In The Bunker: The Last Days III

Well, I finished up with that big project, which was getting PPAP (Production Parts Approval Process) samples made and measured. I cranked out the Part Submission Warrants, filled out the paperwork and personally delivered the samples to the customer yesterday.

There are some issues that will need to be resolved before the prints and the parts are in perfect harmony, but that's how it goes sometime. I suspect I will no longer be an employee soon, so I hope the survivors, i.e. Plant Manager and VP of Operation, are ready to address them. They've been through the drill before, so no worries.

I was so wrung out, that I fell face-down on my bed at 7:30 last night and slept though until 6:30 this morning. Ah, sweet, sweet exhaustion!

In the Bunker: The Last Days II

Well, the whole second shift was let go last night.

I found out this morning.

Above, is a quick note that my 2nd shift inspector left for us.

Tick. Tick, Tick.

In the Bunker: The Last Days

You know, I've read about plant closures in the newspaper but this is the first time I've ever been in the eye of that particular hurricane.

Wowser!

Back in May I had two separate vacation day requests go unapproved by the VP of Operations.

"We really need you here," was his answer each time.

One of "my" employees took a previously-scheduled vacation day and the VP and Plant Manager both were querulous.

"Why would she want to take a vacation day?" they asked, mouths agape.

"Um, because it's an employee benefit that is part of the total compensation package," I knew better than to say.

Well, guess what?

With but four weeks left until my scheduled 07/17/09 permanent layoff date :

• The VP has skee-daddled off for a week-long vacation this week, and...

• The PM is taking all next week off!

Now, just to add a little battery acid to that gaping wound, the VP decreed that a certain project has to be completed before he gets back. The project in question appears to be ill-conceived and is currently being poorly executed. It seems highly unlikely it will reach fruition before the VP returns Monday.

The PM seems entirely unconcerned and disconnected from the mechanical and technical issues that are currently thwarting this supposedly important project. I guess I would, too, if I wasn't going to be here when the VP gets back.

Dang it, I've been doing as much as I can to get this thing moving, but it is outside of my circle of influence and expertise. (I spent a couple hours trimming wires yesterday because of the aforementioned disconnects.)

It is as if the captain and first mate elbowed all the women and children out of the way as soon as the Titanic hit that iceberg.

Is this why American manufacturing has gone down the tubes?

Has everyone lost the will to make stuff?

When did the stupid bomb go off and what is the half-life for the moronium-286 fall-out?

I'm trying to hang in there so as to get my "separation package" which is most likely to be one week of pay and all my unused vacation time.

Guess I'll have to try a little harder, eh?

A Fathers Day Classic!

I think nearly every child has gotten so excited about giving Daddy a gift that they've managed to somehow "spoil" it.

This was Mariel as she crawled up on my bed around 6:55 AM this morning.

I remember saying to my own Dad, sometime back in 1963, "We got you something for Fathers Day and it smells real good and you put it on your face after you shave and it's a surprise!"

Ah, that's my girl!

A Maltese Falcon Moment

So many guns, so few brains.

SCORE!

Here is a picture of my Father-In-Law, Dennis, with a Marx train set he bought recently.

I don't really have anything else to say other than to note his blissful facial expression.

Thanks to my two Buffalo pals for making this moment possible!

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Oh, by the way...


Congrats to our bloggin' buddy, xboxfornappyrash!

Vaccinated (Or Not)

I had pneumonia back in 1985. There's a whole story about that, but I'll just summarize it by this was about the sickest I had ever been.

In 2005, when I lost my job at Mueller Steam, I ran straight to the Doctor's office to fit in one last insurance-covered check-up. The Doc suggested I get a "pneumonia shot" since I had already had it once and needed that extra protection against getting it again.

I didn't really want the shot, but I went along with it.

Yep, six months later I had pneumonia again. Not as bad as back in 1985, but I was pretty sick.

In November of 1997, I was offered a free flu shot at the radiator factory where I was temping. Usually, I pooh-pooh such things, but, like an idiot, I went for it.

Yep. I was sick from November, 1997 through April, 1998. I had never been sick that long.

Here is my conclusion: These shots may have not caused my illnesses, but they did not prevent me from getting sick, either.

Isn't there a saying that a definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and yet expect different results each time?

(This is a left-over draft that I had in my blogger folder, so I figured I'd throw it up here)