ProjeCkt ZuCkErPaLoOzA
The Post Zuckerpalooza Diary
Monday 7/27/06 (Early Morning Edition) Welcome to the "Post ZuCkErPaLoOzA" Diary pages.
I conked out at 7pm last night. I tried to write a Post-Palooza diary entry, and I couldn't compose a string of 4 coherent words. Practically fell asleep at the PC. So I unplugged the phones, and went face down into a coma. After a good solid 8 hours of sleep, and I'm pretty much up, wide awake, at 3am! Where do I start: Well, the word "WOW!" comes to mind.
Once again, ZP was a TOTAL success. I'm totally psyched it came off so well. The Best Palooza Ever! Much thanks to the many people that fed the party with their energy, in one way or another. Rather than try to make those thanks specifically in the Diary section, I've updated the "Credits page". Please click there to see what really makes Zuckerpalooza come together. I will say that Zuckerpalooza would cease to exist if it wasn't for the brave souls who help me with the setup, onsite tasks, and the following day's breakdown which includes tent breakdown, heavy lifting, scrubbing, dishwashing, grill cleaning, roaster cleaning, garbage handling, cigarette butt picking, litter patrol...and the myriad of other shit work that's associated with a gig of this magnitude.
The cleanup went as well as could be expected although the overnight rain was no help whatsoever. Critical tactical error was made on my part by not paying attention to the weather. I failed to heed the overnight storm warnings, so a few things could've been rain-protected better. No biggie though...the only casualty was a full bag of napkins. Life would've been easier on Sunday had I broke down the stage EZ-UPs and the deck EZ-UP on Saturday night. But I really needed to enjoy my party a little too, so I let my guard down. Anyway, we didn't break 'em down. So on Sunday, we paid attention to the radar, let things dry as long as possible, then we packed them away just as the 2pm Thunderheads rolled in.
The rest of the cleanup is still underway. Probably about 90% done. Still to do: Sort out Shed. Pack away tubs/lawn chairs. Trailer Inspection for catering gig readiness. Upstairs bath. Basement Mopping & rug cleanup. Cram shit back into the attic, and return vaious things to their more normal "temporary" spots. Also need to unload some food.
Yes, lots of leftovers. I have exactly the amount of leftovers I knew I'd have. That 20 extra pounds of Beef that I wasn't expecting to buy is leftover. And some of my other leftovers were equally predictable. (I take copious notes year after year, so I know what goes, and what won't). No worries though...not much goes into the trash can.
Task Loading: With Hindsight, I have to say that I'm pretty happy with how things proceeded. I was definitely a bit more relaxed this ZP. With the placement of several key helpers, and by trimming the roaster menu somewhat, it was an easier time for me in general. I can't eliminate my work completely, unless I have somebody else cater it...but that ain't gonna happen unless I hit a lottery or something.
That's it for now. I think I'm gonna grab another handful of leftover M&M's and take a nap. More to follow....
Monday 7/27/06 (Evening Edition) After I went back to bed, I overslept a bit, but did make it into work. Before I left, i dragged all the dripping garbage out of the bed of my truck to the curb...all 8 bags. (Stored in the truck so the critters wouldn't attack it like they did last time). Now I gotta wash my truck out. I also brought a buttload of leftovers into work, including the majority of the desserts which I cannot keep around here, or I'll eat 'em all. Also a few trays of the beef, breads, and potato salads. They were happy. I reconciled the menu notes. All told, we consumed about 216lbs of food, slightly up from last year.
At work, it was tough to really get anything accomplished. My mind was on all things ZP, but I did manage to do *some* work, albeit limited. party afterglow emails and phone calls peppered the day. After work, rather than come home and continue the clean up...I went Mt. Biking. The night was too nice to be vacuuming and mopping. I needed to clear my head. Glad I did too. The ride was awesome. I came home and dragged the recyclables out for tomorrow's pickup. Now THAT was a sight to behold. A monument to all my drunken friends.
Tuesday night, I'll try to wrap up the cleanup. Wednesday, I need to turn the page and gear up for a 4 day festival. I'm going to the Gathering of the Vibes on Thursday afternoon, to see a ton of bands, going with Jeff Rabin & Bob Hickson...the Deadpserados Fly again.
Wednesday 7/30/06 (Afternoon Edition) The cleanup continued last night. Put the recycle tubs back inside (huge load picked up Tuesday AM). Spot treated the basement rugs, which were heavily stained. I vacuumed the basement. Washed the bed of the truck out from the overnight storage of garbage (still stinks). Also put a few things back into the shed (what a clusterfuck). Put the trailer back into "pretty close to" gig-ready state. And made a liquor store run to replace some glaring holes in the bar supply. All that's left to do is get the ZP signs back into the attic and put the keg tubs, barrels, and doors under the shed. And maybe do a little more interior house cleaning and detailing. Also need to find some Coleman cooler repair parts for a broken cooler. Pretty much, life goes on. My focus now is this weekend's festival in CT, and next weekend's first ever EPPO triple header. 2 pigs on Saturday, 1 massive event for the FD on Sunday. When I come back from the festival, I need to hit the ground running hard.
Anyway, that's about it for the ZP diaries. I've enjoyed writing them. I hope you enjoyed reading them. Please check back periodically, as everyone's pictures will eventually find their way to me, so links and pics will be posted as soon as I get to it. Also, don't forget to stay in touch. Once catering season peters out, I *love* to catch up with everyone. November thru May is when I can be a human again, and top priority is to be social again. OK, take it easy!
http://www.eddiesportablepigout.com/ZP
Updated Last on 07/30/2008