Welcome back my friends to the blog that never ends... (just has some serious gaps from time to time)... I no longer pledge to try to keep up because you all know that's not going to happen, but here I am again, so let's get to it...
When we last spoke, I was in the midst of a whirlwind two week "what the heck is going on that I'm working so much" cycle... I spent Sunday having brunch with a friend at a place called "Chompie's" that claimed it was a New York style deli... (I did have a pastrami sandwich here the last time and the bread was the best I've had in a while...nice Jewish rye). Breakfast was good and I spent the rest of the day doing domestic chores and preparing for a busy week... I was called to work at the Cardinals training facility here in Tempe on Monday night from 6pm to 6am watching the parking lot and keeping fans and others away from the players vehicles... (they were away in Tennessee playing a preseason game and wouldn't return until next week). So I packed a large cooler with snacks and liquids and a chair and sat outside in the parking lot. The weather was not cooperating as it was over 100 with lots of humidity and the threat of thunderstorms during the night... I was sweating the entire night as the temperatures barely went under 100 overnight, but activity was minimal and the only excitement was that something bit me behind the knee... (I had long pants on, which felt great in the heat, but that's what the client wants) so I figured it was a mosquito and didn't think about until I woke up Tuesday and my leg was killing me and itching like a bastard... When I inspected further I saw two separate bites and they were not of the mosquito variety. I put some ice on it to reduce the swelling and then got ready for my gig for Company #2 at the Phoenix Convention Center... I was working John McCain's "victory" party (if he won). It was only a 4 hour gig but I had never been at a political event like this and I had voted for Johnny Mac (my nickname for him) earlier in the day. I was in full "Secret Service" look (blazer, tie, and radio with ear plug radio) and walking around looking imposing (or trying to) while the pundits and lackeys and every media outlet in the state munched on hors d'oeurves and drank $8 glasses of wine and $6 bottles of beer... Mr. McCain won in a landslide with almost 60% of the vote (primary win) and didn't show up to speak until almost 9pm, so I got to stay another half hour until the place cleared out...(thanks, Johnny Mac). After he left I poked my head into the room to make sure the general public was gone and watched the media doing live after up-dates and there I was on TV on one of the channels feeds in the background behind the reporter... (I don't watch the news so I couldn't tell you what channel or who the reporter was)... Went home after and re-iced my leg and went to sleep.
Wednesday I was up early and drove downtown to work in Company #2's office doing new employee interviews (congratulations on your promotion)... There were only two scheduled so I did some office stuff (filing and such) for a couple hours and my first interview showed up... it was a guy from Company #1 that used to be my boss on overnights (they eliminated his job) and I was going to interview HIM... (crazy huh?). So we sat outside and talked for awhile and laughed about how things had turned around and I gave him a good recommend. My other interview called to reschedule so I left around 1:30 and went home to prepare for vball... (I also wanted a second opinion on what was growing behind my knee and I figured my friends at vball would know). The consensus was that I was the victim of a scorpion bite(s)... (pause for shudder here, myself included). I don't think it crawled up my leg because I would have felt it...(and would have done the crazy "get it off me" dance that we all have done). I figured it crawled up the outside of my pant leg and attacked me when I sat down...(EWWWWWWW!). Either way the thought still creeps me out...(by the way, at this writing my leg has returned to normal and there are no after effects, thanks for asking)... But the best part was Company #1 called and asked me to return to the scene of the crime on Thursday night (6pm-6am). I agreed and kept clear of all bushes and desert plants and checked my pants every 10-15 minutes for critters... At least it was cooler on Thursday and the 12 hours went by uneventfully. Friday was another overnight gig, but this was in the West Valley over by Phoenix Stadium (home of the Cardinals). It was at Westgate...(an open air restaurant shopping complex surrounding Jobing.com Arena, home of the Coyotes hockey team). The shift was 11pm til 9am and when I arrived there I found out that I would be babysitting the world's largest skateboard... (yes, not a typo). It was a prop promoting the Street League Skateboarding event on Saturday inside the Arena... (check out this website for a picture of this behemoth.... http://worldslargestskateboard.com/?p=320). I just took pictures of people posing by the skateboard and kept them from climbing on it (it weighs 3300 lbs and was on its side--useless piece of trivia for the day). Around 3am no one was left and my partner and I just sat and watched the sun come up around 6am... At 7am my phone rang and scheduling asked me if I wanted to return later that day and work the same gig from 5pm-9am (16 hours!! No freaking way!) I politely declined and drove home and got some much needed sleep.
Spoke to my sister and some friends by phone and made some plans for my visit back East... (yes, I am returning). It will be in October (want to do some leaf peeping and play some fall golf I hope) and I will contact those on the list who I missed on my last visit... So be prepared East Coast...the Arizona Kid will be headed your way in less than 2 months!!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
The universe is upside down...
The last two weeks has been a roller coaster ride of immense proportions... the universe (please don't panic, it's only my universe) is upside down. As you know from previous blogs, the summer is the slow season for security guards because of the weather mostly and work is usually hard to find. But in the last two weeks, I have worked 10 out of the 14 days! Not to blow my own horn, (although I am very good at that) but I am feeling the love from my two security companies and they are obviously enamored with yours truly because they keep ringing my phone... But it's with mixed feelings about this "love" being showered down because I haven't worked this much in a long time but the gigs were very varied and quite interesting... (of course I will share them with you).
