A couple of years ago I started volunteering for a local theater group. Through that activity I met people who invited me to become an usher at our local Symphony Hall and at the historic Orpheum Theatre. As a Symphony Hall usher, I work for performances of the local Symphony, Ballet, and Opera companies. The Orpheum hosts small touring companies, concerts of various genres, and events sponsored by local arts, educational, and charitable organizations. I also am one of the docents who give tours of the theater. In the second half of 2015, I was offered the role of Usher Captain (oooooh!). I said ‘yes’, believing as I do, in most areas of life, there is no reason not to take money for something I was already doing for free. Besides, I get to wear a nifty, retro-looking, maroon blazer made of 100% virgin polyester. Everyone loves a man in uniform. The hours vary from week to week but tend to concentrate on evening and weekends.
In another spin-off of my skills as usher extraordinaire, last spring the City’s volunteer coordinator let me know the City was trying to hire “Venue Hosts” at the Convention Center. The hiring process to work for the City is more bureaucratic than I imagined possible but after a few months of processing and interviewing I was hired. The Venue Host gig is fun. Occasionally I will encounter a ‘friend of Dave’; a cranky senior citizen who just wants to complain and vent their sense of disappointed entitlement but most of the time conventions or expos are hectic but enjoyable. I help people find their events in the Center, and their cars afterward. I direct them to local restaurants, theaters, or other points of interest and act as resource for local information. I also get to work closely with the local Convention & Visitors Bureau. Many of the events are corporate but there are others as well. Both Ben Carson and ‘The Donald’ held rallies in the Center. The Salvation Army hosted its Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners there as well. The job is part-time. The schedule varies from week to week, depending on schedule of events in the Convention Center.
In addition to these two, I also volunteer with one of the local museums and three local theater companies.
These factors, plus the usual ebb & flow of life with its auto repairs, dentist/doctor appointments, cultural evenings, and social obligations, mean I seem to be forever updating my calendar and juggling things. I’m not complaining. Most of it is discretionary and I can thin out the calendar whenever I start to feel over-committed. But there is a loss of spontaneity and I am occasionally confronted by the density of it.
Harper’s Other Dad sent me a note last week about an invitation to meet another couple for coffee. The first gap in the calendar that would accommodate such a casual meeting was 21 days hence. Yesterday, H.O.D. learned a friend from the Midwest would be in town on Friday evening and hoped to connect. They had not seen each other in a long time. Arranging it was not a problem, really. I just moved his Symphony ticket from Friday night to Saturday night and adjusted the dog’s day care schedule. Sadly, I won’t be able to join them, however. My next uncommitted Friday evening is February 26th.
Say can I make a reservation for a date this 27 February? I wanna book !
Sorry I will be coming back from PEI and will be to tired.
Gee I am busy volunteering too but not as much as you. But at least you are now a friend of the Donald and Ben Carson such lovely people.
OMG. Did you meet The Donald? Did you get to shake his hair?
I am still of the opinion that you need to schedule in some quality time with H.O.D. Otherwise he misses you and gets mopey.
The reason I’m in the I.T./InfoSec field is precisely because I value my free time. Many people don’t realize that I.T. is equal part downtime and sheer terror. It’s fun.
Eeek! Take control of the schedule, make sure you have me time and HOD time. Sorry I won’t make it by later this month, I just couldn’t make the schedule work, I ended up with four meetings that week, two on the west coast and two here in DC.
A very interesting post.
25 years ago when I was living in London I was offered a paid job in London’s Barbican Theatre in the relatively lowly position of being in charge of programmes and ice creams. It’s one of the great regrets of my entire life that I had to turn it down as the amount I was offered was nowhere near what I needed to allow me to continue living where I was. I regret it because it would have got my foot in the door in the theatre world, something I could only have dreamt of rather than my profession as accountant. If I’d taken it who knows where I could have ended up and risen to – in addition to seeing all those productions of plays featuring the world’s very greatest actors. So, even if your own present volunteer work is at a modest level I can well imagine the satisfaction – and frustration? – you can and are getting out of it – and for that, I really envy you.
by jove, I hope you didn’t wind up like michael palin! 😉
A.M., if you loaded this aimed for my benefit, then I’m afraid it’s been lost as I’m still without sound :-(. I’ve watched it but can’t recall the lines, though I have seen it before, of course. Anyway, thanks – and it can be enjoyed by every one else apart from me – here’s another 😦
your husband and harper miss you so. 😦
February 27 of what year????????
Wow, what a schedule.
Alas! We have been too negative in our commentary and you have forsaken us!
Just 18 days and you can have some me time.
Just to let you know … your witty observations on life are missed!! Hope your schedule frees up somewhat so that you can once again let us know what’s going on in your world.
Pssssttt …. tell us about your trip to PEI … would love to hear your impressions of the Island!
Happy New Year to you and all the best for 2017!