“Judges, are you ready…”

This weekend I took a road trip, and got paid $280 to do it. Yep, that’s right, unbelievable, and a total god-send! My buddy Ralph called me up last week to see if I could go on the road with his video company. Paid hotel, meals, and they would give me an hourly rate. I didn’t even think twice about it, ‘cuz I needed the cash for my multiple car repairs of late. So I gave him a quick ‘Sure thing!’, and explained my situation with my unforeseen need for more benjamins. He spent a few minutes lauding on God for providing in this situation.

Friday around 3:30 we pulled out of Dayton en-route to Indiana….pulling into the high school around 5:30, unloaded the equipment from the van, and followed our stomachs to Ponderosa. After we indulged in some decent Salmon it was time to head back to the school for a long evening of setup. The company Ralph works for does videography for weddings and band /guard competitions. There was much cable running, wire taping, and testing done until around 11 p.m. Exhausted, we headed to our hotel and each crashed in our separate, company paid rooms.

After a breakfast at Denny’s we got to the school gymnasium to put the video cameras in place and set up the merchandise table which I would be running. The event we were taping was the Indiana Percussion State Championships. All the action began in the gym while I took orders, ran credit cards, and explained the purchase and shipping options. There was a live feed on a monitor by our table for those who didn’t make it into the gym between performances. Being a former band/guard geek, this was a wonderful way to spend a day and make some extra cash =o) There were other vendors who also had tables set up in the lobby. One of them was a guy who was taking individual action photos of the students who performed, and would then put them into a collage/poster. This individual, we will call Mullet Man, for obvious reasons (complete with 80’s plaid pants). I was minding my merchandise when Mullet Man (M.M.) comes over and says how he wished he had more chances to chat with me. I take it for what it’s worth, and continue to help my customers. At the next beak M.M. is back at my table asking if I was married or had children. Both of which I answered ‘No.’ He then goes on to ask if guys usually hit on/flirt with me when I go to events like this. I laugh to myself and mention that I have no track record since this is my first event. M.M. asks if I would like a track record. Mmm…..okay….

Other than a few more normal comments by our long haired friend, the rest of the evening rolled along uneventful. The percussion played, judges judged, we sold and filmed, then the long day was over after a quick clean up and tear down. Boy, I do miss band and guard. It was nice to be a part of it all again, in some small way. The company Ralph works for is made up of some really quality people whom I am glad I got the chance to meet. I’m hoping to be able to go on the road with them next time they need a merchandise gal, and would love to be taken back to high school days when the announcer says “You may take the floor.”