As I mentioned a few posts back, I got a job at a wine shop here in St. Augustine. The pay was unbelievably lousy, the managers were incredibly uptight, and the vibe there was just not fun. Sure it was a job, but it wasn’t a satisfying one, and the pay was so low it was barely even worth it. Apparently I am super lucky to have even found a job as quickly as I did, as I have been hearing shocked remarks from almost everyone I talk to around here about how amazing it is I even found a job, let alone a decent paying one. So I was trying to count my blessings and fit in as best I could there. But I didn’t really fit in.

The last full time job I had before becoming a sailor was a retail manager, and my other recent work history has been doing totally weird things such as dressing up in costumes and walking around on stilts or being self-employed. So trying to fit in as a peon entry level employee with a bunch of 20 year olds was super weird for me. It is challenging enough in today’s economy to be job hunting. And here we are with weird gaps in our resumes, and salt seeping out of us as we go out looking.

Then one day I stopped at a cute little Cuban restaurant to get a coffee while I was waiting for Cap’t K to get back from running some errands. I was wearing my alien-looking Vibram Five Finger shoes that I go running on the beach in. I would never wear these shoes to go out job hunting….as much as I love them, they definitely look weird. And I wasn’t really job hunting that day, I was just getting a coffee. While I was sitting there the owner of the restaurant came up to me and commented on my shoes. “Oh, they look so comfortable!”, she said. Then we started chatting and I casually mentioned that my husband I and were new in town and that we were looking for work. She said that she was looking for help, and urged me to fill out an application. So I did, and the next thing I knew she offered me a job and I started working there the very next day!

This restaurant is a small, family owned, intimate place with great food and a warm friendly atmosphere. Everyone there is very relaxed and easy going and it feels SO MUCH better there than at the uptight wine shop. I’m WAY HAPPIER with this new job, and the pay is WAY better too!! Good thing I was wearing those weird shoes, or maybe I never would have talked to the owner of the restaurant.

My new job is on the oldest street in St. Augustine, which is in turn the oldest town in the United States. This street was the site of the first buildings in town, and dates back to the early 1500’s. Apparently one of the first graveyards in St. Augustine was located right under the restaurant, and the bodies are still buried there! I’ve been hearing stories of how haunted the whole street is, but have yet to witness anything paranormal for myself.

Cap’t K is still in work related limbo, with some promising leads that haven’t quite materialized into anything yet. Even though most people here are very friendly, we are still finding it difficult to meet people and feel like we are part of a community here. The marina here is convenient but the vibe is very transient, as most of the long term liveaboards in St. Augustine are at other marinas farther away from the downtown. We have looked into staying those marinas, but for now they are too expensive for us and they are not as convenient for me to get to work. My new job is only 2 short blocks from the City Marina where we are staying, so it is very easy for me to walk to work in just a few minutes.

We are enjoying a nice spell of warm, calm weather. We are back in the anchorage right in front of the fort again and it is much nicer there when the winds are calm!
Since we both grew up in the north, it still seems weird for us that it is Christmas time and we are wearing t-shirts and flip flops! But we are not complaining at all!!