Today was looking like a TOTAL, Complete & Utter FAILURE. Was.

My schedule for THIS week at work is paltry: 8 hour shift as a cashier tomorrow, 6-ish hour shifts as a "floater" (someone who gets drink orders for newly seated diners) on Friday and Sunday.  And that's IT.  Before that schedule got posted, though, I had requested OFF for tomorrow through Wednesday, because I've been booked on a "possible" THREE-DAY call for some BG work on a film/television shoot.  When I asked for that time off, I indicated that I was fully available in any capacity for any number of hours Thursday through Sunday.  I was told, essentially, I'd get what I got, and any shifts I couldn't work, I'd have to find someone to cover for me.  I'm not being treated unfairly by these "rules" - they apply to ALL.  In fact, the reason I had so many shifts in this past week is because I picked up TWO from a guy who'd let them know he'd be OUT OF TOWN - for a funeral, of all things - but he got scheduled for those days anyway.

Which means, I think, that now that I'm no longer in training, but I'm the most recent hire, I'm going to always be scheduled for Monday morning cashiering and Friday and Sunday floating.  It's a long drive for 20 hours of work, and those are not great "tips" shifts.  Let's hope I manage to either pick up more shifts from my co-workers, or better yet, book more industry stuff.

In the meantime, I'd agreed to do a bit of voiceover for a friend's class assignment, TODAY, after work, and we were going to carpool this morning because it was convenient (this is the friend that helped me get the restaurant gig, Lynly).  Only, I left the apartment this morning without my phone.  And she lives in a big-ass building with a door-buzzer system that only works 1) if you know the apartment number, AND 2) the tenant has a land-line phone hooked into it.  *buzzer sound* thank you for playing, you got ZERO out of two!  I got there, found parking, and then stood outside calling her name... a neighbor across the street, who was washing his driveway and sidewalk, like an idiot, because you know, DROUGHT? let me borrow his cell phone so I could call Stephen to see if he could somehow reach Lynly.  We couldn't quite figure that out, and I could see from the borrowed phone what time it was, so I decided to just book it outta there, and go to work (I assumed that Lynly had either somehow forgotten about me, or, not reaching me by phone, taken off unseen).  Shortly after I left there, Lynly DID text my phone, so Stephen played a little "liaison" for us, and we drove separately.

When I got to work, I knew she'd either have words for me or give me the stink-eye or something, because seriously, WHO leaves their lifeline on the table at home? In Los Angeles? On a day when they KNOW they'll be using that sucker, probably ALL day? This idiot, that's who.  She did give me a bit of a chastising look, and I walked in that door explaining myself to her, but she still handed me the script, which was ironically titled "Over It." Then the restaurant exploded, and I didn't really have a moment to think about the script or anything else until it was time for me to take my :30 "lunch".

But I still hadn't gotten tomorrow's shift covered by that point, and I was getting a little desperate, and Lynly'd been cut early (which actually made the missed carpool a blessing), and she was getting a little desperate about her class, and she made me give back the script in case she needed to replace me, and I had no way to call all the folks I needed to call, and it was looking to be a nightmare :30. So I ordered some tater tots, clocked out, borrowed a cell phone, and started calling the nearest geographic link in the chain.  Eventually, after I ate some tots, I looked again at the phone list for our link, as well as the schedule for the week, and I called Michelle, who answered her phone and was happy to take my shift.  Why I hadn't seen her name or thought of her earlier is beyond me.  Ennyhoo.  Crisis averted.  So I was also able to call Lynly (who was headed home by then) to let her know it would be me, and did she want me to come straightaway or what?  Well, no, because without my cell phone, how would she know to let me in? Erp. Blech. ("You're a loser, but I love you anyway." - No, she did NOT "say" that)

Finished the shift... called Stephen to let him know I'd be coming home to change clothes and grab my phone, but would likely not be eating dinner.  No worries - he'd done something in the crock pot and had already eaten (because he has to be at his job for a two-hour store meeting, after hours).  But wait, before we hang up, did I manage to get the shift covered?  YES.  YAY.  (I initially kinda thought that he might hear the sense of relief in my voice, but I realized that he hadn't been watching me stress out over it all day, so) YES.  YAY.

Lynly, BEHIND the mic stand. FUN!

Did the VO gig, obvi. Tomorrow, I get to be on set again, for day one of a possible three. As a "hip, casual lesbian in a lesbian bar."  I have no idea how to dress for that... 'sall good tho.  Everything's good.  Today was a success!