Happy Mother’s Day…

Yes I know, another full blown Hallmark imposed holiday but…..I do know some terrific mothers, including my wife and my daughter in law.  So, to honor mothers one whole day out of the year is great.

My mother passed away last year on June 4th at the age of 90. I do miss her at times what with her dry wit and sense of humor that I am sure I got from her. So, while taking my wife out to dinner last night for Mother’s Day, we sat next to a table where there sat a spitting image of my mother with I guess her family. I mean this lady had the same hair style and mannerisms my mother had. In fact, if they say there is a twin for every person, I found my mother’s last night. 

We happen to finish up at the same time this lady and her party were leaving and I stopped her and told how much she reminded me of my mother.  She even smiled the same way my mother would and she told me she was 90.  Same age as my mom.  I thanked her for reminding me that sometimes, remembering those that were a part of your life is something we all hold special.  I wished her a Happy Mother’s Day and the smile on her face was worth a million dollars.

I miss my mom…..I saw her last night

Happy Mother’s Day

LMAO…We have Officially hit Hick Town Status….

Caterpillar is going to re-name the old O’Brien Field, you know, where the Chiefs play and where we just provided taxpayer bailout money?? They are going to name it Dozer Park!  Really?  Well I guess we could rename the Museum to Stoner Plaza.  

I just grateful that CAT came forward with some naming cash and that they produce tractors Dozers instead of Dildos.

Irony?

You know, after my experience with the job thing at the Peoria Museum, I realized that even though throughout the entire process of this place becoming a reality, I was against it. I blogged about it.  Poked fun at it.  I voted against the tax for it. But in the very beginning,  I wasn’t against it when it was first envisioned and in fact, I was on a panel, via the Scottie Bureau, that looked at the first model of what the museum should have look like. It was grand and it had two levels with spaces for retail that fronted Water Street and ran up the west side towards Washington.  The Planetarium was a huge dome that would have stood out against the Peoria skyline.  I really thought this would make people think, as they entered Peoria from I-74 west bound through East Peoria, that this city had some real class. 

Then our great city leaders got a hold of it, money or private investment dried up quicker than a lake bed in Nevada.  The plans were downsized and cheapened. Our great leaders decided we needed to throw tax money at this and the building ended up looking like a shed with a corn silo. City leaders have done the same to the Civic Center, and the hotel went from a fabulous glass enclosed high-rise, to a big box. Shit happens.

So, since shit does happen and we now have the museum, it would be to our benefit to make it work. After all, if it doesn’t, it will indeed be a taxpayer burden forever.  Forever? Yes, like the 20 year HRA tax for the Civic Center.  Remember how we were promised that would go away in 20 years?  Remember how we were told the Garbage Fee was temporary only and would fund additional police? No, I am not making that up.  Then the shell game started and Babs on the council started handing out cigars and pats on the back for our civic leaders.  What a town!  We run our police force based on IF we can get a Grant, not based on the fact you can be shot almost anywhere, during broad daylight.  Or the fact two car loads of dirt bags settle an argument by firing 18 bullets into the others car. They use out taxes not for city services, but for shiny new objects and projects.

After twenty five years of riverfront development, look at what we have on our riverfront. Joe’s and Hooters……Yes there are some other shops that eek out an existence but very few crowds.  Unless the river floods and then we have crowds.I regress….

My point here is this; That job I thought I may have been slighted for at the Museum, which meant I would be working for the “Dark Side”? The fact that I may have even been rejected by the “Dark Side”?  Well, maybe that wasn’t the case.  The Museum laid off some people and did away with some jobs.  One of the jobs listed as gone?  The one the lady had that was going to hire me. That may very well explain why no answer to my email inquiries or phone call. Irony??

So goes the economy and that great success story that is our Museum….

I went to the Darkside of the Force….

I took the blog down because I ventured into the darkside of the force and didn’t want my opinions coming back to bite me in the ass.  Too late for that I guess.

