The Weekly Recap

I'll start off the weekly recap by making one correction:  The new guy I thought was gone last week was not. He was on one of those prearranged time-offs that people have been known to place on the table when they are hired.  He has been back all week and hasn't missed a day.

It's kind of weird that we now have four guys that speak, uh, whatever it is they speak.  Vietnamese, Cambodian--I don't know.  There is one guy named Tran that inhabits the little room where Don Brewer used to sit, two guys in CNC, and good ol' Ai in deburr.  It's weird to have them strolling by me on the way back in from break, just rambling on a mile-a-minute.  It's funny how LaCroy goes in waves.  For a while there we heard Spanish flowing all over.  Now it's Southeast Asian.

Dale was out Wednesday and Thursday getting his other eye cataract surgery.  He showed up yesterday with no glasses on, complaining about the new eye feeling a little "gravelly" still.  I'm pretty sure he was supposed to stay out until Monday, but as everyone knows Dale is driven by money in a bad way (both on the job and off) so I guess he couldn't bear missing another day whether he was ready or not.  Now he used readers to see up close.  But, as he said, "I sure see black blacks now!"

There has been a LOT of weekend activity going since the Strippit came back online.  Now I hear through the grapevine that there is talk of them buying a 20-station model to supplement the current 12-station model they have now.  What a cacophony that will be!  I overheard something about another CNC yesterday too--one that will handle long (4-foot plus) titanium parts.  I wonder who they're going to get to install these machines?  There is nobody here (from what I can tell) that is qualified to do a "ground up" installation any longer.

I bought myself a little Canon A560 point & shoot this week on Craigy's List for a measly $40.  It's a teeny camera so maybe I can sneak more interesting stuff--movies included.

Gone:  As far as I know, nobody left this week.  I'm not sure where everybody is hiding though... It doesn't really reflect the influx of bodies we've had recently.  Maybe they're on another shift or hiding in the toilet stalls.

New Arrivals:  A new guy showed up Monday mid-morning.  I could tell by the way Phil was guiding him around that he wasn't a grunt laborer.  He was also better groomed than most that come in.  Apparently Big Jim and young Wink Martindale both know him, so I guess he's knows something about something.  Usually I think Phil feels like he made a conquest or important discovery when he hires someone that knows (or is known) within the industry.  I guess this is no exception because he is now sitting in the Pinto office with Phil--At the very desk that Joe sat at not long ago!

We also got a new guy Tuesday afternoon.  I think he went to CNC, but I'm not sure.  I haven't found him yet.

Thursday afternoon (whatever happened to the 7am start times for for new hires on their first day?) Phil came by with a new guy in tow.  I could tell he was a grunt laborer from the earring/tattoo/ultra short hair he was sporting.  You know--the look of labor.  I'm sure he smokes too.

Broken Equipment:  The green forklift is out of commission.  There is something wrong with the hydraulics that is allowing the forks to leak down and lower on their own.  That puts us down to one forklift which is not good.  I think we should put the battery and a fuel tank on Ol' Yeller.  That forklift sounds like a racer, and it does good burnouts too.  Of course, it's not for everybody... Mostly due to the lack of brakes.  I like it though.