Life as a Yooper

UP Outline

Small town life…

Growing up I hated this place, I didn’t realize or was smart of to know any better to acknowledge what I had around me. I’m not a hunter, I don’t fish, and I hate the snow so what else was there to do in God’s country. Small mindedness as a child kept me eager to leave the second I was able to! When I moved to Florida and lived there for 18 years of my adult life and having a child of my own was when reality of what I had sunk in! Unfortunately that is what happens to a lot of people, you don’t stop to smell the roses before it’s too late, take what you have for granted, and then before you know it, it’s to late! That is where I went differently with my son, I want him to understand the value of the moment! He may hate living in this small town (yes I moved back) but when he’s older he will completely understand why I did what I did!

I live in Munising, Michigan a small little town tucked in Lake Superior and surround by the utmost gorgeous seasons and scenery. We may only have 2500 people or less here but let me tell you, when a family is in need our little community comes together like nothing I’ve ever seen! I’m proud to say this is where I am from, this is where I live, I don’t necessarily belong here but I can say that I do want to be here!!

A Bartender’s guide to Insanity…

So you want to annoy your  bartender? A lesson to learn in life early is to never piss the bartender off… so LEARN this now and remember this…

Don’t come into the bar and not know what you want…. Really? “Well I don’t know if I want beer, or wine, or liquor, or maybe just a Pepsi”? Seriously!! Then they proceed to ask what you have, well it’s obviously all sitting right in front of you and I’m sorry I will not go over all 60+ vodka’s we have among every other liquor we carry.  Or another dumb question as they are standing in front of our tap beer, “What do you have on tap” with a group of 6 or so standing there I always get one or more idiots that don’t listen to my spiel of all beers on tap so I repeat myself at least 3 times and they end up getting a mixed drink…. Fucking really?! No worries people I’m not busy at all so please take your time so my other customers who know what they want can wait a bit longer. OR ASK me to make some weird ass shot that I haven’t heard of, so I ask my customer what is in it, and they say “I don’t know” well guess what, neither do I, so you’re getting a baller bomb.

Please listen to the bartender. When you order a whisky (vodka, tequila, rum, etc..) and coke and the bartender asks you what kind of whisky you want to listen to them when you ask what kind of whisky we carry. If you listen to us ramble all the whiskies we carry and you proceed to order one we didn’t list, that we obviously don’t have, then have us once again repeat our inventory, not a wise move. Listen! We have a very demanding, high energy, fast paced job, we don’t have a lot of time for chit-chat… We want to serve you along with everyone else quickly and correctly.  Another dumb move, “I’d like a bud light” and we ask, “bottle or can” and you proceed to say, “doesn’t matter” so we grab you a bottle, and you bitch because you wanted a can!! Just say you want a can of bud light. I mean is that really that hard to say? Or do you like to play games with the bartender? Makes no sense does it, don’t complicate things!! Seriously it makes life a lot easier for all.

Do not snap your fingers, wave at me, or shout my name… I know you exist just give me a minute. You are not my first customer so patients please. Do not slam your beer bottle, mug, or glass on my bar because I can almost guarantee you that I won’t serve you for a long time, so long you will probably end up leaving. Know the routine or rules of my bar, we all have them, kindly set the empty in my sight and I promise you I will refill you very quickly, I don’t want your quirky annoying noises. I am not your friend, I am your bartender, and I’m going to treat you like every other customer in here unless you do any of these things I have written about.  Also do not shout your orders at me when I’m in the middle of taking an order or making an order. Yes I’m good at multitasking but wait your turn just like every other person in here, just because you know my name does not make us friends.

Do not bitch and complain your drink isn’t strong enough. Seriously!! Either your already drunk and can’t taste the liquor in the drink or your just a raging alcoholic and nothing tastes strong enough. A normal shot is an ounce, our pores on our bottles are 1.5 ounces, so when I pour I’m pouring 1.5 and an extra so a total of 2 ounces, So when I’m tending your almost getting a double, so please don’t tell me your drink isn’t strong enough because I’m gonna smash you in the face! You are getting a very generous drink when I’m bar tending and if you don’t tip me well then you will get exactly a one ounce shot in every drink from now on. I will also take out a shot glass with the line on it and literally pour a shot into to it every time to make your drink, so don’t bitch!! Bitching gets you no where and I do not care how busy I am at this point, I will make it a point to fuck with you right back.

