Around 0430 today, I decided it was time to go pick up my half hour plating samples of gelatin. There are two 4oz cups for each half hour.
It did not seem like a huge amount, and I couldn't get my cart near them because there were pallets scattered in my way.
I figured I could probably just stack them up and carry at least most of them through the little pudding sleeve pallet obstacle course to where I'd left my cart.
I started gathering them, carefully arranging them so that I could hold the most possible without dropping them. I managed to secure all but two of the cups when the operator brought over two more.
It was at this point that it dawned on me that the samples are all on a big tray and that I could just pick up the whole tray and bring it back without any trouble at all.
I replaced all the cups I had gathered and took the tray off the rack. As I began to walk toward my cart, I spotted one of the supervisors sitting on a ladder. He had clearly been watching the entire production and displayed his obvious pride in my ingenuity by giving the most sarcastic thumbs-up I have ever seen. You could practically hear it calling me a moron.
31 March 2010
30 March 2010
This is why people from work can't read this blog...
We had a new girl start last night. I realized what an incredibly horrible human being I am when upon seeing her my first thought was not, "oh she looks nice," or, "she seems like she'll do a good job," but, "thank god she isn't as pretty as I am."
I always thought I was less shallow and self-absorbed than most people.
Guess not.
I always thought I was less shallow and self-absorbed than most people.
Guess not.
29 March 2010
I'm not mad, I'm just impressed
GP told me they wanted to separate on to the nectar at 2:30. It wasn't scheduled to start up until morning, but sometimes they do manage to get their stuff together early.
Still, I was absolutely amazed when they brought in a line fill at 2:45. I was on my way out for lunch and it was running by the time I got back.
Should I not be this shocked when things work the way they're supposed to?
Still, I was absolutely amazed when they brought in a line fill at 2:45. I was on my way out for lunch and it was running by the time I got back.
Should I not be this shocked when things work the way they're supposed to?
28 March 2010
If only I wasn't so nice...
That one person I mentioned a while back, whom I really seriously dislike...I could get him fired. I kind of want to get him fired, but I would feel too bad about it.
So here's the scoop- this guy has done this to me before but not lately and has also done it to most of the other lab techs on third shift (we're all female by the way)...I never knew this name for it, but MH called it "jumper cables"? Where someone grabs at you on both sides in the hip/love-handle area? Do you understand what I mean, Internet? I don't feel like I'm describing it well.
Every single one of us is creeped out and uncomfortable with this. If I brought it up to HR I'm positive it would qualify as sexual harrassment and I think it would probably be grounds for termination, considering it is at
least five or six ladies who would concur. They've definitely fired people for less.
I just can't do it because as much as I don't like him, I know he doesn't mean any harm and I would still feel bad if he lost his job.
Also I feel like kind of a hypocrite because #1 does stuff like that to me all the time and it's not a problem. But that's really different, isn't it, Internet?
So here's the scoop- this guy has done this to me before but not lately and has also done it to most of the other lab techs on third shift (we're all female by the way)...I never knew this name for it, but MH called it "jumper cables"? Where someone grabs at you on both sides in the hip/love-handle area? Do you understand what I mean, Internet? I don't feel like I'm describing it well.
Every single one of us is creeped out and uncomfortable with this. If I brought it up to HR I'm positive it would qualify as sexual harrassment and I think it would probably be grounds for termination, considering it is at
least five or six ladies who would concur. They've definitely fired people for less.
I just can't do it because as much as I don't like him, I know he doesn't mean any harm and I would still feel bad if he lost his job.
Also I feel like kind of a hypocrite because #1 does stuff like that to me all the time and it's not a problem. But that's really different, isn't it, Internet?
Treats
The company provided a nice lunch for us Thursday night and DK told us we should be really excited because that meant we were getting treats two nights in a row.
None of us knew what treat we were getting last night but he sounded a little sarcastic when he said it, like the way you might tell a child they're getting a treat like a lollipop at the doctor's office after a shot.
The idea didn't cross my mind again until around two thirty in the morning, after CK went home...her presence was not a treat.
I texted DK to ask if that was what he meant.
He just figured we'd be excited to have a DK-free night.
None of us knew what treat we were getting last night but he sounded a little sarcastic when he said it, like the way you might tell a child they're getting a treat like a lollipop at the doctor's office after a shot.
