As an addendum to my previous post:
I've developed som serious carpal tunnel syndrome from cooking. I had problems with this when I worked at Perkin's more than 10 years ago and it cleared up in the intervening years despite all of my computer work. Over the last few months it has returned with a vengeance to the point where I have to wear wrist braces at all times when I'm not at work to prevent searing pain. If I were to become a manager though I'd be doing a good bit less cooking.
Unfortunately at present I have no medical insurance because I have to wait for an enrolment period which only happens every 6 months. If I continue working only 4 days a week I won't have enough hours every week to qualify for medical insurancewhen the time comes.
Hmmmmmm... still not sure what to do.
Well, I just don't know what to do about the work situation. As I mentioned in a previous post I'm kind of fed up with the stress of kitchen life but they did offer me a $2/hr raise which I should be getting in another few weeks.
I was offered a job with a company where a friend works for a little more than I'm making now but less than I will be in a few weeks. The new job is basically cleaning up water or fire damaged houses. I've done it when they needed help before and it's not really that hard. It would be mostly day hours which I prefer and they're willing to let me only work 4 days a week so I can concentrate on other side business projects. There would be some evening or weekend extra work occasionally but not a lot. I think overall it might be a better environment.
I have a few sticking points.
I'm starting to think about career wise moves in case I can't find any computer work (been sending out resumes for months to no avail).
The new company would be a bit less stress but also less money and less room for any sort of job growth/advancement.
Staying at the restaurant would be stressful but I know I could manage and if I talked to the general manager I know he would help me in any way. They've made it abundantly clear that they like my work and think of me as an asset and will go a long way to keep me there. The immediate problem with going that route is that I'm not sure there's any way to move towards management only working 4 days which means little or no time for esplodere and other side business projects.
I'm also thinking that I want to be married and have kids (hopefully within the next few years but who knows). The new job wouldn't lend itself too well because of lower pay and no advancement. The restaurant (if I made it a career) would offer great medical pretty good money and really shitty hours. At the very least management experience would look good on a resume.
I just don't know.
Still cooking at Applebees - not liking it but it pays the bills. I am cutting my hours though, to concentrate on some web design and other business ideas.
I really need to start spending time with some grounded intentional Christians. There are a few dudes at church that I need to make a point to get in touch with and spend time with. They're both pretty intense and I'm feeling like I'm really at a transitional place right now and need to shit or get off the pot. I could either slip into the kind of comfortable American Christianity in which one goes through the motions and knows the words or I could get intense and fired up for God. I'm tired of just going along. I need to spend more time with people who are on the right path and aren't willing to sit back and let things happen; who are willing to actively follow God and not be lax.
I've come back to a low point and need to re-evaluate. I'm drinking way too much (can't remember the last day I didn't drink (not good at all)).
Internet porn is too readily available and I fall into that trap far too often. In fact I have a pretty serious problem with that right now.
I know that I'm not living right and feel powerless to do anything. But I guess that can be a good thing where God is concerned. Our weakness is where Christ can shine through the brightest. He can redeem that which we cannot.
Well... Yeah... So...
I feel like writing but don't really have anything to write. I'm just at a wierd place in life right now and have been for a while. I just don't feel like I have any direction or purose in life.
Warning: I don't want this to turn into a bitch session right now but it just might.
I'm kind of stuck in a job that I don't really want to be in but can't get hired anywhere else. They offered me a raise and a, well, not really promotion, but added duties. Basically I need to be the kitchen ass kicker/stoolie/motivator of sorts. Well, keeping folks on track and making sure everything gets done so that the managers can focus elsewhere is pretty much it. The GM picked me because I don't give a fuck what anyone thinks about me so I can be a dick when needs be. At leas that's what I was told. I don't see it as being a dick though. I'm pretty straight forward in these kind of situations. "All this needs to be done, so do it." I'm not the kind of guy that pawns stuff off either. I might be telling them what needs to be done but I'm right along side of them doing it. Also I see myself as a pretty nice guy and I don't have a problem helping others out so they generally don't have a problem helping me in return. Hmmm... that sounds worse than I thougt it would. I'd help out regardless... them returning the favor is an added bonus. Hopefully things will work out. I just see some problems with a few of the cooks that like to slack and cut corners. Some of whom have been there for years and think they have some seniority which is not the way it works at this restaurant.
Oh well I guess I do have something to say and it isn't too bitchy either.
As I sit here I'm coming up with more and more but this is it for now.