Getting ready to head in for our fourth shift of the week. We are working Sunday-Wednesday 6 pm to 4:30 am. We leave here around 5:15 p.m. and get back about 5:000 a.m. So far, so good and we are planning to work voluntary overtime on Thursday night. It would be nice to have three days off in a row, but we came here to work so we're going to take every opportunity we can. Plus, I think that it will be easier to maintain our night owl schedule with only two days off, but we'll see how it goes.
The first night my back hurt almost the entire time, so that was unpleasant. I've been working a bit smarter and although my back has hurt every night, it's a little less each night. I'm not so foolish to think that I can walk, lift and bend for 10 hours a night painlessly.
The time goes quickly. We start at 6:00 with everyone in our group (30-40 people?) gathering for announcements at the beginning of the shift. Then we have stretches. One of the workers leads stretches. They count the odd numbers and the rest of us call out the evens. Sometimes the counting gets loud, with the leader and one or two other people shouting back and forth as they count, but it's fun.
When we all bend over to try to touch our toes, I imagine a giant crackling sound as all our backs crunch.
After that, it's off to get the stuff to be stowed. We work on our own until time or the first break at 8:30. That's fifteen minutes, but it also includes the time going to and from the break room so we are getting smarter about making sure we're working closer to the break room around that time.
Back to work at 8:45 for two hours. Lunch is 10:45-11:15. Then we meet up as a group for more stretches and on to the second half of the shift. Another break from 2:00 to 2:15, then it's the final quarter and we clock out at 4:30.
One of our biggest challenges for both Chris and I is finding our cart of stuff after the breaks and lunch. Sure the aisles are numbered, but even that isn't enough. I'll be sure that I left it on one side of the aisle and I'll be darned if it isn't on the other when I finally find it.
The people are all pleasant. When I've made mistakes or had questions, everyone is nice about it.
Gotta run. More later.
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