Pyros Exploding Again: Pyros explotando de nuevo

With an ATF clearance to do fireworks for Garden State Fireworks, when one boss steps down to care for a kid, another relative appears with a new assignment.  Instead of working at the Atlanta Braves stadium like I did last year, it's time to switch it over to Miami to do fireworks at the Trump National Golf Course.  While I definitely missed the awesome food that was served up to us from the chefs for the Braves last year, especially when getting sogged from the rain this year, Miami is always a fun location with a variety of foods to choose from.

Con una autorización de la ATF para hacer fuegos artificiales para Garden State Fireworks, cuando un jefe renuncia para cuidar a un niño, otro pariente aparece con una nueva asignación.  En lugar de trabajar en el estadio de los Bravos de Atlanta como lo hice el año pasado, es hora de cambiarlo a Miami para hacer fuegos artificiales en el Trump National Golf Course.  Si bien definitivamente extrañaba la increíble comida que nos sirvieron los chefs de los Bravos el año pasado, especialmente cuando me empapé de la lluvia este año, Miami es siempre un lugar divertido con una variedad de alimentos para elegir.

As a former resident of Homestead, I definitely had my favorite place in mind.  To stock up for the next couple days where I knew I'd basically be pulling an all-nighter, my first stop was to South Beach.  A lady stopped me at the pool the next morning, said she had seen me the previous night, asked if I had gone out, and when I explained that I only went to South Beach to get food, she basically laughed at me.

Como ex residente de Homestead, definitivamente tenía mi lugar favorito en mente.  Para abastecerme para los próximos días, donde sabía que básicamente estaría pasando toda la noche, mi primera parada fue en South Beach.  Una señora me detuvo en la piscina a la mañana siguiente, dijo que me había visto la noche anterior, me preguntó si había salido, y cuando le expliqué que solo iba a South Beach a buscar comida, básicamente se rió de mí.

Seriously though, if you have ever been to Manolo's, you know what I'm talking about.  Those Argentinans are doing something right.  I love Cuban food and all, but Manolo's is a must-stop.

En serio, si alguna vez has estado en Manolo's, sabes de lo que estoy hablando.  Esos argentinos están haciendo algo bien.  Me encanta la comida cubana y todo, pero Manolo's es una parada obligada.

Sure, my dad may be from Philly and all, but I'll tell you what, the Philly cheesesteak at Manolo's is awesome.  It's a little different, as they add bacon to it, and instead of it being shaved steak, these are tender bite-sized chunks done to perfection.  Grab a big silver tinfoil box of that, along with some treats, and that was enough to keep me stocked up for those emergencies where there's no time to leave and eat.

Claro, mi papá puede ser de Filadelfia y todo, pero te diré qué, el filete de queso de Filadelfia en Manolo's es increíble.  Es un poco diferente, ya que le agregan tocino, y en lugar de ser bistec raspado, estos son trozos tiernos del tamaño de un bocado hechos a la perfección.  Toma una gran caja de papel de aluminio plateado de eso, junto con algunas golosinas, y eso fue suficiente para mantenerme abastecido para esas emergencias en las que no hay tiempo para salir y comer.

See, with pyrotechnics, someone must stay with the fireworks at all times to prevent any accidents from happening, as you may well imagine.  That means that there are often times when you cannot leave.  Thus, it's best to stock up on your favorites and be prepared for when that time comes.

Mira, con la pirotecnia, alguien debe quedarse con los fuegos artificiales en todo momento para evitar que ocurran accidentes, como bien puedes imaginar.  Eso significa que a menudo hay momentos en los que no puedes irte.  Por lo tanto, es mejor abastecerse de sus favoritos y estar preparado para cuando llegue ese momento.

It's also best to be prepared for things like being soaked in the rain, which means having a change of clothes on hand.  I forgot to have a towel handy this year, so that wound up being my skirt I had left in the car.  It's also nice to have tools, which can vary from a hammer or electrician's scissors to a headlamp to wear when it gets dark - and as much as you try to remember everything ahead of time, there's always something that you wound up forgetting at the last minute and regret it missing.

