My kiddies had another birthday.

Coral is going to audition for her school talent show. She is going to use her "sonjee bongs" (foam nunchuks) to some asian-themed techno-muzak. Should be cool. She's becoming quite the spunky little "tween" there.

Colin is painfully learning to EAT what is put in front of him. This has meant a couple of nights going hungry. He's just so pitiful...but there doesn't seem to be any other way to convince him that he's gotta eat what Mommy makes for him.

My Mom came thru with presents for the kids: Gift Certificates to the other gaming store in our neighborhood. We'll see...if I can ever find the store.

***NEWS FLASH***

I am now a card carrying member of the Teamsters Local 31.

To anyone who actually READS this 'blog (besides me...): So Sorry...had to keep the whole "union drive at work" thing under wraps until the vote went thru. So now HBC Distribution Centre 507 is a Union Shop. The proverbial straw was a new compensation package with which we were informed that top-of-scale wage earners would no longer be getting COLA increases...instead we would be recieving a once-a-year "lump sum".

Ummm...sorry, but a once-a-year payment does NOT work the magic of Compound Interest.

It does not help my monthly Pension Contributions, nor does it increase the matching funds the company also contributes to my Pension.

It does not at all increase the extra monies I make from working overtime. At 507, we work lots of overtime.

Finally, the unionised associates at our unionised facilities in Ontairio and Quebec are still getting their COLA increases...and our management here has already pointed out that it is unalterable, set-in-stone policy to pay wages and compensation to our unionised and non-union associates exactly the same. Except for now, that is.

Irony: the new compensation package came about (I presume) as a result of a directive from HBC corporate in Toronto to come up with some way of decreasing the Payroll costs for this facility. For the "once a year payment" is certainly a good thing...for the Company. Now that we are unionised, the first demand from our bargaining unit is likely to be a pay increase to compensate for the deduction of union dues...AND our COLA increases back. Payroll is gonna get more expensive 'round here...

Aggg...

I awoke the morning of Jan. 19 feeling a little stuffed up. I headed to work anyways as THIS WAS THE DAY...

...I was finally getting re-instated as a Machine Operator.

More on that in a moment.

So I took the qualification test between 10 and 11 am and passed. I then started straight in on a clamp truck on the xdock (after Bill ensured that I was OK to resume operating that) helping Cal to offload some display pallets of summer sandals. Cal himself has yet to regain his qualification as a Machine Operator.

We finished about 1 PM. After break I realised just how peaked I felt; and the fact that my sniffling and coughing had only gotten worse during the day led me to beg a favor from our First Aider, Dave Thompson.

I asked him to take my temperature.

Don't get excited. Our first aid room has a perfectly good, re-usable, digital, oral thermometer.

I figured it this way: either I was having some sort of allergic reaction, or I was genuinely sick. Allergies don't usually involve a rise in temperature, so I figured if it was still 98.6 then I would stop *itchin' and get back to work.

It was 100.2...and rising. Dave also took my wrist pulse, just to be sure. My heartrate had gone from a normal rest of 68-72 BPM (I know, I'm out of shape...) up to 92 BPM. Swollen glands, too.

So I went home.

I've spent an absolutely miserable weekend with what wikipedia tells me is a low-grade flu. Fever, aches and chills, dripping sinuses and chest congestion/irritation. Dave was worried I might be coming down with pneumonia. My stomach has been...unsettled...for the last few days, but so far I have managed to keep what little I've eaten down. Still have the inevitable by-products to deal with, tho'. I am still at this hour debating whether or not I'll be at work on Monday. I am heavily medicated.

The Test: to fudge or not to fudge?

I pointed out to Bill that the test could be administered as written in aisle 23-09; as the racking there is only on one side of the aisle. Ditto for 24-02 and 24-19. We needed to avoid aisles like 24-13; according to my measurements, there was less than 5 inches of clearance to work with in that aisle...

So, guess where I got to test?

Uh-huh...

To Bill's credit, he did offer to spot me for rearward/forward clearance while performing the test manuevers. I certainly took him up on that offer. "Nerve Wracking" doesn't begin to describe it...took me two attempts for each lift in the test. Luckily I was permitted three attempts at each...

Lessons Learned:

Always follow correct procedure. Not only does it make for a safer workplace, it also COVERS YOUR ASS.

The Hyster reach trucks will, in fact, perform the manuevers required in the test HBC uses to certify our operators. The margin for error may be just over 4%, but they CAN do it!!!

The Hyster's steering point is off-center...you have much more clearance turning into the rack from the right hand side than from the left. I actually had to re-position the machine a couple of times in 24-13 just to make sure I didn't whack the racking behind me...I was almost certain that turning from the left was going to require more space than I had, and I didn't want to find out for sure the hard way. Did I mention this was nerve wracking?

Next Post: my. kids. had. another. birthday.

And another year passes...

The Tree is Chipped.

The Fall Trash has been sent to the landfill.

The Xmas Lights are down.

We've moved a heap o' stuff out of the downstairs TV room and into Opa's bedroom. I have taken over his "tailoring shop" as my new "computer shop". KWY has, coincidentally, recieved a job offer from the US of A and will likely be leaving us soon. I have been persuaded to store and/or sell his excess stock...on Ebay.

This means, of course, that I finally have to settle up with Ebay...

I am undecided whether to have the old account removed and start over...or keep it.

I don't have a problem starting anew...I have hopes of turning some $eriou$ coin for myself and KWY...OTOH...this may turn out to be more work than it is worth. We shall see.