I ended up working today. Usually, we’re off, but it was part of the agreement the company made with the business we are supporting.
I worked one store and was asked to work another. The part-timer working that one had a family emergency. No problem.
Well, there was a problem. I was able to work about two hours at the other store, and then the power went out.
There was an accident several miles up the road. The power was out for about five miles when I was heading home.
And that sets the scene.
Instead of leaving right away, I called the boss and asked what he wanted me to do. Iβve worked inside Walmart several times when the power was out, but they have skylights, the stores do not. You canβt get a whole lot done in the dark, not at work anyway.
As I was waiting, I stood at one of the doors with the employees to tell people the store was closed; you canβt come in, no the gas pumps donβt work, no they canβt tell you anything, etc.
People talk about preparation for disasters all the time. They tell you to get food and water. They tell you to get things you will need during a disaster. They tell you to be able to defend yourself.
Some excellent advice is to learn to speak to people. Get some manners. Be amiable.
There are going to be things you want and need should we ever have a societal collapse. There are going to be people you can’t take from by force. There is going to be a need to be civil and barter for things you desperately need.
I got told to go F myself several times while nicely telling folk that the store was closed.
Sweet little old ladies shouldn’t use language like that.
When I walked in I was immediately given a judgmental look because I wasn’t wearing a mask. None of my family was.
The problem with that for me is these are people I genuinely respect doing this to me and mine. Respect is earned by the way you are and being true to what you are. And it’s lost when those points aren’t met, I suppose.
This hurts the heart.
I got blocked by someone on Twitter. That person was military. He found it funny that people in Florida were getting Covid, that people were dying. He joked about it. I called him out.
The branch he was in shocked me because I have a high regard for that particular branch. I was army. And there is something special about holding a certain level of respect for another branch and its members. I know many.
It takes all kinds to make a world. It’s amazing how many in the military don’t care about individual rights anymore. We swear an oath to protect the Constitution. Many do not take that oath to heart, it seems.
I’m back on the project tomorrow. I’m going to bed soon.
If you read this, I hope you have the best week at work or in whatever comes your way. We are all in this together. Worldwide.
We need to get back together and stop letting everything divide us.
The blessing may be Irish unfortunately, the coffee is not. But it’s still coffee.
I’ve had a rough week.
The new project we’ve assumed as a company took the wind out of my sails Monday, and I’m not looking forward to Friday.
I’ve worked ahead yesterday and today and left a few hours work for each of the ladies Friday at my two stores. We all need the hours. Some weeks it gets pretty lean. Businesses are still recovering from last year, just in case you didn’t know. Retail is a rough business at times.
One of the reasons I worked ahead was to make sure certain things are done my way. And by that, I mean correctly.
The second reason is that I’ve worked my way into a day off tomorrow. I’ve made my hours, and Friday will add 10+ more. The paycheck will be good. More importantly, I’ll have some time to cool down and mentally prepare for Friday.
I’m okay with doing what I said Iβd do. I volunteered. In doing so, I made myself counted upon to make good for the company. And that’s what Iβll do.
Tomorrow is a βme day.β Time to kick back and read. Maybe I’ll watch a few movies. Just sit here and veg.
We are starting a new and exciting chapter for our company, working with another nationwide chain to help organize and stock stores. They are shorthanded and need the help.
I have been by myself in a cooler for the majority of the last eight hours. It’s cold, and I’ve been through about 125 cases of drinks.
And that’s cool. We are here for support. This is one of those ten million jobs no one wants, I guess.
The first days on a project are usually the absolute worse. You can only look ahead.
Today absolutely wrecked my arm. I’ve been going to PT because of it and other discomforts. That arm is the one I hurt six years ago at work. It’s also the hand that I nearly cut the thumb off of at work.
I’m beginning to see the problem here.
It’s work.
Some people go for the gin; I go for the TENS.
I have a couple of TENS units. They’re great for helping to get the soreness out for a while.
Something else that helps both arm and back is a good massage.
She’s getting out of the shower and headed my for just that.
My work is in retail. And it can get boring at times. I work around some great people who’ve become real friends in the past seven years.
I’ve gotten very comfortable where I’m at, and that’s a bit troublesome.
Today my boss called and asked if I was interested in a pilot program the company is starting for special teams, and I jumped at the chance. I’m hoping eventually to be a trainer for the company, and this will be another facet of the companies service in which Iβll be knowledgeable.
Always make yourself better.
This week has been a rollercoaster already. I’ve gone from lost to optimistic. I suppose that happens to all of us, doesn’t it?
This was my mother-in-law’s. She used to carry it on her keychain. Now it’s on mine. She was a very positive person. I loved aggravating her, and she loved me bugging her. I miss her.
EGBAR. Everythingβs Gonna Be All Right. Sometimes you just need a little push.
This morning we started early and got to work around the house; I went to the bank and got groceries.
Back to the regular humdrum of everyday life.
Then the texts start. Work never stops.
