Day 6: Sean Payton and Settling In the Sand

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Well, today was the first great day I feel like I've had since I've been here.

My job responsibility changed today to working at the media gate and checking for credentials from all of the incoming media and coaches. It was pretty cool getting to talk to all of the people from the local networks which included the sports news anchors, several photographers and several of the coaches from other schools such as Oklahoma University as they came through.

The coolest part was when Head Coach Sean Payton pulled through and asked if the guy following him could have access to the lot. I wanted to be like 'Dude, you're Sean Payton, you can do whatever you want. If you want him to sit on the roof of the building I'm sure you could get it done.' But of course I said "I mean, I guess I can see what I can do for you.. It's not like these parking spots grow on trees, and you're not that special, so we'll have to see what we can negotiate here. I'm lookin for some free tickets, or an all access pass, or a date with some of the Saintsations.. What can you offer me?' ...... Bahaha of course I said 'Definitely sir, that's perfectly fine' in my 'Hey, I'm Blake' voice for those of you who make fun of me for my voice octave changes when I'm trying to sound professional. Cough cough Steven, Sarah, Richard, Brady. Annyway, he said 'Thank you very much, I'm Sean,' and stuck his hand out. I introduced myself and that was it.

It was pretty cool getting to meet him though, even in passing. I dealt with some ungrateful and disrespectful and short tempered people that thought that they had the right to have anyone and everyone park in this certain lot. It definitely reminded me to always be nice to those people in my life because we and they are just trying to do their job and not get in trouble. That's why I try to always be nice to the Taco Bell ladies and the Sonic ladies, shake the security guards hands, and always at least be respectful of their positions. I'm not going to lie, I know I've ben heify before, and now looking back on it, I definitely and sadly regret those decisions. My friend and co-worker Danielle and I share the same views on everything in the work place and it's definitely nice being able to talk to her about the little incidences where bad irrational actions come over the people we encounter and we are the ones stuck dealing with it.

All in all today was pretty good. I had to work starting at 12:45 pm, which gave me plenty of rest time and also time to get caught up on rest. I find myself tossing and turning when it's about an hour before time to wake up because I'm nervous I'm going to oversleep.

When we arrived we set out all of the 'A-frame' advertisements, fixed all the barricades, set out all the trash cans (that people still refuse to use), set up the tents, tables and chairs at all the entrances, and then got to my post at the media gate and was fortunate enough to have a shaded spot the remainder of the afternoon. I also didn't feel like I was a broken record like I did yesterday and the day before with the cancelled practice announcements and the directions on throwing away trash. It was a pretty pleasant day.

I also felt like today was the day when everyone on the Operations Staff finally relaxed, started joking with one another and finally, finally exhausted the conversations of LSU and Tulane football. I have never been so happy to not hear someone talk about football in my life.

I got to know the girls a lot better; Danielle, Katie, and Lisa. They are all really cool girls and remind me a lot of my mom. Just really passionate about their positions here with the Saints and genuinely enjoy what they do and being nice to everyone they meet. We are all going to go to dinner sometime this week at a local restaurant that they have deemed appropriate for non-locals. Apparently Danielle (who is from Baton Rouge) and I are in for a treat. Definitely looking forward to being out of the hotel and hanging out with some of the people I work with.

I think I've definitely talked Katie and Lisa into coming to an Ole Miss game this fall. They keep telling me how excited they are and how much they can't wait to pull out their 'Prom dresses' so that they will fit in at Ole Miss. I think it will definitely be a cool experience for them. On top of that, they have offered me a place to stay for the Tulane game when I come down.

Also, about the Tulane game. I think that I am going to be able to work the Saints/Titans game that is the Thursday night at the Superdome that will be before the Tulane game that will be the following Saturday at the Superdome. I'm really pumped about that possibility and my boss is actually pumped that I'll get to work a game on the sidelines since I won't be here for the first pre-season game against the Texans on August 21st.