Like I said, the summer is USUALLY slow and nothing starts to happen until football and students return to ASU at the end of August... I got the call from Company #1 to work freshman events at Wells Fargo Arena on campus Tuesday and Wednesday, the 17th and 18th... (I know...it seems I'm always working from behind. Good thing I'm not a reporter, you'd just be finding out there was an oil leak in the Gulf today!). Basically, the week before classes begin, students return and move into dorms and apartments and the college has activities planned to welcome the new students and introduce them to college life... and Tuesday was concert night and Wednesday was speech day. The concert was opened by "Chingy" the rapper, and even though I consider myself a fan of all musical genres, I was quite glad that I was issued a set of earplugs... The fans seemed to like it though... I was posted next to the stage and kept people from getting backstage. the main act was Dierks Bentley, the country star and Arizona native... (and so much more my cup of musical tea). The show rocked, the students cooperated and there were a couple of dancers who should have been on television... Aside from slight hearing loss for awhile, it was a great gig.
The following day was a meet and greet with ASU officials and students, band and cheerleaders... learning the fight song, appealing for students to support the sports teams, introducing students to the main officials, etc. I ran security for the event and was running around posting guards and answering questions (congratulations on your promotion) but it went smoothly and the people at ASU were happy so it al went well...it was over at 5pm and I took off for volleyball and played into the night...Oh, yeah while working the concert one of the bosses came up to me and asked me if I would work a wedding in Chandler on Friday night...the woman who runs the venue was getting herself and requested that I work her wedding... (it wasn't until later that I found out that she didn't remember my name when requesting my services...she asked for the "big, bald, scary guy" that had worked there before). Oh well, I don't care how I get the jobs as long as I get them. That was a 6pm to midnight job that went very smoothly and was followed by a six hour gig on Saturday at ASU to prepare for opening day football on September 4... (I will be supervising the home team tunnel during the games this year---pretty sweet gig). We got finished around 3pm and I came home and changed and went back to Chandler to work a "quinceanera" which is the Mexican equivalent of Sweet Sixteen (except the girl is fifteen years old). There was a large group and we were there to make sure the youngsters didn't partake of ant adult beverages... (back in the day I would have gotten around that, but that's another story for another time) The party went well and I got home around 1 in the morning... While at ASU I got another gig...this was an overnight (12 hours) shift at the Cardinals training facility in Tempe on Monday night. So Sunday was truly a day of rest because then Company #2 and asked me to work Tuesday night and Wednesday of the next week...
Like I said, the summer is USUALLY slow and nothing starts to happen until football and students return to ASU at the end of August... I got the call from Company #1 to work freshman events at Wells Fargo Arena on campus Tuesday and Wednesday, the 17th and 18th... (I know...it seems I'm always working from behind. Good thing I'm not a reporter, you'd just be finding out there was an oil leak in the Gulf today!). Basically, the week before classes begin, students return and move into dorms and apartments and the college has activities planned to welcome the new students and introduce them to college life... and Tuesday was concert night and Wednesday was speech day. The concert was opened by "Chingy" the rapper, and even though I consider myself a fan of all musical genres, I was quite glad that I was issued a set of earplugs... The fans seemed to like it though... I was posted next to the stage and kept people from getting backstage. the main act was Dierks Bentley, the country star and Arizona native... (and so much more my cup of musical tea). The show rocked, the students cooperated and there were a couple of dancers who should have been on television... Aside from slight hearing loss for awhile, it was a great gig.
The following day was a meet and greet with ASU officials and students, band and cheerleaders... learning the fight song, appealing for students to support the sports teams, introducing students to the main officials, etc. I ran security for the event and was running around posting guards and answering questions (congratulations on your promotion) but it went smoothly and the people at ASU were happy so it al went well...it was over at 5pm and I took off for volleyball and played into the night...Oh, yeah while working the concert one of the bosses came up to me and asked me if I would work a wedding in Chandler on Friday night...the woman who runs the venue was getting herself and requested that I work her wedding... (it wasn't until later that I found out that she didn't remember my name when requesting my services...she asked for the "big, bald, scary guy" that had worked there before). Oh well, I don't care how I get the jobs as long as I get them. That was a 6pm to midnight job that went very smoothly and was followed by a six hour gig on Saturday at ASU to prepare for opening day football on September 4... (I will be supervising the home team tunnel during the games this year---pretty sweet gig). We got finished around 3pm and I came home and changed and went back to Chandler to work a "quinceanera" which is the Mexican equivalent of Sweet Sixteen (except the girl is fifteen years old). There was a large group and we were there to make sure the youngsters didn't partake of ant adult beverages... (back in the day I would have gotten around that, but that's another story for another time) The party went well and I got home around 1 in the morning... While at ASU I got another gig...this was an overnight (12 hours) shift at the Cardinals training facility in Tempe on Monday night. So Sunday was truly a day of rest because then Company #2 and asked me to work Tuesday night and Wednesday of the next week...
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Catching up on the news...
