Trash frustrations

OK, story time..i.e. I need to rant. Let me tell you about my day.

Have you ever had to clean up after someone? I've had various jobs in food service but few people have been as big of pigs as my shipmates are. I'm in the Navy, but you'd think I was a bus boy at a Chili's. Every night we stack the tables in a clean bay. We sweep and mop the floors, napkins are filled and tables are wiped down. In the morning, my shipmates leave me with empty McDonald's bags, Cheerios that are soaking in old milk, used hair brushes, tables unstacked and moved inconveniently halfway across the bay. I've seen half eaten cheeseburgers, old grapes, used napkins and coco's containers. Every morning I am greeted with orange peels, half eaten apples, drinks left out, etc. etc. Oh, my favorite, by far is ramen noodle containers. I mean really, what gives? Shipmates, let me clear it up right now. I am so honored that you want me to pick up behind you and baby you and throw away all of your crap, but stop it! Its ridiculous. If I was to leave trash for someone to pick up after me, my mom would make sure it never happened again. Its easy to tell who was raised properly by simply observing a lunch  time on the mess decks

Now I realize that nothing will change by writing this but at least its making me feel better. The other day, I was working and sat down across from some of my shipmates while I was re filling napkin holders. There was a guy sitting across from me who got up to get a refill on his drink. He came back to pick up his cover and started to walk off without his tray. I called him out on it. "Hey! Hey. What are you doing? Are you going to get your tray of trash?" He turned around really fast and picked it up. I looked him dead in the eye, and said, "Really? Really?" How are you going to run off and leave your tray with the person who works on the mess decks sitting right across from you? Talk about disrespect.

The other night I was stacking tables in bay 1 to get ready and close down for the night. Two shipmates of mine had the idea to take the tables down (that were already stacked) so they could sit. There were plenty of other tables they could have sat at. I walked up as they had just unstacked the table. "What are you doing?" They both look at me, idiotically. "Put that back right now." I say. They whine, "But there's nowhere to sit." "Put it up right now." I stand arms crossed, waiting. I waited for them to re stack the table and find a different one to sit at. They probably think I am the biggest bitch in the world, but I think their common sense is missing.

Now, the salt and pepper game is a game, I wish not to bring up. I hate that game. Let me explain. The salt and pepper game is when a fellow shipmate turns the salt or pepper upside down and screws the cap just barely on, so that when its picked up....ALL THE SALT SPILLS. I hate this game! No matter who wins, I always lose. Someone played this game on me 4 times last week. They only got me three. They got someone else a couple times though because I cleaned up the mess. And you know what, yeah, I get it. HAHAHA its so funny. Try cleaning it up everyday and see how frustrating and not funny it is!

We are switching to day check/night check shifts. I got Wardroom 1&2 days. So I'll be working with officers. We'll see how this goes... I'm a little sad because as much as I complain about how rude my shipmates are, I absolutely love working with my friends on the mess decks. Everyday is an adventure because everyday, some sort of hilarity spills out of one of our mouths.

The other day I was stacking tables with our new 3rd class. He's really not too too bad, and helps out when he can. He's hard to describe. He looks very nerdy, wears glasses, and acts about 12 years old, as Rocha would say. Anyways, were stacking these tables, and clearly, he is struggling. Collins walks by and yells, "Hey, let me know if you need a real man to stack tables." The 3rd class raises excuses that the chair is in the way, etc, etc. Collins just shakes his head, and say "Really, let me know if you need a real man's help." Haha. Everyday, I walk into the scullery, some sort of obscenity is being yelled at fellow shipmates who put their trays and cups away incorrectly. Collins has been refilling apple juice but puts a prune juice label on it. People walk by and turn their noses up, "Prune juice, eww?"

I only have about a month or less left to be in the officers mess decks. I won't have to worry about them leaving trash because I will actually BE their bus boy. But I'm really kind of excited! Except for being separated from my previous crew. Cookies! Real coffee! Better food. HERE I COME :)