Employee Game Achievements

I think working for a living (Especially in a factory) would be more fun, better worker morale if we could earn achievements.
Earning achievements similar to XBOX game, Mafia Wars, or WOW achievements.
Today I could have earned the Burn Baby Burn Achievement...To get this achievement you need to set your hair on fire while welding.
The Fix It Achievement...You get this one by welding your one thousandth rework shelf & as a bonus you unlock the intermediate welding skill!
How about this one? The Forever Achievement.....You get this from working at your place of employment for "forever" as a bonus you unlock a Raise!
I can't forget the All Day Long Achievement.....This one involves doing the same job, stuck in one spot all day long. The only bonus you can unlock with this achievement is a new all day long job tomorrow.

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Now playing: R.E.M. - 1,000,000
via FoxyTunes

Things Looking Up!

Well we all need to keep thinking positive because it is so working. They called some Set-ups & a few select people back to work after one day of being laid off.
This week we go back to 5 days.
Woot for having a full paycheck!
Many thanks to those working to get us orders & to our customers for buying!!!!!!

Same Stuff Different Year

The smoke has cleared and once again I feel lucky to still have a job.
I hope these numbers are correct.....We had 315 people and now we have 125. This lay-off was the biggest I've seen at our company. (1996 would be a close comparison, but we had way more employees at that time.)
I am one of two operators left in our department. It is going to be different on Monday. I'm curious to see how production is going to run with so few experienced operators and a handful of set ups and support.
This is the ultimate do more with less scenario!!!!
Those who are left are down to 4 days a week. Today was my first Friday off and I spent it giving the kids haircuts and baths!

It seems like the end of the world right now, but I have faith that orders will drop in and that this will be short lived.
Our company has, even in bleak times magically kept going and growing......I hope this trend continues.


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Now playing: Seether - Careless Whisper
via FoxyTunes

Not Worthy of Playing the Lottery

I keep a schedule for a reason. Everyone knows that I grocery shop & clean the house on Thursday. On Wednesday I buy lottery tickets for Wednesdays night drawing.
Yesterday was Tuesday, I was in town & had a few minutes so I stopped & got lottery tickets.
Now since I have had my Blackberry I've been able to check my numbers on Thursday mornings at work, making use of the unused minutes waiting for the dreaded "time to work" buzzer.
This morning my lottery tickets were in my book. So I checked the numbers.....Go figure they were not winners. I crumpled them up & through them away in the break room trash can.
Pulling out of the parking lot after work tonight it HIT me that those lottery tickets were still good, that today was Wednesday not Thursday.
Those numbers have not been drawn & those tickets are still crumpled up in a trash bin somewhere.
I may have thrown away a million dollars!



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Listening to: Augustana - Boston
via FoxyTunes

I Can't Commit

Today was my last day in the Tubing Department. I can't seem to commit to one department, I need to play the field
I will be starting in the Shelf Fabrication department on Monday!
Everyone keeps asking me why.
Mostly it's because it pays slightly more money. It is a much cleaner department. (Anything is cleaner than Tubing!)
The downside that I know of is the parts are bigger & the pace faster. You mostly work in teams which makes it impossible to go on a potty break when you have to. Ergonomically the motions are not as varied as in tubing.
I worked in Fab a long long time ago. I'm sure it has changed......I'll let ya'll know if I've made a mistake.

Will this be my last career change? Is what I do really a career? Not likely & No.
My dream job/career........hmmmm. (I'll pull this fantasy out of my behind.)
How about being hired by a obscenely rich older (but not to old to have fun) woman, to be a travel companion. To make tons of money being on call to play games & have fun & keep someone company. A hired friend sort of. (I know what some of you are thinking.......BAD, no not that kind of friend)
There would be limos & private planes.......it would be ugly with excess!!!!!
*slap* Okay I'm awake now.

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Listening to: AC/DC - Chase the Ace
via FoxyTunes

Back to Work

My first day back in production went well. I had to work on the "Piranha Cell" this is the job that tore my carpal tunnel & tendinitis up *sigh*
I'm sleepy LOL!

Twenty Year Party

They finally had my pizza party, celebrating 20 years working at the same place. That is very rare in these times!
We are lucky & blessed to still be working at all.
I ordered this telescope for my gift. Contrary to popular belief I got it too look at the stars
I might be able to fight the urge to peek into peoples houses....Bawhahaha!



