Been working on the Cape since before Christmas on a massive Gas Pipeline project. It is in the second year of a three year plan. They are always looking for help, so I volunteered (kind of) to stay on the payroll instead of take a layoff to keep insurance and a full pay check coming in. It's not too bad of a gig. I leave around 3:30am on Monday work 10 hour days and head home on Friday around 3pm. It's about a two and a half hour ride each way. No traffic first thing in the morning on Monday and on Friday, everyone seems to be headed to the Cape instead of away. All this after the craziness that was "The Merrimack Valley Gas Disaster" and the ridiculous amount of overtime there.
Back in October the company (RH White) was planning a 95th Anniversary Party for the company's years in business. They changed their minds and put it off because of the work on the Cape and and the Merrimack Valley.
This past weekend they rented Apex Entertainment in Marlboro Ma, for the employees to bring their families and enjoy a day out of work and celebrate the company. It was a great day. The catering was excellent, the company issued wrist bands that gave us free use of the place including, go-karts, bowling, arcade games and a rope course. Kathy and I had a great time goofing with the brass and fellow employees. (By the way, I LET the VP win at bowling, I'm not stupid)
The biggest highlight for me was that 98.5 The Sports Hub was doing a remote broadcast from the same VIP room our lunch was served. Not so much that, but as I was standing with Kathy to get a table, I see former NE Patriot Ted Johnson (1995-2004)(3x Super Bowl Champion) walking towards me. As he walked by I said "thanks for getting it started." He stopped and said "what?" I didn't want to fan freak on him, but I said "you and Seymore, Bruschi, Izzo, Katzenmoyer and Vrabel were a big reason we won the first one in 2001. You guys set the standard that all other Patriots strive to copy." He chuckled and said that was a first. He never had anyone thank him for that, and that anyone remembered the players. I told him I was a fan through Plunkett, Eason, Grogan, even Zolak and Bledsoe, I remember. I was able to talk football, Belichick, Brady, the up coming game and how long he thinks the dynasty can go on. We both agreed that with the next man up mentality on the organization, there was no reason to think it couldn't go on even after Brady and Belichick. Would they be perennial favorites, who knows, but we both agreed its been a great 18 years. He was gracious, engaging, spoke to both Kathy and I as equals and just an all around good guy. Just what you want your heroes to be.
Like I said it was a great day.
