Monday, December 24, 2007
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Sunday, December 9, 2007
A rough day
Today was finally the day that I got to go up to see Donna. I took the other female night shift supervisor with me, and one of our workers, Llury, who used to be the day shift intern under Donna.
The procedure went excellent, but she's now taken an expected slide backwards. Donna has a touch of pneumonia and we had to sanitize our hands to see her today. Even though she has had a few good days, today was not one of them. Because she's in ICU, we were only allowed in during visiting hours from 1-1:30, even though we stretched it to about 1:45.
It was great to meet some of their family, and Donna really does have an amazing support group and lots of love. While we were there they were keeping her very sedated. They are still draining bad fluids from her brain and are pumping good fluids into her as much as they can and she's basically swimming in fluids, so she's very bloated and swollen looking. Donna did snap awake a couple of times while we were there, but her eyes were very glassy looking and she didn't really concentrate on anything or even look away from her husband. It was very heartbreaking to see such a strong and lively woman be so critically ill and there were a couple of times that I had to close my eyes and not let a tear fall.
Some of the good things I learned today is that Donna's husband, Gary, is quitting smoking, and will not let Donna start smoking again once she is released. He said that if she's been without cigarettes this long, there's no need to pick up one when she's better. Her sister Kathy also said that all of the siblings are going in for CAT scans to see if any more of them have any aneurysms because they've learned it doesn't necessarily run from parent to child, but can be common among siblings. They also have an amazing doctor taking care of Donna, he's one of the very very best in his field and Gary said that he keeps him updated on everything that's going on, explains everything Gary wants to know, and when Donna was in surgery for 6 hours, they had a nurse call him every hour with a message from the doctor. It's truly a miracle that Donna is still with us and has as much life in her as she does.
The procedure went excellent, but she's now taken an expected slide backwards. Donna has a touch of pneumonia and we had to sanitize our hands to see her today. Even though she has had a few good days, today was not one of them. Because she's in ICU, we were only allowed in during visiting hours from 1-1:30, even though we stretched it to about 1:45.
It was great to meet some of their family, and Donna really does have an amazing support group and lots of love. While we were there they were keeping her very sedated. They are still draining bad fluids from her brain and are pumping good fluids into her as much as they can and she's basically swimming in fluids, so she's very bloated and swollen looking. Donna did snap awake a couple of times while we were there, but her eyes were very glassy looking and she didn't really concentrate on anything or even look away from her husband. It was very heartbreaking to see such a strong and lively woman be so critically ill and there were a couple of times that I had to close my eyes and not let a tear fall.
Some of the good things I learned today is that Donna's husband, Gary, is quitting smoking, and will not let Donna start smoking again once she is released. He said that if she's been without cigarettes this long, there's no need to pick up one when she's better. Her sister Kathy also said that all of the siblings are going in for CAT scans to see if any more of them have any aneurysms because they've learned it doesn't necessarily run from parent to child, but can be common among siblings. They also have an amazing doctor taking care of Donna, he's one of the very very best in his field and Gary said that he keeps him updated on everything that's going on, explains everything Gary wants to know, and when Donna was in surgery for 6 hours, they had a nurse call him every hour with a message from the doctor. It's truly a miracle that Donna is still with us and has as much life in her as she does.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Love is an amazing thing!!!!
The outpouring of love from the people working for my company is just amazing...
I haven't written about it, but one of the supervisors on day shift, who is also the sister of my night shift manager, suffered a rupture of an aneurysm in her brain stem on Monday and was taken to the hospital and then flown to Springfield for better care. It is now Friday and Donna is still in the ICU in the hospital, but she is making very good progress toward recovery.
But back to the love... Say what you will about the Hispanic culture and population, but I have a renewed respected for them tonight. When we first learned of Donna's condition, they immediately got a box and wrote a sign about what happened and asked for a donation of money during the breaks at work. Monday night they collected $198. Before the night was over, they were already making plans to have a dinner on Friday night to raise money by charging $5 a plate and ladies of the plant making food. Somewhere along the line, they even got the plant manager and owner to donate 60 pounds of chicken to cook.
So Friday rolls around, and I have now learned that we have some amazing women and amazing cooks in our plant! We had way too much food, in fact some of it is now in my fridge! But we managed to make about 60 plates before each group took a break, more as were needed, a few that just had to make their own plate and we fed all that wanted to buy a plate. There were a few that gave us a $20 and only wanted $10 for change. The ladies even made plans to sell hot chocolate and desserts at second break. But in total tonight, we took in $758.60 to send to Donna's family! I also picked up 6 get well cards from the stores and had as many employees as wanted to sign a card for Donna. I can't wait for her to be coherent enough to look at them and be reminded of how loved and missed she is :)
I talked to Becky later in the evening, and when I told her what the final tally of the dinner was, she was beside herself. She was telling me to make sure we told everyone there and all those ladies how much they appreciate it, and how much they are loved and how much the family appreciates them.
