Disclaimer: All of the names in this blog have been changed to protect me.
Hello, My name is Caterina. Okay, it really isn't, but it's close to my real name. After more than 15 years as a drink server (better known as a cocktail waitress) in a casino, I've realized it's time to get a real job. The money was great as a drink server, but I just can't make myself do that degrading job anymore. After two and a half years working casino surveillance, I've decided IT work might be the career for me. I enjoy the work I do with computers and compared to the people around me I seem to have a knack for it. And an interest.
Originally this blog was simply going to be about my attempt to transition from a dead end job in casino surveillance to a career in IT within the next year. However, personal issues surrounding my family keep popping up lately. I said "good-bye" to my parents and two of my siblings 10 years ago. I haven't seen or heard much from my whole family in that decade. I left that life behind. Now, I find myself running into and getting phone calls from family members I haven't seen in a long time. I recently got a Facebook page. I've gone from this quite separated, compartmentalized life, to all the moments of my life touching each other on Facebook. I don't know what will become of it.
Will the next year be a success story or a train wreck? I'm rooting for a success story, but, it seems, train wrecks are easier to make. I hope this blog will hold me accountable and push me on to the life I'd rather live.
Wish me luck.
Score Card pages:
People in the Surveillance Room
Hello, My name is Caterina. Okay, it really isn't, but it's close to my real name. After more than 15 years as a drink server (better known as a cocktail waitress) in a casino, I've realized it's time to get a real job. The money was great as a drink server, but I just can't make myself do that degrading job anymore. After two and a half years working casino surveillance, I've decided IT work might be the career for me. I enjoy the work I do with computers and compared to the people around me I seem to have a knack for it. And an interest.
Originally this blog was simply going to be about my attempt to transition from a dead end job in casino surveillance to a career in IT within the next year. However, personal issues surrounding my family keep popping up lately. I said "good-bye" to my parents and two of my siblings 10 years ago. I haven't seen or heard much from my whole family in that decade. I left that life behind. Now, I find myself running into and getting phone calls from family members I haven't seen in a long time. I recently got a Facebook page. I've gone from this quite separated, compartmentalized life, to all the moments of my life touching each other on Facebook. I don't know what will become of it.
Will the next year be a success story or a train wreck? I'm rooting for a success story, but, it seems, train wrecks are easier to make. I hope this blog will hold me accountable and push me on to the life I'd rather live.
Wish me luck.
Score Card pages:
People in the Surveillance Room
Score Card: Work, In The Surveillance Room
Posted 08-21-2010 at 01:02 PM by Inconversant
Toby:
Toby is the Surveillance Department Director, in his mid-50s. He is a good old boy from Oregon. Hunting, fishing, camping, scuba diving, he's also a volunteer for a local fire department. He does EMT work, and Swift Water Rescue. A real manly man. He rose to the position of director of surveillance because upper management thought he was such a likable fellow. Toby does know a little bit about surveillance, cheaters on table games and other 'catching the bad guy' stuff. But, Toby doesn't have the first clue how to manage employees, information, or equipment. Toby would rather wander around the casino, drinking coffee and talking about his last fishing/hunting trip. Since the huge turnover in upper management last fall, Toby’s been running scared, not sure where he can get his bread buttered now. Watching such a manly man pander to the new regime, like a Sally McMonica, is absolutely sickening.
Larry:
Larry is the Surveillance Tech, in his 60s, but he doesn't look it. Larry was born and spent the first years of his life in the Dominican Republic. Not an ambitious man, but reasonably knowledgeable. He got ticked off and quit in July. In August, he signed a contact with this company to do contract labor, so, he’ll still be around.
June:
June is in her mid to late 50s. She has worked in this department for over ten years. She comes across very much like June Cleaver, but there are some serious passive-aggressive tendencies in her. Most of the time, she is tolerable to be around. She and I became closer after we were seriously harassed by a paranoid schizophrenic that Toby hired as a surveillance investigator. Management’s refusal to recognize the physical danger we were in, drew us together in an effort to protect each other and ourselves. (FYI: the schizoid no longer works here) June is a very good surveillance investigator. She really knows how to break down an investigation and get results. I think she’s a little petty, writing reports on employees who are guilty of minor violations of house policies. Toby only cares about gaming violations and criminal activity. And frankly, I have better things to do than write a report on two employees that may have stood together and talked a little longer than they should have.
Albert:
Albert is a 59 year old surveillance investigator. He’s worked here in surveillance for about 3 years. Toby had Albert helping our surveillance tech, Larry, thinking that he would learn something and be able to do a few things in the event that Larry quit. Fat chance. Albert held the ladder. That was all he was interested in doing. Albert is an affable fellow. I do like him a lot. He really does try to get his money for nothing. He works very hard at not working. As well, Albert really doesn’t know the cameras or even the rules of the table games he’s supposed to be watching. I'm told it is a product of his years in the military, a sort of rebellion. I guess. He is fun to talk to and spend a shift with, but you will get nothing done.