You see, since I retired, I was kind of looking for a part time job.  I don’t really need one but something to keep me busy.  I put on a shirt and tie and hit the bricks.  What I found out after being off the job market for over 35 years was nobody wants to see you apply for a job.  You do it ONLINE. Yep, no interaction other than going to a company’s web site, navigating it until you find the employment link, and filling out an application. Some sites are easy, and some are a little difficult to find the employment opportunities, if any, the company is offering.  So on a lark, and it was really a lark, I was nosing around the Peoria Riverfront Museum's website mainly looking for the cost of admittance for the place, the movie, and the planetarium. I thought, before one really condemns the joint, one should to check it out first. I got free time so,  $11 gets you in and some extra cash for the movie depending on what kind of movie is playing.  I then came across a job opening for Customer Service representative on the site. (it’s gone now)  Someone taking money for entrance fees, upselling, concessions, or just a guide.  I filled out the application online and was getting ready to put in the three personal references they wanted, when my cat jumped up on the desk and sat on the mouse causing the page, I thought to clear itself. I clicked back, and the application fields were empty. I thought, OK, not going to do this again and besides, I had to go anyway so I forgot about it….until 3 days later when a lady named Kim called from the Museum wanting me to come in for an interview. What?  Yes, the cat sent my app.

That got me to thinking.  I know, a rare moment. But if all this was online and since I started blogging, I never bit the hand that fed me, the place where I worked, maybe I should take down the blog since I haven’t been too kind to city representatives and to the Museum as a whole.  If these people were going to hire me, I was all for riding the public dole for awhile.  I mean getting paid by private funds through admission sales, not tax dollars.  (hee hee)  Don’t bite the hand that may feed you, so, I took the blog offline, like that would help or something. Yes I made it mysterious.  Don’t like it?  Whoopdeedo. (See Ways to get cheap hits on your site by Billy Dennis)

Went to the interview. I had to park damn near in Moline because of the riverfront flooding but made it in early.  I sat in the foyer, which was completely empty and watched and waited.  Then that shiver up my spine went straight down my back when lo and behold, Dave Ransburg struts by.  Oh Christ. Mr. Garbage Fee himself. He looked at me like a deer in headlights. Then waved and kept going.

The ladies, and I say ladies because there were two of them,  came into the foyer from the offices downstairs and introduced themselves and started the interview right there.  We talked and I answered questions for almost 40 minutes and the younger girl looked at the other and said: “He’s perfect! The best interview we have had!”   I was impressed with myself.  They said that they would let me know for sure during the week of the 30th of April has the new hire training would be May 6th.  They then took me over to the membership counter, introduced me to a young gentleman named David on their staff and instructed him to give me a complete tour of the entire museum.  I was wowed. I mean, a tour and introductions, and the date of the training? I was going to work for the place I thought was a huge shitbox. My attitude started to change. I could feel the force.   I thought, well, the Museum is here, might as well make the best of it and make a little cash on the side while I’m at it.  Therefore, I must refrain from commenting negatively on the Museum in various forums on the web. Don’t want to bite that hand. This place might actually be great. I wanted to be positive.

David took me on the tour.  I was a little bit scared and overwhelmed as I didn’t have any idea how big this museum was. He told me that they have interviewed a few people for this job and that I am the only one that he was asked to show the place to. I said; “Maybe that’s good news for me?” He pointed out that I was most likely to be hired, otherwise, why the tour. So, like a kid in a candy shop, off we went.

15 whole minutes later, the tour was over. I couldn’t believe it,  I walk through some rather lame exhibits, an even lamer river room, (yes RIVER room) out into the small concession area, then a look into the very small, 200 seat, theater which does have a huge screen. Then we tooled over to the other side, went through a very small art gallery, then the room called Peoria Street which was very lame and a look into the Afro-American room, a room with 10 pictures on the wall, a chair, and a TV screen not much bigger than my bathroom, then over to the planetarium.

