Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Hot Pot Craving!

Monday, April 24, 2006

June 2003


Ting, Wing & Ching(AKA Boringfish) June 2003 BBQ at Avery Park! OMG!

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Saturday, April 22, 2006

Cost Reductio Ad Absurdum

This week, we lost our tall paper cups - we are all going to be using our own toilet paper soon. Four people are leaving in April, for various reasons, leaving a vacuum in a few positions. All are critical and there are no people in the pipeline to replace them right now. Should be interesting. Chad and I are now relief foremen, while still remaining on call as technical folks. What a bummer.

What brand of TP should we bring?

Rotation on relief is kicking my butt this month, with too many days in a row, and not enough time to recover. At least I have some vacation lined up - and by June I will be on D crew. My first relief crew assignment. Let's hope the summer goes smoothly with no injuries or incidents, and some record production days/months.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

TMO is over!

The TMO is over- with me reconnecting to my passion for ice cream after a winter break. I have a date with Ben & Jerry every night after TMO duties. Thank heavens for Cherry Garcia. I did a good ($$$$) job, and gave myself a pat on the shoulder, but I felt like I was on the spot the whole time, with everyone looking over my shoulder. Folks could tell I was working hard because my name was very popular on the radio every day. I also have been crowned PPE fashion queen - a title I am proud to bear. On a sad note, one worker in a contractor group was injured - nothing serious, but a little chemical burn is still no fun. On a lighter note, Horace has been pushing me in a stock competition, and has been kicking my rear.

I am waiting for news on the secret development, and pursuing other options as well.

My foreman schedule is shaping up (today is my first), and I will probably get to see a lot of Grandma while she is here - a bonus for all my hard work.

I helped Horace out by reminding him of a high-priority meeting that he was ready to sleep through. He got a little frustrated by a fellow alum, and I got to add to my vocabulary.

Monday, April 10, 2006

Happy Birthday to Eric & Peggy!

Happy B-day to Eric!
Happy B-Day to Peggy!

Sunday, April 09, 2006

Pre-TMO madness

Work has just been very busy this week. I won't go into detail, but here are some of the highlights.

No more intern supervision - yippee - I can be myself, as well as mini-Horace. I had a good week standing in Horace's shoes, and prepping for white top. Checking on clay, blue dye and pulp supplies.

I learned the perfect term for chemical shortages - dilution is the solution. Water is amazing. The TMO has been keeping me very busy - stress and depression waiting for all the shoes to drop. Meanwhile, it feels like I will be stuck in recovery and pulp and kiln, missing all the fun on the machine side. The senior engineer from OK is now going to be in rotation for pulp foreman relief, and Eric H got a promotion to be 2ndary fiber superintendent. Douggie is retiring from the machine, leaving room for me as relief foreman - a follow up to my December training.

On the personal side, I will give you the condensed version. Fell in love with james the cat, from CHS. I can't have him, though - too much catnip, doggie trouble, and allergies. Next up is Ting's wedding. I went there and learned that it is now my turn - not. Adam & I went to Coos Bay/North Bend. Other than the mill closing, the town seems just like it was when I left. Gloria finally left us, after suffering for a long time. David went to New York, saw some family and a broadway musical.

Austina finally moved in about three weeks ago, and I managed to get the place in shape - now she can help me pay for it. Secret developments on the horizon in WA... more details if developments merit.

I had a chance to talk to Grandma and Fiona - it was good for me, and I miss them both a lot. I had not been keeping in touch as I should.