Now that I am finally in the same month as my blogs, let's do some more catching up... Congratulations to Cousin Amelia's daughter Allyson and her husband Sam on their wedding on August first... My sincerest and best wishes for their new life together. Couldn't make it to the wedding, but the pictures came out great! (Thanks for access, cousins).
I got a call from both companies this week to work on the same day. Company 1 wanted me to work the restaurant again, but Company 2 called and gave me 40+ hours working overnight shifts in the Convention Center...(inside, air-conditioned, can sit down and read...no brainer, right?). I'll take 40 hours of greens fees any time...because the shifts allowed me to play golf also. So, I played golf the early part of the week...(the game is in hot mode right now, the handicap is dropping and the consistency is better than ever) and reported to work Friday night at 6:30pm. I was supposed to patrol the North building hall where some computers were set up and meeting halls were located...(a convention for soldiers and their families), but there was some confusion (mostly on my part) and the client for another convention scooped me up to work for them... (Gold Canyon is a home business company and they were having their annual convention and awards ceremonies and after party). The convention was about 90 percent women dressed to the nines partying until around 1am. I had my shirt, tie and blazer on...(convention center garb for company 2) and was roaming the convention and after party helping (wink,wink) the ladies whenever I could. Had some interesting conversations to say the least (and offers to supply some private security...you ladies can be as bad as the guys!). the party broke up around midnight and the night supervisor found me and re-deployed me to where I supposed to be...across the ballroom on the other side of the building...oops. No harm though...it was all locked up. So I spent the rest of the night patrolling the floor, making sure doors were locked, no suspicious characters were lurking about and no homeless people were camping around the building outside. And I read my book (Ken Follett's World Without End--a sequel to his Pillars of the Earth). Set in medieval England during the 1300's and historical fiction. Excellent read.
The next night was more of the same. 12 hour shift beginning at 6:30 pm and patrolling the halls. The only problem was that around midnight most of the lights were turned off and a/c was shut down for the night. It got a little warm in the building with the jacket and tie on, but I couldn't take it off because I was surrounded by windows and you never know who would be peeking in (must keep up appearances). At least I wasn't on the second floor. y colleague up there was roasting by the middle of the night (after a day of 100+ temps it only goes down into the 90's overnight). They kicked up the a/c around 5:30am to make it comfortable for the convention which started again at 0700 hours (military time--armed forces and all). Met some really cool Marines and thanked them all for their service. Sunday was a half day for me. 6:30pm til midnight and then another guard took the rest of the shift. Caught up on some sleep...(nights make for wacky sleep habits) because Monday night (I'm pretty sure it was Monday) I was pulling a 6:30pm to 8am shift at a golf convention across the street in the South building. It a gold wholesalers show with apparel and gadgets and clubs and accessories and i was going to keep an eye on it overnight... (how great was that!). The show closed at 7pm and everyone left for the night. We rolled down the freight doors, closed the gates to the parking lot and locked all the doors leading into the hall. I spent the night window shopping and reading because they had nice chairs and tables set up for the show...(my feet and legs were very happy). Then around 6am the event manager came in and I helped check vendor credentials until 8am and then called it a day (night--you know what I mean). Went home and slept until around 6pm, had something to eat, and went right back into the bed. (Tough life, but someone's got to do it).
I know this part is out of chronological order but since I am writing this today (August 18) I must wish Sister Sheryl a very Happy Birthday... my "baby" sister is now an undisclosed amount of years (I'm no dummy--I ain't saying) and I hope she has a great birthday... I am really looking forward to my visit in October... I miss her and especially my nieces, Vee and Nat, very much... but that's a story for a later time when the plans become finalized... Happy Birthday, Sheryl...
I got a call from both companies this week to work on the same day. Company 1 wanted me to work the restaurant again, but Company 2 called and gave me 40+ hours working overnight shifts in the Convention Center...(inside, air-conditioned, can sit down and read...no brainer, right?). I'll take 40 hours of greens fees any time...because the shifts allowed me to play golf also. So, I played golf the early part of the week...(the game is in hot mode right now, the handicap is dropping and the consistency is better than ever) and reported to work Friday night at 6:30pm. I was supposed to patrol the North building hall where some computers were set up and meeting halls were located...(a convention for soldiers and their families), but there was some confusion (mostly on my part) and the client for another convention scooped me up to work for them... (Gold Canyon is a home business company and they were having their annual convention and awards ceremonies and after party). The convention was about 90 percent women dressed to the nines partying until around 1am. I had my shirt, tie and blazer on...(convention center garb for company 2) and was roaming the convention and after party helping (wink,wink) the ladies whenever I could. Had some interesting conversations to say the least (and offers to supply some private security...you ladies can be as bad as the guys!). the party broke up around midnight and the night supervisor found me and re-deployed me to where I supposed to be...across the ballroom on the other side of the building...oops. No harm though...it was all locked up. So I spent the rest of the night patrolling the floor, making sure doors were locked, no suspicious characters were lurking about and no homeless people were camping around the building outside. And I read my book (Ken Follett's World Without End--a sequel to his Pillars of the Earth). Set in medieval England during the 1300's and historical fiction. Excellent read.