It really makes me feel special to be a part of a huge family like that!
I haven't written about it, but one of the supervisors on day shift, who is also the sister of my night shift manager, suffered a rupture of an aneurysm in her brain stem on Monday and was taken to the hospital and then flown to Springfield for better care. It is now Friday and Donna is still in the ICU in the hospital, but she is making very good progress toward recovery.
But back to the love... Say what you will about the Hispanic culture and population, but I have a renewed respected for them tonight. When we first learned of Donna's condition, they immediately got a box and wrote a sign about what happened and asked for a donation of money during the breaks at work. Monday night they collected $198. Before the night was over, they were already making plans to have a dinner on Friday night to raise money by charging $5 a plate and ladies of the plant making food. Somewhere along the line, they even got the plant manager and owner to donate 60 pounds of chicken to cook.
So Friday rolls around, and I have now learned that we have some amazing women and amazing cooks in our plant! We had way too much food, in fact some of it is now in my fridge! But we managed to make about 60 plates before each group took a break, more as were needed, a few that just had to make their own plate and we fed all that wanted to buy a plate. There were a few that gave us a $20 and only wanted $10 for change. The ladies even made plans to sell hot chocolate and desserts at second break. But in total tonight, we took in $758.60 to send to Donna's family! I also picked up 6 get well cards from the stores and had as many employees as wanted to sign a card for Donna. I can't wait for her to be coherent enough to look at them and be reminded of how loved and missed she is :)
I talked to Becky later in the evening, and when I told her what the final tally of the dinner was, she was beside herself. She was telling me to make sure we told everyone there and all those ladies how much they appreciate it, and how much they are loved and how much the family appreciates them.
It really makes me feel special to be a part of a huge family like that!
Friday, December 7, 2007
I love...........
Blue Bunny Gelato!!!!
*Drools* The Hazelnut flavor...... oh my....... I have to go back to Wal-Mart tomorrow night, that's how much I love it, LOL.
*Drools* The Hazelnut flavor...... oh my....... I have to go back to Wal-Mart tomorrow night, that's how much I love it, LOL.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Thursday Thirteen #5
Thirteen Favorite Spots in Rogers
1. Famous Daves.... BBQ is lip smacking delicious!
2. Veteran's Park.... Long walking trails, perfect to wear out a bonkers pup.
3. Promenade Mall.... Only because they're decorating it for Christmas and it looks beautiful!
4. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.... Enough said. (sorry girls)
5. Rogers Public Library.... I was out of books to read, took me all of 30 seconds to get a card, simple and easy!
6. The church with the three giant crosses.... Just makes you wonder who they were trying to outdo.
7. Our Corporate Office.... They print my bonus checks, I have to love them, lol.
8. My duplex.... It's where my monster kitten is :)
9. Acambaro.... I don't care if they all got arrested, the food is damn good!!
10. Taco Bueno.... Cheesecake Chimichangas, enough said
11. Andy's Custard.... The closest version of Shake's that I have. Yummy Frozen Custard
12. Wal-Mart... It's just an addiction thing, sorry.
13. That really cool place I haven't quite found yet... I've only been here 3 months!
1. Famous Daves.... BBQ is lip smacking delicious!
2. Veteran's Park.... Long walking trails, perfect to wear out a bonkers pup.
3. Promenade Mall.... Only because they're decorating it for Christmas and it looks beautiful!
4. Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.... Enough said. (sorry girls)
5. Rogers Public Library.... I was out of books to read, took me all of 30 seconds to get a card, simple and easy!
6. The church with the three giant crosses.... Just makes you wonder who they were trying to outdo.
7. Our Corporate Office.... They print my bonus checks, I have to love them, lol.
8. My duplex.... It's where my monster kitten is :)
9. Acambaro.... I don't care if they all got arrested, the food is damn good!!
10. Taco Bueno.... Cheesecake Chimichangas, enough said
11. Andy's Custard.... The closest version of Shake's that I have. Yummy Frozen Custard
12. Wal-Mart... It's just an addiction thing, sorry.
13. That really cool place I haven't quite found yet... I've only been here 3 months!
*knock on wood*
I seem to have beaten the sinus infection..........
shhh.......... don't tempt it to return........
;)
shhh.......... don't tempt it to return........
;)
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Searching for a title...
I want a cool title for my blog... Any suggestions? I want to make a cool header like Lesley has, although I can't really use a character from a book I'm writing, hehe.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Thursday (Saturday) Thirteen #4
Thirteen Reasons I forgot to do a Thursday Thirteen...
