This is the third installment of what will be a mult-part series. I finished up with Culinary School at the end of June - and have been let loose on the industry. I figured I should get some of this written down while it's still fresh in my mind. Some of the names have been changed to protect the innocent - some haven't. That's just the way it goes.
Part 1.3
"For the love of god, beam me up Scotty"
Just before school started, I had thought about driving to Gateway and taking the MAX the rest of the way into town. But me, being anal retentive about being on time, if not early (and sometimes overly so) - I just couldn't bring myself to put my getting to school on time in the hands of public transportation. So, I'd be driving myself - and having to pay a hefty fee to park in the parking garage located directly under the school itself. I could have paid to park on the street, which was fine to a point. I just didn't want to have to run down there like every hour and a half to pump the meter like a lot of the students do.
I just didn't have time for that. I wanted to be in class, and absorb as much as possible - so parking garage it was. Actually this worked out great, I'd get to school early. I'm able to finish my coffee and head up to the fifth floor. One of the rules of the school is that at school you are either completely in uniform - or completely out of uniform. I chose to wear regular clothes into school, and then change into my whites in one of the dressing rooms.
Doing this was two fold really,
1. It's about a 45 minute drive from my house to school in downtown Portland, I'd rather be comfortable.
2. I wanted to keep my uniform is unwrinkled as possible, there was no way I was going to get kicked out of line up, just so I could iron my jacket or apron.
Because of where I lived and with class starting at 7a, I had to get up earlier than some of my counterparts. To be out of the house and at school at the time I wanted to be there, it meant getting up at 4:30a. I've never had to get up that early, that was a perk of working in radio and clubs. I usually worked afternoons or nights. I'm a night owl, it's when I get most of my work done - so this was going to screw up my body clock for sometime.
Another bonus to driving is, that I could enjoy my coffee, a smoke and not have to interact with anyone. I'm not much of a morning person, and I prefer about a hour ramp up time - just to interact with others of my species. Plus I could catch up on my baseball news, listening to XM on the way in. I know what your thinking, why would a guy with ties to terrestrial radio - listen to XM? Easy, they put a way better product out - and it's great for road trips.
I bought XM because when I lived in Medford, I did a lot of driving north to visit my parents and my kid for the summer. Trust me, put a lot of miles on my car - but never once was forced to change stations because something went out of range. And I love the variety of channels, I mean how can you beat a station devoted totally to baseball or Frank Sinatra? You can't.
Anyways..
I arrived plenty early, parking across the street the first day not realizing that it was slightly cheaper to park under the school. I've got those first day jitters, or is it the coffee? At this point I'm not sure, I take another smoke out and start puffing madly hoping to finish before reaching the double doors that lead into the back lobby of where the elevator is supposed to be.
Extinguishing my smoke in one of the provided ashtrays I took a deep breath and open the door and up the small fight of stairs. I spy the elevator off to my left and head over pressing the 'up' button. A couple seconds later I was rewarded with the doors sliding open. At this point, I noticed I was pretty much the only one on the lower level thus having the elevator to myself.

Once inside the small box I reached over to the control pad and pushed "5". The door slid closed...
..and did nothing. Thinking that I might not have hit it right "
Because hey it's not the person but the machine..", I reached out and hit the button again. Again, nothing - well the doors opened again to the same floor I entered on. I scratched my head and thinking third times a charm I hit the "4" button again and what the door close.
The end result was the same, nothing.
By now you'd think I had caught a clue, that no matter how hard I pressed the button
(by nature I'm a 'percussive' maintenance kinda guy if you know what I mean) I was doomed to be stuck on the first floor. Like some paradox out of a Star Trek episode I was forced into some sort of loop. Shaking my head, trying to get that thought out of my mind - I needed to do something (
like what? Dummy). The door swung open one last time, looking up another student entered the the elevator and asked if I could push the 5th floor button.
Funny thing I thought, I'd love to go there too.
I managed to mumble something about have a hell of a time getting to work. She (I was fairly sure) gave me that
"You must be new look" and took out her school ID. She waved in front of a sensor and pressed the elusive "5" button.
Much to my amazement(relief and happiness) we began our trip to the fifth floor. That's when it dawned on me. The Friday before I was to attend school for the first day, I needed to pick up my school ID.
Not off the the greatest of starts.
"Way to go dumb-ass" I thought. "Great way to set a tone.."
Previously: 1.1 , 1.2