The next night was more of the same. 12 hour shift beginning at 6:30 pm and patrolling the halls. The only problem was that around midnight most of the lights were turned off and a/c was shut down for the night. It got a little warm in the building with the jacket and tie on, but I couldn't take it off because I was surrounded by windows and you never know who would be peeking in (must keep up appearances). At least I wasn't on the second floor. y colleague up there was roasting by the middle of the night (after a day of 100+ temps it only goes down into the 90's overnight). They kicked up the a/c around 5:30am to make it comfortable for the convention which started again at 0700 hours (military time--armed forces and all). Met some really cool Marines and thanked them all for their service. Sunday was a half day for me. 6:30pm til midnight and then another guard took the rest of the shift. Caught up on some sleep...(nights make for wacky sleep habits) because Monday night (I'm pretty sure it was Monday) I was pulling a 6:30pm to 8am shift at a golf convention across the street in the South building. It a gold wholesalers show with apparel and gadgets and clubs and accessories and i was going to keep an eye on it overnight... (how great was that!). The show closed at 7pm and everyone left for the night. We rolled down the freight doors, closed the gates to the parking lot and locked all the doors leading into the hall. I spent the night window shopping and reading because they had nice chairs and tables set up for the show...(my feet and legs were very happy). Then around 6am the event manager came in and I helped check vendor credentials until 8am and then called it a day (night--you know what I mean). Went home and slept until around 6pm, had something to eat, and went right back into the bed. (Tough life, but someone's got to do it).
I know this part is out of chronological order but since I am writing this today (August 18) I must wish Sister Sheryl a very Happy Birthday... my "baby" sister is now an undisclosed amount of years (I'm no dummy--I ain't saying) and I hope she has a great birthday... I am really looking forward to my visit in October... I miss her and especially my nieces, Vee and Nat, very much... but that's a story for a later time when the plans become finalized... Happy Birthday, Sheryl...
Monday, August 16, 2010
Work related stuff...
I hope you all enjoyed my last attempt at this... (no, it wasn't planned but it sure was a pain in the ass on this end!). I am determined to keep "Fat Finger" under control so that you don't have to open multiple blogs to get one message. I admit to my ineptitude and vow to be more careful when pressing keys...
When I last left you I had just come back to the sweltering heat of the Valley... (I can take the 100+ temps but when you add the humidity it can get a little dicey). While I was gone, the rubber bladder in the dam at Tempe Town Lake... (man-made lake that borders ASU and that I have kayaked on before) burst and 1 million plus gallons of water was gone in a day. Then, the geniuses decided to release alligators into the lake bed to eat the fish that were now stranded and rotting and creating an oh so delicious aroma... Of course, they "misplaced" one of the gators but recovered it in a day or two. So, now the town must decide how they want to proceed... They have existing contracts with builders to erect lake view condos and apartments and the water conservation people want the lake abandoned because there is no reclamation project associated with the lake... (most of all the rivers and lakes on golf courses are maintained by reclaimed water). Plus the cost is over 80 million dollars for a dam that will last about 60 years... I hope they replace the lake (tentative plans are underway for it to happen by November of this year), because it looks terrible all dried up. Plus it's the site of the Marathon and Triathlon in Phoenix and you can't swim in the dirt... We finally got some rain in the last few weeks also... (massive thunderstorms, great lightning but not a lot of water). I kind of miss the day when it would rain continuously for a whole day but here it would mean chaos with flooding and idiots who don't know how to drive on dry pavement... but I was able to use my windshield wipers for the first time since February... (glad to know they still work).
I got some interesting gigs from the original security company the weekend I was back in town... On Thursday I worked at the Cardinals practice facility here in Tempe because they were leaving to go to Flagstaff for training camp... (I know I'm behind in news, but I'm working as fast as I can). Basically, I keep fans away from the players entering the facility and away from their vehicles while they are in there... I usually get a golf cart to ride in but they were already shipped north so I had to walk. Only 105 degrees so I survived okay... in these cases even scrub trees are your friend. Then on Friday, I worked the door (outside) at Macayo's which is a Mexican bar/restaurant with locations all around Phoenix... (I worked at the one in Tempe near the college). We were checking id's and wristbanding patrons who hung out on the patio to drink and listen to the dj... (they had misters going but it was so humid all they did was soak the patio floor and make it more muggy). We were scheduled to midnight but it got so slow we were released at 9:30... (I assume it will be busier once the students return from summer break).
Then on Saturday I trucked out to the West Valley for a gig at the Desert Sky Mall... it was a blood drive and they had Tito Ortiz (MMA fighter and celebrity spokesperson) as a guest signing autographs and posing for pictures for anyone who donated blood... we were there to keep the looky-loos from invading and keep the crowd off Tito (not that he needed our help-guy is huge). I was standing at the entrance trying to talk people into donating and I guess I got caught up in the moment, because yours truly agreed to donate!! I gave them a Power Red donation...In a traditional blood donation, donors give whole blood, which consists of red cells, plasma and platelets. With the automated process of "power red" donations, donors can give two units of red cells - the component of blood that is in the greatest demand. Donors receive back their own plasma and about a pint of saline, leaving them better hydrated than before the donation. Another benefit to the donor is that a smaller needle is used... (the re-hydration effect was great in the fact that I felt better than when I started the donation and the smaller needle was the bonus). The tech nailed me on the first shot (unlike the lady at my doctor--hence I will not return to him) and the free cookies... (need I say more?).