All in all today was a great day. Practice was finished at 5:20 and we had all the trash picked up in the shortest time yet, and finished for the day at around 6:45. We had pizza and salad for dinner in the cafeteria there at the facility that ended with the best strawberries I've had in a long time.

I got to see on one of the Superbowl rings today. It was ridiculous. Annd it was a woman's ring and it was still ridiculously big. Most importantly, it was not THIS particular ring.

As Danielle and I were leaving for the night we ran into Katie, Lisa and our boss, Stephen, all working on the Suite Passes for the season. We helped organize and box them and then organized all the arm bands for the press and photographers for each game. It was cool seeing that side of it because that's the actual side that I would like to be on.

I definitely learned a lot of ways on how to be a great leader today from observing my boss, Stephen Pate. He's a phenomenal person to work for and I'm lucky to have such a great boss down here. I miss Ole Ginger, Becky and Jennifer though at the Yerby Center.

Thanks for reading, if you're not asleep.

Miss everyone,

Until next time,

Blake
Blake Belcher

Day 4 & Day 5: The Saints Came Marching in

That they did. The Saints. Oh yes the Saint came marching in this morning at 8:50 a.m. for the first practice of the pre-season.

The entire staff arrived at work yesterday and today at 6:30 a.m. (yes, someone better send me a cookie because I actually got up that early) and started working to get the entire program running.

We set up all of the "A-frames" which are huge advertisements from all the business around New Orleans and Metairie (most of which jumped on the bandwagon after the Superbowl win, of course) that line the side of the football field in front of the stands. There were probably 50 of them or so and they sit right in front of the barricades that are put up the before practice every day. We made sure that all of the barricades and the A-frames were lined up correctly then we started on all of the cardboard trash cans and lined them with trash bags around the fields. After all 60 of those were put out we set up several tents that were in specific areas; the front entrance fan gate, the media entrance gate, the VIP tent gate, and Mr. Tom Benson's gate that sits below his office balcony that overlooks the practice field. After all the set up was complete we moved into our positions to prepare for the fans to come through the gate.

** During the practice on Friday morning there was a huge gust of wind that picked up the tent that was used for Tom Benson that sits under his office balcony. That wind threw the tent over a fence and it slammed into the windshield of his personal car, shattering the windshield like a golf ball would. There was a small dent in the hood but the main damange was the windshield. Did I mention that this car is a Mercedes S 500 full-sized Sadan started at $109,900.00? Yeah, that's right. That's before all the bells and whistles. I guarantee you that thing has a lot more than manual windows and seats, and an AM only radio. Anyway, before he could even get out to the car after they told him, they had his exact replica replace that car with all of the things he had on the inside already switched over to the new car, including his license plate. Absolutely ridiculous. I wish I had an extra $100,000 car chillin at home.

Danielle Farrell (who is one those people you become best friends with right off the bat) and I were assigned to the front gate where we would be passing out the team roster's and keep count of the amount of people that come into the practice. Danielle took the job of being the mean one and telling everyone that they couldn't bring their water, gatorade, book bag or three-weeks worth of luggage that some of them insisted on bringing to practice in through the gates. We were also joined by two of the Saintsations (the Saint's cheerleaders) in which I'm sure you know I thoroughly enjoyed. Danielle and I had a great time repeating "Welcome to practice and please through away your water bottle." We definitely sounded like a broken record.

After we finished the practice we joined the rest of the group and began cleaning up the trash after everyone left the fields. I definitely regret my decision to ever litter. (Sarah, I am sure you're ecstatic to hear that) I look forward to the next time I go to the movies and or football game or other event to throwing away all my personal trash. I mean, these people were DISGUSTING. One vendor was passing out little hand fans that had a wooden handle on them; people broke them into a billion pieces and shredded the paper part of the fan. It's ridiculous. I mean they were given these fans to cool themselves off in the blistering heat, but noooooo.. they just shred them ungratefully. I would love to stab some of them with those pieces they threw on the ground.

