Hurry Up and Wait

I don’t talk about my work too much, since it’s not really appropriate. However (and isn’t there always a however), I want to talk a little bit about the waiting and the hurrying up.

I work on a temporary basis, contract by contract. I am like a freelance writer. But I am not a freelance writer. Wouldn’t that be cool though? Like a freelance writer, I get called up when there is a job (or story in their case) available. The boss sets the terms. For each contract, the initial work period is generally 90 days, and can be extended out to more, depending on the duration of the job. So, I agree to work for 90 days and then I jump on a plane to wherever the new job is and I start working. Hence the “hurry up”. Usually 72 hours or less (usually more like 24 hours) after I get a call, I am on a plane heading somewhere new.

Sometimes the work lasts 90 days. Sometimes it lasts for years. Usually, as long as I work at least the agreed upon 90 days, I can leave afterwards at any time. Generally, I do not leave after only 90 days; I would rather work as long as I can, since afterwards it is unknown as to how long I will have before the next contract.

Right now I am in the “wait” portion. This is where I have finished my last contract and am waiting for a call for the next. Each part has its ups and downs. Both the hurry up and the wait make it hard to plan the rest of your life. Will the current job last for 90 days or 900? Will I wait for days or weeks or maybe even months for the next job to come along? Financially, it can be hard. You work and save but you are not sure how much you need to save and then you have time off but you try to be frugal in case another job doesn’t come along soon.

Mentally, it is difficult. I gave up my (great) apartment in San Francisco because I couldn’t justify spending that much money each month on rent when I was never home. So, all my things are in storage and when I am in between jobs I stay with my parents. This is fine for a few weeks, but when weeks turn into months I start to wonder what I am doing with my life. I start to think that maybe it is worth spending money each month, just to have a place to come home to and to call my own. Does anyone want to rent me a very nice apartment in San Francisco for less than $500? No? I didn’t think so.

Then I get the call again and I hurry out the door once more and my angst about needing space and a place to hang my hat goes by the wayside. New fears take its place. Remember when I talked about change? Starting over again every so often is hard. I end up in a strange place and don’t know the lay of the land or the people. This can be fun and exciting, but it can also be scary and tedious. It’s like a new relationship. First dates are fun and exciting, but isn’t it nice when you get to year one and you know everything about each other and you are comfortable? I sometimes get tired of going on yet another “first date” and having to ask the same questions over and over. I want to be comfortable.

I guess what I am trying to say is that it’s not very often that I am comfortable. Whether I am hurrying up or waiting, I am a little on edge. I am a little uncertain at all times. Will I get a job? When will I get one? Now that I have one, will I do a good job? Will I get along with the new client/boss/coworkers? How long will this last? Doubt is not fun. Luckily it is not always there. It comes and it goes. Just like me. Coming and going. Hurrying up and waiting.

Is there a situation where you have doubted yourself? What was the result?

Run Home Barry!

They announced it on the radio. In order to get tickets you had to go to the stadium and get a bracelet. Only 5000 people would get one. I didn't think there was a chance in you-know-where that I would get one. I was at work and luckily I had an awesome co-manager who let me leave work to go see if I could get a bracelet.

I have been a Giants fan since I was a kid. However, the last couple of years had been especially good ones. Luckily our company had seats that they didn't always use for clients and if we begged the VP we would sometimes get the left over tickets. If they didn't have tickets, we would buy them. It was only 9 dollars for a standing room only ticket and you could almost always find an unoccupied seat to borrow. In those days they didn't even check tickets. We would often go down to the third base line right near the dugout. We went whenever we could.

This is a real Polaroid! I mean, it was 1990!

The year before, Barry had broken the home runs per year record. I was at the game where he beat McGuire's record. It was great! The ball went right by me! I *almost* had 450,000 dollars (how much the ball was sold for later). It was an exciting time.

But now, the Giants were going to the WORLD SERIES! And here I was, only a few miles from where they were giving out bracelets that could put me in the middle of the action. I had to get one of those bracelets!!! My friend John and I went down to the park and it was a hive of activity. However, surprisingly, there were not as many people as we thought there would be and we both got a bracelet after all.