So it was a busy weekend...nice to have two companies vying for my time (greens fees squared). This blog now takes us up to the end of July and beginning of August... I will try to catch up in the next few days...
When I last left you I had just come back to the sweltering heat of the Valley... (I can take the 100+ temps but when you add the humidity it can get a little dicey). While I was gone, the rubber bladder in the dam at Tempe Town Lake... (man-made lake that borders ASU and that I have kayaked on before) burst and 1 million plus gallons of water was gone in a day. Then, the geniuses decided to release alligators into the lake bed to eat the fish that were now stranded and rotting and creating an oh so delicious aroma... Of course, they "misplaced" one of the gators but recovered it in a day or two. So, now the town must decide how they want to proceed... They have existing contracts with builders to erect lake view condos and apartments and the water conservation people want the lake abandoned because there is no reclamation project associated with the lake... (most of all the rivers and lakes on golf courses are maintained by reclaimed water). Plus the cost is over 80 million dollars for a dam that will last about 60 years... I hope they replace the lake (tentative plans are underway for it to happen by November of this year), because it looks terrible all dried up. Plus it's the site of the Marathon and Triathlon in Phoenix and you can't swim in the dirt... We finally got some rain in the last few weeks also... (massive thunderstorms, great lightning but not a lot of water). I kind of miss the day when it would rain continuously for a whole day but here it would mean chaos with flooding and idiots who don't know how to drive on dry pavement... but I was able to use my windshield wipers for the first time since February... (glad to know they still work).
I got some interesting gigs from the original security company the weekend I was back in town... On Thursday I worked at the Cardinals practice facility here in Tempe because they were leaving to go to Flagstaff for training camp... (I know I'm behind in news, but I'm working as fast as I can). Basically, I keep fans away from the players entering the facility and away from their vehicles while they are in there... I usually get a golf cart to ride in but they were already shipped north so I had to walk. Only 105 degrees so I survived okay... in these cases even scrub trees are your friend. Then on Friday, I worked the door (outside) at Macayo's which is a Mexican bar/restaurant with locations all around Phoenix... (I worked at the one in Tempe near the college). We were checking id's and wristbanding patrons who hung out on the patio to drink and listen to the dj... (they had misters going but it was so humid all they did was soak the patio floor and make it more muggy). We were scheduled to midnight but it got so slow we were released at 9:30... (I assume it will be busier once the students return from summer break).
Then on Saturday I trucked out to the West Valley for a gig at the Desert Sky Mall... it was a blood drive and they had Tito Ortiz (MMA fighter and celebrity spokesperson) as a guest signing autographs and posing for pictures for anyone who donated blood... we were there to keep the looky-loos from invading and keep the crowd off Tito (not that he needed our help-guy is huge). I was standing at the entrance trying to talk people into donating and I guess I got caught up in the moment, because yours truly agreed to donate!! I gave them a Power Red donation...In a traditional blood donation, donors give whole blood, which consists of red cells, plasma and platelets. With the automated process of "power red" donations, donors can give two units of red cells - the component of blood that is in the greatest demand. Donors receive back their own plasma and about a pint of saline, leaving them better hydrated than before the donation. Another benefit to the donor is that a smaller needle is used... (the re-hydration effect was great in the fact that I felt better than when I started the donation and the smaller needle was the bonus). The tech nailed me on the first shot (unlike the lady at my doctor--hence I will not return to him) and the free cookies... (need I say more?).
So it was a busy weekend...nice to have two companies vying for my time (greens fees squared). This blog now takes us up to the end of July and beginning of August... I will try to catch up in the next few days...
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Holy Wrong Keys, Batman!! Will this ever end?! I must kill Fat Finger...
...especially the Predator characters, Iron Man (the guy even looked like Robert Downey) and the characters from the movies (the walking dead girl that touched my neck really creeped me out!). I really appreciated the people at Comic-Con who complimented me and told me how much I able to help them during my tour of duty. All in all it was a "fantastic voyage"... Wow, I finished... take that, Fat Finger! I promise to keep my guard yo for that fiend in my next blog...
...especially the Predator characters, Iron Man (the guy even looked like Robert Downey) and the characters from the movies (the walking dead girl that touched my neck really creeped me out!). I really appreciated the people at Comic-Con who complimented me and told me how much I able to help them during my tour of duty. All in all it was a "fantastic voyage"... Wow, I finished... take that, Fat Finger! I promise to keep my guard yo for that fiend in my next blog...
Comic-Con and beyond...
Oh, my God... Fat Finger is reeking havoc with my attempts to finish this blog!!! The fiend! Will he stop at nothing in his quest to make me look even more foolish and techno-challenged than I am?! I WILL finish this blog and fight the demon that is Fat Finger! Now back to our story...
Comic-Con and beyond...
Don't try to adjust your computers...there is nothing wrong with your equipment. In the spirit of Comic-Con, it is the return of the new superhero---Fat Finger!! Keyboard challenged, he tries to maneuver his way to produce a blog that contains more than a title...TWICE! Mistaking the enter and publish key for the space bar--TWICE! he nevertheless plods on around the keyboard finding new and inventive ways to screw up the blogs and confuse his readers... No one knows his true identity and I'm sure no one cares, but he does his best to entertain... So let's get down to this story and hope that he doesn't swoop in before I'm finished...
