Change: I Can Roll With It.

Do you know what I've been up to this past week since turning in my bartender keys?? Aside from the obvious answer of blogging and consuming unhealthy amounts of coffee each morning, I've been steadily taking up a collection from my personal supply of spare change.  I sit on the floor each night and a few minutes every morning, sorting, counting and rolling.  Bet you didn't see that coming did you??

Hey, I'm no slouch when it comes to pinching pennies.  In fact, I've always been teased for the way I squirrel away every last cent.  But desperate times call for desperate measures! 

It didn't take long for the relief of leaving my last job to wear off.  The deep sigh of relief has now progressed into shallow breaths of anxiety.  How am I going to pay my bills now? I need to make just a little more money before heading to New York.  What am I going to do?

These are the kinds of thoughts that are probably amplified by the obscene daily dose of caffeine brewing from my kitchen each morning.  If there was ever a weakness of mine, it would have to be coffee.  Of course, if you've been reading along since July, you probably already know this to be true.  

So as I stumbled into the kitchen sometime last week, newly unemployed and plagued with this terrible bug to travel, I poured a cup of comfort in a cup and made an assessment of my situation.  

The dilemma is, I wasn't able to reach my financial goal in the three months I spent behind the bar this summer.  It was a seasonal position, as most jobs are this far up north.  In fact, once Labor Day had come and gone, so too had all the people! 

This place, as aforementioned in my earlier posts, is an idyllic summer retreat.  People travel far and wide to this town to soak in the summer sun and swim in the aqua blue waters of the Great Lakes.  Until late August that is; when the leaves begin to show signs of the impending cold that promises a six month long deep freeze.  

That's when the town's numbers are cut in half and along with it, the job opportunities. That was not a surprise to me.  That was part of the plan.  I had a deadline.  I had an exit; an escape plan of sorts.  

But as we all know too well, things have a way of changing.  Plans change.  Seasons change.  It's okay; change is how I roll.  I've figured out how to handle change much better than I used to... Huh, changes... Change. Roll with the changes. Now there is an idea... Roll some change!

Okay, so it's not exactly going to solve my problem entirely.  But, it has given me something productive to do while I figure out the bigger picture.  

In case you were wondering, yes I am rolling the change myself.  There are machines that sort and count change of course, but they take a huge percentage! And since I've become an amateur coin enthusiast anyway, I really don't mind the tedious process of picking through the piles and periodically checking the dates the coins were minted.  In fact, I would even say that I enjoy it.  

Go ahead and tease me.  I realize that this information only amplifies my super nerd status.  Blogger.  Film Geek.  Roller of spare change and collector of wheat pennies.  

While I'm on a roll (pun intended), I might as well tell you that I have flash cards for all these drink recipes that I carry with me to the bar.  So I guess that makes me a nerdy bartender as well.  

While I still haven't figured out how to solve my financial woes, at least I've made a small dent this past week by accumulating all my spare change.

I can rest easy, knowing that my time away from work hasn't cost me anything yet.  After all, a penny saved is a penny earned.  

I believe now more than ever that change is a good thing. 

Today: 

Cosmopolitan

2 oz Vodka

1/2 oz Cointreau

Splash of Cranberry Juice

Splash of Lime Juice

Shake and strain into a martini glass.