Posted September 17th, 2003 by Michelle

Last night I got two marriage proposals, one invitation to dinner and one invitation for champagne as soon as my shift was over. Welcome to my new world.

I trained for my new job last night. The shift started at 8 PM and I didn’t get home until 5:15 AM because the woman training me was so drunk by the end of the night she couldn’t figure out how to do the money. And she’s worked there for seven years.

I don’t know how long I will hack this drunken environment that feeds on other peoples’ lonliness. This bar has theories just as my fine dining restaurant did. All of them are designed to create regulars, to create a community, but they are also crafted so we take in as much money as possible. My new bar will be the sixth in the chain, and everyone competes for sales. It’s a whole new world to me, and I’m going to try my best for as long as I can. I was wildly sucessful last night, but little slices of my soul were spilling on the floor with the shots I was pretending to drink. In the end, it’s no different than the schmooze I used to do at my restaurant, it just manifests in a different way. The key is money: if I can make lots more money in less time, I’ll do it for as long as I can.

Today is my only day off this week. I’m starting my day at 1:30 in the afternoon. Going for a run and then I have a date with my computer and my novel. And then, meeting someone for coffee. What do I want to do? Go back to bed.