Friday was a wild day with the Pope coming to visit the museum. As predicted, it was an epic waste of my time. Here was my view of the Pope:
Oh you don't see him? Yeah, me neither.
I slept terribly the night before because I am always paranoid about sleeping through alarms.
I got to lower Manhattan at 6 am and was posted at the meet-up location for staff, two blocks away from the memorial, until 1 pm. My job was to provide back-up to my team captain in case she got called on the radio to go somewhere else. I was to stay put. So I sat, with the muffins and sandwiches, all.day.long. It was freezing cold and unbelievably boring. But I did see the sunrise which was pretty.
Fifteen minutes before the Pope arrived they radioed that all available staff could go through the security check points and onto the plaza to see his arrival. I had no radio so I never received that message and my captain never passed that info along. So I missed my chance. My once in a lifetime chance. Ultimate frown-y face.
I was disappointed and frustrated because I served no purpose whatsoever and I hate feeling like I wasted my time. But I couldn't just get-up and leave. Eventually, I made friends with the two cops posted in the same area. I approached them because I thought they might be Secret Service and I wanted to meet them. Turns out they were narcotics cops from Staten Island detailed to Pope duty with the rest of the NYPD. I learned all about the drug market in Staten Island (you know, like how much heroine is going for) and all about how I could join the force (the police force, not the drug force). They convinced me that with my educational background I could easily become an evidence cataloger, which actually sounds really intriguing to me. I'll add that to my list of back-up careers behind ice cream scooper and laundry folder. They also told me about a good place to get a burger in Bay Ridge. Those guys were the best part of my day.
My good friend from undergrad, also named Stephanie, came into town on Thursday night so we enjoyed a fun weekend with her and that helped to clear my mind of my my Papal disappointment. Check back later to hear about our weekend adventures.
I was disappointed and frustrated because I served no purpose whatsoever and I hate feeling like I wasted my time. But I couldn't just get-up and leave. Eventually, I made friends with the two cops posted in the same area. I approached them because I thought they might be Secret Service and I wanted to meet them. Turns out they were narcotics cops from Staten Island detailed to Pope duty with the rest of the NYPD. I learned all about the drug market in Staten Island (you know, like how much heroine is going for) and all about how I could join the force (the police force, not the drug force). They convinced me that with my educational background I could easily become an evidence cataloger, which actually sounds really intriguing to me. I'll add that to my list of back-up careers behind ice cream scooper and laundry folder. They also told me about a good place to get a burger in Bay Ridge. Those guys were the best part of my day.
My good friend from undergrad, also named Stephanie, came into town on Thursday night so we enjoyed a fun weekend with her and that helped to clear my mind of my my Papal disappointment. Check back later to hear about our weekend adventures.
So you just start talking to strangers while you're standing around? Sounds like you have turned into your mother!
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