Dear Friend...

I've been working in our storeroom at HQ helping with counting inventory, which is harder than it sounds.

I find it's helpful to at least get an idea of perspectives of different careers here at the company because then I'll have a better understanding in my mind about why things can or cannot get done. It helps me with the visual, so to speak.

All has been well until today. I'm not the only one helping out and there are 6 of us and we are from all over the Region.

Today, something strange happened. We were all told to go to lunch and come back at noon. That there were places close by to obtain lunch or there was a break room over in the main building are. Plus there is a nice outside eating area too. I chose to sit out side and take my lunch break in this area besides it was finally a lovely cool day, at least for this area even though it was still in the 80s, a perfect day to sit outside and enjoy the weather. No big deal right?

Wrong.

When I get back from lunch, I get the third degree of why didn't I sit inside in the break room? By K2 from the La Veta area. Say what??? Really??? I can't seem to catch a break!!! even for lunch!

This totally caught me off guard and I wish I would have said, "what's it to you, MF?""so, I can sit inside and you can give me surly glances and ignore me there too?" and my observation about K2 is that he wasn't that nice to me to begin with so I deigned to stay out of his way.

but no, I meekly answer, "I'd rather be outside than inside."

ugh, how pathetic am I?

Anyway, it finally hit me that this must be the guy that may have gotten in trouble up at the tunnel while J1 was up there. As he did inform me quite gruffly that he knew J1 and that he never saw J1 do any work while up at the tunnel, which I find hard to believe. I said I like J1 and jokingly said he was the hardest working man in the company. This usually gets a laugh. K2 didn't laugh. K2 went so far at to state that J1 left the trucks a mess and didn't do anything, which is also hard to believe as I shared a truck with J1 in CR and J1 made certain it was always pristine for the next driver.

The tunnel story goes according to J1 that some guys from region 2 area took a company truck went to Keystone and disappeared for over 4 hours and got into trouble for this and got sent back to their region and were not allowed to come back to the tunnel. Yeah, the company does not fire people like this. Mostly because it's hard to find replacements.

Anyway, people don't like it if you may know dirt about them and they get mad at you and offended when it should be me who's offended for the misuse of taxpayer equipment. sigh

As for inventory it went well, if not a bit tedious. It was still interesting and I finally understand certain things about supplies, plus what supplies are available.

Send me all the news.
Love L

Random thoughts...

Today I am retrospective. I find being retrospective a dangerous undertaking for someone such as myself. It makes a person like me question their life choices and perhaps creates a little too much "shoulda coulda woulda" type wishful thinking, which could place me in a position of deep depression. For a person like me that's dangerous as I've been dealing with childhood depression now just depression for a very long time. I finally figured out how to conquer "the beast" and sometimes the "angry beast" raises it's ugly head and needs conquered again and again.

Depression like mine does not go away. I have learned how to keep it at bay and must be careful and controlled. I am on zero medication --- ironically, I don't know if I'm proud of that or not (smiles inside). Those of you with depression will smile at that statement as you know what I truly mean.

I am extremely sad that today is the ninth anniversary of my older brother's passing. Can it really only be nine? It seems like forever and yet the pain of it seems like yesterday. sigh

I have nothing further.
Good day, L

PS wanted to share a photo I took at my mum's last month in her backyard, it had just rained.
It's serene, simple, and takes my breath away and makes me quietly smile.

Dear Friend...

Had fun assisting on the milling machine. The man in the photo who is next to me has over 20 years experience and is quite bored with the whole process and happy to train anyone who wants to learn. For me however, the process is very interesting and convoluted. The machine is quite large and I got to run the conveyer belt as I watched this man go through the sequence of running this machine. The operating board looks like something you would find in an airplane. It looks like a lot but once you get it, it never changes.

The machine itself is like being on a machine built on stilts and then on tracks. I felt like I was on a machine from Star Wars: the Empire Strikes Back. It was extremely interesting, fun, and hot and very loud.

As for the sequence of running it if you get the sequence wrong you can blow out the engine that runs the rollers that mill the asphalt or a multiple of other issues. Also the stilt-like track legs are tricky as well. This machine needs them but since it's top heavy with the 700 gallons of water it must also carry to keep the chisel heads cool makes it easy to roll. Yes, as in roll over. In fact, on the first day a trainee was running the machine and one of the legs got turned around and all odd, I was driving a truck that was being loaded, noticed the issue and yelled to one of the ground crew. I got to see first-hand how easy this rolling factor could happen even on ground that was even. Quite sobering and not something I want to see or experience anytime soon.

During the two days that we were milling I wanted to get out of my tandem and help direct the drivers to pull forward or to hold still while the milling machine was working as it's tricky to get this right when there is no one on the ground directing. I knew the other drivers wouldn't take to having a girl direct them, which I was right about my feeling as when I was running the conveyor on the milling machine the one driver I was directing did not like me directing him. I finally left him to it and he got millings on the ground because he wouldn't take my direction. He took some direction from me after that. My TMIII was watching this and we spoke about it later and I am thankful that he noticed it too.

In this region they expect the truck drivers to get pulling forward or not while millings are being loaded in the truck right on their own, which is hard to do without help from the ground crew and the milling operator is supposed to direct the driver. Yikes, that's a lot for the milling operator to get right. The issues for the truck drivers are getting asphalt on the "headache" rack, which will need cleaned off before you go to where you are dumping the millings as it can bounce of and cause damage to traffic near you as you travel. Also, the millings get stuck in the tarp and need cleaned out too as each load must be tarped as well. Yep, got to climb up and into the box of your tandem to do this. I had to do this the on my first load of millings. Ugh. This is like climbing up top of a house.

There was lots of down time as we had too many drivers which is why I ended up on the machine the second day. I finally asked my TMIII if I could ride up top and maybe learn how it is ran. He was happy to see my interest and encouraged me to get with it and took a photo.

Send me all the news.
Love, L