Why Delivering Ubereats is Much Like Being a Waiter

 Since January of this year, I have been delivering for Ubereats. It is my first job since I left on disability back in 2017. The steroids have helped stabilize my hemoglobin at levels not seen since four years ago and I am happy about that. Not only have I more energy but I can now get out there and make some money. Obviously because of the pandemic we have been shattered because we happen to work in the service industry.

Thankfully without having to jeopardize my disability payments, as little as they are, I have not had to knock on doors to look for employment during this pandemic. After all with my immunocompromised condition, I would not want to work in a setting where I was put at risk just to make a few dollars.

A friend of mine mentioned that being a delivery driver would be a good idea. At first, I thought that would be boring. Just waiting around and waiting to deliver something seemed like not something I wanted to do. So I thought maybe to give Ubereats a look. I wanted something where the hours were flexible. If I wanted to take Saturday night off I could. As we are a one-car family that would also work.

Well, I never thought I would say this but this is probably the best decision I have made in finding employment right off disability. I am also the best person suited for it. Why you ask would I like doing Ubereats? Well, I will be blunt about it. I can handle the bullshit! The training I had being a waiter for 38 years has enabled me to understand that a lot of people do not know how to communicate properly.

For example, I am delivering this meal to this address and I find they are a bunch of townhouses. So what is the unit number? I got to call the people or text them to ask what number are they at. They answer back like oh 68. No sorry no nothing. I wonder if they will add the unit number? Probably not. 

People use excessively the service as well. Once I had to pick up this order. I quickly had to empty my bladder and when I walked out it was only an iced cappuccino! I had another delivery to pick up after that so that iced cappuccino sat in my car for a good 25 minutes. Then to top it off when I entered the lobby of the apartment building the door slammed on my back leg causing me to wipe out almost losing the drink and dropping my phone. I opened a wound on the back of my leg causing it to bleed all for an iced cappuccino. I was not impressed.

Then at night that is fun. Try finding a number when the occupant of the house has all the lights turned off. Or the laneway is full of snow and ice and you have to balance what you have in one hand and your phone in the other. 

Now with the pandemic and the occupancy rules of places like Starbucks you have to wait outside in the cold and wind gusts for your delivery order. 

Parking at some places where you deliver is tenuous at best. One row of townhouses I deliver to sometimes I can drive to the townhouse but I cannot turn the car around to drive out forward. Therefore I have to be careful and drive in reverse back to the main road and enter it backwards.

I mentioned earlier about heading to the washroom to empty my bladder. One time I had to piss so bad I stopped at this gas bar and the guy told me to wait outside. I mentioned I just needed the key to the outdoor bathroom. He said I had to wait outside as there were already two inside the gas bar. I shouted back listen if you do not give me the key I am going to piss outside. I walked out and someone came out and handed me the key. Just in time, I might add.

Of course, you have to read the instructions too. A lot of people say just leave it at the door. Do not knock or ring the doorbell please with an exclamation mark. I take a picture, send it, then press delivered. I will get in my car and get ready to drive on and their food will be sitting there in the cold. I am left thinking they are waiting for me to drive away before they open the door to fetch their rapidly cooling Chinese food or chicken dinner. I know I would be grabbing it quickly.

The fun part that I find is like when I was waiting on tables every day is different. You never know what is going to happen. Like working a la carte I may get a delivery then get another notification of another pick-up nearby. I get in the car, drive to that one and pick it up then while I am dropping off the last delivery I may get a notification to pick another right after I finish the drop. Just like getting sat a few tables all at once in a restaurant, I get the same buzz. I know when this happens I am making some money. Fridays are the best day when I usually make over $200.

I usually average 34 hours a week. Last week I delivered 93 meals. I take a couple of days off and the money is surprisingly good. So I am hooked. It is easy for me but I can see like being a waiter few would put up with it for very long. It may appear easy but there is the stuff that people would not put up with for very long. I am used to it though. So it is water off a duck's back. 

Soon, I want to add Instacart where you do groceries for people. Same idea and even more bullshit but I hear it pays well. This is the future and I  am doing it. Feel good about that and that I can do it.

Rick's Cafe

When I was staying at the Hedonism in Jamaica back in 1985,  and if you want to check out the place you can click on the resort by clicking on the name to redirect you to it,  there was a place down the road called Rick's Café. The location of Rick's Café is known for it's spectacular sunset. One evening I had to check it out.

