Pros and Cons of the Office Life.

Working in an office job where I actually get to sit down and work comfortably is so nice compared to working in a job where I'm running around like a crazy person, sweating, stressing out and constantly trying to catch my breath. I think a lot of people really don't understand how great it is or appreciate being able to sit at work. Well at least people who haven't worked in a restaurant.

I may just be biased -- after 4 years of sore legs and being exhausted after work, a desk job is like a blessing. But, it comes with it's obvious problems.

Problem number 1. I get tired of sitting. My legs are restless and I find myself constantly changing positions in my chair or trying to find an excuse to stand up and walk for a second. Maybe that's just me. While I do like to sit and work at my own pace, I often find myself wanting to move around. So I do. I think it's important -- it keeps your blood flowing, burns a few calories, and gets you away from the desk for a moment, clears your mind, whatever.

That being said, these are the excuses I use for getting up: using the restroom - several times through out my 8 hour shift, grabbing a snack from the break area, faxing something somewhere, printing something, or even just to walk around the room once (although some people look at me funny when I do that, heh).

Problem number two 2. It's harder to control your weight. Working in a restaurant, I was able to eat like complete crap and for the most part keep my body the same without much change. For example, everyday that I worked at beefs, I ate one meal there, which is probably somewhere between 800 and 1500 calories depending on what it was. But, the constant movement, luckily for me, didn't allow for much of it to show. Now, working at a desk job, I've had to change my diet completely and add in more exercise in order to keep my body the same. Granted, I'm not eating at beef's every day anymore, but I'm also not walking 10,000 plus steps every day anymore either. So, I had to compromise. Now, for the most part, I eat much healthier, I exercise more and I try to eat out less (because believe it or not, restaurant food is just bad for you). And, through all this, I've even managed to shed a few pounds, and I know I'm healthier -- so maybe this is more of a plus.

Problem number 3. Sometimes the day just goes by so darn slow. In a restaurant, you're always busy (for the most part), so time flies by. In the office, its often slow and quiet...and slow. So, those 8 hours can sometimes be painful. But, I get through it (having a computer in front of you all the time seems to help).

But despite all these problems (which for the most part seem to have easy solutions), working in an office, (in my opinion) is still way better than working at a job with unsteady pay, where you are on your feet all day and where you sometimes have to sweat a little. Just saying.

I Hate Goodbyes

Today was bitter-sweet.

I closed a chapter of my life by putting in my two weeks notice with Beef O'Brady's. It's strange because I've been working there for the past 4 years and for the last 3 of those 4, Beef's has been and incredibly large part of my life -- more so than it probably should have been. It's almost like leaving home. Most of my friends came from there as did my boyfriend and many of my meals - heh. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to be done working there. This last year, serving has been very difficult for me, I'd even venture to say that I hated it. I'm ready to move on with my career, and I have. But like anything that's been a normalcy in ones life for so long, it's hard to say goodbye.

I know that every now and then I'll miss it. I'll miss making good tips, and getting free food, and meeting really nice people every now and then.

But I won't miss the bad tips - sometimes no tips. I won't miss the rude people, feeling like a servant, or feeling like everyone thinks I'm below them. I won't miss running around like a crazy person, and I won't miss being on my feet all day.

Needless to say, it's just time to move on. Goodbye Beef O'Brady's. It's been a good run.

I'm Career Girl Barbie!

As of today, it has been exactly 3 months since I started at my current job/first post college job. I have been working as a temp, with no benefits whatsoever, which of course I'm used to by now. But, I'm happy to say that this afternoon, when I came to work, my boss called me into her office to inform me that my temp hours are coming to a close.

After just 57 more temp hours, I can finally become an actual full time employee, complete with benefits and a raise! That means, when I have to go to work on the holidays while everyone else gets to enjoy them, I'll be making double time. It also means, I get health insurance and paid vacation as well as sick time.

I'm so excited, I'm finally starting to live like an actual grown-up. Yay me :)