J.O.H.M.: August 2010

August was our one-year wedding anniversary, and a fabulous month of better acquainting ourselves with the beautiful, green city of N'awlins. We went on a swamp tour, went swing dancing at the Spotted Cat jazz club on Frenchmen Street, had a visit from Adam's mom, had our first po-boy sandwiches, and ended my short stint as manager-AND-housecleaner by hiring a new maid.  Also, Adam emerges as the "tweetier" of the two of us.



ANNA

We got PAID! A small amount (comparatively), but it sure felt wonderful. Probably helped that they gave it to us in a thick wad of $20s. :D

2 Aug

ANNA

it's confirmed. Our hostel is infested with cows. :( #extremelyinconvenient

3 Aug

ANNA

Made $130 just by making 3 phone calls. I love my job.

6 Aug

ANNA

Wow, I'm so pumped!: in the 1.5 mo.s that we've been here, we've brought the ratings up 2% - which sounds wimpy, but ISN'T.

20 Aug

ANNA

Interviewing people for a part-time house-cleaner. This is kinda fun. :)  

20 Aug

ADAM

Well, that was interviewee #1 for our part-time maid position. And boy was she hardcore. I'm nicknaming her "Mother Superior".

21 Aug 




ADAM

Interview #2: A disabled woman who comes w/ a $2500 tax break & job coach. It went great, actually. Just not sure OUR bosses would approve.

21 Aug




ADAM

Interview #3 has the most experience out of any of the 40 candidates that have contacted me. Unfortunately, she's a drug addict.

21 Aug


ADAM

Interview #4: Heeeeyyyy, OK, now this is more like it. Someone asking ME questions. No experience, but cleanin's not rocket science. Maybe!

21 Aug

ADAM

Interview #5 is a no-show. That puts her behind several applicants, but ahead of several others.

21 Aug 

ADAM 

Huh. Well, yesterday's best interview was with an ex-drug abuser ready to prove herself, but today's have been an embarrassment of riches.

23 Aug 

ADAM

Interviews are over! We've finally hired a new maid! Hallejulah!

24 Aug 

ADAM

Stuff I now own b/c guests left it: a guitar, a portable pull-up/push-up bar, a very big knife, a copy of LOGICOMIX (funl!), & a lot of vodka

30 Aug

ADAM

@lillemusic Yo sis loves ya. Music producer @ our hostel last nite (BMW, personal assistant, knew stars, the works). Anna pimped Lille. :)

30 Aug

Visit to the WWII Museum

Mardi Gras beads dangling from live oak trees lining St. Charles Ave

Scruffy & I on our first swamp tour

Waaaaaay cool!

Adam, gator

Little Vic's Gelateria (*sob, now no more!They made a darn good panini)

Our first GROUP booking experience went well!

St. Charles streetcar

Streets of New Orleans

Joys Of Hostel Management (J.O.H.M.): July 2010

Happy Anniversary to me! :D  *confetti*

Yesterday, July 1st 2011, marked the one-year anniversary of my arrival in New Orleans. (Dear lord, but it went quickly... Jaw-droppingly quickly)

In honor of this special occasion, I have a little treat for you, dear readers: back in March I randomly started reading back through the messages Adam and I posted on Twitter throughout those 9 months.** Most of our funniest tweets were about random or annoying things happening at the hostel, and we usually labeled them "#joysofhostelmanagement."  It was a hilarious trip down memory lane, and I began compiling the best of the tweets to turn into a blog post about our hostel management adventures. So for the next 12 days, you'll get one post per day, representing each of the 12 months we've spent here. Enjoy!

**for those of you unfamiliar with the particularities belonging to the art of Tweeting, each message one sends out into the Twit-world is only allowed to be 140 characters long. This is why there are so many abbreviations and annoying word substitutions in the below messages. Normally, it makes Adam and I shudder to change "you" to "u", but the tweet sometimes demands it. Apologies to the grammatically sensitive.

JULY:

ANNA

Learning how to run a hostel. Life is goooood!

1 Jul

ANNA

First shuttle pick-up and guest check-in on my own -- I got this, yo. :)

4 Jul

ANNA

Fellow employees/bosses =watching fireworks and getting smashed, I'm cozy in the hostel office with internet, my Kindle and the boss's dog

4 Jul

ANNA

Good grief, was tonight a test or something?Missing bedsheets, broken light fixtures, a screaming dog, no gas in shuttle van - crazy night!

5 Jul

ANNA

Booked my first tour! Dang, that was an easy $40.

5 Jul


ADAM

Another day of learning on the job with half my brain tied behind my back. But the bosses are very cool with that. Now to watch THE GAME.

8 Jul


ADAM

My first Saturday night managing a hostel in New Orleans. Yeah, things are lively.

10 Jul

ANNA

Bourbon House Hostel is currently listening to Lille. And loving it.

15 Jul

ANNA

Housecleaner quit on ME, after we had a weird wrestling tussle over making pancake batter for breakfast. Lucky for me, the bosses didn't really like her anyways.:/

21 Jul

ANNA

Augh! Dorm bed guest thinks she got bed bug bites - the death knell for any hostel! Truly the most terrifying prospect ever. *bites nails*

21 Jul

ANNA

No housecleaner = me cleaning WHOLE hostel every day. It's a good morning when I've finished cleaning all 5 bathrooms before 9:30. w00t!  :)

25 Jul

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First impressions: neighbors

First impressions: neighbors

First impressions: Boss #1 (the one on the right)

First impressions: French Quarter

First impressions: visit from Sarah!

First impressions: French Quarter

First impressions: French Quarter - perfect little green house

First impressions: French Quarter alleyways

First impressions: Rainbow

First impressions: Restaurants I enjoy

First impressions: Mardi Gras love

First impressions: View from our loft/room into office below

First impressions: Office, with stairs leading to our loft/room

First impressions: Welcome to the Bourbon House Hostel!

First impressions: my kitchen

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