Caterina- (that’s me):
I am a 40ish, former drink server who just can’t stand to put on a mini skirt anymore. I’ve worked surveillance for about two and a half years. I’m pretty good at it. My biggest problem; I don’t gamble. I don’t really care about slot machines or table games. I find myself thinking of all the ways the activities we do in surveillance could be streamlined, or how the speed, ease, or accuracy, could be improved if we changed the method or procedure. Toby doesn’t care about my ideas. He just wants to drinks his coffee, tell his stories, and go home.
Bob:
Bob worked valet at a casino for 16 years until he was fired. He’s worked here in surveillance for just over a year. Bob was a little slow to catch on, but seems to be doing fine now. He’s in no big hurry to get a review done. If that was how he valeted cars, I can understand why he may have been fired. He is an affable fellow, easy to get along with, a lot like Albert in that respect.
Collin:
Collin was hired a week after Bob. He worked in this very department over 10 years ago. In fact, June was hired to replace him. He is the human manifestation of Foghorn Leghorn, with an ever so slight Elephant Man drag of his right foot. I've also heard him referred to as the love child of Barney Fife and Lurch. Collin is a lying, back stabbing, SOB, hell bent on writing a report on every employee and guest in the building. And he is not the sort of guy who lets the truth get in his way. Not a single person in the surveillance room can stand him, not even the affable Bob or Albert. Collin also has some sort of vision problem. He can’t recognize people on the monitors. He can’t seem to tell the difference between a 5’6”, 160lb, Hispanic, in a button up shirt, blue jeans, and boots; from a 6’, 220lb, Anglo, in a t-shirt, khaki shorts, and sandals. I sit on my side of the room and try not to laugh out loud when I hear him sending security after the wrong person. I don't interfere. After all Collin is God's gift to our department. Collin seems so blind sometimes; I think he would struggle to recognize himself on playback. Collin and I got off on the wrong foot when I found out he was spreading multiple, and grossly inaccurate, rumors about my sex life. Don't talk about my vagina behind my back.
Frank:
Frank is in his late 50s early 60s. He was hired about 4 months ago. In the room, Frank comes across as a stickler for the rules. He often watches the bar staff, checking for signs of theft or health code violations. He wrote a report on a server who didn’t wear gloves when he made a hot dog for a guest. Outside the room Frank is called, "the creepy stocker guy,” by other employees. Apparently, on his breaks, he hangs out at the bar talking up the cocktail waitresses. I have my doubts about him, too. Nothing real tangible, just a feeling there’s something not quite right with the guy. The only really strange thing I've ever seen him do; he sat in the surveillance room with Police Officer Sheridan for around 2 hours dealing with the theft of a ring. When we were talking about it later he told me Officer Sheridan was a woman. Sheridan is a manly man. I don't understand how he could possibly spend 2 hours with him and think Sheridan was a woman. It disturbed me.
Don:
Don is a transfer from another property. He’s worked at our location for about a month. Don is in his mid-20s. He’s not dumb, but he does not have an ambitious bone in his body. Money for nothing and his chicks for free. But he seems like a nice guy. He’s funny and easy to get along with. Don will be taking over my grave shift. It's a good place for him. He should be able to stay out of trouble there. We'll see.
Right now we are considered fully staffed; however, a Corporate manager was on our property last week. We took some sort of test for him using our work stations to follow a subject through the casino floor. We all got the impression he will be pushing for additional staffing of our surveillance room.
Toby is the Surveillance Department Director, in his mid-50s. He is a good old boy from Oregon. Hunting, fishing, camping, scuba diving, he's also a volunteer for a local fire department. He does EMT work, and Swift Water Rescue. A real manly man. He rose to the position of director of surveillance because upper management thought he was such a likable fellow. Toby does know a little bit about surveillance, cheaters on table games and other 'catching the bad guy' stuff. But, Toby doesn't have the first clue how to manage employees, information, or equipment. Toby would rather wander around the casino, drinking coffee and talking about his last fishing/hunting trip. Since the huge turnover in upper management last fall, Toby’s been running scared, not sure where he can get his bread buttered now. Watching such a manly man pander to the new regime, like a Sally McMonica, is absolutely sickening.
Larry:
Larry is the Surveillance Tech, in his 60s, but he doesn't look it. Larry was born and spent the first years of his life in the Dominican Republic. Not an ambitious man, but reasonably knowledgeable. He got ticked off and quit in July. In August, he signed a contact with this company to do contract labor, so, he’ll still be around.
