Mom didn't enter the contest, although she says she looks and feels like a zombie every work day! Especially this last week, when she and Dad were asked to work an 11-hour day as "water spiders". "Water spiders" have a much more physical job than working as counters in ICQA or even compared to working in Receiving. They must haul pallets, lift totes, load the automated K-SAW, run the VRC elevator, etc. Basically you need the multiple "hands" of a spider and must keep a maniacal pace to ensure all stations on the floor have ample work.
The day before she worked at the tote stacking machine, which entailed loading the stacked totes on pallets and hauling them to other areas of the building.
These are jobs that some of the Workampers (and full-timers for that matter) don't want or like to do. But Mom and Dad are willing to do anything--they get paid no matter what task they do and it gives them a break from counting.
I just realized that Amazon is a world of acronyms and strange titles. For example, a "Seeker" is the person who assists the Stower by handing them items to place in the bins, theoretically increasing the Stower's rates. "VRC" (mentioned above) is the "Vertical Reciprocating Conveyor". Mom says Amazon should provide a special dictionary/vocabulary guide when you start to work there!
Looks like the last of the Workampers have arrived at Amazon now, and we have had fun meeting new folks and sharing good times with friends from last year. In fact, a group of us went into Fort Worth to visit the Rahr Brewery one Wednesday. For $10/person, you get music, camaraderie, 3 full pints of beer from a choice of nearly a dozen plus a half pint of their specialty seasonal beer (pumpkin rum was on tap the day we visited). I had a hard time getting in to the joint since I left my rat I.D. at home. But I finally beguiled my way in. Thank goodness I am blessed with good looks and a charming personality!
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Sharing an ale at Rahr Brewery! |
My Rat ID. Now you know why I left it at home--it just doesn't fit comfortably in my wallet! |
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My new friends! This little lass is 10 month old Everest! |
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Meet 347-pound Major, complete with his own drool bib! |
My family took a day to visit the Stockyards, checking out the longhorn steer as they paraded down the street. They are some BIG boys! We stopped at the Fort Worth Water Gardens as well, relishing in the calming effect of the unique pools and falls.
Let the taste-testing begin! Yes, Mom has started her holiday cookie baking! Her cookies and bringing back fish from our Canada/Alaska trip are the only reason we have a chest freezer, but what worthy reasons they are!
Speaking of Canada/Alaska, our Bank of America AAA Visa card announced recently that it will no longer charge foreign transaction fees. Would have been nice if they put this into effect earlier in the year when we incurred fees for traveling through Canada enroute to Alaska. Mom whined to them, so she was successful in getting us a refund of $9 for charges from August, but she is disappointed that they could not make the refund retroactive to cover the entire $75 of fees we incurred since January. But it is good news for the RVillage North to Alaska Class of 2017, as I am sure other credit cards will follow suit.
I keep myself busy while my parents are at work. I tend to get up with them at 5 a.m. (after all, who could sleep with all the racket they make preparing for work!) There is something so spiritual about watching dark turn to light, witnessing the break of dawn.
My parents usually use their motorcycles to get to work. So one day, I left Tabby, Stewey, and Dewey at home unsupervised and took Big Boomer out for a joy ride (don't tell my parents!)
I visited Marion Samson Park, which offers scenic views of Lake Worth. They have lots of trails, but they are geared toward mountain biking rather than hiking, and very few of the trails are actually marked. So I just lingered at the pavilion and lounged on the great expanse of grass soaking in some sunshine and enjoying the local scenery.
Seemingly, Tabby entertained herself in my absence.
We are still experiencing very hot, humid weather in Texas. In fact, October turned out to be the hottest October on record! And November 1 was about 15 degrees above the historical norm. Can't wait to get to the dry, arid desert of Arizona!
Congrats to the Cubs on their historical win! I'm not a big sports fan, but even I was glued to the TV. It was one heck of a nail-biter! Chicago is in the news for reasons other than the World Series: apparently they have a bad infestation of rats! People are adopting cats from shelters and offering homes to stray cats just to keep the rats at bay! Good news for cats in need of a home in the Chicago area, bad news for my rat relatives and friends!
Well, I've rambled on enough--time for me to say goodnight. Talk to you again soon!