It's Tuesday

As most of you know, I work in a facility that manufactures evaporator coils for home air conditioning units. What I do is use an acetylene torch to join copper components together in pre-specified assemblies, known as brazing. Anyway, I got to work this morning, and lit up my torch and there were flames coming out of my regulator where they weren't supposed to be coming out. I called my group leader, Rod, over and told him what was happening, and he called maintenance. While I was waiting for maintenance to come out there, my shift supervisor, Ronnie, came over and asked what was going on. I told him, quipping, "If I were having a heart attack, I'd be dead by now as slow as it takes them to get out here."

Ronnie said, "While you're waiting, help Tameka line braze."

"I don't know how to line braze," I told Ronnie.

"I know you can do it," he said, "I think you can do anything."

So I got my line tip out and started line brazing. Or trying to, rather. I wasn't over there very long when my fire died. I fiddled with it a bit, but never could get it to work. Keta came over and put her tip on it, and it didn't work for her either. By that time, Jason, the maintenance guy, had gotten my regulator on my stand fixed, so I went back over there. Jason went to fix the regulator on the line.

I lit my torch up and brazed one assembly. Then my torch wouldn't light again. I wasn't getting any gas. I called Rod back over there, and he fiddled with it, but couldn't get any gas. He called Jason back to come fix it. I had to wait for him to finish fixing the line regulator first. While I was waiting, I decided to go hook my tip up to another gas outlet on the line, only to discover that my tip had clogged up. Marcus took it apart for me, and saw that it was plugged all the way down. The only way to fix it was to replace the tubes.

So I went back to the tool crib to ask Robert for some new tubes, only he said that he couldn't get me any. Someone had locked the tool cabinet and he didn't have a key.

I went back and told Rod, "I'm cursed. I think I just need to go home and go back to bed!"

And all of this before 9:00.

Needless to say, Rod wouldn't let me go home, my stand finally got fixed and I was able to braze, and someone finally got there with a key to the tool cabinet, so Marcus was able to fix my line tip. Still, it was a very draining day.

The Cowboys beat the Panthers last night, and I don't even feel like posting it. That's how bad it is. I've got the cure, though. Some peppermint hot chocolate and a few moments with a good book before bed.

Tomorrow will be better.