waitress/waitress

My friend Joe lives in LA, and has been coming into some great success with television work. Just recently, he did background work for “New Girl.” Look for him in the premiere if you know him! And if you don't, he's an indie-awesome looking guy with chuck taylors and a great pair of glasses. Look for him!

Anyway, Joe tweeted something the other day- I imagine while he was on set (!!)- that I really liked. “I'll put it this way:” he wrote, “I've never been anywhere I've wanted to arm-wrestle less than right here.” It was fun to imagine Joe on a real television set, living the dream, surrounded by many a douchey- looking actor/model with a too-tight t-shirt and scary arm muscles. And after a recent experience at a Mount Sinai “mixer,” I can honestly say that I understand the sentiment. In a big way.

I wasn't so much worried about the arm-wrestling thing. I usually hope to escape most places without having to arm-wrestle. But when Ben and I were mingling with soon-to-be med students (and munching on these really delicious coconut chicken-nugget things), I realized that I had never been anywhere I wanted to discuss my college major and current occupation less. I could feel my whole upper body turn red when I would tell someone that no, I am not in the program, I am actually a waitress. I had never felt like less of a success- with anything. I was surrounded by people going into one of the top medical schools in the country, and suddenly felt like my brain must be broken.

Afterwards, I had to take some time to remind myself that I am NOT “just a waitress.” I have a great many strokes to go with the whole waitress thing- waitress/dancer, waitress/writer, waitress/seamstress, waitress/actress, waitress/half marathon trainee, waitress/craft guru... I have a great many projects that being a waitress allows me to embrace in my down time, and I like my hobbies! I'm LIVING THE DREAM!

And that even if I was JUST a waitress, I'm sort of glad to be. I am very pleased with my new job- good money, flexible hours, everybody is SO nice, and the food is unbelievably good. All of it! The more I think about it, the more I realize how fortunate I am that everything has come together in this way, because being a waitress is exactly what I want to be right now.

Arm-wrestling, on the other hand, will continue to be something I avoid at all costs.