Don't piss me off.

I was chatting with this random elderly woman to pass the time. She was very interested in my philosophy of applied positive psychology. After a bit of decent conversation, she asked me if I worked while attending school and I mentioned that I was a bartender. She gives me this disgusted look and asks, "Goodness, at least you won't be pursuing THAT much longer."
"Oh, I love being a bartender. It's great money, dependable hours, and repeat customer base."
"But you wouldn't want to be doing THAT for the rest of your life.... Ugh..."

Talk about pissing me off! What the heck is wrong about tending bar?? Jeez, she reminds me of my mother who says that bowling is a class statement. Come on!
Forgive me for wanting to serve alcohol into the wee hours of the evening to individuals with a PERSONALITY!

Finally finished!

Mixology, Bar Management certifications - March o1
American Bartending Association certification - March 08
Delaware ABC Server Training Licence - March 12
T.I.P.S. Certification - March 14

What a productive half-month!
Jen/Liz/Greg's birthday party went well. Money was made and people went home very happy.
I love being a private bartender, but I'm still looking to work part-time regularly at an establishment close to home. I'll definately keep checking in on Amici's. I love the place, but they are "fully staffed" for now. I'll check in every month or so to see if anything has changed.

Interviews

I met up with some bar managers in the area, but I'm really not looking to work in a bar that also provides billiards and pool. I don't want to fear a cue ball flying towards the bar when a customer is tipsy and angry. I am looking forward to my interviews with country clubs in the area. If I'm in way over my head, I'll apply to Ruby Tuesday. Maybe it would be a better start, since I would only be working part-time. I won't have regular refreshers to keep me up on my drink recipes list.

My first party to bartend is approaching. I don't think this will be a considerably large event, but a little practice and review never hurt.

I Rocked It!

Passed 44 hours of professional mixology training with "excellent test results" and perfect free-pouring. I completed a CRAZY order of twelve drinks in under six minutes. For the stress I was under, I'll say that's kick-ass. The exciting part is that I'll just get better.

Delaware state legal server licensing is the evening of the 12th in Wilmington. The 14th I have T.I.P.S. in New Jersey.

I'll tackle flair bartending in my free time with a friend. Can't beat this: cute, smiling bartenders with mad bottle flips and dancing! I need to watch Coyote Ugly again...

::sigh:: What an exhausting week. I'm thoroughly acquainted with making 130 drinks, I know how to make over 250. I'm not afraid to say I'm proud of myself.

Now to find a job!

Classes

Ok, I love making dessert drinks. How come people so rarely order them? lol (admittedly, I wouldn't. They're not my taste)

Martinis are so boring. What in the world - and the people who drink them are so uptight and self-important.

Best thing about Highballs: it's so difficult to break the glasses. They are so easy to hold.

I'm a girl, so I'm going to say that cocktails are my favorite thing to make -and drink. You can get away with the strangest names for cocktails, too. ;)

When in the world did "liqueur" become "cordial"? I can't break the habit and start calling them "cordials"!

I swear to you, why is free-pouring so difficult for some people? Thank God I'm good with my hands. I haven't dropped anything or spilled for that matter (except on those damn dessert drinks).


I'm signed up for TIPS certification March 14th with Ed. Horray! Baby steps...

Bartenders are pharmacists with limited inventory.

Turns out I talk too much about my excitement for this bartending school. Two (possibly three) of my friends will take the class with me! This calls for a party when we graduate. Conveniently, the Cheesecake Factory is across the street from the school. :)

I'm hoping that if I worked in a more respectable setting such as a country club, I would avoid getting hit on so much. Hard to tell, though. I know when I dress nicer I tend to look sexier. I get more attention from gentlemen in my business suit than if I'm wearing a tee or babydoll. Can't figure it out. What happened to the days when you looked hot is you came to school in your PJs? lol I would consider it funny, however, if I went home with more phone numbers than tips. We'll see how it goes.

**Bartending Starts This Weekend. Wish me luck.**

God knows when you don't tip.

Intoxicologist - What's your Poison?

If it requires a blender, we're out of that.

I'm the cute bartender that your friends were talking about.

I have the booze, thus I control the Universe. Be nice to me....

Prices Are Subject To Change According To Customer’s Attitude.

The difficulty in bartending is figuring out who is drunk and who is just stupid.

I inherited my mother's materialistic genes

So I gather that all the certifications I'll gain after 40 hours of School are:
Professional Mixology
Liquor/Beer/Wine
Bar Managment

I should get TIPS certified, too. It's training for intervention procedures to identify and handle intoxicated customers. I think the most promising knowledge I'll gain from this four hour class is how to appropriately cut off your customer from alchohol. Delaware approves this training, but I'll also need a Delaware state issued license to serve and/or sell achohol. After schooling, I can work in Pennsylvania if I so choose, but Delaware requires that I take this extra training through the Delaware ABC Program (Delaware Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control). Ew. Here I need recertification every four years. Man, I'm gonna be decked out with certificates.

