Random Thoughts Of A Thursday Evening

1.  The cat had another one of those yowling-all-night nights last night.  Sigh...I wish I knew what was bothering her when that happens.  I think she wants to go outside, but I'm still a bit leery of leaving her out all night long, with no way for her to get back inside.  I had to shut her in Cody's room again, just so I could get some sleep.  I hate doing that to her, but you gotta do what you gotta do. I'm going to look into seeing what it would take to install a cat door somewhere.  

2.  It looks like we might get another Saturday off this week.  The lines are off, but they'll let the component areas know tomorrow.  Oh, we've got plenty of work.  Plenty of orders to fill. What we don't have are some Vitally Important Parts that we absolutely have to have to manufacture our units.  The reason we don't have these Vitally Important Parts is because the Vitally Important Part factory can't find anyone to come work there.  And why should people work there when they're getting paid a whole lot more by the government to sit at home with their feet propped up streaming Netflix?

3.  The memes around FB are saying this is because businesses paying their employees starvation wages.  But are they? I did some figuring.  Here in MS, your unemployment is a percentage of your regular salary, with a maximum payout of $235 per week.  So, let's say you're drawing $200 in regular unemployment.  With the COVID relief bill, you'll also get $400 per week in supplemental unemployment, for a total of $600.  (I'm pretty sure it's in addition to your regular unemployment payments, but if I'm wrong, I'm sure someone will correct me.)  That makes a weekly unemployment collection of $600 per week.  Now, based on an estimate of what gets taken out of my own paycheck in taxes and deductions, to clear $600 per week, I'd have to gross approximately $800 per week.  Working a 40 hour week, that works out to $20 an hour.  Those are hardly "starvation wages".  

4. No wonder no one wants to work.  My company has a minimum starting wage of $13.50 per hour.  That'd be like taking a $6.50 per hour pay cut, and you actually have to get off the couch to get it. 

5.  Look at this!  I thought the freeze had killed my gardenia, but it's got new growth coming out!

6.  They can do COVID tests at the plant now.  Another one of my coworkers came down with it, and they were able to test those who worked around her right there in the first aid room.  

7.  I think the cold was good for my roses, too.  It's been a while since they've bloomed this much. 

8.  Why do I always draw a blank when I get to #8?

9.  I got a new book.

Can you believe, I've never read this one?  Somehow, I thought it would be thicker.  Right now, I'm reading one called Ahab's Wife.  That sucker is 1000 pages long!  Well, the Kindle version is.  The print version is only 700 pages.  It's pretty good, if it does drag a bit in some spots.  

10.  I'm also re-reading The Borrowers Series, by Mary Norton.  They were some of my childhood favorites, but do you know, I had no idea there was a fifth one.  Not that it matters, though.  It's been so long, I don't really remember much about them anyway. 

11.  I'm off to read a bit -- after I've practiced my piano, that is.