DC Trip 1

I went to DC to check out the Smithsonian Exhibit on Orchids. Although I have no particular interest in flowers, Orchids are really pretty and this seemed like an interesting exhibit to look at. I tried to go on a day where there wouldn't be a lot of people, and I wish, I wish I had brought a camera to take pictures, but unfortunately I had gone without even taking my phone (it was a spur of the moment Thursday thing) However, I will say that there were so many gorgeous Orchids that it messed with my allergies a bit. Even in the middle of March the blooms were superb. I am so glad I went, and I would go again. I actually might since there is a week left for the exhibit. I would say go on a weekday if anyone is thinking about going, especially since curators seem to be more willing to give more personalized attention to those who are really into the flowers and science behind them.

Home

My friend, Kyle, and I went to see the movie "Home". It was adorable! It also had a pretty important message or two. One, you don't know the effect we are having on the world or worlds around us, and that when push comes to shove, people (and aliens) can be pretty resilient when need be. I actually loved some of the minor hints at adult humor. If asked, I would say that it is a movie I would consider buying when it comes out. It would be nice to just have around for gray days and for when the nieces and nephew visit. Also, cats are vibrating piles of awesome that make Jim Parsons' character unsure of why humans enjoy pet things. It was a great mesh of voices between Jim Parsons OCD like twitchiness and Rhianna's carefree happy determination. Again, I would fully recommend this film!

Capitals Game

I know I'm posting this particular blog late, but I wanted to do them after a while to reflect on the experiences. Also, because I wasn't fully sure when they were wanted.  Back in February, I decided to go to a Capitals Hockey Game in Washington DC against Anaheim. I took a friend who is a die hard Bruins fan, and it was an absolute blast! We ended up taking our time and using the Metro to get into DC. We were both wearing red because that is what Caps fans do. The game ended in a shootout and with me losing my voice almost entirely. It was so worth it. After the game we went to Daikaya and Izakaya, a set of Japanese restaurants down the road from the Verizon Center. Brett lived in Japan for 6 years and was pretty impressed with everything they had to offer but the service. He said the meat buns were just like the ones he used to munch on when going to work. It was a great experience, but again, the service was kind of terrible. So, the food was amazing, but unless there was a major change to staff... I'm not sure if I would go back. It was worth the cultural experience though!

Casino Work and Dress Code

Casinos have fairly strict policies as to what people wear and why. In the Finance Department, we are required to wear one of two uniforms which were discussed in the last blog. However, I will mention that each section of the rest of the casino wear distinguishing uniforms. For example: dealers (both poker and table games (they are very different yet similar)) wear black shirts with gold trim, black pants and sneakers and most have small aprons with pockets for varying reasons. Slot attendants wear red shirts and are very easily identifiable. Security guards wear mostly wear gold or blue blazers with black shirts, and can be pretty intimidating. Most people that work in the food court wear rust orange shirts, and so on. Why am I mentioning this?
Well, the saying that "the clothes make the man" is not very prevalent in the casino world unless you account for 2 areas. In every area of the casino except for cocktail servers and those that work in the H Lounge, we all pretty much look alike. Males and females wear the exact same clothing and those clothes are not so much a costume as a cover up. What does this say to guests? Well, to me, the translation is: we are all approachable, we are a unit, and we are here not to show off, but to assist and be out of the way. I don't mean this to be negative, but in support of the fact that we are not the focus of the guests. The guests choose those they want to entertain them.
Now, those in the cocktail serving areas as well as the H-Lounge Bar are part of the entertainment. The women do wear costumes: skirts, halter tops, jackets (if need be) and shoes that have some sort of heel. The H-Lounge women wear short shorts, halter vests and shoes with a heel and most wear either fishnets or bare legs. These people do compete for tips, guests, etc, but they also work to help one another in the back. What guests rarely see are these people washing glasses together, mixing drinks for one another and giving support to each other when they need it.
Each area of the casino is like that. There is a network, a team, a unit, that supports one another and will help to warn each other of trouble going on. If guests see anyone in uniforms differing from these conventions, it is safe to say that they are looking at people that need to be very identifiable such as leads, supervisors or managers.  Our uniforms do the same for guests: We are here to help, we are identifiable, and we are here for you and each other.

Introduction: Welcome to HCCTR

When I applied to Hollywood Casinos at Charles Town Races, I honestly did not think that it would have much to do with my major in Communication and New Media, but I was wrong. How wrong was I? Well, after taking Media Studies with Kevin Williams last semester, I was about as wrong as anyone can get.

Before I get into that, let me break down what my job entails at the casino, because there are several areas that people don't see unless they work there. Originally, I was hired as a Cage Cashier/Window Attendant. These are the people the public sees and primarily deal with. Our uniform consists of a gold shirt with black trim, black pants and black sneakers/comfortable shoes. Full time employees work 10 hour shifts, 4 days a week, and I will not disclose money amounts. I will say that we are paid above minimum wage and we are able to receive tips.
However, there are 4 "background jobs": TR, Revenue, Chip Bank, and Main Bank. Each of them consists of the same uniform: blue polo shirt, black pants and black sneakers. Outside of the Cage, I work in TR (Ticket Redemption) which deals with the machines on the floor that scan tickets from slot machines and will also break down large bills into smaller denominations.
I was trained in Revenue briefly and Main Bank and Chip Bank are on my list, but I haven't been trained in them, yet. I do know some of what they involve. They will be discussed as they come up through this blog series.

This is a brief overview of the job(s), but it still begs the question: What does this have to do with Communication? In the next 9 blogs, there will be an in depth exploration as to how Communication and New Media directly translates into a job at the Casino.

Faculty Review

My faculty review was interesting. It helped me see the flaws in my game design, and it gave me a few ideas as to how I can continue in the field with this game and others that I have ideas for.

Progress

I am excited to say that I believe that Riddles and Wonder is as close to ready as it will ever be. The beta test with my sister’s children went over surprisingly well, and they are younger than the intended age group. Even though the math problems were a little bit difficult, they still kept trying and wanted to keep my beta format. Ava, the older of the two, ended up playing the game on her own for a bit. I asked her why, and she just kept saying “I want to keep trying to make more money!” So, for her, it was about the shiny coins and trying to figure out problems, but it was really amazing to watch her light up and not see it as just math problems.

There was a note that my sister, the teacher, made and that was “This needs to look more professional, laminated maybe. Also, will I be able to increase the level of difficulty for my students if I wanted to? Say, I find that there are too many penny questions and not enough nickel or quarter ones, could we increase that?” Of course I could increase that, and I could make it so that it was less difficult by adding more penny spaces.

Another question she asked was about length of game play. If she could increase it, how would she. The response for that was simple “Increase the amount of money you want your kids or students to earn in the game, or decrease it so that it gets them to the ‘dragon’ quicker.”

We also discussed about increasing the difficulty through other forms of math (decimal places, multiplication, division, etc) and she mentioned about doing different levels of the game for other classes.

I believe that having my sister, the teacher, around has greatly improved what I can do with this game and how to help it move along. Not only has this given me a better sense of where I should be, but where this game could be going. Now, all I really need to do is get this thing to Staples and have 2 days where it gets laminated and put on a special board. Maybe one day I will have special figurines to go with it instead of Wal Mart farm animals, but for now, it will suffice.