Sunday, May 30, 2004

Scenes from the Forklift: Holy Hiatus, Batman!

Wow... Can you believe it? It's been forever since I posted anything new. Well, as you will soon see, there has been a good reason for that. Read on...

So, things at the old warehouse have been a lot more hectic than usual lately. I guess that's what happens when you have 50% of the staff you need. Anyway, CK and I have been thrown into a bunch of "new roles" over the past two weeks, in a last ditch effort to avoid total disaster. First and foremost, as I've already mentioned in a previous post, we are the Kings of Unboxing and the Regents of Re-Boxing (please allow us to take a bow). Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is obvious for all to see that we alone possess the unparalleled skills necessary to get this job done... Over 800 systems have passed through our hands, not once but twice in the last two weeks! Impressive indeed, I know. And the Ones in the Higher Places know it as well. Having noticed our unmistakable abilities, they have promised another 800 within the week! Oh well, I guess that's why I get paid the Big Bucks and CK gets paid the Not-Quite-So-Big-But-Bigger-Than-Before Bucks...

Naturally, such monotonous and mundane work has had an effect on the two of us. Forget about the tired state we are left in everyday... Forget that my 4-year old can stay awake later than me now... Forget that muscles I never knew I had are in pain... The worst part of it all has to be the Gradual Insanity!

In the first two days, we must have exhausted every interesting story we could think of. Since then, we've had to fill the time in more creative ways... Ever played "Name That Tune" in a warehouse? How about a rousing game of "How Far Can You Throw This"? Yeah, I didn't think so... However, I did learn about something very cool during all this. It has to do with a bunch of guys CK knows, and the crazy things they do with cameras... I could try to tell you about it, but I couldn't possibly do it justice. Instead, I'll tell you that it's called "One Leggin'" and you can learn more about it here. We've had a blast discussing various "One Leggin'" venues and challenges... Like I said, I blame it on the Gradual Insanity...

Perhaps in an effort to ease the pressure on our psyches, the company has also been sending us on little expeditions outside the warehouse from time to time. We call these "pickups". Now, "pickups" are normally done by the "Pickup Guy", and it entails picking up product (ie. ancient PC's that haven't seen the light of day since the last century) purchased by the company to refurbish, then sell, scrap, or store forever. Unfortunately, the "Pickup Guy" is apparently out for the season with an injury, so we've been called in to cover the gap. Yay for us. Nothing like lifting and packing old, obsolete machines to make you forget about the pain of lifting and packing newer, more useful machines...

Now, don't forget, CK and I both have actual jobs to do in the warehouse, aside from the fun mentioned above. As you can assume, they aren't exactly getting the attention they deserve, and it's only a matter of time before that catches up with us! Isn't life just grand?

Well, I guess that about does it for now... I still haven't caught up on the sleep I need to carry on at this pace, but I do have my laundry done before midnight, for once, so I think I'll crash now. Hopefully, I'll be able to get back on soon and regale you with Tales of the Mighty Calgary Flames and their Slaying of the Lowly Tampa Bay Lightning in their Quest for the Stanley Cup... Stay tuned, folks!

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