Forty-five minutes of picking up trash we finally finished and headed in for lunch. Lunch at the facility is really good. It's got a lot of variety and everything is really well prepared. The full time staff kind of wishes there were changes in the menu choices, but I think it's pretty good. Great salads, burgers, pizza, fish, and chicken everyday.

On Friday I stayed all day long. We kind of just hung out after lunch for an hour and a half and then I headed out to the Media Gate in order to check the media members into the correct spots. I finished aroun 5:00 p.m. and came home to shower. Michael Jones (my roommate from Sophomore year) and a couple of other friends were in town so I met them down at Jackson Square for a beer. They, of course, had been on Bourbon street for several hours and had put it to good use or "really strapped one on" as my mom says and they were good and drunk by the time I got there. We went to a great dinner near the courthouse, a few blocks off of Bourbon, and I had an awesome blacked grilled chicked ceasar salad. Michael and the others had a "Taste of New Orleans," which included some seafood, and a couple of different types of gumbo. It all looked really good but I knew that I wouldn't enjoy it. They highly recommend it, however.

We drove back to one of their friend's houses named Chris and we hung out there for a couple hours until I drove them back down town. I, of course, didn't think about what traffic would be like on a Friday night at 10:30 p.m. near Bourbon and Canal street. All of the stop lights, people, traffic, and congestion in downtown was absolutely ridiculous. I didn't enjoy maneuvering through the area and I definitely do not want to go through that again anytime soon. I finally made it through the traffic and got back to the hotel in order to get ready for work the next morning at 6:30 a.m.

Saturday was about the same. We had the same job responsibilities and it was great because instead of two Saintsations, there were four. It was great. We had a couple of smoothies from Smoothie King that acts as a normal vendor and then we finished the day off with the same activities as the day before. At the end of Saturday morning's practice look what they found in in the bleachers and handed to me:

After the morning practice was over on Saturday however, I was sent home since I had worked the day before. I came back to my incredibly friend packed room and hung out with all my buddies. Wait, that's not right. I came back to my empty hotel room and exhaustedly laid on the bed for nearly ten straight hours. I didn't want to go to sleep because I knew I wouldn't sleep well at night but I also didn't want to get up and do anything. My body was just tired.

At 11:00 p.m. Alex Harrelson and Joanna David (my little brother in ATO and his girlfriend) called me and told me that the wedding that they were attending in Jackson Square was over and they wanted to meet up. I drove downtown to the Westin Hotel where they were staying and got to visit with them and meet Joanna's family. It was great getting to catch up with them and see some friendly faces from home.

I definitely needed to see Michael, Alex and Joanna this weekend. It was great seeing them and definitely helped that "homesick" feeling from Wednesday disappear.

Thanks for reading, sorry if you want to stab your eyes out now,

Until next time,

Blake

Day 3: El dia de nada

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Today wasn't very exciting. I woke up at 9:00 a.m. this morning and for the first time since I've been here, I honestly felt lonely. It was kind of weird knowing that yes, I had the entire day off, I was in New Orleans, but had no one to share the day with. I realized how much I miss my family and friends this morning. I realized how much I depend on all of yall being there every day. However, after the day went by, I realized that this experience was probably the best thing that I could experience with a year left in college. This will be a reality in a year or two and I guess the more practice I have now, the better.

Anyhoowwww. I got up and went to this phenomenal burger and seafood restaurant called Port of Call. It came highly recommended from Jared Loftus, Jordan's brother that lives in Baton Rouge.

After getting lost (stupid Tom Tom) again, I finally found the restaurant and made my way inside. The whole roof was covered in intertwined ropes like you would see on a ship; there was an enormous ship's steering wheel mounted on the wall; and the bar was covered in locals. I sat down and ordered a burger and a beer. After listening to a few Blue's classics over the radio that was proudly playing over the speakers I got my burger and baked potato. They were covered with slightly melted, shredded cheddar cheese. I prepared the burger and took the first bite of what may have been the best burger I have ever had fro a restaurant. There's only one other burger that I like more and that is prepared by none other than THE Mike Belcher.