I finished working at Comic-Con with a tired voice, exhausted body and aching feet, but I was glad I made the trip. My bosses and everyone involved were impressed with my performance so hopefully that will mean future gigs for our intrepid security guard... I got asked to drive one of the vans so that my boss could handle some business on the ride... dropped him at his home and finished the ride to Phoenix and returned the rental van...(congratulations on your promotion). So I look forward to future gigs...(he told me that if Phoenix is asked to help at the Barrett Jackson auction in Las Vegas that he would like me to attend...bonus!). The ride back was uneventful, except for one of the vans being pulled over by the police...(no it wasn't me, but we did wave when we passed it on the highway). The roughly six hour ride was draining ( I passed the time by watching the temperature gauge rise as we got closer to Phoenix---it started at 72 in Carlsbad and topped off at 108 in downtown Phoenix...welcome home). By the time I returned the rental van and my friend Michele (no, that's the way she spells it, one l) dropped me off at home (thanks, Michele) I was teetering on the edge of consciousness... I grabbed a bottle of water and laid down. It was great to get off my feet and relax... I know I don't work that often... (snicker, snicker) but when I do it's intense... It was going to be nice to lay around a few days and recover...
Some interesting highlights from Comic-Con... Watching the sign at the Motel 6 change daily for room rates... we arrived on Tuesday-59.95 per night, Wednesday-69.95, Thursday-89.95, Friday and Saturday-0.00(I guess the no vacancy sign was out of order. Do hotels even have them anymore? Is there any neon left at all or is all digital display now? I miss the hum of neon signs). Then back to 59.95 on Sunday when everyone left. The costumes were fantastic on some people and tragic on others... bless those fit women in their revealing Wonder Woman, Princess Leia, Poison Ivy, Lara Croft (I could go on for days) outfits walking around and providing a needed distraction from regular crowd control...(the guys were great too, according to my female colleagues dressed as the 300, Iron Man, He Man, etc.)...and bless the fit-challenged women and guys also dressed in costume (if they ever fit at one time, they sure don't now!). I don't know if I'll ever get the image of the guy wearing the Tron outfit with the immense beer gut and tights wedgie out of my head (he was like a car wreck--you couldn't take your eyes away fast enough). The professional actors and models walking around were tremendous especially the
I finished working at Comic-Con with a tired voice, exhausted body and aching feet, but I was glad I made the trip. My bosses and everyone involved were impressed with my performance so hopefully that will mean future gigs for our intrepid security guard... I got asked to drive one of the vans so that my boss could handle some business on the ride... dropped him at his home and finished the ride to Phoenix and returned the rental van...(congratulations on your promotion). So I look forward to future gigs...(he told me that if Phoenix is asked to help at the Barrett Jackson auction in Las Vegas that he would like me to attend...bonus!). The ride back was uneventful, except for one of the vans being pulled over by the police...(no it wasn't me, but we did wave when we passed it on the highway). The roughly six hour ride was draining ( I passed the time by watching the temperature gauge rise as we got closer to Phoenix---it started at 72 in Carlsbad and topped off at 108 in downtown Phoenix...welcome home). By the time I returned the rental van and my friend Michele (no, that's the way she spells it, one l) dropped me off at home (thanks, Michele) I was teetering on the edge of consciousness... I grabbed a bottle of water and laid down. It was great to get off my feet and relax... I know I don't work that often... (snicker, snicker) but when I do it's intense... It was going to be nice to lay around a few days and recover...
Some interesting highlights from Comic-Con... Watching the sign at the Motel 6 change daily for room rates... we arrived on Tuesday-59.95 per night, Wednesday-69.95, Thursday-89.95, Friday and Saturday-0.00(I guess the no vacancy sign was out of order. Do hotels even have them anymore? Is there any neon left at all or is all digital display now? I miss the hum of neon signs). Then back to 59.95 on Sunday when everyone left. The costumes were fantastic on some people and tragic on others... bless those fit women in their revealing Wonder Woman, Princess Leia, Poison Ivy, Lara Croft (I could go on for days) outfits walking around and providing a needed distraction from regular crowd control...(the guys were great too, according to my female colleagues dressed as the 300, Iron Man, He Man, etc.)...and bless the fit-challenged women and guys also dressed in costume (if they ever fit at one time, they sure don't now!). I don't know if I'll ever get the image of the guy wearing the Tron outfit with the immense beer gut and tights wedgie out of my head (he was like a car wreck--you couldn't take your eyes away fast enough). The professional actors and models walking around were tremendous especially the
Monday, August 9, 2010
Welcome to Comic-con!! Part 3
Went out to dinner Friday after two days of bulhorning with Geoff from New Hampshire... (talk about an accent---Pahk the cah near the hahbah...lol). Because of the vocal exercises of the past two days, I just pointed to the menu and grunted my order. Went back to the hotel around 11pm and crashed hard because of a 7:30am call the next morning (nobody said this was going to be easy but what the heck; free hotel, free transport to and from San Diego, free admission inside and I'm getting paid to do this)... After an extra large coffee and a tea with honey for my voice, we piled in the vans and made the trek downtown... got there on time and they gave the bullhorn to someone else (how dare they!) but I was kind of happy because my voice was strained and my noggin was hurting from the sunshine beating down on it. I was rewarded, however with an inside assignment in the main ballroom upstairs... I was supervising 14 people manning the entrance and exit doors to the ballroom where they were having a fanfest event... The casts and writers were appearing from the shows Chuck, Family Guy, Cleveland Show, Vampire Diaries, Futurama, and others to preview the new seasons and answer questions. So after posting my people around the hall, I pretty much mingled backstage with the celebs... (meeting Seth MacFarlane, Seth Green and Patrick Warburton from Family Guy was a blast). It was cool that half of my staff was Marines on loan from Camp Pendleton. They volunteered their time and their units received money as compensation. It was a great honor to be with these brave men and women and I made sure to thank each one of them for their help that day and for their unselfish service for our country... (God bless our servicemen and women). So that was pretty much my job for the day...watching cartoons and show previews, hanging with the casts of the shows and enjoying the cold, dark theater. I told you it was the greatest gig ever... Around 5pm a battalion of jacket and tie Marines came into the ballroom...(after the event a clean-up crew was preparing the ballroom for the "masquerade" party later that night. I deployed the Marines to replace my people and by 5:30 I was done for the day... I signed out and the boss asked me if I wanted to grab a burger with him...
