Carrying On

We have still been working overtime almost every morning and on Saturdays. Last Saturday I only stayed a half-day because I felt terrible. Maybe I was just tired, but all of a sudden I just...couldn't...do...it...anymore. I went home and slept for three hours, but didn't really perk up much. 

Monday I had overtime, Tuesday I didn't, and Wednesday and Thursday I have had. (Please don't call the grammar police on me, I just didn't know how else to say that.) In the past couple of days we haven't had a lot to do, though there is still a lot TO do. They just aren't getting pick orders into the computer very quickly. The little break has been nice, but I know we are going to pay for it in this next week. On Friday there is a meeting at the unemployment office that we are supposed to attend if we are interested in any of the retraining benefits and such that we will have available to us. The initial problem was that they were going to make us use our own time (or paid personal time) to go! Most of us who still have time left were trying to hang on to that to get it at the end, so we were very unhappy about this arrangement. (This meeting was supposed to be taking place a week or so AFTER we were gone.) This morning, though, there is a note on the time clock saying that we will be paid for attending. It's a two-hour meeting, so we will leave 30 minutes before the meeting, attend the meeting, then have 30 paid minutes to get back. But lest some try to cheat, you will only be paid if you sign the sign-in sheet and stay for the whole meeting. I'm interested to find out about it because I'd like to take a sign language class at Heartland. I think it could be a help in my work at job #2.

So...it's 10-14-2010. We supposedly have twelve days remaining to work (counting today, not counting the two remaining Saturdays). The plant manager told me, though, that it might be less. We may not be here at all on the 29th. The way he acted about it, I'm thinking they might do something like call us to a little reception kind of thing on the 28th, then tell us to pack up and go, and not come back the next day. He said there would be some kind of closing "thing" at some point, and it makes sense that they would want to try to avoid vandalism (and maybe the media?). Anyway, we will see. The employees club is planning a lunch for everyone at the clubhouse on the 29th, which will go forward even if we are not here. Anyone who is interested can come back for it. OK, so we might be eating a lot of leftover barbecue for Sunday Night Supper that week, but that's all right. :)

On Tuesday I received my retirement plaque. It was a lovely ceremony. I marched solemnly to my front porch, picked up the cardboard folder with the gift box inside, and marched back in, puzzling over why some "Accounting Dept" would be sending me a package. (I actually thought it might be something from job #2.) So that's it, it's official - no handshake, not even a letter in the box, nothing. I guess I will still get my cake, though. OK, that's it - barbecue and retirement cake for Sunday Night Supper on Oct 31!