01:14 - 02/08/2009
Geo-graphic
I've finally been able to wear my runners to work instead of my boots, dear diary. Don't get me wrong, I love my boots. One of my sibs very kindly passed on an old, expensive pair that she had outgrown. Knee-high leather, lined and with great treads, they keep me both warm and safe when walking about in - 30 C weather. There is enough room in the foot so that I can wear up to four layers of socks, so that my feet won't freeze no matter how cold it gets in this city. That is also the problem though. If I don't wear all four layers, then my feet tend to slip around inside the boot, which is very hard on my feet. After several hours on my feet, they become quite painful. I could carry another pair of shoes to wear at each different worksite, but the weight of all the other material I have to carry makes that option difficult too. Add in we aren't given much time from when we arrive at a site to when we are expected to be out on the floor counting. Many days I wouldn't have time to change footwear anyway. Whine with cheese, I know.
Even though the temperature moderated significantly at the beginning of this year, meaning a lighter shoe was possible, the state of the roads and sidewalks made wearing anything with a lesser tread too risky. The number of people on crutches on the train attesting to the slippery conditions that caused their falls and broken bones gives cause for sober second thought, you see. We aren't talking about elderly people with fragile bones either. Young adults are the most represented in the "cast and crutches" crew. For several weeks I could only get out of my home, and down the street, by walking in the middle of the road. The snow was too deep, and covered with varying layers of ice, to be able to walk any place else. Even the main streets, where snow plows had been, were difficult to traverse because all the snow moved off the road ended up - oh yes - on the sidewalks. Sometimes, it was almost necessary to carry ice picks and have pitons on the bottom of one's boots in order to scale the heights created. Sliding down into the path of an on-coming car or bus wasn't really my idea of a good time. When the chinooks started blowing in - blessed be - there was then the issue of sheets of ice to navigate. Also not a good idea in runners. So, when I say there was joy the first day I actually felt safe enough to wear runners to work I am not exaggerating the emotion either. I do draw the line at sandals though, one fellow wearing them on the train yesterday, with nary a sock in sight.
Next count, after the last one I described in my last post to you, was at a hardware outlet. Not one we normally do, but it was being sold lock, stock, and barrel. The old owners wanted every penny out of it for their stock, while the new owners wanted to be certain that every screw and nail they were entitled to was accounted for. Overall about 80 counters that first day of the job. I was part of the evening shift. Since one of the senior staff finally discovered I have had to stay at a friend's home in order to be able to get to the earliest shifts designated, I have been working a lot more evenings, you see. Fine with me, since my bio-rhythms are such that I'm a night owl by nature. Not only was I not able to stay in my own home, but all my body rhythms were getting so messed up that the body couldn't distinguish when to eat or sleep anymore. I kept getting ill, partly because that constant metabolic disruption generated the fatigue that made my body less able to fight off all the exposure to sickness that is part of the risk of travelling on transit. More whine with cheese, and I digress too.
For that evening count there were auditors right behind each of us throughout, which was fine. However, there were so many counters that it meant that we had to wait for assistance for extended periods of time when we came across merchandise that had no price or bar code for scanning. Meant some of the areas I worked took half an hour, when they should have taken five minutes. Sometimes bad prep by a client can add hours to the count. They do complain about that, but we are paid not to guess nor make up prices out of thin air. There were too many staff to be transported back to our pick up point by vans, so a number of us opted to take the train home. It was late at night by then, but that just meant a quiet ride after all. One of the newer workers sat and chatted with me all the way downtown. Fresh to this country from a Central American climate, he has adapted very well. His parents have been in this city for about two years, so that might have helped. I got great history, ecology and geography lessons about that part of the world, as a result. Again, some things to store in my memory that aren't part of the mainstream information highways.
Because the next count was in a large store that had an early start, I stayed at my very gracious friend's home overnight in order to be on time. Again a huge number of counters, so the day went quickly. The manager that had been fired a few months ago arrived for a visit with the staff while we were working away that morning. Two of the managers for that count stood quietly by while he was greeted and questioned by longer term staff. Hmmmmm. My usual supervisor, and mentor, had resigned for the time being just before Christmas to pursue his other small business that he runs with family. A lot of questions from some of the staff about how he was doing too. A lot of them hoping he'll return when the area of counting he specializes in starts up again in a couple of months. Hard to say, since he seems quite happy without the pressure those more difficult counts generate.
One of the married couples who often work with me asked if I would stand as a reference for them as they try to find work in their area of expertise. They both have financial backgrounds, but needed local experience before they could be considered for work in this city, you see. They are both excellent workers and both show a great deal of initiative and leadership, so I don't think they'll have a difficult time finding more appropriate placements that fully use their skills. One mystery was revealed at the end of that count. A bottle of diet pop appeared at the bottom of my bag. I thought perhaps my friend had placed it in there as a treat, but they denied it. There are two young women who have taken me to task for drinking soda, because of the sugar in it. Maybe it was their way of trying to help me change a bad habit. I need the sugar to have enough energy to get through the counts though. However, I am aware that the soda leaches calcium out of one's bones, so I guess I should switch - or start eating "energy bars", aka chocolate bars, to satisfy that sugar craving, eh? A storm was blowing in when I left that assignment. The winds were so strong that I had trouble staying grounded and upright when crossing the bridge to the train station. I was wishing I had my boots on at that point, just so that the weight could anchor me. This time of year the weather is completely schizophrenic. One never knows what the next half hour will bring.
Tonight was a quick count at a high end clothing store. The store manager said that the last count they had lasted until 3 in the am, so she was overjoyed when we said good-night at 8 pm. I rode home with the count manager, all the while discussing music that then segued into more talk about history and current global events. I enjoy the fringe benefits of this job a great deal, but I'm still looking for that elusive full-time pay cheque that will actually allow me to pay all my bills, instead of falling a bit further behind each month. I wish it weren't so, but I don't know how else I can survive financially. Sigh. I am grateful for the work I have now though and I wish there was some way I could stay with this company given all those non-tangible benefits I've mentioned.
I guess if I won a lottery I could just do it for pleasure, but we all know that there are greater odds of being hit by lightning, don't we, dear diary. Maybe that lunar eclipse on Monday morning will bring some strange, positive twist of fate. The odds of it occurring at the same astrological degree - although a few million miles apart - as the approaching comet, Lulin - should create some sort of cosmic tidal wave that one could surf to one's heart's desire. Maybe? Well one can dream, if nothing else. My dreams lately have been of standing on battlements, high above a plain. Below are four armies, all on horse back. There is intense discussion among those nearby about whether to become involved with the conflict below. I just feel sad that those beautiful animals are being used and wasted on such terrible man-made acts of destruction. Anyway, I have another shift coming up in a few hours. Good night, dear diary. A demain.
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