First off, I would like to apologize for my absence last week. My brother got married, and my time and attentions were demanded elsewhere. Could I have written a column in advance? Probably. Did I? Obviously not. But now I am back and ready to go. So, let’s get to it.

One thing most people don’t know about me is that I work at the ticket office at the Dee Events Center. I have worked there for four years. It was my first job outside of high school. Working at the ticket office has given me a different perspective of athletics I never thought I would see and has benefited me in more ways than one.

First, it keeps my basic math skills up to date. I am one of those people who, at 22 years old, adds and subtracts on their fingers. What’s 22 plus nine? How many of you just thought of that answer in your head, like it was an instinct or a catlike reflex? I am over here like, “23, 24, 25, 26” and so on and so forth (yes, the answer is 31; I got there eventually).

Working at the ticket office, I have to do simple math like that all the time. Yes, I count on my fingers, but I have gotten so much better at reacting to a math problem. I have to add different ticket prices, child’s tickets versus adult tickets, or five adults and four seniors. When those come up, I even have to get a little crazy and throw in some multiplication. The point is that my math skills have gotten better. Don’t worry — I always have a calculator handy, just in case.

Second, I get to be around athletics all the time. I work in a giant basketball arena. The coaches and athletes are in there all the time. I don’t get to see them often, but just knowing they are there is enough. On game days, I have to be there 2-3 hours before the game starts, and the pre-game atmosphere is everywhere. Vendors are there setting up, athletes and coaches are on the courts warming up, and the behind-the-scenes people are making sure everything runs smoothly. It’s a fun atmosphere to be a part of.

Third, I get paid to be at the first half of the game. Getting paid to be around athletics (even if it’s not a large sum) is awesome. After halftime, the ticket-sellers are released to go home or watch the game. I usually go in and watch the game.

Fourth, it gives me a reason to actually support and go to Weber State athletics. I am already at the game; why not go in and watch? Oh, I have to wear purple (my favorite color) and Weber wear to work? Shoot, guess I HAVE to go get me some new gear. There is nothing wrong with purple or Weber wear, so dressing appropriately at work gives me an extra boost of Weber pride.

The last thing I love about working at the ticket office is also the one downfall, and that is that I work until the end of halftime. First off, the reason I love that: Sometimes, the first halves of games are boring. They are the start of a battle, and everyone knows that it’s who wins the battle that matters. To see the end of a battle is better than seeing the first of it.

The reason I hate it is because I have to miss the entire first half of the game. I love sports, and it would be nice to watch the entire thing. I also miss out on the halftime shows, and generally those are very entertaining (like, last week, they had ladies from ages 50-100 dance the “Gangnam Style” — how disturbingly awesome would that have been?). But all the good of the job outweighs all the bad. I get to be around athletics, and it really has given me an extra boost of Weber pride I needed to make my time at Weber State a typical college experience.