One Day, Breaking The Ice

Today was my first day of work in San Diego. A one shot deal. But, with the ice now broken, I figure it will lead to more.

Qualcomm is based here in San Diego, and is a pretty major figure in the local economy and community. Their name is everywhere. Today was their 25th anniversary party. One of the local catering companies did a mass hire to staff the event, which was expected to serve almost 14,000 employees.

Arrived at noon and watched the loose organization of staffing the few hundred of us that would be working the event. I was bartending, along with roughly 80 others. A parking lot/loading dock on the Qualcomm campus was transformed into a concert venue with a main stage that would pass for that of any outdoor arena. There were another three stages spread throughout the overnight venue, and then serving stations, multiple bars, table and concert seating rounding out the theatre.

We spent the afternoon setting up the bars and beverage stations, with some pretty loose guidance leaving room for the alpha types who were just like the rest of us grunts to try and assert control and provide direction. I pretty much kept my mouth shut and let my work speak for itself. Sure enough, I found a following amongst my comrades, and we were able to pass the time amiably and take care of business, while the alphas exhumed a bunch of hot air and ran in circles.

About three hours in, I became part of a strong trio of workers, and by event time we'd expanded into a band of 7. The beginning of the event had its early episode of chaos but, again, with confident exertion we pulled together and soon enough had a tight machine. I observed the crowd from the engine room, which in this case was behind the beer taps. To my left a member of the original trio poured wine. In front of us we had five face people working the crowd and taking the orders. Beers were the order of the day, and with orders coming through from all sides, the first few hours of the reception and speeches passed by quickly.

Once the CEO got up, the night grounded to a halt. He kept going on and on about how cell phones have changed the world. Going so far as to say that cell phones are the greatest platform in human history. I found that to be quite grandiose and self-serving. There is no greater platform than the human mind, and no technology will ever surpass the impact of shared human emotion, but this was a crowd of engineers and it was his party, so we'll let him have his say. I will say, however, it is amazing that this company started with one guy back in 1985 and today has grown into a major worldwide operation. That is a truly remarkable achievement. Especially because it took 14 months before the company doubled in size to two employees after its inception. Here they are today with 14,000 in San Diego alone.

Finally, the CEO was ready to pass the baton. This brought on a pretty dazzling fireworks display coming from all five points of the makeshift arena. After that, it was on to the main event, a performance by Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds. Earlier in the day it was rumoured to be The Black Eyed Peas, but apparently they fell through at the last minute. Dave Matthews, blazed and dazed out of his gourd, barely able to form sentences and lacking any coherence, played and sang with total heart and dazzling skill. Tim Reynolds was right there with them, displaying his masterful command of the guitar. They played for two hours straight. And for us, it was free. Better than that, we were getting paid.

As the concert pressed on, the oversight of our temporary employers became non-existent. Fortunately, the seven of us had worked our corner of the massive bar with a smooth panache and teamwork. We pooled our tips together and walked away with $18 each in tips. I figure we'll get paid about $11 an hour, and it was a 10 hour shift. The uniform cost me a total $85 dollars, $50 for the shoes and $35 for the pants. So, all in all, a tank of gas. Or food for a day. Nevertheless, it was a positive experience. I met some cool people, all of whom are struggling to make ends meet out here as well, and there's safety, not to mention comfort, in numbers. For one day at least, I had a context. And I'm very comfortable in these types of settings, I'm good at it and I can flex my mind to know how to run things at optimum efficiency, even though I've no idea of when I'll get that chance next. But I know I will get it. With one day of work finally on the books, there are surely more to come.