The Thought Sink
(Existential Journalism)
Monday, November 17, 2003:
  Interlude: Co-Pack

So they actually put me to work today. What's more, I have never worked so hard in my entire life. My arms are one big fatigue cramp from my shoulders to my fingertips. Ow. Ow. Ow.

We worked from six forty-five ante meridiem until four post meridiem. We only get one break, at nine ante meridiem, and a thirty-minute lunch at eleven ante meridiem. So from eleven-thirty until four o'clock was continuous standing and making rapid arm motions. Ow. Ow. Ow.

This is what 'co-pack' does: it takes tiny boxes out of big boxes and puts them into small-to-medium sized boxes.

I believe the practical application of this is that it makes variety packs. Today we made on the order of ten thousand display boxes each containing ninety Snickers Marathon fortified candy bars. They each contained three eighteen-count boxes of 'chewy chocolate peanut' and two eighteen-count boxes of 'multi-grain crunch'. The long rectangular eighteen-count boxes were the type that are normally placed on check-out lane display racks. The tops had to be ripped off the eighteen-count boxes so they could be fit into the display boxes; we had to do this very fast in order to keep up with the people in the next step of the assembly line who were dropping the eighteen-count boxes into the ninety-count display boxes.

Doing some rough math, I can say I personally ripped the top off at least seven thousand 'chewy chocolate peanut' variety eighteen-count boxes. I got very good at doing it very quickly. Ow. Ow. Ow.

They want me to come in and work again tomorrow. This is a good thing, but I don't feel so hot about it right now.

This morning, though, I was still giddy right up untill lunch time about finishing my Sunday post. So who cares if I worked nine hours after having skipped a night's sleep. I'd do it again! Give me my thought sink or give me death!

I am going to bed now. Good night. I hope you all have a nice day tomorrow. 

You cannot run away from weakness; you must some time fight it out or perish; and if that be so, why not now, and where you stand?
 -- Robert Louis Stevenson

Weak souls always set to work at the wrong time.
 -- Cardinal De Rets



Convergence Vectors:


Explanations:


Blog Log:

These *were* the blogs I actually read at least once a week. I haven't looked at any of them for six months now; they may not even be there anymore. They were all very good when I read them.

ARCHIVES
October 2003 / November 2003 / December 2003 / January 2004 / February 2004 / March 2004 / April 2004 / July 2004 / March 2005 / November 2010 /




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