New job

Postings on 'Round the Chuckbox have been a bit dry over the past few months. After being unemployed for two months, I landed a cook's position in one of the local casinos in early October.

From the beginning, I knew that the casino was the wrong place to jumpstart a post-retirement career. With the physical demands of the job, low pay and work hours (swing shift with Wednesdays and Thursdays off), my search for the ideal retirement job didn't end there.

A particularly crazy weekend in the buffet last month sent me back to Craigslist.

Just when I was considering returning to budget work, I answered an ad for a chef's position in a Sacramento residential facility. I gave notice two weeks ago and worked my last shift last night at the casino.

After working in the buffet for 10 weeks, I started my new job this morning. Saturday night each of the casino's chefs -- from the executive chef to the three sous chefs on duty -- asked what day would be last. One-by-one, I said Sunday.

After the last chef asked the question late into the shift, I realized that I could've closed out my employment with the casino Saturday night. The tactic would've given me a day to rest before joining the Sacramento commute.

Of course, it would've been dishonest on my part. I made a commitment to the casino to work through Sunday in my resignation letter -- one which I honored.

My last shift in the casino went well. We were slammed all night, which is typical for a Sunday night. The crowds didn't break until around 8:15 p.m.

With normal hours (8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.), I should have more to say on 'Round the Chuckbox. Expect more culinary commentary and recipes soon.