Spoke Too Soon / The Bowl
Well that was fun while it lasted. After being there for only three weekends, the company I work for assembling those goggles decided last week to close down all three weekend shifts (Day, swing and graveyard). The somewhat official position is that, although they have orders for millions of these goggles to be made, less is traditionally expected from the weekend shifts while being paid the same as weekday shifts. The rational is that people from the weekend shifts will move to the weekday shifts and they'll be at full capacity five days a week. The problem is not everyone can move to weekday shifts so a lot of people were out of a job Monday morning.
It all kinda began last Tuesday when some manager at the company decided to immediately end weekend shifts earlier than the previously announced January end-date. The temp agencies were notified and a few people were immediately asked if they wanted to move to weekdays without being told weekends were shutting down. My brother and I were in that category but we missed the call from our temp agency when it came in last Thursday.
Saturday night, when we got into work, we began hearing rumors that this was the last weekend. It was confirmed for us when our section lead came clean and told us to move as fast as we can to secure a place on weekday swing shift with her and some of the others at our section. Ryan and I were shocked and disappointed that the job we thought would be a sure thing through New Years was ending after only a few weeks. To make matters worse, it seemed the Thursday call was not one to be missed as there were no remaining positions on weekday swing shift. It was a rough, depressing Saturday shift.
The Sunday night to Monday morning graveyard shift was everyone's last day and the very last weekend shift of all. Our shift manager came right out early on and confirmed the rumors that it was ending and told us that, if we were available, to get on the list to move to weekdays. At our first break, Ryan and I were right there at her desk getting on the list, which looked already to be thirty or so people long. Behind us, a line of people waiting to get on the list formed. After that, it was commiserating with our coworkers, some of which had become acquaintances and people we enjoyed hanging out with during downtimes.
Our section lead told us all to go real slow on our last shift. She pretty much told us to just hang out and not do anything, as the other sections were winding down themselves. After our lunch break, I began goofing off. At our section, we prepare the LCD lenses for assembly by peeling protective plastic sheets off both sides of the little glass LCDs. These static-cling plastic sheets, which have little yellow tabs to help peel them off, are then discarded. A guy across from me at the table was lining the yellow peels up in a circle as he was stacking them. It looked like fun to assemble these stupid throwaway sheets and tabs into something, so I began collecting them from everyone at the table and assembling them into a spiral. The pattern grew and the object soon became rather large and heavy. After two or so hours of work, I was so bored that I just decided to stop. Everyone at the table took notice of the thing, which had taken on a bowl shape, and offered to complete it. Our section lead took it and finished a border pattern. Someone had an idea to give it to our shift manager as a parting gift and I allowed it, knowing not what else I was going to do with it. Suddenly, they began going around getting everyone to sign it, and by the end, it was quite the little gift. Not bad for what's normally considered garbage! We figured the managers could use it as a bowl for candy on their desk or something. One last hurrah for the weekend shifts.
At the end of the shift, the manager got back up in front of everyone and, fighting back some emotion, thanked us for everything and hoped to see whomever could make it on the weekday shifts. It was time for goodbyes, as not everyone could go. Someone had said it was just like leaving summer camp or something and we had to say goodbye. And it really was. That last shift was great. We all had some great table discussions and we all realized just how much fun it all was. Some of us guys spent a great deal of time chatting about movies and one guy in particular did an impression of Wesley Snipes from Blade that had us rolling on the floor laughing. It still makes me giggle even now. Man, I'm gonna miss that guy.
And that was it. Now, Ryan and I have to sit back and wait for them to make space for us to join swing shift. Yea, it'll be full time work (YAY!) but it could be days or weeks away. We just don't know. But we do know one thing, we'll be clinging to our cell phones waiting for the call. And this time, we'll sure as hell pick it up. Here's a photo of the bowl I made and everyone signed. It's quite large and heavy considering it's just a bunch of plastic sheets!
It all kinda began last Tuesday when some manager at the company decided to immediately end weekend shifts earlier than the previously announced January end-date. The temp agencies were notified and a few people were immediately asked if they wanted to move to weekdays without being told weekends were shutting down. My brother and I were in that category but we missed the call from our temp agency when it came in last Thursday.
Saturday night, when we got into work, we began hearing rumors that this was the last weekend. It was confirmed for us when our section lead came clean and told us to move as fast as we can to secure a place on weekday swing shift with her and some of the others at our section. Ryan and I were shocked and disappointed that the job we thought would be a sure thing through New Years was ending after only a few weeks. To make matters worse, it seemed the Thursday call was not one to be missed as there were no remaining positions on weekday swing shift. It was a rough, depressing Saturday shift.
The Sunday night to Monday morning graveyard shift was everyone's last day and the very last weekend shift of all. Our shift manager came right out early on and confirmed the rumors that it was ending and told us that, if we were available, to get on the list to move to weekdays. At our first break, Ryan and I were right there at her desk getting on the list, which looked already to be thirty or so people long. Behind us, a line of people waiting to get on the list formed. After that, it was commiserating with our coworkers, some of which had become acquaintances and people we enjoyed hanging out with during downtimes.
Our section lead told us all to go real slow on our last shift. She pretty much told us to just hang out and not do anything, as the other sections were winding down themselves. After our lunch break, I began goofing off. At our section, we prepare the LCD lenses for assembly by peeling protective plastic sheets off both sides of the little glass LCDs. These static-cling plastic sheets, which have little yellow tabs to help peel them off, are then discarded. A guy across from me at the table was lining the yellow peels up in a circle as he was stacking them. It looked like fun to assemble these stupid throwaway sheets and tabs into something, so I began collecting them from everyone at the table and assembling them into a spiral. The pattern grew and the object soon became rather large and heavy. After two or so hours of work, I was so bored that I just decided to stop. Everyone at the table took notice of the thing, which had taken on a bowl shape, and offered to complete it. Our section lead took it and finished a border pattern. Someone had an idea to give it to our shift manager as a parting gift and I allowed it, knowing not what else I was going to do with it. Suddenly, they began going around getting everyone to sign it, and by the end, it was quite the little gift. Not bad for what's normally considered garbage! We figured the managers could use it as a bowl for candy on their desk or something. One last hurrah for the weekend shifts.
At the end of the shift, the manager got back up in front of everyone and, fighting back some emotion, thanked us for everything and hoped to see whomever could make it on the weekday shifts. It was time for goodbyes, as not everyone could go. Someone had said it was just like leaving summer camp or something and we had to say goodbye. And it really was. That last shift was great. We all had some great table discussions and we all realized just how much fun it all was. Some of us guys spent a great deal of time chatting about movies and one guy in particular did an impression of Wesley Snipes from Blade that had us rolling on the floor laughing. It still makes me giggle even now. Man, I'm gonna miss that guy.
And that was it. Now, Ryan and I have to sit back and wait for them to make space for us to join swing shift. Yea, it'll be full time work (YAY!) but it could be days or weeks away. We just don't know. But we do know one thing, we'll be clinging to our cell phones waiting for the call. And this time, we'll sure as hell pick it up. Here's a photo of the bowl I made and everyone signed. It's quite large and heavy considering it's just a bunch of plastic sheets!