I Broke Down...And Bought An Uncrustable

 The first year I worked at Lagoon Amusement Park was 1982. My job was to clean the park in the mornings before anyone ever showed up. We clocked in at 4am and we were off the park by 10am. For a teenager, it was a perfect job. I had to go to sleep early so I didn't have time to spend the money I earned by staying up late and buying things (like fast food...).

There was one thing, however, that I did spend money on...the food in the employee kitchen.

Oh, I still remember spending way too much money there.

It makes sense, of course. We worked hard and we built up a healthy appetite. And the company was smart...you didn't spend real money in the employee kitchen, but you basically used Monopoly money they printed and took out of your check. I know I wouldn't have spent as much if I had to pay cash for food.

Fast forward forty-two years. I'm working a show at the same park and they have the same employee kitchen. The major change from decades before is the manner in which we pay for food. They scan your employee card. What is the same is the fact that you don't see the money get subtracted from your paycheck.

Genius.

This year, I sort of made a goal to not spend any money in the kitchen and I was doing pretty good, until last week when I forgot my dinner. Last year I did pretty good because I bought Uncrustable sandwiches. They were cheap and I could eat them quickly. My wife made of ton of sandwiches and froze them for this year. I've been taking them to work for the past three weeks. Last weekend, however, I did forget my dinner so I had to use my card. I've got five or so weekends left of my autumn gig. We'll see how many times I'll have to pay again.