Life In The Fast Lane

One of the songs I kinda-sort-half heard at the Eagles concert yesterday, but it sure fits my mood right now. (And the reason I only half heard it? I was too busy.)

As I mentioned previously, we organized and deployed the catering for 45,000 concert-goers yesterday. I wasn't the principle person doing the organizing -- that would be Husbandly One-- but I certainly did my fair share of advance work, and I DEFINITELY did my share of work on the site...in addition to handling the riders and requirements of four bands back at the hotel. I have worked hard on this all summer, this week I worked crazy hard, and then concert day itself? I have never worked that hard in my life.

When we managers finally left the concert site last night around 3am, about half of us had lost our voices entirely, a quarter were experiencing back pain, and the rest of us felt fine except for our feet. Just amputate them now, okay? (that would be ME.) But we were all exhilirated, we were all riding that high that comes from hard work and a successful day.

I would love to give a detailed, blow by blow account of the day, because it was really cool, very interesting, exceptionally stressful, and the most fun I've had in a long time.....but to do so would give away way too much about me, my clients whose privacy I take very seriously, and the way we run our operation at work. But do let me tell you that the day was a huge success, despite the weather, and we are very, very proud of how it went and the money we made for our company.

(Now isn't THAT an interesting thought to come shooting out...I am proud of the money I made for "my company:. No, I don't own the damn thing, so I'm not going to get a dime out of the extra work I have done on this project. But I sincerely love the company I work for so much that I, and my fellow employees, will fight to the death to ensure its success. Lucky me, to work in an environment that inspires such devotion from its employees, because I am not the only one. We love our workplace like it was a member of our family.)

Listen, I am so tired I can barely see; I worked extra hours all summer, but this week I worked an average of 17 hours a day and I am just about done in. So the one Concert Story I feel compelled to share right now, without breaching client confidentiality, is one I did not even experience myself.

During Concert Day, most of our staff (including yours truly) was at the concert site. Only two managers were left at the hotel, to oversee all the employees, working in all departments, who weren't required at the site. One of the managers, Claire, told me that she was going about her normal business in the early afternoon when she heard the most amazing piano music coming from our banquet floor, one open level above where she was. People often bang around on our grand piano if we happen to leave it unlocked-- and we have all heard "Chopsticks" more times than we could count-- but what she was hearing was so beautiful and melodic that it stopped her in her tracks.

Curious, she went up the escalator to see who was creating such music...and discovered John Fogerty at the piano. He had found a completely deserted banquet floor with an unlocked grand piano, and just wanted to play to relax. He was not playing his own music, or CCR tunes, but lovely classical pieces.

She quietly crept back downstairs to the lobby, and had the lobby Muzak turned off so the beautiful music would be better heard.

I have known Claire for years, and I have never once seen her when she wasn't moving. But she sat down in the lobby and enjoyed her own private piano concert for thirty minutes, a concert John Fogerty never knew he was giving.

Now, isn't that a lovely story?