Category: gaylord opryland

The Tale of Employment Woes Continues . . .

Which has nothing to do with ‘The Man’ keeping me down.

But it seems that the hotel and PSAV higher-ups have interviewed a candidate for the position of which I am in right now. Thankfully, I knew about this ahead of time and was fully prepped by my boss that it was happening. Well, the hotel, apparently, liked this guy but I was told that they like me too. What is that saying about cake and stuff?

If they hire this guy and I stay he would be the director of a/v and I would go back to being a technician. I’m not quite sure what would happen to the current technician, maybe they would put him at the Gaylord Opryland. Which, if you are a floor technician, is not that cool of a job.

At the same time, though, I am hearing the Opryland PSAV rigging department is struggling and has been since I left to take the job I now have. I’ve been seriously considering going back to rigging to take care of that mess and wait for another director job to open up. My problem is that I feel that I need to be paid around what the other two guys are getting paid. Especially the rigging supervisor, who got a significant raise since I left. Which now doesn’t make sense if this guy doesn’t have the skills to keep the ship running. If I go back and straighten things out I should get a significant raise, too. Right?

It’s just that I’m a big wuss when it comes to confrontation and money. Deep down inside I know that I deserve it. The department ran well when I was there doing inventory, scheduling labor, along with some actual rigging. When I’m gone it falls apart. I need to do my own math I guess and point that out to my boss. But, also, on the surface we (the extrovert/introvert family) need an increase in my pay. There’s a parasite just waiting to stop feasting on it’s host (the Elder Extroverted Holy One), enter the world and eat my money (and that will cut into my beer money and as the Young Extroverted One knows, daddy doesn’t share beer)(I do, really, share beer. I can prove it 🙂 )! Which, as soon as EEHO graduates and gets a job won’t be that big of a problem. For now, though, we need me to get a more significant raise.

Job Drama Continues

Well, I knew that I had to jump through some hoops in order to get the director of av job at the Marriott at Vanderbilt University but I didn’t know I had to do the limbo and play twister at the same time!

My boss said I had to do a quick phone interview with someone from corporate. Wha? I’ve been working for this company for about two years. Okay, I’ll do it. Did that on Monday. Then my boss told me that I had to do an interview with some of the head cheeses from the hotel. Alright, whatever it takes. He set it up for yesterday with the hopes of making the human resources call that afternoon. Well, what he thought was a group hug with the new director and his hotel partners turned out to be cuddle time with my boss and the hotel crew (of which I was not invited). Talking about me. Why not talk to me?

So, they all agreed that I would do this as a temporary or interim position for a couple of months as a tryout. That means I don’t get director pay until it’s official in the minds of the Marriott mob that I can indeed ‘sell’ audio/visual in this teeny (remember I used to work at the Gaylord Opryland) hotel.

At least I get along with the people that I will be working with directly. Those guys that talked about me? They only see me working. They don’t work with me. As long as I’m doing what the sales folks here need me to do (which I am doing) we’ll be golden. I suppose I’ll continue to be, as my facebook updates say, “playing ‘director’ of AV @ the Vanderbilt Marriott.”

Goodbye GEC(H) . . . HelLOOO NA

I’m very greatful for the decision by Nashville’s Metro Sports Authority to approve the proposal* by the Nashville Predators to drop the name that has caused people all over Nashville to spew spittal in my face when pronouncing GEC(H). I have always had a problem with that abbreviation since before I moved here. Even more so lately, when the Elder Extroverted Holy One is working on her Hebrew pronounciations.

When working for the, what was once, Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena (now the RBC Center) we never called it the RESA (reesah). We just simply called it the Raleigh Arena or the arena. Affectionally also known as ‘hell hole’ because it seemed like that the first year we opened but now I reserve that nickname for my current place of employment.

Hopefully, the nice residents of Middle Tennessee won’t resort to shortening the Nashville Arena down to NA (nah). You could even just say ‘arena.’ Because, hey, it’s the only real arena in town. At least the only place the Preds play.

So, I wish I could say I’m running down to the Nashville Arena to watch a hockey game tonight but I have to work. Sigh. In honor of the most appropriate, even if it’s temporary, name I’m going to say that I am going down to the arena to catch a hockey game soon!

*read the article here or here

Christmas has been Ruined

Well, not really. It’s just that Pam Tillis (or her people) and the Gaylord Opryland people have just been added to the top of my Fecal Roster.

The Pam Tillis dinner show started in one smaller ballroom (that was the first all-nighter) right around Thanksgiving. Yesterday they packed up everything and reset it in the biggest ballroom. So, from 2PM on Wednesday to about 8:30AM on Thursday I was doing some form or wrapping GAC-flex around truss, powering up chainmotors, running cable in the catwalk and ceiling and hanging Christmas ornaments from the ballroom ceiling.

In small doses? Like a regular 8 or 9 hour day? Not so bad. But 18 and half hours?!?!? Ugh. At the moment I’m a little brain dead. So, it makes sense that I should be trying to write something that makes sense to others here.

I’m happy for the new experiences of the rigging world but the hours can suck sometimes. At least I get paid a little more.