Better

I decided to listen to "Everybody Hurts" three times on repeat on the way into the second job today, and it cheered me right up, as depressing music usually does - particularly depressing music from my adolescence. I ended up getting some real nice tables tonight at the restaurant - just nice people to talk to. One guy came in with an eye patch on, and we bonded over our mutual scleral buckles and detached retinas. A group of five med students from Hopkins sat in the corner for a couple hours, and were very nice. An old couple talked to me for a long time about teaching, and I decided not even to be upset about it when they only tipped me $4 on their $27.43 bill; they were old, after all. All in all, a good night, and I walked with $55.

Another great perk about working there tonight is that the cook who I am often paired with will cook me whatever I want. I was supposed to get a free dinner anyway because I was manager, but I usually just snack on a few things at night and have him make me something real good for lunch the next day. Tomorrow, if you walk by the English office at our school, you'll be smelling seared halibut encrusted in fresh garlic, served over a bed of smoked scallop quinoa, with a cucumber and yogurt salad on the side, garnished with currants. Mmmmm. I try to make my lunch the biggest meal of the day so a) I can burn it off; and b) I can stay past 5 or 6 if I need to without pangs of hunger driving me home. Tomorrow will be one of those days so I'm glad I have the big ass lunch.

About the no call-back from Sunday's date, I'm just beginning to think of all the positives of not dating someone in Tyson's Corner. I mean, gas prices alone tell me it's stupid.

I still need happy hour on Thursday, though. I mean, I still want to quit. I still have fantasies about what it would be like not to have student loans, about what it might feel like not to feel guilty about not working, about not having that Quaker always-working thing that my dad passed on to me. Maybe someday I can work just one job. At least I was cheered up tonight to learn that a new girl started yesterday and once she's trained, hopefully my desire to quit will be quelled by working less.

In other edge of your seat news, my back and feet are killing me. The other thing about floating is I never freaking sit down.