1. Mashed Potatoes
2. Green Bean Casserole
3. Fresh, hot rolls
4. Giblet Gravy
5. Homemade Stuffing in the crock pot
6. Broccoli Cheese Casserole
7. Macy's Day Parade on TV
8. Sweet Potatoes with brown sugar and cinnamon
9. Caramel Apple Pie
10. Peanut Butter Fudge
11. Still complaining that mom didn't make her corn casserole!
12. Turkey Hangover
13. It was a Holiday and I spent it with family!
1. Mashed Potatoes
2. Green Bean Casserole
3. Fresh, hot rolls
4. Giblet Gravy
5. Homemade Stuffing in the crock pot
6. Broccoli Cheese Casserole
7. Macy's Day Parade on TV
8. Sweet Potatoes with brown sugar and cinnamon
9. Caramel Apple Pie
10. Peanut Butter Fudge
11. Still complaining that mom didn't make her corn casserole!
12. Turkey Hangover
13. It was a Holiday and I spent it with family!
SNOW FLURRIES!!!!!!!!!
There are SNOW FLURRIES!!!!!!!!!!!!
I heard on the tv earlier that there were scattered flurries, but when I left work at 3am, I got to see them! Oh how nice it is to see flurries! Flurries, Flurries, Flurries! I LOVE SNOW!
I heard on the tv earlier that there were scattered flurries, but when I left work at 3am, I got to see them! Oh how nice it is to see flurries! Flurries, Flurries, Flurries! I LOVE SNOW!
Thursday, November 22, 2007
A taste of what's to come.....
I'm soooooooo excited to be in a duplex and have a yard to decorate!!
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
What yucky weather...
I was thinking about taking a walk in the park this morning, but the weather is yucky. Too bad I'm not in Iowa. My friend Renee sent me a picture this morning, a "We've got snow, do you?" rubbing it in my face picture, hehe. And not only that, a former co-worker posted 60 pictures on facebook of snow in Montana. *sighs*
Mother Nature doesn't love me :(
But on the bright side..... there's a glimmer of hope that I may finally be getting over my sinus infection. Yesterday I felt pretty good, and today is looking good as well (so far).
Mother Nature doesn't love me :(
But on the bright side..... there's a glimmer of hope that I may finally be getting over my sinus infection. Yesterday I felt pretty good, and today is looking good as well (so far).
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
ugh
Sing with me...... to the tune of the Mickey Mouse song.
M-O-N-D-A-Y
S-U-C-K-S!
Yeah, it was a horrible day...... That's all I have to say.
Still sick, work was nuts, but thankfully it's a short and broken apart week. On a brighter note, I had a good crop of new hires tonight. I might actually get a meat checker that speaks English! Well, Ut tries to speak English, but she has such a heavy Vietnamese accent that it's hard to understand. One of the supervisors was out tonight. We sent him home and to the doctor for what looks like pink eye. Our boss, Becky will be out the rest of the week, so we'll have the plant manager from dayshift covering things. Tomorrow has the potential to be just as horrible and insane. *sighs*
**November 24**
I feel the need to edit this post and add this comic... it fits, LOL
M-O-N-D-A-Y
S-U-C-K-S!
Yeah, it was a horrible day...... That's all I have to say.
Still sick, work was nuts, but thankfully it's a short and broken apart week. On a brighter note, I had a good crop of new hires tonight. I might actually get a meat checker that speaks English! Well, Ut tries to speak English, but she has such a heavy Vietnamese accent that it's hard to understand. One of the supervisors was out tonight. We sent him home and to the doctor for what looks like pink eye. Our boss, Becky will be out the rest of the week, so we'll have the plant manager from dayshift covering things. Tomorrow has the potential to be just as horrible and insane. *sighs*
**November 24**
I feel the need to edit this post and add this comic... it fits, LOL
Sunday, November 18, 2007
It's officially the holiday season
I've finally seen the commercial that, to me, always marks when it's really the holiday season :) And if Dylan is reading this, NO, it is NOT the Ferrero Rocher commercial.
It is the adorable Hershey's Kisses that play We Wish You a Merry Christmas as bells.
It is the adorable Hershey's Kisses that play We Wish You a Merry Christmas as bells.
Shopping Adventures and Sinus update
First off...... why the hell did I not go get a cortisone/steroid shot today? Oh yeah, I'm lazy... gotcha. I wasn't too bad today, slept some in the car on the way to Tulsa and nearly all of the way back. Poor mom, I wasn't much company in the car. Somewhere along the way, I obviously got a good whiff or two of eucalyptus (that I'm allergic to) and I had a migraine the entire way back and tried to sleep it off. By the time I got back to mom's it had let up significantly so she let me drive home. As long as I didn't stare at oncoming lights and didn't move my head and kept the radio down, I was ok. But obviously I'm safe at home and blogging, so all went well!
Ok, so shopping in Tulsa. It's early, not too many insane Christmas shoppers out yet! Just a highlights.
1. If you go to Mathis Brothers Furniture, make sure the sales person KNOWS you're just looking and don't intend to buy. Mom and I had a dude following us around 3/4 of the store making comments and being annoying before he got sidetracked by some woman and we escaped to the cafe to hide, LOL.
