Check Yes or No (while waiting)

Tonight was my last night of scut work! I know that term is usually is indicative of the crappy work 3/4 year students due in medical school, it sort of fit tonight as well. It is the "Hey, take this to table 43. Take this to table 12. And this to table 2." My only question to that is "Where the F is table 2?" At Topeka's we don't actually have a table 2, but we do have an incompetent server who screwed up table numbers all night and screwed up orders. Really makes for an interesting evening when you are delivering a filet mignon to a table that wanted mozzeralla sticks.

I thusly finished food running tonight and can now tell the difference between a sirloin, filet mignon, porterhouse, T-Bone, and Rib-eye. All things considered, the only difference I can see between a filet and a sirloin is that the filet gets 2 toothpicks and the sirloin gets 1. I digress.

The expo last night was named Jennifer. She is probably an inch or 2 taller than me, and maybe about 25. Her mom is the bartender at Topeka's, and Jennifer carries an attitude bigger than I don't know what. People call her mean, but the only thing I can do is be "mean" back. I have found out the true meaning of "fight fire with fire" over the past couple days as I have heard about many of the servers/hostesses complaining about the others because they are "mean." But the only thing you can do is go to their level, and that usually makes them laugh. I somewhat feel my maturity level has decreased, but at the same time, it is awesome interacting with all of my coworkers as they are not what I have come across in my ventures through the University of Richmond and Georgetown University. Of course I say that in complete fear of making some huge overarching generalization, however many of these people have been looking just to get through High School, and the people I met at Georgetown have Master's degrees now. (Please don't think I am so horrible person by saying this). I really have loved every minute of it and am really starting to like the people I am working with it. Sarcasm is rampant and that is basically what gets us through the nights.

Back to Jennifer though. Tonight she was a server (as opposed to expo last night) and I was acting like I always do -- Like I said, playing off what the others give me -- and at one point, I saw Jennifer writing in the corner of the restaurant by the break room. I had happened to be looking for the manager at this time, and tried the break room, when Jennifer handed whatever it was she was writing to me. It said:
"Check one:
_ Girlfriend
_ Boyfriend
_ Single
_ Seasponge"

I got a pretty good laugh out of this and sort of felt like I was in 3rd grade. I was reminded of the country song "Check yes or no" when the singer was given a note saying "Do you love me? Check yes or no" Unfortunately I did not have a pen, but a few minutes afterwards, Jennifer gave me a pen to check which box it was the most pertained to me. Being the sexy stud I am, I chose single. For the rest of the night, things started getting a little "weird" that is she wasn't as playful, but started asking me more in depth questions (other than "what kind of food is this"). And it really felt like she was more thinking along the lines of "oh crap, what do I do now" thing. I just liked to laugh at the humor of it all.

Wow, I really can't believe I just broadcasted that to everyone reading this. Let's just say I am not going post what I really think about the situation, and you guys can use some sort of imagination. (Don't let it get too out of control :) ). I am sure though in time you will find out what has happened (either way).

Doing a complete 180 -- I recieved 2 small envelopes this week from Medical Schools. Which is REALLY disheartening. The first one was from Tufts University. But luckily, that only said that my application was complete. The second was from Penn State (in Hershey, not State College). The letter said that I was in the "Continue to Review" Category and that a decision about my application would be made at a later date. Fun Times. Essentially that letter means (I think) that they don't quite want to reject me, but I am not yet quite good enough for an interview, but I could be if they do not recieve enough applications that are better than mine.

So the waiting continues. I found the complete irony in the title of my blog "Waiting Around" the other week when I put together that I have been waiting around for a medical school acceptance. I originally used it as a play on my name (which, by the way, I have gotten TONS of jokes at work about) but it has completely transformed into this dogma that is my life. I am in a perpetual state of waiting. Not to get too philosophical, but isn't that essentially what all of life really is going to be? Waiting for something new? The way I see it is that I am waiting to get into medical school, then I will be waiting to go to school, then I will be waiting to start meeting with patients, then I will be waiting to hear about my residency, my job, my wife, my kids, my retirement (and, morbidly, my death). It's a constant waiting game. I guess the only thing I can do is enjoy each different period and what it gives me. Whether that be waiting (heh) tables, or treating patients, every "thing" that I am going to encounter is going to have some sort of mark on the story that is my life.

So maybe that can incorporate into a possible signoff slogan: "Still waiting..." (I'll see how that flies over the next few posts.)

-Still waiting...
waiter