At my job, like many factories, we wear a uniform. Our uniform is thus: navy blue pants and a light blue snap-front shirt with an embroidered name tag on one side. There is also a navy blue jacket, again with the name tag.
You may recognize this uniform as being the standard for many auto mechanics and gas station attendants nationwide.
As horrible as this uniform looks and feels when I, for instance, run into Starbucks to grab a froofy girl-drink before work, it is...uniform. Everyone at work looks the same and you become very adjusted to the way everyone looks in their horrible, shapeless, unattractive outfits.
When someone comes in wearing their street clothes (their 'civies' I like to say), it is WEIRD. Even if it's someone you've seen outside of work before, they just seem so out of place it's incredible.
#1 was supposed to be off tonight, but he came in for a few hours (I don't know why, because when I asked he said, "just to see you.") and he was not in uniform.
I could not stop staring, but I am relatively certain I would have had the same reaction to a less attractive co-worker in normal-people clothes.
24 November 2009
23 November 2009
gelatin
Every time I have to run gelatin, the blender will have me check it and then I will tell him how much water to add and he will refuse to add that much and add however much he feels like and then I re-check it and it calls for exactly the difference.
Why do they even bother asking?
Why do they even bother asking?
21 November 2009
snarky
Two significant events last night:
Deciding to go to lunch, despite three lines that were supposed to start up (none of them did), I left a note at each filler to tell the stacker how many cases I needed. For example, "Please save 3 cases for the lab!!" I turned the two exclamation points into a smiley face on each note.
Returning from lunch, it was reported to me that #4 was upset that I had "stolen his smiley face." Obviously, no one has ever drawn a smile under two exclamation points before. I would love to see the copyright he has on that.
Secondly, I taught my boss a new word. The schedule wasn't out and it was getting toward quitting time. I said to DK, "If I ask you a question will you just give me the answer instead of some snarky comeback?...What's the status of next week's schedule?"
Rather than just answering me, he spent probably two full minutes wondering if 'snarky' is really a word.
Deciding to go to lunch, despite three lines that were supposed to start up (none of them did), I left a note at each filler to tell the stacker how many cases I needed. For example, "Please save 3 cases for the lab!!" I turned the two exclamation points into a smiley face on each note.
Returning from lunch, it was reported to me that #4 was upset that I had "stolen his smiley face." Obviously, no one has ever drawn a smile under two exclamation points before. I would love to see the copyright he has on that.
Secondly, I taught my boss a new word. The schedule wasn't out and it was getting toward quitting time. I said to DK, "If I ask you a question will you just give me the answer instead of some snarky comeback?...What's the status of next week's schedule?"
Rather than just answering me, he spent probably two full minutes wondering if 'snarky' is really a word.
19 November 2009
blender preferences
I noticed something kind of funny tonight. One of the blenders in the raw dairy (I cannot refer to him by his initials because I have absolutely NO idea what his last name is) frequently calls into the main plant to talk to one of the blenders in charge.
He used to page either Beavis or #1, since they are the shift leads and that...makes sense.
The past couple of days, I noticed that when #1 is working, he pages #1 or sometimes #1 or VM, BUT when Beavis is working, he pages VM every time.
Beavis said something about this to VM while I was in the room. He was just joking until I blurted out, "I noticed that!"
He used to page either Beavis or #1, since they are the shift leads and that...makes sense.
The past couple of days, I noticed that when #1 is working, he pages #1 or sometimes #1 or VM, BUT when Beavis is working, he pages VM every time.
Beavis said something about this to VM while I was in the room. He was just joking until I blurted out, "I noticed that!"
18 November 2009
just doing my job
Nearly everything that could possibly go wrong tonight went wrong tonight. It was not busy or even that stressful, it was just...bad.
There was burn-on in the milk, which has been a problem for a few nights in a row now. I was told we are the only plant that even checks for sediment. One of the supervisors, we'll call him Mr. G, complained that we put milk on hold for sediment because it's not like anybody filters their milk to check for sediment at home. I've used the same argument for things like high fat or low volume...no one checks this at home. The difference is, if I found somehow that my liter of soymilk contained four milliliters less than the volume on the label, I would a) not care, b) pay the same price for it, and c) have no qualms about drinking the product. If, however, I were to find out about burn-on in a carton of milk...well, I sure as hell wouldn't be drinking that milk.
