First Day at the Big Plant

The new job is in a factory right next to my old one, and it's almost exactly the same task. Just like when I transferred from one machine to the next last time, this one has the same premise, but different specifics. So I'm going back into training.

There's a Tim Hortons right nearby. I think they position themselves so that all factories have one immediately available. Remember how I complained that these places offered nothing special, and that the patriotism surrounding them was foolish? Well, I've grown to consider the quality of a job dependant on it's proximity to a Timmies. I don't know what it is about them.

Yo, if you're ordering a sandwich there, get the chicken salad. It's the best bang for your buck.

Anyway, I'm meeting another coworker there before work tomorrow. It's how we did things at my first factory. I'm thinking that, if it's the closest coffee shop to my old location as well, I might be able to run into some old friends from my last workplace.

This new place is so pretty, yo. It's got all this curvy glass, and at the front, they have this huge rock garden/manmade pond ensemble. I wasn't sure if it was really okay for the likes of me to just walk through the entrance, it was so attractive.

But I was, and when they gave me my PPE... Well, the earplugs were so swag. I had another pair, which I got from a guy at my first factory after coming back... I don't remember if I told you guys, but he went to the same high school as me, and we saw each other every day, but because we both looked completely different at that time, neither of us recognized each other at first.

Anyway, he gave me some real nice earplugs... Washable, and a better fit for the ear. He gave all the temps earplugs like this. But after he left, I lost my pair.

Every branch seems to have different PPE designs. At my first branch, we had these foam earplugs, connected with a string. At my second, they wouldn't shell out for a string.

But these new earplugs are better than even the gift of my old friend. They have every advantage of my old pair, but the string is made of a better material, and the plugs are directly attached to the string.

New machine is better than the last ones, too. If something goes wrong, it actually tells you, in plain English on the screen. No more judging based on how exploded a part is. Also, if you try and run it despite the flashing command on screen, it won't let you. And not only will it tell you what problem you have... It also tells you how to fix it.

No more judging based on a number on a gauge, followed by analyzing a blinking light pattern, followed by a memorized code based on the light pattern. If something screws up, this machine will tell you what happened, how to fix it, and it won't let you make a mistake.

So far, these machine operating jobs have been becoming easier by the task.