The idea didn't cross my mind again until around two thirty in the morning, after CK went home...her presence was not a treat.
I texted DK to ask if that was what he meant.
He just figured we'd be excited to have a DK-free night.
26 March 2010
Painful realization
Next week's schedule came out tonight and shocking though this may be, I have no overtime at all! Unfortunately, my days off are not consecutive, which is always kind of a bummer on third shift moreso than otherwise. Aside from meaning I'm way less likely to see that big glowy thing you people refer to as "the sun" what I've realized this means is that I have not been away from work for a full calendar day since the 9th of March.
Is it sad that I am just dreaming of a day when I will not be wearing a hairnet at ten pm and at six am of the same date?
Is it sad that I am just dreaming of a day when I will not be wearing a hairnet at ten pm and at six am of the same date?
24 March 2010
Quirks of the new system
One of the reasons that the duties in the lab were redistributed was supposedly so that the work would be more evenly spread out.
There are some flaws in their plan...
Last night I was in workstation 5, the station formerly known as tetra. MH was in station 4, which we are now referring to as "main tab" because it combines most of the duties of what was once main lab with some tetra audits.
In addition to the silos she had to check, she had more products running than I did.
If I had followed the new system to the letter, last night I would have done almost entirely nothing besides read steritanks and audit horizon chocolate.
I might also, had I felt really motivated, have taken out the garbage.
There are some flaws in their plan...
Last night I was in workstation 5, the station formerly known as tetra. MH was in station 4, which we are now referring to as "main tab" because it combines most of the duties of what was once main lab with some tetra audits.
In addition to the silos she had to check, she had more products running than I did.
If I had followed the new system to the letter, last night I would have done almost entirely nothing besides read steritanks and audit horizon chocolate.
I might also, had I felt really motivated, have taken out the garbage.
23 March 2010
Ooooovertime
I, like most people, like getting paid more than the usual amount of money. I generally like my job. I generally have no social life.
All of the above factors basically mean that I will work any and all overtime offered to me and I will do it with a smile.
(sidenote, #1 is disappointed when his paycheck is only three figures. I want to become a blender.)
Our supervisors know who wants and does not want overtime and they give to
those who want the extra cash first, although they try to distribute it as evenly
as possible so HR doesn't freak out about it.
Thus, I have been working all sorts of OT lately. Normally this is exactly what I want, but I am so
completely burnt out all I want is a couple of
days off.
All of the above factors basically mean that I will work any and all overtime offered to me and I will do it with a smile.
(sidenote, #1 is disappointed when his paycheck is only three figures. I want to become a blender.)
Our supervisors know who wants and does not want overtime and they give to
those who want the extra cash first, although they try to distribute it as evenly
as possible so HR doesn't freak out about it.
Thus, I have been working all sorts of OT lately. Normally this is exactly what I want, but I am so
completely burnt out all I want is a couple of
days off.
22 March 2010
Workstations
We started a whole new system in the lab tonight.
Our supervisors think it is just a super idea and it worked out so well that we all had to come back to my house and get drunk afterwards!
The end.
Our supervisors think it is just a super idea and it worked out so well that we all had to come back to my house and get drunk afterwards!
The end.
21 March 2010
Recently recieved a raise for all her hard work
An exact quote: "okay, now I'm going to play just one game of taptap and then I'm going to take a smoke break."
This was said about an hour before I ran out of things to do.
This was said about an hour before I ran out of things to do.
19 March 2010
At least enlive didn't start up?
Tonight was not a bad night in tetra. Unfortunately, it also wasn't a good night in tetra.
I had one product end on my first audit (in fact at 2200 exactly) and then worked on dailies while all I had was nectar. Then silk started up. No big deal. Then horizon started up, which means three relatively easy products what could you possibly be complaining about?
The screen from which I need to take readings every half hour broke. There is another screen with the same information on the other end of the plant. The only problem with that is you have to go all the way to the other end of the plant.
I ended up making these huge looping circles where I took the half of my readings that aren't on the screen, went around gathering my samples and then went to finish my readings.
Probably wasted a good ten minutes every hour walking around and explaining to everyone why I was all over the place today.
I had one product end on my first audit (in fact at 2200 exactly) and then worked on dailies while all I had was nectar. Then silk started up. No big deal. Then horizon started up, which means three relatively easy products what could you possibly be complaining about?
