34 SEPTEMBER 2017 ArcAd A News Arcadia News 25 th Anniversary Feature By Greg A. Bruns Harvey Mackay once wrote, “Find something you love to do and you’ll never work a day in your life.” As a high school student, I took a lot of different jobs that qualify as rickety bottom rungs on wobbly career ladders. Embarrassing as it is, I was released from more than one position after my services were exploited for financial gain or circumstantial profit. Examples include, but are not limited to: After a grueling 10-hour busboy shift on Mother’s Day at the Brown Derby, a manager I had never met before approached me in the kitchen. Obviously new to this, he wasted no time with softening the blow. He simply told me, “you’re fired” and asked for my filthy apron and nametag. “Seriously?” I pleaded, “after I just bussed a hundred tables?” Turns out, Mother’s Day was the pinnacle of patronage at the Brown Derby at the Safari Hotel, so they didn’t need me anymore. No doubt they would find some other pimply-faced teen to wipe up after the old and sloppy diners. This was back when smoking in a restaurant was acceptable, and the crushed butts of Pall Malls in the scrambled eggs will never be forgotten. As much as I loathed being a busboy, I was looking forward to departing on my terms, which would have included either a military-grade smoke grenade lobbed into the walk-in freezer, or at the very least, a flare gun fired at the hostess stand. Ideally, both. Now, I’d just have to leave and pedal off into the sunset on my ten- speed. What a waste. That same summer I toiled away as a grass cutter for a little two-man landscaping business. I knew I was hired because I looked like I might make it through the summer without spontaneously bursting into flames or dying of sunstroke. The same exact day that the Phoenix weather turned from molten- lava-hot to fall-breeze-cool, I was let go. The good news was the owner offered a severance package, which turned out to be a sixer of Michelob Dry. Then the Street of Dreams came to town and set up shop for a big show in Paradise Valley. The Street of Dreams worked with builders, designers, decorators, real estate agents and stupid teenage kids like me to put together a street filled with six or seven high-end, luxury homes, boasting the latest in design and build ideas. People would come out and tour the homes, and The Street would be open to the public for a few months. I was hired to help get the homes up to touring condition. This sounded easy, and indeed it was. The primary duties focused around picking up discarded fast food wrappers and empty 12-pack containers left behind by the construction crews, along with some light toilet scrubbing. To make this job more palatable, they threw in a custom electric golf cart to make for speedy trash and bathroom cleaning runs. Since I had previously worked for a golf course as an assistant mechanic, I brought a distinct knowledge in the art of supercharging golf carts. Electric golf carts typically have six full-size, 12-volt batteries in them so they can run all day on a single charge. I discovered a way to utilize the power of all six batteries at once, and all it required was a simple wiring harness I could put together at Radio Shack. The first time you punch the gas in a supercharged electric golf cart (SEGC), it’s alarming. While a fully-charged golf cart has a predictable acceleration rate, the SEGC is balls-out, with no selection of speed. It’s either 100% power or absolute zero. It pops, it hisses, and if you don’t let off the gas occasionally, it will eventually catch on fire. It’s also squirrelly – like a dragster in the rain, and ten times more likely to flip. It requires a certain finesse to drive. A golf cart handles like a cheese sandwich anyway, so if you triple its speed, you should either be young, flexible and gifted with a thick skull, or simply wear a helmet. I chose the former, as a full-face crash helmet may have tipped off the boss. The whole SEGC experience only lasted a couple weeks. One of my coworkers, who ignored the “rules” of the SEGC, got the cart stuck in some mud. He stood on the gas, shooting rooster tails of sodden earth onto the pristine street. I could hear him screaming over the howl of the electric motor, acting like a complete lunatic. He was lost in the moment – and I was too far away to do anything about it. Smoke billowed from under the seat, which meant the wiring harness was on fire. Surely this will be the end of us all, I thought. Indeed, the ensuing fire melted part of the seats, which fortunately went undiscovered. However, the mess in the street was as obvious as a face tattoo. The hammer came down from management: the golf cart was not to be driven over 5 mph. “How do we know how fast five is?” I pleaded, trying to thwart the new rule. “There’s no speedometer.” “Well,” replied the boss, “if you’re driving along and you feel like you’re going so slow you want to cry, then you’re probably doing about 5 miles per hour.” That was the point when Harvey Mackay’s simple phrase rang true. Before then, I really had not worked a single day at “The Street.” It wouldn’t be long before I would depart, always seeking that elusive “work happy” goal. 15 years later, I found it at the Arcadia News . — Greg can be reached here: greg@arcadianews.com. The supercharged golf cart job Publisher’s note : As part of our anniversary celebration throughout 2017, we will re-print some of our favorites from the past 25 years. These specials are identified with our “25th Anniversary Feature” banner at the top of the page. This “SUWAT” was originally published in September 2007, to coincide with Labor Day. It pops, it hisses, and if you don’t let off the gas occasionally, it will eventually catch on fire.” CHECK OUT OUR SUMMER DRINK AND FOOD DAILY SPECIALS FROZEN MARGARITAS, ICE COLD BEER TRY OUR FULL CATERING SERVICE CALL KATHY AT 602-300-7133 FOR CATERING OR RESERVATIONS 602-956-0178 | 4144 E. Indian School Rd. JOIN U S AND ENJOY ALL YOUR TEEPEE FAVORITE S! Flat Iron Pallet • by Rand Le Sueur • paint and photograph • 41” x 33” x 1” Representing students of Arizona universities, community colleges and high schools, as well as other emerging Arizona artists since 1993. 480.946.5076 . artonegalleryinc.com . 4130 n marshall way . scottsdale CELEBRATING 23 YEARS!

CELEBRATING CELEBRATING 70 “Building on a 70 “Building on a 70 legacy of trust” 70 legacy of trust” 70 “Building on a legacy of trust” “Building on a 70 “Building on a 70 legacy of trust” 70 “Building on a 70 1947 Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty began 70 years ago when Russ Lyon, Sr., greeted with a handshake his first client at the Phoenix office of Russ Lyon Realty. Lyon offered an uncommon blend of professional, trustworthy real estate service with a personal touch. Many handshakes have since occurred as three generations of the Lyon family and a dedicated team of REALTORS have perfected the art of fine real estate service. Since that first handshake the company has grown exponentially with 11 offices throughout Arizona, over 900 real estate professionals and consistently leading the Valley luxury residential market. Rusty Lyon, Russ Lyon Sr, Dennis Lyon years 2017 www.russlyon.com | 480.502.3500 | info@russlyon.com Camelback Tower Office, 2017 Todd Gillenwater, Jim Lyon, Tom Locati First Office, 1947