Breathe Deep

What a roller coaster ride!  This week has been up and down, aggravating and joyous, sleepless and renewed.  But I've come out of it rested, encouraged and ready to face next week.

I suppose this is all to be expected as we get closer to opening, in fact, it will probably get more intense.  I know I almost hit the wall a few times this week, and I spent more days wondering what the hell I was thinking than not.    The sleepless thing is huge.  It's pretty much impossible to have a good day when you're seriously sleep deprived.  Yesterday I really thought I was going to have a heart attack.  I went home around 3 and spent the rest of the day resting.  And with a good nights sleep and a relaxing day by myself at the shop, I feel ready to face what will most likely be our final week of construction.

This week we had a great little write up in the Marin IJ, all our tables and chairs are in.  Got the HR packets 80% done.  We got the oven primed and ready to fire full throttle.  Gonna make some pizzas tomorrow!  But most monumental is the store front finally arrived!  Now all the last minute finish work is being done and next week we start our round of final permits.  Tomorrow is our ADA report, Tuesday the POS goes in, Wednesday is the final clean up, Thursday is our final with the Health Departartment, then we just have to plead with the San Anselmo Building Department to let us get started training even though the stucco on the outside of the building will take 10 days to dry.  He won't give us a final until EVERYTHING is complete, including the sign which can't go on until the stucco is dry.  So hopefully, by the last week in September, or maybe October 1st, we may quietly open our doors!

Today I got my Alcohol License in the mail!  That has been the easiest agency yet for me to deal with.   Lynda, who was assigned to my application has been incredibly helpful every step of the way.  Now if everyone in a municipal office was as helpful as she is, it'd make opening a business a whole lot less stressful!

We've been "poaching" all week, going to restaurants and leaving our cards with employees we felt were doing an outstanding job.  I felt bad about doing this until several of my restaurant friends said they've done it at one time or another.  That in itself has been a very educational experiment!  I could write a whole blog on getting good employees, and then another on servers in Marin!

I've been on my knees a few times this week.  There are moments when the only sane thing to do is surrender.

Breathe deep........