That was a real disappointment to me as I love planetariums and this one didn’t even have fixed seats.  They were high back chairs that could be moved, according to David, because they rent the room out for dinners under the stars. Although bigger than Lakeview’s old one, not by much.  That was the tour. Nothing upstairs as there is no upstairs. Nothing downstairs except offices. No direct walk through to the CAT museum or visitor center. That was it and here I thought I would need a map to study so I knew where things would be.

I do know this.  If I paid $11 to get in, and that includes a Planetarium show, but not a movie, I would feel totally ripped off.  Considering you will spend up to $17 additional to see a movie and that depends on whether it’s a nature film or a first run movie.  The concessions, if you decide to eat is limited and not cheap.  You must walk with your food all the way back out to the foyer to have a table if the two whole tables in the concession area are in use. Don’t forget the parking charge if you parked in the deck under the museum.  There was two people in the theater when we went in, and I didn’t see but 4 people, paid I assume, in the museum itself. Of course this was a Wednesday at 1pm.

Well the week of April 30th came and went.  No call like I was promised. I mean they said they would let me know either way.  I sent two emails directly to Kim’s office and got nothing.  Not even a drop-dead go to hell. The training day of May 6th came and went and still nothing. That is their right I guess. I was so perfect I thought and so I was told. (A lie like the IMAX??) I got a tour so I thought it was a done deal. I guess not. Am I bitter? Yes, a little.  It’s not so much the job or the money, it is the way I was treated after the fact. I mean, they expected me to be there on time for the interview.  I was.  They expected me to be well dressed. I was.  They took an hour of my time and I had to park 5 blocks away. That’s OK.  The very least I expected was an email reply telling me sorry or hey come on down! But I got nothing.

So, I won’t ever be seen darkening the doors of that place again. Nor will my family or anyone I can talk out of going there.  The place isn’t anymore impressive than the old Lakeview was and besides, I liked the old Lakeview.  The big front lawn and the back wooded area. There was just something about that place. Even the little waiting area for the planetarium was jammed full of things to see and read. Not at the new one. Do you know they even have signs on the walls describing the paint?  Yep, watching paint dry at the new museum. I never went to the CAT side which I hear is a much better bang for the buck. One would think he two places would be connected but no.

Nope, I got blackballed by either Ransburg, which I wonder if he even remembered me as he looked very much older and really confused when I saw him.  Almost like the old guy got on the wrong bus from the nursing home look. Or somebody said, nope, that Emert hates the museum and ran for council telling people the place would be a tax burden for life.  I did. Those ladies even asked me about that.  I told them I am all for riverfront development, the warehouse district, the museum, and even the hotel.  I am against taxpayers dollars paying for most of it and I told them I thought private investment should carry the bill. Hence we need to bring paid admissions through the door. Some public dollars are needed for infrastructure improvements and the like, but this place and no other should ever be a burden on the taxpayer to exist.

Maybe that is what killed it for me? I will never know except I did get a free tour and I am glad for one thing.  If I count the $3 it cost me to park, and take that off the $11 I would have had to pay to see what I saw in those 15 minutes, well that makes me $8 ahead.  All I wanted was an explanation on why. I think that since they consider themselves so professional, they owed me that much. Hell even Uftring Automall was a upfront with me.  They gave me a job, and told me why, and I refused it because, and only because, I didn’t want to work 6 days a week straight.  If I am going to commit to something, like a company, then I have to commit 100% to that company otherwise, be truthful and tell them you can’t. I wasn’t ready to do that with Uftring and they were understanding and professional about that.  I was ready to commit to the hours and to the museum, but apparently, like their finances, hiring is done under the table too and without any courtesy towards anyone.

Thank my lucky stars, I turned away from the darkside of the force…..

Sure Sorry…

Had to take the blog down for a few days to fix some things.  I will have an announcement tomorrow (Wednesday) of interest.

Stay tuned.