So today, while doing magic at the toy shop, I got a call from one of the managers at the restaurant I do magic for. They were recently purchased by new owners, and by all accounts everything they were doing were changes for the better. And at the time of my last magic shift two weeks ago, they had said nothing about changing my status at all.
Well, that just changed. The manager who called me today, who was not looking forward to being the messenger, informed me that, as of now, the magic is discontinued. She couldn't say for certain that this was a permanent thing, but it sounded like, and she felt like, it is.
So suddenly I am down one job and my only certain income I have throughout the week. Which sucks.
And a lot of kids and families who are regulars will be disappointed that there is no longer a magician (me) there. And that sucks.
And what else sucks is that the Wednesday night staff is going to have to deal with a lot of "Where's the magician?" questions for the next however long, just as the staff did in '04 when a management change prompted the end of my first tour of duty at this restaurant.
So this is a bad thing, right? Well yes...and no.
Somehow over the years I went from being a pessimist to the eternal optimist. I was not shocked by this news, mind you, as any time you have a change at the top, such things are certainly possible. And I know that from firsthand experience. But I was surprised. And I certainly would have appreciated a little more notice.
But as I said, I am an optimist now. I not only believe the truth of the phrase "When one door closes, another opens," I have lived it. (Well, professionally...not so much in my love life!
) So this is going to give me a chance to pursue other opportunities, perhaps doing magic, perhaps bartending, perhaps something else entirely. Who knows?
I know two things with a certainty.
1. I will land on my feet. It's not as if I'm not employed. I still have four shifts every week at The Bar, and can certainly pick up more.
2. If for some reason in the future the restaurant comes back and says they want to bring back magic, I'll be open to their offer.
But it will cost them.
I was getting ready, if things seemed like they were going to stay stable, to ask for a raise, as July would have been 3 years of my doing magic on this, my second tour of duty doing magic at this restaurant. Obviously I never got the chance. But if they do come to me one day in the future and say, ya know what, we'd like you to come back, we made a mistake....I will consider it. But I will only consider it for the amount I as going to ask for a raise to, not what I was making. And if they are not willing to pay me that amount, well, they can pound sand.
I don't expect them to come back around, but you never know. For now I am going to assume they will not. And I will be poking my nose around town and making inquiries, and perhaps picking up some extra shifts at The Bar.
One thing that is nice...having a beer before sunset on a Wednesday. I can get used to that.
So, onwards to the future....in the words of The Doctor, "What have you got for me this time?"
Slightly Less Magical Suddenly...
Linear Mode