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Listening to: BeeGees - I Could Not Love You More
via FoxyTunes

Oh Today was......

Today was my 20 year anniversary. I never could fathom working there 20 years Holy Crap!
I've not heard a word from human resources about my pizza party & gift.

Also hubby turned 44 today. Happy Birthday Hubby!


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Listening to: AC/DC - For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)
via FoxyTunes

New Position

A temporary job came available at the place where I work. My rate was good enough that I was at the top of the list to try it.
The job consists of counting inventory. This keeps the variances down so they don't need to do the large manual quarterly inventories.
There is much forktruck driving in cramped spaces, which scares the crap out of me.As does taking ginormous skids out of the very top racks. (Watch the ceiling!!!!!!!!)
Today I took the job. My elbows & hands need a break from production & this is just the ticket.
If the girl who's on medical leave does not come back in 90 days I get to keep the job.


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Listening to: Coldplay - Warning Sign
via FoxyTunes

More Time Off.

They are cutting more hours at work. We are basically down to 4 days a week. *sigh*
All the negative media & such is not helping. Where are the good stories?

I got the new Nickelback. Thanks Farakin!



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Listening to: Nickelback - S.E.X.
via FoxyTunes

How Much is Too Much?

Today I worked in a three person team with two brake presses & a little special tab former.
This cell is designated for a one customer's special parts.
I know it was my first day on this & I have some PMS going on but I was ready to cry by the end of the day.
I know our company has rate high so they can make money but holy hell!
How hard do you push your employees? Do manufacturers way the high rate against workers bodies just plain giving out?
I know in a week of doing that particular job my body would be more used to it.
I was so tired that I became a safety hazard to myself. I sliced through a glove early in the day to slice my finger, then I almost cut my neck flipping a part & my hand slipping, Then I flipped a part hitting the machine, the part bounced back & I caught it with my midsection. Lucky for me I only have red marks & not cuts. (I've always had clumsy bad luck....I've always said if there is a way to get hurt...I'll find it:()
I've been having problems with my hands falling asleep since I've been back in production. This job has my wrists/fingers/joints throbbing with pain. Motrin is my friend!

Why is it that these hardest busting ass jobs pay the least amount of money?



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Listening to: Tom Petty - Cabin Down Below
via FoxyTunes

Amazing

It is amazing how a persons body gets used to things. I'm mostly talking about physical labor.
For the last week I've been shipped out of the dept. that I was assigned to. This is a special pack job which involves mucho lifting & bending.
This job all but killed me the first couple days. The last two days I've not been sore & have had energy last the whole eight hours!
I'm still making it to the gym also, so I'm getting a hell of a workout. I am still very very sleepy at night.
Some pluses to this job is that I get a partner & so I have gotten to know new people. You have to chat to help the day go bye.
We've had some fun in the last few days. The group I'm working with is picking on me. I have had a different partner everyday. They are joking that I am so hard to work with is the reason why LOL!
Today my partner went running out at 1:00 because she had a forgotten appointment. But it just made the joke better because this girl literally ran out

I tried to draw a picture. I thought it was cute so I kept it.

I have to work another Saturday. That is a ying/yang. I need the money but hate to work the weekend.




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Listening to: Rihanna - Question Existing
via FoxyTunes

I Will Not Be Brought Down!

Yesterday I was close to it.
Picture a chop saw, but industrial strength. This saw has rollers on both sides & a brake to hold the parts it is cutting (two at a time).
The "parts" are 3/4 x 1-1/2 x 12 Gage tubing which are in sticks 244" long. They are awkward to say the least. I was cutting these down to 43" parts.
I had to cut 124 parts an hour to make rate. There is definitely a learning curve here.
There is oil pouring out of a tube onto the saw & the parts. This oil covers everything. It is wet & slippery. The floor is like a skating rink. Your gloves get saturated fast so that any grip you have on the parts is gone.
I was busting my ass to make rate. My muscles were sore from the gym on Monday. Everything hurt. I may have some PMS coming into play here also.
At the end of the day I was dirty & stinky & yes teary eyed at the unfairness of it all.

