A Misunderstanding

It would seem there has been a misunderstanding out at the plant.  Well, not so much a misunderstanding, but a miscommunication.  When they announced a couple of weeks ago that we would have to scan our employee badges to access the vending machines, we thought they meant the vending machines.  They didn't.  They actually meant the PPE machines.  So we don't actually have to scan our badges to get a coke or a candy bar.  Just gloves and arm guards and the like. 

Still, I wonder, now that the Big Man Up Front is no longer there, will they eventually do away with the water only policy?  I mean, it's not like they could enforce it anyway.  We were still eating and drinking, just a bit more on the sly.  This morning, I was taking a sip of my coffee, and I told my coworker, "It's so nice not to have to be constantly checking over my shoulder to see if [TBMOF] is looking."  

She replied, "I was just thinking the same thing." as she was drinking her coffee.  Well, the new Boss Man (production manager) walks around with a cup of coffee in his hand.  If he can do it, I can, too.  

By the way, my supervisor has not been let go.  He was just on vacation, and was back at work today.  We did have a bit of excitement out there, when along about 10:00, there I was just a working away, when I heard a loud BOOM and the lights went out, and all the machines shut down, and my particularly outspoken coworker hollered.  

She's afraid of the dark. No surprise there.  She's afraid of pretty much everything.  But that's another story for another day. 

In a few moments, Supervisor came over and told us all to just stay where we were.  He didn't want us trying to walk through the plant in the dark, tripping over stuff and potentially getting hurt.  A few minutes later, he told us all to go over by the dispatcher's desk, so we did.  A few moments after that, I heard someone over the radio telling them to have us all to go to the break area, so we did that.  And a few moments after that, they told us all to go outside.

It was like being taken on a grand tour of the plant -- in the dark.  

Long story short, it took them about half an hour to get the lights back on, and the rest of the work day proceeded without incident.  

The big news is, remember a few months ago when I was complaining on the blog about the awful state of the women's bathrooms?  Then the next day, one of the engineering people came out and talked to me about it?  And how I said I wasn't holding my breath on them actually doing anything about it?  

Well, guess what?  They're remodeling the bathrooms!  All of them!  They did the ones by the front break room last week, and are going to do the ones near my work area this week, and the ones by the back break room next week.  Woo Hoo!  To have clean bathrooms with stall doors that close, toilets that flush, and working sinks...I won't know what to do with myself. 

Heh, maybe I should talk about peeing in the woods more often. 

And finally, here is a lovely Fall photo I copped off of the internet.  It has nothing to do with this post, but a lot of you won't click through to the blog if there isn't a photo in it somewhere.