Two beers later, a baked potato, phenomenal burger and a half a pound of cheddar cheese, I was absolutely stuffed. I made my way out of the restaurant and headed towards the street where I parked. Yes, I walked the wrong way. After turning around and walking two blocks, exhausting my clicker button on my car's remote, I found ole Pearl.

I drove across town and made my way through Metairie. I made it to the practice facility, which was completely deserted other than the inner office workers. This is when I finally got all the "free gear" that I have been diligently told I would receive from my friends in Oxford. I got a few different shirts, a couple pair of dress shorts, a pair of mesh shorts, and a Saints hat. I was finally decked out and ready to go. I could stop wearing my plain polo t-shirts and Ole Miss paraphernalia to work everyday. I am sure they will be happy.

I came back home and just hung out at the hotel for a few hours, finishing up some photos, watching a movie, and paying a couple of bills. I never made it to the aquarium or zoo because they both closed at 4:00 and when I pulled up it was 3:30 p.m. I was not about to pay however much it was for 30 minute tour of the entire animal kingdom both surf, and turf.

Today was exhaustingly boring. Thanks for reading. Even though you probably want to poke your eyeballs out, or stab yourself with a fork.

"Or, you could stick a fork in an apple!" (Hope you get that Margaret).

Until next time,

Blake

Day 2: Superdome, Jimani, Nawlin's Local, & Redbox

Today we met at the Superdome at 9:00 a.m. for more Training Camp and Pre-Season preparation. We hung up all of the New Orleans Saints signage throughout the superdome that covers all the concrete on both the 200 and 500 levels of seating. There were a ton of banners that had to be hung up, but with 11 people working on it, it went by fairly quickly. Within two hours we had finished both levels and were on our way back up to the fourth floor. Apparently there has been a lot of reconstruction in the Superdome since this time last year due to winning the Super Bowl, and everything was being changed. We moved all of the nursery supplies down to another level in the Superdome in their new room. This is the nursery that is provided for all the Saint's players and Staff's family's for practices, normal work days, and game days.

The Superdome was getting the same turf that the Metairie practice facility just got. They should be done with the turf within the next few days.

***DISCLAIMER*** I mentioned in a previous blog that the "facilities" of the New Orleans Saints weren't as nice as those of Ole Miss. I meant to say that the Metairie Indoor Facility isn't as nice as the Ole Miss Indoor Practice Facility. Granted, as I was told, "Why have a great practice facility when your main field is indoor, too?" Which is a very good point. Thank you, Jared Loftus for helping me straighten that out. Haha.

After we finished all of that stuff we were free to go for the afternoon. I decided since I was already downtown at the Superdome I would try another restaurant in that area. I found a bar called Jimani off of Canal Street and went in for a beer and pizza. It was a phenomenal pizza. I definitely recommend going in there. It was hot, and muggy, but just another part of New Orleans I feel.

After lunch I returned home, well, to the Holiday Inn and hung out for a little while. I went for a run in the gym, and then met up with a friend from school that lives in Mandeville but works in Metairie. We went to the movies to see Inception, the Leonardo DeCaprio movie about altering dreams. Definitely a must see. That was my second time to see it.

When I first pulled into the theatre parking lot, I turned onto the wrong row. Immediately realizing what I did, I slowed down to 5 mph (basically barely moving) and waited for the oncoming car to kind of move to the side. She didn't. As she drove by all I could see was her mouth moving and saying "******* WRONG WAY!" and I was waving the entire time and apologizing. Yeah, my apologies didn't go very far. I went down the row and found a parking spot. As I went to put my car into park she rolled by on the next row over (which, coincidentally would have meant that she was then going the wrong way) and she mean mugged me the whole way. I followed her with my eyes and she started cursing again and sped off. Not going to lie, I honestly expected my car to be keyed, my tires slashed, or the whole thing on fire when I got out of the movie. Fortunately, she wasn't that intense.

