"Ship can't have more than one captain."
Happy holidays, y'all, and best wishes for the new year. May 2010 be a big step up form 2009!
In fannish news, I've been chin-deep in Yuletide stuff for the past couple of weeks. I have three stories coming up at the AO3 Yuletide archive: 2 for my assigned recipient, 1 stocking stuffer for one of the last people to get assigned as a pinch hit. After the Big Reveal I'll cross-post to this journal. And, now that Yuletide is basically done, I should be able to settle in and write some more Firefly fic. Maybe some Bloody Jack fic, too: it's becoming apparent that, if I want such a thing, I'll have to write it myself (meta on why this is a Good Thing will, I hope, be coming soon-ish). *g*
The last non-Yuletide thing I was working on was for Firefly. I didn't have it all worked out, and I don't think I'll finish it... but it was going to center on tension between Mal and Zoe, and end with Zoe saying, "Ship can't have more than one captain," as she walked off the ship.
Well.
I've mentioned that I'm a chef. Technically, for the past year and a half, I've been one of two head kitchen managers at my restaurant. In the beginning, when the other guy knew the system and I was still learning the ropes, that was great. I got someone to show me what's what, he got someone to take care of some of the grunt work and cover the weekends, it was all good. But the more I learned about the place, how it works, and the direction the owners want us to take things... the harder it got, for both of us, to work within a system that didn't clearly have one person in charge. We had the same position, technically, and the other person had been there longer, which in my book means he should have had final say on a lot of things.
But when push came to shove, a couple of things happened: 1. He didn't consistently step up and take the lead. 2. He fundamentally didn't understand the direction the owners wanted us to go. And 3. He took on too many other responsibilities (2nd job, family stuff), which means he often wasn't finishing his stuff on time, and wasn't available when last minute decisions had to be made -- so those fell on me. I'm fine with that. I'm even fine with making the decisions and later being told, "Well, I would have decided something else, but I guess it worked out ok." Or, when the situation merits it, "You made the wrong decision. Next time, do it this way instead."
What's not cool is when I make a decision that DOES work, for the people who are there and have to personally deal with the immediate consequences, and then I get raked because I didn't intuitively know that the (other) chef wanted it some other way. When I extend someone extra consideration because I know his personal life is hell right now, and he doesn't do the same for me. When I take on more responsibilities, work stupid hours, change my schedule at the last minute, take the lead on things because somebody has to... and then get shit because I'm (apparently, all of a sudden) not supposed to be making decisions without him. When it gets to the point that we don't trust each other at all, and therefore we can't accomplish anything.
All of that had been building up for months, in the background of the disaster that is my personal life and the various, more immediate, work crises. Then, a couple of weeks ago, it came out that my co-manager's lady had been sleeping with one of our cooks.... so both the manager and the cook quit on the spot, and I got left holding the bag.
Pause for a moment of sympathy and silent reflection.
Done?
HAPPY DANCE!!!!!
I'm the frickin' captain, yo!!! It's MY KITCHEN! I am the chef!
Of course I'm also, Merry fucking Christmas, working like 60 hours a week until we (the GM, the owners, and me) get everything sorted out. So it's good, or anyway, it's going to be good. But it's a lot of work, and a lot of pressure, and it's definitely not easy right now.
Fortunately? We're closed for three days this week.... so now I'm off to cook, clean, and wrap presents. Merry Christmas!
In fannish news, I've been chin-deep in Yuletide stuff for the past couple of weeks. I have three stories coming up at the AO3 Yuletide archive: 2 for my assigned recipient, 1 stocking stuffer for one of the last people to get assigned as a pinch hit. After the Big Reveal I'll cross-post to this journal. And, now that Yuletide is basically done, I should be able to settle in and write some more Firefly fic. Maybe some Bloody Jack fic, too: it's becoming apparent that, if I want such a thing, I'll have to write it myself (meta on why this is a Good Thing will, I hope, be coming soon-ish). *g*
The last non-Yuletide thing I was working on was for Firefly. I didn't have it all worked out, and I don't think I'll finish it... but it was going to center on tension between Mal and Zoe, and end with Zoe saying, "Ship can't have more than one captain," as she walked off the ship.
Well.
I've mentioned that I'm a chef. Technically, for the past year and a half, I've been one of two head kitchen managers at my restaurant. In the beginning, when the other guy knew the system and I was still learning the ropes, that was great. I got someone to show me what's what, he got someone to take care of some of the grunt work and cover the weekends, it was all good. But the more I learned about the place, how it works, and the direction the owners want us to take things... the harder it got, for both of us, to work within a system that didn't clearly have one person in charge. We had the same position, technically, and the other person had been there longer, which in my book means he should have had final say on a lot of things.
But when push came to shove, a couple of things happened: 1. He didn't consistently step up and take the lead. 2. He fundamentally didn't understand the direction the owners wanted us to go. And 3. He took on too many other responsibilities (2nd job, family stuff), which means he often wasn't finishing his stuff on time, and wasn't available when last minute decisions had to be made -- so those fell on me. I'm fine with that. I'm even fine with making the decisions and later being told, "Well, I would have decided something else, but I guess it worked out ok." Or, when the situation merits it, "You made the wrong decision. Next time, do it this way instead."
What's not cool is when I make a decision that DOES work, for the people who are there and have to personally deal with the immediate consequences, and then I get raked because I didn't intuitively know that the (other) chef wanted it some other way. When I extend someone extra consideration because I know his personal life is hell right now, and he doesn't do the same for me. When I take on more responsibilities, work stupid hours, change my schedule at the last minute, take the lead on things because somebody has to... and then get shit because I'm (apparently, all of a sudden) not supposed to be making decisions without him. When it gets to the point that we don't trust each other at all, and therefore we can't accomplish anything.
All of that had been building up for months, in the background of the disaster that is my personal life and the various, more immediate, work crises. Then, a couple of weeks ago, it came out that my co-manager's lady had been sleeping with one of our cooks.... so both the manager and the cook quit on the spot, and I got left holding the bag.
Pause for a moment of sympathy and silent reflection.
Done?
HAPPY DANCE!!!!!
I'm the frickin' captain, yo!!! It's MY KITCHEN! I am the chef!
Of course I'm also, Merry fucking Christmas, working like 60 hours a week until we (the GM, the owners, and me) get everything sorted out. So it's good, or anyway, it's going to be good. But it's a lot of work, and a lot of pressure, and it's definitely not easy right now.
Fortunately? We're closed for three days this week.... so now I'm off to cook, clean, and wrap presents. Merry Christmas!