Now I need to preface this part by saying that I haven't eaten a fast food burger (except when Craig came to visit and we went to the Heart Attack Grill) since 1999 when I moved to New York. The boss wanted to go to In N Out Burger and I told him I had never been and he quickly gave me the history of the franchise (all owned by the family that started it---no separate franchises). There is a limited menu (4 kinds of burgers and fries that are made fresh in each location). I ended up getting a double-double with fries and let me tell you, it was love at first bite... I cursed my boss for re-introducing me to fast food, but this was not the usual fast food. I have been able to resist seeking one here (haven't been back although they are all over Phoenix) but I know that won't last...the fries are killer!!
Sunday came and now I was promoted to shuttle driver (congratulations on my promotion). I told everyone we were leaving at 4:45am for a 6am call... after knocking on a few doors and dragging some people out of their racks (we were all pretty exhausted by now, but it was the last day) we stopped for coffee (executive decision---I had the keys) and drove downtown. I dropped the group off and proceeded to the off site parking area... (a hospital parking lot about 4 miles from the convention center). The shuttle van picked me up and brought me back and I went to command to sign in... just as I walked into the room the head guy asked if anyone had worked the bull horn and wanted a volunteer...(talk about timing!!). My hand shot up and he gave me my baby... I reported to my post at 6am and began a day of greeting and directing... was filmed again and then received an invitation to return for next year from the company running the event (whether or not I was with the security co.---they loved the way I handled the bull horn). Finally at around 3pm someone came to relieve me and Phoenix was finished with their service to Comic-Con. We drove back to the hotel and I passed out around 5:30pm and didn't wake up until around 4am... Went for a walk and a coffee and went back to sleep until it was time to leave for Phoenix. I will come back to San Diego now that I know my way around and the fact that it's only 5-6 hours away is great... (after all, it is the home of Torrey Pines Golf Course and isn't that what this is all about?)...
Now I need to preface this part by saying that I haven't eaten a fast food burger (except when Craig came to visit and we went to the Heart Attack Grill) since 1999 when I moved to New York. The boss wanted to go to In N Out Burger and I told him I had never been and he quickly gave me the history of the franchise (all owned by the family that started it---no separate franchises). There is a limited menu (4 kinds of burgers and fries that are made fresh in each location). I ended up getting a double-double with fries and let me tell you, it was love at first bite... I cursed my boss for re-introducing me to fast food, but this was not the usual fast food. I have been able to resist seeking one here (haven't been back although they are all over Phoenix) but I know that won't last...the fries are killer!!
Sunday came and now I was promoted to shuttle driver (congratulations on my promotion). I told everyone we were leaving at 4:45am for a 6am call... after knocking on a few doors and dragging some people out of their racks (we were all pretty exhausted by now, but it was the last day) we stopped for coffee (executive decision---I had the keys) and drove downtown. I dropped the group off and proceeded to the off site parking area... (a hospital parking lot about 4 miles from the convention center). The shuttle van picked me up and brought me back and I went to command to sign in... just as I walked into the room the head guy asked if anyone had worked the bull horn and wanted a volunteer...(talk about timing!!). My hand shot up and he gave me my baby... I reported to my post at 6am and began a day of greeting and directing... was filmed again and then received an invitation to return for next year from the company running the event (whether or not I was with the security co.---they loved the way I handled the bull horn). Finally at around 3pm someone came to relieve me and Phoenix was finished with their service to Comic-Con. We drove back to the hotel and I passed out around 5:30pm and didn't wake up until around 4am... Went for a walk and a coffee and went back to sleep until it was time to leave for Phoenix. I will come back to San Diego now that I know my way around and the fact that it's only 5-6 hours away is great... (after all, it is the home of Torrey Pines Golf Course and isn't that what this is all about?)...
