Oi, what a morning...
Perhaps since I have gotten all the bad luck today my sister's wedding rehearsal will go fine tonight?

So I start the day off being late to work because of a train (downtown trains are the bane of my existence at times...

I got to work and had troubles with the computer and ended up having to reboot. So now it is about 6:50 and I've gotta get three pots of coffee brewed and put everything out in the next ten minutes.

Then when I opened the main part of the counter and looked for the second set of keys (we have two sets of keys, one gets into the counter and cabinets--that one we keep with us, and the other opens the cash box, fridge, and closet where all our stuff is stored--that one lives in a locked drawer that the first set gives us access to) but they were not there... I called Becca who called Mary who had closed yesterday but Mary slept on peacefully, not knowing she was needed. As far as I know she is still asleep or at least doesn't know yet that we need her.

So I can't get to our cash, extra supplies, or anything in the fridge. I got Jim who is in charge of the canteen here at the VA (which we fall under as a contractor for them) to open the closet and get the extra set of keys out of the safe for me (This set only opens cabinets and the fridge). So while he was getting keys I was breaking the cash box so I could have money to operate.

Of course the copy of the fridge key he has is like the copy I had that doesn't open one of the locks even though it opens the one on the left... I don't understand how a key works differently in two identical locks but whatever...

So it is 7:30 and I haven't opened and am just getting coffees brewed and people keep asking if I am opened yet because usually we open right on time... I end up having to run with no back-up pots of coffee brewed and run out of various coffees multiple times before 9 and run out of EVERYTHING twice before then. Thankfully the ratio of rude customers to understanding patient ones at the VA is much better than it ever was at the main shop. (This is not to say that everyone at the main shop is rude, there are just more rude ones and I would have gotten bitched by at least one or two people if this happened there ever. Not so, the VA.) Everyone who was buying coffee at the times I ran out either patiently waited for a pot to brew or went off to do something else for a few minutes before returning.

The problem is that (aside from this being the morning from hell) our one Bunn brewer will only brew two pots of coffee before requiring a warm-up cycle. So it can take a long time to get what you need brewed and often by the time you have gotten one pot brewed the second pot is empty and you need to start a new one, only while you were brewing the new pot the OTHER roast also ran out so now you have two pots that need to be brewed and coffee is still vanishing. Eventually it all catches up and you run out. That is, unless you have time before open to have backup pots of everything brewed (or at least in the first half-hour of operation).

I realize this post is far more boring than the usual boring posts I make I just needed to vent.

Things have slowed down now and everything is fine. Except for the cash box which isn't feeling too good any more, and I don't have the keys that stay here and Mary's keys are here which I assume she will need the next time she works.
- posted by Nick @ 7/27/2007 10:18:00 AM | 0 comments