00:16 - 02/03/2009
Travels
I just got a swat across the backside from Mr Melchizedek. Just enough claw in it to get my attention, without breaking any skin. You see dear diary, I was sitting in front of this very computer checking the links and language in my last post to you, given that it was about 4 in the am when I finished writing it. I just wasn't conscious enough at that time anymore to actually do any proper editing. The link I had just opened was a youtube posting of a concert version of Dire Strait's "Money for Nothing". Don't know if it was the group, the song, the instrumentation, or the performers that Mr Mel favoured, but he obviously felt very strongly that I should have been dancing with him rather than scrunching up over my keyboard. How does one refuse such an invitation? Mr Mel weighs a fair amount now, you see, so I don't argue with him except on principles. Hmmmmmm.
At 3 in the am last night I needed to get up to investigate a mystery. There was this terrible odour that kept getting stronger right in my bedroom. If you've ever smelled the spray of a skunk, that odour was what jolted me awake from my deep sleep. All I recall is that I was dreaming of horses and a camel. Anyway, after having raised six sons, the parenting instincts took over my sleep-deprived mind. First, check to see no one is dead. Yes really - first parental reaction. All five cats were dozing in my room and all were still breathing. Fine. Next, a trip to my youngest's room to see if he was still ok. A very disgruntled response from him when I knocked on his door was answer enough. The scent was strong enough that he actually emerged to see what was going on, despite having to get up in a few hours for the two hour trip to his job. Next was the search for obvious sources of said odour. No dead mice or other critters found near the epicentre of that foul stench. No leftover food hidden under a bed - no names mentioned here - no rottings socks or defrosted materials outside the house that might account for it either. A+ and I had just watched the movie "Outbreak", so visions of biological warfare flitted briefly through my head. Yes, I do know that most viruses don't have quite such a noxious stench. My youngest opined that maybe one of our esteemed neighbours was growing something they oughtn't. Now that the weather has moderated somewhat, warmer air could be a carrier of evidence of their, probably illicit, activities. Opened some windows to facilitate airflow through the house and played Mah Jongg while I waited for the air to become breathable again.
I had gone to bed around midnight after my second evening shift in a row. The first night we had started at six in the pm. Due to a number of complications, I didn't walk back in the door until 3 in the am, after our manager dropped me off after dropping the rest of the crew off at their homes. No transit after midnight on an early Sunday morning you see. We discussed political conditions in a particularly troubled area of the world on our travels, so the time went quickly enough. Several of the crew all belonged to one faith system, but different sects (not Christian, but similar differences). It was fascinating listening to their debate over why their particular flavour of faith was more right than the others. Just like the differences in Christianity, the divisions in this faith group were over minutia that, in the end, is meaningless, in my opinion. If religious leaders or institutions really want to know why so many people have disengaged from their ministrations, they need look no further than that. I digress though.
Once we dropped off some of the crew, we also discussed some of the problems at the worksite, which included some rather defiant/disruptive staff mixed in with a crew that was almost all brand new and a store that hadn't been properly prepared for us. Turned out one of the other of their outlets was also inventoried by a second crew that night and they worked even later. Found that out while waiting to be transported to the next day's work site. All our crews meet at one specific place, so we trade the details of our previous shifts among each other while we wait.
Next evening's shift went much quicker. We had a core group of experienced staff who could anchor the new staff just by their own behaviour. The newer staff were all positive and upbeat - eager to learn and to help each other. Good team players in the real sense of the concept. The staff at this site had done an excellent job of preparing the merchandise for us as well. They went out of their way to provide support for us while we worked too. Made all the difference. We even were able to send some of our crew over to one of the other stores in the mall that was also being inventoried by our company. On the drive back home, the manager and I discussed his favourite science fiction writers which then segued into a speculative discussion about artificial intelligence. One of my favourite things about this job is the scope of knowledge and experiences brought to it by our front line crews as well as through our managers. They come from all over the world and from all walks of life. I have learned so much that one could never find and verify in either the mainstream media or from the internet. The discussion last night was the best type of brain candy, but similar experiences are often repeated on a daily basis while chatting with crew on breaks or enroute as well. Anyway, I need a nap since I do have a shift coming up shortly. Good night dear diary.
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