Being young is hard

Tue, 05 May 2026 21:52:09 GMT

I work with a girl who's 20, she's worked with us since she was 17. There is a thing that happens when people turn 20 and they're almost old enough to pour liquor, but they legally can’t. Some underage people do it anyway, even when I catch them; some refuse to work order positions so that it doesn’t even come up, and then there’s this girl. She happily comes to get me when she needs a cocktail; I may be cooking, carrying food, whatever. She doesn’t ask the bartender. I need 2 Palomas, she yells. Or, can you come make me a Margarita?

She’s wonderful, and knows the job better than anyone. When I step in the door she has a list of things that were done wrong to give me, and also reads it to me. I got a text from her this afternoon telling me that our boss needs to learn how to set up if he is going to be scheduled. She’s tired of walking into the mess he leaves and all the things that were done wrong.

I like to say she has grown up in this restaurant, and since her mom works here, this is actually pretty much true. Her older brother worked here also -but don’t call it nepotism… no one really wants this job.

Her boyfriend is a musician and they’re moving to Indiana to help him pursue his career; he went first to get a job and find an apartment and she'll join him soon. Is Indiana a cradle of neo-rap?

So, on top of knowing everything, being mad at our boss, telling people what to do, she has senioritis. I’m looking forward to hearing about her adventures somewhere new; what will her second job ever be like? Will she sass them endlessly?

She’s an overgrown baby bird in a small nest. I can’t wait to see what she finds out there.

I work with lots of kids and I wish I could tell them stuff. Stuff like: learn a trade, save your money, don’t start smoking, don’t work for assholes. They like it when I tell them what riding dinosaurs was like and what people did before cell phones to meet up. What if you got to the mall and your friend didn't show up?

These are some lines I drew today.

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A Day Off with Baggage

Mon, 04 May 2026 18:02:07 GMT

I’m finally off today after a long week. Every day has been longer than the last, leading me to believe that at this rate I’m going to live forever.
If I’m stuck in a never ending day, there will be eternity. There is no death today!

I’m tired, of course, but I think the fatigue is more mental than physical. I’m tired of being on my feet, solving all the problems, talking to customers, making schedules, counting money, answering endless texts, receiving complaints… but the real issue is the tension that permeates each moment. Cut labor, stay open longer, don’t spend money, make sure everyone’s attitudes are great, sell more food, think of new specials, focus on saving… but I’m getting paid today, 3 days late and $500 short.

I’m exploring a new drawing book by Lynda Barry, Making Comics. It’s pretty wonderful so far! I’ve been tricked into creating a character and giving it family, a job, life experiences, a wild past and a funeral. I think I just made a mini-zine.

I think he’s cute.

I’m pretty excited for my first ever post; and I owe my friend JCK a huge debt for the inspiration: thank you so much, and you look super hot today!

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wine_skin

Being young is hard

A Day Off with Baggage