A Lot Like Star Wars

Once a year, OSHA -- that's the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, just in case you didn't know -- mandates we go through several hours of safety training.  These training films are a lot like Star Wars movies -- the original three.  Not that they are cutting edge and exciting.  Rather, I've seen them so many times I could quote the dialogue for you.   I used to do that to my brother, Scott.  I'd say each character's line half a second before the character said it.  Star Wars, not the training films.  It would make him so mad.  Again, Star Wars.  I doubt he'd care if I quoted heat stroke and blood borne pathogens information to him. 

The good news is, it's another whole year before I have to sit through them again.

I'm not sure what's wrong with my mind lately, but it's been rebelling against blogging.  I'm not sure if it's because I just don't have anything to blog about, or maybe it's the stress of all the upcoming changes at work, but I'm just have a hard time with it lately.

I told you how they were going to switch us to a 10 hour days 4 days a week.  Well, last week, they put out a survey to see what people thought about it.  Based on employee responses, they decided instead of having us work 5:00 - 3:00, we'd work 6:00 - 4:00.  That will be better for those with small children.  I'm cool with that.  The problem I'm having is they switched the weekend shift from being an overnight shift to a day shift.  They'll now work 5:00 AM - 5:00 PM  Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  All those opportunities for overtime that I was assured we'd be getting, suddenly I'm not so sure about.  Prod Sup had said, "Oh, yes, you'll be working Fridays.  A lot of Fridays."  But with a day shift on Fridays now, where will that leave us?  It seems like they're trying to take all our overtime away.

Funny, the new plant manager was talking about what we need to do to both attract quality employees and prevent veteran workers from quitting.  Here's a hint:  STOP TAKING OUR PAY AWAY!!!!!

Some of us need that overtime.  It's hard to make ends meet on a 40 hour check with what they pay us.  I mean, you can, but you'd have to give up nearly every single little luxury that makes life worth living.  You're not going to hire quality workers if the best they can look forward to is a beans and rice existence.  I know several people have already said they'd have to quit and look for a different job if they take our overtime.  I just might be one of them.  I don't want to have to work two or three jobs just to get my bills paid, and you know, I might want to retire sometime before I'm 90.  At this rate, I won't be able to retire at all.  I'll have to keep working until I drop dead at my brazing stand.

After all that stuff at work, I came home and, in honor of my bosses, watched one of my Scrooge movies.  Today it was the musical version with Albert Finney.  Then I watched The Grinch.  I was sitting there looking at poor little Max, when it suddenly occurred to me, I have my own Max.

I always felt sorry for Max.  He was such a sweet, good natured dog, and to have The Grinch as his person.  Even after The Grinch's heart grows three sizes, he still doesn't take that huge antler off of Max's head.  And yet, Max is still loyal to The Grinch.  Good dog, Max. 

I finally got my drapes pulled back so you can see my tree out my front window.  Fat lot of good it did, because I close my blinds as soon as it gets dark.  But there you go. 

I tried to take a picture with the lights and all.  This is what I got with my phone.

This is what I got when I tried with my DSLR.

Kind of artsy-fartsy, don'cha think?