Well, the UFO is out of the bag

"Mike" - The General Manager - calls me around 9:00am.

"Hey Guy, hope I didn't wake you..." Yeh, he did.

There's a big convention in town, he thinks it's going to be busy, and wants me to come into work, altho I'm not scheduled.

I think you already know my answer.

Three hours later, I go to the office to clock in. Oddly, Mike greets me with "HEY, Ive been watching you! I have a couple of questions for ya ..."

What?!? Watching me work?? What'd I do wrong?? Am I in trouble? This is creepy.

".. about Operation Paperclip" he concludes.

Oh-h-h-h-h-h-h-h. He's "been watching me" ... on DVD, I realize.

For MOST readers of this blog - who are also my FB friends - you already know that I'm (ahem) "best-known" NOT for my writings about restaurant work, of course. I'm best-known - internet-fame-wise - for my decidedly alternative alternative views on UFOs and "aliens" - Sorry if this reading is the first you've heard of this.

But long story short, I moved here to Orlando FL after over a decade of living in the very small but also very famous city of Roswell, New Mexico, where I was a sort of an activist. Mike knew this when he hired me - that I'm some sort of expert on the topic in general, and on the 1947 Roswell Incident in particular.

Without directly asking, he has occasionally expressed some sort of interest in finding out what I know (maybe just to figure me out a little better, now that I've been working here almost six months, and am kind of moving up - easy to do when so many others are getting fired, haha). I finally took the hint and recently gave him a DVD of me lecturing on the topic.

That's where this post begins. I'm in the office with him, and he's pretty enthusiastic about my research. We're not alone however. The office manager/bartender (one of our six bartenders) "Joon" is also in there, and she's hearing all of this information about me for the first time. Mike punches up my website to show her. She's intrigued, especially given that her boyfriend "Benny" (also a bartender here) turns out, is an alien enthusiast. She, on the other hand, doesn't believe in aliens.

Skipping around a bit, I brought her a DVD in the next day, and when I left from our lunch shift she tells me that she and her fiance were going to watch it together that night. That's kind of an odd feeling, knowing that a young engaged couple has decided to spend their Friday night "watching me."

I'll tell ya what's an even odder feeling.. knowing that after this weekend I'm going to start being known once again as "that guy" around work. For the last eleven years in Roswell, my co-workers and repeat customers - even tourists - have known me as such. Frankly, I've greatly enjoyed not being known as "that guy" for the last six months.

"There's that guy who knows everything about UFOs and aliens."
"Talk to the bartender. He's the guy who can tell you the most about the Roswell crash."
"He's that guy who got abducted by aliens."
"Shhhh, it's that guy who doesn't believe in aliens."
"That guy was on the History Channel show about aliens."

Sigh. Insert favorite rumor, fact, or random misunderstanding here. As you might imagine, it's the kind of thing a guy could use a break from.

It's not that I mind fulfilling my calling or anything, nor the peripheral stuff that comes with it. It's just that when you're trying to focus on doing your regular job, and doing it well, such can become distracting. Annoying even. Worse, the conversations that immediately evolve from answering such inquiries almost always strike straight to the heart of people's religious and/or political beliefs. I've found that - while sometimes fruitful, no doubt - well, one's work is not always the the best place to have such conversations.

Knowing that a manager (who speaks enthusiastically about this singular aspect of my work) and that now two bartenders have all watched the video ... and at minimum are aware that I have "a" website, it probably won't be long before someone Googles me, or follows the link from that website to my others.

And then I'll be "that guy" at this job too.

I'm comforted however in knowing that at least this all came out slowly - after everyone has had ample time to form an opinion of me. They already have an opinion of me based on my work ethic, abilities, knowledge, friendliness, teamwork, etc, SO I think they have a good enough foundation to perhaps maybe NOT think of me as a total lunatic given this new information about me.

Also, it's among my best work that they're viewing at present, and is extremely well-documented, meticulously researched, and overall, quite ... sane ... given the field I'm associated with. At least (up to this point) for this go-round, I have additionally been the one in control of just what information about me got out - first, anyways. Once the bigger picture begins to emerge (and be misquoted, mis-speculated and gossiped about from people too scared to ask me direct questions) then I imagine some future conversations at work could be a little awkward for some - assuming anyone even cares, that is.

"Okay let me get this straight. You were abducted by aliens, but you don't believe in aliens? You write and speak and go on TV and have websites about UFOs, but you don't think they're from outer space? And just what's all this got to do with religion anyways?"

Those of you so inclined, please pray for my co-workers. It's not like I go into work all guns blazing with an agenda to speak of these things, but if they ask, well-l-l-l...

It turned out not to be busy by the way - the shift that I got called in for. Mike let me go in less than thirty minutes, and bought me lunch as well for coming in. Mmmmmm, free Kobe beef burger, a good review on my DVD, and the opportunity to share it with others. Not being financially profitable aside, that's still a good day.

Given their diametrically opposing views on the alien topic, I'm kind of interested to see what Benny and Joon have to say when I see them next. Expereince tells me that it won't be a short conversation, and that work usually is not the best place for it to occur. I imagine a lunch date may be in order to work this all out with them.

In the office last Friday, Mike also told Joon that the people in Roswell were probably glad to see me go. Well not all were of course, but yeh, some were, no doubt.

Now that the UFO is out of the bag, it remains to be seen how Orlando will feel about my arrival.

***
P.S. So what's the controversy, you ask? What is my DVD about? Watch it online, at http://www.TheInvisibleBattle.com