Working for a living...Part 2

     I spoke too soon... (gee, that's never happened to ME before).  The madness continues next week and the first week of August.  In the three years I have done security, the summer time is for being bored and hunting for a chance to work...not so this year.  MLB is gone and the B.P.O.E (Elks) have taken over the Convention Center followed closely by IAVM (International Association of Venue Managers) and the Assemblies of God in the next two weeks.  I have seen a tentative schedule of when I will be working and all I can say is--I shouldn't have looked.  Next week is 60 hours and the following week is at 57 hours (not including Thursday and Friday-which I will also be working).  So while the bank account is enjoying a good meal, I will be not.  But, don't cry for me, Argentina...remember at the end of August I will be in NYC for the US Open.  And in November I will be on my island retreat with my peeps from New York.  So it looks like I'll have some more BlackJack scratch for the casinos.  My apologies to the Daddys for not being able to get up to Las Vegas nest weekend, but "Security Man" is in high demand... (and I'm riding the wave of popular opinion like a politician--except for the lying and the empty promises).

     On a personal note...I took the new kids (golf clubs) out for their first outing and they performed exceptionally well.  Not only did I hit the ball well, I shot my first round under par in my career...(two under par 70).  I hit 12 of 14 fairways and 12 of 18 greens in regulation and, drum roll please, I had 27 putts for 18 holes! (for those of you who know me, that's an awesome achievement).  Unfortunately, the new clubs have set the bar extremely high for a repeat performance, but the confidence level is as high as the temperature right now...(which of course is over 100 degrees).  Useless trivia of the day---the average number of 100+ days in Phoenix--89.  The most ever in one year--143 in 1989.  Highest recorded temperature for one day--122 on June 26, 1990...(we reached 118 on July 2 this year).  OK, I'm breaking a sweat just writing about this.  Let's just say it---it's freaking HOT out there.

     I need you guys to keep your fingers crossed... I just checked the schedule for the rest of this week and I'm not scheduled (except for 2pm to midnight tonight) for the rest of the week until Saturday when I teach the guard license class...I'm hoping to get a few days off to rest up for the next two weeks but we'll see.  Being someones b*&%h is not an easy job, but I'm up to the task.  Before I came into the office , the bosses were working these kind of hours every week, so if I can free up some time for them, it's OK with me.  And like I said, it won't be this busy all the time and I'll have time off not far down the road.  Putting in a vacation request for Aruba and for the end of October so I can go to Virginia and see sister and her family.  This time I want to be there for Nat's birthday because I was there for Vee's birthday last year...(got to be a fair Uncle, after all). Trying to include getting my history on...(Virginia is a hotbed for history...love it) and Williamsburg could be the destination. We'll see if we can get the time off first and coordinate with Sheryl...More on that later...I'm off to work.

Working for a living...

     I have survived the toughest month of my security existence...after California, where the only sightseeing was my posts at the Barrett Jackson auction to the conclusion of the MLB FanFest 2011 here in Phoenix with back to back 75+ hour weeks. Man, are my dogs tired.  This next week coming up should be light and I hope to spend some quality time with the "new" kids (golf clubs). In fact I am off tomorrow and have an early tee time scheduled followed by lunch and World Cup and final round of British Open... (if I can stay awake).  Sleep deprivation has me all messed up, but with a couple days off next week (I hope) I hope to get back into a more normal schedule.  But for now, I will cash the checks and enjoy the influx of discretionary income...

     Wouldn't be right if I didn't drop some names that I met at FanFest...because of the hours I was putting in my bosses let me run the security detail surrounding the MLB offices.  It was quiet and away from the mayhem in the exhibit area, but I met and saw a few players old and current.  Meeting Lou Brock was a treat and Steve Garvey was gracious.  Saw Justin Upton and Nomar Garciaparra walking through the halls.  But the biggest thrill was meeting Mr. Met and Bernie Brewer (the mascots).  There were a ton of players and activities going on for the kids and it went along almost completely without a hitch.  No major problems reported, no violence and no protests.  They finally left town on Friday.  Next year the game is in Kansas City and I have dropped several hints that I am available for that road trip...keep your fingers crossed that I can swing that gig.

     Got the travel itinerary for next month's trip to New York and the US Open tennis tournament...will be leaving Phoenix on August 24 and returning on September 13... can't wait to see New York again...(and get a decent bagel and some real pizza).  I hope to be able to catch a couple of games or a Broadway show while I'm back. It all depends on how many hours a day I will work and I won't know that until I get there...(that's how they ensure I'll show up).  But if time permits I will try to visit as many of you as possible...(and you can also come into the city to visit me).  Round trip airfare--0 dollars, tickets to US Open--0 dollars, hotel--0 dollars...3weeks in NYC--priceless!!

