesterday happened when my boss asked another manager and me to take some time this week to go to neighboring comparable establishments and suss out their drink prices. Pretty standard task when you are opening in an unfamiliar neighborhood. Problematic for a man in recovery however. I thought about calling someone to go with me. I could buy them drinks and get my info that way. But believe it or not, I'm not currently close enough with anyone not sober to call on in that situation. A free drink budget and no one to waste it on, can you imagine? Oh, the humanity! I mentioned to one of the other managers that I was having an issue with the assignment as I don't drink. I followed that up with, "Still, nobody says I have to finish it". He quickly corrected me "You mean drink it". Of course, I meant drink it not finish it, didn't I?

Yeah, that's it.

I won't be getting my first paycheck until next Friday. I have around $130 until then. Oy.