Smokyballs
The nap master
I was working Tuesday morning on the massive amount of receiving we were getting in from IPCPR show and I see a car pull into the parking lot. I notice the front plates are from a division of public service (cop style plates). The door opens on the car and it reads "Department of Heath". They come in and tell me that they are with the health department. I asked if someone had complained about us, they told me "no this is just a routine inspection". Now I've worked for the Outlaw for almost 10 years and I have never seen the health department for a"routine inspection"! No one was smoking when they came in. They walked into the lounge and noticed all the dirty ashtrays. At this point one of inspectors makes a comment about all the butts. Kendall(who has returned to his seat) tells them that they were ashtrays that we use outside since we can't smoke in the store. The inspectors return up front and say that there are too many dirty ashtrays for that to be true. One of them starts talking all tough and official like to me. "Well, we could write you a ticket because it's obvious that you are allowing people to smoke in here, but I'm just going to write you a warning...". I'm looking back at Kendall who is shuffling through his notebook trying to find a piece of paper. As this jackass is braying at me about the ordinance, Kendall tells the guys that he has a copy of a letter from his lawyer that says that we are exempt according to a Missouri statuette that overrides the cities ordinance. So they go over and start talking to him and they get into a long winded conversation about the law and finally the health inspector tells him that he needs to make a phone call about this. So they both go back outside and they make the call. Kendall goes outside and they start talking to him again and the one guy starts writing up something. I can't hear any of this talking. The guy gives Kendall a piece of paper and they get in there car and leave. Kendall tells me that they were just going to give us a warning but he told them to go ahead and write the ticket so we could get the ball rolling.
Well as soon as they are gone he is on the phone with his lawyer. He asks the lawyer if he should continue to allow people to smoke in the store. The lawyer tells him no. The reason is because we will go before a judge with this ticket and it's always better to only have one ticket not twenty. In the eyes of a judge, if you have a fist full of tickets, you have no respect for the law! Quickly we gather up things to make a smoking area outside. We are scheduled to go to court on the 25th.
Now this is death for me because the store is the only place is smoke. I work 10hrs on the days I work so when I go home I go to bed. When I'm off I have three children and the wife so I don't smoke around them. I try not to smoke in my vehicle. The Outlaw was it. I smoke them when I work. The outside lounge doesn't work for me because I can't do my job outside so for lack of a better term I'm fucked! Who wants to buy some cigars!?!(just kidding)
The store is now weird to come into. We have turned off the large air cleaners so it's very quite. The background noise is all different. The smell, the wonderful smell is gone. I'm so acute to the changes that I can smell if some drops an air biscuit in the other room. Of course I'm half crazy from the lack of smoke.
Hopefully everything will go in our favor and we will get our lounge back. Events will go on as usual, just no smoking in the store. I remain optimistic about the whole situation.
Well as soon as they are gone he is on the phone with his lawyer. He asks the lawyer if he should continue to allow people to smoke in the store. The lawyer tells him no. The reason is because we will go before a judge with this ticket and it's always better to only have one ticket not twenty. In the eyes of a judge, if you have a fist full of tickets, you have no respect for the law! Quickly we gather up things to make a smoking area outside. We are scheduled to go to court on the 25th.
Now this is death for me because the store is the only place is smoke. I work 10hrs on the days I work so when I go home I go to bed. When I'm off I have three children and the wife so I don't smoke around them. I try not to smoke in my vehicle. The Outlaw was it. I smoke them when I work. The outside lounge doesn't work for me because I can't do my job outside so for lack of a better term I'm fucked! Who wants to buy some cigars!?!(just kidding)
The store is now weird to come into. We have turned off the large air cleaners so it's very quite. The background noise is all different. The smell, the wonderful smell is gone. I'm so acute to the changes that I can smell if some drops an air biscuit in the other room. Of course I'm half crazy from the lack of smoke.
Hopefully everything will go in our favor and we will get our lounge back. Events will go on as usual, just no smoking in the store. I remain optimistic about the whole situation.
