Money.  Let’s all admit it, no matter how shallow someone sounds when they say it, it may not be everything, but it sure helps a load.  This is the first bar job I’ve had since the Whistle and Flute, and to be honest, it’s my fault.  I should have never expected it would be the same way.  As much as I loved working at the Whistle and Flute, I told myself that I didn’t want another bar job.  I hated the way the people looked at me in this degrading way as if I was just another blonde barmaid that if they chat up enough, they might score with.  I hated the fact that I was so put down by customers when I made one little mistake on their drink.  And the truth is, I used to not take that.  Anytime a customer was rude to me, I would show them the same respect that they just showed me.

Old Royal Oak is a bit different.  It’s run under a different company than the Whistle (Whistle was Fullers, Old Royal Oak is Greene King), and it’s not a proper pub.  It’s mostly a family restaurant with a bar so that when parents can’t be bothered with their kids running around, they have a pint to cool their nerves.

Unfortunately, because I made about three mistakes in my first week as most people do, my manager officially thinks I’m incompetent.  Forget the fact that I’ve been working my ass off since then (now I’ve been there for about three months), and made about 2 more mistakes since then, and that I’ve done a better job behind the bar than the majority of the people that work there, INCLUDING HER.  Because of this, she won’t give me more hours, which means my income has become extremely low.  I now get paid 80 pounds a week.  That is NOT enough when I have to pay 50 pounds a week to get to London and back for two days, pay a phone bill at the end of the month which is 44 pounds, and a rent which is 35 pounds a week.  NOT WORKING.

It’s amazing, though.  She’s gone for two weeks, and we’ve had a replacement manager come in named Rob.  Guys.  I LOVE HIM.  We have a BOSS NOW.  I’m not sure if I complained about this in a previous entry, but if I haven’t, then my complaint is that MY REAL MANAGER DOES NOTHING BUT SIT THERE AND DRINK AND EAT!  She runs the pub completely backwards, and it takes my assistant manager (and now good friend) a good 45 minutes the tills at the end of the night, when it should only take her half that time.

But now Rob is here.  I’m so glad he has entered our lives.  He runs the pub the way that the Whistle was run.  It’s like working there all over again.  When we’re busy, we can make it fun.  He cleans, he’s taught Catty the real way of cashing up, he’s lenient, if we make a mistake, he says “it’s okay, don’t worry, I’ll take care of it” without sounding like we just killed his dog.

Last week, after looking at the Rota, he decided that he was going to try and see if he could get some kind of authorization from the Greene King, and see if he can change the schedule around and cut hours for some people, and give more to others, so that everything is equal.  Truth is, my manager plays favourites.  So because she loves someone, she will give them all the hours they so wish.  When she doesn’t, she will give them no hours.  One of my friends is going through the same thing I am, but the problem he has, is that he has a kid.  So he’s got him to support as well.  We, apparently, have some sort of percentage that we are supposed to spend on wages.  Apparently, we are WAY over, because certain people work too much.  So HOPEFULLY, I’ll be getting more shifts!

I just need to the extra money to commute to London.  Which is frustrating enough as it is.  It’s even more frustrating when we have a tutorial rather than a class.  That means that I have to pay that 25 quid just to go there for 15 minutes.  LAME.

I don’t mind my classes this term.  I take Screenplay Writing, Language and Gender, and Spanish.  Spanish is the only one I seem to have a problem with.  But I am so not even exaggerating when I say that I have gotten into major study mode this term.  You should see my Language and Gender book.  It’s all pink, not because it came like that, but because I highlighted the shit out of it.  My Spanish is the only one I seem to have a little bit of difficulty with.

And maybe, hopefully, I hope that my hours become more existent which will mean that I will be able to actually attend all of my classes.  Yes.  That would be nice.