The screen from which I need to take readings every half hour broke. There is another screen with the same information on the other end of the plant. The only problem with that is you have to go all the way to the other end of the plant.
I ended up making these huge looping circles where I took the half of my readings that aren't on the screen, went around gathering my samples and then went to finish my readings.
Probably wasted a good ten minutes every hour walking around and explaining to everyone why I was all over the place today.
18 March 2010
An example
How can you tell it was a really busy night on third shift?
When a lab tech (namely, me) is standing at the sink with a pile of bloaters at 6am.
How can you tell it was a ridiculously busy night?
When that same lab tech goes home and eats a full meal, despite the bloater nausea.
What I'm really saying here, Internet, is that I am cranky because all I have eaten in the past twenty-four hours is a muffin, a cupcake, a donut and string cheese.
When a lab tech (namely, me) is standing at the sink with a pile of bloaters at 6am.
How can you tell it was a ridiculously busy night?
When that same lab tech goes home and eats a full meal, despite the bloater nausea.
What I'm really saying here, Internet, is that I am cranky because all I have eaten in the past twenty-four hours is a muffin, a cupcake, a donut and string cheese.
17 March 2010
Random
The night began with a safety meeting, which somehow makes it inevitable that there will be a fantastic "that's what she said" opportunity. In this case it was our safety coordinator explaining that the picture he had of an ammonia cloud was difficult to see. He said, "I wish I had a bigger one..."
#2 lost a little more of my respect tonight when he got genuinely angry at me because he disrupted my work and I am pretty sure I wasn't mean about when I told him he had done.
I think I checked two pudding blends a total of seven times and was just alternating back and forth for what felt like hours.
V-dogg continued to be kind of a jerk and got super defensive because there were problems with some soy that he had blended himself.
Beavis continued to be insane to the point where I think we need to hire someone to follow him around as a translator.
The lactoscope broke after DK went home, but was repaired by that ancient and sacred tech support method of turn it off, wait five seconds and turn it back on.
Typical night.
#2 lost a little more of my respect tonight when he got genuinely angry at me because he disrupted my work and I am pretty sure I wasn't mean about when I told him he had done.
I think I checked two pudding blends a total of seven times and was just alternating back and forth for what felt like hours.
V-dogg continued to be kind of a jerk and got super defensive because there were problems with some soy that he had blended himself.
Beavis continued to be insane to the point where I think we need to hire someone to follow him around as a translator.
The lactoscope broke after DK went home, but was repaired by that ancient and sacred tech support method of turn it off, wait five seconds and turn it back on.
Typical night.
16 March 2010
Medpass perfection takes time
The first thing I checked last night was NSA medpass. It called for 6000 lbs of water. It was 3000 short of batch. #1 was blending it, which (if his bragging is any indication) means it should only need one addition, but V-dogg wouldn't put in the full six grand.
Not only did it require more than one water addition, but my finished blend check at 2220 was not actually a finished blend until 0430.
More than six hours to add a grand total of...you guessed it, Internet, six thousand pounds of water.
Not only did it require more than one water addition, but my finished blend check at 2220 was not actually a finished blend until 0430.
More than six hours to add a grand total of...you guessed it, Internet, six thousand pounds of water.
15 March 2010
Bad ideas
A list of things not to do if possible:
go out drinking when you have to work that night
go out drinking with a coworker you have never seen outside of work before and are not particularly close with
go out drinking with a male coworker unless you are romantically interested in him or you are 100% positive he is not interested in you
go out drinking immediately after waking up
go out drinking and then go to work without sleeping before or preferably in between
be the one to stay out but stop drinking early so that you can drive to work
be the one who has a sober coworker to drive you so you can keep drinking and still be buzzed at work
go out drinking at all in the middle of a nine days in a row stretch of work
...
Note to self: make sure you are prepared to deal with the consequences if you ever pull a stunt like this again.
go out drinking when you have to work that night
go out drinking with a coworker you have never seen outside of work before and are not particularly close with
go out drinking with a male coworker unless you are romantically interested in him or you are 100% positive he is not interested in you
go out drinking immediately after waking up
go out drinking and then go to work without sleeping before or preferably in between
be the one to stay out but stop drinking early so that you can drive to work
be the one who has a sober coworker to drive you so you can keep drinking and still be buzzed at work
go out drinking at all in the middle of a nine days in a row stretch of work
...
