pies and cappucinos to go... i mean, take away

'you got any mince pies 'er stuff?'

a fat man on the other side of the counter asks me.

not that this is in anyway characteristic of the folks i serve as an employee of The Old Bakehouse, just a little example.

i've been in edinburgh for exactly a month. i'd love to say i can't complain, but i can. i work at a cafe 40 - 50 hours a week. doing exactly what i swore i would never do when i first left the service industry. and doing exactly what i said i wanted to do when i got to scotland.

'i just wanna work at a little cafe,' i said. and here i am.

a lovely little cafe, it is. art gallery downstairs. internet access. greeting cards for every occasion.

but serving is hard. harder than planting trees? certainly not. harder than sitting in front of a mac making tv guides?

i reckon it is.