This morning I was put on the same job. At this juncture I'd like to stop & thank Diane for stopping by to see me! She was just what I needed to change my focus back on the good.
I ran that job for five & a half hours. I made overrate & did not kill myself to do it! Easy as pie! (Still hard work)! I only ran that job for five & a half hours because I broke the machine. I told the set-up man that from my previous experience machines break with me around.
Have you ever seen a metal circular saw blade break? The shatter like glass. It is really cool! I broke one, it shattered into three pieces. The set-up guy replaced it & on my second cut that blade exploded. It made a twang, crash noise. It broke into at least ten pieces. It scared the hell outta me!
Then they put me on a job that was 294 pieces an hour. There was no way in hell, even with the learning curve that I could make that jeez!

As you all can tell I don't get to use my daily allotment of words at work any longer. I used to talk to people as part of my job. Now I have no time to talk. It's me & the machine baby. I have all these unused words just bursting to get out. Bawhahahahaha!

Oh They made Saturday mandatory:( I have to work eight hours on Saturday!

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Listening to: Tom Petty - You Wreck Me
via FoxyTunes

My first Day As a Machine

It is not hard, it does not take much brain power. Doing the same movements for eight hours is tiring. (Put the part in' make the machine go, take the part out.)
Then I get to the gym to find out it is lunges night! My legs feel like noodles & will be hella sore for the next two days.
Watching the news while I did cardio I'm thinking WTF? happened. The stock market, the bank Wachovia. (Our work has our 401 K's through.) Should I move our money to bonds? Hell I don't even know if I have any money left:P



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Listening to: Scorpions - Hit Between The Eyes
via FoxyTunes

Farewell

My co-workers had a carry-in lunch for Lee & I yesterday. It was very nice of them. I had a vacation day so I took Zoie with me went I went in for lunch.
Zoie had a blast sniffing all the people.
They had a lot of food for such few people. It was all good stuff.
Thanks guys, See you around.
(I think they are going to miss me(Me meaning the stuff I did) badly the first month or so, They will have some major readjustment.)

I gave Zoie a hair cut last night. Now I love how the groomer does her, but I thought I'd like to save some money. Zoie was an angel & was still for the whole ordeal. I am not the swiftest. It took about an hour. She looks OK but I can see all the unevenness & I just can't get her face as pretty as Gwen does





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Listening to: Pink Floyd - Goodbye Cruel World
via FoxyTunes

Still Working.

I got lucky, luckier than most. I got my first pick of jobs.
I will start as a machine operator in our tubing Dept. It is our lowest labor grade (I'll be taking a healthy pay cut).
It is the best I could do out of the worst situation ever. I'm happy with it.
I'm not sure yet where I'll go from here. This is like starting all over again.
I made an analogy once that our Dept. was like The dog shit on your shoe that no matter how much you scrape, it never comes off.
Now My analogy is that our Dept. is like road kill that the birds keep taking a piece of meat at a time until there is nothing left but bone.


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Listening to: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Magic Johnson
via FoxyTunes

Woking for a living

My first full week of being pimped out to another department. Wouldn't you know it? My own department got super busy. Now I have days where I want to rip my hair out:)
I love being busy. The days fly. I have no idle time at all.
I can see a potential for clash though between the two Departments. I will always take my departments work first, so the department I've been pimped off to (LOL) could fall behind.
At the end of this week I felt that is exactly what happened. I never seemed to get through the whole pile of their stuff, it just keeps piling up.
We will see, more time is needed:)


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Listening to: Sarah McLachlan - Good Enough
via FoxyTunes

I'm working a full week now!

I get to help out another department. Which will help to fill my day out more. It is going to be nice, it is work I can accommodate into my job easily.
I miss my nap, but the money will be welcome. RJ can quit yellin at me now:)


I hear this song today & loved it!

Goo Goo Dolls - Before it's too late


I wandered through fiction
To look for the truth
Buried beneath all the lies
And I stood at a distance
To feel who you are
Hiding myself in your eyes


Hold on, before it's too late
We'll run till we leave this behind
Don't fall, just be who you are
It's all that we need in our lives


And the risk that might break you
Is the one that would save
A life you don't live is still lost
So stand on the edge with me
Hold back your fear and see
Nothing is real till it's gone


Hold on, before it's too late
We'll run till we leave this behind
Don't fall, just be who you are
It's all that we need in our lives


So live like you mean it
And love till you feel it
It's all that we need in our lives
So stand on the edge with me
Hold back your fear and see
Nothing is real till it's gone