Anyway… I don’t know why I wake up so early, especially since I got home late last night from repairing a Diamond Cinema game at Red Lake that the preventative maintenance crew of four techs couldn’t fix. These jokers had all the replacement parts and four minds to work the problem through. These guys couldn’t figure it out, so they gave up, called me and left for the weekend. I think a significant part of the reason for the very existence of my job is all a state of mind, or lack thereof. When the level 1 techs cannot work out a problem to a favorable solution, or the casino techs get stumped, I get the call, the last line of defense between a broken game and lost revenue. That is the thing that separates me from the service center techs, not due to aptitude but due to their attitude… and I say this with irritation, not smugness. Most of what I do is straightforward, even the troubleshooting and repair. The task is to keep working, troubleshooting, and trying until the game is operating like new. For me, leaving work undone is altogether unacceptable and the majority of our techs plainly give up too readily. It is all very logical. The customer is the reason we have jobs, and if the game is out of service, nobody makes money. To borrow from an old phrase, if the customer “ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.”
Heather’s parents, along with Josh, and Caleb the moose-sized Black Lab are at the house for Christmas. The in-laws arrived while I was at Red Lake. I missed out on fresh Papa Murphy’s pizza, but duty calls, and what is wrong with cold pizza? Not a thing! This morning I have a busy day, as I do my strength-training, get a hair cut and then Heather will be getting pictures taken again, the last before the baby is born. She tells me that I will be in some of the pictures but I will do my best to hide from the photographer. The best place for me is behind the camera.
Once the baby is born, we will be at the photo studio on a regular basis throughout the first year. We have a membership so it is inexpensive to have photos taken with no sitting fee. This reminds me, there are plenty of unfilled pages in the baby’s journal. I need to write more before the little one hatches. (Heather’s Dad tells her that she hatched from an egg, so it seems logical that her child would hatch, as well). Someday, the baby journal will be neat, I think, for our child to read our thoughts and know how we were feeling, our plans and activities getting ready for this exciting experience. I know already our lives will never be the same.
Today is Christmas… again. Under the circumstances, it would be outlandish to wish you a merry Christmas now, wouldn’t it? That is, unless you come over to our crowded house. So, have a pleasant weekend and stay cool. But don’t freeze your caboose off. I love winter!
Marty, I hope your intuition is right on target.
Go Vikings!
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