Rock Center Tree Lighting

The tree lighting ceremony was great fun and the tree is so beautiful this year. We had our bird’s eye view of the festivities in the usual spot in the 3rd Floor conference room in my office. This year’s security was just as tight as ever with helicopters circling above, checkpoints at every turn and snipers located on each building aiming for trouble. Each building had floor numbers posted in increments of five to aid them. It’s so weird to live in a world where this is necessary. A few bad apples sure can ruin free society.

After the official lighting, we all cleaned the room and gathered our belongings. I poured my wine into a paper cup to take with me for the cold hike to the subway and we all stood in the hallway waiting for the elevator. My “to go cup” prompted a conversation that led into a discussion of heroin (don’t ask) which is when the elevator doors slid open to reveal three snipers in full sniper dress.

Aw, shit!” I said, thinking I would be busted. “Close your eyes,” Erica directed the men. “So we know where the party was,” one sniper responded. We all piled in and were introduced to three men from special forces who had traveled “all the way from Afghanistan” for the evening. Once downstairs we huddled in our doorway and chatted up the other officers. We met a bomb sniffing German Shepherd that knew sign language just like Paquita. That’s when a pretty skinny Al Roker walked by. I turned to Marc and said, “Hey, there’s Al.” Marc said, “The dog’s name is Al?” Oh well, he didn’t miss much.

Favorite conversation of the night:
Erica: “I can’t help it, I think Eminem is so hot. It’s a combination of his talent, his persona, his ‘I don’t give a fu*k attitude.'”
Marc: “I know! I feel the same way about Star Jones!”