It Doesn't Suck While It Cuts

The hazards of working at a restaurant are few and far between, but let me tell you they do exist. Thus brings me to my experience of Saturday.

About 30 minutes before my shift end and with only myself and the bartender on the floor we got busy at Ruby Tuesday. It was fine and dandy, I was able to keep up with my tables and make sure they were happy. Then about 15 minutes I got hit with a table that wouldn't make up their minds along with a party of 6 and two funny old guys who wanted a refill on their Cosmopolitan Martini.

So there I was busily moving around trying to keep up when I noticed that the bartender was just as busy and couldn't get to making my drinks. Being a bartender myself, (a whole other blog about that will follow soon) I jumped behind the bar and got to work on 2 Cosmos. I got them all shaken (not stirred) leaving just the lime wheel to do. We always have a problem keeping sharp knifes to cut fruit in the bar. I don't know where they end up, but they disappear all the time. I blame the bar gnomes on that issue, as before that is best left for another entry. I grab the knife and got to town on the limes. (as a side bar I hate cutting knifes as they are always tough skinned) No sooner did I cut the first one when the lime slipped on the second one causing it to roll and fall creating the knife to slice down on the next best thing...my fingers.

All I could do was start laughing and wince. The bartender just happened to be there after it happened and I told her that she needed to come finish the limes as something came up. I go booking it to the back knowing that I don't have time for this due to a new table and 4 others that are in various stages. Slugger, my boss was in the back and I asked him to get the band aids. There I am rinsing my fingers off, oh yeah it was a two finger injury, and holding them high up with pressure applied.

I wish I would have thought about it as I would have snapped a few shots of the action with the only free hand.

My good friend Emily was the 4 o'clock server and thankfully showed up and took the party of 6. Then the bleeding wouldn't stop and I got some of it on the sink side so Slugger went and cashed out all the tables that were ready to leave. In the end I was able to bandage the fingers and cover the hand up with a glove, yeah I was totally rocking the rubber gloved version of Michael Jackson. I can say I was very concerned that I wouldn't be able to fully give myself to the Rock Band event later that night with two damaged fingers, but we never got to the Rock Band so I was safe. I did manage to go home with a nice, clean, super sanitized left hand and a right hand that smelled of bleach and sanitizer from cleaning the sink up. That was discovered at the Saturday evening adult session of Stake Conference.

Here are a couple pictures I took the following morning as I was changing the bandages. I must have gone deeper than I thought as the light bleeding continued till this morning when I finally ceased band-aid wearing.

After looking at the photo's you might call me a baby and say they are nothing but a mere slice. Let me remind you that this was taken the day after, and I heal rather quickly. Also the pictures don't do justice. The middle finger was way bad as the knife went down and under (like it went under and forward at the same time) the skin pretty deep. Index finger got off with just a graze.

Monday when it came time to work the bar again I was rather reluctant to use the super sharp knife on limes.

Well I must run I have plans for a future injury and have to work out the details.

Cheers!

-Gawdun