As The Coffeepot Turns

Welcome to another episode of As The Coffeepot Turns, the continuing story of a workplace full of drama.  

The drama started this morning when the alarm went off, and I did not want to get out of bed.  It was cold out there, and the bed was warm.  Then I reminded myself that this is my last week of work for the year, and once it's done, I can lay in the bed until January 2.  

Figuratively speaking of course.  I'm sure my bladder wouldn't allow it for real.  

Supervisor was back this morning, having been out all last week with the flu, but I'm not sure if that's good news or bad news really...but the real news is he missed all the drama from last week.  That's what I've been meaning to tell you about, but keep forgetting.  

It all started a few weeks ago when the Scrap Witch told the Scrap Man not to pick up any scrap from the sub-brazers because we weren't supposed to have any in the first place.  I told you about that when it happened.  Not only that, she's been known to take parts we'd rejected as being too bad to use out of the scrap bin and tell us to use them anyway.  We didn't particularly like that, especially if it meant we had to wrestle the parts into place, but that's the way she wanted it.  After all, she's not the one who has to struggle with crappy tubing. 

Along about that time, we got a new auditor over our area.  She used to be in the back, but got moved up front because she's such an Auditor-Zilla that someone tried to beat her up.  After having her up there for a little while, I can kind of understand why.  I mean, I know she's supposed to check the parts to make sure they're good quality and all, but what's really annoying is when she comes over into the brazing area and starts digging through our work while we are still doing it.  

Anyway, I don't know what stick she's had up her rear, but she's been on an absolute tear lately.  I mean, she was taking "zilla" to a whole new level, and she suddenly started rejecting parts over minor, nit-picky nonsense that we'd always been told to let go.  For example, the clamp marks from the tube bender being too obvious.  We'd always been told that if it was a cosmetic defect that doesn't affect the functionality of the unit to correct the problem for the next order, but go ahead and use the parts.  Even Group Leader Shark and Substitute Supervisor were wondering why after all this time, those minutiae were suddenly a problem.  

It all came to a head last week when Auditor-Zilla made us pull out and replace adapter tubes in three different orders because she thought the clamp marks were too visible.  And of course, the rejected adapter tubes had to go into the scrap, which didn't set well with the Scrap Witch.  I wish I could have been a fly on that wall, because they stood over there arguing for about 30 minutes. And Sub Supervisor, and Cuz and Broomstick (who is over quality) and a bunch more of them.  

Later that day, I stopped Cuz and told him we -- the brazers-- don't even know what to do any more.  We're not allowed to reject parts -- per Scrap Witch -- but everything we're brazing A-Zilla is rejecting.  All this stuff we've been told for years was OK is suddenly not, and we just need some guidance.  He said they were going to make some changes over in tubing to try to solve the problem, etc, etc.

So, Thursday just before we left for the day, we got the word they were moving A-Zilla out of the sub-brazing area.  That's one rumor we are definitely hoping is true.  Maybe it is, because she didn't come over there today.  But everyone is thinking -- all the brazers, I mean -- are thinking wouldn't it be better for her to go to tubing and check that the parts are right before we braze them up?  Apparently, no one has ever thought of that. 

OK, let's end this on a pleasant note, with today's advent entry, which is a shepherd -- the first ones to learn about the birth of Jesus. 

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields.  Luke 2: 8

By the way, that Reawaken Hymns channel is one I've just discovered, but I really like it.