Back on the boat

So. For those of you who have only recently begun reading my blog, I’ll do a little backstory. In 2000, I had a wrist injury and wound up having to take about two years off from puppetry while things healed. I got a job at the Portland Spirit, a river cruise dinner boat, in their sales department. Yes. I was a sales weasel.

When the wrist was better, I had recognized the glories of being able to turn down the types gigs which I found loathsome, which a steady job allows one to do, so I stayed with the company, but switched to waiting tables. Yes. I was a singing waitress.

They are used to people in theater and have noooo problem with me saying, “Hey, I’ve got a gig, I’ll be gone for five months. Is that okay?” They have been amazingly supportive of me and have a track record of taking really good care of their people. Anyway, before I got back to Portland, knowing that the holiday season is busy, I dropped Dennis a line and said, “If you need any help…”

Fool. Little did I know that they had acquired a second boat and were understaffed in addition to the usual holiday crunch. Dennis also told Lori, in the sales office, that I was coming back, and she asked me to do some training for their new sales staff as well as updating some different computer thingies that I set up. Despite using the word “thingie,” I was the sales department’s token computer geek. The company has an IT guy, but I was the bridge between the two because I can speak geek and sales. It’s a handy skill.

This is great, it’s income and it’s with people that I like. But.

But in the past, the two departments have always had to juggle my schedule to avoid putting me into overtime. Knowing that I’m only in town for a limited time, the president has given them permission to put me into overtime. Heh. So, if my number of posts declines a wee bit in the next couple of weeks, you now know why.

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