"Keep a Journal: How else are you going to get a good look at who you were?"

Sunday, October 17, 2004

"In a world where complete honesty is a dream and an ideal, only dreamers and idealists are being completely honest."

Last Sunday, Bro. Mark Bell raised a point during Grant's lesson about "Sincere and honest prayer". He pointed out that it may be hypocritical to be honest and sincere with the Lord and then go out and be dishonest and insincere with our fellow man. With that in mind, I determined to try raising the level of honesty in my life and dealings with the people I meet day-to-day.

Last Thursday I was loading some electric fireplaces with the clamp truck and noticed that the night crew had top loaded some of the units in a trailer for one of the Eastern DC's to cube out the space in the trailer. Now, loading this way is certainly a more efficient use of space, but it's not a terribly efficient use of time. I had been straight-loading these myself (ie: loading the shipment in an HBC trailer with exactly the same stack pattern as it was found in the shipping container), which can leave some empty space in the taller CP trailers; but takes a minimum amount of time per load/offload.

Len Lemieux, our new Dept. Supervisor, faulted me for not cubing out the trailer as the night crew had done to theirs.

I tried to justify myself by pointing out that there is a "do not tip" warning on the fireplace cartons, and that the night crew should not have loaded them laying on their sides like that. I argued that dire consequences could result from such methods. I suppose that Len didn't feel like arguing the point further, and let the matter drop; looking more than a little annoyed with me.

I went to break, and while eating I suddenly realised, "I don't believe a single word of what I just said back there..."

Which means...?

I was arguing with my BOSS for the sake of arguing!

Not a bright move.

So immediately after break I sought out Len and told him (he was talking to Tony B, our Facility Manager), "if I am ever that full of it again you just tell me so, I won't be offended". Then I apologised for trying to give him a hard time.

Felt good.

Fact is, I have been full of it for a while, and I needed (still need?) a serious reality check.

Saturday I did some overtime, and after finishing my first assignment that morning, Len asked me to switch to replenishment picking. Normally I would have jumped at the chance to get off the dock and back to my safe, boring, regular assignment as a machine operator; but not this time. I said something like "ok, I'll go if you want, but I kind of assumed that once this load was finished, I would be doing a second, and perhaps a third...". Len knew I was unhappy (have been unhappy) all week on the dock, and was throwing me a bone. My answer told him I was more than willing to suck it up and get the job he needed me to do completed - and I did complete it.

I managed, through a little serendipity, to very neatly (and quickly) dispose of a problem shipment that had been lurking in our staging area for the last couple of days. Criteria for these crossdock transfer loads states that the merchandise MUST be palletized and our departmental goals state that the trailers SHOULD be cubed out as much as possible. Unfortunately, the Ti-Hi limits on palletized product often mean that they get loaded with a less-than-optimal use of space. The problem with the shipment in question was that the boxes were very large and oddly shaped. When stacked for loading, the palletized product was too high to fit through the trailer door! No-one over the last two days wanted to touch this shipment, as the first solution to the problem was to re-stack the entire 300 carton order! I left the order palletized as it was, and merely doubled two pallets worth of merchandise onto one pallet, using the clamp truck. The shipment fit well and cubed well, and should be easy to re-assemble when it reaches its destination. I didn't quite complete that third load as I had a couple of problem shipments show up one right after the other, and I decided that it was probably better to pick it up on Monday. Know what? I don't mind so much being on the dock now...

Offloading and loading trailers is not the easiest work in the world, but I don't mind it that much. It still gives me the same feeling of "a good days work well done" that I get from picking in the Central Stock dept.

Tuesday, October 05, 2004

Been playing Backgammon at MSNzone again...

Lame!

Four opponents: two English, one Hebrew, one Korean - all on "expert" level. Down by one or two points in each match...managed to pull even or ahead in all four games (once by judicious use of doubling cube) and ALL FOUR quit before the match game was complete!!! Sore losers...

I mean, the Hebrew BURIED me that first game...and played well all the way up to the final game...and quit when it was obvious he was too far behind...feh!

One advantage to the "play for money" sites: if your opponent gets fed up and quits, he STILL has to pay up!!!

I think I'm ready...too bad I can't find a club here in town where I can drop in to play... FIBS, here I come!

Weather has been getting cold of late...I am down to two or three days riding per week. This is enough to maintain my fitness level, and even provides for a little weight loss; albeit at a slower rate. I must watch what I eat, as well.

Found and repaired that old bottle genny that Taras gave me. It's a 6v/5w lightweight dyno with a .5 inch friction wheel. I was built into the headlamp housing; which has broken, so now I am debating whether or not to house the genny seperately and kludge up a new housing out of PVC pipe. I still have that generic handlebar mount; I ought to be able to screw that puppy to anything. Now all I need is an appropriate bulb. I was thinking a 12v/10w krypton bulb should do me...and should be "blow out" proof as well. The genny set will be my primary light source, with the twin C cell headlamp as the backup.

Saw another Dead Man Riding this morning. Dark clothes, no lights and not even a hint of high-vis reflector anywhere on his person or bike...sigh, and they say motorists are negligent...I have even seen Phantom riders doing the Suicide Run down Nordel way in traffic for pity's sake! Oh well, these Darwin Award nominees are doing the rest of the cycling public a service by not living long enough to breed...