Holding Up During A Government Shutdown

So you've no doubt heard all about the federal government shutdown. Yes, there are far-ranging effects and impacts that will ripple out from the deadlock in DC.  Naturally, the most important question you're asking yourself is How, exactly, does all this affect Your Humble Narrator?  Well, read on and I'll try to give you some insights into life in a national park during a government shutdown.

Realize this is my first experience of being directly affected by the gears of government grinding to a halt (and being caught in the gear teeth).  In the past I had always joked, "Hell, even if there is a government shutdown ... how can you tell the difference?"  Realize, too, that the Grand Canyon is more than a mere national park ... It's considered on of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.  As such, the GC receives on average approximately 5 million visitors annually.  As you'd expect all those visitors generate a lot of noise and traffic; indeed, the clots of tourists jamming the narrow sidewalks and crowding the cafeterias, restaurants and buses can become downright frustrating.

So the second thing you notice upon park closure is the sudden quiet that falls over the area.  Once guests were barred from entering, the GC and its small community (GC Village) quickly resembles a ghost town.  The sidewalks are bare.  The shuttle buses have stopped running, leaving only sparse local traffic on the roads.  The majority of restaurants, gift shops and other businesses have been shuttered.  And because of the sudden quiet, the deer, elk and other creatures native are less shy about moving about the park.  Kind of ironic in that all these animals are on display and there's no visitors here to see them!

Sign(s) of the times

By the way, the first thing you notice is the sense of disbelief among the employees that the GC was actually closed for business.  I doubt anyone here seriously expected the government shutdown to occur. (As one co-worker eloquently stated:  "There's no way they'll shut this f**kin' park!"  Well, live and learn.) So it's taken a few days for the realization to settle in.  And that begs the question. How are we settling in?

The first day of closure (Wednesday October 2) actually occurred on a payday.  So for the first night there was a lot of partying.  Regular readers of this blog -- both of them -- might recall the circumstance in which most of us workers live:  In dorms, usually two in a room with communal bath and showers.  While the housing provided by our employer Xanterra are certainly cost efficient, it also presents its share of challenges ... you might say you get what you pay for.

A quick recap on the subject:  I've never been a fan of roommates to begin with.  Many of your dorm mates tend to be, unkind as it may sound, challenged either physically or mentally.  There is a lot of alcoholism and drug abuse in the dorms.  Many of the workers are culled from the streets (as in homeless) and often bring their unhygienic habits and oddball behaviors with them.  Because of this, bedbugs are rampant in the dorms, along with a lot of shouting and yelling (usually an outgrowth of these guys talking to themselves)  Many of these people have difficulty with the English language, either because of speech impediments or too many missing teeth.

This portion of the South Rim Trail is usually packed with visitors

So back to that first day.  A lot of these guys blew their paychecks on booze and other illegal substances, which kept them partying until the wee hours.  I that heard a few fights broke out and National Park Service rangers had to be called (a common occurrence -- at least the rangers are still on the clock)  The following nights have gotten quieter; I expect many of the partyers are running low on cash as so many of them seem to live paycheck to paycheck ... and there are no cash loan companies up here.

On Thursday (October 3), Xanterra took a neighborly step in announcing free meals for its employees (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and suspending dorm rent for three weeks.  The meals are served in one central location (Maswik Cafeteria) as other facilities have been closed.  It's over a mile away from where my dorm is located but the weather is brisk and clear these days and I don't mind walking.  Besides, it's free food, right?  I've tried to take as much advantage as possible of the offer.  (Interestingly, I've heard complaints from co-workers about the limited menu and lack of 'acceptable substitutes' available.  I reiterate:  it's free food.  Besides, they set up free wi-fi and resumed limited shuttle service for employees.

The cafeteria was packed the first couple days but attendance seems to be falling; maybe the novelty is fading or people are getting tired of the food.  Or it could be that people are just getting antsy at having to adjust to a strange reality:  Trapped in a limbo of being out of work while still being employed.  Along that line, there was a recent meeting about how to file for Arizona unemployment benefits if the shutdown keeps dragging on.