2. Santa has a smile that warms you up inside! We came out of JCPenney's and they had pictures with Santa set up. I glanced over to see if he had any children on his lap and I swear he was the best looking Santa I've ever seen. Not like good looking, but like the perfect face for a Santa. He gave me a wink and a little wave and I just giggled and had a smile from ear to ear. I'm still a kid at heart, always will be.
3. Camille's Cafe is really really good. Mom and I both had a California Chicken Wrap - DELICIOUS, and it was served with three color tortilla chips and some really really yummy salsa. The water tasted funny though, hehe.
4. Ross - Dress for Less, is the same as TJ Maxx, and even though we nearly turned around to leave because it wasn't what we thought it was, I wound up buying four things, hehe.
5. Jenn in a Hallmark store during the holidays is a B-A-D idea. I'll have to get a video of my snowman snow globe. He's unbelievably awesome! He has a little motor in his belly that turns on and off to stir up the glitter for you, you don't have to shake him! And he also changes colors among green, red and blue. Video will come soon...
6. Sometimes it's just not appropriate to take a picture of a woman's hair, but I reallllllllllllllllllly really wanted to! I don't remember what store we were in, but I nearly got caught staring at this elderly woman's hair. I don't even know how to describe it, but I know that mom would have beaten me if I'd taken a picture like I wanted to... I wish I knew how to express the amazement of her hairdo and hair color combination... I'm still just baffled by whatever in the world that woman did (and why she thought it was acceptable to go out in public like that).
7. We got free pillows, LOL. I'm looking at new bedroom furniture and with a larger bed comes a new mattress. Since we were in a mall, I stopped in the Select Comfort store where they sell the sleep number beds. I've slept on one of these in a hotel in Dallas, very very comfy. And since the guy obviously wasn't going to make a sale, he offered us free pillows instead in exchange for adding us to their mailing list. Whatever dude... But strangely, the pillow came in handy on the way home when I was sleeping off that headache. Strange how things work out like that!
Must sleep now, good night
Ok, so shopping in Tulsa. It's early, not too many insane Christmas shoppers out yet! Just a highlights.
1. If you go to Mathis Brothers Furniture, make sure the sales person KNOWS you're just looking and don't intend to buy. Mom and I had a dude following us around 3/4 of the store making comments and being annoying before he got sidetracked by some woman and we escaped to the cafe to hide, LOL.
2. Santa has a smile that warms you up inside! We came out of JCPenney's and they had pictures with Santa set up. I glanced over to see if he had any children on his lap and I swear he was the best looking Santa I've ever seen. Not like good looking, but like the perfect face for a Santa. He gave me a wink and a little wave and I just giggled and had a smile from ear to ear. I'm still a kid at heart, always will be.
3. Camille's Cafe is really really good. Mom and I both had a California Chicken Wrap - DELICIOUS, and it was served with three color tortilla chips and some really really yummy salsa. The water tasted funny though, hehe.
4. Ross - Dress for Less, is the same as TJ Maxx, and even though we nearly turned around to leave because it wasn't what we thought it was, I wound up buying four things, hehe.
5. Jenn in a Hallmark store during the holidays is a B-A-D idea. I'll have to get a video of my snowman snow globe. He's unbelievably awesome! He has a little motor in his belly that turns on and off to stir up the glitter for you, you don't have to shake him! And he also changes colors among green, red and blue. Video will come soon...
6. Sometimes it's just not appropriate to take a picture of a woman's hair, but I reallllllllllllllllllly really wanted to! I don't remember what store we were in, but I nearly got caught staring at this elderly woman's hair. I don't even know how to describe it, but I know that mom would have beaten me if I'd taken a picture like I wanted to... I wish I knew how to express the amazement of her hairdo and hair color combination... I'm still just baffled by whatever in the world that woman did (and why she thought it was acceptable to go out in public like that).
7. We got free pillows, LOL. I'm looking at new bedroom furniture and with a larger bed comes a new mattress. Since we were in a mall, I stopped in the Select Comfort store where they sell the sleep number beds. I've slept on one of these in a hotel in Dallas, very very comfy. And since the guy obviously wasn't going to make a sale, he offered us free pillows instead in exchange for adding us to their mailing list. Whatever dude... But strangely, the pillow came in handy on the way home when I was sleeping off that headache. Strange how things work out like that!
Must sleep now, good night
Friday, November 16, 2007
Doctor says....
I STILL have my dang sinus infection. I now have yet another prescription for an antibiotic that's supposed to be stronger. Let's hope this one works better, or else I'll have to go in for one of those steroid cortisone cocktail shots..... I would have gotten one today, but I seem to remember them putting me to sleep, and I have to work tonight.
Update on my skills at work.....
