What I Learned This Summer

It has been AGES since I last wrote. This is not for lack of horrifying/awkward/hilarious things happening to me. No indeed, my life has continued to be a mixed bag of such events. However I simply did not have the time/motivation. My boss at the club decided to start scheduling me 4 nights a week aka ALWAYS friday/saturday/sunday nights till close so I had three nights off and would always be with my gorgeous friends as I am soon to leave them for school. Also my inability to say no to people meant I was stuck at the club until after 10pm every night I worked. Also also Ten Chimneys got crazy so I had no time to write while at my desk as my ear was glued to the phone.

BUT I am now done with both internship and work and want to share all the things I learned this summer:

1. I am really good at being polite to people.

2. Answering a telephone for 8 hours a day is why some people go coo-coo-bananas in offices. It is so frustrating sitting babysitting a phone while everyone else gets to talk/have fun/go to the bathroom/drink coffee/eat food.

3. I can carry big heavy waitressing trays of food.

4. With the help of google maps, I can navigate anyone to the inner depths of southern Wisconsin.

5. People will not give you zip code unless specifically prompted to do so.

6. Going out with your co-workers is rarely a wise decision. Just go home to bed.

7. Given a bullhorn and large orange baton I am really good at parking cars.

8. I can operate a walkie-talkie.

9. I know what Gnocchi is.

10. I am much better at serving trays full of beer than of food.

11. I am a master at apologizing.

12. I need a cup of coffee to function properly in the morning.

13. Entitled people are in all walks of life and are equally frustrating to deal with.

14. The actress Laura Linney is super nice in real life.

Some fun math from the summer:

Interning full time = 37.5 hours per week or 412.5 hours total

Working part time = 22 hours per week or 242 hours

For a grand total of = 59.5 hours per week or 654.5 hours spent being polite/gracious/running my ass off or answering a telephone.

Telephone calls answered for Ten Chimneys: 1,063

Tour reservations made from those calls: 532 aka saying the same scripted thing 532 times

Informational calls answered: 272 aka answering the same questions 272 times

All of this boiled down to be about 5 additional lines on my resume.

16 hours aka the amount of time I spent at Ten Chimneys as a PAID employee after my internship was over.

AKA all of this was WORTH IT times a hundred.