Thursday, January 13, 2005

A little background

As with any new job there has been a lot to learn and at first it was a lot of fun but two things are slowly taking the fun out of it.

The first is the shift rotation. Someone decided that we had to be a 24 hour operation even though 95% of our work is on day and evening shift. So we have three shifts with two groups on each shift to cover seven days a week. Each of the three shifts (0600-1500, 1400-2300, & 2200-0700) are rotated every 30 days so just when you get used to a shift it's time to move. My favorite shift is the 1400-2300 as I am a morning person and like to get my stuff done while I'm fresh but it comes at the price of an hour and a half commute by train each way. The worst shift is midnight since I just can't seem to sleep during the day. I end up being a tea-drinking zombie for a month which really sucks.

The second is the commute. It doesn't matter if you drive or take the train it takes forever to get back and forth to work. I know lots of people spend time commuting but this just seems to be much worse. There are over 100 traffic lights on the 12 mile drive to work and very few of them are syncronized. Motorcycles, scooters, and bicycles pass you on both sides of the car, people stop in the traffic lane to get a coffee out of a machine or just read the paper, and heaven help you if there is an accident. The trains are almost as bad as not being able to read the signs means you always have to be alert or you will end up on an express train that doesn't stop at your stop or go someplace you don't want to go. And you really get to get up close to the locals as you all pack into the trains. :-) I really long for the wide open spaces of Colorado ......... and soon I hope to be there.

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