Here's the original list of cannots, and how they stand now
I cannot:
I cannot:
- Debone a whole leg, or anything in the coneline room
ACCOMPLISHED!!!!!!!!! oh wait, I still can't do coneline. Ok, Success on deboning a leg - Set up the distribution system that sends the tubs to each of the baggers
ACCOMPLISHED!!!!!!! - Remember when I do and don't need to clear the lines (unless I'm going to an older kill date)
ACCOMPLISHED!!!!!!! - Operate the cryovac packaging machine
Haven't even tried - Operate the device that tests the CO2 to O2 concentration in the cryovac packages
Have no reason to learn - Operate the strapper machine that puts the hard plastic straps around boxes to keep them closed
Haven't even tried - Drive one of the jacks loaded with a pallet
Big Fat Failure! LOL, Last time I tried to drive the electric jack, I backed myself into the CO2 bins and Gustavo took the jack away from me, LOL. However, he did get it onto the truck and then let me maneuver it into place, hehe. - Understand how in the world they figure out payroll!
Partial Success... if I could figure out which products have a base pay and which don't, I'd have it down perfectly.
- Run/Set up the sizer machine
- Run the marinator in coneline, or the slicer
- Drive the yard dog (the truck cab we use to move trailers around the lot with)
- Fix the scale settings on the indexer bagging machine. Truthfully I don't even try, I just go find Joseph.
- Operate the lift on the bone trailer
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Thursday Thirteen #3
Yeah, Yeah, I took a long break between TT's. But here you go.
Thirteen Sites I have Bookmarked
Thirteen Sites I have Bookmarked
- Arkansas Geocachers Association
I love geocaching, when I get to go. Can't go right now, my brother has my GPS. This is the page for the Arkansas group. There are several other regional groups, but this is the main Arkansas one. - The Times Record - Fort Smith, Arkansas
Helps me keep up with news back home. I mostly just look at births, marriages, engagements, and the obituaries. - 112 Drive In Theatre
I love the drive in movies! I don't think I went at all this past season, never got a chance to. Need to change that next year. - Pike's Peak Cog Railway
The best thing I ever did! Back in April I took vacation time and went to Colorado for a Chris Cagle concert. I went down to Colorado Springs for a couple of days, went up the mountain as far as we could go because of the snow, went to Garden of the Gods, went to the Cliff Dwellings, and just had a great time :) - The Language of The Fan
It's just funny to read, but you might need to be southern to appreciate it :) - Kraft Foods - Great Recipes and Food Ideas
I love new recipes! I have gotten many delicious recipes from this site. I'm also on their mailing list and get new recipes each week. - Hips and Curves
Because I'm naughty some days.... ;) - Web Sudoku
Yes, I admit it, I'm an addict. I also have it on my cell phone, I can play anywhere and any time! - Make-a-Flake - A snowflake maker
I LOVE SNOWFLAKES!!!!!!!!!!!!! - Glitter Graphics
I like sparkly things :) - Northwest Arkansas Real Estate
I love to dream...... someday soon I hope it will be a reality! - The Webtender - Cocktail & Mixed-Drink recipes and Bartending Guide
I highly recommend the "In my bar" feature. It ROCKS! - Orbitz: Airline Tickets, Hotels, Car Rentals, Travel Deals
I can't travel if I don't have a way to book stuff! (see also, American Airlines)
Seven Random and/or Weird Things About Me
I was tagged by Leslita!
Here are the rules:
Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs. Let each person know that they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
- I have a cat with a foot fetish. Seriously, he's obcessed with my feet! He always has to lay on my feet, or sleep on them when I'm in bed. I started with this one because he's laying on my feet right now and my right foot is asleep and tingling. Let's try a picture...... Nope, I can't get it to work, click here, LOL.
- I have a house elf! Ok, so really it's just my best friend Doby, I mean Dylan. He's a clean freak some days, so he tends to wash dishes, mow the lawn, vacuum the floor, take out the trash, etc. See, he's a house elf! Ok, he doesn't cook much, but I'm not ever home for him to cook for anyway. I used to call him a house-husband, but I don't get any of those husband/wife benefits, so he's a house elf instead!
- I can't stand to take a shower anywhere other than home! I know it's weird, but the thought of taking a shower in a hotel room where tons of other people have been and have done who knows what... yuck. I just moved and I seriously had to clean my shower twice before I ever used it. And I'm still not really comfortable with it, LOL.
- I can't communicate with a vast majority of the people I work with. My Spanish is horrible, and I'm not taking the time to learn it like I should. Thankfully I have lots of people that help me translate. It's not too bad...
- I'm obsessed with CSI shows. I have the TV in my room set to automatically come on at noon so it will wake me up and I can watch CSI: Miami. I'm also a fan of Law & Order and NCIS.
- I love Christmas! I love the decorations, I love the church services, I love the holiday carols, I love the bell ringers at the stores, I love driving around to look at lights, I love the special dishes that only get fixed during holidays, I love office parties, I love buying presents, I love wrapping presents, I love a twinkling tree, I just flat out love Christmas!
