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All of the 4th of July posts reminded me of one particularly awesome hotel manager I had the fortune of overhearing beat down on an SC when I was a teenager.
I've mentioned a few times before that I grew up on the sets of major fireworks displays, as my father shot them as a hobby until I was in my 20's. (For some of my more interesting stories, you can read this thread: http://www.customerssuck.com/board/s...d.php?t=100753 ) Now for those who've never worked on a professional set, let me assure you that it's some of the dirtiest, smelliest work I've ever done, and that includes helping out some friends on a farm, cleaning out a septic tank and rebuilding after a major hurricane leveled my hometown and left us without power for months. The 4th of July celebrations are the worst because it's summer, it's HOT, and with one notable exception, all the shows we did were around the southeastern US, so it's muggy. You're working your ass off in the heat, digging up dirt or pouring sand to keep the mortars stable, and, of course, hauling around a rather large number of explosives, which smell like sulfur. At the end of the day, you just flat out stink.
This particular summer we were doing a show in Alabama. It was a large show that took a crew of about 6 people three days to set up. Dad was the Dude In Charge. Since we didn't live in Alabama, we were staying at a hotel. This wasn't a 4 star hotel by any means, but it was fairly decent (think along the lines of La Quinta, or something of that level.) On the second day of set up, we return to our hotel. My mother and sisters weren't along on this trip, so it was just me, my father, and one other guy who was also from out of town. The rest of the crew were local. Of course we all come in together and go to our separate rooms. I took a quick shower to get the dirt, mud, and various remnants of explosive chemicals off my skin then changed into my swimsuit because I was 16 and there was a pool and I wanted to use it!
As I was heading through the lobby, I heard this evil SC yelling at the manager for allowing those awful homeless people into the hotel, and how he should kick them out because they were so dirty and smelled just so bad. I admit it, I was a teenager, I was curious who the guy was talking about, so I loitered a bit to listen. The manager at the desk asked who he was talking about, since as far as he knew, nobody fitting the guy's description was staying on the property. As the guy kept talking, it dawned on me that he was talking about us. Oh, boy! Of course I had to stay and listen. By this time, they guy had seen me, but obviously didn't recognize me, since I now looked like a "decent" person, and didn't smell bad.
I don't recall exactly what the manager said, since it was so many years ago, but it boiled down to something to the effect of "well, last I checked, being homeless wasn't a crime, and if the people in question were, in fact, homeless, but somehow scraped up the money to pay for a hotel, get cleaned up and get a decent night's sleep, then more power to them, but if they really bothered him, he was welcome to find alternate lodgings for the night. In addition, if he really had a problem with "those people", then he probably ought to skip the next night's fireworks, since 'those people' were the ones putting it on, and he wouldn't want to compromise his values, now would he?" (The manager had apparently come to the same conclusion I had about who he was talking about).
Thinking back, I think that manager was probably one of the more awesome people I've ever encountered, simply because he refused to cater to the uppity guy and made sure everybody was welcome at his hotel, regardless of what they looked like or their station in life, in an area not exactly known for its tolerance. I haven't thought about that story in a long time, but the manager's words definitely left an impression on at least one impressionable teenage girl. I hope that wherever he is now, he's reaped the rewards of his obvious kindness towards all people.
I've mentioned a few times before that I grew up on the sets of major fireworks displays, as my father shot them as a hobby until I was in my 20's. (For some of my more interesting stories, you can read this thread: http://www.customerssuck.com/board/s...d.php?t=100753 ) Now for those who've never worked on a professional set, let me assure you that it's some of the dirtiest, smelliest work I've ever done, and that includes helping out some friends on a farm, cleaning out a septic tank and rebuilding after a major hurricane leveled my hometown and left us without power for months. The 4th of July celebrations are the worst because it's summer, it's HOT, and with one notable exception, all the shows we did were around the southeastern US, so it's muggy. You're working your ass off in the heat, digging up dirt or pouring sand to keep the mortars stable, and, of course, hauling around a rather large number of explosives, which smell like sulfur. At the end of the day, you just flat out stink.
This particular summer we were doing a show in Alabama. It was a large show that took a crew of about 6 people three days to set up. Dad was the Dude In Charge. Since we didn't live in Alabama, we were staying at a hotel. This wasn't a 4 star hotel by any means, but it was fairly decent (think along the lines of La Quinta, or something of that level.) On the second day of set up, we return to our hotel. My mother and sisters weren't along on this trip, so it was just me, my father, and one other guy who was also from out of town. The rest of the crew were local. Of course we all come in together and go to our separate rooms. I took a quick shower to get the dirt, mud, and various remnants of explosive chemicals off my skin then changed into my swimsuit because I was 16 and there was a pool and I wanted to use it!
As I was heading through the lobby, I heard this evil SC yelling at the manager for allowing those awful homeless people into the hotel, and how he should kick them out because they were so dirty and smelled just so bad. I admit it, I was a teenager, I was curious who the guy was talking about, so I loitered a bit to listen. The manager at the desk asked who he was talking about, since as far as he knew, nobody fitting the guy's description was staying on the property. As the guy kept talking, it dawned on me that he was talking about us. Oh, boy! Of course I had to stay and listen. By this time, they guy had seen me, but obviously didn't recognize me, since I now looked like a "decent" person, and didn't smell bad.
I don't recall exactly what the manager said, since it was so many years ago, but it boiled down to something to the effect of "well, last I checked, being homeless wasn't a crime, and if the people in question were, in fact, homeless, but somehow scraped up the money to pay for a hotel, get cleaned up and get a decent night's sleep, then more power to them, but if they really bothered him, he was welcome to find alternate lodgings for the night. In addition, if he really had a problem with "those people", then he probably ought to skip the next night's fireworks, since 'those people' were the ones putting it on, and he wouldn't want to compromise his values, now would he?" (The manager had apparently come to the same conclusion I had about who he was talking about).
Thinking back, I think that manager was probably one of the more awesome people I've ever encountered, simply because he refused to cater to the uppity guy and made sure everybody was welcome at his hotel, regardless of what they looked like or their station in life, in an area not exactly known for its tolerance. I haven't thought about that story in a long time, but the manager's words definitely left an impression on at least one impressionable teenage girl. I hope that wherever he is now, he's reaped the rewards of his obvious kindness towards all people.
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