My First Opening!

I am currently running on 3 and a half hours of sleep and lots of caffeine. I had work at 4:30, so I:

[o] planned on being asleep by 7,
[o] attempted to go to bed at 8,
[o] re-attempted going to bed at 10,
[o] fell asleep around 10:30,
[o] woke up around 2,
[o] lay in bed until my alarm went off at quarter to 3,
[o] left for work at 4,
[o] arrived at work at 4:15,
[o] started the work day at 4:30!

And I worked a full eight hours, until 1 p.m. During that time, I was forced into drinking a cup's worth of black coffee (two french press tastings, one Verona and one Kenyan), a venti caramel frappuccino, and a tall caramel macchiato. Seeing as I barely drink soda, that much caffeine is having a very obvious effect on me. :D

It was a good day, despite/because of it being busy. Apparently the busy days at my particular Starbucks are Friday and Saturday, with today being no exception. The original plan to have me on the third drive-thru headset, sitting at a table and marking cups for practice, was scrapped due to all three headsets being worn by co-workers. Instead, I was as useful as I could be with my limited knowledge, bagging pastries, warming sandwiches, fetching plain coffees and teas, replacing stock, washing dishes, etc etc.

I only felt sleepy once, which is a bloody miracle. That time was when they ran out of dishes for me to wash, and it was too busy to evem have my bumbling self in the bar area. I was sent out to the floor to sit and play the Dice Game, which involves order dice (one die with drink sizes, one with milk types, one with syrup types, etc) and a notepad of order labels. I sat there for about 15 minutes, rolling dice and marking slips, trying to remember what the markings were for Whole vs Nonfat vs Whipped Cream vs Extra Hot, etc.

Of course it calmed down eventually (although not by a lot), and I was taught a few drinks as they were ordered. I made a iced venti quad caramel macchiato (at which point, when I mentioned that I hadn't had one, I was told to make a tall so I could learn & try it..although mine was a single, thank god), a cappuccino, and two very foamy and mediocre lattes.

I have to say, I am very grateful for my coworkers, my boss, and my customers. No one has made me feel bad in the least for any of my mistakes. On the contrary, they have all been extremely patient and helpful, teaching me at every opportunity (except when it was just too busy, because customers come before training), encouraging me to ask as many questions as I need to (even repeats, even "stupid" ones), letting me know when I've done a good job, and, most importantly, being extremely patient. This is to be somewhat expected from my coworkers, who have been in my exact shoes before, but I have been touched by the customers' patience. A few regulars came in both yesterday and today and asked how my second day was going. Some, upon hearing my cheerful "Sorry for the wait, I'm still training!", gave me big smiles and told me it was no problem. Many wished me luck. It's been very encouraging :)

I'm looking forward to tomorrow, as (a) I should finally get my partner number and be able to clock in and out and get my free beverages without feeling like a mooch, and (b) I get next week's schedule and see if I really am going to stay a morning person. I have Sunday off, and, while I am really liking my job so far, I am really looking forward to the day off! I love being useful at work, I love learning everything, I like the camaraderie and everything, but it is exhausting. The only times you aren't on your feet are your two ten-minute breaks (one of which you might not get, if it's too busy), and your half-hour meal break. I have started treasuring those breaks more than I can tell you. A quick snack, a few minutes with a book, a chance to sit down? BLISS!

Soon BJ and Sammeh will return, and the three of us will set out on a mini-shopping trip. Unless I decide my items can wait, which I might just. Either the caffeine is wearing off, or I'm getting complacent while sitting in this lovely chair, this chair that allows me to sit. I like sitting. It's very nice.

My biggest concern right now, with life in general, is my eye. The bottom eyelid of my right eye has been twitching for a couple of weeks now. Not constantly, and actually a little less since starting the job, but enough to be worrisome. When it does occur, it stays for quite a while--15 minutes to a half hour. The only way to make it stop is to pull down on my cheek, stretching the eyelid out so it can't move.

As you can imagine, it's very distracting and just plain annoying. I'm really not sure what to do about it. Seeing a doctor doesn't seem like the best idea, as the twitch isn't reliable enough to count on it happening during an appointment. And, really, what would anyone say? Cut down on the caffeine that I wasn't ingesting when it first showed up? Cut down on the stress that I have no control over? Spend anywhere from a few days to a few weeks waiting for medical records to arrive so I can get on a waiting list for a neurologist that I'd possibly have to take time off of work to see, get directions for, drive who knows how long to get to, who probably wouldn't have any better answers?

No thanks.

If it continues on for another few weeks, I'll see a doctor. I'm going to try eye drops and see if those work, but I have no expectations. Oddly enough, it hasn't ever happened at work, except for the first, two-hour day, where I was still very nervous about being able to be anything but a bumbling idiot behind the bar. I am extremely happy that it's stopped at work, as I know for a fact that it is both visible and noticeable, and I don't want to scare my co-workers or customers.

Well, I need to start laundry, and decide if I'm going shopping, and so on and so forth. I hope this huge entry makes up for the past few cursory ones. I also hope I don't crash too early tonight.

Until tomorrow!