     Planning on seeing the the Daddys next week in Vegas... you know they have casinos in Arizona too, Cathy. :)  But it'll be nice to see Vegas and maybe catch a round of golf if I can swing the days off.  Already put the bug in the bosses ear.  I arranged for her to use my timeshare points in Cabo San Lucas in October for very little cash, so I'm hoping to arrange a vacation to Virginia in October...(later in the month).  I'll be in touch, sister...have a plan and will email the details.  Then let me know if you like the idea because it incorporates what you told me in your email.  And I will contact Vee and set up some Skype time for next week.  Omission of the week....Happy very belated anniversary to Loretta and Victor... sorry guys for the lack of contact. Hope you had a good time. Happy birthday tomorrow to Mom and KC...and Monday marks 11 years since Dad left us...Love you always, Dad.  Forever in my heart and always on my mind...

Dust in the wind...

     The understatement of the year...check the news and weather reports from Arizona about Tuesday's dust storm...rumor has it that it's the worst storm in history.  I left the Convention Center about 7:30pm... (typical day at the office...14 hours).  As I was driving toward Tempe, I noticed what I thought was a storm cloud moving across the horizon.  Then I realized that the cloud was too close to the ground and I thought it was a fire at the airport...(the "cloud" was moving quickly and was really thick like smoke).  As I got closer to the cloud I noticed that the color was wrong for smoke and the wind started picking up...it was a dust storm.  But not the kind I experienced coming across the country when I moved out here.  This storm blocked out everything!  I entered the dust at 40th and Washington and I couldn't see 5 feet in front of me... I have been in a lot of snowstorms and torrential rain storms in my day, but this was the worst phenomenon ever...Wind gusts of 70 mph and intermittent rain made my windshield a mud slide...and you couldn't see the traffic lights until you were right on top of them.  And if that wasn't enough, the flasher people were out in force... (you know who I'm talking about--flashers on ,crawling along at 5mph, no clue).  Could you just do us all a favor and park your car and wait out the storm so that people who KNOW how to drive can get places without having do deal with you.

     I am scheduled to work outrageous amounts of hours through Tuesday the 12th and all I can say is CHA-CHING!  After the 95+ hours in California and this week, I have treated myself to a new set of golf clubs (Ping I-15 irons and wedges and a G15 driver---sweet!).  Now have lots of money for greens fees but no time to play (talk about a twist of fate). 

A new record....

     Temperature wise that is... Yes, fans, the mercury (do they still use mercury in thermometers?) topped at 118 degrees on Saturday July 2, which is a new single day record here in the Valley of the Sun... (and it felt like the sun was on the ground).  Now I know where they originated the term "blistering" heat because whether it's dry or not, 118 degrees is H-O-T HOT!  I went into the hot tub to cool off and the pool was beyond bath water warm, but it was still good...better wet than sweat.  It has also been a bit on the humid side (for Arizona) and there is even scattered thunderstorms in the forecast for next Wednesday through the following weekend... (rain in the forecast--can't remember the last time it rained for more than a few minutes).  It's definitely a two water bottle day, one to drink and one to pour over my head...(an advantage to having no hair to worry about).

     I went back to work on Saturday here after taking a few days off to recover from my trip to California...  It's time for the boss to have her time off and I'm working through the Fourth of July weekend... Major League Baseball is still moving in but only office staff will be in tomorrow so it should be a slow day for us at the Convention Center...but I must be here and so I will.  The news is saying that there will be protesters at the game Tuesday July 12, but we don't know if they will be protesting the Fanfest events.  This is all about SB1070 the bill our state has enacted regarding illegal immigration...(I am totally behind this measure myself).  Arizona is a frontline state because of our border with Mexico and we need a hardline approach to stem the stream of illegals entering the state.  I respect the right to protest, but calling for a boycott of sporting events in Arizona is ridiculous.  Sports should not be dragged into the political arena... Okay, I'm down off the soapbox...  Good news!  I was able to get out of work today at 10am...(extremely slow day at the move in, so I made a tee time for this afternoon and I'm off to the golf course... Have a happy and safe 4th of July everyone.  Enjoy the picnics and fireworks and don't forget to thank our servicemen and women in uniform when you see them.  Without their service and sacrifice, we wouldn't be enjoying this holiday or the freedoms we take for granted.  GOD (not afraid to say it) Bless America!

Some observations...

     How about this? A rare double posting of the blog everyone (at least 2 of you) can't get enough of...  I just wanted to clear up a few things about the "Bataan Death March" assignment I did last week.  The reason it was a nightmare and a bit (A BIT?) overwhelming was that I didn't know I was going to run the event... (I had never run an entire event--congratulations on your promotion).  I know how to run people and make sure an area is secure but not on a grand scale.  But even though I was thrust into the situation with little resources and very little help from the branch responsible for the event, the vendors present at the auction and the client themselves were impressed with the way I handled things and said so to my boss, who in turn passed it up to corporate.  So, Security Man received some major props from those responsible and gained some valuable insight in the way to approach future assignments.  Never take an assignment for granted.  You never know what will happen so be prepared for most contingencies... (can't be prepared for all--too many human factors).  Research your event beforehand.  Know what the venue looks like and where the event is being held and what is taking place. It will give you a read on what kind of clientele to expect...(general public, corporate, etc).

