I think that I'm getting sick of summer. I don't like going to work day after day and watching the time where I could be doing whatever I want or sleeping go out the drive thru window. It sucks.
I had the day off today though. I felt so much better after i woke up this morning. After about 10 hours of sleep in my very comfortable bed, I feel like I could run a marathon and then probably go back to bed. lol. :)
I finally got the phone i ordered today in the mail. Its alright, sure was used, but whatever its nice and i guess for fifty bucks thats what i get.
I am going to A&W tonight with Tony for dinner. I'm excited, I haven't been there in a while. It is good and Tony and I haven't been out to Flushing in a while. Then tomorrow we both have the day off and we are going to go to Ann Arbor. Hopefullly.
I miss Ann Arbor so much. I miss being on my own and having the day to me. I miss going to class and coming back and doing homework. I miss all the people in Ann Arbor. I miss all of my commitments and all of the other things that I love to do there. I miss my much loved and missed weekend in Ann Arbor with Tony. I miss it.
I just want to go back.
Ann Arbor is this place where everything is practically perfect. When I am in Ann Arbor I feel free and in total control of my life. That's where I want to be all the time and it seems like being in Swartz Creek for the summer has made this more and more evident that I don't belong here. I don't feel like me when I'm here, and really all that is here is my family and Tony. I don't mind coming home to visit, but living here is not something that I can stand for very long.
I keep telling myself its only 3 more months. But three months is quite a long time. Its a long time when daily you have to go into McDonalds and work. Its a long time when all you can dream about is all the fun you've ever had in Ann Arbor. Its along time when you have to live with your parents and they won't let you have the freedom that you do when you are on your own. I guess I just have to keep my head above the surface and breathe. It will be over soon and I will be back in my home and back to doing my own thing.
I hope that this year is better than last year. I have to do better in all of my classes and I am taking quite the load this semester. 18 credits, 3 EECS classes, a 400 level math class and... sick, i don't know if I will be able to keep up with all of it, but I'm going to have to. Its scary.
I sorta feel old these days. I was down in Ann Arbor with my friends last night. We were planning on having an awesome night, but we just sat around and watched the rain. I feel like in the last like almost 2 years we've gotten so old. It also kind of hit me when we were in Cedar Point and our bodies hurt after every thrill ride we went on. I guess i'm not 16 anymore and I am not invinciable. I am just, well, getting old. I mean I'm only 20 years old so I'm not really old, but I'm feeling myself get older before I really want to even be older. Weird.
I have to go to McDonalds in a hour and a half... and I have to stay there for six hours. I don't know if i can do it. It makes me sort of want to puke. Its boring and hot. There is almost never working air in the building. I was informed the other day that our air conditioning system is controlled by a place outside of the store. Is that weird to you? Is your home air system controlled by some one else? Some place where you can't just go change it your self? Is it controlled by a place that never picks up its phone? yeah well Your house isn't called McDonalds and you are not a crazy person.
I am gonna go. good Bye.
My hair is a different color. I decided that I needed a change. It's very dark, but I really like it. I sorta want my hair to be like this forever. But I'm sure within a month or so I will want change again. I am never content with the way my hair is. That is one thing I really don't like about myself. I can't just be content with long hair that is natural in color. I always have to color it and cut it. Right now its really long but I really want to KEEP it long so I will not cut it this summer.
McDonald's is the WORST place on the face of the Earth. Not only is the food just BAD for you, most of time I find myself lyign to people on a daily basis. Today a lady came through the drive through and wanted an Nonfat iced vanilla coffee. Well I forgot to push the nonfat milk button and well... Oh well I didn't change it and I gave it to her. She says "Nonfat right?" and I answered "Yes, with vanilla flavoring. Have a good day." I didn't even think twice. Not more than 10 minutes later another person comes through and orders a decaf coffee, well I didn't have any made so I just gave them regular. O well maybe they will die because the caffeine will cause a heart attack or something. Should I feel bad because that would be my fault? I guess I should. But I have to keep drive through times down and I really didn't care what these people wanted. I only care that I get them in and out of the drive through with in the 90 second period that is alloted for each paying customer. Its pretty sad.
I think this is the number one reason why I hate McDonald's. Everything is centered around getting people in and out as fast as possible. I was watching/reading something on the internet that was talking about the inside of fast food restaurants and why they are uncomfortable, with loud coloring and hard plastic seats. They are done this way so that no one wants to stay. The less time people say the more people you can fit in in shorter amount of time. And in turn, the more money the company can make.
All the different rule books and training guides that I have ever seen in McDonald's have down to the millisecond time break downs of how long each step in the "user experience" things should take. Making a double cheese burger should only take 15.8 seconds. (That is of course with the meat premade and sitting in it's 15 minute 183.4 degree holding cabinet). I just don't understand why there isn't a little bit more emphasis about getting the food to the customer with a little bit more quality and hospitality. But would I really do this? No, I'd rather follow the rules of McDonalds, get things done fast and go home. As described above, I don't care about the product that I am serving the person. I don't. As long as I can keep drive through times under 100 seconds and get these people in and out here with a smile on both their and my face.
And I suppose that the people keep coming back because they like the quick service that we provide. I mean really, if someone doesn't get their food in like 23.9 seconds, they get pissed and want free stuff.
What is with America and getting their food free if its not EXACTLY what they want. I mean really you can't pick a single pickle off your cheeseburger? Alright if i screw up I will remake it for you, but I won't give you free stuff because of a silly little mistake. Sorry you couldn't wolf down your food in .9 seconds because you had to bring it back up here and show me the hair that fell off your head(i know because I have eyes and your hair is curly and the people in grill's isn't) and ask me to remake it, and "throw me some free cookies because that is just sick. Honestly. Get over it and just be happy with your sick fast food.
