It's Not a Job - It's An Adventure!

Summer is, by far, my busiest season - and no, the livin' ain't easy! There are so many outdoor events, dog and otherwise, that I could literally be in a different location everyday - and that is almost what I have been doing! It has been tear down one night and set up in a new venue the very next for yet another week. The word "whirlwind" only does partial justice to the schedule I have been keeping - and it is exciting and exhilarating and crazy all at the same time!

The "crazy" part actually makes everything fun and interesting. Take, for example, what happened at St. Greg's Family Festival in Hamilton Square, NJ. While my promoter at the time, Amusements of America, usually set me up near the people food vendors or "Kiddie Land" (where all the little kids rides are), this was a rather small lot and I was set up next to a monster ride called the "Fire Ball." The only way I can describe it is to say that it has a pendulum-like center arm which attaches to a rotating wheel. Passengers are strapped into the wheel and spun round and round and rocked back and forth almost to the point of inversion by the center arm. While way too much for little kids and most sane adults, the teenagers love it and it is always one of the biggest attractions. Needless to say, I was skeptical having my “Tree House” (the nickname for my leaf-covered tent!) next to this behemoth. I was even more unsettled when, during initial state inspection (we get inspected everyday for safety), I realized that the kids would be swinging over me! All I could think was "What more?"

Well, I found out the "what more" that evening when the show opened. It seems teenagers like to keep all sorts of things in their pockets - Ipods, cell phones, make-up, and lots and lots of money. How do I know? Because plink, plunk, smash, the "Fire Ball" shakes it all out and it was raining electronic devices, Bonnie Bell and American currency all over my tent! By the end of the night, I could have supplied Best Buys for a month, been a glamour queen and bought the entire show crew dinner at the Four Seasons for the rest of the week! Needless to say, all hardware and make-up went to the lost and found, and the money, well, let's just say, that St. Greg's got an unexpected donation nightly ! (Actually, by the end of my week's stay, St Greg's got over $600.00 from the "Fire Ball Fund!" Not too shabby, huh?)

Another crazy thing happened one night when I coming home from Paramus, NJ and the DARE Festival. It is about a three hour drive to and from Paramus and my house. Because I was told by the powers that be (and you know who you are!) that I had to keep my expenses down, I have booked all my shows sort of locally and do the commute every day. Doing this, you get to know where the safe rest areas are … or so I thought!

It was late - probably after 1AM - and I guess I had one too many sodas at the show. I pulled into my usual rest area on the NJ Turnpike (like I said, you tend to have "favorites" when you are doing the same route day in and day out!). I go to the Ladies Room and there are five or six woman at the entrance looking in. There, in front of the mirrors over the sinks, is some GUY dancing to the piped in music, singing his heart out and combing his hair - oblivious to the fact that there were a bunch of women, some nervous, some with bemused smiles on their faces, standing there! It was … weird!

As there were no cops around (what is that they say about when you need a cop …), two of us went to the Burger King (it was the only thing open and there were men there - ok, so most of them were teenage boys but, at least, they worked there …) and told them about the musical grooming guy in the Ladies Room. They went in and got him out and took him … somewhere (maybe where they store the meat ? I don't know … all I was aware of at this point was that I had had one too many sodas …).

Middletown, NJ and St. Mary's also provided a rather crazy experience. I had to travel the Garden State Parkway south end. This was a first for me. I had traveled the north end plenty - and hate it! There are thirty-five cent toll booths every ten feet or so and the traffic … well, I have seen parking lots with better flow. Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised that the south end (where the Atlantic City Expressway and the Garden State Parkway meet) is actually nice - the road is good, the cars actually go the speed limit or over, and it is a great drive - UNTIL the night time …. UNTIL you get to the bored toll taker!

There is, coming south, right before you get to the Atlantic City Expressway Exit, a toll booth. Now, I, because I need a receipt to document my expenses and pay cash because I still don't trust Easy Pass, have no choice late at night as to toll lane. Usually, there is only one Cash/Receipt Lane (all of you who drive the GSP regularly will recognize this as the "Red" Lanes!). Anyway, I go to the one lane available to me and THERE HE IS! The bored toll taker! The first night, it was sort of amusing. "No," he says, "I won't give you your receipt until you answer three trivia questions." HUH? Thankfully, they were easy - two were TV trivia and one was Movie (and one I had seen which, in and of itself, is funny because aside from Star Trek movies, I don't generally go to movie theaters …. Who has the time?). I was given my receipt and off I went.

The second night (and mind you, it is after 2AM and all I want to do is get home!), he does it again. This time I don't know the answers - so he keeps me there ten minutes explaining them to me. The third night, I approach the toll booth thoroughly convinced that I am living that children's story about the troll at the bridge and all ready to blow this guy away, and he isn't there! Yipeeee! I get a reprieve! The forth night, I am not so lucky … and sit there and, as it was raining like there was no tomorrow, have to hear about the average rainfall in NJ and the average rainfall in a storm like the one we were currently experiencing. It was a 20 minute ordeal - I got home after 3AM.

The fifth night, I paid my toll in the exact change lane with no receipt (you can ask my boss or look at my expense report! It was worth paying $1.20 NOT to have to listen to this guy!). The final night, tear down night, I got to that toll booth at almost 4AM (tear down nights are long as they are "staged." You can't just up and leave as there are hundreds of people trying to get out of a small spot. They give each area a time for which you can bring in your truck, van, whatever … and get your stuff out!). I must have been tired because, again, I go to the Cash/Receipt Lane and there he is - actually, I must have been exhausted because when he did his little "three question" thing, I told him that I was tired, had been working over 20 hours, and really, really, had no interest in playing his game. He gave me my receipt and told me he was just trying to make my drive more pleasurable - I told him to get me a chauffer ….

These are just a few of the things that make life as a Dog Food Demo Girl interesting and fun and crazy. Someday, I will have to tell you about the MRSA scare (that is resistant Staph infection and yes, I was exposed and no, I didn't get it!), or the lady with the mixed breed dog that had 28 puppies in one year, or the time the goat got out of her pen at the 4-H fair and found her way to the “Tree House” after closing …

As I said, it isn't just a job. It's an adventure ...