Hello, I know it has been almost 2 months since my last post. Obviously this has a lot to do with Hurricane Sandy. For the most part I don’t discuss my day job, simply because it has nothing to do with our music and I assumed that people have this stigma about a band whose members have to go out and work a “regular” 9-5 isn’t worthy of the same respect that bands whose music is their main job get.Of course, I would be much happier to be doing the band full time.Although recently, I have been seeing it from a different angle. We are actually able to fuel our own machine, as opposed to dealing with a large corporate entity (such as a major record label) in order to stay afloat(that’s why I started my own record label). Over the course of the years,I learned that many bands that are established, that make album sales,and tour actually do that. For example, some friends of mine in High School found out where the guy from Obituary worked and decided to attempt a prank phone call on him,lol. I was shocked to learn he had a day job,despite the success that his band had achieved. I was mainly including that because for some reason I’m proud to say to that someone I know prank called a famous person,which has happened more then once btw.
Anyway, The aftermath of the storm had me extremely busy, my entire routine as I know it was completely changed, having to work 16 hours days for weeks on end. One of the biggest shocks that came to me (next to seeing mile long lines for Gas), was the change in some people’s attitudes. Those without power were just happy that they had a house still. It was good see that most people were looking out for their neighbors by sharing generators, and in some cases even their homes. I actually got a chance to interact with my coworkers for an extended length of time, as opposed to my regular job duties in which I am working alone for most of the day. We ended up talking about our lives and backgrounds, as well as creating our own inside jokes about things we had watched(like the The HoneyBadger don’t care). Of course, I was happy that I had the opportunity to earn the much needed extra money that I did(and I do plan to donate to relief efforts). However, I was also able to take time to reflect on things, be appreciative of what I have and utilize my time and resources more wisely. And most importantly, hopefully(God willing) have a healthy mindset in general.
My Job was to report the damage that the Storm caused. This picture above was one of the first pieces of damage I reported. It was on a Main road & the Police were obviously forced to rope it off for safety concerns. We spent weeks doing this, as well as following up on calls the customers made. I got to meet people from different parts of the Country as crews were called in from Florida,North Dakota, and even as far away as California and even Canada. This did of course bring out the worst in some people as finger pointing by the politicians started, price gouging and not to mention hearing reports of people looting. I almost felt like it was nearly Apocalyptic.
It was quite surreal seeing how people’s attitudes changed rather quickly by having the simple things that we have become accustom to in our daily lives taken away, as well as the shift in our daily routines. Some people simply ended up with cases of cabin fever, while some even had breakdowns from all the stress that came with seeing their homes in ruins and being forced to leave. Some of the damage I witness just had me saddened, entire homes gutted completely. Piles of wood and furniture amassed several feet off the ground along personal belongings, in some cases are irreplaceable such as family photos.
Fortunately, the line crews were getting all the power back on in the area I was assigned to. Entire blocks of residences would come out and cheer as they witnessed their power being restored. Sadly enough, not everyone’s power is restored and many people are still without homes. I do encourage everyone to help out in any way they can. Monetary donations are best of course, but using your expertise to help out is also appreciated.For example, someone with Carpentry skills can volunteer time to help rebuild houses.
Lets use this as a learning experience, a Spiritual Cleansing if you will, as to not be so wrapped up in our own little worlds with our problems while we go walking around glued to our smartphones and ipads ignoring the world around us as it doesn’t effect us directly(or so we think). Look how fast all that was taken away and I’m sure it will happen again.I know this is easier said than done in these hard times we live in, but I’m sure a change in people’s attitudes would make for a better society for us & future generations to live in.
Thanks again for reading my posts,Be well & have a Safe & Happy Holiday Season, Nate
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