The next step was this: the bracelets were numbered 1- 5000. They would draw a number from a hat and whichever number they drew would be the first person in line to buy tickets. It would be announced the next day. I was number 4947. John was 4948.

Once again, I had to work and I was at work when the news came out that the numbers were announced. The first person would be.... 4899!!! And the tickets went on sale in a half an hour! I begged to get off again and ran down to the stadium as fast as I could go. Actually I had to take the train and let me tell you, it seemed to be moving REALLY slow that day. I got to the stadium and the line was outrageous. I finally found my place in line by asking everyone what their number was, only to find out that....I was too late. My number had already gone by! I was TOO late! However, I could go to the end of the line. Since I DID have a bracelet, I was entitled to my 4 tickets.

The wait that day took about 8 hours. But finally, I, the last person in line, got to buy my four standing room only tickets. For 60 bucks each. I could have turned around and sold those tickets for twice or three times their price. But I had stood in line all day and I had fought for my right to see my team! Nobody could keep me away from that game. Nobody!

Signs, Rally Caps and Face Paint! October 2002

Have you ever wanted something so bad you would stand in line all day (or all night) to get it? (I have heard of people doing this for Chick-Fil-A.)

This is a Throwback, which may or may not be a re-occurring feature.

On Being In Limbo

I have a strange job. Well, to be honest, right now I have NO job. However, the employment that I usually partake in is unique. I work on a temporary basis and on a contractual one. We usually work anywhere from 3 months to 9 months at a time, sometimes more, generally not less.

Normally this works for me. I work for 9 months, a year, two years...and then I spend my money traveling for a while. Once done traveling, I call up my boss and tell him I am ready and if something comes along, he calls me and off I go for another 3 months, 6 months, whatever.

Usually it is in a different place every time. You may work in Florida for 9 months, Louisiana for 18 months, Texas for 3 months...etc. It is never guaranteed. You live in a hotel and you work with a different group of people each time.

It is interesting. You meet people from all over the US, with all different personalities, ages and weights. Okay most of them are overweight, retired Texan men. Just kidding. Okay, not really. Some of them are from Florida.

However, the worst part about this job is the waiting. There is not always work. Once you are done with one contract, you go home and you wait for another one to manifest itself. Sometimes it does. Sometimes it doesn't. And you never know which one it will be.

Right now I am waiting. Hoping to get work. Wondering what I will do if I don't. Wondering what my cutoff date is....when will I initiate Plan B? WHAT IS Plan B?

The problem really isn't whether or not I get work. If I was to get a call today that said FOR SURE, we will NOT be giving you work, at least I would know and could move on to Plan B. The problem is the not knowing...the waiting to plan...or actually, the inability to plan.

Should I go camping this weekend, or will they call me and tell me they need me to start work tomorrow...in BFE Nebraska?

Should I make plans to meet friends in the City next weekend or will they call me and tell me they need me to go to BFE North Carolina?

I am a planner. I like to know what I am doing in the future. I like to say YES I can do that. Or...NO, I have plans. I do not like to be a flake.

Right now I can't make plans. I am a flake. It is day to day, week to week.

I am in Limbo.

Telephono

So I guess there is a reason after all that we have cell phones. I sometimes wonder why. But today when I was waiting - by the way, I HATE waiting - for the boys, I realized, cell phones really have done at least one thing for us. They have allowed us to spend our time more economically.

The situation was this. I needed to get money from AMEX; Grant needed a sleeping bag. I was going to ¨pop in and out¨of the AMEX office... That didn´t happen. I ended up spending about an hour in the office and Grant ended up spending about 2 hours getting a sleeping bag. However, I couldnt get out of line to tell them that I was going to take longer than expected and they didnt know why I was taking so long. So we both ended up waiting longer than expected for each other.

So being here has made us all learn how to plan. Well, I use that phrase lightly...Plan. We have tried to plan, but sometimes it doesn´t work. But it has been interesting...Remember when we didn´t have cell phones (gasp). What did we do!?
I kind of like it. People can get ahold of me, they just have to wait. And the same goes for me...So we learn patience and planning. Maybe. Well we are trying to!