This morning I found out I was on the schedule to work today even though I had a planned vacation day. No problem. I sent a text to the boss and got my schedule changed.
I’ve said it before. He’s a good man. It ain’t his fault. We rely on a computer to do our scheduling. I’m not too fond of it, but I don’t pay for it either. At least not with money.
We were supposed to start resets for a customer today. All the stores have resets this week. Usually, this is spread over two weeks, but no. Why do it that way? Why use a tried and true method?
In a text to one of my part-timers this morning:
Make the plan.
Execute the plan.
Plan goes off the rails.
Throw away the plan.
Weβre already at #3 Iβll bet and no one even made it to work yet.
It doesn’t have to be this way; there’s always a plan. I have plans A, B, and C always ready. We should never be at a point of no plan or lousy plan and just let those be the two choices. No.
I’m losing my focus.
I’m losing my drive.
I’m losing my want to show up for the job.
That ain’t good.
If I had another job to go right into, I would drop notice tomorrow. And that ain’t good either.
My boss drove three hours from the coast where he lives to help me finish up a store so I wouldn’t have all four on my shoulders this week.
He didn’t have to; he wanted to.
He also didn’t supervise anything I did. I’ve had this done to me so many times when bosses come to βhelp.β I don’t do well in that situation.
It was a good day. We had a good lunch and talked a little business. We ain’t friends, but we are friendly. Any other situation, and we would be friends.
And Kevin, who I’ve mentioned before, I cannot do what I do without his backup.
You might be good, but you’re even better with a solid team.
I had a rough start this morning just getting out of bed. My back has been bothering me, and my shoulder started giving me trouble this afternoon. I’m sitting here with coffee and my old friend the TENS unit right now.
I left the house at 7:00 and was on my way to being right on time to work when I took my second major turn, and the truck started shuddering. It didn’t want to pull, and my stomach just sank.
I left on time to be on time. And now, I was late.
We’re getting ready to go on our anniversary weekend trip soon. I do not need to put more money into Bruce right now.
Bruce is my truck. He’s green and temperamental. Marvel fans will get this.
Sometimes you need the right tools to fix a problem. But first, you need to define the problem.
My tool of choice for this situation is the OBDLink MX+. I have had it for a couple of years.
If you ever go to an auto parts store and have them figure out what’s making your check engine light come on, they are using a piece of equipment that does the same thing. This is a simplified version of that equipment that connects to my phone through Bluetooth.
I’ve deciphered more than a few problems with Bruce because of this piece of equipment. Today it was saying that the ignition coil had gone bad. But the ignition coil is only a couple of months old!
It turns out that wasn’t the problem.
It was too early in the morning for something complicated, so we always K.I.S.S.
KISS is an acronym; the letters stand for “Keep it simple, stupid.”.
And simple it was. On the ignition coil is a plug that carries the power to the ignition coil and allows God only knows what to happen in the engine. I can fix stuff on a simple level. I don’t even pretend to understand how the magic happens.
The plug has a small retention clip. This being a twenty-two-year-old truck, that clip had broken. This kept the magic from transferring to the ignition coil, which transforms the magic into something else. I know, pretty technical.
Now, I’m a terrible half mechanic. I don’t always have the right tools with me. My toolbox has work stuff in it. I donβt half mechanic for a living.
What I do, quite effectively, is troubleshoot at life. You can fix most anything just by getting your head to a place where you can think through the problem calmly.
Two fictitious characters from the 80s brought me to this, Hannibal Smith and MacGyver.
Troubleshooting is all about imagination. You have to be able to, and I actually hate this saying, think outside the box.
“Imagination is the most important thing the human mind has.” – MacGyver
I always have three things with me.
1. Duct Tape. Most of life’s problems can be solved by a liberal application of duct tape.
2. A Swiss Army Knife. (Thanks, MacGyver). Incredibly versatile tools that can be found in almost any configuration you want.
3. Zip Ties. I use these a lot at work. Fast and easy to secure a wide variety of things.
The simple fix was to use a zip tie to secure the plug to the ignition coil. Problem solved.
I had called Mags, and Dad had told her he’d come to me when she was dropping off the kids at his house for the day. I told her to have him call our guy with the flatbed before I got my head straight and figured what needed doing.
By the time he’d shown up, I was getting ready to fix it, but since he came, I let him get under the hood. And this was all about respect.
I’ve spent no small part of my life holding the flashlight, getting yelled at while he turned the wrench. But I’ve learned a lot from him. At 72, he’s still a formidable man. Arms like tree trunks and one of the best shade tree mechanics I know. He has forgotten more than I’ll ever learn about an engine.
All of this went down within forty-five minutes. And just like that, I was back on the road.
And that was this morning. It wasn’t the plan, but it was what happened.
A twenty-five-cent zip tie saved me a 150 dollar bill on a flatbed ride.
And at that point, Hannibal Smith steps in.
There’s a plan in everything, kid. And I love it when a plan comes together. – H. Smith