Your Humble Narrator seems to be a bit lonely these days

If you remember the 1978 film "Days of Heaven", one of the characters remarked that she's "been thinking what to do wit' (her) future".  I think that quote applies to many of us here in the GC.  Particularly as this federal impasse persists, I'm examining my options.  While many here pass the time arguing about who's to blame (Republicans, Democrats, etc.) it's all a moot point in my opinion.  The fact is, Your Humble Narrator is losing money every day and, frankly, misses the routine of going to work.  If nothing else he has discovered how important a regular routine is.

What happens in a closed community like this is that you tend to see the same faces over and over.  That happens even when things are operating normally.  Now, with the majority of hourly workers left with nothing to do and nowhere to go, those faces are in your face constantly.  You see them in the cafeteria, in the dorm, in the rec center, and so on.  Apply this to dealing with those *ahem* eccentric dorm-mates I earlier mention and you can connect the dots:  Familiarity breeds the utmost contempt.

Hopefully there's some brighter days ahead!

The free food/free rent deal is good for three weeks.  I asked one of my managers what happens if the government shutdown goes on longer than three weeks.  "Then they start laying off managers" was the reply, and that's bad news for hourly employees.  Only essential services and workers would remain, and that would likely be comprised of skeleton crews.  Hopefully, there'll be some progress in reopening the national parks and we can all get back to work.

For now, there's a lot of people holding their breath because they've got families to feed and bills to pay. About the only thing that's certain right now is that despite how events turn out, the Grand Canyon will still be here.  At least you can count on that.

Unless the government shuts it down ...

Canyoneering 9: Active Effects

No sooner did I title the previous installment "Winter in the Rearview Mirror" than we got hit with a late blast of snow and sub-zero temps.  To be sure, Your Humble Narrator was not pleased at the prospect of digging through the white stuff and slipping yet again on icy pavements.  Yet, the sudden storm lasted only half a day and all snow and ice were melted away within 48 hours.  Now the Grand Canyon appears to be in springtime mode -- I think -- with high temps in the 60-70s range and clear, sunny skies.  At any rate, the deer and elk seem convinced of nice weather; herds of the beasts are popping up everywhere I look.

Business has been picking up lately as well.  In my capacity as a Banquet Steward I'm seeing many more tour groups arriving regularly for breakfast and dinner.  The job basically entails setting up and breaking down eating areas for the guests.  We also bus tables, serve coffee/tea, and refill water.  I was recently cleared to run a cash register for the purpose of overseeing a cash bar run on the premises.  Given that I've never run a register in my life and will be dealing with weary, booze-craving tourists, I'm curious to see what happens.

Being a BS (as such) isn't the most difficult job I've had.  As far as day jobs go, it's fairly routine and sedate. There's a lot of detail work, such as setting tables, changing linens, restocking items, and so forth; simple enough but can be very time consuming.  Preparations for the next days events are usually completed the night before.  The work can be tedious but the gratuities help me maintain my interest.  To be sure, however, there is a lot of manual labor involved with this gig.

We must carry large tables and chair up and down stairs.  We must push and transport food and utility carts loaded with dishware and utensils to and from our serving area to the El Tovar Hotel where the items are unleaded and reloaded.  In this higher elevation such exertion can take its toll on YHN.  Indeed, I make no bones about the fact that I am no longer a young man.  I figure such physical strain as this job entails would mean a year at most serving as a BS.  After that, many of my favorite body parts may cease to function properly.  Hopefully, that will give me the time necessary to reach my savings goal and push on.s

I admit that I have of late been thinking more often about leaving the Grand Canyon.  The strange thing is that  I have an odd sense of regret at the prospect of departing.  You see, I actually do like it here ... well, sort of.  The place offers some majestic scenery, to be sure.  And I like the wide open spaces, the sharper air, and the sense of freedom such a huge national park offers.  Still, the GC as a working/living environment offers some unique challenges.  There are a number of, shall we say, unique personalities with which to contend.

The shorthand would be to say the employees comprise a lot of freaks and geeks.  A fairer assessment might be that many of the employees here are lacking in the social graces.  Such people seem to have trouble with holding casual conversations  or managing to maintain their composure when dealing with higher-stress situations.  Other people have a tendency to act unnecessarily rude or say inappropriate things (especially bad when dealing with the public.  There's a lot of partying that goes on in the dorms, mostly drinking to excess, to the point where National Park Service rangers (the local police force or Barney Fifes as they're referred to here) are called to quell the disturbance.

