Friday, December 27, 2019

Does Anyone Else Smell Burning Hair??



Today was one of the days that our newest warehouse employee, Wayne came in to see how the operation runs before coming in on a full time basis January 1.  The day started off like any other day - the office was freezing and took forever to come to a "life sustaining" temperature.  Adam was going out of his way to do next to nothing and  Alex was cleaning up the warehouse area.

Wayne arrives and says hello to everyone (he still seems a bit jumpy, but maybe it's just his way).  He spends some time speaking with Mike and I quickly realize they know each other.  Now, as I mentioned before, there is no need for eavesdropping due to my location and office size.  I hear their conversation and quickly realize where they know each other from.....CHURCH!  Wayne is "born again" like Mike!

After the rehash of the Christmas service at the church, Wayne goes into the warehouse for the day.  Now, I can only speak to what I have been told and the results - which I was able to see and actually SMELL myself.

It is my understanding that Adam was on the dock, heating up some materials in a 55 gallon barrel with a large fire throwing object that is fueled by propane.  I guess he was trying to burn something off...who knows, I wasn't there.  Adam said he walked away as the flame was continuing in the barrel and someone (Wayne) turned the flame off when he turned his back.  Wayne had extinguished the flame, but neglected to turn off the propane that continued spewing from the wand.  The wand that remained in the 55 gallon drum was filling it to the brim with gas!

Adam noticed the flame was out and asked Wayne to light it up again.  Here's where things went REALLY wrong.  Wayne did as he was asked and re-lit the wand, WHILE IT WAS STILL IN THE BARREL!  I have been told a fireball emitted from the barrel along with a substantial "popping" noise that we all heard in the office.

Wayne came running through the office on his was to the scary bathrooms and Alex told me what had happened.  When Wayne came back from the bathroom he was a site to see.  His shirt had a singe mark, his glasses still had a black, sooty haze on them and his eyebrows were GONE - which gave him a perpetually surprised expression to his face, but he was okay and was actually laughing about it.  The smell of burning hair filled every inch of that office!

It's easy to laugh about it now, because no one was hurt.  It could have been so much worse!  I wish the boss wasn't so close to England and in an area with an internet connection so I could inform him of the catastrophe that almost happened today.

Monday, December 23, 2019

A New Employee & A Geography Lesson




As you can imagine, the upcoming holiday has been a busy time.  Although business seems to be a little more quiet than in previous weeks; everyone assures me that this is completely normal and it will pick up again after the first of the year.  Slow is a good thing for me, it provides an opportunity to continue going through the "accounting files" and try to come up with a plan of attack for outstanding pile of A/R.

We have begun to expand a bit - a new employee has been hired for the warehouse in the preparation for increased business in the new year.  This is a great idea, but I'm just not sure if Wayne is the proper cog to fit in the wheel.  Wayne is very nice, but it seems he is a bit on the nervous side - almost like he takes a bit too much Ritalin.  Is it just me or does he seem to run everywhere he goes?  He is going to be coming in a couple of days a week to get a feel for the place before he starts full time January 2020.

Now for the geography lesson of the day -

We we told today that The Boss would be going on vacation for Christmas and would be returning after the first of the year.  Now, the truth be told, I knew he was going away because I overheard him on the phone talking about the Bahamas.  No, I wasn't eavesdropping - I can hear everyone and everything from where I sit!

That being said, I acted surprised and asked where he was going, etc.  His evasive explanation of the location began something like this.... well, he would be vacationing out of the country.  Again, I asked where he was going; after some hemming and hawing  (and a bit of stammering) he mentioned it was somewhere near ENGLAND and he would have would little to no internet connection.

Now, this conversation brings up three very important questions:

1.  If he didn't want anyone to know where he was going, why not just say so?
2.  Does this man know how the internet actually works?
3.  Have the Bahamas relocated to other side of the Atlantic Ocean without me having heard about it on CNN?

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!

*as always names have been changed to protect the insane

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

A Decision Has Been Made - Let the Second-Guessing Begin

Well,  what "The Boss" offered me to stay I couldn't refuse; I think he really wants me to stay around as an employee of this place.  I did give myself a bit a wiggle room; I told him I would stay on for another month (under the direction of the temporary agency) and  within that time we could discuss a permanent position.

This gives me a couple more weeks to come to my senses....

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Do I Want to Extend My Time??


My time here is passing very quickly and I am quite happy with the progress I have made.  I have gotten some good stories and done some impressive work (if I do say so myself).  I guess "The Boss" must be liking what I am doing too, because he has suggested that I stick around a bit longer (my original time here was only going to be one month).

I have a lot to consider.... I usually only stay in short term placements, and only came here to earn extra money for a trip to a warm, tropical location.  "The Boss" tells me that he is considering purchasing a building; one with a real heating system and a clean bathroom and he would love if I would stay on to help continue to work I have been doing.  He says he has big plans and has a great plan for the future.

This place is a nut house, and "The Boss" is as nutty as they come, but maybe I could really do some good work here.  I guess I will have to think about it - I told him I would let him know by the middle of next week.

What to do, what to do.....