- I'm gonna go to Disneyland for my birthday! I have a friend that lives out there, so I have someone to show me around. It's still in the planning stages, not yet a done deal :)
- Doh, I only needed 7. Bye now! Crap, I don't know who to tag, so I guess it stops here... hehe
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Hello again!
I forget about this blog thing, maybe if I bookmark it, or hey, set it as my homepage (!) I'll pay a little more attention to it.
Let's see...... I changed the title for Lesley, I'm not an intern any more. I reallllly need to get ready for work, but I'll try and make myself do the 7 things that Les tagged me with when I get home in the wee hours of the morning. That's assuming we have enough chicken to get us through the night! So far we're like 0 for 2.
Let's see...... I changed the title for Lesley, I'm not an intern any more. I reallllly need to get ready for work, but I'll try and make myself do the 7 things that Les tagged me with when I get home in the wee hours of the morning. That's assuming we have enough chicken to get us through the night! So far we're like 0 for 2.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Thursday Thirteen #2
13 Things on TV in the wee hours of the morning!
13. Sex Talk
12. Hot Tubs: Past, Future and Present
11. Mattress Cover Infomercials (Clean Rest)
10. Cheerz Hangover Formula
9. They Might be Giants repeat on Conan O’Brien (This is listed for Lesley’s amusement!)
8. Criss Angel: Mindfreak
7. An entire 30 minutes dedicated to ProActive with Kelly, Jessica, Vanessa, and P Diddy.
6. An assortment of lightweight, battery powered weed trimmers infomercials
5. Girls Gone Wild (with censors over body parts of course)
4. Scrapbooking PJ Party
3. The Messengers (a documentary of sorts about 5 or 6 albino animals born in the wild. Was pretty cool til the baby baboon fell out of the tree *pouts* The white lion was gorgeous)
2. Stories of the Innocence Project: Fingered with a Print
1. Every infomercial Billy Mays ever made! (Liquid Diamond, Zorbeez, Oxi-Clean, you name it!)
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Dude.....
I'm home before midnight for the first time in more than 6 weeks!!!!!!! It was really weird seeing so many people on the interstate as I drove home, lol.
We didn't have much to get done tonight, so my line was the first to leave, and I followed about an hour later. The rest of the room was going to be about an hour behind me.
What a nice ending to the week :)
We didn't have much to get done tonight, so my line was the first to leave, and I followed about an hour later. The rest of the room was going to be about an hour behind me.
What a nice ending to the week :)
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
My new skills
So I haven't written much at all, but here are some of the skills I have learned and/or processes I've done!
I can:
I can:
- remove the skin and debone a chicken thigh :)
- tell the difference between thigh meat and leg meat
- check tubs of meat for bones, and operate the belt and sensors that move the chicken tubs
- operate the bagging machine to create 4 ten pound bags of meat to put in a box (I can do the 70 lb tubs and 40 lbs chipotle boxes too, but they're easier).
- open and close the "gates" that dump chicken to my stations on my line using the weigh tech scale
- Assign a person's badge to a station number
- Manually clock people in and out if needed
- clear the weights on the scales (only with Donna's permission since I erased hers once, lol)
- dump chicken onto my line! I maneuver (not lift) the 70 lb cases onto the roller bars and dump onto the belt. I never do the last of the pallet that has to be lifted.
- make about 200 labels a night to put on the 70 lb cases
- explain the date/lot/hour codes on our labels
- Write-up someone who lies to me about being sick just to go home
- Suspend someone who refuses to do a job they're asked to do
- Fire someone who misses too many days, and have him escorted from the building
- rattle off and understand what most of the 0016-001, 750-141, 0314-928, 8134-207 kind of codes mean :)
- Do the *magic* that makes the raw and finished weights on my production reports add up and balance out
- adjust the raw weights for girls who have stolen chicken from somewhere and have a strangely high yield over the rest of their line.
- verify temperatures for the QC girls (HACCP stuff)
- remember my function codes to do my reports and line sheets
- Enable or Disable lines on the tub return
- Debone a whole leg, or anything in the coneline room
- Set up the distribution system that sends the tubs to each of the lines
- remember when I do and don't need to clear the lines (unless I'm going to an older kill date)
- Operate the cryovac packaging machine
- operate the device that tests the CO2 to O2 concentration in the cryovac packages
- Operate the strapper machine that puts the hard plastic straps around boxes to keep them closed
- drive one of the jacks loaded with a pallet
- understand how in the world they figure out payroll!
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Thursday Thirteen
Thirteen things learned in my first month as an intern:
13. I hear the words "Saddle" and "Football" often.
Saddle = both whole legs (leg +thigh) connected by a piece of the backbone, really looks like a saddle with the tailbone, I'm amused :)
Football = whole chicken minus the wings, has a football shape to it (I haven't seen these yet).