Note to self: make sure you are prepared to deal with the consequences if you ever pull a stunt like this again.
14 March 2010
Have I mentioned lately that he's a genius?
At some point last night, #1 told me that I punch like a girl.
I said, "I am a girl!"
He looked at me as if he had no idea what I was talking about.
I said, "I am a girl!"
He looked at me as if he had no idea what I was talking about.
13 March 2010
This is not the strangest conversation starter he's come up with...
Have you ever noticed that the hubcaps on my car's front wheels are different from the ones on the back?
#1 has.
If I were ever asked to describe that man in two words (and "douche-whore" only counts as one) I would definitely go with "weirdly observant."
#1 has.
If I were ever asked to describe that man in two words (and "douche-whore" only counts as one) I would definitely go with "weirdly observant."
12 March 2010
Mistake
For our 120 days without a lost time accident, everyone in the plant got an amazing 120 days t-shirt.
Being a relatively small human, I got a small sized t-shirt.
The shirt fits me well. I wish I had asked for a medium.
We are allowed to wear these t-shirts to work instead of our regular work shirts. One of the tetra leads absolutely hates them- something about the color- and calls them "gay." One of the filler operators, intentionally wanting to torture him, declared Thursdays "gay t-shirt day" and we have all followed along.
Last night was the first time I wore my t-shirt. Everything was going fine until I walked past the maintenance bay and felt five pairs of eyes turn toward me and...ogle. There is no other word for it, I got ogled.
I guess compared to the usual mechanic garb, t-shirts are pretty sexy.
Really wish I'd gotten a medium.
Being a relatively small human, I got a small sized t-shirt.
The shirt fits me well. I wish I had asked for a medium.
We are allowed to wear these t-shirts to work instead of our regular work shirts. One of the tetra leads absolutely hates them- something about the color- and calls them "gay." One of the filler operators, intentionally wanting to torture him, declared Thursdays "gay t-shirt day" and we have all followed along.
Last night was the first time I wore my t-shirt. Everything was going fine until I walked past the maintenance bay and felt five pairs of eyes turn toward me and...ogle. There is no other word for it, I got ogled.
I guess compared to the usual mechanic garb, t-shirts are pretty sexy.
Really wish I'd gotten a medium.
11 March 2010
More unnecessary overtime
MH is on six days this week, again, making it 12 straight for her.
Obviously our supervisors would only schedule like that because we are really busy and couldn't possibly get by without the additional manpower, right?
Last night, there were five of us working. Only two zones were running and neither of them were busy. We played a full game of war and did several mad libs. I'm sure JB must have earned an awful lot of points in taptap and she managed to get a nap in there, too.
Clearly we have been terribly understaffed.
Obviously our supervisors would only schedule like that because we are really busy and couldn't possibly get by without the additional manpower, right?
Last night, there were five of us working. Only two zones were running and neither of them were busy. We played a full game of war and did several mad libs. I'm sure JB must have earned an awful lot of points in taptap and she managed to get a nap in there, too.
Clearly we have been terribly understaffed.
08 March 2010
Garbage
So we had the most amazing conversation today, inspired by MH sitting on one of the carts we use to bring our garbage to the dumpster, as to whether it would be correct to throw a human body into the dry dumpster.
Not on moral grounds, mind you, but if it would be better suited than the big compactor we use for product.
Based on the absolutely charming idea that the human body has roughly the same total solids as pudding, we determined that it would be okay to put a body in the dry dumpster as long as the grumpy old garbage man wasn't watching.
This conversation continued into the possibility of autoclaving the person first, like we do with plates, and what the effects of autoclaving the human body would be.
No one was anywhere near as disturbed by this discussion as we probably should have been.
Not on moral grounds, mind you, but if it would be better suited than the big compactor we use for product.
Based on the absolutely charming idea that the human body has roughly the same total solids as pudding, we determined that it would be okay to put a body in the dry dumpster as long as the grumpy old garbage man wasn't watching.
This conversation continued into the possibility of autoclaving the person first, like we do with plates, and what the effects of autoclaving the human body would be.
No one was anywhere near as disturbed by this discussion as we probably should have been.
06 March 2010
Process fail
When I walked in to the tetra zone last night, the silk liter run was halfway through the second of three flavors but had not been running since eight pm.