Welcome to Comic-con!! Part 2
Howdy, campers!! Long delay between visits again... been busy as a bee now that the second security company has fell in love with me and thrown hours at me (green's fees, that is). If only I could find a woman who liked me that much... (oh well, lucky in life--unlucky in love... boo hoo, poor me, yadda yadda yadda...) As you can tell I'm pretty much resigned to the fact that life happens and if you can't make things happen, just prepare to meet the challenges the best you can and roll with the punches... In the immortal words of Doris Day "Que Sera, Sera" (how's that for an obscure reference?). But enough waxing philosophic... I need to catch you up on the goings ons out here in the Wild West...
When I last talked to you, I was at Comic-Con in San Diego working the convention... They had people from Fresno, Orange County, L.A. as well as Phoenix brought in to work this event... (this company has locations nationwide). The first day I was supervising the lobby where vendors, exhibitors, professionals and media were registering for the event... As with every first day of any big event, it was organized chaos and was pretty much reduced to crowd control by the time I assumed the post at 2pm... everyone wanted to register and then hang in the lobby to see what they could see...(which was nothing---hello!---starts TOMORROW! Move along). Already the line-up of geeks was spectacular...people dressed as their faves (and let me tell you, there were some obscure characters being portrayed) and parading around posing for photographs... Then there were the "Uber-geeks"...the pasty, I just came out of my Mom's basement for this event, squinting against the sun and realizing too late that the lack of people skills was a problem with a crowd of over 100,000 present... People watching was an incredible perk to this post... (Princess Leia in the slave costume and several Poison Ivys from Batman were among my faves)... Time flew by and before I knew it I was posting overnight people and finally signed out at 12:30am. Forty minute drive later, we were back at the hotel and asleep because we had an 8am call the next (sorry, the same) morning...
I figured that they would keep me in the same position but I was sent to the front lines handling line control for the regular patrons... That was where they handed me a bullhorn!! (they obviously don't know what they are doing, no?) As all of you know, I have fun pretty much every where I am, but this was beyond fun! No instructions just wing it...and wing it I did. I welcomed every wave of customers that swarmed in... (I was positioned where the trolleys and buses from the hotels dropped off and there was a small gap provided by traffic lights and the trains so I got a few minutes between bullhorn blasts. The only problem was that I had no hat and sunblock and all I got pretty singed that day... But the event people and the patrons loved me... every time they sent someone to relieve me they complained and asked for me to return... The local media and some other film crews filmed me all day making my spiel and doing sound bites around "WELCOME TO COMIC-CON!!" (my fifteen minutes of fame lasted two days). Even some of the patrons were taking pictures with me as mementos of their visit... (8 am -3:45pm on Thursday and 8am-4pm on Friday). By the time I was finished my voice was completely shot because then I did crowd control exiting the venue til around 9 pm each day... Needless to say, I didn't have any extra time to scout the area. My total knowledge of San Diego was the front of the convention center...
Next up...the greatest gig ever.
When I last talked to you, I was at Comic-Con in San Diego working the convention... They had people from Fresno, Orange County, L.A. as well as Phoenix brought in to work this event... (this company has locations nationwide). The first day I was supervising the lobby where vendors, exhibitors, professionals and media were registering for the event... As with every first day of any big event, it was organized chaos and was pretty much reduced to crowd control by the time I assumed the post at 2pm... everyone wanted to register and then hang in the lobby to see what they could see...(which was nothing---hello!---starts TOMORROW! Move along). Already the line-up of geeks was spectacular...people dressed as their faves (and let me tell you, there were some obscure characters being portrayed) and parading around posing for photographs... Then there were the "Uber-geeks"...the pasty, I just came out of my Mom's basement for this event, squinting against the sun and realizing too late that the lack of people skills was a problem with a crowd of over 100,000 present... People watching was an incredible perk to this post... (Princess Leia in the slave costume and several Poison Ivys from Batman were among my faves)... Time flew by and before I knew it I was posting overnight people and finally signed out at 12:30am. Forty minute drive later, we were back at the hotel and asleep because we had an 8am call the next (sorry, the same) morning...
I figured that they would keep me in the same position but I was sent to the front lines handling line control for the regular patrons... That was where they handed me a bullhorn!! (they obviously don't know what they are doing, no?) As all of you know, I have fun pretty much every where I am, but this was beyond fun! No instructions just wing it...and wing it I did. I welcomed every wave of customers that swarmed in... (I was positioned where the trolleys and buses from the hotels dropped off and there was a small gap provided by traffic lights and the trains so I got a few minutes between bullhorn blasts. The only problem was that I had no hat and sunblock and all I got pretty singed that day... But the event people and the patrons loved me... every time they sent someone to relieve me they complained and asked for me to return... The local media and some other film crews filmed me all day making my spiel and doing sound bites around "WELCOME TO COMIC-CON!!" (my fifteen minutes of fame lasted two days). Even some of the patrons were taking pictures with me as mementos of their visit... (8 am -3:45pm on Thursday and 8am-4pm on Friday). By the time I was finished my voice was completely shot because then I did crowd control exiting the venue til around 9 pm each day... Needless to say, I didn't have any extra time to scout the area. My total knowledge of San Diego was the front of the convention center...
Next up...the greatest gig ever.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
