Flutes and Credit

Tonight was a very long night. This won't be a very long post.

I did some sound engineering for a jazz trio earlier today. I've worked with two of the three before, and they're all awesome guys. I'm not positive, but I think I might've been requested specifically for this event (which is pretty awesome, and warms my heart). This added pressure to my performance. It had to be spotless.

The first challenge came from the floor, as the staging we used was too small for the full trio. This was very minor, and took five minutes. The second, much greater challenge came from a cool effect. The namesake of the trio is an awesome flautist, and he uses an effect for live performances to get more 'umph' in the sound. The required cables weren't even close to being the same type, and had to go through two adapters to get the XLR and 1/4 inch cable to work together, followed by some futzing with cables.

I'm amazed that "futzing" is actually considered a word in spell check.

Then there were two hours of awesome music.

Then there was two hours of putting things away. Less fun.

Well after all this, on the way home, I had to teach a complete stranger how to do their job. It was almost a bad joke. This worked out well, since I wasn't sure what I wanted to write tonight. Thanks, guy.

A close friend of mine needed gas in the car, and by order of the pump paid ahead of time at the attendant's window. The actual bill came to seven dollars less than the pre-paid amount.

The attendant claimed to not know how to give a refund, because the system had been installed fifteen minutes prior. After a few words (all kind and genuine) I was able to show him how to use the credit refund system. It was nearly identical to one I'd used in a previous job of my own, and after a small amount of trial and error, my friend got their money back.

Initially I thought it might've been greed, until I talked to the kid at the counter. I realized he was a victim of poor leadership, and that his should-be teacher/supervisor had failed him. I smiled politely, gave my friend their copy of the receipt, and we went on our way.

My lesson for the day is to remain patient, no matter how difficult things become. Just because you have a road block doesn't mean that you've an insurmountable obstacle that will crush you if you resist. It just means that you need to do what you can, and if that's what's needed, it will resolve the problem.

Yay for happy-fun-time-stories!