Please be clean! Don’t shred the bar napkins and keep taking more, don’t break the plastic swords we use for garnishes, don’t break, bend, or chew on numerous straws, and don’t break the toothpicks. Would you do this at home? Would you leave this mess on your kitchen counter or kitchen tables? Then don’t do it here! This is a public place not your dumping ground. Have respect for other people who are here to get out and have a nice day or evening out! You aren’t toddlers, we aren’t here to clean up your mess, please be respectful of yourself, others around your, and of us. This is how we support our families, cleaning up after you takes away more of what we could be doing for others. It’s just common sense and not a lot of people use that or even have it. If you do decide to help and clean up the mess you just created, please don’t place the torn up, used, gross napkins in the drinking glasses, this only makes it worse for us to clean them out. Please just find the nearest garbage, I’m sure they are all in plain sight, just use your eyes and if you can’t locate one, I am sure the bartender will point you in the right direction. Don’t reach over the bar and grab our limes, lemons, or pickles. Don’t reach over our bar to grab a clean glass because like a careless dumb ass you just spilled your drink.

When the bar is jammed and extremely busy, don’t order something complicated, seriously, if it has to be complicated like a superman shot order at least 4 or more, to make it worth the bartenders time, making one of these is such a pain in the ass and a waste of time. When its busy and you order a bloody Mary be prepared to be told no, if you want a good one made from scratch it takes some time, or be prepared to wait a few minutes. If you’re ordering for multiple people please know the orders or what everyone asks. It makes life so much easier for all of us. Service is so much quicker when you do and a lot less frustrating.

A Bartenders Life

IMG_3288(1)Keeper of the Rum

 

Not only are you keeper of the rum, a mixologist, multitasker, mediator, friend, enemy, asshole, but your a psychologist too. Definitely a very under paid psychologist. You learn to cope with the never ending chatter, the discombobulated words, politic rants, arguments, and laughs but you become family with your locals, the regulars… a job that can become extremely tiring, fun, energetic, some days can take the energy right from you, but it’s also a sadness because your delivering a poison to these people that you have become to love that is killing them slowly! This is what I suffered with all the time as a bartender! I was helping kill my people, time in and time out I’d watch them come in functioning to making a complete ass out of themselves! It broke my heart daily! I never understood it, yes I understand the meaning of addiction, I understand how how hard it is, but it doesn’t mean I have to be ok with it because to me it’s all about making a choice! Yeah yeah yeah I’m gonna get a lot of shit for that remark so maybe I don’t understand addiction because I don’t have one! I’ve had a lot of friends with some sort of addiction but I can’t understand something I haven’t had myself! So saying this it makes me sad that I would help contribute to this addiction that is eventually going to kill this amazing human! I know I’m only doing the job I was paid to do but it was still a battle with me every single day that I was helping destroy these people that I like! This kind of energy started to drain me and make me dislike what I was doing! I would see the change in people as they drank, hell I’ve been a drunk moron too, but it hurt my soul! So being drunken fools they would then begin to pick on me and rip me apart! Misery loves company so the misery they felt they would now have to portray me into the painting of destruction!

You never knew what you where walking into, what battle are we fighting today, are they going to be nice to me today, or are they going to rip me to shreds, am I going to be busy, will there be fights, oh the chaos of being a bartender but 90% of the time it was a great time! I loved my people! These people who have become an extreme part of my life! A huge influence and even my best cheerleaders in my life! They would drop anything to help me as I would for them! Yes it comes with a lot of drama, I bitched about my job a lot, my job made me laugh and made me cry! I am no longer a bartender and my life hasn’t been the same! Unfortunately the place I spent 5.5 years too was sold and the place is now closed! I would do anything in this world to take back all my anger, or bitching, or laughs to have my job back! Sure we had some drama but we had the most amazing group of people working together to make sure our customers where taken care of! We had finally found mural respect for one another as employees as this bar, and now it’s all gone! It really makes me sad!! I hadn’t spent a thanksgiving with my family for 5 years because me and others would cook food for free so people had a place to go! It was a family affair and it was amazing! A lot of great memories and life time friendships made there!!

The Journey Begins

Thanks for joining me!

“Set a Fire Down in My Soul that I can’t Contain that I Can’t Control” Jesus Culture

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In my 40 years of existence I have learned that negativity does absolutely nothing for you. Energy is everything. What you hold within your mind, thoughts, soul, and body is key to a positive life. Everything in this world holds and attracts energy so why not attract all the good and positivity back. My goal is to eliminate all the bad clouds I have accumulated over the years of my life whether knowingly doing so or knowingly.