“Guess who just got back today?
Those wild-eyed boys that had been away
Haven’t changed, haven’t much to say
But man, I still think those cats are great”
-Thin Lizzy on “The Boys are back in Town”
It’s been a while since I had last hung out with two of my fellow co-workers, Walt and Sanders, whom I actually consider friends of mine because we’ve been through so much while working at the Big red Machine. Walt, who I’ve had my ups and downs with, is a kind guy with a big heart and I can honestly say that he and I have a mutual respect for each other now because there is no drama, no talking behind each other’s backs, and it feels fantastic just to get to talk to him once in a while outside of work. Sanders is another guy that is good to talk to because we are always joking, laughing, smiling, and just cool when it comes to certain subjects. Last night after work at Big Red, almost 24 hours ago actually, we decided to hit up the pool hall at Santa Clara Billiards. Typically, Sanders is a more easy going guy and I decided to pick him up from his house after he had dropped his bike off and almost right off the bat we started talking about getting back into shape. He had just signed up for the local gym, The Right Stuff, with my former boss and I was proud to hear that at least they are both doing it together. It was pretty funny at first to hear Sanders talk about the coming and going of all these people that are either ripped or just in really good shape go in there and work out like it’s nothing. I know that feeling as Sanders continued on talking about going on the bicep curl and doing 50 LBS. which had me thinking that it wasn’t that bad for a guy like Sanders. Eventually, he got into talking about the treadmill which has it’s ups and downs and I sometimes am careful to not overabuse that thing because it can be deadly. Sanders stressed the point that being on that thing is a bitch and it only gets worse as the incline increases. I could only imagine what his face looked like there and before I knew it we were at Santa Clara Billiards. Walt showed up and I had forgotten that he was dead broke which was understandable since he has a girlfriend and they both go to school together. But, Sanders had won a poker game the night before apparently and he offered since he considered that extra expense. I am not the best pool player but when we got to playing I realized that Sanders and Walt shot their balls in and I had a clear shot of winning if I avoided not hitting my own balls in the end. While this was going on, the majority of talk was about Big Red and the impact we’ve felt there. I mostly had the word of saying that one of our assistants is close to either getting fired or quitting which makes sense because everyone has grown to resent this person. He hasn’t the problem of being arrogant or cocky but his attitude is just being above someone and being able to just ruin your day if you let him. In all this, he has gotten his responsibilities taken away while one of co-workers has gotten that same position which excites me a bit because she is more fit for it than this person or assistant was or is in this same position. I eventually told them of the drama that has been going on there with no clear leader in the food area which makes no sense at all but I asked Sanders if he knew anything about what was going since I also heard that one of his buddies was getting promoted to that area. He said he hadn’t heard any fine details but he said it is true and that his buddy felt it would be a pay increase but it is not in fact. I then heard of the drama they are experiencing there as each one did not have kind words for some of the managers that work there. I listened to each one finely tune out the fact that they are all hyper all the time and they could just as quick turn the tables on someone if they wanted to. It seemed as if what they look for is someone who is poised to take charge of situations but they also want that energy to stay top notch. I was surprised to hear that Sanders brought up the question of uncomfortable hugs because he had recently gotten hugged by a homeless man which had me cracking up. I started to realize that Sanders, myself, and Walt were almost meant to be this group that stuck by in the end. The reason why I believe is that each of one us is unique and we don’t act to be arrogant or hot headed. All in all it was a fun night at the Billiards. Afterwards, we went out to Denny’s and we once again got onto the topic of work and this time it got even better. Hearing Walt’s story about how he had suspected a guest of trying to con people into buying a gift card was quite amusing because I had never heard of someone doing that. Walt told a great story there as he usually tries to set the story in motion and also let’s someone imagine it. I was amazed to hear that each of them is not very fond of their leader which seems typical in any situation because not only should leaders try to inspire but they should also be cordial of people. It was a fun night because it allowed me to be me in front of these guys without trying too hard which is a situation that I see myself in sometimes. I consider us three some of the last remnants of what the big red machine was like when we had a great set of workers and people. I looked at them and I realized that not many jobs or social situations could give me this opportunity. I learned last night that not matter how far you go in life you will always have that memory or multiple memories of when you did that one thing or had that one moment. “Remember When’s” are big for me and any time we can get together and reflect on the funny stories that occur there or in our lives then I know that we as individuals have something to offer any time any where. I’d like to thank Walt and Sanders for being there when most people don’t even have time anymore to hang out after work. Speaking of which, there is a small hang out area outside of work that holds a few memories for me and maybe next time maybe I’ll write a small piece about that area. The Big red Machine has offered me opportunities and I don’t want them to slip by.
Till next Time!
Just Another Day... 