Last night we were scheduled to work security at the Dave Matthews concert at the amphitheatre. We've worked that show four times in the past, and every single time there are thunderous storms and heavy blowing wind. This time was no different, except the storms blew in before the show, right as we were getting off work from the boring government work day. I read a great blog post on www.WiseBread.com about replacing a crappy job. The first sentence was about the crappier the job is, the easier it is to replace. Or in my case, just don't go.
We ended up calling off the concert gig, blaming it on car problems and we couldn't make it there. I felt terribly guilty about it, but I had been dreading the drama that goes along with working security. First the weather always is a factor, with extreme heat conditions and warnings to limit outdoor exposure. Here we were planning on standing for at least 6 hours straight in the heat. The other unknown is where we'd be deployed. The gates suck because you have to stand in the sun and search peoples bags, and throw away their beverages that they try to sneak in. I hate doing that, so I usually ignore the beverage if I can and not have some other newbie security guy next to me point out that I missed it. Also working the lawn sucks too because the people are so wasted and they just pee everywhere and smoke all kinds of things up there, and generally are loud and drunk and obnoxious. Anyway, there are only a few good positions for security where you can have nice guests who paid too much money for their tickets to get wasted and miss the show up front. These are usually assigned to the regular workers who come to every single event, obviously we don't have the clout anymore.
I went for a walk with a friend on our afternoon break, and we were discussing the concert and my dread of going to another job after work. He asked why we were doing it, since he knew we have seen DMB many times, plus we don't particularly care for the music - its kind of sleeper. I guess it helps if you're buzzed which we aren't when we work. He knows its not for the money, a measly fifty bucks each to work a show. I can save more than that in one good grocery shop using coupons! I didn't have a good reason why we worked security. We've done it for six years and have attended hundreds of concerts, so there's rarely a performer that comes along we haven't already seen that we want to see.
So, here I have two gnawing coincidences today, the blog post and my conversation with my friend. Both made me question working security. I realized my free time is worth more than they pay me. I didn't want to give up my evening of free time. I'm not sure I can put a price tag on what my free time is worth, but now I know its at least $50.