The One Where I Ramble All Day
2004-11-24,

Hello there, people. I just got myself to work about 15 minutes ago, and already I'm out of things to do.

As the story goes, yesterday afternoon I was using our main testing machine as I normally do, being in the middle of a months-long sampling project, when one of the pins holding a material brace decided that this whole process was just to much for it; in a last ditch effort to rail against the system and protest its lot in life - to be held in place over and over by a thin, winghead bolt - did the equivilent of lighting itself on fire in a public square-- it broke. Thus, one of the least expensive parts of the machine has ground my testing project to an abrupt halt.

As I said, this happened yesterday afternoon. No so bad, as it broke a mere 45 minutes before my day was up, anyway. But today... ah, today. Though I have some vague hope that it will be repaired/replaced relatively early on today, it's not a realistic one, especially since it's a day-before-a-holiday, which means everyone who actually came to work today is going to be seriously on the slack. It's just the nature of the day-before-a-holiday.

I've considered just asking to leave early today, but, as I'm still only a temp employee at this point, I'm not going to get paid for tomorrow or Friday and thus should remain here for as long as possible. After all, one never knows when a compression-testing emergency might happen along. And when it does... I'll be ready. *an assured nod and steely-eyed, determined stare into the distance*

So what to do in the mean time? I've decided to keep this journal entry running all day, or at least until the testing machine gets repaired or some other meaningful work comes along. Which should be any time now. ..... Yep, here it comes...... All day. Could be fun, could be tragic. Who knows, you may just witness my slow descent into madness. Oh lucky day, gracious reader! I won't take offense if you just stop reading here; honestly, what are the chances I'll be able to muster anything meaningful in the next.... 7 hours and 25 minutes? Low, friend, very low.

By the way, please don't expect this to be a solid... 7 hours and 21 minutes of text; there's 'coffee' breaks, bathroom breaks and sanity breaks to be had, not to mention the occasional actual thing to do for work. I'll just jump in and start writing where I left off as the opportunity arises. So be it.

I found out yesterday that I'm closer to being 'off book' with my script than I though I was. We had a rehearsal last night and I decided to just put myself out there on the tightrope and see how many times I wobbled with my lines. I managed to surprise myself with remembering a goodly chunk of it, far more than I expected. Amazing what putting a little pressure on myself will do for memory recall. A good thing, considering we're not allowed to be using our books anymore by Sunday. I reckon I should do a little studying. Thank goodness I left my script at home! That was a convenient act. But then, I also managed to leave without my work keycard as well, as I managed to wake up late.

Oh! I remember why I woke up late. I was alarm-snoozing because I was having an interesting dream, most of which I don't remember, unfortunately. What I do remember is that H and I were on some kind of vacation together. She and I decided that it would be fun to take the big black recliner that we have in our living room - a chair that I took with me from my family home and that's been around at least as long as I have - and use it as a boat or canoe to float down what looked like the creek that runs through the park at the end of our street, only it was as wide as a river. We got to the point where it goes under the street and into the other park with the Frisbee golf course, and pulled the chair out to cross the street and go back to the river. Only the river on the other side was much more rocky, churning and virulent. H was ready to go, excited by the rapids and such. I, however, became the pragmatist and decided that riding a pleather recliner down an increasingly angry river was less than a safe or sane prospect. We actually got into an argument over whether or not to continue on.

That's when the alarm went off for the third time, and had to get up lest I be officially running late. I'm trying not to look at this as some deep-seeded fear of our long-term relationship and that difficulties will put a rift between us. Lord knows that we've had difficulties enough already to test our relationship, so I don�t think that it's a serious concern. I'm chalking it up to just general anxiety over the Future Unknown. H has always been the more willing to stride into the unknown without the worries, and I've always been the cautious one. Usually we temper each other quite well-- she pulls me forward out of inaction while I pull her back from over-reaction. It can be a tenuous balance at times, but we've made long strides into making it work and work well. Like any rotation, it has its wobbles, but continue to spin it will.

Hope springs! The production manager just came in with a refurbished brace, featuring a makeshift pin. It was slightly too large, so it's going to get some filing and hopefully I'll be back in business and this day will then fly by like nobody's business and I'll be off on my four-day unpaid vacation. Yippie. I may just keep this entry running just for the heck of it because there is all that time during tests where not much else happens.

... time passes ...

So far so good, with the makeshift part.

Looks like this is going to be a shorter ramble than I first expected. Now that the part is working, I'm working, which has made the morning fly by. Secondly, the HR manager stopped by to inform me that the company has a policy of letting people go home an hour early the day before major holidays. So suddenly, I've got less than three hours left to my day. Yee haw! If only it were sunny, it would shape up to be a perfect day so far.

Oh- and I got the gift I forgot I was getting today also: a company-logo hooded fleece zip-up. Soft, cozy, warm, charcoal gray and valued at over one hundred dollars, it's a nice holiday keepsake. And as the temperature is dropping as we speak - there's snow expected tomorrow for the first time this year, for us at least - it couldn't have come at a better time. Which reminds me, I really need to get me a new winter coat this year, if at all possible. That or have my neighbor take a look and see if she can't sew up the places where it's fraying horribly. I'd like to be able to save it, as I've had the thing for over ten years and it's a great coat otherwise.

I'm now into my last hour of work. I just got out of a little conference with the operations manager and with the owner, who is a company family member (as is the OM, for that matter), and it's always a treat to hear non-American born people try and use American slang. She's from Germany, as are perhaps her two children that work here; I'm not totally sure, as they both have slight accents but seem fully American in their disposition. Hard to say. But one of the catch phrases she tried using today was 'in the ballpark', which came out as, "in the ballpoint." Classic. It's really interesting working in an environment that has a heavy European influence. There's usually someone nearby speaking German, either on the phone or to each other. Also, it seems like everyone in management is to some degree a Democrat- or of a progressive European mindset. It was decidedly odd hearing middle managers - usually a bastion of Republican mayhem - talking about how great it was when Kerry kicked Bush's butt in the debates.

All in all, a decent place to work. I hope things work out here after the designated temp period. Unless, of course, the business starts rolling and I don�t need to hold a regular job anymore. Then I can work 20 hours, go back to school part time, and happy times.

Yeah, like that'll happen.

-- End Transmission --