Hello Housekeeping...

Let it be known that I have single-handedly changed the course of history for the Room Attendants of Canyon Village.
Up until about a week ago we had this stupid policy in place that required us to go help other Room Attendants in other areas of the Village upon finishing our list of rooms to clean. This might sound good in theory, but in reality it resulted in people dragging their feet, cleaning slowly and hiding out in rooms napping to avoid being sent to work. Being that I have a real job in the real world, I didn't come up here to make money, so I was irritated by this system because it was really cutting into my Yellowstone Time, especially my daylight hiking hours. It went like this for about the first two weeks or so and then one cold, snowy day, I got WRITTEN UP. It was the third day of snow since I'd been here and I had a horrible list of rooms to clean because it was "Due Out Sunday" (the day that most weekend guests are due to leave and their rooms have to be put back together.) My friend Stacey and I had combined our lists and when we finished we were exhausted. It was cold, the snow wouldn't stop so we turned up the heat shut the cabin door and laid down on the beds for a short nap. We hadn't taken any of our breaks yet that day. Well, we'd been there about 10 minutes when the door opened and someone I'd never met was standing there looking angry. She yelled at us and then left without bothering to ask if we had anything to say. She had a band aid over her eyebrow ring, by the way.
So, the next day I'm called into the main housekeeping office. As it turns out, Band aid Eyebrow Ring Girl is the Canyon Housekeeping Manager. She is 22. I sit there for a while with her and the Guy From Personnel and she explains that we are only to take our breaks at 10 am and 2 pm and NEVER to lay on the beds. I apologise for laying on the bed. After a few other formalities she asks if I am OK (at this point, I'm so angry I'm shaking). Then I meltdown and tell the two of them EXACTLY and in great detail, how I feel about the way things have been going and EXACTLY what I think about their policies. In the middle of my ranting they ask me if I want to be a Team Leader. I laugh hysterically and say, "Oh, God no!" Through it all I'm telling myself that they can take their job and stick it, if that's what they want to do. I have a real job in the real world after all. I do inform them of that last little point. By the time I leave they are apologizing for writing me up.
As it happens, I have the next two days off and we go to the Tetons to celebrate Jessica's 21st birthday. When I get back to work two days later and finish my list of cabins to clean I am informed that room attendants are no longer required to help out after they've finished their lists, unless the need the hours and want to work more. Over the last week I have had room attendants, team leaders and assistant managers come up and thank me for throwing a fit and causing the change. They say they tried to do this last year and it never happened. I'm just happy because now I have my Yellowstone Time every afternoon. This has been my best week here. I've hiked at least 12 miles in the last three days after work.

So I clean rooms up here and one would expect that that would entail
some pretty nasty experiences, but wow. Sometimes it just shocks a person. I think it was about my second or third day on the job when we found this sign on the sink of one room. My friend Andrew happened to be our teem leader that day. It was our last room of the day and after everyone whipped out their camera phones and debated about who got to keep the sign he stifled the poo with a big plunger. Andrew is my hero.
I will have to take some time to come up with tips for people who stay in motels in a later post. (Mostly avoid the ice bucket!) P.S. If you ever have to leave a sign like this, you should really leave a tip. $10 a poop is the going rate.
P.P.S.S. If you're wondering about the title of my blog, Exit to Eternal Summers, look up the lyrics to the Fastball song "The Way."