Yesterday I was so exhausted that I basically collapsed as soon as I got home. I ate some leftovers for supper even though I wasn't very hungry (I haven't had much of an appetite since I've been sick with this head cold, and can't really taste much of anything anyway). Then I took a hot, soaking bath, and ended up going to bed at 7:30 PM. When I woke up this morning, my shirt was completely drenched in sweat. I mean, no joke -- when I peeled it off, there wasn't one single thread on that shirt that wasn't entirely saturated with sweat. It was like I had just taken the shirt out of the washing machine -- it was sopping wet. I've never sweat that much in my life. I did have a blanket and two comforters on the bed, but I was also still pretty sick, so I'm not sure if I just got too hot, or if maybe I had a little fever or something.
At any rate, I felt quite a bit better when I got up this morning. I took a nasal decongestant pill, and two Advil before going in to work this morning. And thankfully, I didn't even need to take a quarter of an anti-anxiety attack pill since I'm getting more and more used to my new job in the lunchroom. So that's good.
Today I only had to make 24 deli trays since we had 16 left over that I had made the day before. Today was the best I'd ever made the wraps. I think I'm finally getting the hang of just exactly how to do it. Yesterday they sucked a little, but it wasn't really my fault; I think the tortillas weren't totally finished thawing out, because many of them stuck together, ripping holes in them, rendering them useless. I had to toss out maybe at least 8 of them, and it sucked. But today I made up my mind that I was gonna rock those wraps, and I did. Go me! LOL! I'm not entirely satisfied with my saran-wrapping routine, but I don't really know how else to do it. The manager showed me how she does it on the first day I was there, but I can't duplicate the way she does it. Oh, well, at least they're wrapped up good, so I guess that's all that matters! :/
After I finished making the wraps, another lady told me she would pack them into the containers along with their raisins, brownies, chips, and then label them, so that way I would be free to slice the ham.
SLICE THE HAM?!? So I had to learn how to use the meat slicer! Several of the ladies were nervous about me cutting my fingers off, but after looking at the rig, I seriously don't know how anybody could do that, unless they were completely stupid and hellbent on consciously chopping their fingers off. I don't think it would be a very easy thing to do. Anyway, there were 2 hams that needed to be sliced into sandwich meat slices (1/2 ounce each slice). One of the ladies showed me how to run the rig, and adjusted it until she figured out that it was cutting 1/2 ounce slices. Then she let me take over. You really have to keep messing with it in order to keep it going just right. It's not like you can just throw the ham in there and it automatically does all the work for you. Luckily the machine is automatic in a way, in that it will keep going back and forth on its own, without you having to manually use your hand to jerk it back and forth. But when the ham gets about halfway sliced, it's not as heavy, so you have to start pressing the handle down so that it will keep on slicing, instead of shaving it. So it's a little bit of a pain in the butt, but not horrible. And you have to stop the machine after so many slices and weigh a slice of meat to make sure the slices are still 1/2 ounce and make adjustments to the machine accordingly. Luckily, that task didn't take too awful long, and I wasn't the one who had to clean the *&^% machine after I got done! :)
Next, I asked the manager what I could do next, and she let me help her with bread. First, I had to slice a million sub rolls (just one slit down the middle, not all the way through) for the meatball subs that will be served on Monday. That went pretty quick, and then the manager let me help her with the garlic bread. She already had the loaves made, and all we had to do was finish baking them, and when they were done, we took them out of the oven, brushed them with garlic butter, sliced them, and sprinkled parsley on them.
I didn't get to finish helping with all of the bread, because soon it came time for me to man my serving line.
Today was the first day that I didn't get completely worn out through serving all 4 of the groups that come through. The server's job is to put the main food on the plates (which today the 2 main choices that I served were either 1) Baked Ziti, or 2) BBQ on a bun). But it's up to the kids to scoop up whatever else they want onto their plates (which today's choices were either Baked Beans or French Fries). Well, I keep forgetting to keep an eye on food that the kids serve themselves, so several times today, the kids had to holler at me (nicely, of course), that they needed more fries. Maybe by next week I'll learn how to keep an eye on it better. It would be awesome to have 2 more arms and eyes -- maybe that way, you could do everything that needs to be done all at once, like it needs to be done! :)
The most embarrassing thing that happened to me today was that a boy asked me for something, and I couldn't hear or understand what he was asking for. I had to ask him to repeat himself like, 6 times, and I felt like such a schmo! I was so embarrassed about it, I forget now what it was he was even asking for. I apologized and tried to explain that "sorry -- it's just so loud back here that I can't hear!" I was so super-ultra embarrassed. Kids and some teachers coming through the line will sometimes ask me for "to-go" boxes, or extra helpings of this or that, and I seriously can barely hear them. I think it's just a crappy mixture of 1) it really is loud and echo-y in there, 2) the kids and teachers don't speak up (probably because they don't want to seem like they're yelling at me), and 3) I'm so short that I can't really even see over the serving line (I have to tiptoe a little to put the trays on the top of it for the kids to grab). So that sucks. I guess I'm gonna hafta learn how to tune in and listen up a little bit better. And apparently I'm assuming since I'm the "newbie", I got stuck with the "big" serving line, which appears to be a lot busier/more kids come through it than the other lady's serving line. :/ But that's OK, because I guess it really is the best way to learn. Trial by fire.
I'll have to work every day next week, too. But I'll have to get there at 6:30 AM instead of 8:00 AM like I had been doing. I'm not really looking forward to that. I'll have to drag Lilly with me and make her sit in the lunchroom until it's time for her to go to her own school, at which time they'll let me drive her over. The reason they're making me come in so early every day next week is because they're doing some kind of experiment with breakfast. I don't fully understand, but all I know is that the manager (and her manager) said that if they can get at least 50 more kids to get breakfast, then it would make it worthwhile. (To provide the breakfast earlier, I suppose). Why, I don't know, since breakfast is free. (Unless their $2.05 lunch price is the reason why breakfasts are "free"). So I guess deep down inside I secretly hope their experiment fails, because I really wouldn't want to have to go in at 6:30 AM every morning! I mean, it just throws such a bad wrench into my morning where Lilly is concerned. But if I have to do it, then I guess I'll just have to suck it up and do it. :/ Or if their weird breakfast experiment works, then maybe they'll make some of the other ladies that are already there that early fool with it. But I have a feeling they'll make me get involved. :/ Oh, well.
That's another thing. I don't really know what the deal is. I mean, when I signed up to be a "sub", I assumed that I wouldn't be working very much. I mean, they told me that I would be working whenever someone was out sick, or out for an appointment, or whatever. And I was also under the impression that the workday would only be 3 1/2 hours long. Maybe they're working the dog out of me as a way to kind of get me trained up; I don't know. I mean, I don't really mind the work, but I guess I'm just a little confused.
Oh, well, whatever, once I get that first paycheck, I won't be looking a gift horse in the mouth! :)
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