     Even though I wouldn't wish last week on anyone, I have to admit I had a blast working the event...(yes, I am a masochist at times).  The praise and accolades I and the company received from the client and the vendors and the Speed channel executive and corporate sponsors felt really good and solidified my place in the company.  There is talk of expanding my role even further...(no details as of yet).  I have been recovering and licking my wounds these past few days...(off since Tuesday) because the next 2 weeks we are dealing with the All Star game and Fanfest here in Phoenix...(meaning more work and little play---I love this!).  But I did get some quality time with the "kids" out on the golf course.  Played 36 holes on Wednesday...(2 rounds and finished before 3pm).  Besides it was only 106 degrees and if I didn't have to take Jody to the airport I could have played again... Speaking of Jody.  I deposited some major good karma into the bank when I dropped her off at the airport...on the way home I heard my text message go off...(but there was nothing).  I was listening to the radio when a strange ring tone went off...(Jody had dropped her phone in the car).  I picked it up and saw her flight was delayed so I called her Mom, introduced myself and told her I had her daughter's phone.  Then I thought about being away without a phone for 5 days and I turned around and went back to the airport.  I called Mom again and told her I was going to try and meet Jody, so if she heard from her to let her know.  I parked, hopped the airport shuttle bus and went to the terminal.  I couldn't go to the gate without a ticket so I had her paged.  I didn't hear the page so I checked her flight (I had her phone) and went to the checkpoint for the gate and there she was!  I returned the phone, jumped back on the bus and went home.  Good karma...always want to have a surplus.  Random acts of kindness...can't seem to do enough of them, but the payoff is great.

The nightmare continues...

     And so it did...between the client changing shifts and canceling shifts and employees not showing up and calling out late, my job was not only as a supervisor but a magician... but with the help of a few employees who did show up and were willing to the extra things we needed (besides myself) we made it work.  The client got a little frustrated with some miscommunication...(typical in an event this size) and I was a little frustrated with the quality of the employees I was left with...(the branch manager took his best employees with him to Las Vegas to run an event), but all in all we made it work.  The scheduling woman (Emily) was a fantastic help and I survived through Wednesday night when my boss arrived and provided some very needed help.  He secured an RV (courtesy of the San Diego branch) to be parked on site to serve as a sign-in trailer and uniform depot...(before this everything was in the rental car and parked off site).  Then he got us an admin person to help with sign-ins so that we could post our guards quicker and relieve the guards already on post.  And he was there to help with the myriad of questions coming at us from all sides.  So although it was still a nightmare, I thought I saw a light at the end of the tunnel.

     It wasn't a light, it was an oncoming train... after finally getting back to the hotel around 9:30pm and eating my dinner with eyes closed...(it wasn't very good, either), I passed out around 10 only to be awakened at 11 by my boss telling me the client was breathing fire about the night supervisor and I had to call on-call scheduling to get his phone number to handle the problem.  Of course they didn't answer but I left a message and fell back asleep...phone goes off again at midnight and another message with if they don't call by 1am, I need to go to the site and handle it personally... no call and so at 3:50am (I fell asleep again, oops) I drove to the site and relieved the supervisor with another guy there and checked on all staff to make sure they were where the client needed them.  Got back to the hotel at 4:30am and slept til 6am and got up to start the next day (it hurts just writing about it again...).  But again we managed to see it through that day and the next night I went to sleep at 8:30pm.

     The actual auction started on Friday and ran through the weekend.  I was in charge of the auction tent and the guards posted to monitor the sky-boxes and bidder seating area (where the people buying the cars are allowed to sit). Because it's smaller than the auction I worked in Scottsdale, the general public was allowed to sit in the rear of the section to fill the seats so it looked full for the live TV coverage...and that made life a little easier.  But through the entire event there were no major problems to deal with besides crowd control on Saturday and even the minor incidents were minimal... I also met some of my vendor friends from Scottsdale and met the sponsor reps for all the sky-boxes...(a friend with cold, free water is always welcome).  The auction ran way over on Saturday night and I didn't get to sleep until almost midnight, but Sunday ran so smoothly that Eric (my boss) and I were able to enjoy the "victory" cigars I brought along... (henceforth they will be renamed the survival cigars) around 6pm Sunday night and were able to run the show from the sign-in trailer...my deployment was cut around 5:30pm and so I was there as a fireman to put out personnel fires until the night shift showed up.  Sunday night was sleep in night and Monday morning Eric and I stopped for breakfast...(the only meal using utensils I had the entire week I was there).  Then we embarked on the journey back to blessed Phoenix...

     Blessed...and blistering.  The weather was gorgeous in SoCal after the "marine layer" burned off.  It was in the 60's overnight and was hovering in the high 70's-low 80's range during the day with bright sunshine... when we left California it was 67 degrees on the car external temp gauge around 8:30am.  We arrived in Phoenix around 3pm and it was warmer...116 degrees!!! It was blistering hot and I couldn't be happier...it was so good to be home it didn't matter.  Learned a valuable Arizona lesson however.  Never, EVER, turn the AC completely off...it took most of a day and a half to cool the apartment to livable comfort...but again it didn't matter.  It's summer in Arizona. If you can't stand the heat...