Wednesday, October 17, 2007

I'll have the chicken with 175 grumpy geriatrics on the side please.

Debi and I had this great plan to expedite moving 175 geriatrics from their motor coaches to the banquet areas. It was a MARVELOUS plan! OK, it was really Tom's idea but we steal Tom's ideas all the time and usually take credit for them. It would have worked too if only we hadn't had so much help. First off I have to explain that you NEVER mix the groups. Coach A must sit with Coach A and if someone from Coach B attempts to sit with Coach A (even though they have spent 12 hours a day for the past week together) then the bitchiest person from Coach A will tell the person from Coach B that they cannot sit with Coach A. It's all very 8th grade but once you learn the rules you at least know what to expect . We had two coaches upstairs and two coaches downstairs so the plan was to unload one upstairs bus and one downstairs bus so they could start the buffet lines while we unloaded and brought in the next two coaches. Simple..right? Yeah, we thought so too. I brought the first group upstairs, no problems, everybody moved right along just like clockwork. Debi unloaded the next coach and we started down the ramp to the banquet room. This trip was taking a bit longer as out of 55 people I was the only one not using a cane, wheelchair or walker. Fifteen minutes later as we are finally shuffling into the banquet room I turn around and run right smack into the next group who, unfortunately, is supposed to be upstairs. The tour director had decided to "HELP US" and told this group to "just follow the nice lady in the green suit". Sooooo, 45 people were right on my heels and NOT HAPPY with "the nice lady in the green suit" who made them backtrack up the ramp to get to their dining area. If I have learned one thing about catering over the past 7 years it is NEVER NEVER NEVER get between a geriatric and their next meal . Thanks to our "helper" that rule was broken and although I am somewhat battered and beaten I defied the odds and managed to survive.

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