12. The foam is your friend...
... and you're supposed to step in it. When you enter the production floor, there are hoses on each side of the doorway that spray an antibacterial foam to sanitize the bottoms of your feet. I avoided the foam for a while before I asked what it was, and a couple of times when it squirted out it spooked me, I've gotten a few laughs :)
11. Some DO follow the law
While waiting for Leah to come back from her smoke break, I spotted a sign that said "We follow the law" and basically pointed out that if you can't legally work in the US already, they will not accept your employment application. I have a little more pride and respect now for my new employers. At some point I'll post a picture of the sign.
10. X-rays are not perfect
There's an x-ray machine in the other room that scans for bones in the chicken breasts. I had the chance to stand and watch it one night. I can see the xray screen, and then there's a black arm that sneaks out and steals the chicken breasts that it detected a possible bone inside. Then there's a lady on each side that hand checks the chicken the machine stole. I watched for a while and every piece it stole was put back on the line, with no bone found. Nice invention, but almost seems not needed in a way since so little was actually a bone. But I guess for that one bone that it DOES find, it's all worth it, huh?
9. A Smile is the universal language
Followed secondly by holding open a door. I'd say 95% of the people there are Hispanic and I don't have a clue how many of them speak English, but I don't talk to many of them yet. However, a smile goes a long way in being friendly and helpful and not looking like an arrogant person who thinks you're better.
8. Becky freakin ROCKS!
The Shift Manager is a female! And she rocks! She has an amazing knowledge of tons of things. The guys have the utmost respect for her. I've got a great trainer for my position. I have a feeling if she said jump they'd say Which direction? How high? and How long? hehehe
7. 4pm-1am is merely a suggestion of hours.....
I'm expected to be there about 3:30pm and already having everything on my line going at 4:00pm. And in a supervisor position, you can't walk out at 1am. The deboners have to stick around until they finish what they're working on, could be 12:30, could be 1:15, 1:45, 2am, you get the hint... Anyway, once they leave, you're not done! You still have to take the palm out to pull the data for the night, and then that has to go into the computer, get sorted, print the reports, and then once all the workers clock out, you have to finalize the time sheets! I left at 3am Monday night and the guys were still going. Sheesh... Oh, and you don't get any credit for being there at 3:30, your time sheet says 4pm. SUCKS
6. There are TWO guys named Wilfredo
I refer to them as the Alfredo brothers. I really seriously thought my boss was calling one of them by the wrong name, and then I finally noticed them on two different line sheets with two different last names. *light bulb* hehehe
5. They turn the temperature down even colder in the summer!
So the first week... not bad, Monday night of the second week, FREAKIN FREEZING. I was shivering half the night! I finally asked Becky if it was always colder on Mondays, and she said they turned it down another 5 degrees because it's turning to summer and it helps the meat stay cooler longer to start off colder. So what's the temp now?? About 38 freezing degrees. Oh, and that's not even mentioning the actual cooler/freezer part of the plant. I'll find that out soon. (update - 24 degrees in the freezer, hence the detour I take through the coneline room to avoid the main freezer, LOL)
4. I learn something new every day.
I've been there a month now and I'm still learning new things. It's such a change from my old job. But since the new guy started, I try to teach him what little things I can. Us non-Spanish speakers have to stick together, hehe. What'd I learn last night? When my girls and Juan are "upgrading" it's damn messy! Also, the distribution machine is cool enough to take the meat from line D and automatically dump it into line F and none of us have to deal with it. Rather cool!
3. The men are obsessed with weighing themselves!
There's a big scale right inside the main room for weighing the 1750 pound tote bins, I swear I see at least 2-3 guys a night step up on it and look at how much they weigh. The only time I've seen girls on it, they were in a group and there were no individual weights, lol.
2. My stereotypes are mostly wrong.
a - it does not smell like a chicken plant
b - the workers are not slaves
c - they really do make decent money! I sat down with Becky and we figured up one guy's pay with all the incentives they give, and he made quite a bit more than me in my last job!
1. I still like to eat chicken :)
I was kind of worried I'd be one of those people that start working with food and then can never eat there again (a la Amanda and KFC). But I do still love chicken, I feel a certain pride in going to Wal-Mart and getting a package of the boneless skinless thigh meat that has "OMP" in the date code stamped on the package (HINT HINT). I will admit, there have been a few nights I've been so sick of staring at chicken that I go to sonic and get a bacon cheeseburger just to NOT support my new industry, LOL.
13. I hear the words "Saddle" and "Football" often.
Saddle = both whole legs (leg +thigh) connected by a piece of the backbone, really looks like a saddle with the tailbone, I'm amused :)
Football = whole chicken minus the wings, has a football shape to it (I haven't seen these yet).
