Day Five
Work day four. Today was going to be a big day. We had planned on moving the ramp to it’s final resting place, leveling it out and connecting the trannies. Gordo dropped us off and headed out to buy another screw gun, but not before leaving us with an ill omen. Unbeknownst to him, the guy he was dealing with had broken away from the legit company and was promoting this gig on his own, as well as bouncing checks on his own. Grover and I busied ourselves by building the vert boxes that sat on the transitions. Gordo came back with some good news but no screw gun. The ramp might not have to move after all. He said he’d be back in a half hour to help us. We reminded him about the screw gun, and started making the temporary transition attachments more permanent. An hour and a half later Gordo comes back with bad news and no screw gun. The ramp has to be moved to the one spot in the parking lot that has broken up asphalt covered with 3 inches of black ice. During the day some of the ice and snow melts and turns into 4 inch deep puddles of standing water. Fortunately, the bolt that runs all the belts on the end of crankshaft on Gordo’s car broke off. Gordo left to go deal with his car. We asked him to get a screw gun since ours had no charge. ( It’s better to charge them at night instead of in the morning while you eat breakfast.) He said he’d be back in a little while. When he finally returned, he had a screw gun and was ready to move the transitions. Grover and I weren’t in the mood because it was dark and cold and we’d have no chance to clear out the ice and water.
When we got home we thought it would be fun to argue about how poorly everything was going. Accusations flew and suddenly it seemed like it might be a good idea if Grover and I looked into plane tickets for a flight home instead of taking a chance on having Gordo flake out on driving us to Portland. A departure date of the next morning was tossed out half-jokingly. Calmer heads prevailed when Gordo’s wife Christina cooked up a meal big enough to choke a horse. With a full belly and garlic breath we were able to go to sleep on better terms. We prepared for the next day of had work by staying up till 3:00am watching the Ramones in Rock and Roll High School. Joey, you’re a freak, but we miss you. One of the best things to look for in Rock and Roll High School is all the wacky extras that were Ramones fans at the time. Some are punkers or new wavers that seem stoked to see the Ramones but bummed because of the overall corny atmosphere. The late seventies/early eighties fashions are amusing as well.
Next Day: Pizza.