June:
June is in her mid to late 50s. She has worked in this department for over ten years. She comes across very much like June Cleaver, but there are some serious passive-aggressive tendencies in her. Most of the time, she is tolerable to be around. She and I became closer after we were seriously harassed by a paranoid schizophrenic that Toby hired as a surveillance investigator. Management’s refusal to recognize the physical danger we were in, drew us together in an effort to protect each other and ourselves. (FYI: the schizoid no longer works here) June is a very good surveillance investigator. She really knows how to break down an investigation and get results. I think she’s a little petty, writing reports on employees who are guilty of minor violations of house policies. Toby only cares about gaming violations and criminal activity. And frankly, I have better things to do than write a report on two employees that may have stood together and talked a little longer than they should have.
Albert:
Albert is a 59 year old surveillance investigator. He’s worked here in surveillance for about 3 years. Toby had Albert helping our surveillance tech, Larry, thinking that he would learn something and be able to do a few things in the event that Larry quit. Fat chance. Albert held the ladder. That was all he was interested in doing. Albert is an affable fellow. I do like him a lot. He really does try to get his money for nothing. He works very hard at not working. As well, Albert really doesn’t know the cameras or even the rules of the table games he’s supposed to be watching. I'm told it is a product of his years in the military, a sort of rebellion. I guess. He is fun to talk to and spend a shift with, but you will get nothing done.
Caterina- (that’s me):
I am a 40ish, former drink server who just can’t stand to put on a mini skirt anymore. I’ve worked surveillance for about two and a half years. I’m pretty good at it. My biggest problem; I don’t gamble. I don’t really care about slot machines or table games. I find myself thinking of all the ways the activities we do in surveillance could be streamlined, or how the speed, ease, or accuracy, could be improved if we changed the method or procedure. Toby doesn’t care about my ideas. He just wants to drinks his coffee, tell his stories, and go home.
Bob:
Bob worked valet at a casino for 16 years until he was fired. He’s worked here in surveillance for just over a year. Bob was a little slow to catch on, but seems to be doing fine now. He’s in no big hurry to get a review done. If that was how he valeted cars, I can understand why he may have been fired. He is an affable fellow, easy to get along with, a lot like Albert in that respect.
Collin:
Collin was hired a week after Bob. He worked in this very department over 10 years ago. In fact, June was hired to replace him. He is the human manifestation of Foghorn Leghorn, with an ever so slight Elephant Man drag of his right foot. I've also heard him referred to as the love child of Barney Fife and Lurch. Collin is a lying, back stabbing, SOB, hell bent on writing a report on every employee and guest in the building. And he is not the sort of guy who lets the truth get in his way. Not a single person in the surveillance room can stand him, not even the affable Bob or Albert. Collin also has some sort of vision problem. He can’t recognize people on the monitors. He can’t seem to tell the difference between a 5’6”, 160lb, Hispanic, in a button up shirt, blue jeans, and boots; from a 6’, 220lb, Anglo, in a t-shirt, khaki shorts, and sandals. I sit on my side of the room and try not to laugh out loud when I hear him sending security after the wrong person. I don't interfere. After all Collin is God's gift to our department. Collin seems so blind sometimes; I think he would struggle to recognize himself on playback. Collin and I got off on the wrong foot when I found out he was spreading multiple, and grossly inaccurate, rumors about my sex life. Don't talk about my vagina behind my back.
Frank:
Frank is in his late 50s early 60s. He was hired about 4 months ago. In the room, Frank comes across as a stickler for the rules. He often watches the bar staff, checking for signs of theft or health code violations. He wrote a report on a server who didn’t wear gloves when he made a hot dog for a guest. Outside the room Frank is called, "the creepy stocker guy,” by other employees. Apparently, on his breaks, he hangs out at the bar talking up the cocktail waitresses. I have my doubts about him, too. Nothing real tangible, just a feeling there’s something not quite right with the guy. The only really strange thing I've ever seen him do; he sat in the surveillance room with Police Officer Sheridan for around 2 hours dealing with the theft of a ring. When we were talking about it later he told me Officer Sheridan was a woman. Sheridan is a manly man. I don't understand how he could possibly spend 2 hours with him and think Sheridan was a woman. It disturbed me.
Don:
Don is a transfer from another property. He’s worked at our location for about a month. Don is in his mid-20s. He’s not dumb, but he does not have an ambitious bone in his body. Money for nothing and his chicks for free. But he seems like a nice guy. He’s funny and easy to get along with. Don will be taking over my grave shift. It's a good place for him. He should be able to stay out of trouble there. We'll see.
Right now we are considered fully staffed; however, a Corporate manager was on our property last week. We took some sort of test for him using our work stations to follow a subject through the casino floor. We all got the impression he will be pushing for additional staffing of our surveillance room.
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