12. The foam is your friend...
... and you're supposed to step in it. When you enter the production floor, there are hoses on each side of the doorway that spray an antibacterial foam to sanitize the bottoms of your feet. I avoided the foam for a while before I asked what it was, and a couple of times when it squirted out it spooked me, I've gotten a few laughs :)
11. Some DO follow the law
While waiting for Leah to come back from her smoke break, I spotted a sign that said "We follow the law" and basically pointed out that if you can't legally work in the US already, they will not accept your employment application. I have a little more pride and respect now for my new employers. At some point I'll post a picture of the sign.
10. X-rays are not perfect
There's an x-ray machine in the other room that scans for bones in the chicken breasts. I had the chance to stand and watch it one night. I can see the xray screen, and then there's a black arm that sneaks out and steals the chicken breasts that it detected a possible bone inside. Then there's a lady on each side that hand checks the chicken the machine stole. I watched for a while and every piece it stole was put back on the line, with no bone found. Nice invention, but almost seems not needed in a way since so little was actually a bone. But I guess for that one bone that it DOES find, it's all worth it, huh?
9. A Smile is the universal language
Followed secondly by holding open a door. I'd say 95% of the people there are Hispanic and I don't have a clue how many of them speak English, but I don't talk to many of them yet. However, a smile goes a long way in being friendly and helpful and not looking like an arrogant person who thinks you're better.
8. Becky freakin ROCKS!
The Shift Manager is a female! And she rocks! She has an amazing knowledge of tons of things. The guys have the utmost respect for her. I've got a great trainer for my position. I have a feeling if she said jump they'd say Which direction? How high? and How long? hehehe
7. 4pm-1am is merely a suggestion of hours.....
I'm expected to be there about 3:30pm and already having everything on my line going at 4:00pm. And in a supervisor position, you can't walk out at 1am. The deboners have to stick around until they finish what they're working on, could be 12:30, could be 1:15, 1:45, 2am, you get the hint... Anyway, once they leave, you're not done! You still have to take the palm out to pull the data for the night, and then that has to go into the computer, get sorted, print the reports, and then once all the workers clock out, you have to finalize the time sheets! I left at 3am Monday night and the guys were still going. Sheesh... Oh, and you don't get any credit for being there at 3:30, your time sheet says 4pm. SUCKS
6. There are TWO guys named Wilfredo
I refer to them as the Alfredo brothers. I really seriously thought my boss was calling one of them by the wrong name, and then I finally noticed them on two different line sheets with two different last names. *light bulb* hehehe
5. They turn the temperature down even colder in the summer!
So the first week... not bad, Monday night of the second week, FREAKIN FREEZING. I was shivering half the night! I finally asked Becky if it was always colder on Mondays, and she said they turned it down another 5 degrees because it's turning to summer and it helps the meat stay cooler longer to start off colder. So what's the temp now?? About 38 freezing degrees. Oh, and that's not even mentioning the actual cooler/freezer part of the plant. I'll find that out soon. (update - 24 degrees in the freezer, hence the detour I take through the coneline room to avoid the main freezer, LOL)
4. I learn something new every day.
I've been there a month now and I'm still learning new things. It's such a change from my old job. But since the new guy started, I try to teach him what little things I can. Us non-Spanish speakers have to stick together, hehe. What'd I learn last night? When my girls and Juan are "upgrading" it's damn messy! Also, the distribution machine is cool enough to take the meat from line D and automatically dump it into line F and none of us have to deal with it. Rather cool!
3. The men are obsessed with weighing themselves!
There's a big scale right inside the main room for weighing the 1750 pound tote bins, I swear I see at least 2-3 guys a night step up on it and look at how much they weigh. The only time I've seen girls on it, they were in a group and there were no individual weights, lol.
2. My stereotypes are mostly wrong.
a - it does not smell like a chicken plant
b - the workers are not slaves
c - they really do make decent money! I sat down with Becky and we figured up one guy's pay with all the incentives they give, and he made quite a bit more than me in my last job!
1. I still like to eat chicken :)
I was kind of worried I'd be one of those people that start working with food and then can never eat there again (a la Amanda and KFC). But I do still love chicken, I feel a certain pride in going to Wal-Mart and getting a package of the boneless skinless thigh meat that has "OMP" in the date code stamped on the package (HINT HINT). I will admit, there have been a few nights I've been so sick of staring at chicken that I go to sonic and get a bacon cheeseburger just to NOT support my new industry, LOL.
A new adventure!
I've finally done it! I interviewed on May 15th and was offered a job on May 25th as a Production Intern for OMP Foods in Rogers. It's not what I want to do for the rest of my life, but they're a great company, and I'm going to learn a ton of things. I have loved my time dearly at the UofA and will truly miss a lot of the people I work with, but the time has come to move on, make my own way, and get paid more than what just barely pay my bills...
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's chicken, but hey, I love chicken, it's delicious! They're promising to teach me a lot of different things, so it'll be more than just watching over a line of people deboning chicken. You'll see :)
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's chicken, but hey, I love chicken, it's delicious! They're promising to teach me a lot of different things, so it'll be more than just watching over a line of people deboning chicken. You'll see :)
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