I went to Target and grabbed some groceries, a new book, and some new socks. We have tomorrow off, so I decided to go get a movie too. I couldn't locate a Redbox on my phone, so I ventured over to a Blockbuster. When I got there I realized how insane it was to pay $5.00 rent a movie and decided to go home. That's when my extra chromosomes began to take over.

I Googled Rebox locations and found that there was one at an Exxon located on 2209 Causeway Blvd, just a few seconds down the road from my 2261 Causeway Blvd location at the Holiday Inn. I got in my car, looked for the nearest Exxon and found it to be right at a mile away. I drove through the gas station next to my hotel in order to get access to the interstate that I needed to get on in order to head in the direction of the Exxon. I got all the way there and there was no Redbox in sight. Of course I was frustrated and decided to type the physical address in. I then began driving in that direction. Apparently there was more than one Exxon within a one mile radius of me. As I got closer, I looked up and realized that the gas station that I had driven through to get to the interstate, also the same gas station I drive through every day for work, was in fact an Exxon. Right. Next. Door. I mean, walking distance. I could have kicked myself for not noticing the HUGE EXXON sign hanging in the sky. I rented a couple of movies, went back to the hotel, made a sandwich, watched the movie, read some of my book, and now I'm headed to bed.

Hope all is well,

Sorry for putting you through all of the antagonizing details. I haven't had anything to do all day.

Until next time,

Blake

Day 1: Practice Facility + Metairie Heat

We reported to the parking lot assigned for the New Oreleans Arena Football Team, VooDoo. We reported at 7:45 a.m. this morning for our 8:00 a.m. drug test. And of course, the first thing that I did this morning was use the restroom right when I woke up. After showering I downed two bottles of water, and then another one on the ten-minute route to the practice facility and then another upon arrival. I definitely didn't want to get stage fright and I wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.

At about 9:15 this morning we began our tour through the training facility. They have an indoor facility like that of Ole Miss, but about a tenth as nice. It is literally just the barn part of the facility. They do however have the same turf that we just had put in at Ole Miss. This new turf has a sand and rubber mixture rather than just the rubber base in which allows for the players injuries to be cut down by a drastic percentage. One of the Operation Assistants pointed me out and said "I heard that Ole Miss was getting this too, right? We just put this in a few weeks ago." Dang right. We're ballers.

We toured the rest of the facility and learned how to use the key pads (for those that don't know how to work a key pad) and then we headed outside to tour the rest of the grounds.

After finishing the tour we began moving baracades from the VooDoo parking lot to the outdoor practice field to prevent from the crowd (which apparently is pretty intense) from entering the field. We also set up chairs, tables, and fans for the Corporate Sponsors and Family tent. After we got all of that finished we were of course drenched with Louisiana sweat and we got to finish out the morning with lunch in the on-site cafeteria.

Lunch was incredible. It really reminded me a lot of how the soldiers were fed when I was in the Middle East, but only half as good. Saying that, for those of you know don't know, the soldiers are treated like kings at breakfast, lunch, and dinner over there, so that's always a good thing to have in the back of your minds. I'm so glad that at the very least, and after being in that heat and doing their incredible work all day that they get phenomenal meals three times a day.

Anyway, I digress. I had a burger, a piece of pizza and a salad. Everything was incredible. We all ate as a big group. I finally got to talk to the oldest staff member who just finished graduate school at Tulane. He just got back from a huge tour through Africa hunting nearly fifteen types of animals. They use these safari's as a way of population control and they send the hunters their mounts within 8 months of the hunt. He said the hide that he would receive from a hippo would sell for enough money in the U.S. for him to pay off his entire trip. That's a pretty good deal. Sad for the hippo though.