I was told the delay was due to a problem with the fillers. I was called to swab those fillers less than an hour into my shift. I kept expecting them to start up and just be running when I walked in next. That kept not happening.
Eventually I did a little investigating and found out the fillers were okay, it was the system that was down.
I do not know how many times they tried to sterilize the system, but I do know that the five percent in the tank when I went home was the very same five percent that had been waiting for me when I got in.
If I wasn't off tonight, I'd half expect it to still be there next time I looked.
I was told the delay was due to a problem with the fillers. I was called to swab those fillers less than an hour into my shift. I kept expecting them to start up and just be running when I walked in next. That kept not happening.
Eventually I did a little investigating and found out the fillers were okay, it was the system that was down.
I do not know how many times they tried to sterilize the system, but I do know that the five percent in the tank when I went home was the very same five percent that had been waiting for me when I got in.
If I wasn't off tonight, I'd half expect it to still be there next time I looked.
05 March 2010
Ugh.
In main lab last night, V-dogg had me check island oasis that wasn't done blending. So that they could run it immediately.
'nuff said.
'nuff said.
04 March 2010
Change of pace
The only notable thing that happened last night involves me being angrier than I've been in a very long time. I don't really want to get into it again, I whined at MH and #1 enough.
Instead, I thought I'd share with you, Internet, how I am making myself feel better about it.
A totally normal nine AM for a third shifter:
popcorn
wine
Die Hard
I feel better already.
Instead, I thought I'd share with you, Internet, how I am making myself feel better about it.
A totally normal nine AM for a third shifter:
popcorn
wine
Die Hard
I feel better already.
03 March 2010
Maintence needed
A slew of funny things happened last night, among them this gem...
JB walked into the lab and muttered something about not being sure if this is an "I need a new job" moment or a "you need a new job" moment.
She said, "I just went up to one of the maintenance guys and asked him if he had a pair of pliers I could borrow."
Let's keep in mind, Internet, that our maintenance staff are not of the sanitation/light bulb changing variety... They make twenty something dollars an hour to maintain and service a wide variety of complicated machinery from blending to processing to fillers...
"I asked him for pliers...
And he handed me a crescent wrench."
JB walked into the lab and muttered something about not being sure if this is an "I need a new job" moment or a "you need a new job" moment.
She said, "I just went up to one of the maintenance guys and asked him if he had a pair of pliers I could borrow."
Let's keep in mind, Internet, that our maintenance staff are not of the sanitation/light bulb changing variety... They make twenty something dollars an hour to maintain and service a wide variety of complicated machinery from blending to processing to fillers...
"I asked him for pliers...
And he handed me a crescent wrench."
02 March 2010
Of course
So last night when I did like all the work there was to do, DK wasn't there to witness it. Tonight, he was there and spent the first fifteen minutes of the shift basically questioning my intelligence and ability to do my job properly. He was joking, but joking in the way where even if you're smiling on the outside, on the inside you want to punch him in the stomach.
I was rather busy though, and didn't do any of the daily tasks or help anyone else until after he left. Oh well.
He did seem kind of impressed when I offered to help the new girl with bloaters, but we'll see how impressed he and CK are when they look at the result... I couldn't figure out what was wrong with the stupid things.
I was rather busy though, and didn't do any of the daily tasks or help anyone else until after he left. Oh well.
He did seem kind of impressed when I offered to help the new girl with bloaters, but we'll see how impressed he and CK are when they look at the result... I couldn't figure out what was wrong with the stupid things.
01 March 2010
Teamwork: needs improvement
I hate to dwell on something so stupid, but I'm not sure what my bosses look at when preparing those annual reviews. I am suppossedly unmotivated and not a team player.
I have not changed the way I work since the review.
Today, I did all but two of the daily tasks and helped with both of those other two. I did most of the weekly tasks (and the others could not be done today.) I did dishes and plating. I took out the garbage. And I must have asked the other lab techs if there was anything I could help with twenty times.
I also spent a good amount of time sitting down reading.
What the hell is wrong with that?
I have not changed the way I work since the review.
Today, I did all but two of the daily tasks and helped with both of those other two. I did most of the weekly tasks (and the others could not be done today.) I did dishes and plating. I took out the garbage. And I must have asked the other lab techs if there was anything I could help with twenty times.
I also spent a good amount of time sitting down reading.
What the hell is wrong with that?
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