I tend to turn a blind eye and/or deaf ear to a lot of the nonsense that goes on around here. After all, I've encountered many of these types of misfit personalities before, at Salvation Army.  The difference was that the characters there weren't allowed access to booze.  And there was much less tolerance for aberrant behavior than what Xanterra tends to exhibit.  Still, to my employer's credit, they do have a zero tolerance policy on alcohol and drugs.  If an employee tests positive during a random check (or upon any suspicion), that employee is summarily discharged on the spot.

If you recall the TV show Green Acres, and the town of Hooterville with all its oddball characters, you'll have some notion of the people you deal with here in the GC.  And if you recall big city Oliver Douglas's (Eddie Albert) frustration and exasperation at dealing with the small town yokels, you might have some idea of how I feel when dealing with some of my Xanterra compatriots. All that's missing is Arnold the Pig (although we do have Bucky, a domesticated mule deer who roams outside our dorm).  Now, if only I had a hot Hungarian babe, I'd be set!

At any rate, I do feel the desire for civilization puling at me ever more frequently.  I do miss the voiceover work I left behind in Vegas.  In a sense I've started a new career -- perhaps even a new life -- here in the GC.  And you know something?  It can be a good career, and a good life.  But I don't know if it's necessarily my career or life.  Were I a few decades younger, maybe so.

At this point, I find it rather late in life to make a true career switch into the food/restaurant industry.  Sometimes it feels as if I've made a detour in my life, a temporary stopping off point.  Maybe it's been necessary to gain some perspective; to take a breath, one might say.  Interesting, because I seem to have garnered a rep here for being a good co-worker, easygoing, with a sense of humor.  My performing background has allowed me to easily converse with guests and I've even thrown in a few celebrity impersonations (people tend to like my Sean Connery bit).  I've met many people from all over the world, and made a number of friends in the process.

Yet I'm still chafing to get may to my real career(s).  I've taken a small step, in managing to re-establish some of my writing contacts.  The lousy Internet service here in the GC kind of puts a stopper on that, however.  Still, it's been nice to resume some of my former work, if only on a small scale.  Baby steps, I guess.  But the time is coming for me to take a leap out of the Canyon.  Funny, because I initially intended to stay here for six months, maximum.  In all honesty, YHN finds that leaving the GC is a decision he is not so anxious to make.

HINJFCA 31: Countdown Commencing In 2 ...

As in 2 weeks. As in my final 2 weeks at Salvation Army. Yeah, you read that right: I m preparing to depart the SA – complete with honorable discharge (that's what she said) – in a mere two weeks. So consider this a formal 2 weeks notice for SA, Las Vegas, and the entire state of Nevada. Because I'm heading east, to ... But your humble narrator is getting ahead of himself. Last installment I promised to recount a few stories concerning some of the characters at SA, so let's get to that. And remind me not to get out of here with telling you abut the big change in lifestyle heading my way. (But if you just can't wait, there's a clue if you follow this link.)

'Beatdown Town'

Around a month ago a fellow client and kitchen co-worker named Truck (not his real name) scored a job at Crater Lake national park in Oregon. It sounded like a great deal: Nice location, a managerial position in their lodge kitchen, and a chance to save up some money. So a week before he's due to leave, Truck gets into a seemingly harmless argument with a guy in the SA kitchen. I witnessed the exchange between Truck (a 5'9, stocky black guy) and the other man (a younger white guy approximately the same height but far slighter of build). They got nose to nose with low, intense voices, neither of them willing to back down. At one point they actually went outside but onlookers broke up a potential fight in front of the cafe entrance. Upon re-entering the cafe, they exchanged parting shots with the younger guy exiting. Truck was still visibly upset when the security people showed up to take statements (your humble narrator kept his mouth shut) although he tried to laugh the matter off. Apparently the younger guy wasn't supposed to be in the cafe in the first place. Taking statements is par for most arguments of this kind. Security people mainly go through the motions on this sort of thing because guys woof at each other all the time in SA and little ever comes of it.

