A quick one before I go
Written by Dan
I'm on my way over to the theater to start tearing up carpet, but before I go, I wanted to relay what happened yesterday.
We met with an agent from the health department.
That's it. So long!
Ha ha ha. I'm awesome. Seriously though, we met with an agent from the health department to go over our proposed concession area. We figured it would be best to have them approve everything BEFORE we start building so they won't come back in the end and tell us something is wrong... hopefully. The other big point was finding out whether we were going to need a hand sink in the concession area, because if we were, that would mean we'd need a drain. Our findings:
1. We don't need a hand sink in the concession area as long as we have one in the prep area. (YAY!)
2. As long as the spillage from the pop fountain and beer tap is collected in a drip pan, which is then emptied on a daily basis, there would be no need for a drain in the concession area. (YAY YAY YAY!)
3. Hold on, let me check the statutes and make sure that's right. (UH OH!)
4. Oh, no. I'm sorry, I was way off on that. If you want a pop fountain OR a beer tap, you're going to need a drain to collect spillage. Sorry. (NOOOOOO!)
So that's where we stand. Losing the pop fountain is one thing - if it had to go, I was okay with that - but losing the beer tap is a horse of a different color - as in, there's no fucking way we're NOT going to have beer on tap. Losing the pop fountain and the beer tap would mean a huge cut in the concession profits, and that ain't cool, dig?
Speaking of digging, that's exactly what we're going to have to do. Chris K., the contractor, is going to have to hire someone to come in with a hydraulic concrete saw and cut through 5 inches of solid, 60 year old concrete (for those of you who didn't know, concrete, unlike other materials, has a tendency to get harder and stronger as the years go by - YIPPEE!). After the concrete has been cut away, I'm going to go in with a pick and shovel and dig out the rest - just like on O' Brother Where Art Thou. Also, as I'm digging, I have to make sure that for every foot of horizontal space, the drain falls 1/8th of an inch towards the center of the earth. Isn't life grand?
Also, PENMAC finally offered me a job yesterday, but I declined due to the fact that the hours were 8:00 to 4:30, Monday through Friday, and taking it would mean I'd have no time to meet with people for the theater. While Nicole works during the day, I'm going to be hobnobbing with the rich and famous as we sip mimosas from tall glasses and wipe our brows while watching the lowly hired hands toil on the theater. Actually, I'm going to enter the 4th circle of hell and work as a telemarketer again. Why, you ask?
1. It pays $9.00 or $10.00 an hour
2. The hours are in the evening
3. I get to talk to lots of interesting people on the phone
The only downside to the job is that the evening shift tends to attract all the college students, which means I'll be surrounded by hyper sorority girls who are dying to hear all about the new theater. A fate worse than death, to be sure. And before anyone asks, "have you done telemarketing before?" The answer is, "yes, I have." I was a telemarketer way back in 1997-1998 when I was a senior in high school. During my tenure, I set the company record for most sales in one shift and for being the most awesome person in a 5 mile radius. I've heard they're much more strict these days, as in, I have to keep my clothes on at all times....
I'm just holding off the inevitable. I have to go rip up carpet at the theater and apply an adhesive remover that features the following warning: "A dust mask does not provide protection against vapors. WARNING: Using this product will expose you to chemicals which are known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. Methylene Chloride has been shown t
o cause cancer in laboratory animals."
Good think I'm not a laboratory animal living in the State of California! Wish me luck!