Leaving Town

Well I made the big move, sorta. I left my parent's house to move into my aunt's house in a suburb of Chicago. I did this in hopes of being here there would be more opportunities to find a job and a social life that isn't reliant on my parents. Since I was a recent transplant to the area I didn't know anyone so there wasn't much else for me to do. Here in Chicago I have family and friends and a few leads on jobs. But I am still hoping to find that newspaper photographer job somewhere.

It was a little weird on my drive here, thinking that hopefully this was the last time I would be living with my parents and so on. A few of my friends are saying congratulations on the big move but I have yet to see it as such since I feel like I am doing the same thing I was in Potsdam (searching for a job, everywhere) but I know a few more people. I guess what I am trying to say that I feel like this is a huge transition in my life but because that job that I really want isn't near it doesn't feel right yet.

a whirling dervish, new ideas, and tourists at the Blackbird Cafe

Alright! I'm back up and running! I've been delinquent in blogging for awhile because both our general manager and our head cook decided to leave our cafe this past spring! Both individuals are moving on to bigger and better things, and we wish them the best of luck. They were both fantastic employees and will be missed greatly.

Consequently, I, as the owner, have been a whirling dervish trying to hold everything together in the mean time. Even as scary as the whole prospect seemed at the onset, things are working out okay! I've found an interim cook for the summer (still looking for a head cook for fall though), and I've managed to delegate enough other responsibilities that I'm not running ragged.



Interesting tid bits to report on:

1. Summer is our s-l-o-w season and we've definitely seen an impact in sales (as was expected). One of the results is a change in our labor force. At the peak we had 17 employees on the books, but for summer there are only enough hours for 9 employees.

Another result is the need to cook up new ideas to draw people in. The result: A new summer dinner menu, radio advertisements (rare for us) and promotionals (never tried them before).

2. I have found a local pork producer!! So we've added pork chops and local sausage to our new dinner menu. (I am very excited about this.)

3. I've noticed an unusually high number of people filling out applications for employment.

4. The tourists are coming! In the summer we often get tourists stopping in, usually on their way to somewhere else, and I'm already noticing their presence.


'Til next time.

the unwinding, whirled dervish,

Katrina Hebb

I hope you have time to apply

I have recently gotten the "I hope you have time to apply." email from two different employers only to get more rejection. When I get that first email I am excited, thinking "Great, these people remember me and want me to apply for x, y and z." I don't think I am going to be thinking that anymore. I am just going to apply and forget about it until I get the rejection notice a month later. Or maybe that one time I get the job, because it only takes one.

Sarah
photographer/recent graduate