Winter Has Arrived and Work Has Begun

I am sitting in Minnie rocking and swaying as we are being buffeted with 20-30 MPH winds with gusts up to 50 MPH.  The dark clouds are turning to a rain/sleet/snow mix and I am glad I do not have to be out on the road today.  From the comfort of my home I am watching guests pack up their cars to  leave and I wonder how many of today's guest check-ins will not be able to make it.  Should make for an interesting work day.

In exchange for taking time off at Christmas I now must work six days in a row, a total of 45 hours this week.  That is overtime even for someone accustomed to a 40 hour work week.  My mantra will be "I can do this!" and "If David, my co-worker, could do this, so can I!".  Last night was my first night and already I am feeling less than hospitable in this hospitality business.  I hope not to be a total shrew by the end of it.

I like working by myself but sometimes I just want to take it easy, cruise for a few of those work hours.  With no one else to fill in that slack, it is not always an option.  Thus, sometimes my give-ratio gives out.

I am expected to check in the lodging guests, deal with any problems they may have (me, lighting pilot lights!), give tours of the public and private pools, keep track of the coming and going from three private pools, get people into the public pools and make sure they leave when their time is up, take reservations for rooms and pools, deal with a multitude of people walking in off the street wanting rooms (which we rarely have), rent towels which then need to be washed, all the while being the most gracious of hosts.  At the end of the night I empty all the pools, set them to refill again, close out the books for the night and make sure I close up with everything neat and tidy.  It is just a lot of work.

Oh well, wonder what the day will bring.