Oh and YES your fries are cold after 10 minutes of playing with your kid in the play place.
-JRA
So I believe that I can truthfully say that I have experienced everything there is to experience at a McDonald's Restaurant. I have faithfully worked at McDonalds for going on five years(off and on, summers home from college). So I've seen it all. I think today I just want to account on the bad things that go on inside that establishment and all the WONDERFUL people I have had the serve the mediocre food to.
I started working at McShitHole during my junior year of high school. I was very reluctant to take the job and I really had no desire to work in the food industry at all. But being 16 years old with no work experience made it a little difficult to find a job else where. So I sat down for my interview with the manager and was hired that day. I had an orientation, got a uniform and was informed that I would be starting my first day on Monday and I would work from 4 to 8.
I admit I was excited and really nervous my first day. My first day I did meat and wall and a boy named Matt was going to train me on "meat". I had no idea what to expect. So I walked with him and before I knew it he was gone and I was on my own to keep up with the demands of the never ending meat trays. The task wasn't hard, but it was hot and I was slow. But that four hour shift was over in a heart beat and I quickly headed home with all sorts of regrets. For hours I went over and over in my head the mistakes I made during my short first shirt.
Months passed and I soon made friends, wasn't shy and really had the hang of grill. I knew how to make like 10 sandwiches at once on my own in under two minutes. I could put meat and wall down like it was no one's business and I was fast. One day I decided that I was SICK of just coming in day after day and going straight the grill to work my long hot shift making people's food, so I asked if I could be trained on front counter. The managers unwillingly trained me and before I knew it again I was left alone, to figure it out on my own. I was nervous. Now not only was I having the demands of McDonald's policies and ways, I also had to please the customers that were giving me orders. I'll admit, my first day on counter was probably the worst day of my life.
Let me just say, the general public has no patiences for "new" people. Not only did they look at me funny while I was endlessly searching for the button to make a double cheese burger with every topping on it doubled/tripled and cut in half. I also kept hitting the wrong dollars amounts as they handed me 20 dollar bills and then grabbing change from their pockets. So i probably looked like a moron as it took me a good 10 minutes to count change back to these people. I really wanted to look at them and explain that I am not dumb... for that matter I'm pretty smart. I'm an all "a" student and I'm really good at math. But then I realized that they probably didnt' care and the only reason the are coming to McDonald's is because they are hungry, not to hear my sob story.
So a few more months go by and I am a PRO at everything McDonald's... well everything except Drive Through Order taking, or as its called in the McWorld, Back Cash. I come in one Saturday morning about about 11 o'clock and was given a head set and a cash drawer and told to push these buttons to store the order and take money from the other screen...... "WAIT>>> WHAT?" was all that went through my head as I was asking the person to repeat their order. I think I got yelled at by the public about 10 times that day. I can remember one guy saying "If you can't do the job get some one else to do it" I really wanted to say some foul words to him, but I bit my lip and told him to have a nice day. I wanted to cry by the end of my shift, but I knew it really wasn't my fault. I just felt like an idiot.
McDonald's then became this little place that was mine. I had my people there and even a few crushes. It was life. I loved my job because everyone loved me. I was a great employee and I would do pretty much anything asked of me. (I wouldn't clean puke and I wouldn't do anything that had to do with a public toilet) So it was great.
Senior year came and went with its many ups and downs. I had been accepted to Michigan Ann Arbor and knew in a few months I would have to quite my job. I was excited but my last day after my shift was over I went to my car and cried. I'm not really sure why I let the tears fall, but I was sad. I went home and didn't know what to do with myself. A few short days later I moved away from home and still didn't know what to do with myself.
I came home after my freshman year of college and walked into McDonald's and was happily greeted by all the familiar faces. I got my job back and everything went back to normal. This summer after my sophomore year of college I also got my job back. I didn't want to go back, but i felt as if i had no other options. This time I got my job back through the drive through.
Now that I'm back in that strange environment it's no longer the same. I don't like it anymore and I can hardly even stand going to work. Its mostly the customers. They are so rude and don't even care that we are dealing with their food. For all the know I could be spitting in their burgers and drinks. I always want to ask them "Does it make you feel better to belittle me because I work at McDonalds?" . Really honestly, Why is it okay to treat me like I'm the dumbest person that has ever walked this earth because I work at a fast food establishment? I really don't understand. And I wouldn't get in trouble for being rude to the customers, I would explain to them that I am going to school to become an electrical engineer... and I'll let them know that I'm more than likely 10 time smarter then they are and will one day hold a more prestigious job then them. And I will also be a better person because I will treat all fast food resturant employees with respect because I know how it feels.
Some people are really nice though. And I thank them for being that way. Just yesterday this lady was being SOOO rude to me because i was charging her for milk(sorry we don't just give away free milk because you bought coffee and we don't offer milk packets). The guy behind her starting say he was sorry for how she was treating me and just trying to help me out a little bit. Its people like him that we need more of in the world. I just don't understand why someone has to be so rude. What happened in their life that was sooooo bad that they had to come to McDonald's and take it out on me... I'm sure I had nothing to do with it.
So I suppose for the next few installments of this blog I will be complaining and just writing in general about McDonald's and all the Lovely people that grace the presence of my work day.
-JRA
PS. Thank you if your one of those people out there that can put up with a mistake and have a little patience.
