Globex Corporation Newsletter

I don't want this to come out the wrong way, but this was something I really appreciated and wanted to share with people who may read this blog but not the one I'm referencing. Long story short, TSA has, for some time now, been overcharged for the beers he's been buying at the Sunday night Cheers open mic. One of the reasons that TSA and I get along so well is that we're both "stand-up" guys. I like to think that if either of us says something that you can take it to the bank. That's the way Andy has always been as long as I've known him and I like to think I can say the same thing about myself. So if Andy says he's had four beers in an evening, then by God, he's had four beers. If you ask me how many he had, I'll tell you that I don't know because he's a big boy and I don't feel the need to monitor his alcohol content. I don't say that because I don't believe him, I say that because it's the truth, I didn't count the number of beers he drank. That said, he had four beers because he said he had four beers, I have no reason not to believe that.

TSA decided not to return to Cheers. I fully support that decision. I assure you it's not about the money. If it were about the money, TSA would have returned to Cheers the last two weeks just to use up the "drink chips" the manager gave him to make up for pervious times he'd been overcharged. And it would be a couple of weeks of drinks as he's been overcharged more than a few times. TSA's problem, as I see it, is with the bartender on duty for those overcharings. She seemed to think he was trying to run some sort of scam on her to get free drinks. If you know Andy, you know that's simply impossible.

Today Shawn wrote this in his blog:

And, to Doug and Andy:  Please come back and let's work SomeThing out ALL can comfortably "live" with.  IT's just not cool to NOT have YOU guys THERE.  Maybe, just maybe, YOU'd both be happier being with YOUR Sunday family, and "things" can be adjusted and worked in and out.  I know THEY can, because I used to be the smartest cat on my block.  YOU both have been missed, and please give some thought to a reCONSIDERation and ForgiveNess PayMent plan.  I'll help.

I don't know what to say other than that I'm touched by the kind words. At the risk of pissing off a number of people who I know care for me, the way I've lived my life has made that sort of sentiment pretty rare in my life. I've always been able to just move on and leave stuff in the past, so having someone reach out to me is pretty unexpected. In March I left something in my life behind, something decidedly more important than a silly open mic, and no one reached out, they were just content to let me go. Part of that is me, I tend to cause people to not want me back.

A company I worked for a few years ago owned a skybox at the Target Center in Minneapolis. As a perk for employees who worked large amounts of overtime (and I was the King) they provided two tickets to the box for a Timberwolves game. My nephew and I (he was 16 at the time) got to attend a 'Wolves/Sacramento Kings game with all of the food and drink that goes with such a venue. It was really cool and we had a great time.

The company got sold about a year later, the owners wanted to do the same thing for us the next year and provided the box for one game. Again, tickets were given to employees who worked large amounts of overtime, again I qualified, though only one ticket was given. Another difference was the game selected to give us tickets to was only a week out. Working evenings, it was always hard for me to work out things like this. I had enough time off saved up, but my supervisors didn't want to give it to me on such short notice. It was also hard for me to trade shifts with anyone on such short notice.

So here I was with a ticket to a luxury box, but unable to take the time off to use it. Quite the dilema. I solved it in a pretty unorthodox fashion, I told my supervisors that if they didn't somehow work out time off for me to attend this game that I'd take my Target Center luxury box ticket downtown and give it to a homeless person. I was immedately given the time off.

I propose TSA do something similar. I don't know how many "drink chips" he's in possession of, but giving one each to a corresponding number of homeless people could liven up a Saturday night at one of my former favorite watering hole. Good thing they're not mine to give away......

BOJ