I do not remember the cliff diving though so I included a video of someone with a lifeguard shirt who has obviously done this before. I did a bungee jump in my last post but I couldn't do this. It has a cool Bob Marley song while you watch him climb high for the jump. The dive to the water is really fast which makes me think this was edited and no one actually does this jump but let's pretend everyone does just for now.

Jamaica is quite a place to visit. It is pretty chill there as you can imagine. Had a nice day trip and scaled up Dunn River Falls which was pretty cool as well. Other than than it was nude sunbathing. eating, drinking, and toga parties at the resort. Below is the video and some photos I snatched from the web site. Like I said I was never big into photos. I wish they had smartphones back then.                      
                                                     Diver Jumping at Rick's Cafe

        

Operation Day

I think I was not quite over the pneumonia but here it was March 1st. We set the alarm to wake us up at 5AM and in the shower I went to give myself a good wash for the second time with this sponge that had I guess this special soap to disinfect the area of my spleen that was going to be cut.

Fasting for 12 hours now I couldn't eat which was pretty standard before submitting to an operation. Arriving to register at 7AM they led us to a room where the stretcher was situated and a chair for the wife. I took a seat on the stretcher after changing into the gown and they took my blood work as usual. I recognized the nurse and we chatted a bit and laughed because usually he is doing my blood work to match for the transfusions I often took.

We were hoping that the removal of the spleen would solve my blood issues because I honestly felt that the enlarged spleen was the reason my hemoglobin, white blood cells and platelets were so low.

At 9Am a nurse came in and led us to the operating table. My wife Soley was given a number to watch a television monitor in the waiting area updating her as to when the operation was over. She wished me luck and I was sped off to the operating room. I didn't know what to expect but I did not expect a big room with many operations going on at the same time.

I transferred myself to the operating table. There were a couple of assistants around me then I saw the surgeon arrive all dressed up looking at the blood work. I saw his face and he sort of had a funny look when he turned to one of his assistants and murmured something about the platelet count. They were making sure that there were some spare pints in the blood bank if I needed them. He came over and said hello with a grin. I asked about the platelets and he turned serious right away so I decided this was not a time to crack a joke. I kept my mouth shut after that.

The anesthesiologist  arrived as they were strapping me down to restrict any movement so as not to interfere with the operation. I felt all secure like I was an astronaut before take off.

I was told that she would be putting me under very quickly timed to last for the time needed but if there was something wrong  I would need to go to ICU and be put under for 24 hours. Not sure why that was but I thought it would have to be pretty serious for that to occur.

All this was new for me having a major operation. Just another life experience I thought to myself. This is interesting to read for those who have never had an operation so I will detail for you now what happened afterwards.

The operation lasted longer than expected and fortunately did not need to use to extra blood that was put aside in case it was needed. I was wheeled out and Soley was last left in the waiting room getting kind of worried as time crept on. It was a big incision closed up by 26 staples right up the center of my stomach.

I waited for a room to be available when the surgeon came over and said that no one could tell me that they had a bigger spleen than I did. He also added that no matter what happens from then on the spleen had to come out.

Soley had to head back to work and after she left shortly thereafter I was sent to a room shared by three others. Water was the only beverage I was allowed to drink. No food even though I was getting hungry. Took it easy the rest of the day. I had a catheter up you know what and another tube stuck on the far  left side of my belly for drainage I guess. I was able to walk around but with that catheter it was kind of funny when I felt like to pee it would come through this hose.

The next day the surgeon came to check on how I was doing. I complained I needed some food. He looked back at me with shock. He asked if I was really hungry and I quickly replied that I was. Usually people suffer nausea a lot after this type of operation so with some trepidation he gave permission for a liquid diet. So that consisted of some soup, jello, and a juice really.

When the nurse pulled that catheter out of my you know what before she did she asked me to take a bit of a deep breath while she did it. Well I did and was amazed how long this hose was inserted in me. I gasped a bit and blurted out, "Holy cow." Then she said be glad you are under when they put this in. Yes no kidding! The other hose on my left side was pulled out but that was a bit weird because all that was left was a flap of skin that didn't look like it was attached to my body.

Now my oxygen showed it was low probably because of the pneumonia I had that was hanging around from before. On the 5th day I was discharged and happy to be home where I could eat to my hearts content.

So that was the operation. Was it over now? I thought so when the surgeon came in one day and relayed to me that my blood work had improved too. Awesome I thought. I have to be home free now.