Meeting Monica

Today there was a lot of activity in the Olympic Center. Not only were the freestyle sessions very crowded, but there was also a "load in" in progress.

Definition of "load in"(noun)- The process of bringing in (or "loading in") lights, equipment, and other production elements used to set up an event, show or concert. Example- There was no ice on the 80 rink today due to the load in for Empire State Games.

Contrary to popular belief, loading in for Empire State Games is no different really than the load ins for ice shows or concerts. There is basically the same setup involved- objects are loaded off the truck; the stage is assembled; things are put in place; the programmed equipment (in most cases, the lights) are checked and put through their paces- not necessarily in that order! In any case, it is interesting to watch the process and see the end result.

Unfortunately I left my camera at home to charge during the morning, so I couldn't get any photos of the load in. I did, however, get some of the finished product, at about 4:00 pm this afternoon.

I worked at the oval this afternoon as usual- this is where Monica comes in.

First, another top five list:

How to Tell that You Have Spent Too Much Time at the Olympic Oval!

#5- You start to referring to the oval as "home" and vice versa.

#4- You pack no less than enough water, clothing, and reading material to survive for several days- hey, you are going to be there all day!

#3- Your friends don't have to ask where you will be- they automatically know!

#2- You know all of the prices, directions to local restaurants, and the order of the songs played on the oval by heart.

#1- You start creating imaginary "employees" and directing people to see them with any complaints :)

Honestly, you have to make your own fun at your place of employment. One way to do this is to create imaginary employees!

We had a little to much time on our hands this afternoon. We found some sunglasses outside, so we decided to put them in the window in some way that people would see them as they went by. Well, that looked a little plain, so we added purple mardi gra beads (also from lost and found) and a name tag. And there was Monica! The best part was seeing people's reactions as they came through the door. Of course we promptly put her away when our shift ended ;)

Meet Monica, our invisible "customer service representative".

I know that it seems a little ridiculous, but you tend to get a little stir crazy when working in the box office for that long..........;)

Don't forget- tomorrow night will be the opening ceremonies of Empire State Games! At first I wasn't going to participate, since I was asked to operate the Dimon Sports booth for the after party. Then I decided that I would, if for no other reason, so that I could report it on this blog FOR YOU! So I will post how the ceremonies went as soon as possible.

Have a good weekend :)

LP SKATER