Anyway, they separated off to do a wash, which got rid of the sediment, but when they separated back on, the cryo dropped out. Mr. G had to go and pull samples for me to check from before it went bad to find out the last good time. Every one I checked was fine. Finally, he brought in a carton from the exact same time I'd gotten a bad result. It came out good, too. Mr. G was not exactly happy that he'd had to search for cartons for me and they were all okay.
Finally, after several minutes of whining and sarcasm, he conceded that I was just doing my job.
...how dare I.
There was burn-on in the milk, which has been a problem for a few nights in a row now. I was told we are the only plant that even checks for sediment. One of the supervisors, we'll call him Mr. G, complained that we put milk on hold for sediment because it's not like anybody filters their milk to check for sediment at home. I've used the same argument for things like high fat or low volume...no one checks this at home. The difference is, if I found somehow that my liter of soymilk contained four milliliters less than the volume on the label, I would a) not care, b) pay the same price for it, and c) have no qualms about drinking the product. If, however, I were to find out about burn-on in a carton of milk...well, I sure as hell wouldn't be drinking that milk.
Anyway, they separated off to do a wash, which got rid of the sediment, but when they separated back on, the cryo dropped out. Mr. G had to go and pull samples for me to check from before it went bad to find out the last good time. Every one I checked was fine. Finally, he brought in a carton from the exact same time I'd gotten a bad result. It came out good, too. Mr. G was not exactly happy that he'd had to search for cartons for me and they were all okay.
Finally, after several minutes of whining and sarcasm, he conceded that I was just doing my job.
...how dare I.
17 November 2009
trendy
Just over a week ago, #1 (I guess we're friends again now. It's kind of weird) spent like ten minutes trying to convince me that on my day off I should come to the strip club with him. He was supposed to go with GP, but GP couldn't find a babysitter or something and he still really wanted to go.
Tonight, #3 text messaged me to ask if I was doing anything on Friday, because it is his birthday. I gave him a non-commital, it's my night off but I might have plans, let me know what you're up to and maybe I'll come out. He told me he is going out with a big group of people and I should defnitely come.
Where are they going?
...a strip club.
I've never been invited to a strip club before in my life (except once, but it was in Canada and the strippers were male and I ended up not going anyway), did someone suddenly declare November to be ask-RC-to-go-see-ladies-take-their-clothes-off-month?
Tonight, #3 text messaged me to ask if I was doing anything on Friday, because it is his birthday. I gave him a non-commital, it's my night off but I might have plans, let me know what you're up to and maybe I'll come out. He told me he is going out with a big group of people and I should defnitely come.
Where are they going?
...a strip club.
I've never been invited to a strip club before in my life (except once, but it was in Canada and the strippers were male and I ended up not going anyway), did someone suddenly declare November to be ask-RC-to-go-see-ladies-take-their-clothes-off-month?
16 November 2009
successful sunday
According the employee handbook, an employee working an eight hour shift gets an unpaid half hour lunch and two ten minute breaks. I might need both hands, but I could definitely count on my fingers the number of times I have actually taken three breaks in a single shift.
We did it tonight for the second Sunday running, and that feels like an accomplishment.
Granted, we didn't finish our weekly tasks (which usually get done Sundays) but...well, we have all week.
We did it tonight for the second Sunday running, and that feels like an accomplishment.
Granted, we didn't finish our weekly tasks (which usually get done Sundays) but...well, we have all week.
my hero
I've been having no end of trouble the past few nights with translating from Beavis to English, but I was fascinated last night when he started ranting for a while after I mentioned some high solids on the second batch of Enlive.
He was telling me how he could fix it even though all the blend systems were tied up. He was going on and on about how this happened one time and he and DK went and calculated the amount of water they needed and how many gallons per minute the hose would spray and how many pounds per gallon and then they put the water in from the hose in the balance tank as it was processing and honestly, internet, I only understood half of what he was saying but it was amazing.