También es mejor estar preparado para cosas como estar empapado bajo la lluvia, lo que significa tener una muda de ropa a mano.  Olvidé tener una toalla a mano este año, así que terminó siendo mi falda que había dejado en el auto.  También es bueno tener herramientas, que pueden variar desde un martillo o tijeras de electricista hasta un faro para usar cuando oscurece, y por mucho que intentes recordar todo con anticipación, siempre hay algo que terminaste olvidando en el último minuto y te arrepientes.

If you're working with a good crew, someone usually counted on someone forgetting something.  Hopefully, they brought extra.  That's where teamwork comes in handy, looking out for each other.

Si estás trabajando con un buen equipo, alguien generalmente contaba con que alguien olvidara algo.  Con suerte, trajeron extra.  Ahí es donde el trabajo en equipo es útil, cuidándose unos a otros.

No matter if you're feeling soggy from the rain, the show must go on, and that's where having a team is important.  As one needs to take a break from heat exhaustion, another is refueled and ready to go.  Push yourself past the breaking point to get the show done for the people to enjoy for the 4th of July.

No importa si te sientes empapado por la lluvia, el espectáculo debe continuar, y ahí es donde tener un equipo es importante.  Como uno necesita tomar un descanso del agotamiento por calor, otro se reabastece de combustible y está listo para funcionar.  Esfuérzate más allá del punto de ruptura para que la gente disfrute el espectáculo durante el 4 de julio.

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Pyrotechnics and blowing stuff up

Yesterday, happy belated 4th of July by the way, was my first day working pyrotechnics.  This is something that was first brought up to me about a decade ago, and it just now came to fruition.  The process is not for everyone, as you must qualify for an ATF background check as the first step.

The call came at the last minute.  It woke me up.  I had to scramble to get ready.

There's things you have to be mindful of, such as wearing natural fabrics, as they don't burn as fast as some of the synthetics.  That means, heavy jeans, steel toed boots, a long shirt, and a hat, as well as things like sunscreen, drinks and whatever else you need.  Once you're there, there's no leaving.

Fireworks cannot be left unattended.  Thus, a cooler with sandwiches, snacks, drinks and whatnot can be essential.  There's essential tools of the trade, such as electrician's scissors, a hammer and more.

Most people think of it as a guy's job, but it was a girl who hired me and ran the whole event.  She's part of the Santore family, one of the oldest firework families in America.  She grew up around fireworks being manufactured and handling the explosives, even getting a degree in chemistry.

When I got to the Atlanta Braves stadium, which was recently built in North Port, FL, there was another girl on the crew, too.  She was a little firecracker herself, as her husband was on the crew and laughingly referred to her as a pissed off chihuahua.  These are girls that work just as hard - if not harder - than the men on the crew, showing that they are not afraid to get dirty and lift heavy things.

My job consisted of learning how to put in electronic matches.  This is something that you must be very careful with, as the tip is literally like a match head, and if you scrape it, you can strike it, which can cause an explosion.  After cutting the tip, slowly sliding in the electronic match, then the other end has to be connected to a board that controls when the fireworks will explode to the music.

Wiring up maybe half the fireworks, I was so pleased to see that I didn't mess things up too bad.  It's kinda like putting in wires for speakers.  Still, when it's your first time, you're nervous to mess up.

It's also kind of eye opening to see, after connecting all the wires, how the chain reactions occur.  When you're wiring, you don't really know what each firework does (unless you read the master list), so it's intriguing to see the gestalitist view where the whole is more than the sum of its parts.  The bombs wrapped in brown paper, like a grocery bag, is more than just a round explosive; it all comes together with colors, music, smoke, and parts of fireworks flying at you like shrapnel.

Once the fireworks start, another crew member confesses to me that he has PTSD from being caught in an explosion in a structure fire.  It makes me wonder if this is some kind of therapy, like facing his fears, but I can see him squirm uncomfortably.  Explosions can be scary for many people and pets.

Overall, things came together in an awesome array of explosive colors in the sky and a ton of smoke.  As it was the first 4th of July at the stadium, they had a slew of bounce houses, food trucks, music and more.  It was a long day of hefting and lifting, being in the sun so long that my body started shaking like a leaf when I finally got into air conditioning, but it was worth it to see the end result.