The Weirdos

I don't know what had that cat set off last night, but she yowled all night long.  And I do mean all...night...long.  I don't know if she saw something outside, or if she was just lonely, but I didn't get any sleep.  My allergist told me not to let cats sleep in the bed with me, but we may have to make an exception until this one gets settled in a bit more. 

Needless to say, between that and work, I'm a bit tuckered.  I was thisclose to calling in this morning, and staying home, but I didn't.  Not long into my day, I was already regretting that decision.  

I hadn't even clocked in yet when one of the other brazers told me that an assembly line group leader had come up front and asked her who brazed for such and such line.  Coworker told him, "Well, Becky and some other people."   He replied, "Where is Becky?  Why isn't Becky brazing?  That line doesn't have the first header!"  I hadn't even gotten there yet!  Now, he probably didn't mean it the way it sounded, but I was tired and cranky enough I took it exactly how it sounded.  

I told Coworker, "My shift doesn't start until 6:00!  If he needs something, he needs to talk to third shift group leader!"  Just for clarification, day shift starts at 6:00, but some of us are going in an hour early.  That means there is a bit of overlap between third and day shifts. Well, third shift group leader overheard me, and came down and said to me, "The reason you don't have any headers is..."  

I said, "I understand that, believe me.  I wasn't saying that because I thought it was your fault.  But my shift starts at 6:00.  This is your shift.  If someone needs something, I'm going to refer him to you as the group leader.  I was not in any way trying to blame you, because I know we're all up here doing the best we can."  

A few minutes later, I decided I needed to go tell Group Leader Shark about that conversation, mainly because I didn't want her to hear about it from someone else.  Now, it was never my intention to get Assembly Line Group Leader into trouble.  Not at all.  That was just a perk. 

Let me step out of my story for a moment to tell you I have never in my life seen someone who so perfectly embodied a Shakespearean quote:

Group Leader Shark may be petite, but she's mighty fierce.  There's a reason she has that nick-name, and that's for sure. 

OK, back to my story.  I told Group Leader Shark about the conversation I'd had with Third Shift Group Leader, but she focused with laser like intensity on the fact that Assembly Line Group Leader had come to sub-brazing when she's told him time and time again not to.  She called him to her desk...and I wish you could have seen it;  this tiny, barely 5' tall woman shaking her finger at a 6'2" man saying, "Don't be coming up here any more!"

I wish I could say that was all the excitement for the day, but you know how the infomercials say, "But wait!  There's more!"

But wait!  There's More!

I was back at my stand just a working away, when one of the other brazers called me over to her stand.  She was pointing at something, and I still hadn't had my coffee, so I didn't know what she was saying.  Finally, she said, "The regulator!"  Oh...she was trying to show me that the gas regulator was dropping the gas pressure when she lifted her brazing tip.  I mentioned that a coworker who has been brazing for 35 years has been telling them for weeks that the regulator is bad, but they don't want to listen to him.  They're trying to say he doesn't know what he's talking about, even though he has been brazing since before Brazing Boss was even born.  

At this point, the third shift brazer working opposite of her and had been staring at us the whole time, ripped off her mask and yelled at me, "Do you have something to say to me?"  Uh, wut?

Sigh...Why do I always attract the weirdos?  

Keeping my cool, I replied, "We were talking about the regulator."  

She snapped, "You'd better keep it that way!"  

Why on earth would she think we would be wanting to say anything to her?  I mostly avoid her completely, because she has one of the ugliest spirits I've ever encountered.  Turning back to my friend without responding, we finished our conversation, and I went back to brazing.  I minute or two later, my friend walked over to me and asked, "If I told Group Leader Shark what that girl said, would it be tattling?"  "Nope," I replied.  And that's exactly what we did. 

She was not happy, I can tell you that.  Group Leader Shark and third shift group leader called her over, and I don't know what they said, but this girl got so irate, they had to call the supervisors to get in on the conversation. 

And the rest of the day passed mostly without incident.  Unless you count the parts stager picking up some hot headers and putting them back down right quick because he had the wrong gloves on.  Which I found to be way more amusing than I should have.  But I still told him which kind of gloves to go get so he wouldn't get burned. 

How was your day?