Well, we have a special guest blogger, fresh from a visit to the rain capital of North America.
My Mom wrote this:
"What a treat - five days in Alaska with our daughters who wined and dined me! It was good to see the 'warehouse loft,' and to feel reasonably sure leaving the heat on would not blow up the place; and, I wouldn't not freeze to pieces. Matt's cot was a lifesaver. We went on pretty hikes watching the seals and salmon. There were plenty of contrasts -- 5 ships and a total of 8,000 people, no ships - ghost town life. Ketchikan is such a beautiful place to be, especially when it is sunny!"
My visit with Mom was great. We played cards with Sarah and her boyfriend, got coffee, and walked around town. My Mom did Matt's recommended survey www.findyourspot.com, and based on her responses, Ketchikan was her number one result. (Mine was Honolulu).
I've got two days left in Ketchikan, which is hard to believe. I've begun the process of packing things up, and am gradually saying goodbyes to friends and things. Saying goodbye to friends is okay. But, I have to give myself pep talks on what to throw away. (Like, for instance, the nasty potholder with a mushroom on it. Do I need, or even want that? No. But the idea of throwing something functional out is hard for me). So, packing takes me way longer than it would a normal person.
I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will be sunny both tomorrow and Wednesday. I bet my sister $5 dollars a few weeks ago that we would have consecutive sunny days, and so far, I'm losing.
The highlight of my week waitressing was seeing a sixty plus year-old tourist practically hyperventilating. Let me explain. As I went up to the table, notepad in hand and ready to get a drink order, I noticed that this older woman with very well-coifed hair was breathing heavily and seemed distressed. The group she was with let me know that they had time constraints, which is not uncommon: everyone has eagles, totem poles, salmon, or logging shows to see: or they need to catch their boat. So, I was like, "No problem, just don't order crablegs, and we'll get you out of here in no time." As I was trying to get the drink order underway, the woman still was freaking out. I asked, "Are you okay?" I was wondering if maybe there was a serious problem, and I needed to whip out the CPR skills. Well, apparently, my customer was frustrated when she realized they only had 30 minutes for lunch. She was mad at her husband, and said directly to him, "You...Just...Don't...Get... It, Richard! I didn't want to be RUSHED through LUNCH!" She's saying this as if she had forgotten about the presence of me, their two friends with them, and a few other people eating nearby. As things started to heat up, I stood next to her chair, and eventually said in what my sister would describe as my "NPR voice", "Okaayyy, I'm just going to give you all a moment."
I rushed to tell my co-workers about the drama unfolding. Not too long later I walked by, and Lady was still at it; I actually heard an F-bomb. While I realize this shouldn't have been insanely hilarious for me, I do like seeing people freak out over small things. It's hard to be a princess on vacation. I guess her husband probably spends about 1/3 of their income tipping to compensate for bad behavior. But, that works out well for easily entertained waitresses.
This is where I work now. Tomorrow is my last day. http://www.gilmorehotel.com/annabelles.htm . If you're ever in Ketchikan, you should eat at Annabelle's. It's a great place to work, and has helped me to realize that happy and nice people actually run restaurants, too.
Lastly, my friend Elda's rabbit had babies, so that's pretty much the best thing that could have happened to me at this point in the game.
|