I'm crazy about these business cards you can design on the internet. They even make t-shirts and magnets. Kinda silly, but I find it fascinating. Browsing the web I noticed these customizable bar signs for your home bar. Of course that got me thinking about designing a home wet bar! Wheee! My mind's going crazy for these ideas. But, keep on track, Ruth. Get certified first in Mixology, and if all goes well, then get the other certificates and at that point you can invest in business cards and such. ::sigh:: That doesn't sound as exciting..

Aura

Ed asked me what kind of bar setting in which I would prefer placement. Geez, I actually didn't think of that, can you believe it?

Night Clubs, Casinos, Country Clubs, Sports Bars, Hotels, Airports, Fine Dining Establishments, Cruise Ships, Restaurants, Pubs, Caterers and Private Parties... all these options!

I don't think I have the ears to handle someplace that is consistently loud and/or crowded. I can always handle a lot of customers, but my hearing impairment really makes things difficult for me at times. Considering I converse well and appropriately with upper-class, country clubs would be ideal professionally. They're always playing subtle piano pieces in the background that I am accustomed to and learned to appreciate. Of course, I love love love dance music at club settings, but I can't have everything that I want. It's too loud. Again with the selfish bit, Rich customers are the best tippers. Fewer customers, higher tips. Sport bars tend to have a college atmosphere to them and as they are busy, they are cheaper.

Casinos aren't within my comfort zone.
You can bartend at an AIPORT? What the McJiffy?
I can picture myself at a Hotel. I just don't want to always be moving around and Hotels stay put.
My main concern is that I shouldn't bartend anyplace where smoking is permitted. Should I stick to private parties/events like weddings?

Why?

I met with Edward Younger, the director. He has twenty-five years experience as a bartender and bar manager. I can't ask for more than that. He seems like a cool guy. I think we got along even better because we're both psychology majors.

Man, this is a for-real trade school. The certification never expires and is recognized and accepted by every state in the USA and every country in the world. I'm gonna get so spoiled.

So anyway, I was talking to Ed and he asked me a very important question: What is my Motivation?

What do I desire from it? I just want to have fun and go home with more knowledge than I came with. Seems like a win situation to me! If I make it a career, go me. If I don't, then it's another skill I'll have under my belt. Geez, I hate that expression. Who came up with that in the first place? Ick.

Wish me luck!

I fell in love.

I fell in love with AAA International Bartending School. It's in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, but it's well worth the drive.
I'm excited! They certify all grads in the art of mixology, beer, wine, and bar management.
Thank God there are bartending schools that have authentic bar equipment. A real school! This should give me a very realistic idea of what the tending bar involves. It's state certified and they grant national job placement. I'm calling this kick-ass.

Free Lifetime National Placement...Free Intro Flair-Bottle Flipping ...Free Bar Management Training...Free Refresher Courses...Free Liquor/Beer/Wine Certification...

"Our training is designed to develop a broad drink vocabulary, proper mixing technique, speed, excellent product knowledge and familiarity with all other related bartending operations including bar flair."

I'm gonna call them up.

Decisions, Decisions

School. Having suffered through thirteen years of pretending to tolerate these idiots/beasts we call "teachers" and four years of satisfying "professors" via the American formal higher-education system, I've decided that I want a mixology certification. It's more of a hobby than a career move, but even so, I like quality.

I think online bartending sites are a joke. They're cheap (aka "affordable") but I derserve better. I don't value the quantity of my interests, but the passion towards them, and I'm a sucker for quality when I pursue most anything from a portable compact-disk player to forms of education.

What will I do with it? Honestly, I don't know. If this economy of our falls into a depression, people will still drink, if not more. This is selfish, but it's a job to fall back on if I don't finish my other occupational traning.

I myself am not a drinker: Mix it, don't Drink it. Admittedly, I enjoy a glass of champagne at weddings and such. I'm an artistist person and consider mixology to be a craft. Numerous times I have been told I'm good with my hands, so why not attack bartending, too? I like exploring my talents/abilities/gifts as well as things I suck at - like figure skating, for example. I like to skate, I just suck at figure skating.

Worst-case senario, I'll have more knowledge about liquor/beer/wine that I can use to my benefit if I should host a party in the future. These certifications are lifetime, so if much later I wanted to get up off my lazy ass and try bartending again, it's an option. Women love options. :)

Little Cordy

So I've decided to make this an account of my bartending experiences.
Schooling, interviews, and work rants. Yeah, I'm going to do this!