The Do-Over

Finally! After a solid month of dragging my well-dressed, unemployed ass around in the rain, I have two jobs. I am the new M(anager) I(n) T(raining) for the Peet's coffee on Polk Street, just a few blocks from my house; a HUGE change versus the 90 minute, one-way drive to Napa. I also am getting my first taste of high-end, first class dining. . .I just happen to be serving it up instead of eating it, but I don't mind. Dash and I are exploring new living arrangements (no, she isn't leaving me, we're just looking for a roommate and a bigger place). I finally have an opportunity to think about my life a few weeks in advance. . .and I am liking it.

Peet's Coffee was started in 1966 by the man that taught Starbucks to roast their coffee. There are only 170 stores and their commitment to their coffee is incredible. They are offering me everything that I loved about Starbucks, without any of the crap that I had to deal with. Plus, the coffee is incredible.

The Big 4 Restaurant is inside the Huntington Hotel, the last privately-held hotel in San Francisco. The experience is other-worldly, a low-key mix of celebrities, ancient CEOs, and women's social groups in their mid-70s. This is the eatery of the SF old money elite, and its rather refreshing to see (as compared to all of the "new money" in other parts of SF and ATL). These are people that expect perfection, and deservedly. . .the continental breakfast is $15.

All in all, I think that I have a lot of learning ahead of me in the next 6 months as I prepare to go back to school. It's all for the best, and I am delighted that my outlook and attitude have finally improved. It's amazing how much a bad job can destroy your ability to enjoy life. I am glad that I am through it and look forward to the future. Cheers!

OK, I'm tired of being unemployed already.

Is this an issue? Appellation America closes its doors on Wednesday and by Friday, I am completely over having the month off. Maybe its the rain, it is raining harder than I have ever seen it rain in the city, which sucks. I am not so masochistic to venture out for the sake of being out. Its just weird because I feel like I'm on a desert island with food, wine and the Internet.

So technically, I'm not unemployed because if I was, I could collect some of the money that I have been throwing away in taxes for the last forever. This time has allowed for introspection though, am I enjoying what I was doing, etc. That is one conclusion that I have arrived at: I am not thrilled about commuting to a desk again. Sure, I don't mind walking to a desk, or even rolling out of bed to a desk, but I definitely don't like commuting to a desk; desert island no. 2. Wow, it's really raining.

Additionally, I'm not sure how I feel about applying for a job over Craigslist. Sure, its a great place for an employer to post openings, but who wants to sort through 3,000 emails about the same thing (other than Garyvee)? How to utilize the functionality of the Internet while still conveying some kind of personality? Nearly every job that I have ever had was directly procured through fierce determination and persistence. That's not easy to accomplish via the Internet.

OK, I'm done (for the time being); we can chalk today up as job search day 2. More on Monday.

Cheers,