How Dare You

2009-12-21 - 1:08 p.m.

Oh my. I am SO glad this weekend is over.

===

Friday was a work night. The GM asked me to write the schedule for the week of New Year's. There were lots of employees that had asked for New Year's Eve off. The GM and Walter were both willing to work, but that didn't help the lack of manpower.

So I started asking if anyone would still be willing to work since we would be really short-handed. Thankfully, a bunch of employees stepped up and were willing to sacrifice a bit of their celebrations to help out. We're going to be closing at 9pm, so it just means they'll be starting their partying a little later.

Even so, I'm scheduled to work in the morning - and that will make six shifts that week. If I can find someone to take my shift - and there may be a chance that I will - then I'll take the day off. Since we have a band gig that night (New Year's Eve, remember), I'd rather not work it - I really don't want to rush home, shower, nuke some food, load the car, rush out, etc.

There's still over a week.

===

Speaking of rushing around for a gig...

Saturday. OY.

We get there at 2pm, after going through AWFUL freeway traffic. We start setting up. Bob had forgotten a couple bits that he needed, but it was minor stuff.

While we're setting up, the DJ that the groom had hired was also setting up. We negotiated the stage set-up ("how much room do you need, okay we'll use this part, okay that's perfect thanks") and we all got on with it.

As we're setting up, the DJ sees our tip jar...and has to speak up. "You guys are getting paid AND you're putting out a tip jar?" Then he rather loftily informs us that HE is doing this for free because he's friends with the groom and it's an honor to do it for him.

(For the record, we had been hired by Ed, the father of the bride - and he told us to put the tip jar out.)

We finish our set-up at 3pm. We're slated to start at 6pm. I take Bob home so he can shower and eat, and I head home to do the same. I figure I'll pick Bob up at 5 - 5:15 and we'll be there in plenty of time.

The DJ calls Ed and starts bitching that we don't have all our gear set up and how DARE we bring a tip jar. Ed calls Bob and asks if we can get there fifteen minutes earlier to complete our set-up. He also tells Bob to go ahead with the tip jar.

I get a call about all this. No problem - I can grab a bite and be at Bob's at 5 sharp. Bob just needs to have all his gear ready to be loaded - his guitar, pedal, and so on.

I pick up Bob and his gear and we get there at 5:40. We get the last of it set up while the DJ is doing his thing.

The tip jar is gone. I do a cursory search - no luck. It's vanished.

I ask the DJ and his co-DJ. They say they saw it, but don't know where it might be. They suggest that one of the workers may have thought it was trash and tossed it.

As someone who was raised to respect other people's property, this irritates me to no end. There's also a practical reason - the jar protects my smaller breakables, and I'm a bit concerned about keeping them safe during transport.

Oh well. Nothing we can do about it now.

So we're ready to go at 6pm...and the DJ tells us that the bride wants him to keep going until the cake-cutting - which is at 6:30. After all the rushing around, being asked to be there early - we're being delayed.

We shrug and relax. Ed comes up, wanting to know what's going on. The DJ explains. Ed argues a bit, but this is what his daughter wants.

We start at 6:30. They start dancing. Note that - they START dancing.

We get a small break when the groom gets up and very nicely thanks everyone that brought him to this moment.

We play until 9pm. Then we and the DJ start breaking down our gear. Bob is exhausted, so he leaves with his son (his son used his truck to haul the big column speakers and Bob's equipment). Since they have less stuff, the DJs finish first and leave. Kern the bass player stays and helps me with my load-out.

During this time, I'm trying to pack up the easily-broken and the small pieces of my gear so they don't get destroyed. Kern notes that the tip jar is still missing, and starts doing an intensive search.

And he finds it. It had been tossed into the stage-right corner, behind a large Bingo display.

We suspect that the DJ team tossed it back there. We have no proof, of course.

Kern helps me load my car, we chat for a bit, and then I head home. During the drive, Bob calls. I tell him the jar has been found. He says he'll discuss it with Ed.

I also get to talk to Brin and tell her about my day. She commiserates.

I get home, unload the car, and take some of my hard-earned money to a local restaurant for a LATE dinner.

Then I came home and fell down...until the morning when I had to get up and work.

===

Now for those of you who may think the tip jar was a tacky idea, please consider the following:

Employment is about negotiation. Your employer wants you to do a job and you say how much you want to be paid. There may be some back-and-forth, but either you both agree to terms or you don't.

Ed called us and asked us to play. Bob gave his price, and Ed agreed. And again, he TOLD US to put the jar out.

The DJ offered to do HIS job at HIS price, which was free. The groom agreed.

If we had been asked to play at Bob's daughter's wedding or Kern's daughter's wedding, we might very well have played for free.

But we negotiated our price, which was agreed to.

WTF gives this yo-yo the right to (we suspect) hide the tip jar because HE doesn't like that we're being paid?

===

Sunday I picked up the train tickets for Christmas Day and some cat I/O gear (food and cat litter).

Then I came home and relaxed.

===

Suck it up, Copenhagen.

===

And now it's Monday.

And work calls.

Be seeing you.

Mel - 2009-12-22 01:01:26 - http://mel-is-dvash.diaryland.com
Wow, I'm quite breathless. Whether the DJ took the tip jar or not, his attitude is completely unacceptable. If he took the tip jar, he deserves to be handed his head on a platter. Whew!

===

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