hotel x

i've worked two days at a medium swanky hotel in downtown toronto. vin diesel checked in today. i'm a "bellperson." i park and retrieve cars and carry bags and say "good morning" or "good evening" or "hello" to people arriving, and "take care" when people leave. i get tips when i give someone their bag or when i'm holding open the door of their car. it's intimate and sad and nothing like tipping in a restaurant. it feels like something out of the 1800s. 

above all there is nothing to do. i stand there and look professional. it's by far the least work i've ever done. it's boring.

i had to park a chevy suburban today and when i got out of the car i had sweat on my forehead. those things are unbelievable.

people constantly tell me i'm good looking, way more than anywhere else i've worked, and i don't know what it means about the work environment. maybe it's that everybody's under great scrutiny in terms of hair, attire comportment, and so a person's face is fairer game than usual. i now understand how ppl itched, back in the 60s or something, to grow their hair out. all the higher ups just wear ugly suits. but the right to pick out your own ugly tie each morning is a privilege in the hierarchy so i wish i had it.

i smile a lot and fantasize about sitting down. the lobby is mostly marble, but there's a big purple rug in the middle and i stand with my heels on the rug so it's softer. i got reprimanded once for leaning. it's a nice looking place. i wear a black jacket that looks like a mao suit without buttons and black pants and black shoes. i also fantasize about when the health benefits will kick in so i can get these special shoe inserts sculpted to fit my foot. 

the back of the house is comically dingy the instant you step through the door. there's apparently about one employee for every person staying at the hotel when it's at full capacity. there are tons of good looking people staying or living at the place.  

i make like $12.50 an hour plus tips, which i'm not getting now because i'm in training. i hand them off to my colleagues. the newest one has been there for eight years - the longest tenured for 30. they make the same base pay as me, despite all the years. one also bartends and another also drives a cab. tips way down from what they used to be - probably the economy in recent years. but the old timers remember when luggage with wheels got big about 20 years ago. that killed tips. now it's $30-40 for an 8 hour shift.

the doormen all seem to be burly guys with beards. most of the bellpeople are people of color - all men. the concierges supervise us, sort of. the ppl at the front desk are all preppy and young and cheerful. the managers all seem to be either white men or asian women. the managers all sit at the big central table in the cafeteria, and no one else. the food is mediocre.