After we finished up for the day I headed back to the hotel where I passed out for about an hour and a half. I got up, went to the mall, and then left that mall to go to the movie theatre to see the new Angelina Jolie movie, Salt. It was great for those of you who may be interested in seeing it. Definitely a good movie that keeps you guessing until the end. The movies here are only $5 to go see, so I will be definitely catching up on those that I have yet to see, aka Despicable Me mainly.

Tomorrow we report to the Superdome at 9:00 a.m. in downtown New Orleans. I'll need to leave the hotel around 8:15 a.m. We're going to be hanging signage around the 200 and 500 levels of the Superdome.

Hope all is well,

Until next time,

Blake

Exploration

I got to meet with Diane Norton this morning and she offered me the same deal as the Extended Stay to stay here in the Holiday Inn. Much better. It's going to be a spoiling experience having this king-sized bed though.

I went to the mall today then ventured downtown to New Orleans. It was excellent. I pulled over and parked at the end of Canala and Bourbon and walked down Bourbon street. I picked up some postcards, bought a Maker's Mark 10th Anniversary cigar and then finally made it to Cafe du Monde for their infamous beniets. I walked through the French Quarter and I think I lost 10 pounds while doing it.

I made it back to the hotel after a few hours of driving around downtown and got ready for our orientation dinner at 7. We all met at Theo's Pizzaria and I got to meet the entire group of people that I will be working with. We got our information packet and we will be meeting at the facility tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. for our drug test and then setting up for this coming weekend, which will be the first few days of camp.

Hope all is well,

Until Next Time,

Blake

Oxford to Metaire, Louisiana

I left Oxford today at 4:00 p.m. on my way down to Metairie, Louisiana to start my new internship. For the next month I will be working in Marketing and Operations for the New Orleans Saints Pro Training Camp.

I stopped along the way and had dinner in Jackson, all the while changing from 85 mph to 20 mph along the interstate due to the ridiculous downpour that made it to central and northern Mississippi from the recent tropical storm that just hit the coast a few days ago.

Upon entering into Metairie, I finally made it to my hotel, The Extended Stay America, Metairie, Louisiana. I would HIGHLY SUGGEST that you NOT visit this hotel. I get there and it's attached to an IHOP (so you know the fat kid was really happy about it at first) and then I realized that there were bars over all oft he windows. I walked in the front door to find nearly 30 Metairie residents who actually lived in this Extended Stay. Definitely not just staying for a week, but more like an actual living situation -- long term. They were all hanging out and smoking in there when I found the front office. Well, yeah, that was locked and covered in bars and no one was in there. Just great. I walked down the hall to look around, all the while acting like I knew what I was doing because of all the actual residents sitting in the room. That's when I noticed the 1982 carpet that hasn't been vacuumed since it was put in.

I crossed the street and finally found a Holiday Inn. I talked to the guy at the front counter and he hooked me up with a major discount on the room for the evening after telling him about the Extended Stay along with why I was in town. Definitely enjoy my new room at the Holiday Inn. I've got to call Diane in the morning to talk to them about what kind of deal I can get worked out with me staying here.

I decided to go to the bar downstairs for a drink but it was already closed, so I got in my car to drive around for a few minutes. Decided to go straight across the high way and it looked promising but then I looked up and saw the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway that I was entering. Crap. I was entering on to the 22 mile long bridge across the biggest lake in the tri-state area. I was on the phone with Richard of course telling him about the Extended Stay situation and then missed the first cross-over point on the bridge. Yeah, bad idea. Next cross-over point - 10 miles. Finally made it to that one and headed back to Metairie.

Found the Saints "compound" which looks like it's going to be incredible. It's 4 miles from my hotel and it looks like the Ole Miss Indoor Practice Facility and practice fields - times 10. It's going to be incredible. Definitely can't wait to see it in person.

Tomorrow night we have our Orientation meeting at Theo's in downtown New Orleans. I think it'll help with the breaking-the-ice with all the interns. 8 AM tour of the facility on Tuesday morning. Definitely can't wait.

Until next time,

Blake