New Life Style

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November 10th

Work has been going well. Paul and Liz are leaving, so I am going to be taking over Paul’s cooking shifts. That should be fun. I miss cooking.

The bar has been going good. I love working the bar. It's so fun. Working is so fun when you work with all of your friends. Today is my day off so I am learning some new music, and just hanging around.

November 25th

I worked a split shift today cooking in the cafe. I hadn't been trained but the menu is simple enough to just know the meals well enough to go in and just do it. Anyway, it was fun none the less. I hadn't cooked in a while so kind of enjoyed it, even though it was tiring and took a lot out of me.

Big News - The Managers called me up to the office the other day and told me that they want me to try out for the Bar Managers position. Exciting is the key word here. Considering just a few months ago I was in Dunedin thinking about how sweet it would be just to work here, the distance I have come with my role in the hostel has gained more and more importance.

Monday I go for my Bar Liquor License Certificate Thingy, allowing me to be a bar manager. Wednesday they have me down starting as the manager. It’s almost beyond disbelief. It's crazy to me when I think about it. I never thought in a million years that I would be able to take on such a roll while being in New Zealand, but I am most definitely going to go along with it and do my best.

Today is my Thanksgiving celebrayche. I will be getting up at 12ish to go down and start cooking. I and a bunch of friends in the hostel are going to set up some tables in the cafe and have a gigantic feast. I am pumped right up.

December 5th

Well, things have been going fantastic. The Thanksgiving feast went very smoothly, however it was very stressful. I now know why my mom use to get so stressed out when she organized gatherings at the house for holidays. But it was fun nonetheless, and I'm sure she would say that that's why she did it was well. It was fun.

They made me bar manager. I went and got my Liquor License paperwork so I am able to manage a bar. What I didn't realize, is it's not just the bar. When I am on the clock I'm in charge of the whole hostel. But it's ok. It's very good experience for me, and will be worth it when it's all said and done. It's just kind of tiring, but I deal with that. So much goes on here but for some reason when I sit at a computer I have not much to say. I can’t remember everything ha-ha. Well, when something exciting happens I’ll try to remember to write it down right off.

My Day - December 12th

Let’s go over an average day for me here as the Night Manager. Today, I had to go out and buy some shoes. I've been wearing slippers in the bar for the last 3 weeks and my feet aren't doing so well. Not only was that, but Mark (Owner) busting my chops about it the other day. So I decided to take a walk down Lambton Quay (Wellington version of Rodeo Drive) for some comfy shoes. I ended up spending $110 for a decent pair to work in. When I got back to the hostel I had to start working right away. Clock in, Grab money for register, Turn on kegs, Lights, co2, etc. I had to open up pool tables because we offer free pool from 4-7pm.

Once I got everything organized, I had to call reception to see if a fellow named Blair Somers had checked out. He and his buddies had been giving me a hard time in the bar for the last week or two. Last night he didn't have enough money for his rent, so a girl that works here had to give him some money. So today when I was done getting the bar ready, I had to follow up on it to make sure he was out by 10am. By the way, my shift starts at 4pm. So I learned that he hadn't gone down to reception. The guy is broke, acting like a prick, and treating me like an asshole in my bar. So when I approached him and told him to go down to reception he was quite rude.

Long story short, I have been dealing with it all night, and just a moment ago as I was typing, he once again entered the building saying he has to use the bathroom. I've already had to kick him out of the hostel tonight like 3 times. So I chased after him and told Daniel to call the cops. Problem Solved

Interesting stuff ay? That's just an example of one of many things that I am now responsible for, and honestly, it's getting very sickening. I mean, I couldn't be happier here performing this job and living this lifestyle. But at the same time I am just going insane from all of the "bull$h!t" that goes along with it. The worst part is, the girl that I like was "kind of" seeing that Blair guy. So it makes it even worse. I was so annoyed by that kid that it makes me not even like HER anymore. Ha-ha funny as.

The best part is that isn't even that bad. It's not just these small incidents. It's how often I am called to deal with something. The constant running around is no fun. Have to do security check of the whole building every hour. Kick people out. Help out in the cafe if they're busy, or if they have a group in. In between all of this I am in the bar serving drinks. Sometimes it's busy and I have to bust ass for an hour and then when it cools down, run off again to go deal with an issue, or write a maintenance report, or do a security check.

But hey, I deal. It's honestly the best job I have ever had, and it's shaping out to be a very good learning experience as well as reference. I found out the other day that this establishment is worth 13 million. The fact that I am in charge of a business that is this big from 4pm on is quite an achievement. Two months ago, no job. Look at the turn around. So I guess, dealing with the security checks, and Blair Somers, and Intoxicated Old Guys, and Stupid Work Associates, is a small price to pay for what I will eventually get back from this place.....A Wonderful Memory....

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Photos

Thanksgiving
I organized a large feast for some friends and I

Me
Preparing Thanksgiving Feast

Jamming
On The Roof

Scott
With Some Random Girl

Gandhi
Statue of Gandhi in front of Train Station

Parliament
Shot From Hostels Roof

Richard
On Roof

Wellington
From Mount Victoria