I realize the story sounds a little mundane, but it was something in the telling that made it sound like they were folk heroes and somehow, if I picture Beavis and DK hosing water into a tank, that's exactly how I see it.
He was telling me how he could fix it even though all the blend systems were tied up. He was going on and on about how this happened one time and he and DK went and calculated the amount of water they needed and how many gallons per minute the hose would spray and how many pounds per gallon and then they put the water in from the hose in the balance tank as it was processing and honestly, internet, I only understood half of what he was saying but it was amazing.
I realize the story sounds a little mundane, but it was something in the telling that made it sound like they were folk heroes and somehow, if I picture Beavis and DK hosing water into a tank, that's exactly how I see it.
14 November 2009
the schedule
We usually get our schedule for the following week on Thursday nights, but sometimes not until Friday. If the schedule isn't out yet when third shift leaves Friday morning, someone will generally offer or be asked to text message the schedule to anyone who is off Friday and Saturday nights.
(An aside: If the schedule is not out and I happen to be obnoxious enough to ask about it, without fail DK tells me that I am scheduled to work all seven days next week, twelve hour shifts every day, all in tetra.)
Since I am working this weekend (of course) and the schedule was not out yet Friday morning, both MH and RD asked me to send the schedule to them. When I got in to work last night, I looked at the schedule (I have next weekend off!) and took out my phone to send messages to the other girls. Before I got a chance, I hear, "I don't need you to text me the schedule."
Getting called in on your day off is somehow worse than if you really had seven twelve hour shifts in tetra. Sorry MH.
(An aside: If the schedule is not out and I happen to be obnoxious enough to ask about it, without fail DK tells me that I am scheduled to work all seven days next week, twelve hour shifts every day, all in tetra.)
Since I am working this weekend (of course) and the schedule was not out yet Friday morning, both MH and RD asked me to send the schedule to them. When I got in to work last night, I looked at the schedule (I have next weekend off!) and took out my phone to send messages to the other girls. Before I got a chance, I hear, "I don't need you to text me the schedule."
Getting called in on your day off is somehow worse than if you really had seven twelve hour shifts in tetra. Sorry MH.
13 November 2009
the c-word
Ups and downs and in betweens of a twelve-hour shift:
VM says "how are we looking?" referring, I would assume to one of the eight trillion products he's had me test in the past twenty minutes. I say, "Good. I guess. Wait. What are we looking at?" He gives me creepy eyes and says, "you."
Considering I slept about four and a half hours yesterday and woke up at 8am (which is earlier than I usually go to sleep), I am feeling pretty energetic and positive all night. #1 disagrees. He stops me on my way back to the lab and asks me if I am crabby. I am not. We have a two week-old joke in the lab about "the c-word" which is, of course, cranky. The reactions from the other girls when I tell them that #1 called me the other c-word are, I tell you internet, priceless.
Not twenty minutes after #1 told me I seemed crabby, #2 asks why I am so goofy. He says I am a little crazy (another c-word!) and that I make him laugh. He says this as if I have somehow done something wrong. Sorry for being silly, #2.
I am beginning to see why #1 and #2 hate each other so much.
VM says "how are we looking?" referring, I would assume to one of the eight trillion products he's had me test in the past twenty minutes. I say, "Good. I guess. Wait. What are we looking at?" He gives me creepy eyes and says, "you."
Considering I slept about four and a half hours yesterday and woke up at 8am (which is earlier than I usually go to sleep), I am feeling pretty energetic and positive all night. #1 disagrees. He stops me on my way back to the lab and asks me if I am crabby. I am not. We have a two week-old joke in the lab about "the c-word" which is, of course, cranky. The reactions from the other girls when I tell them that #1 called me the other c-word are, I tell you internet, priceless.
Not twenty minutes after #1 told me I seemed crabby, #2 asks why I am so goofy. He says I am a little crazy (another c-word!) and that I make him laugh. He says this as if I have somehow done something wrong. Sorry for being silly, #2.
I am beginning to see why #1 and #2 hate each other so much.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)