I wasn't a witness to the next part of the story, so I can only tell you what was related to me by my roommate. (FYI accounts of the following differ markedly) According to my roommate Hank, he was walking a few blocks from the SA campus near the St.Vincent/Catholic Charities complex. Truck suddenly ran up to him and said, “Hold this, man!” He gave Hank his cell phone, wallet and other small items. When Hank asked what was going on, Truck simply ran across the street. The younger guy from the cafe argument was there. Hank shouted for Truck to come back, but he confronted the younger guy on the sidewalk. Shouting turned into shoving, and wild punches were thrown. Truck dove at the younger guy's legs, hoisted him by the knees and body-slammed him to the cement. Truck then used his knees to pin the guy's arms and sat on his chest. Truck proceeded to deliberately punch the guy repeatedly, connecting with solid, deliberate shots to the face. Supposedly, you could hear wet 'popping' noises as Truck's fists hammered into the guy's face.

All the while, many homeless people sat and either ignored the event or watched with detached interest. No doubt they see this sort of thing frequently. Hank ran over and managed to pull Truck away, returning his stuff and telling him to get lost as the sound of police sirens drew nearer. Truck seemed to be in a daze, mumbling, “Thanks, man, sorry. I had to do it, man ...” He walked off and Hank took a moment to look at the damage done.

The younger guy was barely conscious. His face was beaten to the consistency of raw meat. We would later learn that he suffered a shattered jaw, a fractured eye socket and cheek bone, and several other injuries severe enough to put him in intensive care. (For the record, he did survive.) But before Hank could get away, he was detained by St.Vincent security officers and eventually questioned by police. Truck was ID'd by the guy and arrested later that night; I saw him led in handcuffs to the squad car. Hard to believe this was my co-worker and fellow student/client who was always so easy to get along with. He did have a temper, but I never thought him capable of such an action.

He would end up spending 24 days in jail (denied bond) because the guy didn't press charges and decided to move to Oregon. Most agreed that Truck dodged a bullet on that one; he could still be sitting in jail awaiting trial. His penance? Apparently no more than attending an 8-hour anger management class and he's paid his debt to society. Truck did lose his national park gig but SA allowed him to return to the kitchen. He's presently searching again for work.

When I saw him he told me his version of the story: He was walking along when the younger guy and three friends tried to jump him. Truck “knocked the f**kin' shit out that asshole” (his words) and the other three fled. “But all them bitches know they best respect my ass. You feel me?” Okay. Obviously, that conflicts with the version told to me by my roommate. Hank also had to tell his story to Vegas Metro detectives; he said it was like an episode of “Law & Order” (insert favorite franchise here) where he was taken to a small room and his statement was recorded. Hank was also summoned to attend Truck's court date although he never had to take the stand.

Many clients on the SA campus actually sided with Truck, supporting his actions regardless of which version of the story they believed. Some clients tried to make it a racial issue and another case of injustice for the black man. All I can say is that both parties were at fault (imo). There was no reason for the argument(s) to reach the level it did. As is often the case, the cause was something small. Here, the events stemmed from Truck telling the guy to take only one sausage for breakfast. The guy then threw a sausage link at Truck and it was on. All that grief over a sausage. Somewhere in porcine heaven, a piggie must be squealing with satisfaction. Truck is apparently none the worse for wear. In fact he seems to be enjoying something of a celebrity status since returning from jail, telling his tale of woe to friends who listen raptly. I worked with him earlier today serving the homeless breakfast and he's pretty much the same as before: Pushy, somewhat bossy at times, occasionally annoying. As usual, I pretend not to hear him and stay focused on what I'm doing. Truck is one of those guys I like overall, just not as a co-worker. Whatever. I'll keep the peace for two more weeks and resist any urge to throw sausage links at the guy.
Now, about that new j-o-b ... Ah, but it seems I've taken too long telling you about Truck. Guess I'll have to wait til the next installment. No, let's get it out of the way before you burst from frustration. Your humble narrator has scored a gig at a small resort located in the southwestern US. Ever hear of the Grand Canyon? Yup, that's how I roll. Go big or go home is what I say.

Anyway, I'll be working in one of the lodges or restaurants there basically as a food server. Fine with me because it doesn't involve cooking and it's a tipped position. Best, it fulfills my obligation to SA's culinary program so they won't sic the debt collectors from hell upon me. And I must admit the prospect of some new scenery appeals to me. So we'll see what develops. But for all intents and purposes the GC gig is a done deal. Next time: Eh. We'll figure something out. For now, that's a wrap!