University Daily Kansan / Thursday, September 21, 1989
Lifestyle
11
Angle Stroh, Lake Forest, Ill., junior, waits tables at the Village Inn Restaurant during her graveyard shift Saturday.
Some work by day and night
Story by Mark McHugh Photos by Stacey Gore
But this is not the case for three students who work "the graveyard shift" from midnight to 8 a.m. Like any job, financial stability comes with long hours, but those who work the shift also think that their jobs require them to be able to stand of themselves and their clientele.
As the evening hours wane into the morning and the sun comes up, most KU students are hitting the snooze button on their alarms.
To keep from falling asleep on the job, Morphew drinks coffee, usually five to six cups a night. Sometimes he drinks a concoction he calls "jet fuel," which contains two packets of instant coffee.
Jet Fuel
Jeffrey Morphew is an Overland Park senior majoring in meteorology. He also is a night auditor at the Holiday Inn Holidome, 200 McDonald Drive.
On the graveyard shift, Morphew does his homework when he is not figuring the hotel's accounts or answering questions about the location of the ice machine.
"I add cream and sugar to bring the acidity level down and make it drinkable." He limits his use of stimulants to this concoction. "I did Vivarin once, and I was out of control," he said with a nervous laugh.
His job not only requires him to be
a hospitable host, but a counselor as well.
For example, one time a man clung to the railing of the third floor balcony and yelled that the hotel was surrounded by the Viet Cong, and he fronted the enemy. Morpheus persuaded him to get back on the balcony.
Another time a woman by the pool disrobed, and Morphew had to ask her to put on some clothes.
When he has free time, he plugs in on the "Holiday," an international communications system which connects all desk employees.
"It gets a little bit lonely here, but I've managed to keep myself amused. It's something to look forward to," he said, chuckling. Some of the talk on the system is sports news, while other messages are more personal.
Last Thursday night, Morphew used the system to woo a woman in Goodland, whom he wished to see. He sent a message, and the machine spat out her response in seconds. He asked her if she wanted to give birth to a twins. She slapped down the computer readout victoriously and whooed.
"Yes, I do," the paper read
Waiting tables
Stroh takes a cigarette break in a back room.
The Village Inn Restaurant, 821 Iowa St., is a meca for night owls, many of them arriving after the bars close. Last Friday, Angie Stoch, Lake Forest, Ill., junior, knew that it would be hectic.
Stroh, who works weekend graveyard shifts, has not been out on a weekend night since May.
She goes into work at 10 p.m., gulps down two cups of coffee and has dinner, then waits tables until about 6 a.m.
"Sometimes we have parties after work for the night people," she said. "Usually one of the grave people goes out and buys beer before the liquor stores close, and then we drink beer in the morning."
The most difficult part of her shift is not the bar rush, she said, which lasts from 2 to 2:30 a.m., but from 4:30 to 6 a.m., when she is winding down.
Another difficult task is dealing with rude customers. She says a sense of humor helps. "People are sometimes rude to me, but for me to be rude to them would make the situation worse."
In some situations, her customers provide all the humor she needs. Last August, six young men streaked through the room floor. "IT blushed," she said.
One reason she has kept her job, she said, was because it offered her a slice of life that she could not experience working a day shift.
Strob said she enjoyed her job and the mental toughness it demanded. She said she wouldn't mind continuing her graveyard hours.
"I would like to work a shift or two a week because it's hard, hard, hard work. If you extend yourself as far as possible, it is good for you."
Charburgers
James Butler, a Overland Park junior majoring in communications, sells a lot of microwave Charburgers to late night customers at the Convenient Food Mart at 701 W. Ninth St.
"They taste oh-so-much-better when you're drunk." he said.
A trio of young women walked in last Saturday night, giggling and wanting cigarettes. They were laughing about the highlights of the party they had just left.
"The more I know about parties, the more envious I get," he said.
On occasion, he has advised people to call a cab instead of driving because they've obviously had too much to drink. Sometimes he calls them himself.
"I have to act like a babysitter, usually," he said. Ethics also have a role in Butler's job, especially during the last few minutes before midnight when people scramble in to buy beer.
"Someone's always trying to come in and beat the clock," he said. He told his regular customers walked in to drink and cause his fourth cup of coffee of the course. For the third time, Butler reminded the man that coffee reffills were free.
Butler tidied up the scene by straightening out the display of Cambridge and Alpine menthol cigarettes in front of his cash register. He then paced the floor with a can of air freshener in hand.
"This is an all-right place to work," he said. "You know, for a while, I lost all respect for people.
After a laugh, though, I realized that I probably look the same way late on a Friday night. I guess it makes your philosophy of life change."
In the late hours of the night, he has had to back off from fights and act as counselor for troubled people.
"Some of these people just have the worst stories about their lives," he said.
He said he coped with these situations, but a robbery attempt would unnere him. "I would only get robbed once," he said, looking at the security camera in the corner, "then I quit."
Another regular walked in, wearing dark aviator sunglasses, a wide-open leather jacket and no shirt. "That's 'Vic the Barbarian,' Butler whispered. 'He's all right.'
After exchanging pleasantries and haggling over who will pay for the pack of cigarettes, Vic impted his pockets and bought them. He waltzed out, his long brown hair flowing behind him.
Butler grinned and spoke into the silence.
"Every night here is,
well, .unique."
A lull in the evening gives James Butler, Overland Park junior, a study break at the Convenient Mart.
A security monitor helps Butter keep on eye on the store.
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