earning my keep

If you're reading this carefully, you'll note that it's 3:45 am, which means that I've either lapsed into my self-injurious pre-Steve days of pulling all nighters for no reason, or that tonight was my first night closing Kingston's largest waterfront patio, which stays open until 2:30 am to host eastern Ontario's drunkest quasi-professionals, creepy men from BC offering to buy me a tequila shot "for later", high school birthday parties (why don't we check ID?) and groups of old women drinking tea at midnight. It was an unbelievable night -as the blisters on my feet are quick to prove- and I'm actually just pretty proud of making it through without throwing a plate at someone. This restaurant is NUTS. I couldn't imagine spending more than a summer there, although for the 10 servers on the patio tonight, the pandemonium was more than worthwhile - they each left with about 150 cash in their pockets.

But the highlight for me wasn't the money. It was a woman who had stumbled over from (the merchant? smidgies? larry's pit stop?) who was clearly skunked, looking for her 20-year-old son and his friends. She noticed that I was wearing a few strings of mardi gras beads (which a thankful customer bestowed upon me in lieu of a tip) and she proceeded to tell me that she was in New Orleans just over a month ago, and she brought back some beads just like them. "And do you know how I earned my beads?" She slurred, grabbing my arm for balance, "like this!" ***slightly overweight 60-year-old woman proceeds to lift up her sweater and show me, and the rest of the patio, her breasts***

That's right. I was flashed. She certainly earned a string of beads from me tonight.

I have so much to write about and so little mental time, although I'm not really doing anything in my life right now besides working and procrastinating about taking my movies back (damn you, no late fees!). I guess I just haven't been in a blogging mood. Hopefully tomorrow, when I wake up at noon well refreshed and sticky from the freaking humidity, I can get back on the bandwagon and start churning out material.

Until then
-b