Crazy Day at Work - September 2nd 2023

I'd forgotten that I was working a longer shift, until I checked the schedule for the week and saw that the shift was 5:30am to 2pm. (I have to check the schedule regularly now, as recently they decided to experiment with some different shifts, having me come in at 6:00 and 6:30 some days. I made the mistake of showing up early a few times.)

An eight and a half hour shift doesn't sound like much, but it feels like a lot when you're used to 4 to 5 hour shifts. Not so long ago I was working a minimum of 12 hours a day (and frequently longer) and I'm very appreciative of the slower pace I'm now living at - even if I'm broke all the time. 

So work wasn't so bad at first, I was working with the general manager, who is one of my favorites at any job and is proficient in her work. We had one of our best on grill as well. 

I got to go outside for a few minutes and change the sign, which is always a highlight of my day.

As the day went on, the other two openers left and though we got some of my other favorite coworkers, including the new shift manager, we had a couple call-offs. Staffing was tight before the call-offs, so some sucker was going to be stuck in the second drive thru window taking orders and collecting payments, which is a real bummer if you're wondering. You got to make the drinks and help get the food bagged and out as well as cashing out the orders...

It's a real quagmire, but I volunteered for it as I figured it would help my day go faster. I also figured I'd handle it better than anyone else. I wasn't wrong, but boy was it rough. Admittedly, I thought I was going to have steady help bagging orders when I volunteered and while I had help they were spread thin working a couple positions to make up for the missing crew members. 

All in all, it went pretty well, but I caught myself clenching my jaw again and my head felt like it was going to explode a few times. When I finally got out at 2:00, I was so relieved. I bought a Biggie Bag deal with my discount and then went home. I should've stopped eating then, but I started stress eating leftovers and that only made my discomfort from the day even worse. 

Though I felt "off" for the rest of the night, I watched a couple episodes of Star Wars Rebels, Dad came up and gathered up all the excess wood and supplies from my porch and then Mom, Dad & I watched an episode of Fringe. 

I wrapped up the day after that, writing a brief An Unlikely Fandom countdown post.