Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Good boots!

I have a job for the next two weeks! I wish it could be for longer terms but I'll be thankful for what I have. A local medical products company is going to be having an audit soon in preparation for taking on a new customer. They have hired a bunch of temp workers to come help them clean up their warehouse before the inspection.

They have a huge freezer that stays at -10 degrees F, a cooler that stays at about 34 degrees F and another that stays at room temperature. They are all about 3 stories tall and our job is to dust all the racks with pallets full of product.

When I was offered the position, the agency simply told me that I'd be doing cleaning. They DIDN'T mention that it would be in a dirty, dusty warehouse in sub-zero temperatures half the time! So I show up yesterday in jeans, a polo shirt and tennis shoes; ready to vacuum floors and clean windows. I could almost see them laughing to themselves when I got there before they took me over to add a few layers of Carhartts, gloves, hats and anything else I could fit on. By the end of yesterday I was crusty, caked with dust and gross from the job. We did take breaks from time to time to come out and warm back up but that still didn't stop my toes from turning into ice cubes while in the freezers! My lowly hiking shoes simply weren't designed for that type of cold torture! Also, my feet were so sore by the end! Eight hours of just standing on flat surfaces was also not in their job description.

That brings us to today. I came prepared! I brought extra socks, more layers of clothing, a ski-mask/hood thing, better gloves than the ones they supplied, and most importantly, my better boots. I've had them for a few years and they are well-broken-in, insulated and they still look fairly new. They are great for the winters here because they've got good traction and they give good support to my feet which keeps me from falling (most of the time)!

After leaving work tonight I wasn't sore or cold or anything! I'm thinking that these two weeks are probably going to fly by. I'm almost halfway through the first one already!

I must also mention how thankful I am to be able to get this job in the midst of news of many companies laying off thousands and thousands of workers due to the recession. It is such a blessing.

4 comments:

rumblebug said...

Congrats on the job, Zach! It's definitely a blessing, no one is immune to the overwhelming state of the economy these days. Kudos to you for always being so positive and being diligent in your efforts. :) We love ya, brother!

mamaseversike said...

Yeah, good job on the job! I love that you didn't say, "Sure I want a job, but not doing THAT!" You never know what will lead to what. :) Love you! mama

joni said...

Amazing what a difference warm feet can make. Good luck finishing the job!

Jennis said...

OOOhhh nothing makes me madder than being cold, yuck! I am glad to have a brother who is so positive and hard working despite the yuckiness of the work. Like mom said so many people want jobs but not the hard ones. good work on workin hard. it makes a body feel worth while doesn't it? love ya bro.